This SHOCKED Me! SHOGUN EP. 1 In Depth Historical Review and Analysis
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 มี.ค. 2024
- For my trailer analysis and first reaction I did a blind look into what was represented, meaning that at that time I hadn't watched the 1980s series and I hadn't read the book so in that case I was trying to examine strictly the historical accuracy of what was shown at face value.
But today our analysis will be much more complete. It will be structured on a comparative key, so to speak, in the sense that we won't just look at what is shown on screen and then compare it with real historical Japan, we'll do that too of course, but we will also compare this 2024 Shogun series with the original 1980 series, as well as directly to the book itself. So 3 elements of comparison.
Link to my original blind review of the trailer
• I Can't Believe This...
Link to the video by Schola Gladiatoria about Pistols I mention on this review
• SHOGUN TV Show Big His...
Link to the Royal Armories YT Channel as mentioned
/ @royalarmouries
As of the filming of this video I've watched the first 4 episodes and I really like it so far, the series is very well made and if you are into Feudal Japan you should totally watch it.
As the show begins we are told that it's set in a specific time period, namely 1600 and we want to see how faithful it is to the customs, armour, weapons, clothing, religion, culture, and many other factors as we always do on this channel. However do keep in mind of course that this is not a history book, it's a novel and a good one at that, so anytime these characters or events appear to differ from the original historical ones, well it's justified. Once again historically inspired fiction.
I'll tell you this however, the level of attention to correct historical details on this show, is insane. You'll see what I mean in a second.
So for context, we are at the end of the Sengoku era, right before the beginning of the Edo period. Perhaps I should say Azuchi Momoyama period, anyways there is a lot of overlap between different terms and Japanese periodization can get a bit tiring so, 1600.
This is a time of political struggle for power, inner fragmentation. This is a land struck by roughly 150 years of relentless war. Arguably this is the time of the most battle hardened samurai, the most brutal warlords. It's also a time of change within domestic and international politics with new paradigms of interaction withing said international discourse. We see this articulated in the literature, visual arts and laws.
Moreover it's a time of cross cultural exchange with European powers, which among other things came in the form of trade, religious expansion, military evolution and as we will see, religious inner rivalry as depicted on the show, Catholics and Protestants, although this latter was not represented in the most accurate of manners in my opinion, as we will see.
Main Characters
We have a few major characters we might want to clarify from a historical perspective.
This is of course a fictional depictions of real historical characters, so much so that real historical names were swapped for fictional ones.
With that being said I think it's interesting to see how similar to the actual historical counterparts these fictional characters are. Are they loosely based or do they match almost 1 to 1?
Let's begin with:
- John Blackthorne: Played by English actor Cosmo Jarvis in the 2024 version (image John Blackthorne 2024). Played by American actor Richard Chamberlain in the 1980s version. (John Blackthorne 1980s) I can already hear the typing I know Mr. Jarvis was technically born in America, but he is English.
Blackthorne is based on the historical William Adams 1564 - 1620 aka the English samurai, born in Gillingham, Kent England in 1564. A small point of divergence with the character John Blackborne who in the tv series says he is from London, and in the book specifically says he is from the outskirts of Chatham, a small port near London. William Adams was an English navigator, pilot, chief officer working for the Dutch East India Company who ended up in Japan just like John.
The book describes John as being very tall, having very fair skin, blue eyes and golden hair.
Link for further study and reference
www.google.com/books/edition/...
On Jesuits
digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cg...
On seppuku
chent3.files.wordpress.com/20...
On William Adams
sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/is/IS39...
Original European Accounts
libguides.colorado.edu/JPNS38...
#shogun #shogunfx #historicalanalysis
Hey noble ones! If you enjoyed this deeply researched video please consider supporting my work on Patreon so I can keep these videos coming! I'd love to review each episode from this series so thank you very much for your kindness and support on patreon. It means the world to me. Also Mild spoilers I suppose (maybe?)
www.patreon.com/themetatron
Thank you for this review and analysis of the show.
Samurai beards and mustaches are too cool not to be real
Very good comparison and as always, thank you for the attention to detail. Speaking of stories set during the Edo period, are you familiar with Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima (the original 70s manga, not the films). It was marvelously told and hugely influential. If you've read it, what do you think of it?
I think you're gonna love it, I'm hooked. I would also like you to comment on the quality of the cinematography, script & acting too.
thank you
The only thing I dislike about Shogun is having to wait a week again after finishing an episode to satisfy my craving for Shogun.
The only thing I don't like is there is only 1 white guy and he's treated terribly and called dog.thats racist that. not very diverse😊 it's like 90% asian
Truly a trial to be endured.
On the other hand, I look at it in the sense I have something genuinely fantastic to look forward to each week. And I realise now, how much I miss television being structured like this. Life may be a pile of hog swill, but each week, I've got a small glimmer of something delightful to work toward.
You must be patient, Anjin-san.
@@grandmufftwerkin9037 I shall heed your advice, Muff-sama.
My biggest problem with this show is that it is a miniseries. 😭😭
I am watching with my Japanese wife and the Japanese they use is a old formal version of Japanese in which she is having a hard time understanding and has to read the subtitles to understand fully. Even the period version of Japanese is showcased in shogun. My wife is truly blown away and is enjoying shogun.
