Shogun (2024) | Episodes 1 and 2 Breakdown and Review

[@andersmogensen2819]

A thing that made me shake my head, was the use of the “If you win” line. Im not entirely sure the writer understands the scene., which is concerning.(in all fairness, the mistake couldve been made during editing) The best I can say about the three first episodes, is that they made me want to reread the book 2024 kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqnOoJ6goJ6qacksi=_RZGLjPYuzmAKuik Original kzbin.info/www/bejne/mn_CpHSfbcmBi6csi=hxwpYNw-T32ralHD

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

I always loved Toranaga’s response to Blackthrones line in the og and book. There was an intensity to the character that you got a bit of relief if he showed any emotion of interest or humor, at least knowing Blackthrone’s response wouldn’t cost him his head. Sanada just doesn’t give me that sweat just yet.

[@squirlmy]

I think you're greatly underestimating the new series' writers. Before I counter, keep in mind the new series emphasizes the Japanese point of view, which changes the entire scene. In the original, the Portuguese priest Martin Alvito is translating, so there's tension on whether Blackthorne's words will be translated correctly and not twisted by the priest. The whole bit about Holland rebelling, that wouldn't ordinarily interest Toranaga, and I think the show is right to cut it, Toranaga would be concentrated on what's happening for Japan directly. In the original Toranaga's laughter is foreshadowing his own plans for rebellion, it parallels his own, but in the new series, we already have all the background, we already have a better idea of what Toranaga wants to do. Also he doesn't want to give away his plans to anyone, not Blackthorne, not the people gathered around them,(possible spies?) not even Mary/Mariko, who is translating. She might be sympathetic to the Portuguese priests, but not quite as invested, so he just gives a cold(but meaningful) stare after ""If you win". In comparison, the original is kinda unrealistic, there's dramatic tension about whether the priest will translate properly, but he has a lot of reason not to, or at least make Blackthorne as greedy and suspicious as possible. And Blackthorne would certainly be aware of this, it makes much more sense for him to translate through Mariko. In the original Toranaga doesn't care what he says or how his reactions might be interpreted, and the audience doesn't know much at this point either. I certainly don't think it's a mistake in editing, the show has been rebuilt from the ground up. Of course the scene plays very differently.

[@asatohatsumi]

New viewer here. I saw your review of the original series and checked out the book from my public library. I'm a fan of the current show because I'm a sucker for period pieces. Excited to hear the audiobook. Thanks!

[@pegah_di]

What a great review. I feel like I can listen to you for hours. I haven't read the book or watched the old series, so I went into this completely fresh. I liked the first couple of episodes better. The further it goes, the more problems I have with it. We'll see what happens down the road 😅 will be back to check for your other reviews for next episodes.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

Thank you for your kind words, I ultimately have decided to let the show finish before any more reviews because I’ve essentially lost interest in the last couple episodes. I’ll be working on other videos and reviews (in more positive lights) in the meantime

[@pegah_di]

@@SamaLlamaStudios I thought you were pretty fair with your review 😊 Will be checking out your other reviews for sure, thanks.

[@cleverkittn]

@@SamaLlamaStudiosI’m so glad I’m not the only one that lost interest. The more they deviate and make their own story with these characters that has nothing to do with the book the less I enjoy it. The book is a treasure on so many levels and this series is completely ignoring all of that treasure.

[@domn8dontw8]

I think it's best to think about this as a "Japanese interpretation of an English written novel" as far as I'm into the show, I love anything with Sanada Hiroyuki. And the fact that he's the show's producer, is the lens and perspective in which I'm watching it. The book is amazing, it's always better. What I'm appreciating is the perspective that it's more from the perspective of more developed characters from the book, rather than just Blackthorne's from the 70's show. Let's hope they don't rush the production like that show ultimately did. The book, the 70's show and now this, are all adaptations of William's true story. To be fair, this new show needed a better platform for this story. It's a Hulu show and it'll be the best show ever on that platform! That says a lot about it. It'll be ok. Just enjoy it for what it is. They even asked Anna Sakai not to watch the original miniseries, so that she would not replicate Shimada Yoko's interpretation of Mariko. Yoko won a Golden Globe for her Mariko, that's how powerful her character was.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

As I said HBO shouldve handled Shogun, wouldve been less things to worry about with censorship (prolly couldve had a better budget too). Overall the series is fine down the line but I do not like how they are handling Mariko. They seem to be taking her at surface value. Not watching the original performance is fine, but they shouldve At least given her basic context of the character that they removed in this version by taking away one of her most powerful moments

[@vanyadolly]

I love that it's an adaptation from the Japanese perspective, as that gives us a more culturally authentic experience. We see this in post-colonial literature, but at least I've never seen it done with a show like this.

