There are only a few days left until the launch on Disney+, and the hype is over “Shogun“ is slowly gaining momentum – now fueled by the first international reviews published for the novel’s film adaptation. The monumental historical miniseries has been critically acclaimed and is hailed as one of the first series hits of the year. Comparisons with “Game Of Thrones” are not far away…
We have to do without imagination in “Shōgun”, and instead of in Westeros the game for power here takes place in the feudal Japan of the Edo period – but it is not necessarily the content of both series that the comparison suggests , but rather the epic History setting and especially the evaluation. Because comparable to “Game Of Thrones”, “Shōgun” performs excellently. And those who are most interested in the complicated political intrigues in the fantasy series should also be happy with the new Disney Plus series.
On the overview collection page “Shōgun” has a perfect score of 100 percent positive reviews. At least 18 reviews have already been received. The seasons of “Game Of Thrones” varied between 90 and 97 percent, with only season 8 being an exception at 55 percent.
“Shōgun”: Gripping, powerful, brilliant
Of course, “positive” can mean many things, including good criticism in addition. However, a more accurate picture is painted take a look at . And there stands “Shōgun” with an impressive average rating of 84/100 points. For example, season 1 of “Game Of Thrones” received 80 points, season 2 90. The rating for “Shōgun” can also go up or down: only eight reviews have been received so far – but they are all promising.
This is what the magazine writes, for example the history series “stand out as a true masterpiece”. explains that “Shōgun” may find its footing primarily as an “ambitious political chess game.” A description that is actually quite reminiscent of “Game Of Thrones”. Keep writing that the The mix of Machiavellian scheming and well-executed action is consistently grippingThe only criticism is that the love story is too short to be very emotionally compelling.
Also mentions the series ‘Gripping television’, with remarkable performances and overwhelming images. says: “Yes, it is dialogue heavy. Yes, it takes itself very seriously. But that epicness and grandeur are justified with images that stick in your head and characters that feel grounded.”
And with it is[called[genaamdthe “scale, violence and jaw-dropping brilliance” would explain why the series took so damn long to make. And that’s actually the crucial point why ‘Shōgun’ could well become one of the best historical epics of recent times – because its creators absolutely aimed for perfection:
Filming start canceled – because the series should be better!
The remake of James Clavell’s novel “Shōgun” was announced by broadcaster FX in 2018 and was set to begin filming in March 2019 in Japan and Britain. But shortly before it started, FX stopped the project because those responsible felt the production was not good enough and wanted to aim higher with the series. So in 2019 there was only one day of filming – which was necessary so that FX could retain the rights to the material and realign production.
Filming actually began in September 2021. Vancouver was added as a new location and as planned, filming also took place in Japan and Great Britain. Filming was completed at the end of June 2022 and took two months longer than planned.
We will now see the result in less than a week: “Shōgun” will premiere on February 27, 2024 Disney+. The miniseries, which is considered completed and unlikely to get a second season, will consist of ten episodes. Two episodes will be released at the beginning of the series, after which a new episode will be released every Tuesday. The season finale will take place on April 23, 2024.
The story of Blackthorne, Toranaga and Mariko
In the ‘Shōgun’ series, the book of which is loosely inspired by the real experiences of the English navigator William Adams, the English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan in 1600. In a country whose culture is completely foreign to him, he meets two people who will change his life forever: Prince Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), a powerful daimyo threatened by his political rival, and Lady Mariko (Anna Sawai), a middle-aged woman. extraordinary ability of a disgraced family.