The scene where marikos husband blames sake is masterpiece. right after you see his arrows hit the perfect spot. it contradicts what he was saying. him being drunk wasn't the reason he beat her. he has lots of self control when drunk. thats why he was able to shoot an inch away from her face and hit the target. also why he refrained from saying how he escaped. Even though he was piss drunk, he was still very aware and in control
Moeka Hoshi (Umasi Fuji) has earned a career boost for her performance in this series. Hopefully we western audiences see her in many more projects in the years to come.
The vfx in this show are really impressive. The landslides looked completely believable to me. Amazes me that we're able to see this level of quality in a TV series these days, even if it's still a high budget limited series. This show looks as good as a theatrical film, maybe even better than a lot of them.
YES. Watched before I went to sleep last night. I drove to work this morning through a very hilly part of town, surrounded by greenery & I was so anxious the whole time lmao.
I'd bet it was done by done by ILM. It's a Disney show so it makes sense they'd use their ILM talent to do vfx on this show. (FX is a division of Disney if you don't know.)
@@SomethingSomewhereJustOnceThat's right, but Disney had no part in the creation of this series. FX did it all on its own, but being a subdivision of Disney, of course this show will be published straight on to Disney+
the reason why Toranaga promoted Omi was to drive a wedge between him and his uncle. it's better to have those two fight against each other instead of plotting against him or his son.
Toranaga knew the council Wouldn’t be able to agree on a replacement for him. Ishido doesn’t want another Christian on the council because they would have a majority in the council and the Christians don’t want an Ishido crony on the council because they’d be outnumbered. Can’t wait to see what the heir’s mom has in mind for them.
Toranaga obviously knowing the truth about Fuji's "father's" swords, really gives depth to him accepting them with honor from Anjin. Because he presented them to Fuji under the pretense he did. To give her honor.
@@staple_boibut at the same time, he understands the _intent,_ the _meaning_ behind the gesture. He gets that Anjin really meant to make sure his lord had swords at his side.
In my opinion the Uejirou dying was for Blackthornes mistake. But when he was told that he died a better death that he could of ever hoped for it was to help Toronaga keep the spy alive, rather than because of Blackthornes words. Lived and died in service. Fuji seeing Blackthorne put the stone back respecting the memory of the Uejirou could be sowing big seeds, she will be so proud when she finds out Toronaga has her fathers swords. After watching this for a 2nd time, these two things stuck out for me.
Didn't they say it before he was "declared" as a spy? how could they have known that it was a "better death"? From their perspective it should have just been A death because he made a mistake. Would you disagree?
@@asadyousafzai937 They knew he was dying and he sacrificed himself, the planted evidence was found after the landslide but the death was the day b4. Though other than the landslide the timeline for the show could differ, unless shown otherwise I'll stick with it :)
Hello ! Just to say that in Belgium some people are still eating pheasant like that 😅, but mostly old peope. So if you are invited to an old peope's home for dinner in Belgium and they say that they make pheasant for dinner, you know that you gonna eat rotten meat 😅
Yes, smells have a way of making a meal memorable. Dad was stationed in Japan for 3 years in 1960-62, and we, as family, accompanied him. It was common for military families to employ a Japanese maid during the day, and we became quite good friends. We were honored when our maid (Kyoko) invited us to dinner at her house (technically still post war wooden, with rice paper covered doors and tatami mats). She was well accustomed to American tastes, and had a wonderful meal prepared. All went well until two of her friends dropped by unexpectedly with a gift from the day's fishmarket. When they placed the offering on the table and unwrapped it, there lay a large dried squid, replete with (to the American palate) the devastating stench of a sea creature that had been curing in the sun for several days, and now coaxed the entire contents of both my Mother's and Sister's stomach onto the table, the floor matting, everywhere. Dinner was a bust, but thankfully no one died, and the following day, it was as if nothing had happened. Even within the same culture, smells could be interpreted differently.
He literally said “if touch… die”. Be careful with your words. What Mariko Sama said about the weight words carry should be a lesson to us all. Death or not.
Anyone with common sense would know that when a foreigner who gives commands relating to execution, you should be more diligent and double check with them before you carry out the deed. But that's just me.
@@AIartificalIntelligeHe isn’t some foreigner to those villagers. He was lord Hatamoto and order from Hatamoto is once and final. That’s exactly what mariko warned him about. Being mouthy or outlandish can bring your own death or death of others.
Another thing Mariko is upset about is that Blackthorne egged Buntaro on with the drinking, and Mariko knows he's a mean drunk. Blackthorne doesn't, and Mariko is, in my interpretation, kinda seeing Blackthorne acting like a child at that moment; missing all the cues to tread lightly. Also, notice the arrows in the right post at the end of the scene? He didn't just manage to shoot them through the same hole. Also, in the book, the pheasant episode is just a horrible lesson in Blackthorne needing to be more aware of his power and responsibility. The show did a great job of adding to that by tying it into the spy story.
The Bird thing was the first time in decades that i was in shock for a Fictional thing. It started as a random gag/Joke and it ended in an old man loosing his life
I love this show and I do like how it’s based partly on real Japanese history. The ruler that mariko’s father killed was based on Oda Nobunaga and Toranaga is based on Ieyasu Tokugawa
Hiroyuki Sanada is such a great actor i mean of course he is THE Veteron but still his presence is superb and how he acts he is ever enjoyable actor to watch
The way I thought Fuji(his consort) died from the earthquake bro. I was ready to cry ngl. Especially when fuji stands out the most this ep. I would have been genuinely depressed if something happened to her
You have to remember, the Japanese were mostly vegetarian at this point, with the exception of raw fish. Eating other meat, like the rabbit in the stew Blackthorn offered them (which was not rotten), was tantamount to cannibalism. That's why they were so nauseated as he attempted to serve it. As for the pheasant, hanging a game bird to let it season, or rot a little, was a common practice in Europe to tenderize the meat. Last, but not least, in the book Blackthorn named the large rock in the garden Uejiro-Sama (Lord Uejiro), after the gardener who worked so hard to place the rock and who lost his life removing the pheasant.
35:46 I'm not Japanese, but when I saw that earthquake scene, I felt really terrified because it reminded me of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. I remember spending weeks following the tragic news and seeing disturbing footages on UA-cam.
Say what you wish about the wife beater Buntaro, the actor who played him gave a stand out performance in this episode, deserving of a lower reverent bow surpassing that that of his heroic fighting at the docks.
Also the character is more complex than most ppl has given him credit for; Buntaro literally just came from a near death experience fighting for his lord and he comes home to find out that his wife is intimate with a ‘barbarian’ (at least lives in the same house and in Japan that’s not a common thing). After some Dutch encouragement its probably quite reasonable that he had an outburst.
@@LuigiGamesful Buntaro doesn't know, part of the reason Mariko refers to the incident as a "courtesan" visiting John, if anyone really knew they'd be done for. Buntaro thinks little of Mariko and even less of John. Dude pulled up from a foreign land and is slowly becoming a respected member of Toranaga's clique because he has fancy weapons.
In the books, much of Buntaro's behavior is explained though not justified. As the daughter of Akechi Jinsai, Mariko is generally considered bad news socially, either a traitor herself or just an ill omen. Buntaro publicly treats her harshly because he thinks it is expected, because the common perception is that she brings dishonor to him. Privately, he loves her and wants to be close with her, but she keeps her distance and he reacts with rage and abuse.
It's also worth pointing out that much of Blackthorne's perspective is highly unusual for Europe in this time period. He is one of the very few who chooses to leave his homeland and engage in naval trade, exploration, adventure (ok a lil piracy). But most people back in England DON'T value freedom above all else like he does. There are plenty of hierarchical power structures back in Europe, maybe of a different flavor than Japan, sure, but England during this time period still had a very potent monarchy, some very strict rules, and a great deal of violence (the English Civil War was only 40 years in the future from this show's start date). But I do enjoy the little things, the little differences, which are mined for comedy and greater character development.