[@KevlarSammy]

I can’t get my girlfriend to watch a full episode with me because of the Blackthorn actor. She says his acting is so bad , and the facial expressions too…

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

My girlfriend is the same way. She dislikes this series more than me and she isn’t even that familiar with the source material 😂😂 (Comparing Cosmo to the sad mouse meme was her idea)

[@cleverkittn]

The remake is NOT faithful to anything at all. They used the names and went off on their own story that has only occasional brushes with the book. If they’d stayed true to the dialogue already written, the story and intrigue and characters already provided to them it would be MARVELOUS. Here was the opportunity to do a really strong female character and show all of Mariko the 1980 version had to gloss over. Instead, they made her less than she even was in that series. ALL the characters are less than they were in the book or previous adaptation. The sets are depressing. I wanted so much to love the new version, but it’s not Shogun in anything but name.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

I wanted a more faithful portrayal of Mariko so bad. Shes the emotional core of the story and its heartbreaking modern audiences won’t be able to experience the truly complex and brilliant character she actually is.

[@harrybosch4595]

Thanks for clearing up the use of fisheye lenses. I did not understand why the edges of the shots looked out of focus, I thought it was a technical problem. In an age where we finally have 4K big screen TVs the shots still look hazy. How is that for progress. 😢

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

I feel like it really brings down the quality of what are obviously great shot compositions. Its a really annoying trend right now and I worry itll make the show difficult to look back on years later.

[@tmg7476]

@@SamaLlamaStudios Is the emphasis on fish-eye, dark scenes, and foggy scenes the result of using CGI so that we don't notice bad CGI detail? Or is it maybe because it's not as burdening on the streaming services? Anything I really want I buy on BD. Despite having over 500 coming into the house tested, with all my devices my TVs have trouble with great HD much less 4K. And yes, it is frustrating to play the 4k BD and still get dark, foggy, out of focus scenes. Game of Thrones got visually darker each season to where viewers were told how to adjust their sets. That should not be happening.

[@gregoryowain2073]

This is something that drives me nuts as well, like the other commenter I suspect it has become popular to help hide all the wonky looking CGI.

[@ActuallyDoubleGuitars]

It's not a fish eye lense they use this is an example of fish eye res.cloudinary.com/jerrick/image/upload/f_jpg,q_auto,w_720/uqnupdimohfdrf2kldgz.jpg They use special prime lenses. Or play around with soft focus filters. Back in the golden age of cinema they even rubbed Vaseline around the edges of a lense to create soft focus.

[@ActuallyDoubleGuitars]

Why'd you remove my comment about that not being a fish eye lense? ​@SamaLlamaStudios

[@soulwoodcreations2331]

Shogun is my most defining novel that shaped my teenage years. I have read it yearly since then sometimes twice a year. So I have read it roughly 20 times. So to say that I have anticipated this series is more of an understatement. Now I am at episode 4 and my heart is keep sinking like the burning Erasmus, episodes at a time. Not just the fact that Blackthorne is a secondary character now but the whole internal journey he goes through as he adopts the Japanese customs and philosophy is missing entirely or partially. A real shame as this was the main thread a westerner could immerse themselves in Feudal Japan. Through Blackthornes experience. Without it you just watch the events happen. I have left feeling excluded from his emotional journey. Not sure if it's to do with modern writers but somehow they are unable to deliver a meaningfuI character arc. Hope the series will come around...

[@cleverkittn]

Perfectly stated. I went Vinck and couldn’t watch the destruction any further

[@Dcramer710]

No disrespect, but part of me thinks you went into this show looking to dislike it? As a fan of the book and its incredible adaptation of historical events (even though it's written by a white British dude who fought in Japan during WWII -_- ... I'm sure you have, but I'll state this for other commenters: if you like Shogun please go read Taiko and Musashi by Yoshikawa for some authentic stuff) the new show has turned the story into a much more engaging dramatization of the story and concepts in the book. It's made for the Game of Thrones generation, not the M.A.S.H. generation; there is going to be more grittiness and the like in the cinematography. I know you like the 1980 adaptation, but man... I tried watching it so many times and it is so campy and off. I dislike so much about it -- even though it is a "more faithful" adaptation. Adaptation is tricky business. It has to comply with the desires of fans of the books who want 100% faithfulness while also ensuring those not familiar with the source material can follow along with a dense and intricate political plot. All the while, in order to stay entertaining, it has to avoid copious amounts of inner monologue and prose that a novel brings to paint the scene. I do not agree with your dislike of the Toranaga and Ishido scene. It was done SO WELL as an adaptation. My gf who didn't read the book followed along and felt the tension that the scene requires and picked up on the culture's 'polite combativeness' as I called it. My only real complaint so far in this adaptation was when Blackthorn spoke to Toranaga the second time, Mariko did not translate that he was from a "small island nation" -- though Toranaga reacted in such a way. This was CRITICAL to understand why Toranaga wants blackthorn's military mind. He wants to know how a small island nation (*cough* Japan *cough*) could be able to spread their empire so vast. It's not that big of a deal because like 2 minutes later he draws his nation, but still, the realization of Toranaga happened before the map was drawn. Also, my take on the book was that Blackthorne was NOT the main character. He was a narrative device to throw us into the world and was an anchor point for western readers to engage with a "foreign" society. The main character is Toranaga. But agree to disagree here. Though I disagree with you on many things in this video, it is a good video nonetheless and definitely will be tuning in to hear your thoughts moving forward.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

