Shogun 1x4 REACTION!! “The Eightfold Fence”

[@BlindWave]

GO BEYOND with Blind Wave BEYOND at blindwave.com and watch Full Length and 1 MONTH Early Access!! Watch the Full Length Reaction to this Episode HERE: blindwave.com/video/shogun-1x04-full/

[@takuh6830]

I am Japanese. It seems that some people are making a fuss about the lack of black people in SHOGUN. Several years before this era, there was a black samurai named Yasuke who served under Nobunaga. However, he was released from his samurai status at the same time as Nobunaga's assassination. Before him, there was no other black person in Japan. Also, in the era of this drama, only Europeans, let alone Americans, came to Japan. Also,There were no black aristocrats in Europe at that time.

[@Wulfebaine]

if you havent found out yet, nato is fermented soybeans.

[@JS-ct3kr]

Blackthorn's ability to string words together to form an insult I've never heard is awe-inspiring

[@smittyjjensin558]

"Milk dribbling fuck smear" might be one of the most audacious insults i have heard in a long while

[@buenosdingdong]

Should come to England. It’s how we compliment each other here.

[@kristinawrites238]

The origin of swearing like a sailor 😂

[@abc92800]

@@kristinawrites238 such a perfect character and writing frfr

[@jatinchanchlani8982]

The most english, english person..

[@xKayNee]

The moment Fuji held up that gun, I found my new favourite character of the show

[@jimmygreer2140]

Yes, that has been my favorite moment of the series so far. And Moeka has an incredible knack of stealing every scene she's in. But also, Anna Sawai is giving such a gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, spell-binding performance as Mariko. They way they've written this character & Anna's performance is just ripping my heart out.

[@fujiusami]

30:15 the reason why they let Fuji keep the guns is because her grandfather is Hiromatsu -- Toronaga's right hand man/general/best friend. if they try to bully her like they did John, their entire clan and bloodline will be wiped out faster than Jozen was.

[@closponce]

Not Jozen catching strays 😂

[@great2000]

RIGHT!!! I was wondering why they were stressing her heritage so early. 👍

[@christophtoifl6848]

I think he backed down because he realized that she would kill him if he tried to take the guns by force. Fuji wanted to die, but is forbidden for now to commit seppuku. But she is honor bound to protect Blackthorn's property, dieing defending his guns is absolutely something she would do. And once Omi realizes that, he retreats.

[@nickdouglas736]

@@christophtoifl6848it's definitely her station. He bows to her although she's pointing the gun at him implying that he HAS to respect her. He can't touch her that's why she insisted on the guns.

[@great2000]

@@nickdouglas736Yeah, I think so too. Its her status. She has never seen a gun before. She doesn't know how to use it and is just daring them to try. Blackthorn also puts the pistol hammers back to safety as well before handing them to her - unless they had double action triggers back then. She is Blackthorn's "plot armor" while Toronaga is away. She is honor bound to protect him, she knows her status out ranks everyone there, and they know they would have to answer to Toronaga. Toronaga playing 4D chess.

[@jenscamilo]

John Consort, Fuji, is the granddaugther of Torangars old General. Her status much higher than Omi´s. That is the reason why Omi bow to Fuji.

[@gghelis]

I think that the main factor is that Omi didn't doubt for a second that Fuji wouldn't hesitate to blast his face off, so he decided not to press the issue, given that techically he has no right to confiscate the guns. Their relatve social status is debatable, she's now a consort to a barbarian (Anjin is not yet a hatamoto at this point in the book), and he's the lord of the village they're in.

[@jenscamilo]

@@gghelissry you are not right. she is the consort of a hatamoto not a barbarian. toranga himself say´s, that blackthorn is not a barbarian anymore at the end of ep 3. And her famliy have a higher rank then a Lord of a small fisher village.

[@gghelis]

@@jenscamilo Yeah, I don't quite disagree, but I don't quite agree either. It's weird because this plot bit is taken from the book, but there Anjin becomes a hatamoto much later in the story. In the book it played out like this. After Osaka, Toranaga only named him a samurai (hatamoto is a very special samurai), and in this scene Omi was just trying to strong-arm him, like "you technically may be a samurai like me, but my penis is still bigger". He was wrong to try taking the guns but he still tried because why not show the barbarian who's the big dog here. He backed down out of respect for Fuji, but more because of her conviction than her status. I imagine he would do the same for any other lady in that position. Whatever, it's kinda pointless to argue here, it don't really mind your interpretation.

[@teeski000]

@@gghelis were not talking bout the book bro respectfully no one cares you read it

[@gghelis]

@@teeski000 I still don't think the reason of Omi's surrender changes because of Anjin's earlier hatamoto-ing. It's just there it's spelled out (and makes more sense to me) and here you can interpret it how you want, I guess. I just offered another perspective.

[@furyiv]

With how fucking cool Fuji looked holding that pistol, there's no way she doesn't become proficient with it.

[@mattheauperry8358]

Im sure all three of them knew it was Mariko. She just cant out right say it because of tradition and social hierarchy. It wasnt HER, it was "someone else in the night" as a gift. I loved how coy it all felt.

[@najtrows]

Yeah that felt very obvious to me :P I also recognized her nose and hairstyle.

