SHOGUN (2024) – A stranger in a strange land. Game of Thrones Japanese style
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

This mini-series is set in the 17th century Japan. It tells the epic story of John Blackthorne, a British sailor, who gets marooned in Japan. He and his crew are quickly trust into a civilization that is far remote from their own. John finds himself caught in the violent politics involving rival Japanese warlords. These adversaries resort to all sorts of trickery to get what they want which is to attain the title of Shogun, the ruler of the kingdom. In addition, there is also the presence of the Portuguese who had made their presence in the land much earlier, benefiting from trade while spreading the Catholic religion among the locals. Finally, throw in a bittersweet love story between people from conflicting values and culture, and you get an adventure like no other.
Shogun is based on a 1975 novel by James Clavell. It had been previously adapted into a mini-series in 1980 starring Richard Chamberlain. While I cannot make any comparisons to the novel or 1980 mini-series, I can attest that this new series ranks highly with its breathtaking landscapes, sets and costumes to the excellent performances across the board aided by an intelligent script. The film makers have lovingly and painstakingly recreated medieval Japan. Even the opening credits sequence was artistically done to aptly compliment the mood and storyline.
For once, we have a white coloured character, John Blackthorne, who does not become the savior of the natives in the foreign land he lands in, as is the case in so many Hollywood movies. Here, Blackthorne is over dominated by the far more advanced Japanese civilisation, and is often at the mercy of his dubious hosts. One thing at least manifested that he can honestly be appreciative of. That is the relationship he developed with his Japanese interpreter, Mariko, played with impeccable grace and authenticity by Anna Sawai. Anna Sawai was recently seen in another major TV series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Here she is given a much wider range to work with as she demonstrates her skills in handling multi-languages and even display some cool and convincing fight moves. This is truly a breakthrough performance for Anna and I really hope her efforts in this series is not left unnoticed or unrewarded come awards time. Cosmo Jarvis who plays the leading male character John, is an unfamiliar face. He does not have the star presence of Richard Chamberlain but nevertheless, he manages to convey a strong characterisation for a flawed John Blackthorne. Last but not least, there is the majestic and stellar performance of veteran Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada as the shrewd Lord Toranaga. His understated strength and wisdom is so convincing it is no wonder he has us all guessing what is up his sleeves most of the time.
To further add to the authenticity of the series, much of the predominately Japanese cast are made to speak in Japanese so if you are not conversant in this language, be prepared to do a lot of subtitles reading. Nevertheless, the message that comes across is loud and clear, thanks to the dramatic and animated ways the dialogue is naturally delivered. The language is dependent as much on the body language as on the spoken words.
Shogun is a real gem of a series and can proudly stand out among many new series. It benefits strongly with an intriguing storyline, which in while introducing us to the fascinating culture, traditions and values. Not many series can achieve even half of what this has successfully staged.