REVIEW: Shogun plays a brilliant political game against the backdrop of a clash of cultures, sharp swords and uncompromising traditions

The attractive setting of the world’s little-known Japan of the early Edo period set a spectacular backdrop for a genre-effective drama with a political background. The story of an extraordinarily convoluted journey through iconic times in the history of the Land of the Rising Sun is told from the perspective of one of the leading regents, Yoshi Toranaga.

He must fend off a plot to remove him and hand power over Japan into the hands of his enemies. But the events are stirred up by the wreck of a European ship, which is controlled by a British sailor with his own agenda.

Creators Justin Marks and debutant Rachel Kondo have assembled a formidable ensemble of actors and, in the unmistakable atmosphere of a samurai struggle for peace, have created a ten-hour ride that does not need spectacular battles to deliver the fatal blows of fate.

Shogun: Game of Thrones in Japanese. A place of dragons, samurai and tradition

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With the help of the character of the British sailor John Blackthorn, they created a great cultural balance between the loud and brash sea wolf and the elegant, but no less fatal expression of the proud warriors from Japan.

The series draws the viewer into the story with a bold choice of language (most dialogues are in Japanese), which bring the necessary authenticity and dynamics between the characters.

It is extremely interesting to watch the adaptation of Blackthorn to the new world and the related translation finesse of another essential character in the story of Lady Mariko.

With her service alongside a barbarian and would-be pirate comes situations where she softens his diction with words and intentionally loses emotion in translation. Also famous are the scenes where the creators let the Japanese speak to the Englishman for minutes without him really understanding them.

Linguistic puns are only the metaphorical tip of Mount Fuji, under which dramatic twists, political machinations, murders, even for foreigners completely incomprehensible loss of life in the name of honor and preserving the future of the regent and his vassals unfold.

The warlike audience will also see the shattering of samurai swords, but the battlefield fundamentally gives way to a chess game, which progresses with each piece. It’s definitely not another Last Samurai. As a result, katanas are more often turned against their own owners in shocking moments that take the drama up a notch.

The least important henchman and key hero can lose their lives. The hour-long footage for one part keeps the pace and the tension at the same time. There are practically no dead spots, quiet scenes and intimate conversations, on the contrary, stand out thanks to the backdrops.

Already in the mini-series from 1980, it was possible to accurately cast the leading roles, led by Richard Chamberlain in the role of Blackthorn, more than forty years later, mainly Japanese actors play the main roles.

Toranagu was played by the legendary Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai and Tadanobu Asano excel in the roles of Mariko or the flying lord Izu Kashigi Yabushige. Chamberlain’s follower Blackthorne Cosmo Jarvis complements them all excellently.

The ten-part Shogun is a mosaic of emotions, hard-rooted customs and cruel traditions, which perhaps make a harsher impression, but paradoxically make the viewer love old Japan and everything associated with it.

Drama with a wonderful atmosphere builds on Clavell’s formidable master, who speaks from the screen in sharp and direct language. At the same time, however, it proves that sepukku (Japanese ritual suicide) is worth a thousand words.

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