[@CrichtonNo5]

It was definitely Mariko. He also knows. She said courtesan to uphold a veil of secrecy, and he realised that after a moment's hesitation

[@ultimatekctv7378]

I'm so glad they changed the last part from the books - in the books, Anjin goes and trains them with muskets and infantry tactics which didn't make much sense as the Japanese already had access to them for over 50 years, in this case they've changed it for cannons which was not at all common in Japan (mainly in small form infantry held brass cannons) but also fits the role of Anjin much better (and also William Adams) being part of the navy and a pilot, he'd know his guns very well. Also those chainshots were devastating but they got confirmation that it does indeed work, and that last part from the envoy "This is not how Samurai fight" is exactly what Toronaga was looking for, a way to surprise and completely demolish his enemies with tactics and weapons never seen before, if he's going to win against 4 other lords, he needs to come up with something different.

[@eatsmylifeYT]

It's much like the way Benjamin Martin decimated the British Army in "The Patriot".

[@moodswinggaming2972]

A lot of people are missing the fact the accuracy was achieved by mathematics also. In the first scene where he demonstrates their accuracy he's holding a device to help with vectoring. He even mentions it in dialogue which is easily misable. Interestingly, historically... the Englishman was valued due to his knowledge of mathematics. Also needed for navigation and ship building.

[@AbyssWatch3r]

and then theres the Meiji era machine gun 😂

[@eatsmylifeYT]

@@AbyssWatch3r Yeah, but the Meiji era is still like 200 years into their future. They're still in the 1600s. I've seen a movie where the Japanese warriors had a weapon made up of several barrels that fired at the same time, but I can't find any reference to it anywhere. All I could find was the Korean "hwancha" which is similar but used arrows instead of metal balls.

[@TehIdiotOne]

@@moodswinggaming2972 With the "Englishman" are you referring to the character John Blackthorne, or the real person William Adams that he is based on?

[@kathrynbedrosian3464]

I loved the scene with Fuji-sama and the guns, she understands her place, and in that moment John understands her place, and their respect for each other grows over the course of the episode. And Fujisan giving her father's swords to John really got me in the feels. I like that they are becoming friends.

[@Muschelschubs3r]

That scene was already great in the OG series.

[@keybistro4525]

fuji-sama got my vote over mariko on this episode she held her own against that bastard. i much rather prefer the actress portraying fuji to play mariko's part.

[@adoboflakes8473]

@@keybistro4525 I wouldn't say held her own. She knows she's of more importance than Omi is. Her grandfather is Toronaga's closest friend. No doubt she was still a badass in that scene though.

[@mariebourgot4949]

@@keybistro4525 Why? Anna was perfect as Mariko!

[@kevinprince9527]

1 Koku (一石) is Japanese unit of volume. Approximately Equivalent to 180 litres, or about 150 kg of rice. So his yearly salary is 240 Koku 36 tons of rice. Rice can then be traded into other goods such as livestock or coin. Simular to salt for the romans, or grain and gold for Egypt.

[@kengo7273]

一石

[@alcor4670]

And apparently that's a little over 150k USD per year as per Wikipedia.

[@charlie53echo]

Upcoming spin-off series: Fuji-sama Wick.

[@ilphi08]

There's actually could be a possible spinoff about Yasuke since this series is loosely based on William Adams

[@wirlwend]

​@@ilphi08 with this quality, yes please!

[@CarlWheatley-wi2cl]

lmao

[@thedarkknight2221]

For those wondering what Chain Shot is, it’s when 2 cannonballs are chained together and fired from one canon. The chain clotheslines right through anything. They are typically used for taking down rigging and masts to completely cripple a ship.

[@moodswinggaming2972]

SOT player spotted.

[@AbyssWatch3r]

is it that accurate though? some said its innacurate and only for short distance

[@neuralinferno1765]

@@moodswinggaming2972Actually learned about chain-shot first from arguably the best pirate game, Assassin's Creed Black Flag

[@Glisern]

Not just clothesline, but the canonballs spin around eachother. So essentially it's two maces attached to eachother with a chain spinning through the air

[@porplemuffin]

Reel reject citizen spotted

[@ChonkedaDevil]

It is also worth mentioning that Omi and his boys trying to "steal" the guns know Fuji is grieving and more than ready to die; she is looking for it at this point in the novel. Did not want that kind of smoke

[@noshine4min361]

Its chilling seeing her blank face when they press her. It's a great scene in the novel, its awesome to it see played out so well. There are so many great scenes, Can't wait to see the fence post.

[@rodin670]

i think john does know that it was mariko. he just understands that nobody can know about this and pretends it was someone else that was my interpretation at least

[@fabian5813]

He Doesn’t Pretend It Was Someone Else, He Almost Spilled The Beans, SHE Pretends It Was Someone Else & He Just Goes Along With It

[@rodin670]

@@fabian5813 yeah thats what i meant sorry if it was unclear

[@Kurayami_666]

I was confused by what Mariko said, i even had to go back to the previous scene to confirm that it was her.

[@Justwalks]

Why Are You Writing Like This?@@fabian5813

[@scottythedawg]

if memory serves, in the book he thought it was her but was told it was the maid annointed with perfume and dressed as mariko. He continues to deny it, but mariko explains that she is married and adultery is punishable by death...so it was the maid (wink). but i might be misremembering it.

[@asamin8316]

日本人からみても素晴らしいドラマです。日本の時代劇にはない激しい演出と分かりやすさ、そして個性的な登場人物。他の国の人たちがこんなに楽しんでくれているのはとても嬉しいです😊 次の話が待ちきれない。

[@alcor4670]

It would be very interesting to see how well the show would be reviewed in Japan, and how Japanese KZbinrs would react to the mini-series.

[@VVoude]

This show is masterpiece!