Everything in the opening sequence is probably foreshadowing. The mountain crumbling to reveal the helmeted head of Toranaga probably represented the big earthquake.
What I felt while watching this episode is that the sense of death must have been more familiar to people in those days when they would be more affected by earthquakes than now. I am a Japanese who experienced the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake in Tokyo, and it brought back the feeling that all Japanese people felt the presence of death at the same time that day. Death, which is usually an individual thing, comes to everyone at the same time. I think this is a good reason why Japan in the Samurai era had a unique view of life and death.
What an episode! They've done so well at making each culture seem so alien to the other, and displaying the merits and flaws of each. Also, Fuji stole my heart.
I feel sad for Uejiro's death, not only because he was an innocent man, and the whole thing was so unneccesary. It was also the death of Blackthornes only friend. Even though friend is stretching it a bit, they were on friendly terms. It was a relationship where Blackthorne could let his guard down, while getting a better understanding of japanese culture. His relationship with Mariko at this point, was beyond friendship, and therefore tense in a different way.
The shot of the arrows perfectly together is also a very big clue that the sake did not affect him and that he lied about being drunk while hitting Mariko
It's insane how much power the words of someone with a higher status than the rest has on those under them. I do like that Blackthorne learned that he has been given a position of power and learns how much power he has over the lives of the people under him and has to live with the consequences of what he said. It's a new thing for him given he pretty much came from being a commoner to somebody who can dictate life or death over others. As sad as it is, the old man's death was able to serve a purpose for Toranaga.
Cooking the rabbit is the funniest part of the book. He's so enthusiast to show Fujiko and the cooks how to skin and prepare it while everyone is horrified, disgusted and trying not to vomit. :)
@@4984christianit wasn't rabbit he left to hang, it was pheasant and was for a different meal. With a lot of game birds like pheasant you're supposed to leave it for a few days so the natural process of decay makes the meat less tough and more tender. It's perfectly safe and the way you're supposed to do it, it's not even exclusively an English thing. They just heavily dramatised it in the show for comedic affect (for example, there's flies yet it's far too cold for that by now,) and I think to also highlight an element of hypocrisy in the Japanese and in viewers who are overall extremely quick to judge Blackthorne when he doesn't understand something but laugh along when the other characters insult, mock and degrade him and aspects of his culture he hopes to share in return.
11:49 im low key obsessed with her, both actress Moeka Hoshi and her character Fuji, aside from the obvious being shes beautiful AF... her acting reminds me a bit of what Tom Hardy does, shes amazing with her eyes, facial expressions and body language.
That was literally an earth shattering episode.. we all ate a good dinner with this episode. Puns totally intended! Fantastic reaction and discussion guys. We all gotta wait 7 more days..
I'm convinced that Fujisan and John will end up together because of how wonderfully they interact. If it happens, it'll bring me immense joy. I really love Fuji. She's the best. She's growing on me.
@dylanrodrigues It's NOT "niCe" at all, it's reclusive and you people seriously need to stop. As I said, this "shipping culture" nonsense needs to stop.
I love the respect and friendship that starts to grow between Fuji (Fujiko) in the book & first series) but she is very much the same character and well chosen. A young women in the books & first series she makes the agreement with Toranaga to become Angin San's Consort.
"You can't kill him." Buntaro positioned himself to commit seppuku. If Anjin understood him, he was at his mercy. One word, and Buntaro would have removed himself.
@@scotthewitt258 honestly I would’ve let him do it. I don’t care if he’s a badass or that he’s loyal to Toranaga. That bastard deserves to die for the pain he has caused his wife.
@@scotthewitt258 Seppuku/harakiri was generally committed only under permission. For Buntaro to kill himself without the permission of Torunaga would dishonour his lord. Tied to that is depriving Toranaga of a valued samurai, especially out of some relatively minor offense (being a bad house guest) towards someone Buntaro doesn't really respect. Keeping his wakizashi (脇差, わきざし) not wakisashi (わきさし) as you have it, is not a sign that he is going to use it on himself. In fact, if Blackthorne would attack him, his katana and wakizashi are available. The gesture is of apology and saving face and the only proper response is to accept the apology and move on.
Not excusing the domestic violence at all. But explaining it. Buntaro is suffering from several intolerable humiliations: Wife is from a line that is akin to Hitler's daughter in that time. She wants to kill herself, but he actually loves her in his own way (according to book.) That's why he forbid her to kill herself, but she hates him for it and refuses to sleep with him for years. Serving under a barbarian. Unfaithful wife (who has cheated on him with a barbarian). Wife is disappointed he's not dead. Additionally, this is the late 1500's. Women were considered property in Japan as well as Europe and beating a wife was commonplace. The reason he shot that arrow and beat her was due to all those reasons as well as suspecting she slept with Blackthorne. Again not excusing it, just explaining it.
This episode combined 3 things from the mini-series in a shorter time. 1) Buntaro's return, 2) The gardener's death over the bird, 3) Anjin saving Toranaga after the earthquake.
The assassination was based on a real event. Goroda(the corrupt Shogun) was based on Oda Nobunaga (a real person) and Mariko's father was Akechi Jinsai. The real assassin was called Akechi Mitsuhide and his daughter was called Hosakawa Gracia. The historic Hosakawa Gracia is very similar to Mariko.
@dylanrodrigues It is still a mystery why Mitsuhide killed Nobunaga. Toranaga (Ieyasu) in the show is based on one of Nobunaga's top generals. He did not side with Mitsuhide, who struggled to gather support after the assassination. The Taiko in the show fought and defeated Mitsuhide's army at Yamazaki, 13 days after Nobunaga's death.
When you slurp food or drinks, you also inhale nitrogen & oxygen (air) it enhanced more flavors to its meal or drinks.....try it. Btw, wild meat (like a pheasant) becomes more tender, the longer it has been rot, three days to a maximum of of a week, between 2 and 7 degrees. Hare or rabbit does not to be eviscerated. Love & P.E.ace from overseas, The Netherlands.
As a Japanese who experienced a major earthquake in Japan, the earthquake scene was certainly shocking. Japan is an earthquake-prone country, and Toranaga=Ieyasu actually experienced a huge earthquake at that time (although I think what is depicted in the drama is fiction...).
Saw someone complain that in the book it pretty much says Buntaro knows that Blackthorne had been with Mariko and this episode wasn’t clear on that, however, I felt that it was definitely implied that he heavily suspected it from the moment Fuji made the remark about how she wasn’t his pillow and he preferred “other women” in a somewhat mocking tone. I think some of the tension also during the dinner is a result of Buntaro suspecting something had gone on, which is why he seems to go to great lengths to make the point that Mariko is his to do as he pleases with (such as the arrow stunt) and I think he deliberately embarrassed her by making tell Blackthorne her background as both a punishment to her and also to get a reaction out of Blackthorne. Also I think a couple of themes running through the episode was how we imbue meaning/purpose into our life, words, objects and actions and also how such small and seemingly meaningless things can spiral or extend into things that have a greater impact Example of something seemingly meaningless is Blackthorne insisting on leaving the bird to hang, its end result left a new friend dead… another example which seems to have gone sort of under the radar is two other things that were seemingly insignificant that also led to the death of the Gardner 1. Rushing to Mariko instead of dealing with the bird himself and 2. The language barrier where Fuji is trying to explain the bird is really starting to smell and he simply says he doesn’t understand and moves on, the scene is humorous at it’s face value but then later you realise had he tried to understand Fuji and not been in a rush he would have been able to address the issue himself and the Gardner wouldn’t have died.