That is amazing. Reminds me of having to put on subtitles to understand The Sudbury Devil
That’s fascinating. I just wish they put as much care into the English subtitles: i’m up to episode 5 and i’ve already noticed numerous grammatical errors - and these are the official hardcoded subtitles, it’s so peculiar.
But nonetheless it’s still one of the best shows i’ve seen in the last few years.
A lot of good samurai movies use the older speak. Kinda like with english and Shakespeare plays. Or really old westerns that use the old vernacular.
my japanese GF was impressed by the meeting of the 5 council members, who are each lords of different parts of japan. Because not only do they each speak in an olden way, but they also each have different accents and speech mannerisms which would be expected of different prefectures
And they couldn't make the actors speak Portugese they had to speak english ffs it's so annoying
Having worked on this show I can tell you that the specific Japanese is an older dialect as processed by linguistics experts in the large authenticity department they brought over form Japan to get the details right. They had a Master of movements, linguistics experts, historians... everything was scrutinized. Bit of trivia; the Dutch ship and cannon were altered set pieces from Peter Pan and Wendy .
Yes! Not to mention Hiroyuki Sanada has ALWAYS been one for accuracy to represent his culture correctly!! I trust the Japanese who know their culture compared to a want to be!
3:37 An interesting fact I found while researching William Adams, he was not working for the Dutch East India Company because that was founded in 1602. He was working for one of the 12 'pre-companies' that independently operated out of the Netherlands before they united into the VOC.
It's a super niche fact that doesn't really need correcting, but I thought it was interesting from a geopolitical context
Aye, I picked up on that too.
As a Dutchman I concur
@@hans6500 Gekoloniseerd?
The fact it's older Japanese and they have dialect experts who oversee the script and scenes to make sure it stays accurate to the period was far and enough away for me to have serious hopes for the series.
Me too, but then the Portuguese speak English... great.
@@flashcamping I fear if it's ever dubbed in Portuguese or Brazilian Portuguese, even the Japanese will speak current day Portuguese. But if something like that happens, at least people can edit stuff so everyone wins in the end.
They were planning on making it conform to "modern sensibilities" until the Japanese advisors told them that Japanese people, especially in the 1600s don't think like that. THANK GOODNESS they swallowed their pride and listened otherwise we would have gotten more slop in the entertainment shit pile.
@@flashcampingits for the common audience the vast majority of people will not want to read subtitles for every thing said it would honastly push people away
I honastly think the only reason the Japanese are speaking Japanese is because thare being a translator is key to the plot
@@USSEnterprise6126I was literally about to say this.
My Grandma told me, "I dont care what they say, the Portuguese ship were black."
Funny enough is that if this show had been produced by a Hollywood woke producer, the Portuguese would probably have black people since we had colonies in Africa, they would somehow make it proof that black people were everywhere in Portugal
Or Hollywood would do the thing were any old brown person will do for someone who is Spanish or Portuguese.@@joaofarinha551
@@joaofarinha551 didn't Portugal have an election just a few weeks ago?
and one conservative nationalist party won a significant number of seats in parliament.
this basically means the coalition government will be mostly a conservative right-wing based.
I don't know if Portugal has woke politics tho.
is Portugal similar to politics like Brazil?
Brazil has a lunatic socialist president that constantly praised dictators from China to Russia and even supports Hamas Jihadi terrorists and Iran.
Portugal had a crisis for the past few months because the leftist government of Portugal collapsed. corruption scandal.
the left in Portugal is no longer popular at the moment.
I know Portuguese people love Cristiano Ronaldo and all but Ronaldo playing in Saudi Arabia for money is disgusting.
@@LevisH21 This is a complicated topic but yes we recently just had elections and a right wing party has won a significant number of seats. No enough to be the majority but enough to be the 3rd biggest political party represented in the assembly
That said. Portugal has long suffered under socialists governments due to our dictatorship up until 1974 where from then on Left Leaning parties took over and the majority of voters (or that actually go and vote) are still from that time and lived trough those times so they vote on the same party like it's a religion
However things are changing. With constant political scandals, financial and budget problems for several sectors of the country and the on going mass immigration problems we are having, there is starting to be shift in politics. Hopefully for the better
@@joaofarinha551 Please define “woke”.
Regarding guns, I seem to recall reading in a biography of Tokugawa Ieyasu that stated his marksmanship was exceptional. It also explained that the Japanese had to keep archers instead of replacing them entirely with gunners for the simple reason that rain and high humidity can cause firearms (matchlocks) to fail because the wet or damp gunpowder would fail to ignite. I had the good luck of watching the Battle of Nagashino re-enactment years ago on a slightly drizzly day and about 1/3 of the matchlocks failed to fire.
Also trained archers are faster and muskets had a failure to fire problem.
I think the continued prevalence of bows probably had more to do with the comparative lack of Japanese gunsmiths rather than anything to do with humidity. European naval combat had lots of gunpowder firearms and you’d have a hard time finding a more humid environment than the deck of an early modern sailing vessel.
The best thing about this video is that I'm a complete AWE of your enciclopedic knowledge of everything you talk about, truly amazing. I could hear you talk for ages.