[@bobkatfan2013]

Hatamoto are high level retainers. It essentially means bannerman. It’s a big honor. “Listen to rocks growing” in Japanese folk lore, pebbles grow into boulders, it’s mentioned in the national anthem.

[@StryderK]

The similarity to a hatamoto to Americans would be someone like a flag bearer during the American civil war. Of course, flag bears does not have the salary, honor, and retainers to a hatamoto, but their duty are the same, to guard the flag or their units banner and make sure they do not fall into enemy’s hand, with their life if necessary. So in that sense, the honor granted on Blackthrone is huge in Japanese eyes, and is why both yabu and omi eye’s widened in surprise and confusion because few Japanese could ever hope to attain such a rank. And in the book, Blackthrone’s hatamoto rank is considered a “major” ranking, meaning he can have instant conference with Toranaga if he so wished. The reason is explained near the end of the book as Toranaga needed a friend, a close confidant he can trust, he dare not trust any of his countrymen, even his family but felt, through Anjin san’s bravery and action, that he finally found a man he can implicitly trust and can indeed, become his one true friend.

[@princesapn]

As a Japanese I've always felt cringy towards Hollywood making 'Japanese samurai', it's never been this accurate!! but this one!!!! Thank you Sanada

[@crow1013]

It takes some time in getting used to eating Natto because it is sticky and has a unique smell. We Japanese eat Natto with rice. As a Japanese, I'm happy that you enjoyed this show！

[@AbyssWatch3r]

seems interesting.. i wanna try it too

[@chippewaguy4193]

I think he liked it because he’s an English sailor…….. they weren’t known for good food, sure he’s used to eating smelly unsettling foods.

[@wadepsilon01]

Natto with a subdued smell is also available on the market these days.

[@JP47471]

@@chippewaguy4193 Exactly! Good point.

[@Muschelschubs3r]

He said that ot tasted like strong, spoiled cheese. And that would be something he‘d be very familiar with as a sailor…so he just rolled with it.

[@BrahmaDBA]

How did I not noticed who Mariko was. The intelligent wit, the Catholicism, and affection towards Westerners. She's based on Hosokawa Gracia, the daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide and "ex-wife" of Hosokawa Tadaoki.

[@hawkthorn33]

Just to add some more reasons I love this show. Not only do the speak Japanese, but they are speaking in the old form. Much like doing Shakespear. Understanding that the mass majority are not even going to know.

[@gnome_child]

Not only that, but the script was actually written in english, then that was translated to Japanese, then that translation got sent to an only Japanese speaking writing house to clean and polish the script. And then it was that script that got re-translated back to english for the subtitles

[@trev9168]

And the political aspects of the show are on par with game of thrones so far. I’m truly loving it and hope it continues

[@SuzakuX]

​​@@trev9168it's a limited series, 10 episodes only. Won't be a second season. James Clavell did write more books in the series, but as a whole it revolves around a British trading company operating in Asia, and each book is set in a different nation or time period. Only one other book, _Gai-Jin,_ is set in Japan, 200 years later, though it does involve some descendants of characters from _Shogun._

[@annaofcossacks]

Well, what about Portuguese? Other languages also deserve appreciation

[@trev9168]

@@SuzakuX I’m aware lol. I was referring to the remaining episodes

[@Hana_flow]

I like the detail of Fuji-sama handling the guns and swords with her hands through the sleeves of kimono.

[@rizalfadhlurrahman6622]

Is there a meaning behind that? I noticed too but i just dont know why she do that

[@dragonrune6800]

@@rizalfadhlurrahman6622 I would like to know myself.

[@Hana_flow]

@@rizalfadhlurrahman6622 In that era, swords and weapons were considered the most important thing for a man and were said to be the same as the soul of a samurai. Therefore, the idea was that when handled by women, they should not touch them directly as much as possible out of respect. The idea that women are more impure than men seems inappropriate today, but such a view was common at that time. I believe that Fuji-sama took the entrusting of the guns to her as a sign of deep trust. sorry, I used a translation app because the explanation was too complicated.

[@rizalfadhlurrahman6622]

@@Hana_flow ahh i see, at first, i thought she just scared that shes gonna pull the trigger by accident so shes holding the gun like that

[@WWE2KUNIVERSEELITE]

god damn i love this show even more with their subtle touches like this.@@Hana_flow

[@noisedreams659]

Mariko was based on Gracia Hosokawa, just read the history about her if you want to know, it's probably not 100% the same anyway, the original source changed some things, but also this version change things from the original

[@heesoo18]

I can tell Eric loves this show… he had that goofy smile on his face the whole episode… I love seeing them enjoy something as much as I do

[@stevetrevor7004]

This show is fast becoming one of my all time favourites

[@WWE2KUNIVERSEELITE]

Oh. Im definitely rewatching this once their lone season is over.

[@jennb3112]

mariko waiting until he bathes to make a move 😅

[@thattrickytrickster612]

The dish Blackthorne tries is natto, fermented soy beans. Very slimy and a strong flavor, similar to cheese. However, extremely healthy and perfect for stomach health.

[@leonrussell9607]

Why were the women giggling about it? Because it smells?

[@kansairobot2015]

It is stinky. It actually sometimes stink the room. But it seems it is very good for beauty@@leonrussell9607

[@StephaniePasq-hg7vt]

Yes. And because more often than not, foreigners are completely repelled by it. Even a lot of Japanese people do not like it.

[@incognito4073]

The ending was crazy I agree with the son though, can’t just let your enemies see what sort of manpower you have.

