Anjin

It is the year 1600. A Dutch ship runs aground on the shores of Japan. Leader of the few survivors of its starved, diseased crew is Englishman John Blackthorne, the pilot. The crew soon become prisoners of the Japanese who, influenced by the local Portuguese priests, enemies of the English and Dutch, treat them as savages and pirates. Unknown to Blackthorne but he has arrived at a crucial juncture in the history of the land, with political machinations shaping power.

Great start to the series. Mostly a background sketching and setup episode, as first episodes tend to be, so plot development is limited. There's really no room left in the episode for development: the information involved in the setup is quite immense - the scores of characters and their relationships, the political scene in Japan, the political machinations afoot, Japanese vs European culture and the history of the Portuguese in Japan. It's quite complex to the point of overwhelming.

There is time for a few decent dramatic scenes and even some comedy: the culture clash between Blackthorne and the Japanese is often quite humorous as is their views on each other. A fair amount of intrigue too.

Overall, a solid base from which to launch the series.

What a start to what seems to be shaping up to be an incredible piece of Television.

Between the gorgeous cinematography, the hair raising soundtrack, the incredible sets and a wardrobe department that deserves every award they are eligible to win, it's the nearly unbelievable attention to detail that really sets this show apart from so many others. The story is just brimming with intrigue and political guile and there isn't a single actor that lets the material down.

I really liked the decision to represent the spoken Portuguese as English. In the same way that Hawthorne must rely on the interpreters to understand the spoken Japanese, so too must the audience rely on the subtitles to follow the story. I think this creates a subtle tension that adds to the immersion of this incredible show.

I simply cannot wait to see what Shogun has yet to show us. It's Two thumbs up from me.

In this reboot of "Shogun," Hiroyuki Sanada shines as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, bringing an instantly captivating depth and magnetism to the character. While the 1980 TV series was faithful to the source material, the 2024 version offers a visually stunning experience tailored for modern audiences, thanks to advancements in AI and CGI. The scale of the visuals in the reboot adds a grandeur that was lacking in the earlier adaptation.

However, condensing such a rich and nuanced story into one-hour episodes inevitably sacrifices some of the depth found in the original book. Despite this, the characters in the show are all engaging and hold the audience's attention, with none feeling like mere placeholders on the screen.

While the camera lens and angles may not be to everyone's taste, the overall presentation promises an exciting revisit to a classic tale. It serves as a solid reference for enthusiasts of Japanese culture and history. Hiroyuki Sanada's performance makes this reboot worth watching, as his brilliance, previously showcased in "The Last Samurai," continues to impress.

Overall, while perhaps not reaching the heights of the original book, "Shogun 2024" offers an enjoyable viewing experience for old and new fans.

Oh, come on?! Why are the characters are not speaking portuguese? We are in 2024. It's simply stupid using english when the characters are speaking another language. Are the english native so stupid that they can't read subtitles? If that so, what are they doing when the japanese are speaking? Come on, FX! Tou guys nailed so many details; to fail in a such basic aspect is frustrating, specially for me, a portguese native speaker. That is the only reason I am rating this with 9 stars.

Regarding the setting and cinematics, whoa, outstanding! I have nothing to add. Just perfect. Clothes, architecture, everything about Japan is magnificent.

Finally, I must mention that the actors are plenty skillful on their craft.

I'll watch it until the end. I recommend you do the same. It will definitely worth it.

The potential of this show is immense. The pilot not only delivers, but it makes grand promises of what is to come. I am finding it difficult to find faults with this presentation. Cinematography is on par with the best of not only TV, but movies. Sounds are equally incredible, but there is a lot of booming bass. Character and writing are outstanding. It is incredible what they have been able to create with the sets and costume design.

FX is the only studio to go toe-to-toe against HBO. No one else is capable of doing so. And with HBO's current decline, Maybe FX is the new King of the Hill.

My only nitpick would be that English is passed off as Portuguese. It confused me for a second. This is obviously a deliberate decision. I personally would have preferred if a mix of Portuguese and English were used in the beginning to cement the main language, with Portuguese slowly being phased out to full English. There are shows that have done this to good effect. Again, a minor nit pick and surely will not come up again.