Shogun (2024 Season 1)

A whole lot of take with very little give.

Photo by Susann Schuster on Unsplash

Ugh, for the first time, I actually don't want to write this review. I had so much hope and promise for this show. It had been touted by many a film critic that I follow as a really great show (something which seems to be a bit of a unicorn thing these days), so I was looking forward to it. Perhaps I should not have been so quick to assume such things.

Now, before I dive into this too deeply, I must be clear. This is a review of the show only. I have not read the source material so I can not speak to its clout one way or another.

Let's start with the positives. The sets are beautiful. Exactly what I would expect out of this time period in Japan. The attention to detail in the setting is fantastic and the scenery is breathtaking. One can not deny there's a certain appeal in the mysticism of Japan’s culture, something that is highlighted here.

The casting is decent. I’m not too familiar with Cosmo Jarvis's works so I am not sure how this would measure up. He seems like a talented actor and what few complaints I have about his character here are far more likely due to the direction and writing, not the acting, so I'm willing to give a bit of leeway. I've been a fan of Hiroyuki Sanada for a long time now and he continues to dazzle on screen. Despite his prominence, however, the one who really shines is Anna Sawai. She steals the scene every time she appears, fully committed to her role (and it shows).

Now for the part I’ve really been dreading. When it comes to the writing, since I have not read the book, I'm not sure what to credit toward the author or the screenwriter independently so I'll have to do it as a package deal.

The story has a great start. The first few episodes are riveting, full of intrigue and suspense. I'll admit, it hooked me. It wasn't until I hit the halfway point that I started to get concerned. The pace really had not picked up as much as I expected and I began to wonder whether they were going to achieve a good season’s ending at all. After the seventh episode, what little optimism I had faded into oblivion. At that point I knew that the options were limited and bleak. Either they keep the slow pace and not give me the epic battle I had been looking forward to, or they rush into it. I really don't know which one is worse but neither seemed like a good choice.

But that wasn't the only problem. The entire storyline felt a bit crowded. For a show with so little action, there were far too many elements to it. You have the impending civil war, the political spat between powerful families, the Portuguese angle (which had all but disappeared towards the end), and the forbidden love. Which brings us to the last of our side quests: the foreigner, John Blackthorne.

A few issues I have with the character right out of the gate. First, why is he here? In the beginning, he is front and center, making one believe he is where the main story is going to focus. But, over time, his presence fades, taking a backseat to the political drama happening in Japan. His crew? We only see them one final time when he has “acclimated” to his new environment. Of course there's the predictable “you aren't the same since last we met” kind of angst (because no one saw that one coming). In addition to him being rather weak and underdeveloped (and presumably forgotten about), which was also something that disappointed me, he's incredibly flawed (and not in a good way). I understand he’s a foreigner in a strange land, but it isn’t his awkwardness there that stands out. It’s his lack of basic skills. 

For instance, there’s a scene (spoiler alert) where he doesn’t have access to his pistol and instead is handed a sword. He acts as though he’s never handled a sword in his life, something which I know, considering the time period, would be highly unlikely. This isn’t just a small oversight like the endless ammunition he seems to have access to for his flintlock pistol (which magically takes only a few seconds to reload). It’s a blatant disregard for even the basic historical accuracy.

And then there’s the love triangle (because we didn’t have enough random plot twists already). Early on, the character of Mariko is widowed and, with her relationship to John as his translator, it’s believable that the two would form a romantic bond, which they do. This is the part where that strangely enthusiastic man on the late night infomercial yells, “but wait, there’s more!” Surprise! Mariko’s husband is alive and is now put into a very awkward MTV’s “Real World” situation with his formerly widowed wife and her new man. He can see that something has developed (because he isn’t an idiot) and so is understandably upset. Eventually, after her death, he and John come together in a “I don't like you, but I don't hate you,” kind of way.

Now, for the ending, remember what I said about the options? Amazingly, they defied my odds, not only denying me that really epic battle after all this incredible buildup, but blazing through the conclusion with break-neck speed, giving the impression that it was not the original ending for which they were headed. It was sloppy, messy, disappointing (to say the least), and made everything that came before it feel like a giant waste of time. With a better story, this would have been a really fantastic piece of entertainment. Alas, as we all know, the story is everything.

Final Thoughts: If you like dramas, you may enjoy it for that aspect. But, if you are looking for a decent historical action production of Samurai or of feudal Japan, you aren't missing anything here.

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