Shogun is the latest series featuring Hiroyuki Sanada, and is available to watch on Disney+ Hotstar starting February 27th 2024. This narrative invites viewers to dive into the political intrigue in Japan in the 17th century, with Shogun presenting a fictional reinterpretation based on events and history that actually happened.

The Dunia Games team will discuss several facts about the Shogun series which you would definitely be a shame to miss, especially for war movie fans. Let's see in more detail.

1. An Adaptation of James Clavell's Novel

The Shogun series is the latest historical drama series by Rachel Kondo & Justin Marks. This series itself has a story adapted from James Clavell's best-selling novel with the same title. Shogun himself will present a drama story from the Japanese feudal era in the 1600s. That was the moment when the Taiko ruler died, leaving his heir, the young Yaechiyo, to ascend the throne.

There, it is known that there are only five Daimyo or landowners in charge, Toranaga, Kiyama, Sugiyama, Ohno, and Ishido. Unfortunately, because the heir was still young, the Daimyos had to take great pains to manage state politics until Yaechiyo was 16 years old. Of course, Japan's feudal era was an era where territories were held by landowners under the control of the Shogun. There the Emperor was only a symbol, while the government was handled directly by the Shogun.

2. Shogun Synopsis

The story of the Shogun series begins when John Blackthorne's ship is stranded on the beach of a fishing village in Japan. John Blackthorne himself is a mysterious sailor from England who is carrying a load of weapons to be delivered. However, due to problems on the way, the ship was stranded. The appearance of the ship in the fishing village makes Blackthorne and the crew suspicious of the local authorities and they are all arrested.

Knowing that a shogun leader named Yoshii Toranaga was in danger of being overthrown by the Council of Regents in the central government, Blackthorne tried to take advantage of the momentum by offering help and making an agreement with Toranaga. In return, Blackthorne asked Toranaga to free him and the crew from the village. Finally, Blackthorne fought back using a ship and its weapons which were the key to his action.

3. Inspired by Popular Historical Stories

Shogun is not only famous as a television series by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, who are also showrunners and executive producers with Michaela Clavell, Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, and Kondo. However, this series is also famous because it is based on the popular novel of the same name by James Clavell which was published in 1975.

In fact, previously, this novel had been adapted into a limited series in 1980. Both the novel and the series, all of them were inspired by characters from popular historical stories. So for this reason, it is not surprising that Shogun collaborates with its main stars according to the country of origin of the characters in the series, such as Japan and so on.

4. Shogun Casts

The Shogun series indeed collaborates with its main stars according to the country of origin of the characters in the series. For example, there is a famous actor from Japan, Hiroyuki Sanada, as Lord Yoshii Toranaga. He is an actor who plays a role in this series and is also a producer for this series. It's not just Sanada's name, there are also other actors who are no less important and no less famous.

For example, there are actors from England, Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne, then Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko, Tadanobu Asano as Kashigi Yabushige, Hiroto Kanai as Kashigi Omi, Takehiro Hira as Ishido Kazunari. Don't forget there are also Moeka Hoshi as Usami Fuji, Shinnosuke Abe as Toda Buntaro, Tokuma Nishioka as Toda "Iron Fist" Hiromatsu, and Yasunari Takeshima as Muraji.

5. Release Schedule and Episodes

Apart from Hulu or FX, the Shogun series has actually aired or started its first episode on February 27 2024 on Disney+ Hotstar. With a total of 10 periodic episodes, the ending of this series itself will be presented in the final episode which according to the schedule will be broadcast on April 23rd 2024. So that you don't get confused, try looking at the list of release schedules as well as the following episodes of the Shogun series:

1. Episode 1: February 27th 2024
2. Episode 2: February 27th 2024
3. Episode 3: March 5th 2024
4. Episode 4: March 12th 2024
5. Episode 5: March 19th 2024
6. Episode 6: March 26th 2024
7. Episode 7: April 2nd 2024
8. Episode 8: April 9th 2024
9. Episode 9: April 16th 2024
10. Episode 10: April 23rd 2024

6. Successfully Broke the Record

The Shogun series apparently managed to break the record with 9 million viewers in its premiere episode based on the first six days of broadcast. With this achievement, the Shogun series has become the No.1 scripted series premiere internationally on Hulu and Disney + Hotstar.

This achievement is clearly not impossible, almost everything in this series is perfect for you to watch. Moreover, seeing that the series can break records, there is no longer any reason not to try watching the Shogun series until the end.

7. Discussing More deeply About the Shogun from Yoshii Toranaga's POV

For those who still don't understand the synopsis of the Shogun series, then you can understand the essence of the series. The essence of the Shogun series is actually about the power struggle between leaders. It is clear that Shogun discusses the Shogun in more depth, taking the perspective of Lord Yoshii Toranaga. Real power was in the hands of the Shoguns who collaborated with other classes in Japanese society.

The shogun will also work with civil servants to manage various programs, such as tax collection and trade. However, they also actually worked with daimyo or rich landowners in running the economy. You need to know, the Shogun will also work with samurai, which is a class of warriors usually employed by daimyo.

8. A Perfect Score on Rotten Tomatoes

The Shogun series, which can be watched on a number of streaming services, from Disney Plus Hotstar, FX, to Hulu, has made this series very well known. In fact, many people or viewers consider this series, which will be released in 2024, to be a perfect masterpiece. This is because Shogun managed to compete with a number of other popular titles at the start of the year such as Young Sheldon, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and also One Day.

This assessment is further proven by the assessment on Rotten Tomatoes. The latest series entitled Shogun has apparently managed to get a 100 percent or perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. He got this score even though he only released two episodes, so this Japanese series which has attracted a lot of attention from the audience will probably continue to have a perfect score until the end of the episode.

9. A Series That Also Discusses the Resilience of Women in Japan in the 1600s

Apart from highlighting Toranaga's life, the Shogun series also discusses the toughness of women in the past, especially in the Japanese era of the 1600s. The focus is on one of them named Mariko, who is one of the Toranaga family and a translator between Toranaga and Blackthorne.

Mariko's calm, fair, graceful and intelligent demeanor makes her successful in attracting the audience's attention, as well as reducing the tension that often occurs between Toranaga and Blackthorne. Unfortunately, Mariko's brilliance in helping Toranaga was greeted negatively by her husband, Toda Hirokatsu or Buntaro, who has patriarchal thoughts.

10. A Series That Shows Another Side of the Japanese Government in the Past

Not only does this series show the power of men and women in equal proportions, this series also shows the political turmoil between Toranaga and his political opponents. The Shogun series will try to show another side of the Japanese government in the past, where at that time they often took personal advantage of existing problems.

With the presence of several aspects and discussions on Japan's past as well as action that is not canned. Of course, making the Shogun series is able to ensure that the audience will not get bored. This is especially true with the various political sentiments in it which is really worth watching at any time.

So that's an interesting article about Shogun series facts. Affordable top-ups and abundant benefits only on Dunia Games! You can also follow Dunia Games on Facebook and Instagram for more news!