[@saladspinner3200]

Yeah, but he could have confided in his father's advisors. I would have just deliberately fumbled the demonstration, to make the canons seem as useless as the ones from Portugal

[@m33p0]

given the tension and various alliances, Sekigahara is going to happen. Nagakato just made sure it's going to happen a lot sooner.

[@amirrezza-b5v]

@@saladspinner3200 Then Yabushige would be killed. The way it was done, Yabushige survives sepukku and the enemy dont know their capabilities.

[@ngocquoc2828]

Well he got his Father attention now 😂

[@Muschelschubs3r]

Sowrd to sword. Right. The katana/shinken was a secondary weapon. It was archery and yari or naginata the samurai mainly fought with. By 1600, rifles had been in the Japanese TO&E for over fifty years. The whole honor schtick was only adhered to when convenient. Don‘t kid yourself and others. It was only throughout the ossification of the 250 years of isolation that the honor concept was elevated to its memetic form.

[@TheDrexxus]

Natto isn't weird or scandalous in any way, it's a regular common food in Japan. However, because of its strong taste, some people don't like it. I guess the best way to explain it would be to compare it to something like Australia's Vegemite. Like it's a very very common thing that a lot of people eat, and some australians love it, but some hate it, and outsiders often hate it. I haven't watched the episode myself because I don't use hulu or whatever so I don't know the exact context of the scene, but I feel like the implication was probably that they felt he wouldn't like it because he is an outsider.

[@bebe_buu]

Natto is like "food challenge for nonJapanese" type of food. I've hardly seen anyone from outside Japan loves it. It seems they've already learned that by Portuguese' reaction

[@StryderK]

Hehehe! Same with Chinese Dou Chi, same concept. Some are just as foul smelling. Then there is “chou Dou Fu”, literally stinky tofu. The smell can be best described as doo doo that’s been left at the bottom of a bucket and let ferment for three days straight!…with a bit of skunk thrown in for good measure!

[@NinaPB]

I think Fuji is higher in station. That’s why they backed down. Her grandfather is one of Toranaga’s general. Last week, when they were talking about her father’s swords I was hoping she’d have a bigger role to play. I loved her in this episode.

[@scotthewitt258]

I kinda knew this was coming. It was Mariko. But, "officially" it can NEVER be Mariko outside of their time together. Her pillowing with a Gaijin would be worse than pillowing with the gardener, in the eyes of her society.

[@MrFredstt]

Yep. Was cool how quick John picked up on that and played along

[@hazri8758]

@@MrFredstt wait so John knows that Mariko pretends it wasn't her?

[@CarFreeG]

I think in the books, he's not 100% sure if he slept with her or a "maid" until much later. Here he's definitely getting gaslit @@hazri8758 🤣dude was questioning hard LOL

[@adoboflakes8473]

@@hazri8758 I think he was just unsure so he just went along with it.

[@HopeAndrea_HFG]

@@hazri8758Based on his facial expressions, he picked up on it and played along

[@wompa70]

DUUUUDE!! I loved the woman who said, "I should have bought the expensive sake" only to say, "I should have bought the cheap sake" later. sigh. Those particular pistols are about 100 years too early. I love that John is shown walking around practicing Japanese. Anna Sawai is just wonderful as Mariko. I'm not sure if she'll use the pistol in combat but I do think we'll see John teach Fuji to use them.

[@Muschelschubs3r]

The obligatory gun bunny griping about technicalities. How expected. How boring.

[@MichaelCorryFilms]

​@@Muschelschubs3rConsidering the historical fidelity of the show so far and how easy it is to aquire readily available period replicas I get their gripe.

[@kansairobot2015]

Yeahm Saki, Omi-san's mother is so hilarious.....!

[@Daelucav]

@@Muschelschubs3r Kind of an aggressive reply you did for no reason, totally get where they are coming from as someone that doesn't give a fuck about guns one iota, so much of this show is immaculate on how it is focused on accuracy - this episode even changes one of the inaccuracies of the book so that Anjin teaches them about cannons and not gun tactics because the Japanese already had those from the Portuguese for a long time at this point - that having guns that are anachronistic REALLY stands out. That's not griping about technicalities, that's just facts.

[@skyz6708]

I love Anjins voice so much.

[@m33p0]

"Pardon me. You sniveling little shit rag." 😂😂

[@AbyssWatch3r]

same

[@lurkingposter]

It's very blacksails.

[@AngelGroves]

@@lurkingposterabsolutely.

[@Number0neSon]

And if you hear him in other roles, his voice sounds completely different.

[@scotthewitt258]

Chain-shot is right up there at the top of the list of "nasty" loadings for muzzleloader cannon. Chain-shot Grapeshot Cannister Chain-shot was specifically developed for naval warfare. To hurt the ship, more than the crew. It's two cannonballs linked together by a heavy chain. The cannonballs "spread out" in flight, to the limits of the chain. When passing through the rigging and sails of a wind-powered ship, they would cause havoc to both sails and rigging. A salvo could quickly cripple a sailing ship, if well aimed. The effectiveness against sailors and infantry was just a side benefit. Cannister was basically a fragile, thin-walled cylinder filled with musket balls {or similar-sized projectiles.} Which would usually burst as the shell left the barrel. Devastating at close range to an Infantry charge overrunning the artillery position. Grapeshot was several "sub-caliber" cannonballs stacked in an {usually} wooden frame. A common configuration would be a dozen projectiles in four "layers" of three. It, too, would separate near the muzzle and cause a bad day for infantry and cavalry. Picket's Charge at Gettysburg was said to have mainly been broken by cannon "double-loaded" with Grapeshot and cannister. Each cannon would have been loaded with one each if the two shells.....

