Shōgun 2024

Masterpiece.

That's all anyone needs to know when trying to figure out if watching Shōgun is worth the time and energy.

This miniseries should be required viewing for anyone in the entertainment industry to comprehend what good story telling and construction of a series is.

This should be the bar, the gold standard in quality in every respect that shows should endeavour to achieve. Not just in historical drama but every genre!

We have had a constant diet of empty, lifeless garbage flood our screens (for the most part), expecting easy money making profits while dishing out crap.

We don't expect the lavish expense that has gone into Shōgun as the norm, but do expect decent story writing without today's continual political agenda bashing the audience. We watch shows to get lost in the world and the story being told to us.

We refuse the incessant garbage. We demand stories written by people, not a room full of monkeys, or AI and we want those writers to be passionate and well versed in the story 'world' they are writing about. No more compromise, no more 'calling it in'.

Audiences deserve better, and Shōgun piqued our desire for exceptional story telling and crafting for the screen. The vast library of modern entertainment is a waste of money and time.

This miniseries offers a loose reimagining of the political environment and power struggles that led to the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate. The fact that they changed the names of all characters shows that the goal is not to document historical events, but to instead reflect on the political and social climate of the time.

The biggest merit of the series lies in the use of its budget to meticulously prepare the cast and setting, making everything remarkably believable not only to the Western market but especially to its Japanese audience, only indulging in exoticism in its more atmospheric sequences. While Japanese productions tend to fall victim to their low budgets and the industry's taste for camp, "Shogun" adopts the gritty and "rigorous" approach typical of Western productions, somehow reminiscent of shows like "Game of Thrones." The only downside might be the direction of the Japanese actors, with some lackluster performances (like Toranaga's son) and tons of unintelligible dialogue (Asano, in particular, who still remains my favorite character nevertheless).

Despite most cliffhangers finding anticlimactic resolutions, I found the main narrative and power struggles engaging, especially when focusing on the relationships between the main characters. Initially, it's challenging to keep track of all names and alliances, but the introduction of the British co-protagonist, newly shipwrecked in Japanese land, naturally guides the audience into the story without relying too heavily on exposition dumps.

However, I would not recommend the series to those expecting epic battles, as the conflict remains predominantly sentimental or political, with the sparse action sequences being limited in both scale and length.

Shōgun is a type of show that just delivers across the board. From a technical standpoint, to the performances, to the writing and characters, everything is so well done. You don't often get shows this well-written and coupled with dynamic characters, fascinating relationships, an incredibly immersive and transportive atmosphere, and full of emotions, tension, and intrigue. I especially appreciate that it never loses its focus and doesn't fall into the temptation of turning it into a big action spectacle. The finale displays one of the most impressive uses of restraint that I have seen, choosing to give a dialogue-focused ending that focuses on the characters, which is what this show is all about. Transitioning to an action-heavy finale or big final battle would not have been true to the writing or the characters. We get the satisfying payoffs the show had been hinting to the entire time, while not sacrificing the writing, characters, or tone. The penultimate episode is also one of the best single episodes of TV in recent memory, one driven by the finale of a phenomenal character and arc, and powered by an incredible performance by Anna Sawai. She is a standout to me, but it should not be understated how insanely good every performance is. Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, and Tadanobu Asano all deserve praise, as do the rest of the supporting cast. This show should be nominated for Emmys in every technical category too. Only reason I'm not slapping this with a perfect score at this moment is that I feel as if there would be even more to appreciate on a second watch. The writing and attention to detail is so rich and dense that I know there are likely things I have missed and that I would pick up on with a rewatch. That's not really a criticism, but it just feels right to give my experience with it room to grow.