Film & TV

‘Shogun’ Won Over a U.S. More Accepting of Diversity and Subtitles, Says Hollywood Journalist

Katie Yu/FX via AP
Left: This image released by FX shows Eita Okuno as Saeki Nobutatsu, from left, 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.”

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:49 JST, September 17, 2024

One Hollywood-based film journalist attributes the success of “Shogun,” which won a record 18 Emmy Awards for its first season, to social change in the United States, such as increasing emphasis on diversity and a growing familiarity with subtitles.

“Viewers, especially younger viewers, no longer have a problem with seeing Asian actors on the screen who may be unfamiliar to them, and they are getting used to reading subtitles,” said Yuki Saruwatari.

But Saruwatari said the biggest reason the series dominated the Emmys was its storyline.

“There are fierce power struggles and maneuvering, which reminds people of ‘Game of Thrones,’ a globally popular TV drama,” she said.

“The art and depictions of Japan are of course amazing, but if the story was boring, the show would not have been so well received.”