[@connorspiess8645]

Cannister was just brutal man. 10 inch diameter shotgun

[@chaost4544]

I can't imagine what it would have been like to be charging and see whole swaths of men being mowed down by cannister and grape shot. Must have been a terrifying sight.

[@scotthewitt258]

@@chaost4544 It does tend to break one's spirit, I hear.

[@Crazy_Crusaderr]

I hope nothing bad happens to fuji, I really like her character and like how her and blackthorne have seemingly bonded a bit now.

[@puma12345ace]

Has been some time since I was that excited to see a new episode every week.

[@Albietross1]

God yobu is such an incredibly funny character with his bastardry and scheming

[@hafor2846]

A love how charismatic a guy can be that started the series by boiling a guy to death for fun. It's not just evil guy = repugnant screen presence.

[@WWE2KUNIVERSEELITE]

Love Yobu.

[@Muschelschubs3r]

In the 1980 series. Yabushige (called Yabu in that one) was actually played by a rotund, loud Japanese comedian who stole every scene end then masticated the scenery to death. It was glorious.

[@jean-pierrepolnareff7334]

For the helmet ventilation stuff, it's the same thing for Normans Knight during 10th and 11th century, they shaved the back of their head because of the helmet they used. So a lot of them, including William the Conqueror, had this weird haircut. A bit like Bjorn's haircut in Vikings when he was a kid. No hair at the back !

[@nont18411]

Nagakado made such a ballsy move. He could have friendly-fired Blackthorne and Mariko.

[@fujiusami]

or his uncle 😂

[@predetor911]

Then it’s a good thing they practiced accuracy.

[@predetor911]

@@fujiusamiYabushige is Omi’s uncle, not Nagakado’s.

[@Kotten84]

I swear, every time Toranaga speaks or fights, Eric becomes a human tripod.

[@Gearzilla117]

20:58 the simultaneous head lift and tilt by calvin and aaron was gold

[@moodswinggaming2972]

A lot of people dont pick this up but i think the reason the cannons are better is purely mathematics, you see the Englishman with a measuring device when he first demonstrates their accuracy and historically one of the things the Englishman was valued for was his knowledge of mathematics. :)

[@connorspiess8645]

Yeah math tends to work better than the strategy of "that looks about right"

[@StryderK]

Also, at this point, English cannons were just flat out better than their Portuguese and Spanish counterparts. 1. They were all standardized. Case in point with the Spanish armada, a single armada ship can have as much 12 different kinds of cannon balls cause none of the cannons are were standardized! In the heat of battle this is important cause English can grab any cannon balls and were sure they’ll fit. The Spanish? They had to measure the balls first to make sure they fit correctly before they can sent it up to the correct cannons. On top of that, because all the cannons are standardized, the amount of powder used were also standardized, making ranging calculable. The Spanish? Because every cannon are different, the amount of powder used were also different. On top of THAT, since even the same sized cannon balls will have different weight, there trajectories were all over, making ranging a haphazard guess at best. 2. English cannons were made of steel, rather than bronze. This means it doesn’t expand nearly as much under stress and heat and can handle much more pressure. This means English cannons can use more powder, thus, more range. As the episode and John said, give me a couple thousand yards, I’ll laid waste to Osaka castle! This is not idle boasting, during Spanish armada, this is exactly what happened. The English eventually simply pounded the Spanish to bits with accurate, long range shots, and at a much faster firing rate too while the Spanish can’t do nothing but get hit!

[@magniwalterbutnotwaltermag1479]

These were Dutch cannons though​@@StryderK

[@golagiswatchingyou2966]

it's also simply that the cannons are smooth bore, it gives them greater accuracy compared to earlier european cannons. though the show does neglect the costs and tools needed to make specialized cannon balls and chain balls but that's needed to keep the story going, though perhaps just a sight of how they make cannonballs would add to the realism of the era.

[@golagiswatchingyou2966]

I do believe the English actually had more types of cannons and cannon balls then the spanish did but what the english did was make lighter guns with further reach, while the spanish did the standard, add more guns = good, forgetting that having more and heavier cannons also slows you down@@StryderK

[@ALTAJR-07]

in the book and original series, it was arranged for the Courtesan Kiku to pillow with Blackthorne but instead it was Lady Mariko that showed up. And Blackthorne was pleasantly surprised it was her. It had to remain Secret because Blackthorne is obviously not her husband and he is also a Foreigner; Same reason Lady Fuji felt humiliated in the beginning being made a Consort to a "barbarian" and a foreigner at that ,but she had No Choice in the matter

[@blobs819901]

I see a lot of people arguing about historical accuracy and the book it based on, first of all this show is indeed based on the book but a lot did change because the director Hiroyuki Sanada (also play as Toranaga) want the show to be as authentic as possible so he did change a thing to be closer to the original story the book based on so it's sit in the middle between the book and the actual history and I said it's a great thing, the book reader can actually experience slight different on what they already know.

[@beedubree2550]

to give you a little context on just how powerful and brutal those chain shot cannonballs are, they were designed to take out ship masts. goes a way to explain why they all get reduced to a soup-like homogenate in about half a second

[@StryderK]

Just watch Mythbusters. They once did a test based on Pirates of the Caribbeans, the scene where they shoved anything and everything they could find down a cannon tube and fired them. In one test, they stuffed an actual chain down an ancient cannon and fired it at a pig carcass….I’ll let you imagine what happened to that carcass…..

