Left: This image, released by FX, shows Eita Okuno as Saeki Nobutatsu, from left to right, Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko, Hiromoto Ida as Kiyama Ukon Sadanaga in a scene from “Shogun.”
Right: This image, released by FX, shows Hiroyuki Sanada as Yoshii Toranaga, center, in a scene from “Shogun.”
12:49 JST, September 17, 2024
A Hollywood film journalist attributes the success of Shogun, which won a record 18 Emmy Awards for its first season, to societal changes in the United States, such as an increasing emphasis on diversity and growing awareness of subtitles.
“Viewers, especially younger viewers, no longer have a problem seeing Asian actors on screen that they may not know, and they are becoming accustomed to reading subtitles,” said Yuki Saruwatari.
But Saruwatari said the main reason the series made the Emmys so popular was the storyline.
“There are intense power struggles and maneuvers going on, which reminds people of ‘Game of Thrones,’ a globally popular TV drama,” she said.
“The art and the depiction of Japan are of course amazing, but if the story had been boring the film wouldn’t have been as well received.”