I make criticisms but I find the show overall pretty good (bit overhyped) but I’m happy a new generation is now aware of it. It seems I have to make that explicit because many (not you) seem to think that because I have complaints I hate the series (this channel has yet to see me discuss something I hate). In the defense of Clavell, he was a POW during WW2 and he always described it as his school. He put more effort to learn about historical events that wasn’t popular outside their native cultures at the time. So while his book has minor inaccuracies, I’ve always respected him for doing the absolute most at the time. Blackthorne is a viewing vessel (people can make the comparison with Cruise in Last Samurai) and that was his purpose in the original. This time to story can be told in a more balanced narrative, which would be fine but unfortunately it went too hard on trying to appeal to the GoT generation and sacrificed a lot of important plot points from the narrative. Making changes will always be a tricky thing, but cutting out significant moments is hard to defend when looking at this is an adaptation. (Side Note: watching this with my girlfriend that has not context of the novel and she straight up does not like the show 😂) Although I wouldn’t call Toranaga the sole main character. Its really spread between Toranaga Mariko and Blackthorne, Mariko being the emotional core of the story (her and Rodrigues being the worst portrayals on here so far comparatively to the original narrative). I found it off how this version of Mariko is described as more complex when she comes off more generic and westernized in her writing, but when the show runners interviews show their surface value understanding of the novel, thats to be expected. Toranaga is the least damaged but they did remove much of his charisma and humor for stoicism (reminds me of another Sanada role from a book to screen adaptation…) I respect you for disagreeing but still willing to listen. So many will shut their ears off as soon as someone has a complaint. Many of my favorite film analysts have said some rude things about some of my favorites, but I’ve always respected their analytical abilities.

[@Dcramer710]

@@SamaLlamaStudios Thanks for the reply! You make a lot of good points here and so funny your GF went the opposite direction as mine! hahaha. Anyway, definitely going to keep tuning in. Thanks for the content! And yeah, definitely respect your opinions here. We all have to have an open mind to art whether it be positive or criticism :-)

[@cocoacrispy7802]

The thing about 'The Last Samurai' and this new version of 'Shogun' that most people leave out is how much they are critiques of modern Western society. Sure, there's a historical base, but implicit in them is, in the first, the notion of the decadence of the West, and in the latter, the indictment of 'the patriarchy.'

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

I really liked the juxtaposition between Cruise and Watanabe in the opening of Last Samurai, seeming as contrasting, but it’s evident that both are soldiers that have been separated from their modernizing societies/cultures. (Bit of a spoiler of my upcoming review on last Samurai)

[@AbbyNormL]

“Re-imagining” is a term defined as “this movie will suck”.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

I was just trying to put it in polite terms 😂

[@Bareego]

Thanks for posting a higher volume version. Still agree with the weird lens things they do being annoying.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

Yeah, I’m not overly fond of that fish eye trend honestly. I was interested in your comment about the clothes and costumes , I thought it was really interesting. I really found it disappointing that Mariko’s beautiful pink kiminos were removed to match the dreary colors of this new version (the jesuits orange robes were actually a revoked practice by this time so I didnt complain on that).

[@Bareego]

@@SamaLlamaStudiosI recommend watching the "making of" videos they've put out, three so far. I wonder if you get the same vibe from the odd comments from the actors in the third one, praising the lead costumes person, but in an odd way. You get the feeling there were discussions and the choices made were not that popular with some. There is this "making the costumes accessible for a world audience" thing. I find in general a big lack of bright colours on the costumes, the general look is very cold coloured and gloomy. I really miss some brighter outfits like you'd see in the 80s series. Now I have no idea how much this reflects history or the choices of the costumers. The costumes with feathers made me baulk a bit, I wonder if they did exist but were outliers, and the head costume person wanted to use them to put his own preference on the show rather than what was common.

