I'm watching the 2024 version of the series, based on the novel. This is an excellent show. It's very well-casted: Hiroyuki Sanada is the epitome of a Japanese general/Shogun, Cosmo Jarvis perfects the accent and role of an English privateer without delving too far into the role that it would be comical or gimmicky and Anna Sawai is stunning in every aspect.
The writers successfully avoid the pitfalls of modern identity politics that pervade so much of modern showbiz: there are no racial undertones to the victims or conquerors, Jarvis' character is not an emasculated man or evil white conqueror and Mariko is a brave and principled women who still faces the challenges of being a women in medieval Japan.
The scenery is breathtaking. There's no blatant CGI here, instead there is stunning ranges of mountains or greenery sprinkled with quaint wooden houses fitting to the period. Inside this elegant backdrop, different factions of Japanese feudal lords, Portuguese missionaries and John Blackthrone, the shipwrecked Englishman, fight it out for power with Katanas, ships, brains and beauty. Each episode plays out at an excellent pace, slow enough to develop the characters and intrigue but fast enough to keep us engage. My personal favourite scene - no spoilers - is an act of Seppuku midway through the season which I believe should have resulted in Oscars (maybe it did, I didn't check).
In any case, if you like Game of Thrones or Japanese and English culture and history, this is highly recommended.
