On February 27, 2024, a miniseries on Hulu had just premiered. It was called Shogun, based on the 1975 book by James Clavell with the same title. The word Shogun means the historic title for Japanese military rulers, appointed by the emperor; whose position was more of a figurehead than a real ruler.

            This series received raving reviews from critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 99%. The main difference setting Shogun (2024) apart from any other film with Japanese material is its unparalleled commitment to cultural authenticity. Many Hollywood films centered in Japan misrepresent the history and culture so badly, Japanese audiences can’t help but laugh.

            For example, when the protagonist meets the heroine, a noble Japanese lady, for the first time in a romantic scene… She appears in a vibrant geisha costume. (Guys, I hope you know that geisha were prostitutes…) In another scene, two samurai warriors start sword fighting, and they suddenly drop their swords to do hand-to-hand combat. It’s such a thrilling fight sequence, that aggressive fighting style can only be Shaolin Kung Fu! (Guys, I hope you know Kung Fu is Chinese.)

            I try not to be bothered by mistakes like this if they have a good story. After all such mistakes are so common, I don’t have high expectations for cultural authenticity from foreign stories produced by Hollywood.

            Shogun far exceeded my expectations from day one. They had gorgeous outfits that reflected the period accurately. They had thrilling action sequences that were choreographed to be authentic samurai fighting styles. Whenever they showed the landscape and architecture, it was all uniquely Japanese.  

            The story follows the perspective of an English sailor shipwrecked in Japan named John Blackthorne, based on the real historic figure, William Adams. Soon after landing on the Japanese shore, he gets captured by Lord Toranaga and unknowingly becomes a part of the battle for power in 16^th century feudal Japan. Blackthorne later meets a noble lady who translates for him named Lady Mariko, who is based on Lady Hosokawa “Gracia” Tamako. These events and the character of Toranaga are based on the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and what he experienced during his rise to power.

            Although the story stays in the perspective of Blackthorne, these three characters equally share the screentime, with focus on Toranaga’s political battles and his rise to power. This production didn’t shy away from the topic of European Colonization either, showing how the Portuguese schemed to colonize Japanese through Christianity. I never expected Hollywood to make films about real complex people with hopes and ambition, let alone real Asians. The original 1980s adaptation of Shogun portrayed Lord Toranaga as a barbarian warlord, and Lady Mariko as a geisha stereotype.

            The great success of Shogun has restored my faith in Hollywood. I was pleasantly surprised how much Hollywood has advanced since the 1980s, how much respect they put towards representing Japanese culture. If this authentically Japanese story could manage to capture worldwide attention, then there is tremendous potential for Hollywood to explore stories in different cultures. For example, I would be delighted to see a drama set in the Middle East focusing on historic politics, conspiracy, and adventure outside of the stereotype of Arabian Nights and exotic belly dancers.