[@dmvtrekscifichick6505]

I would love to see you do a compare and contrast between the 1980 and 2024 series, when the 2024 series ends.

[@AbbyNormL]

If you have not seen it, you should watch “Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World”. It is based on a series of books by Patrick O’Brian about a British naval captain during the Napoleonic era. For the movie, they purchased an existing era correct sailing ship and also built a mockup of it to help in filming. The books are also excellent if you have never read them.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[@tmg7476]

Black Sails was filmed at Capetown Studios South Africa where they have the largest sailing ship tanks in the world. Like M&C, I found the ship shots to be exceptional. Other productions such as Outlander have used them as well. You can find their site online or even just look them up on Google maps. A&E's Hornblower also used actual ships.

[@cleverkittn]

YES!!! why do they keep remaking stupid comic book movies when there’s 20 excellent books to pull from for another? Crowe won’t live forever 😬

[@AbbyNormL]

Another movie recommendation. Watch “Red Sun” (1971). It stars Charles Bronson as an American cowboy and has Toshiro Mifune as (naturally) a samurai. It takes place in the post-war American west. It is considered a “spaghetti western” and is, IMO, a great movie.

[@ryancampbell2192]

I think the only Japanese actor who would have been Ken Watanabe, but he has been working hard on Tokyo Vice & was therefore unavailable for Shogun.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

I really need to watch Tokyo Vice, I’ve heard great things about it

[@ryancampbell2192]

@SamaLlamaStudios highly recommend it. Gritty crime drama in early 90s Tokyo. Yakuza, cops, hostess bars, government & journalists...well acted, well paced. Violent, but not gratuitous. Lots of tension & the neon filled dark winding streets & tiny restaurants that I remember from my business trips to Tokyo in the late 90s.

[@AbbyNormL]

My complaint with The Last Samurai is that Tom Cruise’s character, after a few months (at the max) of practicing sword fighting with a wooden practice sword, Cruise fights a man that has been living with a sword for upwards of 30 years and fights him to a draw.

[@bigpoppaplump462]

Yes, but he was also no slouch as a combat veteran, as the battle in the woods showed. He took out a number of samurai with his firearm, his Sabre, and a spear. So it's not insane to think that he can master a new fighting style relatively quickly, Obviously, they need to move the story forward, so....

[@teewhyTHA]

I’m waiting for your series review now that it is finished. This is also my fav novel ever, and I’m a huge fan of the original series. To me, this was an 8/10 series. It remained “mostly” faithful, but landed the entire thing so well, that the changes they made seemed worth it.

[@xarophti]

This new series is cold & has no heart. Does anyone believe that this Mariko is even ATTRACTED to Blackthorn let alone in love with him? She's an ice maiden.

[@ursyoola]

So funny you say that Andrew Lincoln was up for the Blackthorne role. As we were watching one ot he scenes wih Blackthorne pre-haircut, wet and angry, I said to my husband, "He's doing a reall good Rick Grimes right now!"

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

Not necessarily that he was up for the role, but that he would’ve been my pick. I still think he would’ve done a great job.

[@vanyadolly]

Andrew Lincoln is great, but he's too old.

[@babanovac0232]

Buntaro is an abusive husband, indeed. Toxic masculinity at its best. But on the other hand I understand his suffering. James Clavell exposes it so sensitively in the book - his way of loving is very destructive, but undeniable. To love so much, to yearn for understanding and love, but not to be able to ask for it, to realize that the one you love - even though she is your wife - will never love you, to have the selfish inability to give up his wife, offering her an honorable death and thus an escape from a life that brought so much dishonor to his family, being part of the lineage of the legendary traitor Akeki Jinsai - "Ju-san Kubo" - the Shogun of the 13 days... Damn, this is such a tragic destiny... James Clavell is absolutely brilliant.

