The FX produced Shogun miniseries has been getting a lot of buzz on the online circuit, and deservedly so because it is such a fantastic production. Starring Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, it is based on the 1975 novel of the same name by James Clavell and is inspired by true historical events.

I’ve been a big fan of Hiroyuki Sanada since seeing him in Yamada Yoji’s Twilight Samurai (2002), and it is great to see him finally take the lead actor role as well as serving as producer on the series. One thing that I’m particularly happy about Shogun is that the filmmakers have astutely chosen to retain most of the dialogue in Japanese ( and period accurate spoken Japanese at that ), which really help to boosts the realism and authenticity of the story. The entire production value is also excellent, and you can see it in the elaborate costume, prop and set designs.

Here are 4 making of videos released by FX that offers some illuminating behind the scenes footages –

This video below is in Japanese only, but if you can understand the language, it offers a whole lot more interesting tidbits and details on the production as Hiroyuki Sanada goes beyond the perfunctory replies that he gives in English interviews. The interviewer is Japanese comedian/talk show host Atsushi Tamura.

Shogun is now streaming on HULU / Disney+. I’m not sure if a physical media release is in the works, but I’ll definitely be interested to pick it up.


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