Stella Claxton

I’m 5 episodes in to Shogun and am very much enjoying the visual and cultural aspects of the show. The textiles, costumes and aesthetics of architecture and interiors are beautiful, and the cinematography gorgeously depicts the Japanese landscape, even in the rain, presenting a smudged and delicate view. The rituals and social hierarchies are fascinating depicting a seemingly brutal but stoical culture. However I’m struggling to understand the plot as it’s difficult to remember who’s related to who, and I don’t feel that the context to the story is sufficiently covered at the start. Also, sometimes the subtitles during the Japanese dialogue either don’t come up or disappear too quickly. I may have to read the book, or at least an abridged version, to make sense of the plot, but intend to carry on watching to the end.