[@jedi0424]

This overall is a good review :). I think one thing that bears mentioning is that the original mini-series was three parts in three hour stretches. Here, the episodes are only an hour long, released weekly.. This change in the format likely accounts for the criticism of the pacing. I wonder if binging when it's all finished would change things.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

The original was actually 5 episodes (first and last episodes aired as 3 hours), the three parts didn’t came about until the blu rays stitched episodes together. (DVD and VHS were both in 4 parts). I recall that this new adaptation has 10 parts all going for roughly an hour long. Giving it just a bit more time than the original had. A major difference is this series is airing weekly whereas the original aired 5 days in a row

[@jedi0424]

Thanks for the correction! I :) have only seen the Blu-rays and thought that the three part junctures were the same as the original air-dates. I love the original, but have also found myself enjoying the FX/Disney version so far. I always found the Japanese perspective my favourite part(s) of the novel and so I don't mind them leaning into the more Game of Thrones-esque side of things. Not sold on the Mariko/Blackthorne chemistry which could hurt the series in the long-run though. They have 7 more episodes to prove me wrong lol

[@harshgarg1448]

The world of Shogun is explained in a prologue video on the fx channel, called world of Shogun, and yes you are correct that unlike book, this is more a more authentic adaptation of book from Japanese perspective, hence adventure is killed because from the Japanese lens Japan is not a mythical place, hence the lens is more about authentic adaptation of the culture rather than sense of adaptation. Having not read shogun book and any earlier adaptation, I would say first 3 episodes were good to great while episode 4 was mid, though its ending was good.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

My review on the last two episodes will be released soon, and they are not positive.

[@harshgarg1448]

​​@@SamaLlamaStudiosI am eager to see your review, a critical opinion is always welcome

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

@@harshgarg1448 I wish more people were that respectful. Much appreciated

[@harshgarg1448]

​​Just completed watching this video I actually appreciate how you rightly pointed out some of my apprehension with episode 1 and 2 , Mariko sama scene(felt cringe and came out of nowhere, though there is an explanation of her in conflict with identity being reflected here) , similarly I find painting Mariko husband as 2d character hurt the show as we are left confused as episode 3 sacrifice comes around, painting daimyo of Edo as positive character (that really ticked me off) and untile you mentioned I didn't even considered blackthorne as a main character I considered him a prominent side character, may be that is why heavy focus on romance in episode 4 erked me so much(because I really don't care about blackthorne and his budding relationship after 3 episodes) .​@@SamaLlamaStudios

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

@@harshgarg1448 A major issue I see with this version is that it obviously wants to be its own thing, which is fine as its based on a true story and they totally can take their own approach, but then they try to force their changes with established plot points from the book that don’t mesh together well. Just like the forced Romance between Blackthorne and Mariko.

[@DonCristoBaal]

The old series is BETTER! The old series is better because it follows the book (although is strictly from Blackthorne pov) and it was shot in location. Thats it!

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

Let me affirm that while I have critiques, I do ENJOY the series, and not every change I point out is necessarily a complaint. My major point that I'm making is on some of the flaws I see as an adaptation, I also point out the improvements as well. I ask that whether you prefer the new series or old, keep it civil in the comments please. I'd love to hear your thoughts, even debating against my own points, seeing others perspectives helps one to grow. Thanks for watching! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnPHko2qZcR2osk - For those who want to move their comments over from the original video with audio issues. (Drinking Game - Take shot Everytime I say "You know? I mean.. or romanticized") 🤣

[@Bareego]

I like some things, dislike others. I like that they showed the assault of the bandits and more of the interactions of the different lords and their reasoning. That first shot of Toranaga with the bird of prey being shot from behind and him turning was a nice reference to the way he was introduced in the 80s series. Overall it's a great series and I look forward to the next installment. I really hope that the Mariko actress improves on me, so far she seems to wooden and stilted compared to the actress in the 80s series, who was just SO graceful. Best performance so far hands down is Tora Hiromatsu, what an actor, suits the role perfectly.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

@@Bareego Hiromatsu is PERFECT in this new version

[@greysnake2903]

@Bareego Ok

[@babanovac0232]

Honestly, the fact that Yabu is played in the first screening by a comedy actor seems quite irrelevant to me. I think the actor did an excellent job. In fact, I don't think I could see anyone else in the role of Yabu, just as I couldn't see anyone else in the role of Rodriguez but John Rhys-Davies.

[@xarophti]

Oh, and where are the orange robes on the Jesuits?

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

Historically, That practice had actually been revoked by Francisco Cabral a couple years prior to Adams arrival. Orange is also too vibrant of a color for this drab color scheme.

