Off the bat, this is a must watch. Just absolutely masterful in every nearly every regard.

Before I get too much deeper though, watching Shogun really makes me wonder how executives across the film & TV industry manage to keep their jobs. Do they greenlight things because of side deals? Like how does Zack Snyder get anything approved? How many Shogun or Andors get put in a closet never to be talked about? How many pure passion projects with clear auteurs are we missing?

Right, back on track. Shogun is based on a novel and was also a series in 1980 (before my time). It has a clear start and a clear ending, and as a limited series, there’s 1 season with 8 episodes to tell it all. That framing provides motivation, as each episode needs to go somewhere, all while exploring a culture that most of the planet simply cannot comprehend. There are many comparisons to Game of Thrones, at least the earlier seasons. Sure, as much as there are words and characters they are similar… but Shogun doesn’t have dragons or magic or zombies. It’s a period drama.

The setting is authentic to my poor eyes, where everything seems in place and purposeful. Religious/cultural artefacts are everywhere, from chairs, to ponds, to walls. It feels like a real place you could visit. The acting is stellar, with every character having multiple layers to explore. Sanada’s character in particular has to convey complexity through very subtle means, and Anna Sawai just knocks every scene out of the park. You want to see the new definition of believer, there it is.

The only detractor here for wide-spread acclaim is going to be the fact that 90% of the dialogue is in Japanese and the subtitles aren’t the best. You’ll need to infer intent more frequently than not, which is why the acting part is so outstanding. I personally prefer this approach as it focuses you on the actors and not the words on the screen. I guess you could try listening to the dubs, but that’s like watching an action movie without looking at the screen… why take away from the craft?

By the time the final credits roll, you feel that the story is complete, that the larger mission is accomplished, yet there are still threads that could lead elsewhere. It is a satisfying conclusion, where all the characters end where they need to end for their own sake and not the plot’s. I’m still in awe as to what was presented. Glad I had the opportunity to experience it.