Why You Absolutely Need to See This 18th Emmy Award-Winning Series

What series could we start tonight? To this frequent question, which haunts the evenings of series addicts, we have a clear answer: Shogun. Promise. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. And we're not the only ones who think so. With 18 Emmy Awards won on the night of September 15-16, 2024, the series Shogunbroadcast in France on the platform Disney+is part of the legend. First of all, it is a series that has managed to be successful while having the English-speaking public read subtitles. A miracle given the aversion to foreign languages ​​of these viewers and the unfortunate Hollywood habit of multiplying the “in English” remakes of successful series and films from all over the world to make them perfectly digestible.

Indeed, even though it is an American production and the main actor plays a British sailor speaking English, the vast majority of the cast and dialogue in the series Shogun are Japanese. Nothing more logical for this historical mini-series in 10 episodes which tells the true, but fictionalized, story of the rise to power of Ieyasu Tokugawa (renamed Toranaga in fiction) in the late 16th century in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Fans of historical stories about Japan are well acquainted with Shogun. Before being a TV series, it is abouta novel published in 1975 and signed James Clavell. The third installment of his Asian saga and the author's first novel about Japan. By choosing to follow his hero, John Blackthorne (loosely based on the real William Adams, the first Englishman to go to Japan), James Clavell had the perfect gateway to introduce Western readers to historical Japan.

It is this spirit of discovery which is the first great strength of Shogun from a narrative point of view. The producers had understood this very well since the novel has already been adapted in the past in 1980starring Toshirō Mifune and Richard Chamberlain. Even back then, this well-crafted political intrigue in a country with a little-known history had found its audience.

In 2024, it was high time to bring this story up to date, by removing certain dated “exotic” aspects, and by providing resources to compete with the great epic television adventures what are series like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, Vikings Or The Rings of Power. In Shogunwe find all the elements of these war frescoes which so seduce the public: swords, mystery, little-known cultures, sublime sets and costumes and well-crafted political manipulations.

Actors who steal the show

Shōgun is a short series. The plot contained in the novel is contained in its ten episodes. And, unlike many shows that concentrate the big spectacle in the pilot before slowly fading away over the seasons, Shogun only gets better with time. The viewers' eyes first fall on our hero John Blackthorne played by a Cosmo Jarvis who gains greatly in finesse and depth with time, like his character. Quickly, this English sailor will become an almost secondary character and it is the fabulous Japanese actors in the cast who will take all the light. For the best.

Several actors particularly take the spotlight, starting with the one who justifies the name of the series, Hiroyuki Sanada who plays the daimyo (or lord) Yoshii Toranaga. The 63-year-old actor, seen in big hits like Ring, The Last Samurai or the series San Ku Kai Or Lostshines with his interpretation of a calculating and wise leader, who inspires respect and fear at the same time. He deservedly won his Emmy Award for best actor in a drama series.

Anna Sawai (Fast and Furious 9, Giri/Haji, Pachinko), who plays the impressive and icy Lady Mariko, a noblewoman tasked with translating the words of our hero and the Portuguese priests who are trying to negotiate with feudal Japan, still very suspicious of Europeans, is fascinating. Her strength of character hidden under the folds of her superb outfits and centuries of social codes indecipherable to the uninitiated makes her totally magnetic. This New Zealand actress of Japanese origin also won a statuette for her performance.

Tadanobu Asano as a scruffy bear, Tommy Bastow as a strategic priest, Tokuma Nishioka as a symbol of righteousness and honor, Moeka Hoshi who plays a widow with an impossible destiny or even Fumi Nikaidô as a poisonous regent… They compose increasingly fascinating scenes until the final denouement.

A dazzling spectacle… which will continue

Besides the acting and the very solid (and full of surprises) script, Shogun shines with the quality of its production. The music by Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Nick Chuba and Taro Ishida for the contributions in traditional Japanese music is splendid. The natural settings of British Columbia, the editing, the photography (even if it sometimes overuses certain repetitive and disturbing “fish-eye” effects in the first episodes), the interior sets, special effects and costumes are a feast for the eyes. Once again, the Emmy Awards awarded to the costume designers, hair stylists, prosthetists and makeup artists are well deserved.

Shogun is – now officially – the best series of the past year. It has made history at the American ceremony by receiving 18 awards out of 25 nominations, a record for a series since it generally takes several seasons for a series to surpass this number. Shogun did so in its first season… which was supposed to be its last. After the critical success, Seasons 2 and 3 have been ordered and it is still difficult to know on what sources they will be based: the other non-Japanese novels by James Clavell (but the title Shogun will no longer make sense) or on the history of the real shōgun after he took power? Japanese feudal history remains rich enough to provide many seasons with twists and varied dramas.

Second record for this series: it is the second foreign language Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Drama Seriesthe most coveted award of the evening. The first production to achieve this feat was the Korean Squid Gamea mini-series which, thanks to its success, is also still working on a sequel which was not initially planned.

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