On January 5th, 2025, history was made. For the first time a Japanese Actor won a title in the Golden Globes. FX’s “Shogun,” is a show that depicts Japanese history in the 1600s on the cultural and political tension between the Japanese society and European traders, particularly the English and the Portuguese. This show is the most recent adaptation of the novel, “Shogun” authored by James Clavell. In this samurai era, it was one of the most violent period in Japan where there was a imbalance of political power due to Taiko’s death– invoking in a civil war and power grabs. This show consists elements of loyalty, violence, betrayal, and romance that perfectly highlights the history and the effect of European interest in Japan.
The show grew massive attention not just locally in Japan, making a whopping box office of $456.8 million. Globally, it has made views of 9 million within the first 6 days of it’s release on February 17th, 2024. Moreover, history was made when four actors won golden globe titles. With the most recognition, Japanese Actor, Hiroyuki Sanada, was awarded Best Actor in a Drama Series due to his role in Shogun–making him the first ever Japanese man to win this title. The series were able to claim three other wins given such as the show being awarded as the Best Television Series (Drama), Actress, Anna Sawai for best Actress, and Tadanobu Asano for Best Leading Actor. The show is currently streaming exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu. The show is highly recommended to people who enjoy watching Japanese history specially on Samurai culture or want to learn Japanese through watching TV–however its Japanese maybe outdated and ancient compared to today’s Japanese.