Thank you I appreciate
I concur. He's like Michael Medved but without the politics (in case you don't know, Michael has a historical degree and has some "Medved History Show" programs that are so entertaining and informational that it's like a movie). Metatron is great at storytelling, and clearly realizes that giving a history presentation doesn't just mean rattling off facts, and I greatly respect that.
What a nice change of pace seeing you gush over the historical accuarcy of a show instead of wanting to smash your head on the nearest desk over numerous blunders. ;)
As soon as I learned Sanada Hiroyuki was a producer I had zero doubts about the series
Well said
Probably because this had not been by Netflix 😂
came to the comments to say the same😀
Its honestly frustrating that good shows like Shogun can exist. What are the other show producers doing? Clearly, its possible.
As a Japanese, I want to give props to the dialog and movement.
1, it feels very 17th century, on par with any Samurai film in Japan.
2, the speech differences between the characters from Samurai (武士) and peasant background is accurately represented. (Samurai speak more formal words vs Peasants/Servants speak more casually)
3, characters, especially the “high-born” women walk in a very traditionally accurate manner during the scenes indoors.
Does it bother you that they butcher the actual history so badly? Most Americans don't know the difference. Seeing Hosokawa Tadaoki's wife sleeping with a foreigner is kind of weird isn't it?
@@joeyartk Not really. I mean, it’s not a history documentary but a 時代劇(historical drama). Toranaga is not Ieyasu and Mariko is not Tama (Garcia). Hence, we can enjoy it as is.
@@tsuneki9199I would agree except they go to great lengths to show that that's who they are supposed to be. Their back histories are almost identical to the real people. They even use the Tokugawa family crest for Toranaga. And the main characters do interviews about how they studied the real people. And it's all set in 1600. I just say they should run a disclaimer at the beginning that it's a totally fictional story.
@@joeyartk no disclaimer needed, it's explicitly said that it all comes from the book. So address your grievances to the void (James Clavell)
@@joeyartkHey, if the Japanese are okay with it then its okay. No need to be outraged for them.
As for Blackthorn's smashing the cross, I get the sense from other things that he said (later episodes) that he is agnostic, and only culturally protestant. This makes his actions quite believable.
If that cross was a crucifix, then there would be no shame in the act for a Protestant (especially a British subject) of that time period.
Usually when I see TH-camrs get so technical and scrutinous in their reviews, it's normally to tear a show down and elevate their own superior knowledge in the material being portrayed. I do not get that sense with you at all - you have a clear sense of respect and interest in history that's absolutely infectious. I have a great amount of respect for how much you know and the tact and constructive sincerity in which you share it with your audience. You've inspired a greater interest in history within myself and I am very grateful to have found your channel! I've since watched Shogun on your recommendation and have found it enormously rewarding! You're awesome, keep up the great work!
You don't get that sense because this is the only video of his you've watched, apparently. An actual mainstay of this channel is literally to "tear a show down and elevate their own superior knowledge in the material being portrayed" (guess what: he actually does have superior knowledge to most people). If you actually have seen his other videos, then... What are you on? 😂 It's really weird that 26 people upvoted your comment since it's so laughably inaccurate. You literally described his channel theme and claimed you respected him for not doing the exact thing that is a major part of his channel. 😂
@@awesomeferret Understood. But even for those who have watched the others, earned confidence (even verging at times on arrogance) is a lot more tolerable than hyped bs.
@@zephsmith3499 true, and don't think I didn't understand what the OP was trying to say. I was making a point about the actual words that were used, and the irony of the OP using a pretty decent and fair description of this channel as an example of something they appreciate this channel for never doing.
The bad teeth are a tell-tale sign of Scurvy (lack of Vitamin C), which was a common problem for sailors for centuries. Hence, the expression for pirates as "scurvy naves", et. al.
colloquially people refer scurvy to bad teeth but the manifestation is actually gum disease.
That's "knaves" (the "k" is silent).
@@dancekeb1308
@@dancekeb1308maybe they were scurvy navel gazers
good thing they invented sour kraut
The show absolutely made it clear that both the Europeans and the Japanese were horrified by the Dutchman being boiled alive and that only Kashigi took pleasure in it. Might want to give that scene a rewatch. 👍
Exactly, the camera lingers on Omi during that scene and show that he’s clearly disturbed.
Yabu also states that they will execute the man in his own special way.
Although, if you think about it, extended periods of civil war bring the sociopaths out and into their own... as one commentator said, sociopaths can be very handy in hand-to-hand battles.
The Japanese brutally tortured pows and civilians during WWII, ex., Nanking. During the time period of the show, torture was pretty common in both Europe and Japan. I doubt boiling someone alive was shocking to the Japanese.
Poor Boiled-kun
If you go to Shimabara area in Kyushu, there is a hot spring village called Unzen Onsen where the shogunate used to boil Japanese Christians, both samurai and peasants class, because they were either involved in armed rebellion or simply were being Christians.
You are incorrect about decay and starvation. The human body cannot produce Vitamin C, the deficiency is called scurvy. It is demonstrated by a skin rash, hypertrophic and bleeding gingiva, ONLY. General lack of dental hygiene, would add to this periodontal Dx. Remember Blackthorne had a stash of limes. The enamel is not subject to the bloods circulation and will not be affected, in an adult. Decay would only occur if there is sugar in the diet. Oral bacteria Reacts with the sugars in plaque and produces acids which break down the enamel. We are discussing two different modes here. Google did not attend Dental University. I have a DMD. I hope this helps.
