Anjin

This is stunning, masterful entertainment. I don't think I've been this in-awe since season 1 of Game of Thrones or when I saw the first Pirates of the Carribean movie as a kid.

I never saw the initial 80s version of Shogun, but what I like about the first episode of this edition is the fact that there's no Japanese accents to cater to our feeble western brains. If you want to understand the plot, you have to read the subtitles. You're on the same journey John Blackthorne is on in trying to communicate and understand the culture, which makes the viewer have to really pay attention.

So excited to see where this show goes!

First episode cinematography 10/10, sound design 10/10, story so far 10/10, atmosphere 11/10.

The actors are superbly chosen. The scenery looks simply bombastic. The pacing is just right. I've already chosen my favorite character and I hope I won't be replaced.

The Inglese Hawthorne has a very distinctive and powerful voice that reminds me of Tom Hardy.

I'm going to watch Silence by Scorsese to understand more about the missionaries in the Togugawa dynasty.

I hope the remaining 9 episodes will be as powerful as the first one, then it's undisputedly my favorite series so far after Breaking Bad and The Last of us.

The old Shogun with Richard Chamberlain is still perfectly watchable but the differences here are apparent in the first episode. This is obviously going to be well worth watching too.

Richard Chamberlain's Blackthorne was an elegant gentleman but this new guy is a rough and tumble, profit-motivated sailor without a lot of social graces. Much more believable that a guy like that would survive a round-the-world voyage.

His harsh religious attitudes demonizing Catholics might be shocking for modern audiences but it's perfectly in line with his times. And he has noble qualities as well: loyal to friends, brave, quick to recognize and respect bravery in others.

But the real focus is on the Japanese characters. Blackthorne is just the wild card being thrown into their roiling political situation.

Other big changes: special effects, of course. The "storm" sequence in the 80s version is pretty hilarious. Here, it's hair-raising.

And Nestor Carbonell steals the show as the Spaniard Rodriegues.

Thank you, FX, for making a serious historical drama of the type we get far too infrequently.

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.

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.