Shōgun

Shogun (2024) is a stunning achievement in television - a richly textured, deeply immersive experience that feels both epic and deeply personal. Rarely does a show balance historical authenticity, powerful performances, and emotional depth so effortlessly.

The production values are absolutely top-tier. Every scene feels meticulously crafted: from the lush, misty landscapes to the intricate feudal interiors, the show pulls you straight into 17th-century Japan without ever feeling forced or "touristy." The costume design and cinematography are gorgeous without being showy - everything serves the mood and story.

The performances are phenomenal across the board. Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Toranaga delivers a masterclass in subtlety and power. His portrayal of a man navigating impossible political currents is both riveting and moving. Cosmo Jarvis, as the shipwrecked John Blackthorne, brings a rawness and vulnerability that avoids the usual "white savior" trap - his arc feels earned, complicated, and human. Anna Sawai as Mariko is another standout, blending strength, sadness, and quiet dignity into one of the show's most unforgettable characters.

The writing is smart and patient, trusting the audience to keep up without spoon-feeding exposition. It captures the essence of James Clavell's novel while modernizing some aspects with sensitivity and intelligence. Themes of loyalty, honor, survival, and cultural clash are explored with nuance rather than cliché.

Why not a full 10? The pacing occasionally falters - a few middle episodes stretch scenes a little thin - and some viewers may find the dense political maneuvering requires close attention. But honestly, these are small quibbles compared to what the series accomplishes.

Shogun is television at its most ambitious and rewarding. It demands your full attention, and it rewards you with a rich, unforgettable journey. Highly recommended.

Always loved Japan since I first heard of their culture. Shogun, season 1 so far, was done nearly perfect. Everything, music, visuals, actors, class, story.

One remark though; it'd have been more 'interesting' if the English sailor's character had a little more depth and intelligence, but I can understand this choice for a dumb, simple sailor in the 15th century too. I just found Captain Allegren's character having that perfect natural dept that enriches a character. Jonathan Blackthorne is not bad however, just a little more 'down to earth'.

Well done, all who've contributed to this work of art.

This show is borderline perfect, it's weaves and bobs make so much sense that you are enthralled by its characters and stories. The shows music and cinematography is absolutely perfect. The existential questions that the protagonist asks to Mariko may seem odd at first but make up the fundamental philosophical difference between the western world and Japan. 'we live and we die' a quote from the show makes up this perfectly. The englishmans sharp critique of the Japanese and their way of life and eventual change of mind is the fundamental conflict in the mind of the protagonist. We are usually only given borderline racist or fetished version of feudal Japan in our movies and TV shows, this is a show which puts the Japanese characters front and centre and watches as the dance of death and power plays out with the foreigner playing the part of a catalyst or as Hiroyuki Sanada puts it a 'distraction'.

Is it historically accurate? No. Neither the source material (novel) is. Is the show fully novel-accurate? No. Some things were changed, in order to tell the story for this show, and it works mostly??

There is some "modern" injected, although not too much, just it would seem that "we" can never separate fully from the time we exist in, thus our time's "bits and pieces", follow us on all our "time travels".., also as authentic it looks, still it only looks..

Have to admit that for quite some time, I haven't liked a TV show character as much as have Mariko, or Fuji, etc, while aware of figures from history, sad and happy at the same time, that the show stayed, more or LESS, true to it overall, "underwhelming" finale included..

Premise describes events leading to creation of (most powerful) longest lasting Shogunate, where "Sacrifice of the Few" was prioritized and made for "The good of Japan", thus, no large battles as well as attempting to avoid those same, is also more or less, true to it all..

As I'm writing my review, more than couple months after I saw the show, my question, or complaint is: "seasons two and three"?? This was obviously supposed to be a Limited Series that deals with this part, thus additional seasons will follow the events post creation particular Shogunate? An era of "Japan's closed borders" and "expelling of" the Catholics"? Is Shogun going to become Anthology Series??? What are we going to watch exactly part of additional seasons??

It would seem the show got "renewed" for additional seasons only to have an entrance into "Drama Series" promptly. Let's just hope that "business models" don't leave a bad mark on this well made, and obviously Limited Series, down the line..

Shogun is easily one of the best shows I've seen-like a Japanese Game of Thrones. While the pacing drags at times and the ending feels more like a setup for season two than a true payoff, the storytelling and acting are outstanding. The betrayal, romance, and rich cultural depth had me hooked. The translation scenes felt awkward, but they added to the show's authenticity. But for me, it was the dialogue and bursts of action that truly stood out-ultimately making Shogun an absolute must-watch. I'd like to also add that the camera work in this series was phenomenal too. I was blown away at some of the shots, made it feel like a movie not a TV show on Hulu.