In the modern show it's made pretty clear that that the villagers and everyone else were pretty horrified by the boiling alive. They absolutely were not ignoring it, but they were keeping quiet about how disturbed they were by it.
Not just the villagers but also Omi, look at the disgust on his face as he turns away. Nobody liked it except Yabu. Kiku was distressed and Yabu’s personal assistant(?) apologizes to her for the disquiet this has brought on the village.
I’m rereading the book currently after having read it 30+ years ago, and it also makes clear that everyone is horrified except Yabu. I’ve honestly forgotten so much of this story, so it’s been nice to reread it as I’m watching the series.
Yeah the book highlighted that everyone else thought it was very fucked up, except for Yabu who is the boss.
Small pointer - GRR Martin stated once that Shogun novel was one of his inspirations for political intrigue in his Song of Fire and Ice series.
One difference: Clavell could write, unlike Martin. He flatters himself to mention that.
@@artm1973what? I can write basically anything since I was 7yo...
@@globalist1990 Your point?
I wish it inspired him to finish writing.
Watching that series was such a waste of time.
Hope everybody learned their lesson and never start a high profile show without a proper second half and ending ever again.
Just horrible.
The Title "Anjin" is also a play on the fact that the first episode of a US produced TV series is usually called "pilot"
WOAAAHHHHH Mind blown, genuinely didn’t make this connection lmao.
Good to know somebody caught it, else I'd have commented on it myself. I was almost wondering if the first episode being called the "pilot" is something people know outside of the media industry or not
This should be the top comment.
First thing I thought of
Jeez! How genius is that!!!
Dear @Metraton, one thing I think you could have explained better when you talked about Catholics vs protestants is that the Portuguese and English were allies since 1378.
But in 1580 the Portuguese king died without direct descendants and the king of Spain, a more distant relative, became king of Portugal, the Iberian Union.
Many Portuguese fled to England and schemed from there. All Catholic.
In the restoration war, in 1640, it was England that supported the Bragança house to free Portugal from Spanish rule and establish it again as an independent nation. That was considered by the Portuguese as part of the alliance treaty from 300 years before.
There was even a marriage between a Catholic Bragança queen and a protestant English monarch.
Just giving an example as how in the end was more about politics, power and money than religion, despite the religious wars in Europe.
I think this is about the happiest I’ve ever seen you about an historical drama o noble one. Loved the 80’s series as a teenager. Great review.
Never saw the first one, but my dad loved it.
If you were to critique both iterations, what would you say are the good and not-so-good facets of either one?
I missed Japanese and Medieval content on this channel.
Ye
Same. I was actually surprised that this video was so good, took me back to his old videos about armours.
+ @James35142 Agreed.
Same. This is what I subscribed for. The whole political stuff is getting a bit old.
Any content you miss in your pants?
I've also read an interview with Hiroyuki Sanada where he said he had to correct a lot of mistakes the production team originally made, and I'm glad to hear that it turned out well.
I respect the production companies so much more when they listen to the actors who have knowledge on the subject. Cough cough witcher
Similar thing happened with the 80s series as well with Mifune(Toranaga), if memory serves me right.
@@CluelessNerdsonada is also a producer so they do kinda have to listen to him lol
Jonathan Ferguson is "Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds", which is one of the most awesome titles I can think of.
He is also a nice and competent guy. When he and Gun Jesus are together; the ground shakes when they walk.
I read Shogun when it came out in the 1970s and the first mini-series always has a place in my mind, as it was my go to escape when I was writing my Ph.D. dissertation. I am very happy to see that they took the time and effort to do this version with the same care in a time when movies seem to have no respect for the source material.
The 1980s version had a lot more "charm", and in some senses, "realism" to it. It was much more funny and comical - and it captures the buddy-buddy relationship of the English crew. Rather than everyone being a grizzled, tough, veteran sailor - you can see much more clearly that most of the crew were just normal, pleasant young lads. From the words that they chose, to their tones, to the interesting dynamic between the crew and Blackthorne - I found the 1980s series way more accurate to the book, and to how men used to speak to each other. The brighter, more extravagant colours were interesting. And most importantly of all - I felt that the other pilot, Rodriguez, and his relationship with Blackthorne, was way more realistically portrayed in the original.
The new series is way more over-dramatic and dark than the earlier show, and is much more like Game of Thrones.
@@FrankLucas-pw5hs Yeah. I have a hard time enjoying the new series as much because of the changes. Some of the most important scenes and dialogue have been changed. I get this new one has the money and technology to do a lot more but I feel that they're saying a lot less, if that makes sense. I hope people watch the 1980 version and read the book after enjoying this new series.
I read the book back in the day, and did not watch the 1980's movie because of the inaccuracies. The innacuracies probably bothered me because I was living in Japan, and watching their historical dramas on TV, NHK's in particular. I'd also visited castles and museums where you see historical objects rather easily. This review gives me hope - this time they have done it properly.