[@skatefan9495]

By the end is the series, Mariko was a beloved character. I did not see the problem with her English, since she was supposed to be speaking Portuguese.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

Portuguese and Latin actually

[@MrTimbeatty]

You are correct. 2024 Shogun is not a good adaptation. Certainly not as good as the original TV series. Biggest complaint is they don't show the difference in self-control exhibited in the novel. It starts with allowing Hiromatsu's son to commit seppuko after his outburst. In the novel, that outburst stripped him of his swords, he was forced to crawl to his execution, and died as a commoner. The other is ages. Fujiko is 19 in the book. I think Mariko is 29. 15 was the age of marriage and adulthood. Another annoying bit is Buntaro's escape. In the book, he strips down and is about to commit seppuku to avoid capture. He didn't run and attack. And Yabu when getting Rodrigues also stripped down to commit seppuku. Drammatically, one of his vassals needs to get his attention and throws himself from the cliff yelling Bonsai! to shake Yabu from his trance. The new series doesn't capture the personal discipline. They put western behaviors on Japanese characters that simply wasn't the case.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

This version is severely westernized

[@dereksinistre5078]

Picking on the actress speaking english, when in fact they are conversing in portugese is funny. Neither of them "speaks" english really, so whats your problem with Marikos fluent portugese when it is stated that she started to learn more than a decade ago. Is english pronunciation really sould be an issue?

[@SlartiMarvinbartfast]

What happened to your recent video analysis of episode 3 and 4? Were too many of the remake's fans giving you flak for criticising it? If so, ignore them - such people aren't worth listening to.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

The response was overwhelmingly negative. It seemed to be a bit damaging to the channel. I’ll try putting it up again and see what happens

[@SlartiMarvinbartfast]

@@SamaLlamaStudios Thanks. Don't let the naysayers get you down.

[@harrybosch4595]

I need to try to do a 2nd attempt to watch the new series. I made it through episode 1 but it did not do anything for me. I never read the book but recently rewatched the old TV series. Now the new series cleared up a lot on the intrigue that happens on the Japanese side but overall I hate the way they are telling the story in the new Shōgun. Maybe I am just stuck in the 80’s way of storytelling.

[@Roger-Mellie]

I watched both series. The new version was hard work. The lead role was played very badly,and i lost interest very quickly. I know the story, so i stayed with it. I wouldnt watch it again, but i have just started watching the 80s version again.

[@Anacronian]

How to speedrun a book 2024.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

The book becomes a fast read after the 5th time 😂😂

[@randomaccount-dq1jq]

The show being very heavy implyin that Blackthorn is absolutely a pirate ruins so much of the story. The decision makes him out to be more of a opportunistic manipulater pirate getting a chance to redeem himself to a noble Japanese lord rather than a sailor who genuinely loved learning new things and exploring the world ... until he finds a home in Japan, Williams and Blackthorn were extremely talented linguist speaking at least 3 languages before learning Japanese and even his process of learning Japanese is clumsily presented and strips much of the emotion of the gardeners death to the character realising just how subjectively casual death can occur in this culture even from people he thinks better off.

[@Anthonycheesman33]

It’s funny how you nitpick this version but not the 80s version your bias is clearly showing which is fine but just be honest .you went into this not wanting to like it which was obvious from your review of the 80s version .

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

I mean i pointed out the flaws I saw in the original as well as pointing out the positives in this version. I genuinely believe that there are things the original did better as well as things this version did better. My “nit picks” aren’t necessarily complaints in the same vein as the actual issues I have with this series, which I think are fair when looking at the source material. Im sorry but I cant blindly ignore some of then issues. Im not sure by what you mean by “be honest”I was pretty open in the beginning how difficult it is to ignore the novel with how much I adore it Thanks for watching :)

[@fuzzzone]

He absolutely nitpicked the 80s version as well in his review. Perhaps you need to watch it again.

[@tmg7476]

He has an entire KZbin video reviewing the original with nitpicks.

[@UlrikeJudkins]

Didn't watch to the end your review, you mentioned fisheye camera. Started again 1st episode, very annoying. Started to rewatch the 1980 miniseries which when it came out was sooo fantastic. Now reading the book, way more in-depth.

[@dionysiacosmos]

My husband and I couldn't make it past the middle of the third episode. The actors playing Blackthorn and Rodriguez both lack charisma. The book and the 70s adaptation makes it clear both characters get by on charm. You start understanding a identifying with the others as the story developes . Both the European and Japanese characters. But somehow the remake isn't working for us.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

The showrunners said they didn’t know how to adapt the end of the book and so the last three episodes contained a lot of filler and character deaths (who did not die in the book) that did absolutely nothing for the main story. If you love the novel as I do, it’s perhaps not worth the effort.

[@kevinfinnerty8071]

Insane take

[@RRTNZ]

Glad someone else cringed at the "Mariko Sama" line, that's something she would never say. Mariko is as skilled a manipulator as Toranaga in her own way, she never has to resort to such crude demanda. The characterisation of Mariko is the single biggest weakness of the series. She's so cold and lacking any chemistry with Blackthorne, why will we care when she dies? In the 1980 series, when she dies we feel Blackthornes anguish and we the audience feel like we've lost a friend. Shimada embued Mariko with Subtlety, intelligence and WARMTH. Sawai has none of that, she's not really a Kiwi, although she was born here.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

Episode 5 removed her monologue after Buntaro’s beating. I just posted my thoughts, Im absolutely appalled at this series horrid interpretation of such a brilliant character.

