“Shōgun,” a new Japanese military drama based on the novel by James Clavell released on Hulu on Tuesday, Feb. 27. The original novel was released in 1975 and was based on material and events from 17th cenutury Japan, when the shogunate ruled over the whole country during the Edo Period. Director Jonathan van Tulleken turned the original novel into a show due to the intruiging politics and violence associated with the era.
Currently, only two of the four episodes are out on Hulu. Released on Tuesdays, each episode is approximately an hour long. The first episode introduces us to the two sides of the cast: the protagonist John Blackthorne, an English pilot suffering from the lack of resources on a ship, and several Japanese lords who are plotting to prevent Yoshii Toranaga, a descendent of the late shogun, from rising to power.
Blackthorne gets introduced to us first. Seemingly famished and diseased, he argues with his captain as to whether or not they will return to land before the captain ends his life offscreen. Blackthorne isn’t able to push on any longer, so all of the crew lies unconscious as the ship drifts along the sea. Soon after, a Japanese man walking on the shore hears a large ship approaching as the wood creaks loudly from afar. We soon find out that the ship Blackthorne was piloting made it to Japan by fate with only a handful of the crewmates still alive.
Noticeable from the first scenes of the show, the videography and production scale is impressive. The cast also includes entire armies, filling the background with extras in every shot and adding to the atmosphere effectively.
Throughout the show, there are puzzling moments that arise when foreigners start speaking Portuguese. Even though it is implied that it is Portuguese, the actors speak English in the scenes. In addition, Blackthorne had mentioned he could somewhat speak Portuguese, but later he was having no trouble speaking to native Portuguese speakers as an Englishman. Arguably, he might have been sarcastic, but there was no reason for him to be. The first episode ended effectively by tying up some loose ends while ensuring there was enough mystery for the viewer to stay interested and keep watching.
The second episode showed how Blackthorne started to adapt to Japanese culture and norms, even learning their language along the way. His personality allows him to be an enticing main character by showing off his street smarts and political knowledge. Many side characters were also developed, showing how they could contribute to the story in the future, whether their impact might be positive or negative. The episode ends with a very climactic moment, emphasizing how intent the opposing lords are on securing their future, even if they have to endanger the lives of others.
I went into “Shōgun” without many expectations, but gave it a try because of the synopsis. The music, photography, acting and every other aspect was played out well. I was very pleasantly surprised with the first two episodes and my biggest complaint so far is that Hulu didn’t release the full show all at once. I’m excited to see the ending — and who will manage to survive such an unforgiving environment.
Rating: 4/5