The effect when you watch such a finely detailed show as this is mesmerizing, it sucks you into the world and time ... and the culture.
Before an actor utters a single word in any episode there is the fact and nature of the world building that has been done in order to give them a stage to perform on. In the case of Shogun what has been accomplished is astounding, but it really comes into its own when the camera is tight and the sets and shots are relatively tightly constrained. Up close this world is utterly convincing - the costuming extraordinary.
The script is also exceptionally well written and manages to convey a deep sense of Japanese culture (primarily of the upper classes) - but also tells its story very economically - it provides ample opportunity for nuanced communication.
This brings us to the actors and the director and cinematographer who captured these subtleties - not easy to do with a light touch, managed here very deftly. The result is a show not over burdened with dialogue that tells part of its story some of its most significant moments, with gesture and response, subtle character action, a glance here, a hand movement, a tilt of the body, or the sweeping swish of fabric before composure again. On this level the show and its actors are quite magnificent - but there is room for special mention.
Anna Sawai as Mariko is as refined and elegant as you'd expect from a high born and well educated noblewoman of the era, she is thoroughly steeped in the culture, captured here in very fine detail - Sawai's minute control is truly something to behold - very special indeed. So also Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Toranaga - another brilliant and subtle performance from this fine actor.
I've read some nasty dismissal of Cosmo Jarvis' Blackthorne - they miss the point. Of course he is uncouth, brash, insensitive. Of course his energy clashes with everything around him and he seems clumsy and arrogant and a bit useless. That IS the point, and the reality. His character is completely out of time and place - culturally he may as well be on another planet. The way he walks and moves is an affront to centuries of careful aesthetic, the way he sits, the way he drinks, the way he looks at people - all a culture shock. English arrogance and insensitivity gets a turn in front of the mirror. Well done.
This show is sensational and ticks all the boxes - brilliant work by all involved. Not to be missed.
Before an actor utters a single word in any episode there is the fact and nature of the world building that has been done in order to give them a stage to perform on. In the case of Shogun what has been accomplished is astounding, but it really comes into its own when the camera is tight and the sets and shots are relatively tightly constrained. Up close this world is utterly convincing - the costuming extraordinary.
The script is also exceptionally well written and manages to convey a deep sense of Japanese culture (primarily of the upper classes) - but also tells its story very economically - it provides ample opportunity for nuanced communication.
This brings us to the actors and the director and cinematographer who captured these subtleties - not easy to do with a light touch, managed here very deftly. The result is a show not over burdened with dialogue that tells part of its story some of its most significant moments, with gesture and response, subtle character action, a glance here, a hand movement, a tilt of the body, or the sweeping swish of fabric before composure again. On this level the show and its actors are quite magnificent - but there is room for special mention.
Anna Sawai as Mariko is as refined and elegant as you'd expect from a high born and well educated noblewoman of the era, she is thoroughly steeped in the culture, captured here in very fine detail - Sawai's minute control is truly something to behold - very special indeed. So also Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Toranaga - another brilliant and subtle performance from this fine actor.
I've read some nasty dismissal of Cosmo Jarvis' Blackthorne - they miss the point. Of course he is uncouth, brash, insensitive. Of course his energy clashes with everything around him and he seems clumsy and arrogant and a bit useless. That IS the point, and the reality. His character is completely out of time and place - culturally he may as well be on another planet. The way he walks and moves is an affront to centuries of careful aesthetic, the way he sits, the way he drinks, the way he looks at people - all a culture shock. English arrogance and insensitivity gets a turn in front of the mirror. Well done.
This show is sensational and ticks all the boxes - brilliant work by all involved. Not to be missed.