[@RRTNZ]

@@SamaLlamaStudios the Novel and 1980 Shogun series work as both adventure and a love story. Mariko is integral to the romantic feel of the story. - the 2024 is more of a character drama with some action elements and political intrigue ( some of which it handles well), but the mishandling of Mariko ( and Blackthorn to a lesser degree) makes it much harder to care about the outcome of anything. Maybe it will get better....

[@glen1742]

Never read the material but I think in episode 3 the other characters recognize Blackthorne as a good leader of his people and is skilled. You mention that the book is a romanticized story of actual events so I think dampening some of these romanticized qualities feels realistic. I doubt anyone who watches the show thinks Blackthorne is not bright or is incompetent. As someone new I think I prefer that the main character is not Blackthorne but the Japanese.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

Writing my review on 3 and 4 now. Unfortunately I think they really dropped the ball on multiple fronts. They continue to downplay his character and have removed one of the most important aspects of his narrative. I don’t necessarily find this version more realistic, rather theyre just desperate to separate it from the source material and use the word “authentic” as a selling point. This version is coated in Hollywood glamour and still incredibly romanticized but now shifted itself from the main character. Although its now difficult to associate these characters to their names.

[@glen1742]

@@SamaLlamaStudios i did not like episode 4 at all. The Mariko-Blackthorne relationship is not great and reminds me of online fan fiction. Again I prefer the show when the focus is not on Blackthorne but on the Japanese people. You could say Blackthorne's parts in the show are not great because they are not as fleshed out as the book but I have little interest in the story of blackthorne as the main perspective and as a tv viewer would rather focus on other characters.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

@@glen1742 The novel does well to give the characters their due time, but Blackthornes adventure is the core of Shogun. (I did a whole video on this on the original series) while Blackthorne and Mariko do experience a relationship, the TV show gives absolutely 0 chemistry between the two as they continue to butcher both their characters greatly. (Adams and Hosokawa Gracia never met in real life) Episode 4 also left out one of the most pivotal moments of his life that also affects how the Japanese characters view him. At this rate, they should’ve done their own thing with the real life story to reduce Adams role instead of banking on the title of Shogun. They writers of this show completely misunderstood what this story is about. I still can’t get over how they preach authenticity while still putting their Hollywood glamour instead of an authentic experience. This show cant decide if it wants to be its own thing because it constantly forces in plot points from the novel that no longer work.

[@richiebui1390]

i wanna hear your retake on the last samurai for sure

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

That’ll be my next video! :)

[@ke11even_official]

why do i feel that this review is an attack to non-book readers.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

My reviews are NEVER an attack on any viewers. My criticisms are directed at the series.

[@ke11even_official]

@@SamaLlamaStudios are your criticisms based on the faithfulness to the author's work/old tv show or to the realism of Japan's historical perspective?

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

@@ke11even_official As I stated in the video, I examine how it works as an adaptation and how it works on its own, and the inaccuracies made from artistic interpretations.

[@teewhyTHA]

Just read the book! Worth it

[@cynthiagates9627]

I’m not a fan of this new iteration. It’s taken me till episode seven to really draw that conclusion. I’ll finish it out but it holds no candle to the book or the 80’s miniseries.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

I haven’t had the strength to sit through episode 7 yet.

[@Gracie_Smithie]

I like it. The show is called Shogun. Why focus on Blackthorne when we can focus on the man who is to be the Shogun. I like learning about this time in Japan. I’m not interested in seeing someone fumble around trying to find his bearings. I like it so far.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

Because the novel this is based is on was about Blackthorne’s adventure and learning about the one of the most important moments of Japanese history through him who witnessed it. “Fumble around and trying to find his bearings”Definitely describes the new version better. Besides the “twist” of Toranaga is part of what makes the ending of the story exciting. Not to mention how much they stripped away from his character. On its own it’s fine, as an adaptation not so much.

[@viljakainu1548]

Read Yoshikawa's Taikoh! It will be worth your time :)

[@HomerNarr]

I watched episode 1. I understand how you feel. Actually i like mostly what i see. However, i dislike the depiction of Maiko. She acts like a modern headstrong woman. Naaaaaaaaahhh. A japanese woman at that time would never be that confrontational. Also: I am not sure how women in Japan looked in this period, but the 80s series seem to be much closer. Woman were more demure because they were not treated as equals to males. That's modern strong woman bullshit. A strong japanese woman would have been more diplomatic and be more suggestive. A biiig downer.