Dune enters the chat.
5 episodes in now and honestly I think it's the best piece of television I've seen since The Expanse finished. I think it goes more for historical authenticity over accuracy, which makes sense given it's sourcing a work of historical fiction loosely based on real events. But I have to say, it is not a one-sided scale, the balance is impressive. Lots of deference to artistic flourishes and style, but I can live with that, I'm enjoying it too much.
That's high praise. Expanse is legend. wasn't going to watch it as I assumed it would be full of Strong independent women & diversity.
@@lawLess-fs1qx Expanse is full of strong women and diversity too, though it's not out ot it's place there.
We'll see how Shogun unfolds, but it's pretty good so far.
The expanse??...oh boy, you put the level too low dude.
Im exactly the same, I see you are a man of exceptional taste.
@@jorgeguanche5327To quote The Dude,
"Well, that's, like, your opinion, man."
And that's okay, you don't have to think The Expanse was great.
Yes, please do more videos for each episode! I LOVE the series and i love your take on this episode. Well done!
Love this, can't wait for more of your take on the show!
Hi Metatron. For info, Chatham is only a couple of miles from Gillingham. And both of these villages are only about 10 miles east of Greater London and are part of an urban area in Kent known as the Medway Towns. This whole area stretches from Rochester to Dartford on the Rivers Thames and Medway. At the time England was building up her Navy in the 1700s this was an extremely important area for English shipbuilding.
So long story short, both of the series and the book are pretty accurate location wise.
And for info it’s Gillingham pronounced as in Jill, and Chatham is pronounced Ch as in Champ.
Love the channel ❤️.
Yep, chat-ham.
In fact, Chatham dockyard was only shutdown about 2-3 decades ago. Now there's a museum there showing some boats, a submarine and a ropery.
Back in the time of will Adams, I'm pretty sure London was further away from Medway than it is now, due to not being as big as it is now
Oh, also, there's two Gillinghams.
One in Kent, pronounced Jill, and one further west, pronounced the way the youtuber said it.
Just to be confusing
Spot on Chavvy!
Thank god someone else chimed in. I was worried I'd have to do it.
Mate, you can walk from Chatham to Gillingham, they are under the same council. There is a hill between them, that's it, other than that they are the same town. Conveniently they are also joined to Rochester (no separation other than snobbery) and Strood, which is across the river Medway.
@@keymer91 Chatham, Gillingham & Rochester are basically all in the same place lmao
Sanada Hiroyuki is the perfect choice! He's in some of my favorite Japanese classics that he co-starred in with Sonny Chiba.
Can't disagree with your review . 😅 but I kind if wished they have ken watanabe a role to
Although he’s not an actual Sanada (his real surname is Shimosawa), it’s still funny to think that a Sanada is now playing as a Tokugawa.
I will also say that Tadanobu Asano is becoming one of my favorite castings, I love how he is playing Kashigi Yabushige!
I was looking all over youtube for a video like this. History Buffs used to do this but he has not been uploading much anymore. Thank you so much!!
Great clip Raf. Amazing as always ❤
omg. The actual density of information in this video is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Almost every sentence carries a historical fact.
What an absolutely legendary video.
Thank you
Not to take away from the compliment, so please don't take this the wrong way, but information dense videos like this are very easy to find on TH-cam. It's called a video essay. There are so so many channels with information density like this. Metatron is one of the best though. I understand you are attempting to say something nice but please know that it's strange to people who spend a lot of time on TH-cam. Again, I'm not trying to take away from your compliment. I'm just trying to let you know how easy it is to find long historical video essays so that you can get more content you enjoy. History For Granite is a great example. Watching some of his videos should Kickstart the algorithm into showing you more historical video essay creators. Told in Stone is another good one.
Edit: maybe I took your hyperbolic use of "legendary" too seriously. Oh well.
@@awesomeferret now I gotta look into that history for granite, I’ve seen most of told in stone’s videos. I’m somewhat of a historical junkie myself and always searching for top tier content creators who specialize in deep diving into all things history, wish there wasn’t so many people who are negligent or dismissive of history, the complete over saturation of lowbrow entertainment is a fucking plague on humanity
I highly recommend reading Clavell's novel Shogun.
It's well worth your time.
It's what got me into Japanese culture before that it was just weird anime cartoons
Lovelly book, still have it.
My favourite book as a teenager. Incredible read.
Read all the related books too, there are three or four more.
Every library i can find has only one or two copies, which are booked for months in advance… guess i’ll have to buy it!
I've always appreciated your in depth detail of the topics you discuss. Thank you for going to such great lengths.
I enjoyed seeing how enthused you were with the show and the attention to detail. It's far beyond what I can appreciate or recognize as a non-expert. I enjoy your channel very much.
This show is insane. It’s good even if you do not like and care about history. The fact that they made it this good is awesome: this show is dripping in passion.
Everybody cares about history like it or not.
If you like this show, get James Clavell's books or the audio versions. I read Shogun after the first mini series. After that I ended up reading all of Clavell's books. Everything he wrote is just as amazing.
