Spoilers Shogun 2024

[MGibster]

Anybody catch the premier last night on FX and Hulu? About twenty years ago I got the original series on netflix DVD by mail and it was...well it was made in the 80s. I dont recall it being culturally insensitive, just cheesy like a west meets east soap opera.

Dude, the original had Toshiro Mifune as Toranaga as well as a slew of other Japanese actors playing Japanese characters. The script, actors, and production values were all top notch for the day and in my opinion hold up rather well. You call it a cheesy west meast east soap opera? I call it a compelling story with interesting characters. The mini-series was good in 1980 and it was still good around 2005 when I last watched it. Also, since it originally aired in 1980, it's really more of a 1970s production.

I haven't watched the new adapation, but I'm looking forward to it. James Clavell served in the Royal Navy during the Second Wold War and was captured by the Japanese and suffered from nightmares for many years. He used to carry a tin of sardines with him at all times.

Has anyone read the sequel, Gai-Jin?

 

[Morrus]

I've just seen a few billboards. I'm not sure what this is about. Can anybody give me a rough idea?

English sailor shipwrecked in Japan in 1600 as 5 houses compete for the Shogunate. Think Game of Thrones but without dragons (but with Samurai).

 

[Marc Radle]

I loved the original back in the day.

We watched about 1/3 or so of the first episode. So far so good, but I have to ask - do they stick with the subtitles or do they transition away from them?

I just am not into reading endless subtitles
A few are fine here and there (like they sparingly have done Star Wars or Game of Thrones for example) but I don’t think I’ll be able to take subtitles whenever anyone is speaking Japanese …

 

[Reynard]

I have only seen the first episode but it is phenomenal so far.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I loved the original back in the day.

We watched about 1/3 or so of the first episode. So far so good, but I have to ask - do they stick with the subtitles or do they transition away from them?

I just am not into reading endless subtitles
A few are fine here and there (like they sparingly have done Star Wars or Game of Thrones for example) but I don’t think I’ll be able to take subtitles whenever anyone is speaking Japanese …

It's possible that they'll switch to English as John learns Japanese, like they do when he speaks Dutch and Portuguese, but also that he will interact with more characters that speak those languages as time goes on, even if they decide to keep the Japanese in Japanese. I'm not sure they will, though.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I like it.

I liked the old one too. I don't remember it being cheesy. It was an above-average production for the time period.

I saw the original when it aired when I was a kid. It was a good miniseries and well written. It was the kind of shoe that kept us coming back episode to episode. And had a solid cast. It was part of a slew of good miniseries we used to get from that era. It is also probably one of the shows and movies that helped drive the ninja craze in the 80s.

Miniseries are probably the closest format to netflix binge shows as they told a single story over 10-12 hours. The best one ever in my opinion is I, Claudius. Roots and Jesus of Nazareth are also quite good miniseries from that time

I could see shogun coming off as cheesy to a younger audience. It is probably hard to appreciate how different our expectations were at the time snd the kind of dialogue we liked (I find today’s dialogue a little too snappy)

I read the book years later and it was interesting but clavell’s style isn’t my cup of tea

 

[MoonSong]

Jesus of Nazareth

I've got that one on Blu-ray. Roots is in my radar.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Dude, the original had Toshiro Mifune as Toranaga as well as a slew of other Japanese actors playing Japanese characters. The script, actors, and production values were all top notch for the day and in my opinion hold up rather well. You call it a cheesy west meast east soap opera? I call it a compelling story with interesting characters. The mini-series was good in 1980 and it was still good around 2005 when I last watched it. Also, since it originally aired in 1980, it's really more of a 1970s production.

The cast really was outstanding. I saw it as a kid but picked up the dvd boxes set to rewatch in the early 2000s and found it just as compelling years later.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I've got that one on Blu-ray. Roots is in my radar.

I love this one. It is a Zeffirelli film, Anthony burgess was one of the writers, and the cast is pretty staggering (everyone from Peter Ustinov to Anne Bancroft and Lawrence Olivier; James Earl Jones too). Olivia Hussein is iconic as Mary. We used to have to watch it once a year. I am curious how good it looks on Blu-ray

 

[MoonSong]

I love this one. It is a Zeffirelli film, Anthony burgess was one of the writers, and the cast is pretty staggering (everyone from Peter Ustinov to Anne Bancroft and Lawrence Olivier; James Earl Jones too). Olivia Hussein is iconic as Mary. We used to have to watch it once a year. I am curious how good it looks on Blu-ray

It ain't 4k, but pretty nice.