|
Post by ironhammer on Apr 5, 2024 0:59:55 GMT -5
Shogun episode 8 preview:
|
|
|
Post by volleyguy on Apr 5, 2024 1:08:24 GMT -5
Saw episode 7 of Shogun. Toranaga really has his back against the wall now, after asking his estranged half-brother for help except that half-brother has his own ideas. The shock twist ending with a major character being killed off...not sure what to think of that. Still, there are hints Toranaga isn't out of options yet, as he seem to have a secret plan in store, given his chat with the madam of the local brothel... The premise that Toranaga had a secret plan played a prominent part in this episode, but in the end, it doesn't seem clear at all that there is a plan. I thought that the brothel keeper was going to reveal some information to Toranaga that would allow him to formulate such a plan, but that is not how that scene played out.
|
|
|
Post by ironhammer on Apr 5, 2024 8:23:09 GMT -5
Saw episode 7 of Shogun. Toranaga really has his back against the wall now, after asking his estranged half-brother for help except that half-brother has his own ideas. The shock twist ending with a major character being killed off...not sure what to think of that. Still, there are hints Toranaga isn't out of options yet, as he seem to have a secret plan in store, given his chat with the madam of the local brothel... The premise that Toranaga had a secret plan played a prominent part in this episode, but in the end, it doesn't seem clear at all that there is a plan. I thought that the brothel keeper was going to reveal some information to Toranaga that would allow him to formulate such a plan, but that is not how that scene played out. Or maybe they don't want to make any secret plan too obvious and predictable for the audience just yet...instead just giving us hints about Toranaga...
|
|
|
Post by volleyguy on Apr 5, 2024 10:14:55 GMT -5
The premise that Toranaga had a secret plan played a prominent part in this episode, but in the end, it doesn't seem clear at all that there is a plan. I thought that the brothel keeper was going to reveal some information to Toranaga that would allow him to formulate such a plan, but that is not how that scene played out. Or maybe they don't want to make any secret plan too obvious and predictable for the audience just yet...instead just giving us hints about Toranaga... Yeah, it seems that there has to be something that happens, and Toranaga’s reputation as a clever foe has been played up throughout, as well as the idea that Mariko has a special role to play in the plan. Anyway, I enjoyed the episode a lot. The plot just didn't play out as quickly as I thought it was going to.
|
|
|
Post by ironhammer on Apr 9, 2024 22:08:10 GMT -5
Finished watching episode 8, seems like its the set up for the final showdown between Toranaga and Ishido. If the tragic death of major character in episode 7 was a shock, then we got more shocking deaths in episode 8, this time, it hits even harder emotionally. You could see for the first time, how much of an impact that has on Toranaga. But just when you thought Toranaga has resigned to defeat...well, we get another twist in the plot.
The tea ceremony scene between Buntaro and Mariko was also heartfelt. Mariko finally gets the chance to tell it straight to her abusive husband, if anything, I can't believe the scene actually made me feel a little sympathetic to the wife-beater husband of hers, quite a feat, I have to say.
I also like how Blackthorne is having an identity crisis now and don't know where he truly belongs. It's his instinct to survive though, which keeps him going, even turning to unsavory characters, to ensure his head remains on his body.
|
|
|
Post by volleyguy on Apr 9, 2024 22:48:33 GMT -5
Finished watching episode 8, seems like its the set up for the final showdown between Toranaga and Ishido. If the tragic death of major character in episode 7 was a shock, then we got more shocking deaths in episode 8, this time, it hits even harder emotionally. You could see for the first time, how much of an impact that has on Toranaga. But just when you thought Toranaga has resigned to defeat...well, we get another twist in the plot. The tea ceremony scene between Buntaro and Mariko was also heartfelt. Mariko finally gets the chance to tell it straight to her abusive husband, if anything, I can't believe the scene actually made me feel a little sympathetic to the wife-beater husband of hers, quite a feat, I have to say. I also like how Blackthorne is having an identity crisis now and don't know where he truly belongs. It's his instinct to survive though, which keeps him going, even turning to unsavory characters, to ensure his head remains on his body. What a great episode—the best one yet. The acting is superb and the plot really came into focus, even though there’s still plenty of room for a lot more twists and turns. Toranaga granting the Church a plot of land in Edo to build their Church right next to the new brothel was a master stroke.
|
|
|
Post by ironhammer on Apr 9, 2024 23:15:25 GMT -5
Finished watching episode 8, seems like its the set up for the final showdown between Toranaga and Ishido. If the tragic death of major character in episode 7 was a shock, then we got more shocking deaths in episode 8, this time, it hits even harder emotionally. You could see for the first time, how much of an impact that has on Toranaga. But just when you thought Toranaga has resigned to defeat...well, we get another twist in the plot. The tea ceremony scene between Buntaro and Mariko was also heartfelt. Mariko finally gets the chance to tell it straight to her abusive husband, if anything, I can't believe the scene actually made me feel a little sympathetic to the wife-beater husband of hers, quite a feat, I have to say. I also like how Blackthorne is having an identity crisis now and don't know where he truly belongs. It's his instinct to survive though, which keeps him going, even turning to unsavory characters, to ensure his head remains on his body. What a great episode—the best one yet. The acting is superb and the plot really came into focus, even though there’s still plenty of room for a lot more twists and turns. Toranaga granting the Church a plot of land in Edo to build their Church right next to the new brothel was a master stroke.I like that it shows the wily Toranaga can play tricks against the Catholics when they least expected.
|
|
|
Post by ironhammer on Apr 10, 2024 21:08:16 GMT -5
A big battle scene is coming up, if the adaptation is faithful to the novel about the event that is to occur in Osaka. And if they stick to what happened in the book, another big shock is coming...