I was lucky enough to find my great-grandmother alive. She was Polish and lived on Sakhalin at the time when Japan owned this part. My great-grandfather was a Don Cossack and fought in the Civil War. Grandma didn't know if he was alive or not. The governor of Sakhalin took care of my grandmother, because he thought that her husband was dead and proposed to her to get married. It was a hungry time, so he brought 2 carts, 1 with watermelons, and 2 with salmon. Grandma said it was the food that saved them from starving to death. When Japan lost Sakhalin, he shot himself.
Wow fascinating story
You mean the governor preferred Japanese rule?
@@jasonchia8484i assume he would have been escaping the soviets (as a polish cossack) and therefore the russians re obtaining sakhalin he would probably have been executed anyway.
Traitors to the people and all that.
@@jasonchia8484The Japanese were friendly to Poland even though they were on opposite sides of WW2. The Soviets, not so much.
@@NoFaceOrGun oh right, thanks for the insight
Really love your content Metatron Sama. You have always been my “go to guy” when I want to be sure about how historically accurate movies/shows/documentaries are. Thanks a lot and may you continue to spread your wings.
i learned so many cool stuff with this video. thank you, sir
I’m sure the producers would be really happy if they were to stumble upon a qualified analysis video acknowledging their work. Someone should send it to them!
Loving this review man! I can't wait to hear your thoughts on other episodes as well!
Thank you so much for watching. I thought your review of the first 2 episode was great too.
Kudos to you, sir!
Bringing the wealth of true scholarship to the average person in such an entertaining manner is refreshing .
I'm downloading this and watching it again!
Great work!
Thank you very much for this excellent review. Your excitement and attention to detail was very pleasing to watch.
I bet Metatron wasn’t this excited about a TV series ever before.. he’s like a child on Christmas Day😂
One thing that really stuck out for me were the pair of pistols Blackthorne has, which are Royal Navy sea service pistols circa 1800, as opposed to early 17th century examples.
That may be due to the difficulty of finding period appropriate props.
Movie prop departments typically rent such items from companies that provide them because studios have limited storage space, and though it does happen that the studio crew fabricate certain props, the closer they will be seen on screen or if they have to work (have moving parts, emit smoke and sparks etc) the less likely is a prop department able to do so. Hence they will rent items that are as close as they can get and hope nobody notices or minds too much.
This is different from the usual run of television shows where quite intricate props will be made, some of which work but the rest are made of painted rubber or foam. Think Star Trek tricorders with opening parts and blinking lights (the “hero prop”) while those that stay in their holsters and aren’t photographed close up are painted cast rubber. In those cases props will be made to the needs of scripts and then discarded or sold off after the show ends.
Not sure who provided the firearms for this (there's no armourer cited on IMDB) but a company like Bapty or ISS/Cohort would have at least had a wheellock of some sort (even if it had concealed cartridge blank in it as Bapty have done in the past). Heck, you can get 3D printed replicas that would be preferable to this (CGI flash of course). @@markfergerson2145
@@markfergerson2145 Matchlock pistols of the period would not have been very appropriate for the action that was being shown. The fuses or matches have to be lit and burning. They were never intended to be drawn from concealment.
Been years since I read shogan, but I recall the english character getting a knife that he could conceal and throw.
@@loquat44-40Yeah, just imagining these are dog locks.
@@batteredwarrior Shogan is supposed to take place about 1600. The first flintlocks that were on muskets and maybe pistols too were a few years later.
Google: History. The first form of flintlock appeared in 1570 and was called a snaphaunce. About 1630, Frenchman Marin le Bourgeoys created the first "true" flintlock, also called the "French lock". Bourgeoys was in the service of King Louis XIII of France for whom he created the flintlock mechanism.
So from about 1630 the French having them and then getting a matched pair of flintlock pistols into the far east, unlikely to have appeared with a Portuguese or Dutch ship in Japan in 1600.
This clip is incredible! It explained something no one ever did on TH-cam platform 👏 I'm so waiting for the next one!!
Please continue. The episode + your commentary is double the pleasure.
FINALLY! I have been waiting for your video series on Shogun!
As an opera person, I'd love to see you analyze Madama Butterfly, which was based on an incident reported by an American diplomat's wife and was adapted as a stage play by David Belasco and then made into an opera by Giacomo Puccini.
Episode 5 just came out today and its fantastic. The best show on TV right now.
What an amazing video! The effort you put into it, just outstanding! I really enjoyed it, could watch hours long videos like this. Cant wait for the next episodes. Thank you Metatron.
I hope your mom is doing better, best wishes for her 💪
I can’t help but see the overwhelming passion in your eyes. Excellent video!
Clavell’s Shogun and Taipan was some of my absolute favourite reads as a teenager, just after Tolkin🤓🥰
Exactly the same here - Noble House and Taipan came straight after Shogun for me. I'd love to see them do a version of Taipan
@@andywiggins169 Aah, forgot Noble House, thanks for reminding me 🥰
It’s been over thirty years since I read them so it’s high time to read them again.
I've been waiting to hear what you think. I'm only a little into the video & glad to hear you like it.
I've read the book 15 times at least and the 80's version set off my life long fascination with Japan. So far I'm enjoying this one( but there is a nostalgic love of the 80's version that can't be duplicated)
Very descriptive and detailed video. I appreciate your observations and ability to reference multiple sources. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for this video series, which I stumbled upon by pure accident!! They are immensely interesting and enlightening for everyone who is into Japan and its history!!!
