Narrowly avoiding 'white savior' territory by centering its Japanese cast, it offers up memorable performances from the likes of Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai, as well as gorgeous costumes and cinematography. Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy. Episodes reviewed 8 of 10 Still missing Game of Thrones? Well, Shgun, a new tenpart series based on James Clavell's 1975 novel of the same name, might just be the show you've been waiting for. Set in 1600 Japan, Hiroyuki Sanada's Lord Yoshii Toranaga is essentially Shgun's answer to Ned Stark, a man in a precarious position of power, when the historical drama kicks off. When Japan's supreme leader, the Taiko, died and left behind an heir far too young to rule a year ago, Toranaga found himself on the Council of Regents, a board of five men from every corner of the country set to govern until the Taiko's son comes of age. But over the past 12 months, the political ambitions and secret schemes of Toranaga's fellow councilmember Ishido (Takehiro Hira) have caused the lords to turn on the Taiko's Osaka Castledwelling favorite. If voted out unanimously, Toranaga faces not only a demotion, but a death sentence. The tides turn, though, when a European warship drifts onto Japan's shores and brings with it an English protestant named John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis, doing his best 'Tom Hardy in Taboo' impression), who hopes to undercut Portugal's current dominion over Japan's outsourcing and strike a direct trade deal with the latter. Initially, Toranaga aligns himself with Blackthorne as a way to sow division between the nonreligious and Christian councilmembers but as time goes on, the socalled "barbarian" proves himself to be a loyal ally, and Toranaga quickly rises him up the ranks of his inner circle. As civil war brews, the duo alongside Toranaga's men and samuraiturnedtranslator Lady Mariko (Anna Sawai) task themselves with thwarting Ishido's plans and keeping the leader alive. Power play (Image credit FX Networks) Given the fiendishly watchable Machiavellianism at play here, it should come as no surprise that Shgun is a slow burn affair rather than an actionpacked epic, which feels refreshingly grownup and all too rare these days. The high stakes and sense of danger, which looms over every plotting conversation, are palpable, which adds intrigue and thrill to the dialogueheavy proceedings. Death is a key theme here (one episode is quite literally called 'The Abyss of Life'), as Toranaga runs from it, Mariko desperate to join her deceased loved ones yearns for it, and Blackthorne contemplates whether a life of solitude at sea is actually any better than it. Juggling a wealth of characters, all with varying degrees of heroism and villainy, it tackles more intimately expressed, engaging subjects such as misogyny, racism, and survivor's guilt inside its broader, worldly strokes, as well though that does give the show an unrelentingly dour tone that won't be to every viewers' taste. It also means that characterization is fairly thin, as it tries to give everyone screen time. The two leads, if you will, wind up being Blackthorne and Mariko, as they're drawn together romantically amid the conflict. Jarvis and Sawai have decent chemistry together, but it can't help but feel a little clich when the stranger falls for the only woman who can understand him. Furthermore, it's hard to see why Mariko, a Catholic no less, is that interested in Blackthorne; he mocks their Eastern food and customs, he's hotheaded like her abusive husband, and sometimes dismissive too, despite claiming he respects women any chance he gets. That said, he represents an escape for her; the human embodiment of a freer land where she wouldn't be judged by her disgraced family history (which we won't spoil here) as she is in Japan and at least their affections for one another provide the series with a little hope and lightness. Allegiance to authenticity (Image credit FX Networks) Visually, the show is just as grand as you might expect. Cinematographers Sam McCurdy (Game of Thrones), Marc Lalibert (Gen V), and more limit themselves on sweeping vistas and let's face it, what could have been dodgy VFX and instead, favor framing that highlights the exquisite work done by the production design, makeup and hair, and costume departments. Highcontrast lighting adds to each episode's moody and intense atmosphere, while composers Nick Chuba, Leopold Ross, and Atticus Ross' score accompanies the aesthetics perfectly. What's perhaps most exciting about Shgun, though, is its commitment to featuring such a varied ensemble cast of Japanese actors, and how it doesn't shy away from them actually speaking their language on screen either. While showrunners Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks substitute Portuguese for English, the vast majority of the series is subtitled, which bolsters its authenticity and clearly allows its stars to fully immerse themselves in their roles. It also helps it avoid slipping into 'white savior' territory with Blackthorne, which it comes admittedly too close to on several occasions he quite literally saves Toranaga twice, and his righthand man Yabushige too, before being encouraged by the former to train a whole regiment in cannonry, despite him being a maritime pilot who has never engaged in battle. In recent years, Sanada has shown up briefly in titles such as Westworld, John Wick Chapter 4, and Bullet Train, and basically stolen the show every time, so it's a real treat to see him in such a meaty role here. Other standouts include Bates Motel's Nstor Carbonell as a foulmouthed Spanish sailor with one heck of a beard, and Sawai, who recently grabbed attention in Apple TV's Godzilla series Monarch Legacy of Monsters, as she brings a quiet steeliness to the grieving and vengeful Mariko. Shgun's literary inspiration was the first installment of Clavell's sixbook Asian Saga, so if season 1 does well, we'll likely see more chapters greenlit swiftly. While its first is far from perfect, it does enough right to leave us wanting more. If it irons out its kinks in a followup, it could very well end up being TV's next big bookbased phenomenon.
No comments:
Post a Comment