5 reasons you need to dive into Shogun right now

Shogun delivers in the action

A lot of stories that focus on the inter-workings of people can end up falling short in the action and the drama. In a series that focuses on feudal Japan, having the action is essential. Shogun doesn’t disappoint in this, bringing the action from the very beginning.

There is action and drama in different ways. Some of it does get graphic, and the series certainly earns its TV-MA rating, but it is realistic and on-point with the story. The sword fights are well choreographed, and you’ll find that you can’t keep your eyes away from the screen during them.

And it’s not just about the fights. We get some exciting moments within the quieter parts of the story. There is always something going on and people to watch out for.

It puts the focus on the Japanese language

I’ve become a huge fan of watching international shows that have the use of different languages. One of the things that initially drew me to Warrior (now on Netflix) was the way the show used Chinese, broken Chinese, and English. Shogun also offers this.

There is a lot of Japanese spoken throughout the series. You need to concentrate on the subtitles to see what’s going on. Then there are those who are speaking Portuguese. Well, they’re meant to be speaking Portuguese. English is used for these parts to make it slightly easier to watch.

I love a show that is willing to use different languages to remain respectful to the stories being told.

There are a few historical inaccuracies throughout, but that happens with all period dramas. Shogun did slightly change Clavall’s book to make it more historically accurate though in the way Blackthorn teaches Toranaga in the way of cannon warfare instead of gun warfare, as the latter would have already been known at the time.

Overall, the series is worth the watch. This is set to be a limited series as well, so there’s no need to worry too much about this ending on a cliffhanger.

Shogun is available to stream on Hulu.