[@kevinprince9527]

Dutch Naval Cannon This muzzle-loaded Dutch cannon was cast sometime in the late sixteenth century. It could shoot a 33-millimeter cannonball between 300 and 500 meters and was fired by fuse. The cannon’s wheeled carriage allowed it to be moved easily around the deck of a warship or the battlements of a European castle. Imported European cannons were used in Japan longer than imported muskets. Japanese gunsmiths quickly learned to produce high-quality matchlock muskets, but they struggled to match the durability of heavy European cannon barrels. Unlike musket barrels, cannon barrels were typically forged as single pieces of metal. The first cannons in Japan were a pair of breech-loading swivel guns acquired from Portuguese traders in 1576. Dutch and English suppliers had supplanted the Portuguese by the early 1600s. They provided the cannons that the forces of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1868) used at the Siege of Osaka (1614-1615), the best-known artillery battle of the samurai age. Records provided by: 国土交通省 Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

[@ProvidenceNL]

Just FYI, the guns were Dutch, who were at this point, more powerful than the English.

[@moodswinggaming2972]

The dutch are not there to fire them, the reason they are more accurate is because of mathematics. The Englishman is holding a measuring device to measure trajectory when he first demonstrates their accuracy. Furthermore, it was historically documented that one of the values of the Englishman was his understanding of maths.

[@reecedignan8365]

It’s also noted that the English were quite expert seamen even by this time. One of the major things of Britain is that its lone island protected yet the sea and the English knew this as such they focused quite heavily into training their navy to protect their island. As such, it didn’t matter who’s cannon they had, it was the experience and training of the British naval seaman that saw victory across the oceans. And from the days of the Spanish Armada, to Trafalgar, to Jutland, England’s rule of the waves was very much uncontested and not even due to its ships, but down to the men who piloted them.

[@thatonedoood]

I heard another theory that the Portuguese intentionally downplayed their own capabilities to the Japanese so as to instill a false sense of security

[@Wasthere73]

I also want to point out that a very important change in naval warfare happened recently, where the English fundamentally shifted naval battles from boarding focused to cannon focused. I think this happened sometime in 1580s (and Korea actually did the same thing in the 1590s during the Imjin war). So the increased cannon proficiency is a relatively new thing, led by the English.

[@ahmarelvirgio823]

Yeah we know we (Indonesian) fought with them back in the days

[@vlogswagon2342]

I love this show so much

[@TheanGrySl0th]

20:54 The sync was immense

[@njebei]

Cannons were not that accurate back then (especially chain shot) but they need to give Blackthorne something to prove his worth. In the book Blackthorne taught the Japanese how to use their muskets but this was historically inaccurate as they were producing their own version of Portuguese models long before 1600. The line in the show is the writers winking at book readers. Then they used artistic license to change Clavell's story slightly to get the same result a different way.

[@derekchin6403]

Being a huge fan of the show, I’ve watched a ton of review shows. But you guys are hilarious…really enjoyed this video. 👏👏👏 (You’re right, Fuji comes from a very respected family, maybe a higher station than Omi. He wasn’t about to argue with her over the guns.)

[@slyesttrash6778]

"We live and we die, we can draw nothing beyond that" reminded me of Proximo in Gladiator "We mortals are shadows and dust"

[@johndoe2130]

Y’all should do a natto tasting in the episode 5 reaction 😂 you can generally get it from East Asian grocery stores (definitely if it’s a Japanese grocery store)

[@StryderK]

Alongside Chinese chou Dou fu. Literally stinky tofu!

[@neonoires]

Eric you're looking fabulous in your black shirt lol. Omi respected Fuji-sama because she's at a higher station in life than him due to her grandfather being the former general (I think) so that's why he bowed to her and didn't press her about the guns unlike Blackthorne. I really like Yabushige too, he's so charismatic and it's hard to hate him. War was inevitable but damn Nagakado lol. Can't say I'm mad at it though.

[@N.Oriiii]

The shaved head part is correct but you didnt say it all, its also to keep the helmet from moving, it makes the helm fit better on the head and it prevents it from moving around and sliding around so its 1 less thing they have to worry about.

[@WWE2KUNIVERSEELITE]

That is how brutal cannon shots were at the time. They dont explode and give you instant death. sometimes they will cripple you and let you suffer.

[@scotthewitt258]

Yes. That is pretty much what one would expect of accurately aimed chain-shot used in an open field against infantry and cavalry.....

[@stonewelltv]

Regarding Kishigi Yabu, eventually you guys will understand the significance of the statement "I'm playing both sides so I always end up on top"

[@StryderK]

Or on the bottom slitting one’s own belly……..Just saying…….

[@jaijais]

love this show so much, so excited to have appointment viewing again! the actors playing mariko and blackthorne have such great chemistry, they really got me with the “what do you do in your country?” “here’s what i’ll do if we were on a date” scene, it’s so intimate and light, which is a nice moment before it all went to hell 😅 i just imagine toranaga coming back to ajiro like that scene of troy coming back to the room in the remedial chaos theory episode of community

[@Flypidge]

The cannons had the chains inside, that's why they made mince meat of them.

[@najtrows]

I am many months too late but Blackthorne was not allowed to leave his house with the guns, Fuji was going to stay there so they just left it be. At least he didn't "walk around" with them in the open.

[@MrDyl666]

Its very rare for foreigners to enjoy natto the first time

[@Circiely]

I forced my mom to stay up past her old lady bedtime to watch it fresh on Hulu (new episodes air at 11pm) and we were not disappointed. The ending was awesome.