The more the plot thickens the better this show gets ! I'm already sad in advance it's gonna have to end soon. I wish there was 5 more seasons to look forward to. If anything Shōgun success will remind holywood that skillfully crafted character based productions will always win audience heart and engagement over soulless CGI based money pumps (looking at you Disney 🤮)
Thing is, you can actually partially expand on this series too but instead of focusing on the end of the Waring States, they could advance it to the Boshin period. You can have a descendent of Blackthorn coming to Japan as part of the British advisory corps for the Imperialist cause - that of Chosu and Satsuma, etc. This will also be quite a fun turn around as it would be him helping to train and form and equip the imperial army that would go into overthrow the shogunate his ancestor helped to form. - and you can even have descendents of our Japanese characters and blackthorn in Japan be on the Shogunate side.
They could do adaptations of the rest of Clavell's Asian Saga; there's like a half dozen more books set in the same timeline as Shogun that covers a lot of history from Colonial Hong Kong to pre-Islamic Revolution Iran and features similar East vs West culture clash
@@reecedignan8365 OR, you can just follow the progression of James Clavell's "Asian Saga" instead of having to come up with a storyline that are on the same level as the original story.
The main white character is a terrible cast. His face and emotions are so dull, awful actor. Ruins the show, but eh, you always need a white guy to save the day.
You can really see where GRRM (as he himself stated) got a lot of ideas for Game of Thrones. For instance, Mariko's father was the "Kingslayer," like Jaime Lannister. And Lady Ochiba is basically Cersei Lannister...
How about the actress playing Mariko expressing so much emotion when she sees Buntaro, without moving a muscle in her face? THAT is worthy of big money and awards.
Trivia: The earthquake scene in the original mini-series actually injured several people. A couple almost died. While digging the trench for the open crevice caused by the earthquake, the trench collapsed on some of the crew.
This entire episode was a ply to Blackthrone authorities and responsibility. He has authority over all in the house yet his it responsibility with his actions due to lack of wisdom cases so much turmoil, the condoning of drinking lead to Mirako being subject to domestic violence, his ignorance to their customs caused the death of his Gardener friend, his ignorance towards their customs caused the destruction of his relationship with Mirako. So much consequence on Blackthorne’s shoulders due to his ignorance towards his authority and responsibility.
I think this best summarizes the episode. This is where Blackthorne realizes how much he can affect other people's lives, when before he's quite a "free spirit".
A little perspective that may or may not be missed in the whole mess in Blackthorne's home.... Fuji, as the consort (or wife if that was the case) is the supreme authority in the home. She's the definition of boss-b@&^$. And as part of that, ANYone who disturbs the peace in the home, save for the one person above her (the man she is wife or consort to) is on her sh^--list. It is her #1 job to keep the home as her lord's refuge and sanctuary. So, when Buntaro and Mariko got into it... that put Mariko (despite being the victim) on her "get out of my man's house!!" list. Understand also that this is the same Fuji from the first episode who lost her husband and infant child and Mariko was the one to console her... also, Fuji is part of clan Toda, same as Toranaga's number 1 guy and also same as Buntaro. This is also the same Fuji who was ready to put a bullet in Omi if he dared make Blackthorne give up his guns, because the safeguarding of her master's property is 100% her duty... whether that be his guns, his clothes, his money, his home, his servants. Thats why she didnt know but knew that Mariko had slept with Blackthorne (you notice the surprise on her face when it was mentioned the next morning?)... if there was a courtsean it would ONLY have been allowed by HER, Fuji. And she knew of no such courtesan. It was also her who put the gardener to death for touching the pheasant, because that.was.her.duty. But she also understood that in carrying out that duty she had somehow failed Blackthorne and the only answer to having dishonored herself in that failure is honor in death. But he instead dismissed her, so she lives in her dishonor. This mirrors Mariko's annual asking Buntaro to unalive because of the disgrace on her from what her father did. Ans in much the same light... to do the right thing he broke a cardinal rule. And to do the right thing, Blackthorne's gardener broke a cardinal rule set by Blackthorne, and the awful duty fell on Fuji's shoulders. There was a line when Fuji was talking to the servants about buying new cooking knives out of Blackthorne's mishima (his stipend) because she was worried about food contamination with whatever horrors he was doing with his so-called cooking skills. But it is part of her duty to spend his stipend on household needs. And she hates being bound to Blackthorne, but she is absolutely clear on her duty.
Guys something I have learned (and I'm not even sure if is 100% accurate) is that Mariko's husband cursed the house by hiting the entrance post with those two arrows.
As a Japanese I would say that in my opinion, we are more desensitized to earthquakes and landslides. It’s no less tragic, but such disasters are frequently on the news, and it is somewhat expected. (The scene in Shogun is definitely dramatized and an earthquake / landslide on that scale is not something that happens frequently). One thing that seems strange to me is the way Buntaro is treating Blackthorne considering that Blackthorne is a hatamoto, the highest rank of Samurai. There has been no indication that Buntaro is a hatamoto, and the historical figure that Buntaro is based off of was not hatamoto either. Therefore Blackthorne outranks Buntaro. On top of that Buntaro is a guest at Blackthorne’s house. With this in mind, I think it would have been customary for Buntaro to bow to Blackthorne upon arriving for dinner and thanking him for his hospitality (even if he didn’t sincerely mean it). I guess Buntaro decided to break from traditional manners because he didn’t think such usual manners should be applied to a “barbarian”. Just wanted to emphasize that being a hatamoto was a BIG deal. I may be wrong but my understanding is that although unrealistic, as a hatamoto, Blackthorne would have legally been justified to be judge, jury, and executioner and kill Buntaro for the crime of disrespecting a hatamoto.
Buntaro-sama's behavior at Anjin-san's house seemed realistic to me. John may outrank him in title but Buntaro-sama's seniority way outranks John's. And he literally fought his way and almost sacrifised his life to save his lord Tranaga's life. And he is Japanese and John is not. So by themselves, they're about what they are now. But he put his sword down and bowed down to John because John is a Hatamoto and he is lord Tranaga's gaijin anjin. He knows he can't touch him for now. Legally? Lord Tranaga is the law in his territory. It's his state and he is the lord.
I think the arrows show that in spite of drinking that much sake, he was in control. And the reason he gave Blackthorne for hitting Mariko, that he was drunk, was just that… a bullshit reason. And Blackthorne understands that
This is my consideration. The original story of the gardener's murder in history is based on the story of Buntaro's model, Hosokawa Tadaoki, who was eating in the garden with his own wife, Hosokawa Garasha (who is the model for Mariko), when he became furious at the gardener who was watching his wife and killed the gardener. The story is more understandable than reality!
The show definitely took a different turn here. In the books Toranaga is far more empathetic to Blackthrone as he understands that he values life. Also this was not clearly explained but essentially it's not so much about the bird but the legality of Blackthorne's status. If he were Japanese, there would be no big fuss about it. An order was given, an order was disobeyed and punishment meted out. However, despite the fact he was made hatamoto by Toranaga. Technically he was not a samurai as he was a foreigner. All hatamoto were samurai however, so the question became a legal issue which eventually got bumped to Toranaga. Toranaga then made things official by adopting Blackthorne into his clan, thus confirming his status as a real samurai and making all of his orders legal. Realizing Blackthrone would feel squeamish about this, he personally lent his blade or his official retainer to oversee the execution of the old gardener to give him a proper send off. This was made clear to Blackthorne that the gardener died a quick painless death and was honored by the whole village for the privilege of confirming Blackthorne's status as a samurai. Of course none of this registered to Blackthorne at the time due to his western values.
