Anyone watch Shogun yet?

[Steve James]

Sure, I've rewatched them all, but absolutely not the same. I usually want to watch it with someone who hasn't seen it, just to see their reaction.

Afa the plot of Psycho, they remade a frame by frame and it wasn't the same -imo, precisely because it was exactly the same story. And, most stories don't have endings that shouldn't be given aways. Only the last James Bond movie had any surprise.

[yeniseri]

I have seen it but listening to some of my acquaintances, it is boring!
For me, quite the contrary. As a perpetual student of history, it is far more interesting knowing that Japan, as a homogenous nation,
in the 1600s beginning to see foreigners appearing on their shores and finding out these "gaijin" are trying to extract resources and
break that cultural homogeneity. Furthermore, the Portuguese and their Spanish "cousins" are attempting to divide the world so
that non European nations want to make them vassal state because they are not of that same "ilk", (not Christian) whatever that may concern.
Then we have the interplay of Christians, divided between Catholic and Protestant (sound familiar ) showing their disdain towards each other,
and those Japanese Christians becoming embroiled in the drama.

We then have the Japanese "rulers" vying for power, control and the interplay with these foreigners and are beginning to see how exploitation
is being made part of the plans for world domination. In short, I am looking forward to see how the plot thickens and how the Japanese are
beginning to see how they can use technology (cannons and other weapons ) into their arsenal.

[everything]

agreed. super interesting just to learn some of the historical context for the fiction. episode 3 was as excellent as 1 and 2 so far.

[Steve James]

Some people are made because the hero is Toronaga, and the Englishman is seen as the barbarian. To be fair, half the story is in subtitles, and some mind find it boring because of that. If the story visuals aren't exciting, then people may look away.

There's a true story behind all this. It's cool they bring out the fact that the Pope divided "the globe" into eastern and western hemispheres, giving one half to the Portuguese and the other to Spain. And, that they were expected to claim all the lands in the name of the Catholic church. That the Dutch and English wanted to break up the monotony and get in on the action --pretending the were doing it for religious reasons-- is a perspective we don't usually see. Aarrrgh iykwim.

It's also interesting that as Shogun he knew of Yasuke, the African man who arrived in Japan. They probably never met, but the Shogun's interest in the outside world Japan must have already been piqued. Finding out that the Christians wanted to divide the world was what led to the persecution of Christians in Japan.

[Graculus]

It’s quite possible that he had met Yasuke actually, as Tokugawa Ieyasu (‘Toronaga’) had been an important ally of Oda Nobunaga, whom Yasuke served. Nobunaga was known for his interest in things foreign and was (apparently) not shy about showing them off. Yasuke also appeared briefly in the recent and rather good (though definitely not always historically accurate) ‘Legend and Butterfly’.

Graculus
https://ichijoji.blogspot.com/

[Trick]

the dispute between the Catholic Church and Protestantism was mentioned in the thread, but wasnt it a Jesuit vs Franciscan thing in Shogun ? protestantism hadent yet arrived in the far east during the time ?
Irecal this from the original TV-series and its many years ago i watched it som i might be wrong......
Now i hope to get my hand of some of the James Clavel novel...Shogun, Tai-Pan and Noble House...havent read any of them but ...strage since i really liked the TV-series/movie.

[Steve James]

Close call, but I think you're talking about two different conflicts. Yes, the Jesuits were at odds with the Franciscans, and other Catholics. However, around this time in England, there was this guy named Henry Tudor, who wanted to remarry. The pope said no, so Henry created his own "pope." Thus creating the Anglican/Episcopalian church of England. But, this eventually led to a conflict -which in many ways led to the US.

Anyway, Blackthorne is a "Protestant" in the Anglican tradition of resistance to the control of the Pope. Anglicanism is between Catholicism and Protestantism (through Calvin and Luther). Blackthorne wouldn't have been that kind of Protestant.

[vadaga]

Think I read all James Clavell's books back in the day. Tai-Pan and Shogun were my tops as I recall

[D_Glenn]

I’m in love with Mariko (Anna Sawai). I just saw that she’s been in Fast and Furious movies, which I generally despise, but I went to see the last one with my mom, and I realize that I became smitten with her then but alas she’s the only redeeming quality in that whole movie.

I haven’t seen the original series, nor read the books, so is the character Blackthorn always meant to be such a goof?

[Steve James]

Afa the og series, no. Richard Chamberlain is ignorant of Japanese culture, but he's cultured. He's the main character, though, unlike this series where the central character is the Shogun and the rest of the main cast is an ensemble (whose motives we learn from them, not a narrator).

This Blackthorn is really goofy though, and one might be tempted to say more like an English sailor.

[Trick]

I’m in love with Mariko (Anna Sawai). I just saw that she’s been in Fast and Furious movies, which I generally despise, but I went to see the last one with my mom, and I realize that I became smitten with her then but alas she’s the only redeeming quality in that whole movie.

I haven’t seen the original series, nor read the books, so is the character Blackthorn always meant to be such a goof?

Hmmm and here I thought you were one of the “old” ones(but your fascination for fali stuff might tell otherwise)

I got a fling for the old Mariko in the heydays of the original series, the series also boosted my already boosted thing for Japanese stuff such as its martial arts

[D_Glenn]

I’m in love with Mariko (Anna Sawai). I just saw that she’s been in Fast and Furious movies, which I generally despise, but I went to see the last one with my mom, and I realize that I became smitten with her then but alas she’s the only redeeming quality in that whole movie.

I haven’t seen the original series, nor read the books, so is the character Blackthorn always meant to be such a goof?

Hmmm and here I thought you were one of the “old” ones(but your fascination for fali stuff might tell otherwise)

I got a fling for the old Mariko in the heydays of the original series, the series also boosted my already boosted thing for Japanese stuff such as its martial arts

I will have to watch the original after this one is done.
***
I am old, though. I’ve been doing FaLi since 1996. I first saw it and started practicing the basics of it from a Xingyiquan guy. Then I met my Bagua teachers and struck gold. I joined EF around 2003, but I thought it was something that everyone was doing so I didn’t want to post about it. Around 2006 I realized that only a handful of people were actually doing it, and since I had a solid 9 years in, that it would be hard for people to catch up to me, so I started posting about it.