Finally, a samurai TV show worthy of this generation?

(Image credit: FX)

I love samurai movies.

I don’t know why I do—maybe it has something to do with the concept of bushido—the moral code—that the samurai base their lives around. Maybe it’s how cool they look when they’re wielding the katanas, that control they have while they’re duelling to the death. Okay, it’s definitely about how cool they look.

When it comes to Japanese actors, both Toshirō Mifune and Hiroyuki Sanada have been my steady favourites. In fact, I’ve always thought that Sanada was this generation’s Mifune. And what do you know? Both actors play Lord Yoshi Toranaga in the 1980 and 2024 versions of Shōgun.

Now, I have to confess—I’ve never watched the original Shogūn nor have I read the book by James Clavell, so FX’s version is my first foray into the show. Did I have any expectations going in? Definitely.

Western productions revolving around Japanese culture—or even any other culture, honestly—tend to oversimplify historical moments, have glaring inaccuracies in their casting/costumes or are just downright stereotyping (who can ever forget the yellow tint Hollywood movies put in scenes set in third-world countries?). So, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Shōgun‘s production included a significant number of Japanese crew and Sanada himself is named as a producer.

So what are my first thoughts about the show?

Multiple articles have compared the show to Game of Thrones. But I suppose beyond the amazing production value, the only other thing that seems to be similar to the HBO show is the political intrigue—similar to how different Houses were vying for the Iron Throne, Shōgun has five regent lords looking to fill in the power void left upon the death of Japan’s Supreme Leader.

I enjoyed how the show’s protagonist—English sailor John Blackthorne (played by Cosmo Jarvis)—has been thrust into a new world rich with culture and filled with odd customs without knowing a lick about what is going on around him. Audiences weren’t overly spoon-fed information via exposition. Instead, we’re invited to learn things together with Blackthorne. These interactions, sometimes amusing since Blackthorne is basically stumbling (bulldozing, really) his way through blindly, are further facilitated with the help of Lord Toranaga’s faithful subject, Lady Mariko (Anna Sawai). Lady Mariko, a Catholic convert, acts as an interpreter for Blackthorne by translating his Portuguese into Japanese. Yes, Blackthorne is English but in the world of Shōgun, whatever English you hear is actually Portuguese—the first Europeans to reach Japan were from Portugal in 1543.

Another character that I find intriguing is Kashigi Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano), a warlord whom we are introduced to as being ruthless after he boils one of Blackthorne’s crewmates alive. He also flip-flops his loyalty between Lord Toranaga and Toranaga’s rival, Lord Ishido (Takehiro Hira). While characters like that tend to be unlikeable, Asano’s portrayal of the warlord’s opportunistic nature actually makes him endearing.

At the time of this post, we’re already four episodes in and I’m anxiously waiting for the week to end so I can watch a new episode and see what happens next. Shōgun is set for 10 episodes so I do hope it manages to wrap up the story well and not rush things, unlike a certain show about dragons and a throne made of swords that was on HBO.

Shōgun is now streaming on FX on Hulu (and Disney+ if you’re from Singapore).