Shogun

Synopsis

A English sailor arrives on the Japanese shore around the time of a political maneuvering by the council that run Japan. One such council member sees the pilot as a weapon to be used against the newly growing Christian religion and the council members that subscribe to that religion as well as a peasant usurper.

Review

What an outstanding display of Japanese culture back then and still even now. Hiroyuki Sanada's insistence that Japanese characters are played by Japanese actors/actress while the right call and necessary, made this show feel so authentic and raw that it is by far one of the best shows you will ever watch. Speaking of the cast, Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki are simply putting on a clinic to whomever aspires to be in Hollywood. I cannot express to you how amazing their performance was. Cosmo Jarvis was just meh. He played his part well, but he didn't really push the envelope like the others.

The show is a historical drama with surges of action that make you want to be involved. While the action scene are limited they are full of ferocity to the point that it will catch you off guard with it. I can think of one scene that shook me and blew my mind. It was so graphic and visceral that it set the tone for the rest of the show.

This show is shot practically meaning that the beauty you see in the scenes is legitimate and not CGI, with the except of being the wide shots of Edo and Osaka. You can really see every detail they put in and I am genuinely curious if they built villages or if they just used ones that already existed.

My Rating

The start of this show is slow. I mean you are having to teach foreigners customs and culture of historical Catholics and Japanese. Two cultures who have gone through major shits since this time. However, that slowness in the beginning is its triumph in the end. While I am upset about the actionless end of the show, the acting just knocks it out of the park and makes you want more (which there will never be). It is an easy 9. I look forward to reading the book.

Parental Rating

There is no sex. It is implied, but never shown. There is violence and gore. There is also language with some of it being overly aggressive at times in the beginning, but fades to acceptable in the end. While there is amazing female characters that pride themselves on their honor and family, I do not think Mom would watch this of her own volition. My dad is borderline. Like I said, the language in the beginning is strong, but it lessens quite quickly as the season progresses. This show also has a different aspect than any other item I have reviewed. Subtitles. The entire show is mostly in Japanese. I'd say 60/40 to 75/25 for Japanese to Western languages. That is something I think would push my dad to not watch the show sitting on his couch. So I am going to say rejected by both, but it is close for Dad.

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