Episode 9 preview:
|
|
|
Post by ironhammer on Apr 11, 2024 23:08:36 GMT -5
My friend noticed how Mariko and Buntaro had to crawl or kneel to get inside the tea room and wonder why the entrance was so small.
If I am not mistaken, Japanese tea houses/rooms have intentionally small entrances, no more than 2 feet by 2 feet, forcing guests to crouch and kneel to enter (which was the way Mariko and Bunataro entered the tea house). Supposedly, it was designed that way so that people of different ranks and hierarchy can become relative equals inside the tea house, which is meant as a separate world away from everyday life. The idea being that, if everyone, regardless of their social status, enters the tea room the same way, a sort of nominal equality is established inside the tea house.
Btw, Buntaro is based on the real-life samurai Hosokawa Tadaoki, just as Mariko was based on Tadaoki's wife, Hosokawa Gracia, who in real life was also a Catholic. Whether Hosokawa Tadaoki was also an abusive husband as Buntaro was, I am not sure. But the real life Hosokawa Tadaoki was known to be an expert in the tea ceremony, being a disciple of the tea master Sen no Rikyū (who tragically was ordered to commit seppuku by the taiko Toyotomi Hideyoshi over some supposed offence he committed.) So in that aspect of tea ceremony, Buntaro was historically accurate to his real-life counter-part.
|
|
|
Post by volleyguy on Apr 11, 2024 23:30:25 GMT -5
I have experienced a similar tea house experience (there were ultimately more people). My entrance was exceedingly ungraceful because the entrance was designed for someone 5' 6" or less, but I did my best. Nevertheless, as a recovering Catholic, I found the subsequent experience to be meditative and calming.
The episode notes say that there is a tragic death in this episode, suggesting that perhaps Mariko sacrifices herself (the trailer shows her being heavily outnumbered as she wields the spear-like weapon that was highlighted in her backstory) in order to ensure the release of the hostages being held by Ishido/Lady Ochiba. I suspect there is much more significance to her fate than simply releasing the hostages--perhaps something very personal and significant relative to Lady Ochiba.
|
|
|
Post by mikegarrison on Apr 12, 2024 0:21:22 GMT -5
The episode notes say that there is a tragic death in this episode, suggesting that perhaps Mariko sacrifices herself (the trailer shows her being heavily outnumbered as she wields the spear-like weapon that was highlighted in her backstory) in order to ensure the release of the hostages being held by Ishido/Lady Ochiba. As I recall from the book, your suspicions here are correct.
|
|
|
Post by ironhammer on Apr 12, 2024 0:23:33 GMT -5
The episode notes say that there is a tragic death in this episode, suggesting that perhaps Mariko sacrifices herself (the trailer shows her being heavily outnumbered as she wields the spear-like weapon that was highlighted in her backstory) in order to ensure the release of the hostages being held by Ishido/Lady Ochiba. As I recall from the book, your suspicions here are correct. You do want to spoil the plot, do you? What the fate of Mariko actually is though...I am not going to say, hehehe.
|
|
|
Post by mikegarrison on Apr 12, 2024 0:25:02 GMT -5
As I recall from the book, your suspicions here are correct. You do want to spoil the plot, do you? Spoilers for a novel that was written 50 years ago?! Spoiler alert: Even though Elizabeth Bennett can't stand Mr. Darcy and turns down his first marriage proposal, in the end she agrees to marry him.
|
|
|
Post by volleyguy on Apr 12, 2024 0:29:21 GMT -5
You do want to spoil the plot, do you? Spoilers for a novel that was written 50 years ago?! Spoiler alert: Even though Elizabeth Bennett can't stand Mr. Darcy and turns down his first marriage proposal, in the end she agrees to marry him. It's ok. I understand that this Shogun version has already veered from the original novel and the 80's show as well.
|
|
|
Post by ironhammer on Apr 12, 2024 0:29:47 GMT -5
You do want to spoil the plot, do you? Spoilers for a novel that was written 50 years ago?! Spoiler alert: Even though Elizabeth Bennett can't stand Mr. Darcy and turns down his first marriage proposal, in the end she agrees to marry him. Yes, plenty of people haven't read Shogun. And its not 50 years. Its 49. And that Jane Austin novel is lke 200+ years old, far older than Shogun, so not quite comparable I might add.
|
|