Janice Strong

I wasn’t sure I would like this after it was somewhat mangled in the 1980s version. Stayed on the bench until episode 3 and decided that I loved the character and story development, the sets, costumes, attention to details, in customs and rituals. Very pleased that the focus is on Mariko and Tonagara, as they are the primary players in this political game. The Anjin’s cultural blunders, behaviors, are just a method used by the screenwriters and directors to create other opportunities to explain and demonstrate the beliefs and the worldview of the period and to highlight the subtleties of the game Tonagara is playing. Anjin is impulsive and Tonagara and Marko are playing a long game. It is brilliant. Definitely a drama and not, so far, for an audience who is impatient and just wants battle scenes. Loved the book, but that was 40 yrs ago. This adaptation is perfect at episode 7. Note; Mariko doesn’t have 1/2 of Lucy Liu’s killer instinct.

Love this. Even though it is sometimes unrealistic, I have been binging. Can’t wait for the next season I read a review that said they hated it because it was sexist, racist, and just plain mean. This person obviously never lived in the 50s and 60s. This show absolutely touched on the realities in those years. As a matter of fact, I found it interesting and refreshing that women and minorities in this alternate history were able to cross those barriers, much more rapidly than in the real world. Keep it coming.

After the horrible job that they did with the last movie, this was absolutely amazing. They still needed more time to build the characters and explain the story, but given the length and breadth of the book, they did an excellent job. It might have been difficult to follow for somebody who hasn’t read the book.