Shogun TV Show Episode 1 Review

The first episode of Shogun starts off with a Dutch ship lost at sea, the crew starving and have scurvy. Their plan was to go to the “Japans” and by luck, end up exactly where they wanted to go but it was nothing like they expected.

The crew members of Erasmus are captured by the Japanese and the ship and weapons are seized. Unable to speak Japanese, the crew is unable to communicate with them without the help of a translator. And that is a big theme in the show. One of the villagers translates John Blackthorne’s exchange with one of the leaders and it does not go well for Blackthorne. The villager is shown wearing a cross and this shot repeats often n.

The Catholic Church has established itself in Japan and trades with them, making a huge profit. Blackthorne has been sent here to claim Japan for the Dutch. Blackthorne is soon given the nickname Anji, which means pilot because he is the pilot of Erasmus. Blackthorne gets an audience with Yabushige who rules the village that Blackthorne is held captive in. A Catholic priest is brought to translate the exchange but Blackthorne is vocal about his dislike for the priest.

Ultimately, Yabushige decides to use Blackthorne and to appease the priest, he has one of Blackthorne’s crew members killed in a horrible way. The next day, Yabushige is visited by one of Lord Toranaga’s men and he claims the ship and Blackthorne is to be taken to Osaka to meet him. Blackthorne meets another pilot named Rodrigues, a Catholic pilot, and they become frenemies.

They return by ship but a storm sweeps away Rodrigues and after they make landing, Blackthorne and Yabushige search for and save Rodrigues. When they finally arrive in Osaka, Blackthorne finds himself in the middle of a power struggle and his life hangs in the balance.

Commentary

If you haven’t read the book, then I recommend that you don’t do so until you finish the season. There are a lot of changes and after thinking about it, it makes a lot of sense. The show had to be simplified because there is a ton of politics in the books that would ruin the pace of the show. I will say, the characters suffer a lot because of these changes.

Blackthorne is actually likable in the book but that doesn’t carry over to the show. His character is withered down and simplified and that is a big loss in the translation to a TV Show. And I think it will ruin any future plotlines involving his love interest because what makes him unique is lost.

There is a difference in being told something and being shown it and that is a big reason why Blackthorne is liked and accepted by Toranaga in the books. The best thing the show has going for it is the amazing visuals as well as the acting. I will say, these are some of the worst haircuts that I have ever seen. You can’t miss them and it will stay on your mind longer than you expect.

Ultimately, the show is pretty good. Don’t compare it to the books because that never holds up well. The visuals and the acting make this show worth watching and I do recommend it. As long as you think of it something entirely different from the books, then you should enjoy it. The biggest change for me is that Blackthorne loses his human appeal in the show, something that was very important in the books. And I don’t think the show will properly fix it. Other than that, I have been enjoying it and it is unlike anything else on TV.

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