The barrier to subtitles in the United States has been finally lifted: despite its many dialogues in Japanese, the series “Shogun” triumphed Sunday at the Emmy Awards, with the prize for best drama series and a record number of awards.
This adaptation of James Clavell’s novel, which explores power struggles in 17th-century Japan, picked up 18 trophies at the American television equivalent of the Oscars.
It became the first non-English language series to win the top award and also received the award for best direction.
Its screenwriter Justin Marks highlighted the creative gamble made by the FX channel and its owner Disney with this project.
“You have validated a very expensive, subtitled Japanese period series, the climax of which takes place around a poetry competition,” he praised.
>> Read also: Disney+ successfully re-adapts “Shōgun,” a clan war in feudal Japan
Soap opera star Hiroyuki Sanada won the Emmy for best actor.
“It was a dream project where East meets West,” said the actor, the first Japanese comedian to win an Emmy for his role as a master strategist.
Her co-star Anna Sawai, who was remarkable as the daughter of a fallen samurai who converted to Catholicism, was voted best actress. It was “the role of a lifetime,” she thanked, very moved.
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“Parasite” and “Squid Game” as precursors
South Korean productions “Parasite,” which won the Oscar for best picture in 2020, and “Squid Game,” which won multiple Emmys in 2022, had paved the way. The victory of “Shogun” confirms that American audiences can now praise a foreign-language series, with a different cultural prism.
About 70% of the dialogue is in Japanese and the hero of the novel, an English sailor stranded in the Japanese archipelago, quickly fades into the background in the series, to the benefit of court intrigues and the murderous rivalries of the shogunate.
“Hacks” best comedy
HBO’s “Hacks” surprised everyone by winning the Emmy for best comedy, beating the big favorite “The Bear: Eat In or Go Out.”
The comic springs of “Hacks” are based on an improbable duo between an aging American stand-up star, played by Jean Smart, and a young comedian tasked with renewing his jokes, played by Hannah Einbinder.
The series was awarded for its third season’s script and Jean Smart was voted best actress.
Eleven trophies for “The Bear”
Deprived of the major award, “The Bear” nevertheless collected 11 Emmys, including a shower of trophies for its casting, thanks to its grueling dive into the back kitchen of a Chicago restaurant in search of a star.
Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who play childhood friends turned chef and maître d’, won best actor and best supporting actor respectively for the second year in a row.
Liza Colon-Zayas, who plays a gruff cook, was voted best supporting actress.
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“My Little Reindeer” also awarded
The evening also rewarded the Netflix phenomenon “My Little Reindeer” as best mini-series, a category reserved for single-season soap operas.
The story of a London bartender harassed by a woman suffering from mental illness, this series presented as a “true story” is based on the misadventures of its author, Scottish comedian Richard Gadd.
He was voted best actor in the category and also received the award for best screenplay.
The series, which came out of nowhere, proved that “the one constant in all successful television is good storytelling. A good story that speaks to our times,” said Richard Gadd, wearing a kilt on stage. “So take risks, push the boundaries, explore the uncomfortable.”
Jessica Gunn, who plays his on-screen stalker, received the award for best supporting actress.
In real life, the British woman who is said to have inspired the character was trolled on social media and filed a defamation suit against Netflix, seeking $170 million in damages.
>> Listen to Vertigo’s review of the series “My Little Reindeer”:
Jodie Foster Honored
Mini-series also include anthologies – serials that keep the same theme but change characters and setting each season.
In this respect, the fourth version of “True Detective” allowed Jodie Foster to win the award for best actress.
The actress plays a relentless investigator in the polar night of Alaska. At 61, she had two Oscars, but had never won an Emmy.
>> Read: “True Detective 4”, an investigation as icy as it is frosty led by Jodie Foster
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