Up until the 18th and 19th century, people had very high audio aqurity, they listened to layers and nuances in language, many common folk could speak multiple languages easily and picked up new language fast. Which i think is how John is learning Japanese so fast, plus he's immersed in the culture too... In fact, the portrayal is he's learning quite slow compared to the real man.
I keep hearing "its like Game of Thrones" but if anything its the other way arround... Game of Thrones is like Shogun (the Story is way older...) Love your Reactions and Discussions!
I think the events in this episode will be an eye opener for everyone in the cast, particularly for Blackthorn. He knows what mistakes he capable of making, especially when it involves life or death. I loved the sequence when he tries to comfort Fuji, with a look of saying sorry to her and asking forgiveness. I especially loved the music at 26:59, sounds almost alien and chaotic like the times they’re in right now. Love this show
You comment about the impossible obstacle of overcoming one’s own perspective is the point of the whole saga! Blackthorne compares the value of a bird to a human life but everyone else compares the value of a peasant to Toronaga’s proclaimed hatamoto. Until he sees himself as part of this reality, he will continue to blunder. I predict Rodrigues will renter the picture and be the one to open his eyes.
36:58 zzzzzzz good acting isn’t just shouting, crying and baity monologues lol, sometimes it’s much harder to play a restrained character who still needs to be emotionally accessible to the audience, as Anna Sawai has done beautifully in the prior 4 episodes. The way she conveys so much through the smallest twitch on her face/ facial expression is just so impressive to me. Sorry to say but that assessment of Sawai as an actress is a typical Jaby L.
"Perhaps it is acceptable to boast in his country." "Then, a soldier, Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon's mouth."
Mariko and Fuji were eating quickly before dinner because they knew Blackthorn woukd offer them some gross English food for dinner. And the English tradition of letting birds age before eating was still a thing a hundred years ago. I saw a show where they took a modern family and had them live like rich English nobles in the early 1900s. The chef wanted them to try a favorite dish of several day old game birds but the family (probably wisely) refused the dish.
I think it's important to understand all these lords and samurais are free to pillow courtesans and their wives/consorts are completely aware of it, and even encourage it. So when Fuji says the Anjin prefers the company of other women, that's what Buntaro assumes. The thought of Mariko and the Anjin "pillowing" didn't even cross his mind.
16:20 Mariko's character was based on Akechi Tama / Hosokawa Gracia, daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide, who kill his lord Oda Nobunaga, the Taiko's master. Actually, Gracia (or mariko in this show) was so cared by her husband, Hosokawa Tadaoki. The reason the Hosokawa clan joined the grand battle of Sekigahara because of gracia's.....(I dont want to spoiler it) 😅
Buntaro bowing is better explained in the book and the original 1980s show namely Japanese culture. To dishonor the host is a dishonor to one's person hence why Buntaro swallows his pride to bow to Blackthorne despite his hatred but his apology is not sincere. He only does so because it is expected of him in the face of culture and his honor. Also what Blackthorne is doing with the pheasant is a cooking technique still common today wherein leaving it to rot will make the meat more tender and tastier. In a way, it showcases how alien Blackthorne's culture is to the Japanese.
I think Uejiro and a spy guy know each other, beacause they talked at beginning this Ep. Uejiro died to protect him and Tranaga, Not just for Blackthorn. In fact, Blackthorn said “If you took this bird you will die” but at same time, they were in the situation that someone have to be sacrificed to keep seacret for Toranaga. I expect Uejiro worked for a long time for Toranaga, and he knows his life will not longer, that’s why he dicided to die for his loyalty, but he needed a reason for dead so used Blackthorn’s bird issue. Toranaga and a Spy guy are only guys who knows truth, and this is the one of strategy for Tranaga to keep Blackthorn. Comment from Japan😆
6:30 I think Fuji said Anjin is into other women because she overhead Mariko saying in the previous episode that Anjin slept with a courtesan. Although she means no harm to Mariko, this will make Buntaro suspicious of Anjin.
The scene where marikos husband blames sake is masterpiece. right after you see his arrows hit the perfect spot. it contradicts what he was saying. him being drunk wasn't the reason he beat her. he has lots of self control when drunk. thats why he was able to shoot an inch away from her face and hit the target. also why he refrained from saying how he escaped. Even though he was piss drunk, he was still very aware and in control
He knew the trouble he would get in with Toranaga.
Its why he didnt kill the Anjin
the actress who plays fuji kills it with her expressions
agreed!
every scene with her is just amazing :D
She killed Uejirou as well
Moeka Hoshi (Umasi Fuji) has earned a career boost for her performance in this series. Hopefully we western audiences see her in many more projects in the years to come.
The vfx in this show are really impressive. The landslides looked completely believable to me. Amazes me that we're able to see this level of quality in a TV series these days, even if it's still a high budget limited series. This show looks as good as a theatrical film, maybe even better than a lot of them.
YES. Watched before I went to sleep last night. I drove to work this morning through a very hilly part of town, surrounded by greenery & I was so anxious the whole time lmao.
I'd bet it was done by done by ILM. It's a Disney show so it makes sense they'd use their ILM talent to do vfx on this show. (FX is a division of Disney if you don't know.)
@@SomethingSomewhereJustOnceThat's right, but Disney had no part in the creation of this series. FX did it all on its own, but being a subdivision of Disney, of course this show will be published straight on to Disney+
Fujis reactions are gold 😊
the reason why Toranaga promoted Omi was to drive a wedge between him and his uncle. it's better to have those two fight against each other instead of plotting against him or his son.
That’s why he’s the smartest guy in the show
He’s a smart guy!
The guy is an expert in sowing discontent.
I mean Toranaga is the Ieyasu Tokugawa in real life
Toranaga knew the council
Wouldn’t be able to agree on a replacement for him. Ishido doesn’t want another Christian on the council because they would have a majority in the council and the Christians don’t want an Ishido crony on the council because they’d be outnumbered. Can’t wait to see what the heir’s mom has in mind for them.
Show is getting better and better every episode 🔥🔥🔥
Toranaga obviously knowing the truth about Fuji's "father's" swords, really gives depth to him accepting them with honor from Anjin. Because he presented them to Fuji under the pretense he did. To give her honor.
Anjin still fucking with him after saving his life, "I know you know these swords are worthless"😂
@lpreactions565 She will get kill off later with honor protecting her husband.
@@Herocoldfinger Not worthless... worth three bags of rice! 😉
Exactly that's why he laughs. Also probably thinks blackthorne doesn't know the truth about the swords.
@@staple_boibut at the same time, he understands the _intent,_ the _meaning_ behind the gesture. He gets that Anjin really meant to make sure his lord had swords at his side.
In my opinion the Uejirou dying was for Blackthornes mistake. But when he was told that he died a better death that he could of ever hoped for it was to help Toronaga keep the spy alive, rather than because of Blackthornes words. Lived and died in service.
Fuji seeing Blackthorne put the stone back respecting the memory of the Uejirou could be sowing big seeds, she will be so proud when she finds out Toronaga has her fathers swords. After watching this for a 2nd time, these two things stuck out for me.
Torunaga smiled seeing the swords and probably knew where they came from. poetic that it should go back to him.
He doesn't understand their custom, but now he knows.
Didn't they say it before he was "declared" as a spy? how could they have known that it was a "better death"? From their perspective it should have just been A death because he made a mistake. Would you disagree?
@@asadyousafzai937 They knew he was dying and he sacrificed himself, the planted evidence was found after the landslide but the death was the day b4. Though other than the landslide the timeline for the show could differ, unless shown otherwise I'll stick with it :)
The way I see it is Uejirou volunteered so that no one else would die. He sacrificed himself.
