Until the airing of its homonymous television adaptation in the early ’80s, his “Shogun” James Clavell estimated to have sold around 6 million copies. The book and its television adaptation are responsible for the strengthening of the West’s interest in the manners and customs of the Far East, the addition of the entry «seppuku» in the Western vocabulary, even part of the box office success of “Kagemusha» of Akira Kurosawa in the worldwide box-office.
THE Toshiro Mifuneonce the latter’s mascot actor, but at odds with him at the time, was the big name of TV’s “Shogun”, accompanied by Richard Chamberlain, which in the ’80s would find refuge in the medium that made him famous, the small screen. Beyond the public’s frenzy for samurai, we have to credit “Shogun” with the foundation of the miniseries trend. Coming after «Roots» and the “Jesus of Nazareth”the «Shogun» it was the series that convinced television networks and production companies that only profit can be made from investing in this different format of television fiction, which does not aim for the weekly renewal of the appointment with viewers and its longevity, but has a beginning, a middle and finally and wraps up in just a few episodes.
Decent worldbuilding combined with an intrigue reminiscent of the scheming and power games of “Game of Thrones” will be enough to whet the thirst of viewers looking for their next TV hook in an, admittedly, dry period for the format.
The new version of “Shogun” comes four decades later, when the miniseries format is no longer an attractive curiosity, but the norm for streaming platforms. The remake, if we can call it that, has no big names in the cast, although the figure of the legendary for the Japanese Hiroyuki Sanada is familiar from his involvement in a number of beloved titles in the fan community – arthouse fans may have first noticed him in the excellent “Twilight Samurai». The audience magnet here is itself brand name of ‘Shogun’, the return of an old glory, ‘refurbished’ for an audience that may have heard the name, but never known the grace.
Facebook Twitter With the action set in feudal Japan and the story divided into chapters, the creative team promises a more accurate portrayal.
With the action set in feudal Japan and the story divided into chapters, the creative team promises a more accurate depiction, greater representation and more respect for the “local” element, where the previous version bet a lot on exoticism and the refraction of the universe under the gaze of the West.
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This can on a first (and superficial) level be achieved through some script adaptations, but in practice it is a series that neither has the pace nor the aesthetics of Japanese fiction, it is adapted to appeal to the Western eye, stepping on narrative patterns that we are used to English-language television. It’s a reasonable, if not wise, choice given the show’s international success and appeal, if you ask us, but we had to mention it due to the production’s persistent announcements.
The first two episodes, which we saw for the needs of the present, are directed by Jonathan van Talenkenwho will soon take over the first two episodes of the upcoming “Blade Runner 2099». They are both an introduction to the characters and a constitution of the fragile balances in the region, the disruption of which seems inevitable. In watching them, we noticed an abuse of it lens flare and an insistence on medium shots, aimed at giving a touch of realism to an entirely artificial universe – since the mid-’00s and for about a decade this has been the trend in studio cinema and television.
Facebook Twitter Ana Sawai, known from “Pachinko”, stars in the series.
It is an aesthetic choice that can give rise to feelings of nostalgia in viewers who grew up, for example, with his series JJ Abrams or with the «Game of Thrones», which is persistently mentioned in the promo but also in most “first impressions”, mainly on fan culture websites. Also, although the epic is what is called for, the plotting does not adequately serve the epic targeting. You see, if you are not ruled by pure epic stuff, you resort to the size of the production, the set design and the sometimes disproportionate volume of the musical score to cover the poverty.
From the cast, the three main players are Hiroyuki Sanadathe Ana Sawai of “Pachinko” and Jarvis world. The former relies mainly on the stature and extra-filmic prestige of his persona, for those who (re)cognize it, while the latter is the quiet strength, combining an innate magnetism with measured acting tones and winning the final impressions. The weak link is Jarvis, with a performance that calls to mind something between Anthony Hopkins in ‘Bounty’, but as imitated by Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon in ‘Trip’, and Michael Sheen at his campiest. It manages to throw you out of whack in a series that, if nothing else, patiently and painstakingly ensures that the viewer is absorbed into its universe.
Facebook Twitter The new version of “Shogun” comes four decades later, when the miniseries format is no longer an attractive curiosity, but the norm for streaming platforms.
The decent worldbuilding combined with an intrigue reminiscent of the scheming and power plays of the aforementioned ‘Game of Thrones’ will be enough to whet the thirst of viewers looking for their next TV fix in an admittedly dry season for the format. In general, the renewed “Shogun” may not be her Second Coming Peak TV, but it does the job.
The first two episodes of the “Shogun” series are available from today on Disney+.
SHOGUN | Official Trailer (2024) FX
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