[@MrXabungle]

Most of the writing staff for the 2024 series are women.

[@domn8dontw8]

It's a Japanese game of Thrones. If you watch it with that perspective, it makes more sense. I love the acting in the show so far. I can't wait for the fight scenes.

[@Papillon234]

Seems like a ton of nit picks. So it’s not page by page copy of the book, it’s so petty. I thought it was great. Excellent actors. It doesn’t have to be exactly the book.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

“These aren’t necessarily complaints, just pointing differences” “You don’t make a 1:1 on an adaptation” :) Although I do stand by the actual issues on the character portrayals and fish eye. I still handed out the compliments it deserves too :)

[@Papillon234]

@@SamaLlamaStudios for sure. Yea that’s true you do mention positives. Tbh I didn’t even notice the fish eye

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

@@Papillon234 I yet again must affirm that I do enjoy the show, but being its one of my favorite books I’m still gonna stand by some things 😂. Thanks for watching!

[@tmg7476]

He says in his video that it should not be a word for word conversion of the book. But when you change the theme of the book (seeing feudal Japan through Blackthrone's eyes) then why not call it something else and not pretend to be the book. Change the hero to the historical Adams and call it Politics of Feudal Japan.

[@Papillon234]

@@tmg7476 fair enough, I just think it’s still not weighty enough of an argument since most folks won’t have a clue what the original Shogun is. A good modern interpretation might bring people to the book though.

[@Colin-Fenix]

Your middle school library shouldn’t let you check out the novel… You watched pathetic Last Samurai when you were 5 years old? Magician of the week reward… abracadabra, you turned a dull 10-minutes video into a 1-hour mess!

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

Unfortunately my middle school didn’t carry it, I bought my first paper-back edition back when I was in high-school (I wanna say either freshman or sophomore not too sure) , then I hunted down a first edition which is my go to for re-reads The last I watched Last Samurai was around that time, I’m 24 now as embarrassing as that is (still young I know), but I’ll take your remarks as a compliment. Hopefully the babyface will hold up for another 20 :)

[@piput8533]

NERD

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

I try

[@future_teknokrat7585]

Book Readers, you have to separate the different works. You can't give an honest review of you're always comparing. If there are certain plot points or scenes which sends the narrative off the deep end and makes fundamental changes, I can see it being an issue.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

Oh it does, and it certainly is an issue in the later episodes lol. Besides I point out that theres an art to translating text to screen already. Most of the points I make aren’t complaints like I said, just pointing out the differences.

[@tmg7476]

Let's use 007 as an example. As written, he is a white, male, hard drinking, hard playing, chain smoking womanizer. If you're going to reimagine him, just go write your own character and own stories. Don't pretend to base them on the books. Doesn't mean your own characters and stories can't be good (Gray Man, Bourne, Luther, etc.) but if they are going to be Bond, then they need to be Bond. Shogun sees feudal Japan through Blackthorne's eyes. It's his journey. If it isn't going to be that, call it something else. So I can see book lovers being upset.

[@SemNomeMorreYoutube]

ok I have a point I would like to talk about, if you are going to adapt a book, as was the original series, you will be compared with the book, and there will be both good and bad criticism about it. The Harry Potter series was like that, when the films came out, there was comparison with the books and positive and negative criticism. When you're going to do a series that has already been done before, you're going to be compared with the original series and the book that is the source, it can't be any different, and compared to the original series this new one is worse. Something can be good and at the same time be worse when compared to the original. I have mixed feelings about this new series, I really don't know if I like it or not. Let's imagine something, the original series doesn't exist, an average person is watching this series and comes across the suicide sequence of the samurai and his baby son, plus the scene between Mariko and Fuji, with the baby and the knife, you know which one. And my question is, would it be very clear, well explained to the viewer why did that happen? Would the person watching these scenes understand that "okay, that's how it was back then" or would it pass as something of shock for the sake of shocking? In the original series this does not appear, Fuji is introduced later. I know that at that time a lord owned the lives of his subjects, I know that there was a law that allowed a samurai to kill a peasant if he disrespected his honor, I know these things and seeing it in the series is not strange or confusing, but the common viewer? Is the series successful in conveying these concepts? I don't think so.

[@Soc1alBK]

This adaptation is trash.

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

My review on the 3 and 4th episodes is not gonna be as nice.

[@kevinfinnerty8071]

@@SamaLlamaStudioslmao

[@SamaLlamaStudios]

@@kevinfinnerty8071 Episode 3 was personal but episode 4 genuinely butchered the narrative.