Hello ! Just to say that in Belgium some people are still eating pheasant like that 😅, but mostly old peope. So if you are invited to an old peope's home for dinner in Belgium and they say that they make pheasant for dinner, you know that you gonna eat rotten meat 😅
Yes, smells have a way of making a meal memorable. Dad was stationed in Japan for 3 years in 1960-62, and we, as family, accompanied him. It was common for military families to employ a Japanese maid during the day, and we became quite good friends. We were honored when our maid (Kyoko) invited us to dinner at her house (technically still post war wooden, with rice paper covered doors and tatami mats). She was well accustomed to American tastes, and had a wonderful meal prepared. All went well until two of her friends dropped by unexpectedly with a gift from the day's fishmarket. When they placed the offering on the table and unwrapped it, there lay a large dried squid, replete with (to the American palate) the devastating stench of a sea creature that had been curing in the sun for several days, and now coaxed the entire contents of both my Mother's and Sister's stomach onto the table, the floor matting, everywhere. Dinner was a bust, but thankfully no one died, and the following day, it was as if nothing had happened. Even within the same culture, smells could be interpreted differently.
I love the little detail of the women having dinner first, actually eating quickly and freely before the men come was quite a nice touch.
Thank you. I wondered what that was about.
This show is just so incredible. You two have the best reaction for this show
This episode was sooo intense. Jeez! Everyone's acting and reactions are soo good.
He literally said “if touch… die”. Be careful with your words. What Mariko Sama said about the weight words carry should be a lesson to us all. Death or not.
Anyone with common sense would know that when a foreigner who gives commands relating to execution, you should be more diligent and double check with them before you carry out the deed.
But that's just me.
@@AIartificalIntelligeremember the timeline
The weight of his words comes from having a rank, the weight of the rank lessens if the words are questioned
@@AIartificalIntellige remember the timeline and the culture
@@AIartificalIntelligeHe isn’t some foreigner to those villagers. He was lord Hatamoto and order from Hatamoto is once and final. That’s exactly what mariko warned him about. Being mouthy or outlandish can bring your own death or death of others.
Another thing Mariko is upset about is that Blackthorne egged Buntaro on with the drinking, and Mariko knows he's a mean drunk. Blackthorne doesn't, and Mariko is, in my interpretation, kinda seeing Blackthorne acting like a child at that moment; missing all the cues to tread lightly.
Also, notice the arrows in the right post at the end of the scene? He didn't just manage to shoot them through the same hole.
Also, in the book, the pheasant episode is just a horrible lesson in Blackthorne needing to be more aware of his power and responsibility. The show did a great job of adding to that by tying it into the spy story.
In the book Blackthorne checks where arrows landed right away and honors Buntaros skill by telling Fujiko leave that arrows implanted in post
The Bird thing was the first time in decades that i was in shock for a Fictional thing. It started as a random gag/Joke and it ended in an old man loosing his life
I don't care what happens to whoever, don't let anything bad happen to poor fuji.
"He's on some 4D chess" best reaction quote ever 😂😂😂
Toranaga is a genius,
He is sowing discord between Yabushige and Omi🤣
using by Tonomoto account.
I love this show and I do like how it’s based partly on real Japanese history. The ruler that mariko’s father killed was based on Oda Nobunaga and Toranaga is based on Ieyasu Tokugawa
Dude hit the target twice while drunk. Excellent marksmanship!
Hiroyuki Sanada is such a great actor i mean of course he is THE Veteron but still his presence is superb and how he acts he is ever enjoyable actor to watch
The way I thought Fuji(his consort) died from the earthquake bro. I was ready to cry ngl. Especially when fuji stands out the most this ep. I would have been genuinely depressed if something happened to her
Unfortunately, Fuji protect her husband at all cost include her life. You can see she have gun now. Be prepare for heart breaking up coming episode.
@@jitsak1977 No spoilers please. Many haven't either read the original book, or seen the 1980's version.
@@dust_bin_gaming7319 I am sorry.
Fuji will like seeing her father's swords on Toranaga.
You have to remember, the Japanese were mostly vegetarian at this point, with the exception of raw fish. Eating other meat, like the rabbit in the stew Blackthorn offered them (which was not rotten), was tantamount to cannibalism. That's why they were so nauseated as he attempted to serve it.
As for the pheasant, hanging a game bird to let it season, or rot a little, was a common practice in Europe to tenderize the meat.
Last, but not least, in the book Blackthorn named the large rock in the garden Uejiro-Sama (Lord Uejiro), after the gardener who worked so hard to place the rock and who lost his life removing the pheasant.
35:46 I'm not Japanese, but when I saw that earthquake scene, I felt really terrified because it reminded me of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. I remember spending weeks following the tragic news and seeing disturbing footages on UA-cam.
Say what you wish about the wife beater Buntaro, the actor who played him gave a stand out performance in this episode, deserving of a lower reverent bow surpassing that that of his heroic fighting at the docks.
Also the character is more complex than most ppl has given him credit for; Buntaro literally just came from a near death experience fighting for his lord and he comes home to find out that his wife is intimate with a ‘barbarian’ (at least lives in the same house and in Japan that’s not a common thing). After some Dutch encouragement its probably quite reasonable that he had an outburst.
@@Midnight_priestWait does he actually know?
@@LuigiGamesful Buntaro doesn't know, part of the reason Mariko refers to the incident as a "courtesan" visiting John, if anyone really knew they'd be done for.
Buntaro thinks little of Mariko and even less of John. Dude pulled up from a foreign land and is slowly becoming a respected member of Toranaga's clique because he has fancy weapons.
@@LuigiGamesful he doesn’t ‘know’, but the thought of his wife living in the same house with another man is enough to make him feel som sort of way….
In the books, much of Buntaro's behavior is explained though not justified. As the daughter of Akechi Jinsai, Mariko is generally considered bad news socially, either a traitor herself or just an ill omen. Buntaro publicly treats her harshly because he thinks it is expected, because the common perception is that she brings dishonor to him.
Privately, he loves her and wants to be close with her, but she keeps her distance and he reacts with rage and abuse.
It's also worth pointing out that much of Blackthorne's perspective is highly unusual for Europe in this time period. He is one of the very few who chooses to leave his homeland and engage in naval trade, exploration, adventure (ok a lil piracy). But most people back in England DON'T value freedom above all else like he does. There are plenty of hierarchical power structures back in Europe, maybe of a different flavor than Japan, sure, but England during this time period still had a very potent monarchy, some very strict rules, and a great deal of violence (the English Civil War was only 40 years in the future from this show's start date). But I do enjoy the little things, the little differences, which are mined for comedy and greater character development.
Protect Fuji at alll cost!
Fuji Sama will be fine, girl is destined to be Johns Waifu.
@@sonm1na thank god!🤣
fuji is 🥰
hell yes!!!
Fuji is best girl
Everything in the opening sequence is probably foreshadowing. The mountain crumbling to reveal the helmeted head of Toranaga probably represented the big earthquake.
What I felt while watching this episode is that the sense of death must have been more familiar to people in those days when they would be more affected by earthquakes than now. I am a Japanese who experienced the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake in Tokyo, and it brought back the feeling that all Japanese people felt the presence of death at the same time that day. Death, which is usually an individual thing, comes to everyone at the same time. I think this is a good reason why Japan in the Samurai era had a unique view of life and death.
What an episode! They've done so well at making each culture seem so alien to the other, and displaying the merits and flaws of each. Also, Fuji stole my heart.