5:23 Miura Anjin (三浦按針) was the name given to William Adams by Ieyasu along with the title of hatamoto (旗本). It's believed that it stuck due to them initially referring to him as anjin as it was his profession and station. Even in modern times William Adams is more commonly known as Miura Anjin in Japan. I don't understand the connection you're trying to make with the book by Hiromi Rogers. It's just what William Adams has been called historically by Japanese people up to the present day and it's a name that Japanese characters sometimes use to refer to John Blackthorne in Shogun.
Yes, this is the case. Not sure of the connection to the book Meta mentioned.
The TV series determined my life. I studied Japanese because of it, I worked in Tokyo because of it, I wasted countless of hours studying Japanese and it got me super frustrated trying to get a job related to Japan.
Shogun, ninja movies, Mishima and Kurosawa got me working and training in Tokyo in the 90s. Frustrating? Stressful? oh yes, but it was worth it. Ah the times!
Excellent video, in dept historical analysis with a very charismatic presentation. Keep up the good work.
We NEED you to breakdown every episode of this show! I saw the first one and I was blown away with your review!!!
よろしくお願いします
Excellent commentary. I'm a lifelong student of feudal japanese history as well as a long-time practitioner of Kendo. I found your vid very insightful, well researched, and eloquently explained, and I learned a few things along the way.
ありがとう ございます
I honestly hope you will do all the episodes and even longer rewievs if you can.
3 observations:based on the fact that the spanish,dutch and english were at war and the fact that the protestants hated the jesuit order and the fact that Blacktorne needed to show the japanese that he was not the same as the jesuits,the act of trowing the cross to the ground and stepping on it can be plausible in this scenario.
Second,the beheading of that peasent is also plausible in that specifuc case:most japanese did not look to favorable on christians and the samurai was in his lord domain,so in that case it was plausible that he could get away with beheading a villager for getting to close with the prisoner without suffering any kind of consequences.
Third,the episode show that both the locals,the samurais and the curtesan are horrified by the boiling alive but they cannot openly show it or complain in front of their lord.
@georgechristian; I agree that a Protestant, or at least a certain kind of Protestant, would step on a typical Catholic cross/crucifix.
* In the early Reformation, Calvinists were against any kind of religious imagery and in mainland Europe they destroyed any religious art depicting human images that they could get ahold of. This included crucifixes which had sculptures of Jesus on the cross.
* In the 1980 version of Shogun, in the cross scene, the image of the cross is a crucifix with the image of Jesus. A Calvinist would have no problem stepping on that or even destroying it.
* In 1600, could the Englishman, Blackthorne, be a Calvinist? Yes. Scotland adopted a version of Calvinism called Presbyterianism. In 1560 John Knox brought the Reformation to Scotland based on Calvin’s ideas.
* Under Elizabeth I, several English clergy were Calvinists. In the 1570s Puritans wanted the English church to follow Calvinist ideas like the Presbyterians.
* As for what is God in the series. Blackthorne makes in clear in the 2024 version that he believes that Jesus is God. That was not the dispute with the Catholics. The conflict included the veneration of saints such as Mary and the power of the Pope which were two of several of their disputes.
@@bb1111116 I was going to mention that but you beat me to it. Excellent summary. In the English Civil War Puritan soldiers routinely destroyed artwork they disapproved of, including crucifixes they regarded as idols, in churches they came across (although contrary to popular belief Cromwell discouraged this).
@@brucetucker4847
And Blacktorne is in a very dangerous situation:the jesuit is his enemy in 2 ways:political and religious,so he will do anything he can think of to prove he is not one of them,bc he raliz3d that the japanes dont think to higly of the jesuit.
As a Lutheran, I would have no problem stepping on a cross for a show. Quite the opposite, refusing an act of iconoclasm is the sin of idolatry. Only a papist lackey of the vile Jesuits would refuse.
Some period music to get on the mood
th-cam.com/video/psH6TQL1u7A/w-d-xo.html
Yeah, man. Keep doing the episode analysis. It's a great way to get more out of the show and a perfect way of showcasing the hard work that goes into the research needed to bringing forward that level of detail to a production that's made with respect and passion for the arts.
I’ve been waiting to find the TH-camr / series that would serve as my watch along to Shogūn, so I was elated to find your channel!!
I hope you are able to continue these reviews and deep dives to help explore the world of Shogūn and to share your knowledge of history and language with those of us who desire more!!
Cheers! 🍻
I was a student of Japanese language/culture/history in high school & minor in college. Since then i have worked with many Japanese companies & traveled there numerous times.
I *loved* the original Shogun series & then read the novel as a middleschooler.
So far i have been astounded by the depth & accuracy of the new series...and was totally wondering "what will the noble Metatron have to say about this? - I bet he's loving this!"
Watching Metatron review this feels like watching a child walking through a candy shop.
Great video as always.
I've been waiting for this!
Your insights are fantastic to learn from! Great review!
Thank you for go through the episode, I do appreciated that you provide such an incredible details.
I'm loving the series so far. SO much so. I am happy to see you enjoying a show for once with smiles!!