[@jyrxz4945]

He’s the most English character I’ve seen on tv it’s great

[@joeyou2954]

He's English af, but I would suggest checking out Tom Hardy in Taboo if you haven't already! 😊

[@jyrxz4945]

@@joeyou2954 I’m English Tom Hardy is literally our national icon for his films

[@dbrandonthomas]

I have really loved this show so far. Every cast member is incredible but I have to shout out the actor who plays Yabushige. Yabushige in the miniseries is played more for comic relief but this version shows more of his duplicity and his scheming with his nephew.

[@XILPIX]

Really expected this show to be bad considering the recent stare of entertainment, it however quickly became one the the best things I’ve, I just can’t fault it and it literally keeps getting better, just very bittersweet knowing no matter what this is the only season they are making, so we get what we get. At least we won’t have the fear of it doing a game of thrones ending on us.

[@austinwiththehat]

The texture and smell of Natto takes a little getting used to but I love it. I have it about 3 times a week for breakfast

[@thewastednukes]

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!! I am always eager to see your reactions :) - love from Australia!

[@jimmygreer2140]

I just have to say this. BlindWave deserves SOOOOOOOOO much credit for staying current with their reactions. The Normies may have been the first reaction channel that I followed regularly. But I am just fugging fed up with how their channel is run. No Shogun. No Blue Eyed Samurai. No Sandman. No Queen of the South. No Last Kingdom. No Ozark. No Yellowstone. No SOA. No Narcos/Narcos: Mexico. Like they haven't done ANYTHING of interest within the last 5 years. Just more played out old school anime.

[@darcypenn6702]

So true

[@mbanerjee5889]

Personally I think there are too many reactors on the Normies. So some reactions are better than others just based on how their personalities mesh. Blind Wave is consistent (including Shane and Rick) and have more insightful post show commentary.

[@willvr4]

Natto is fermented soy beans. Never had it myself, but even my Asian friend told me that it's an acquired texture to get use to and that even many Japanese and Koreans don't eat it.

[@ronaldxdriver]

16:25 That means to be her partner , you have been at least a samurai or even higher place , thats what she's mean.

[@MichaelCorryFilms]

The guys in the conical hats are Ashigaru, peasants soldiers and not samurai. They were under the control of a samurai lord. The samurai haircuts became an exclusive status symbol of the samurai class. The fact that some samurai in this series don't have it is likely because some actors were willing to be stuck with that hair, while others were not.

[@markkringle9144]

Every time this high born woman speaks in her breathy voice, it has a profound affect on my anatomy.

[@chance757]

fuji-sama or mariko-sama? both are amazing 😍

[@LeapYearJay]

Mariko-sama has me in a chokehold 😅

[@EMPERORSPROTECTION-TERRA4LIFE]

I get cheap thrills knowing the cannon attack is coming. 😂 it hadnt failed me yet. The reactions are priceless.

[@noshine4min361]

The reason the cannon was so effective against the Messenger was the use of chain-shot. You can hear it whistling.

[@gnome_child]

The reason kashigi was acting like that at the end because he knew a war aaa coming and jozen was his 1 ticket to join ishidos side (which he thought was going to win) but now after this theres so way he could change sides

[@franciscooctavius5957]

27:06- we all thought the exact same thing spawns about to be shown!! LMAO. Now u HAVE to do it Calvin. I didn’t care for the actor portrayal of Blackthorn at first but he’s really grown on me. His interactions and cutting language while learning the culture and understanding his situation have been awesome to watch. And Hiroyuki Sanada is always amazing to watch. Period. PS- love how the producers decided to leave the original Japanese in the filming and make people watch subtitles. Way better that way.

[@brutusmaximus5380]

Natto is steamed soybeans that have gone through fermentation. It contains Nattokinase, an enzyme that helps with menstrual cramps and prolongs the life of many Japanese. It's is similar to Serrapeptidase in acting as a mild analgesic like aspirin. It can also prevent blood clots from forming. It's something that Americans should eat if they have a heart condition and/or atherosclerosis [hardening of the arteries].

[@alesh2275]

It’s a medium scale failure in the series that it didn’t make clear Toranaga’s dynamics in Ajiro. 1. First, Toranaga escapes Osaka with Ishido obviously pissed off at him. 3. Toranaga pulled the wool off Yabushige’s eyes by not telling Yabushige of his plan, and using Yabushige as excuse for the escape. 5. If Toranaga told Yabushige of his planned escape then Yabushige could have betrayed Toranaga and gotten into Ishido’s favor. 6. By going through this subterfuge then Toranaga made Ishido suspect that Yabushige is actually playing Ishido for a fool, eviscerating all trust from Ishido to Yabushige. 7. Toranaga has always known that Yabushige is a player and has to be manipulated, otherwise he’s a real danger to Toranaga, hence his instructions to Nagakado that there are no friends or enemies, only rely on yourself. 8. Imagine then, how Toranaga would have felt when he saw Yabushige and Omi’s massive army in Anjiro. He would have been terrified that Yabushige might change his mind, capture Toranaga, and offer Toranaga to Ishido. 9. This is where you see Toranaga’s genius. He made lemonade out of lemons: He went into front of the troops and made a rousing speech, so rousing that the troops started chanting his name. This is brilliant because the public loyalty of the troops to Toranaga would have made it more difficult for Yabushige to organize a capture of Toranaga on the spot. 10. And the better to ensure his options, Toranaga suddenly left to go back to his boat and then to Edo where he would be surrounded by his own troops whose loyalty he would not doubt. This move was so secretly planned that only his son knew of it, taking Yabushige by surprise. Toranaga would only ever be near Yabushige is he is surrounded by a multitude of his own loyal troops.