I feel sad for Uejiro's death, not only because he was an innocent man, and the whole thing was so unneccesary. It was also the death of Blackthornes only friend. Even though friend is stretching it a bit, they were on friendly terms. It was a relationship where Blackthorne could let his guard down, while getting a better understanding of japanese culture. His relationship with Mariko at this point, was beyond friendship, and therefore tense in a different way.
The shot of the arrows perfectly together is also a very big clue that the sake did not affect him and that he lied about being drunk while hitting Mariko
this is one of the best acted series I ever watched. all actors are very very good
Most intense dinner ever
most intense episode in general😬😅
The two swords became meaningful to her family again. It was a beautiful gesture.
It's insane how much power the words of someone with a higher status than the rest has on those under them. I do like that Blackthorne learned that he has been given a position of power and learns how much power he has over the lives of the people under him and has to live with the consequences of what he said. It's a new thing for him given he pretty much came from being a commoner to somebody who can dictate life or death over others. As sad as it is, the old man's death was able to serve a purpose for Toranaga.
Cooking the rabbit is the funniest part of the book. He's so enthusiast to show Fujiko and the cooks how to skin and prepare it while everyone is horrified, disgusted and trying not to vomit. :)
Why? Why did he let it rod?
@@4984christianit wasn't rabbit he left to hang, it was pheasant and was for a different meal. With a lot of game birds like pheasant you're supposed to leave it for a few days so the natural process of decay makes the meat less tough and more tender. It's perfectly safe and the way you're supposed to do it, it's not even exclusively an English thing. They just heavily dramatised it in the show for comedic affect (for example, there's flies yet it's far too cold for that by now,) and I think to also highlight an element of hypocrisy in the Japanese and in viewers who are overall extremely quick to judge Blackthorne when he doesn't understand something but laugh along when the other characters insult, mock and degrade him and aspects of his culture he hopes to share in return.
@@tipbgle I just really didn't get it before and thought if he was mocking them. Thanks, now I understand.
@@tipbgle We bleed meat, that's a necessity, but surely not to the point of letting it rot?
11:49 im low key obsessed with her, both actress Moeka Hoshi and her character Fuji, aside from the obvious being shes beautiful AF... her acting reminds me a bit of what Tom Hardy does, shes amazing with her eyes, facial expressions and body language.
That was literally an earth shattering episode.. we all ate a good dinner with this episode. Puns totally intended! Fantastic reaction and discussion guys. We all gotta wait 7 more days..
Episode 5 was even better than previous 4 which I didn't think was even possible! ♥
I'm convinced that Fujisan and John will end up together because of how wonderfully they interact. If it happens, it'll bring me immense joy.
I really love Fuji. She's the best. She's growing on me.
lol they won't. Stop trying to get all "gushy" and sappy over nothing. You romance fanatics are annoying with this.
@@Gadget-Walkmen
Relax... it was just a comment, it's not like it influences anything in the show.
@@deniserosa5710 It needs to stop. this "shipping culture" nonsense needs to stop.
@dylanrodrigues It's NOT "niCe" at all, it's reclusive and you people seriously need to stop. As I said, this "shipping culture" nonsense needs to stop.
Peace 🕊️
There is an expression in Portuguese that refers to this situation.
" Fazer uma tempestade em copo d'água"
I love the respect and friendship that starts to grow between Fuji (Fujiko) in the book & first series) but she is very much the same character and well chosen. A young women in the books & first series she makes the agreement with Toranaga to become Angin San's Consort.
Yeah. Little Taiko's mom IS Cersei.....
same thing in my mind, I litrely search this comment
"You can't kill him."
Buntaro positioned himself to commit seppuku. If Anjin understood him, he was at his mercy. One word, and Buntaro would have removed himself.
No
@@Rabbithole8 Yes. He knelt, and removed his katana. He kept his wakisashi, which he would have used to "make amends".
@@scotthewitt258 honestly I would’ve let him do it. I don’t care if he’s a badass or that he’s loyal to Toranaga. That bastard deserves to die for the pain he has caused his wife.
@@scotthewitt258 Seppuku/harakiri was generally committed only under permission. For Buntaro to kill himself without the permission of Torunaga would dishonour his lord. Tied to that is depriving Toranaga of a valued samurai, especially out of some relatively minor offense (being a bad house guest) towards someone Buntaro doesn't really respect. Keeping his wakizashi (脇差, わきざし) not wakisashi (わきさし) as you have it, is not a sign that he is going to use it on himself. In fact, if Blackthorne would attack him, his katana and wakizashi are available. The gesture is of apology and saving face and the only proper response is to accept the apology and move on.
@@Rabbithole8 Yes. The main defense of any argument.
"You're wrong because you made a typo!"
Not excusing the domestic violence at all. But explaining it.
Buntaro is suffering from several intolerable humiliations:
Wife is from a line that is akin to Hitler's daughter in that time. She wants to kill herself, but he actually loves her in his own way (according to book.) That's why he forbid her to kill herself, but she hates him for it and refuses to sleep with him for years.
Serving under a barbarian.
Unfaithful wife (who has cheated on him with a barbarian).
Wife is disappointed he's not dead.
Additionally, this is the late 1500's. Women were considered property in Japan as well as Europe and beating a wife was commonplace. The reason he shot that arrow and beat her was due to all those reasons as well as suspecting she slept with Blackthorne.
Again not excusing it, just explaining it.
This episode combined 3 things from the mini-series in a shorter time. 1) Buntaro's return, 2) The gardener's death over the bird, 3) Anjin saving Toranaga after the earthquake.
The assassination was based on a real event. Goroda(the corrupt Shogun) was based on Oda Nobunaga (a real person) and Mariko's father was Akechi Jinsai. The real assassin was called Akechi Mitsuhide and his daughter was called Hosakawa Gracia. The historic Hosakawa Gracia is very similar to Mariko.
@dylanrodrigues It is still a mystery why Mitsuhide killed Nobunaga. Toranaga (Ieyasu) in the show is based on one of Nobunaga's top generals. He did not side with Mitsuhide, who struggled to gather support after the assassination. The Taiko in the show fought and defeated Mitsuhide's army at Yamazaki, 13 days after Nobunaga's death.
When you slurp food or drinks, you also inhale nitrogen & oxygen (air) it enhanced more flavors to its meal or drinks.....try it. Btw, wild meat (like a pheasant) becomes more tender, the longer it has been rot, three days to a maximum of of a week, between 2 and 7 degrees. Hare or rabbit does not to be eviscerated. Love & P.E.ace from overseas, The Netherlands.
As a Japanese who experienced a major earthquake in Japan, the earthquake scene was certainly shocking. Japan is an earthquake-prone country, and Toranaga=Ieyasu actually experienced a huge earthquake at that time (although I think what is depicted in the drama is fiction...).
No one can know about their pillow session. The whole Japan 9 months later:
Saw someone complain that in the book it pretty much says Buntaro knows that Blackthorne had been with Mariko and this episode wasn’t clear on that, however, I felt that it was definitely implied that he heavily suspected it from the moment Fuji made the remark about how she wasn’t his pillow and he preferred “other women” in a somewhat mocking tone.
I think some of the tension also during the dinner is a result of Buntaro suspecting something had gone on, which is why he seems to go to great lengths to make the point that Mariko is his to do as he pleases with (such as the arrow stunt) and I think he deliberately embarrassed her by making tell Blackthorne her background as both a punishment to her and also to get a reaction out of Blackthorne.
Also I think a couple of themes running through the episode was how we imbue meaning/purpose into our life, words, objects and actions and also how such small and seemingly meaningless things can spiral or extend into things that have a greater impact
Example of something seemingly meaningless is Blackthorne insisting on leaving the bird to hang, its end result left a new friend dead… another example which seems to have gone sort of under the radar is two other things that were seemingly insignificant that also led to the death of the Gardner 1. Rushing to Mariko instead of dealing with the bird himself and 2. The language barrier where Fuji is trying to explain the bird is really starting to smell and he simply says he doesn’t understand and moves on, the scene is humorous at it’s face value but then later you realise had he tried to understand Fuji and not been in a rush he would have been able to address the issue himself and the Gardner wouldn’t have died.
