Disney+ has launched its bloody new hit series Shogun, which fans are touting as the next Game of Thrones.
The long-awaited action drama set in the 17th century depicts the brutality of feudal Japan and centers on a warlord fighting for his life in a series of savage and violent clashes.
Based on James Clavell’s acclaimed 1975 novel, Shogun features brutal beheadings, people being boiled alive and cut open with katanas, and is already being celebrated by fans as one of the year’s most bloodthirsty hits.
The first two episodes of the 10-episode weekly show dropped this morning on Disney+, and the fantasy epic received rave reviews around the world from viewers and critics alike.
One delighted fan said they were captivated by the show’s opening, tweeting: “Holy shit, what an amazing way to jump into the series today. I’ve been waiting not so patiently for literally three years, I’m finally getting it.” my ARRANGEMENT.’
Disney+ has launched its bloody new hit series Shogun, which fans are touting as the next Game of Thrones.
The long-awaited action drama is set in 17th century feudal Japan and centers on a warlord fighting for his life in a series of savage and violent clashes.
The first two episodes of the 10-episode show were released this morning on Disney+, and the show received rave reviews around the world from viewers and critics alike.
Fans were quick to share their joy at the launch of the new blockbuster series.
A second compared the series to hit show Game of Thrones, adding: “Shogun has blown me away.” The acting, the blood… Oh my God, the blood! Honestly, this feels like Game of Thrones, only better. Easily the best thing on television right now.”
Another fan tweeted: ‘HOLY SHIT I KNEW THIS SHOW WAS GOING TO BE AMAZING!!!’
While one lover of the original 1975 book added: “Hell yeah.” “The book is a stunning portrait of the era, and I am so glad it is being done justice on screen.”
“What an amazing way to jump into the series today. I’ve been waiting not so patiently for literally three years to finally get my FIX,” another added.
Set in 1600s Japan, Shogun is rooted in the true history of the era, a dangerous time when various warlords vied for supreme power as European powers cautiously surrounded the island nation.
The arrival of a shipwrecked Englishman, John Blackthorne, upsets the balance in Japan and yet offers intriguing possibilities as he knows important global information. At first he is a pawn, but he becomes a trusted advisor and ally.
“It really came down to being a story about agency and this story about characters trying to exert control over the path of their own destiny in a very chaotic world where you can literally lose your mind at any moment,” said screenwriter Justin Marks. .
The series has elements of intrigue and spectacle like ‘Game of Thrones’, with brutal beheadings, people boiled alive or cut with katanas, blood splashing on windows and arrows tipped with fire.
Set in Japan in the 1600s, Shogun is rooted in the true history of the time, a dangerous time when various warlords competed for supreme power.
The story follows the arrival of a shipwrecked Englishman, John Blackthorne (played by Cosmo Jarvis) in Japan.
The series has elements of intrigue and spectacle like ‘Game of Thrones’, with brutal beheadings and people boiled alive or cut open with katanas.
It also shows the wavering understanding that grows between Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) and a love story between Blackthorne and translator Lady Mariko (Anna Sawai).
“Maybe fate brought you here for a reason,” Blackthorne is told shortly after being shipwrecked in Japan. “Maybe you’ll live long enough to find out what it is.”
But when Marks first picked up a copy of James Clavell’s original 1975 novel, the screenwriter admitted he had been reluctant to immerse himself in it.
The book about a British navigator who was shipwrecked in feudal Japan was huge: more than 1,000 pages. And old man: ‘It was the book that was on our parents’ nightstand.’ Plus, it sounded culturally out of step. He assumed that it could not be adapted by 2024.
But at the urging of his wife, novelist Rachel Kondo, he eventually picked it up and soon realized why Clavell’s novel was so celebrated.
“When you open it and read it, it’s a remarkably modern story,” he said. “It really gets to the core of what it is to find another culture and find yourself in that culture.”
Fans reacted with joy to the new series, which features a stellar cast.
The 1975 book ‘Shogun’ sold millions and a 1980 television miniseries, starring Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune (pictured: Hiroyuki Sanada as Yoshii Toranaga)
The series now sits on a wave of new TV offerings that embrace Asian culture, including Max’s ‘Ninja Kamui,’ ‘Warrior,’ and ‘Tokyo Vice,’ Paramount+’s ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice,’ and ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender.’ and ‘House. of Ninjas’, both on Netflix.
Marks and his wife dove into the fish-out-of-water story and are now ready for the world to watch their 10-episode fictional limited series ‘Shogun.’
The series now sits on a wave of new TV offerings that embrace Asian culture, including Max’s ‘Ninja Kamui,’ ‘Warrior,’ and ‘Tokyo Vice,’ Paramount+’s ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice,’ and ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender.’ and ‘House. of Ninjas’, both on Netflix.
The 1975 book ‘Shogun’ sold millions and a 1980 television miniseries, starring Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune, was watched by 1 in 3 American households, winning three Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes. Both the series and the book sparked a wave of interest in feudal Japan, from children playing with toy katanas to video games and Tom Cruise starring in ‘The Last Samurai.’
“It is almost impossible not to continue reading ‘Shogun’ once opened,” The New York Times said in its review. ‘However, it’s not just something you read: you live it. The imagination is possessed.
The new show, with Clavell’s daughter Michaela as producer, adapts the story. Sanada said that if the book was “blue eyes looking at Japan,” the FX series uses “Japanese lenses.” Blackthorne is less a hero here than a catalyst, as co-creators Marks and Kondo explore power dynamics.
Those who watch it may smell a whiff of ‘The Godfather’, another 1970s epic with a strong sense of loyalty, family and honor, while violence lurks nearby. There is also a ‘Succession’ note, which Marks does not deny.
“There’s always a show in the writers’ room that we all watch while we’re doing it, and ‘Succession’ was that show,” he says, laughing. ‘We really loved it. And in some ways it probably got mixed into the mix.”
Shogun is available to stream on Disney+
