‘Must-watch’ historical drama adapted from best-selling novel | Books | Entertainment

Fans are calling this TV series, available to stream now, a ‘gripping’ ‘masterpiece’, and yet it all started from the pages of one incredible best-selling book.

Released in 1975, the historical novel by James Clavell details the end of Japan’s Azuchi-Momoyama period from the years 1568-1600. It unlocked people’s interests in an intriguing period of time in Japan and showed how Europeans’ conflicts with the country brought about the restoration of the military government, known as the Edo Shogunate.

Shōgun is a story that is based loosely on these events and the real-life figures involved. At the time when the book hit shelves, readers were mesmerised by this new culture they hadn’t been witness to beforehand, and now they can see it unfold on screen in the TV adaptation.

By 1980 the book sold more than six million copies, helping to shape those in the West’s knowledge of Japanese history and culture and provoking their further intrigue.

Across ten episodes of the 2024 series, viewers can watch the events unfold, with two central characters whose entirely different worlds suddenly collide. It follows a shipwrecked English sailor, John Blackthorne, and powerful Lord Toranaga, who lives a dangerous existence on the lookout for his political rivals.

One fan shared their review on Rotten Tomatoes, where the film has a rating of 99%. It reads: “A masterpiece! Gripping from the first episode to the last. Hiro Sanada, SIR! You deserve all the accolades and recognition for your role.”

Another viewer shared: “Truly one of the best written, scripted, acted, and filmed shows I have ever seen. The details and the performances in this show are incredible and have me falling in love with feudal-era Japan as a setting.

“I feel like this era and location are so underutilised in films and television, and this show makes me want to see more of it.”

Upon its release, the show received nothing but widespread critical acclaim for every aspect of the project: the writing, visuals, directing and performances.

At the heart of this story are actors Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira, who helped bring the novel to life.

Many have praised Shōgun for how true it remained to the original text, and it’s this popularity with fans that has enabled what was intended to be a miniseries to have a much longer life. It’s reported that fans can expect a further two seasons from Disney, continuing the story about a key moment in Japanese history.

A review claims: “A beautiful and heartbreaking story. Frustrating at times, but powerful in the end. It took its time, which made it hard to say goodbye to the characters. Very well done.”

Another viewer simply wrote: “Nothing is perfect, certainly not any TV series. But Shōgun comes pretty damn close.”

Due to its success, the series was able to receive not just an impressive amount of award nominations but also walk away with plenty of awards. Shōgun won a record-breaking 18 Emmy Awards for its first initial season at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, and if that doesn’t tell you something, I’m not sure what will.

Immerse yourself in the Japenese culture and prepare to be captivated by the storyline, with all episodes of Shōgun streaming now on Disney+.