This just became THE show to watch, astonishing episode
The more the plot thickens the better this show gets !
I'm already sad in advance it's gonna have to end soon. I wish there was 5 more seasons to look forward to.
If anything Shōgun success will remind holywood that skillfully crafted character based productions will always win audience heart and engagement over soulless CGI based money pumps (looking at you Disney 🤮)
Thing is, you can actually partially expand on this series too but instead of focusing on the end of the Waring States, they could advance it to the Boshin period.
You can have a descendent of Blackthorn coming to Japan as part of the British advisory corps for the Imperialist cause - that of Chosu and Satsuma, etc.
This will also be quite a fun turn around as it would be him helping to train and form and equip the imperial army that would go into overthrow the shogunate his ancestor helped to form.
- and you can even have descendents of our Japanese characters and blackthorn in Japan be on the Shogunate side.
They could do adaptations of the rest of Clavell's Asian Saga; there's like a half dozen more books set in the same timeline as Shogun that covers a lot of history from Colonial Hong Kong to pre-Islamic Revolution Iran and features similar East vs West culture clash
@@reecedignan8365 OR, you can just follow the progression of James Clavell's "Asian Saga" instead of having to come up with a storyline that are on the same level as the original story.
I agree with your comment it’s just funny to me that this comes from Disney too so they give and they take away
The main white character is a terrible cast. His face and emotions are so dull, awful actor. Ruins the show, but eh, you always need a white guy to save the day.
日本からこの配信を"将軍"を見た後見るのをいつも楽しみにしています。男女の視点で感じることや、興味を惹かれる所が違う事も他のチャンネルにない楽しさがあります。チャプター５ではさらに難解な文化や価値観の違いや、見どころの”刀の献上シーン”がありますが、それをこのコメント欄の皆様も同じく物凄く深い所まで理解していることに驚嘆と感激を感じています。地震ですが日本では本当にあのレベルの地震があり、今年もありました。そしてシーンにあるような土砂崩れもおきました。映像で大げさにしている部分はないです。UA-camでも見れます
動画内で質問にありましたので答えさせていただきました。私は原作は読んでいません。ですがこの作品は違和感なく見ることができます。今後もこのチャンネルを楽しみに拝見させて頂きます。頑張ってください！ありがとう！
Great perspective and explanation. Thank you!
You can really see where GRRM (as he himself stated) got a lot of ideas for Game of Thrones. For instance, Mariko's father was the "Kingslayer," like Jaime Lannister. And Lady Ochiba is basically Cersei Lannister...
Did you catch that the corrupt warlord that Mariko's father killed was the father of Ochiba no Kata (the heir's mother)?
How about the actress playing Mariko expressing so much emotion when she sees Buntaro, without moving a muscle in her face? THAT is worthy of big money and awards.
Trivia: The earthquake scene in the original mini-series actually injured several people. A couple almost died. While digging the trench for the open crevice caused by the earthquake, the trench collapsed on some of the crew.
This entire episode was a ply to Blackthrone authorities and responsibility. He has authority over all in the house yet his it responsibility with his actions due to lack of wisdom cases so much turmoil, the condoning of drinking lead to Mirako being subject to domestic violence, his ignorance to their customs caused the death of his Gardener friend, his ignorance towards their customs caused the destruction of his relationship with Mirako. So much consequence on Blackthorne’s shoulders due to his ignorance towards his authority and responsibility.
I think this best summarizes the episode. This is where Blackthorne realizes how much he can affect other people's lives, when before he's quite a "free spirit".
This episode was HEAVY. And so good!
A little perspective that may or may not be missed in the whole mess in Blackthorne's home....
Fuji, as the consort (or wife if that was the case) is the supreme authority in the home. She's the definition of boss-b@&^$. And as part of that, ANYone who disturbs the peace in the home, save for the one person above her (the man she is wife or consort to) is on her sh^--list. It is her #1 job to keep the home as her lord's refuge and sanctuary.
So, when Buntaro and Mariko got into it... that put Mariko (despite being the victim) on her "get out of my man's house!!" list. Understand also that this is the same Fuji from the first episode who lost her husband and infant child and Mariko was the one to console her... also, Fuji is part of clan Toda, same as Toranaga's number 1 guy and also same as Buntaro. This is also the same Fuji who was ready to put a bullet in Omi if he dared make Blackthorne give up his guns, because the safeguarding of her master's property is 100% her duty... whether that be his guns, his clothes, his money, his home, his servants. Thats why she didnt know but knew that Mariko had slept with Blackthorne (you notice the surprise on her face when it was mentioned the next morning?)... if there was a courtsean it would ONLY have been allowed by HER, Fuji. And she knew of no such courtesan.
It was also her who put the gardener to death for touching the pheasant, because that.was.her.duty.
But she also understood that in carrying out that duty she had somehow failed Blackthorne and the only answer to having dishonored herself in that failure is honor in death.
But he instead dismissed her, so she lives in her dishonor.
This mirrors Mariko's annual asking Buntaro to unalive because of the disgrace on her from what her father did. Ans in much the same light... to do the right thing he broke a cardinal rule.
And to do the right thing, Blackthorne's gardener broke a cardinal rule set by Blackthorne, and the awful duty fell on Fuji's shoulders.
There was a line when Fuji was talking to the servants about buying new cooking knives out of Blackthorne's mishima (his stipend) because she was worried about food contamination with whatever horrors he was doing with his so-called cooking skills. But it is part of her duty to spend his stipend on household needs.
And she hates being bound to Blackthorne, but she is absolutely clear on her duty.
When a dinner scene is more intense than a whole landslide. 😬 But damn thr vfx on that looked good
yes one of the best intense scene till now
That episode was a masterpiece.
I remeber the pheasant from the original mini series :(
We all do. Richard Chamberlain did the devasted agony even better, in my opinion.
Beautiful writing ... god i love this show, I'm already sad that there are only 5 episodes left 😥
I was kinda expecting Lady Ochiba to do an ohohoho laugh at the end. She gave me an ojousama vibe.
Ara ara..🤭
Ochiba No Kata as Fumi is killing it. What a great performance.
Fuji has the best reactioons bro, protect her
"I will give my husband nothing because that is what he merits."
Was waiting for y'all to discuss this because BARS.
Guys something I have learned (and I'm not even sure if is 100% accurate) is that Mariko's husband cursed the house by hiting the entrance post with those two arrows.
As a Japanese I would say that in my opinion, we are more desensitized to earthquakes and landslides. It’s no less tragic, but such disasters are frequently on the news, and it is somewhat expected. (The scene in Shogun is definitely dramatized and an earthquake / landslide on that scale is not something that happens frequently).
One thing that seems strange to me is the way Buntaro is treating Blackthorne considering that Blackthorne is a hatamoto, the highest rank of Samurai. There has been no indication that Buntaro is a hatamoto, and the historical figure that Buntaro is based off of was not hatamoto either. Therefore Blackthorne outranks Buntaro. On top of that Buntaro is a guest at Blackthorne’s house. With this in mind, I think it would have been customary for Buntaro to bow to Blackthorne upon arriving for dinner and thanking him for his hospitality (even if he didn’t sincerely mean it). I guess Buntaro decided to break from traditional manners because he didn’t think such usual manners should be applied to a “barbarian”. Just wanted to emphasize that being a hatamoto was a BIG deal. I may be wrong but my understanding is that although unrealistic, as a hatamoto, Blackthorne would have legally been justified to be judge, jury, and executioner and kill Buntaro for the crime of disrespecting a hatamoto.
