Patience rewarded.
The “Shôgun” series has been in development for more than five years.
In 2019, production was even interrupted midway, in order to raise ambitions.
Visually, the series, the first two parts of which are released online this Tuesday, February 27 on Disney +, exceeds expectations.
The plot takes place in 1600, in a Japan on the brink of civil war.
The previous ruler, the “taiko”, has died, leaving behind an heir too young to rule.
A council of five lords then ensures the regency, but tensions, jealousies and personal ambitions threaten to undermine this fragile stability.
Yoshii Toranaga, loyal to the taiko's son, is particularly in the sights of other men of power.
It is in this delicate context that John Blackthorne arrives, an ambitious English navigator who has just been shipwrecked on the Japanese coast.
Toranaga takes him under his wing and asks the beautiful Toda Mariko to serve as a translator to communicate with the stranger.
The plot of “Shôgun”, adapted from the novel by the British James Clavell published in 1975, is at first glance complex and is based on an extremely extensive gallery of characters.
With multiple oppositions at stake: between the different Japanese clans, between the Japanese and the English, between the English and the Portuguese already there... The phase of introducing all these little people therefore takes quite a bit of time and the dynamic of the scenario is struggling to get started.
In addition, some highly anticipated twists and turns are not impactful enough.
Breathtakingly beautiful details
It's a bit of a shame, especially considering the great performance of the Japanese actors.
In the lead, Hiroyuki Sanada, already seen in multiple fictions (“Westworld”, “Helix”, “Bullet Train”), plays a leading role here that matches his charisma.
He plays Toranaga, the most exciting character in the series.
Anna Sawai (“Monarch: Legacy of monsters”), of New Zealand origin but having grown up in Japan, is also very intriguing in the skin of Mariko.
On the other hand, the British Cosmo Jarvis (“Persuasion”) lacks nuance in the interpretation of John Blackthorne, and delivers a somewhat caricatured score.
Still, the beauty and attention to detail of the costumes are breathtaking, the sets are grandiose and the special effects do justice to this often violent epic in feudal Japan.
This luxurious setting ensures a journey through time that is as immersive as it is fascinating.
Editor's note:
3.5/5
“Shôgun”,
American series by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks (2024), with Cosmo Jarvis, Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai… Episodes 1 and 2/10 (70 and 58 minutes).
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