aTmAg said:

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Does the last episode follow the book? Or have they diverged?

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I didn't see if anyone answered it, but basically the front half is a bit condensed to simplify things for TV, while the back half is pretty much spot on, other than a few of the details changed here and there.

Al Bula said:

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Five episodes in so haven't read any of this thread since the show started. Keep in mind that Shogun is in my top 5 books and I can't not compare the book to show.

Halfway through impressions:

- Shogun is way too complex to do in Japanese subtitles, for anyone enjoying this series but haven't read the novel yet, there are so many more layers to this story than what FX is putting out. maybe this will change in the later episodes.
- girlboss Mariko is cringe, they completely botched this character, it was eye rolling when she told Blackthorne to call her Mariko-sama
- Fuji/Fujiko is well done, probably the most pleasant surprise halfway through
- Yabu is a smiling idiot
- Omi is a joke through half the show
- Ajiro (or Anjiro in the novel) is on the Izu peninsula and has a coastal climate. The snow is driving me nuts because that is way inaccurate. I guess that's what you get when you film in Canada, so the geography may not be authentic but at least it's not CGI.
- Ishido and Blackthorne are pretty good. There's still some stuff lost in the tv adaptation vs superb novel between Ishido and Toranaga
- Toranaga in the show is pretty good but he doesn't compare to the novel version, physically nor cunning-wise

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I just read the book in the fall, and I actually agree with a lot of this. But it's also just some of what you have to accept on an adaptation. There's just no way to translate the subtlety of a 1200 page novel into even a 10 hour series. For example, Ochiba has a much smaller role in the book, but they're utilizing her for a lot of necessary exposition.

I do agree about Mariko. Compared to the strength of her resolve and composure in the book, this character comes off as pretty petulant.

And yeah, in the book Omi was great, but also not a big enough character to fully develop here.

Disagree on Toranaga. I think he's doing great on the character, but they've sacrificed a lot of his development and his relationship with Blackthorn to drive the plot. Again, that's just something you have to accept in an adaptation.

Overall, I'm really enjoying it, but I can't recommend the book enough. One of the most compelling reads I can remember.

Compared to her performance in the Godzilla series, I thought the actress playing Mariko was solid in Shogun (I haven't read the book, though, so no comparison to the book version).

I'd switch the order, personally, but yeah, they've both been outstanding

Definitely Not A Cop said:

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I think she has been the best actor on the show. Not diminishing anyone else's job, that's just how good she has been. She steals every scene imo. Toronaga is a close second.

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All the little things she does is what makes her so great. When they are trapped and Blackthorn is trying to move the furniture. She does a small smile towards him bc he's trying so hard to save her. And then her last line where she seems very proud and at peace.

I saw a clip of an interview of her on Cobert, and she actually learned how to do calligraphy to match the real life character she is playing. Apparently some of her writings still survive somehow. Talk about attention to detail.

Fightin TX Aggie said:

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C@LAg said:

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Fightin TX Aggie said:

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I just had an idea.

snipped

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this was a dick thing to post in this way, spoiling the ending of the book and likely the TV show, with no warning you were going to be spoiling the ending.

hell I got a 1 month ban for making a Stranger Things joke about a single plot point in the MCU thread... three weeks after the show aired.

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My apologies, sincerely. I thought the spoiler tags would be enough.

I've added a note to clarify and warn.

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. Your note is not enough. You spoiled the entire ending. You should have been A LOT more clear than " The idea relates to Mariko, but it connects to something from the original miniseries, so don't click the spoiler if you don't want something spoiled. "

The entire ending is more than "something spoiled "

weak ass ninjas

Definitely Not A Cop said:

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I think she has been the best actor on the show. Not diminishing anyone else's job, that's just how good she has been. She steals every scene imo. Toronaga is a close second.

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I was asking my friend who Blackthorned in Japan for 10 years if he'd watched it yet and he said he will have to wait and watch it alone because his Japanese wife hates how badly that actress speaks Japanese. Didn't realize she's an Aussie.

Cliff.Booth said:

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Definitely Not A Cop said:

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I think she has been the best actor on the show. Not diminishing anyone else's job, that's just how good she has been. She steals every scene imo. Toronaga is a close second.

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I was asking my friend who Blackthorned in Japan for 10 years if he'd watched it yet and he said he will have to wait and watch it alone because his Japanese wife hates how badly that actress speaks Japanese. Didn't realize she's an Aussie.

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No idea! Just said she'd seen her in some other Japanese movie or show and was like, not this lady with the bad accent again. Probably not something you'd notice or care about if you're not a native speaker.

The book was much more in depth with the main characters evenly. The mini- series was focused more on Blackthorn. The first 5 episodes now were all about Toranaga; the last 4 on Mariko.

I think the below statement along with it being blacked out was more than fair warning not to read it. It you did and you're upset, you lost honor and need to commit Seppuku immediately.


"*WARNING** This is a significant spoiler if this show goes like the 1980s show."

Do he doctored it after he posted it? If that's the case, nevermind.

Some cheap sh#t there: You may continue to whine.

So I saw my DVR schedule for Shogun on YTTV and it shows that episode 10 released 11 hours ago. I'm currently watching the last episode. Looking at Twitter, it still shows that last episode appears tomorrow 4/23. Obviously not going to post any reactions/spoilers until tomorrow.

#1 said:

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So I saw my DVR schedule for Shogun on YTTV and it shows that episode 10 released 11 hours ago. I'm currently watching the last episode. Looking at Twitter, it still shows that last episode appears tomorrow 4/23. Obviously not going to post any reactions/spoilers until tomorrow.

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Apparently it's only available if you have the 4k Plus subscription.

Hopes expertly dashed.

I started it, and it was the dubbed version. It was hard to watch, so I turned it off to wait for the regular version on Hulu. They usually roll them out at 11 CT.

Good show. I'll keep it spoiler free and just say that wasn't what I was expecting in the finale.

BQRyno said:

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Good show. I'll keep it spoiler free and just say that wasn't what I was expecting in the finale.

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Bring on Season 2.... :-)

Solid finale. I am sure those expecting a big battle were/are going to be disappointed, but that was not what this book/show are/were about.

I get why they changed some of the things they did overall, to boost the Japanese side of the story more to fit a "modern storytelling" approach but we did miss out on some good Mariko/Anjin and Toranaga/Anjin stuff that would have been nice to see brought over from the book. Both of those relationships were much more standoffish in the tv than in the novel.

Production values overall were stellar across the board all season. Good use of natural set locations, with indoor/outdoor village sets. The CGI around Osaka was always mediocre, but it was minimal enough that it was not too distracting when it was used.

Music was a HUGE disappointment all season long. It was just ... there. Nothing really stood out, and the lack of some recurring things was disappointing. At least in this episode the music was notably more impactful and present.

Acting was stellar except for Lady Ochiba. The way the actress delivered her lines just always annoyed me.

Would have LOVED to see Toranaga in the Shogun armor. Even if it was something cheesy like him staring at the camera then sitting down. And we missed out on Ishida's book ending.

Anyways. This has been the best show for me since season 5 or 6 of GOT.

I assume it's over ?