Buntaro-sama's behavior at Anjin-san's house seemed realistic to me. John may outrank him in title but Buntaro-sama's seniority way outranks John's. And he literally fought his way and almost sacrifised his life to save his lord Tranaga's life. And he is Japanese and John is not. So by themselves, they're about what they are now. But he put his sword down and bowed down to John because John is a Hatamoto and he is lord Tranaga's gaijin anjin. He knows he can't touch him for now. Legally? Lord Tranaga is the law in his territory. It's his state and he is the lord.
I mean, I think Buntaro is taking advantage of a foreigner because Buntaro knows John doesn't 100% understand the culture.
@@Wasthere73yeah, he was calling him a monkey to his face knowing he didn't understand the language. 😄
I think the arrows show that in spite of drinking that much sake, he was in control. And the reason he gave Blackthorne for hitting Mariko, that he was drunk, was just that… a bullshit reason. And Blackthorne understands that
This is my consideration.
The original story of the gardener's murder in history is based on the story of Buntaro's model, Hosokawa Tadaoki, who was eating in the garden with his own wife, Hosokawa Garasha (who is the model for Mariko), when he became furious at the gardener who was watching his wife and killed the gardener.
The story is more understandable than reality!
確かに細川忠興と細川ガラシャ「鬼の夫に蛇の妻」の逸話がモデルのようですね。「鬼の女房には、蛇がお似合いでしょう」
THANKS for keeping this going, CinePals!!!!!
it's just "pals" now, the "cine" part keeps getting cut real short. 😄
I get the feeling Torunaga is trying to get the nephew killed. 😂
Fujii's chinese character藤 means wisteria.Wisteria flowers are native to Japan and are beautiful and noble.
The show definitely took a different turn here. In the books Toranaga is far more empathetic to Blackthrone as he understands that he values life. Also this was not clearly explained but essentially it's not so much about the bird but the legality of Blackthorne's status. If he were Japanese, there would be no big fuss about it. An order was given, an order was disobeyed and punishment meted out.
However, despite the fact he was made hatamoto by Toranaga. Technically he was not a samurai as he was a foreigner. All hatamoto were samurai however, so the question became a legal issue which eventually got bumped to Toranaga. Toranaga then made things official by adopting Blackthorne into his clan, thus confirming his status as a real samurai and making all of his orders legal. Realizing Blackthrone would feel squeamish about this, he personally lent his blade or his official retainer to oversee the execution of the old gardener to give him a proper send off.
This was made clear to Blackthorne that the gardener died a quick painless death and was honored by the whole village for the privilege of confirming Blackthorne's status as a samurai. Of course none of this registered to Blackthorne at the time due to his western values.
Up until the 18th and 19th century, people had very high audio aqurity, they listened to layers and nuances in language, many common folk could speak multiple languages easily and picked up new language fast. Which i think is how John is learning Japanese so fast, plus he's immersed in the culture too... In fact, the portrayal is he's learning quite slow compared to the real man.
Your breakdown is great!
Watched other videos and your discussion on the episode is better than most.
I keep hearing "its like Game of Thrones" but if anything its the other way arround... Game of Thrones is like Shogun (the Story is way older...) Love your Reactions and Discussions!
I think the events in this episode will be an eye opener for everyone in the cast, particularly for Blackthorn. He knows what mistakes he capable of making, especially when it involves life or death. I loved the sequence when he tries to comfort Fuji, with a look of saying sorry to her and asking forgiveness. I especially loved the music at 26:59, sounds almost alien and chaotic like the times they’re in right now. Love this show
You comment about the impossible obstacle of overcoming one’s own perspective is the point of the whole saga! Blackthorne compares the value of a bird to a human life but everyone else compares the value of a peasant to Toronaga’s proclaimed hatamoto. Until he sees himself as part of this reality, he will continue to blunder. I predict Rodrigues will renter the picture and be the one to open his eyes.
36:58 zzzzzzz good acting isn’t just shouting, crying and baity monologues lol, sometimes it’s much harder to play a restrained character who still needs to be emotionally accessible to the audience, as Anna Sawai has done beautifully in the prior 4 episodes. The way she conveys so much through the smallest twitch on her face/ facial expression is just so impressive to me.
Sorry to say but that assessment of Sawai as an actress is a typical Jaby L.
"Perhaps it is acceptable to boast in his country."
"Then, a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth."
youtube.com/@chrispittman8854 I'm touring in a production of As You Like It right now, funnily enough 🙂
This show becoming appt television. I'm hooked
Mariko and Fuji were eating quickly before dinner because they knew Blackthorn woukd offer them some gross English food for dinner. And the English tradition of letting birds age before eating was still a thing a hundred years ago. I saw a show where they took a modern family and had them live like rich English nobles in the early 1900s. The chef wanted them to try a favorite dish of several day old game birds but the family (probably wisely) refused the dish.
The earthquake just kind of expands why things was so cruel there, leak of resources and ruthless environment
I think it's important to understand all these lords and samurais are free to pillow courtesans and their wives/consorts are completely aware of it, and even encourage it. So when Fuji says the Anjin prefers the company of other women, that's what Buntaro assumes. The thought of Mariko and the Anjin "pillowing" didn't even cross his mind.
seems there weren't any catholic repercussions for it either. though i'm not sure how divorce would work in the sengoku period.
In January...we had an earthquake....Man it was terrifying.......Man,,,,,the worst I have ever felt
The moment that John Blackthorne is fixing the garden: I feel like that moment is when he really embodies the title he was given.
16:20 Mariko's character was based on Akechi Tama / Hosokawa Gracia, daughter of Akechi Mitsuhide, who kill his lord Oda Nobunaga, the Taiko's master.
Actually, Gracia (or mariko in this show) was so cared by her husband, Hosokawa Tadaoki. The reason the Hosokawa clan joined the grand battle of Sekigahara because of gracia's.....(I dont want to spoiler it) 😅
great actors!
Buntaro bowing is better explained in the book and the original 1980s show namely Japanese culture. To dishonor the host is a dishonor to one's person hence why Buntaro swallows his pride to bow to Blackthorne despite his hatred but his apology is not sincere. He only does so because it is expected of him in the face of culture and his honor.
Also what Blackthorne is doing with the pheasant is a cooking technique still common today wherein leaving it to rot will make the meat more tender and tastier. In a way, it showcases how alien Blackthorne's culture is to the Japanese.
Toranaga is sticking with the devil he knows. He's driving a wedge between Yabushige and his nephew.
This show does not miss and better bot get snubbed on the awards!!
I think Uejiro and a spy guy know each other, beacause they talked at beginning this Ep. Uejiro died to protect him and Tranaga, Not just for Blackthorn. In fact, Blackthorn said “If you took this bird you will die” but at same time, they were in the situation that someone have to be sacrificed to keep seacret for Toranaga.
I expect Uejiro worked for a long time for Toranaga, and he knows his life will not longer, that’s why he dicided to die for his loyalty, but he needed a reason for dead so used Blackthorn’s bird issue. Toranaga and a Spy guy are only guys who knows truth, and this is the one of strategy for Tranaga to keep Blackthorn.
Comment from Japan😆
Toranaga knew they wouldn't be able to agree on a new Regent as none of them would want someone who is loyal to one of the others.
6:30 I think Fuji said Anjin is into other women because she overhead Mariko saying in the previous episode that Anjin slept with a courtesan. Although she means no harm to Mariko, this will make Buntaro suspicious of Anjin.
“ The smoke barely left the gun” 😂😂😂