[@FlyingwithFire]

this is all obviously clear though why you calling it a failing

[@hafor2846]

@@FlyingwithFire Yup. No one stood there and narrated it, but this is exactly what happened in the show. It's simply a show that requires you to actually think about what is happening...

[@saitopickles7075]

Love that ending and sudden tone change. Also, Mariko that scene was done that way so you would think either way, but ppl need to remember Mariko has always kept her feelings in check and maintain tradition and honor, would she really just have a "one night stand" with an outsider only knowing him a few weeks and she may have to betray for her lord. And she smiles when she sees ppl happy, she likes to help ppl.

[@saladspinner3200]

I believed it was quite clear it wasn't Mariko that visited him during the night. In line with Japanese customs, she would have handpicked a lady. Which in itself is quite the honour.

[@saitopickles7075]

@@saladspinner3200 agreed

[@FlyingwithFire]

@@saladspinner3200 it was mariko they are just saving face by acting like it was a courtesan

[@swervo6660]

Bruh it was clearly her just watch the trailer for episode 5

[@Muschelschubs3r]

She totally boinked him. It‘s one of the more important secondary story lines in the novel.

[@LMN3_Works]

I tried Natto before, it's actually quite good. It's just fermented soy beans.

[@jimmygreer2140]

Anna Sawai is absolutely KILLING this role. The writing of her character along with her performance brings tears to my eyes. Even if I didn't know the history, I would know her character isn't getting a happy ending with her clear obsession with death...that character arc only ends in ONE way. And it pains me so much to see such a beautiful flower tainted with wanting to wither away back into dust. And how she's given only just brief glimpses of how beautiful & joyful life can be. The moments with her son before her husband comes and berates him for "not being a man". The moment with Blackthorne at the hot spring & their 1 evening together before having that ripped away by her husband as well. I truly hope that the show does reward her with a glimpse of what life could've been had she some agency over her own life in this era. Just 1 satisfying moment of her choosing to be happy before she goes on to meet her fate. So she can face her fate with her head held high & a smile upon her face. PLEAAAASE Shogun, give me this 1 small request.

[@jackson857]

24:20 Omi is Yabushige's nephew, not son.

[@RandomNPC001]

Those chain shots tore right trough them like nothing!!

[@cleekmaker00]

17:19 Natto is fermented Soybeans. Very sticky and smelly, but considered a Breakfast staple in Japan today.

[@Rocky-jg3ew]

About Mariko's unmarried name. There was no samurai in that era who didn't know about her father. Her father's actions shocked samurai throughout Japan. Her heart was filled with pain and sadness, life of suffering must have caused her to seek refuge in Catholicism.

[@BrahmaDBA]

Holy crap, I just realized that Mariko is based on Hosokawa Gracia, the daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide. Damn.

[@kansairobot2015]

In this story, Mitsuhide is called Akechi Jinsai @@BrahmaDBA

[@Glisern]

And the chainshot is only the second most destructive canonball type. First one is grapeshot, just needs to be closer.

[@agentsculder2451]

Hot shot was also pretty devastating, but I don't know if it had been invented yet.

[@BigDamnHero74]

Basically, the cannon’s version of a shotgun (with fewer, but larger grains).

[@StryderK]

Nope! Canister! Basically turns the cannon into one fucking gigantic shotgun loaded with 2inch diameter buckshots!….Just imagine the devastation when load a cannon with “double canisters!”

[@BigDamnHero74]

@@StryderK I think of canisters as more like bird-shot (smaller projectiles; just many more of them for a wider spread) 😁

[@Bareego]

Natto tastes a bit like a ripe camembert, I love it. It's beans that have been left to have a special mould grow on. As you stir them the mould turns into a slimy sauce that will pull strings. Many Japanese stir it into their rice. You can pick it up in small square packets at your local asian grocers, they're normally in the freezer section. They'll come with two tiny sachets of mustard and sauce. Empty the sachets onto the natto and then stir it up. Lots of people are put off by the sliminess of the dish, but it's very tasty.

[@ssotkow]

Fermented soy bean is a popular condiment in China, it goes great with porridge and is a flavoring side dish for plain white steamed buns.

[@mrrd4444]

Though I'm not 100% sure I think Fuji also knew Mariko intended to sleep with John, and they were both like "yeah we just got him a courtesan because that's normal here". Given that it's Fuji's household, she ought to know all that goes on in it.

[@hoon_sol]

Natto is soybeans fermented with specific bacteria, and since soybeans famously have a similar macronutrient composition to milk, the end product does end up quite "cheesy" in many respects; it's even high in certain nutrients that cheeses are high in, like K2.

[@gilney.mathias]

Man... Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) is the best character in this show, i'm always laughing with him 🤣

[@smooticus]

There's a very important bit in the book missing from this episode that I hope we get to see maybe in the next one. It's what brings about a major change to Blackthorn and also how he's perceived by Omi and even Yabu.

[@Bekka_Noyb]

this show has been impeccable so far! ♥

[@aishaalamoudi599]

the "pungent" food he was eating is Natto, which is fermented soybeans.

[@wadepsilon01]

Real Anjin Miura married the daughter of Nanushi (village leader). Son's name is Joseph, daughter's name Susanna.

[@brisky__]

Love the Danny Devito quote 🤣

[@bwallatube]

playing the part of Miss Minutes 😃today.... Omi!

[@Yoriichi_Sengoku]

Well, Nobara Jozen was invited by Yabushige for a cannon demonstration. He witnessed it but just didn't expect the demo to be on him.