Fantastic review, Metatron! I always appreciate informative and quality samurai content, and this video, as well as the series itself are no exception.
I'm looking forward to your reviews for the rest of the episodes! 🥳
Great review as always, it made me enjoy show even more!
The level of pleasure I got watching the show and seeing all these little details. Simply amazing. You rarely see TV shows or movies go into this much detail. I love it.
Thank you so much for breaking these episodes down!
yes, please review every episode from this show in depth. i really enjoy the show and your reviews of it. this was so amazing :) Greetings from a history loving dutchie
This was fantastic! More Shogun reviews!
Damn bro, great review. I particularly like your humility and honesty of reporting other's who have informed you. Class.
This video was such a special treat. It felt like I was being give a reward I never knew I needed after already falling in love with an amazing show.
Stunning series, so great to watch this AND remember the first version which I remember from when I was a teen. Your knowledge is incredible - and it makes it all even more interesting. Also, very nice to see you being happy about the accuracy of it all (with a few minor hick ups :)
I wish for you and the rest of us 10 great episodes!
Thank you for this awesome analysis!! I'm definitely not an expert, but from the first moments of the show, it just dripped authenticity. Hope we get more of these!
Awesome analysis and detailed breakdown! Can't wait for your feedback on the next episodes of this incredible series.
I would have preferred that they subtitle the Portuguese. It would have made things far more immersive and made the unsynced audio much better. Love this review!
As a portuguese speaker I say english speakers needs to read more if they can get tired of reading subtitles on a 45 minutes show. It would be amazing to see the cast speaking portuguese.
I can't believe how good your video's are. I have an undergrad minor in medieval history and BFA in film production but your level is incredible. Great work. Love it.
I really appreciate, thank you
Thanks for another great video. I trust your historical observations and points. So far Shogun is such a great series. I'm loving it so far.
The scene showing the 'starvation' effect on the mouth seems more to do with Scurvy than tooth decay
True, but I doubt the Japanese would be aware of what scurvy was specifically , since they didn't take extremely long sea voyages. The only place they would have noticed it is in cases of starvation.
@@8kajetanI agree (with both of you).
The Japanese word for scurvy is 壊血病 (Kaiketsubyō) which isn’t a word you hear often.
Well, with bad gum disease from scurvy the gums dehydrate & recede exposing the roots to decay & deep pockets of infection. Inevitably the teeth would develop cavities as well.
How would the develop caries if they're barely eating anything?@@kathyflorcruz552
"Pilot" is also a pun on the first episode of a TV series. Many shows first episodes are entitled "Pilot".
Why? Does it have anything to do with planes?
@@fallasleep9472 Its a ship so they must do some carpentry?
@@voiceofraisin3778 Just asking a question out of curiosity, no need to be a d**k head.
@@fallasleep9472No, the industry term for the first episode of a TV series, in English anyway, is "Pilot". Google "tv pilot", or put it into wikipedia.
@@fallasleep9472 Pilots were (and still are, but to much smaller extent due to GPS) the people who helped ship captains to navigate in unfamiliar harbors. At first local fisherman, then specialized professionals. They probably meant this.
I have been waiting for this video since I saw the first episode!!!! Hell yeah!
Wow! Great research and recture! Really enjoyed. Thank you.
Regarding the boiling scene, it is obvious that everyone else is disgusted by it. It shows how this kind of punishment is uncommon and even downright cruel even for them.
Your enthusiasm for Japanese culture and history is infectious!
Thank you for this, I'm really enjoying Shogun and I also enjoyed this review and analysis. Subscribed!
What a lovely vid. Your respect, love, and scholarship for Japanese culture shines. I subscribed, site unseen, and fully look forward to more of your insight.
I'm surprised you thought the TV show made it look like all the Japanese were fine with boiling people alive. When I watched the show (without reading the book), I thought it was obvious that everyone else was horrified by the boiling. There is a conversation where Yabu's servant apologizes to their hosts for his lord (implying that he's sorry Yabu is making everyone listen to this horrible slow execution).
Thanks for the video! I learned a lot. Hope you'll continue similar ones throughout the series. :)
I noticed when Lord Toda presented his sword to Blackthorne (after their saké competition in episode five) he did so with the cutting edge facing himself, giving away his respectful intent (overlooked by the outraged Blackthorne, of course) before he even began to apologize. I enjoyed how such an occult clue could so radically change the tone and pacing of the scene, evaporating the tension and highlighting the vast gulf of understanding separating them, each convinced the other is the savage barbarian. I also particularly appreciated that they have Lady Toda trained in the naginata, as would have been suitable for a pre-Edo noblewoman. It's this subtle attention to detail and play with perspective which really draws you in and shows how much care Michaela Clavell put into the production. I'm glad to see her father's work (and historical Japanese culture) honored so well.
Wow. You are truly learned and passionate. Many thanks!
I love the show (Shogun and your channel). Thank you for the great review.
If my memory is accurate, during the period of Cromwell the Protestant soldiers did stomp on crosses which were displayed in some churches, probably high church CofE churches.
Yes, it was something Calvinists in general did.
Cant wait to hear your thoughts :)
Incredibly interesting, thank you for this commentary! I remember seeing the original show on Swedish television in the 80s, looking forward to seeing this one eventually!