Shogun remake

[Riceball]

did Japan go to war with Korea after the events of series? I can't see what story they could pump out that would be interesting, we know how it ends.

That's the thing, the series (and the book it's based on( is set at the tail end of the Sengoku Jidai which was a period of near constant civil war in Japan that lasted for at least a century. Shortly after the series ends the battle of Sekigahara happens and Toranaga/Tokugawa wins and ushers in the Edo Jidai which was a very long period of peace and there is no more major wars and no real political intrigue. Tokugawa/Toranaga becomes shogun and his clan retains full power up until Emperor Meiji comes to the throne in the 1800s and starts opening up Japan to the West.

So unless they deviate completely from history and start making up stuff, there wouldn't be anything interesting to tell in a second season. The end of S1 is the end of the story because nothing else of real interest happens except for the Battle of Sekigahara. But I don't think that you could base an entire series on just a single battle, even if it was a major one. And not to mention that writers for series based on existing source material don't tend to do well when they have to start making things up.

 

[janglesworthy]

Maybe if they went back in time and made it an anthology show using the same actors as different characters at various points in time pre book it could work.

 

[joberg]

That's the thing, the series (and the book it's based on( is set at the tail end of the Sengoku Jidai which was a period of near constant civil war in Japan that lasted for at least a century. Shortly after the series ends the battle of Sekigahara happens and Toranaga/Tokugawa wins and ushers in the Edo Jidai which was a very long period of peace and there is no more major wars and no real political intrigue. Tokugawa/Toranaga becomes shogun and his clan retains full power up until Emperor Meiji comes to the throne in the 1800s and starts opening up Japan to the West.

So unless they deviate completely from history and start making up stuff, there wouldn't be anything interesting to tell in a second season. The end of S1 is the end of the story because nothing else of real interest happens except for the Battle of Sekigahara. But I don't think that you could base an entire series on just a single battle, even if it was a major one. And not to mention that writers for series based on existing source material don't tend to do well when they have to start making things up.

They could simply started the new series by combining images of the major battle with a V.O. describing it and the century lasting peace period...until Emperor Meiji comes into power in the 1800s.

 

[Riceball]

They could simply started the new series by combining images of the major battle with a V.O. describing it and the century lasting peace period...until Emperor Meiji comes into power in the 1800s.

That would make for one boring season then since I'm not aware of anything of note happening after the Battle of Sekigahara and the establishment of the Tokugawa/Toranaga Shogunate.

 

[joberg]

That would make for one boring season then since I'm not aware of anything of note happening after the Battle of Sekigahara and the establishment of the Tokugawa/Toranaga Shogunate.

Right; that's why that V.O. should be rather short and sweet. Take it from the the time of the back-scene scheming of Meiji acceding the throne of power and the ensuing conflicts.

 

[Riceball]

Right; that's why that V.O. should be rather short and sweet. Take it from the the time of the back-scene scheming of Meiji acceding the throne of power and the ensuing conflicts.

And we'd have like 30 minute long, 1 episode season.

But word is that FX wants a S2 and has greenlit it. But no word on casting or plot outside of Hiroyuki Sanada staying on board as producer. But despite normally being a positive person about such things, I don't have high hopes for the quality of S2. Several of the more interesting characters are gone and the story pretty much ended at the end of S1. I don't have any faith that they'll be able to craft an original story of their own unless they skip over Toranaga and Blackthorn's story altogether and find something else of note during the Edo Jidai to base the second season on.

 

[HeartBlade]

Meiji Restoration period is really interesting imo with a lot of cool and iconic individuals that would be fan favorites for both the Japanese and Western audience. Would be cool to see Shinsengumi.

Its not like a period of piece is automatically boring since there would be challenges to rule but I agree it would not make for good television, especially for the current audience. It would be like going from Lord of the Rings to Margin Call (both very good films but for very different audiences).

 

[Solo4114]

That's the thing, the series (and the book it's based on( is set at the tail end of the Sengoku Jidai which was a period of near constant civil war in Japan that lasted for at least a century. Shortly after the series ends the battle of Sekigahara happens and Toranaga/Tokugawa wins and ushers in the Edo Jidai which was a very long period of peace and there is no more major wars and no real political intrigue.

Hold on a second! There is absolutely political intrigue, but a lot of it has to do with internal family dynamics. The succession of the third Tokugawa shogun has already been fodder for a terrific film (Shogun's Samurai, later adapted into a TV show: Yagyu Clan Conspiracy). It's not like there aren't any worthwhile stories to tell from the Tokugawa shogunate after Ieyasu wins.

The end of S1 is the end of the story because nothing else of real interest happens except for the Battle of Sekigahara.

I think it's debatable that nothing interesting happened, but also I suspect that they will, indeed, make stuff up. While Shogun is very clearly an analogue for the end of the sengoku jitai and the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate, it's also very clearly different. I mean, Blackthorne wasn't a real person, Toranaga is very clearly not a real person, etc., etc. So, that gives them license to play around a bit.

The thing is, it stops being "Shogun" and becomes "Fictional Tales of Quasi-Historical Japan." The book ends (fairly anticlimactically, I'll add) and, well...that's it. Terrific book, but the ending is abrupt.