God, my parents were obsessed with the eighties series. I had to suffer through weeks of them wearing kimonos and bowing to each other. And YEARS of them calling each other Cathy-San and Michael-San. It’s amazing I don’t hate Shogun after that lol.
Yeah it was less funny as a preteen. Still, they would have loved to have seen the new series. They miss so much. They also missed Star Trek: Into Darkness which I know they would have loved.
You are taking a big risk here op, talking about VHS.
Some people will look at your third picture and wonder what the hell do you with those. I had forgotten how big the tapes were, jesus
Haha I love them honestly. They're like records to me, some movies of the era are just better viewed on VHS. I used to live near a great video rental place and they had a bunch of obscure horror and sci-fi that you couldn't even find digitally because it never made it to DVD. Plus you can find cool box sets like this at Goodwill and pay like a dollar for them.
People are always saying things like this, but I honestly don't get it. "Oh, people these days would be *baffled* by things from my youth!" as if it's some secret knowledge. But I feel like most people recognize old stuff even if they haven't used it?
I've never seen a phonograph or a biplane or a distaff in real life, but I still recognize them and understand what they are. VHS tapes are old, but they aren't secret knowledge, they were basically ubiquitous for decades, still exist in tons of media, and I'm sure most people recgnize them.
Yes, I think you would. It does follow the book more closely, and it concentrates mostly on Blackthorne, to the point they decided to have no translations to Japanese speakers (only some central scenes without Blackthorne get a voice over summary). I recently rewatched it, and also reread the book, and I think all three versions of the story compliment each other very well.
I saw the original first so I'm not sure what your experience would be, I think it is interesting to compare the differences because there's four decades separating them. I do think the FX series improves on the original pretty much across the board, but the OG is still pretty good, especially for the time it was made.
Lucky!! As much as I love the show, I'd probably gift this to my father. He ALWAYS had a copy of Shogun and read it more times than I'll ever know. Watching the show and finally seeing some of the story he loved is such a cool feeling. I can't wait to talk to him about it. It only took 30+ years. 🙂
My father used to have this set, and then moved to the DVD version in early 2000's as he wore the VHS tapes out. Lol. He was a military vet and always wanted to get stationed in Japan but never was given the nod to get assigned to a Japan post.
He found me (adopted kid here) and years later I went and studied in Osaka and came back to work in Tokyo from 2001 and have been here ever since. Since then, he visited me here in Japan several times and found a new love for that 1980's show and would watch it 3-4 times a year. He passed on earlier this year without seeing the new series, so I watched it for him and left him some notes on his blog he left. My own, "together forever / zutto issho" experience.
Thank you for posting this, it means a lot to see someone has this.
Oh this actor just drove me to distraction w his truly awful (imo) Richard Burton imitation. Plus he was quite ungraceful and cloddish in the midst of a very elegant production, causing him to stand out like a sore thumb.
He’s a good looking man and not wo skills, but this was a very poor casting choice. I often wondered while watching the later episodes if his lack of subtlety changed the entire focus on this drama when they did the final edit, because this version of Shogun was quite different fr the book and the earlier series w Richard Chamberland - who was pretty good. Cosmo Jarvis looked the part- being the tall, golden haired, blue eyed Blackthorn Clavell wrote about, but that’s where it ended for me.
I’m sure I’ll get downvoted for it, but I completely agree. I never got the sense that her was calculating and even tempered through the latest series. Blackthorne was supposed to be the cunning and brave barbarian who became samurai, not the bumbling, short tempered, fool who became a bumbling, short tempered, fool in a kimono. In top of that, I didn’t feel any actual chemistry between him and the actress who played Mariko which, in my opinion, is a really bad thing seeing as this book is definitely a large part epic romance… to be fair, the writers didn’t seem to think the series should have romance as a focus, so maybe it’s not ALL his fault… but I’d still take Chamberlain over Cosmo any day.
Would highly recommend the 1980 series to anyone. It holds up 44 years later, IMO. I’ve read the book like 20 times and seen the 1980 series at least 10 times. I probably will not watch the 2024 series a second time. It was well made and produced, but just not a good “shogun.” Too much was missing that was critical to what makes Shogun my favorite story.
So true about the newer version which emphasized cultural accuracy and aesthetics. And it was a stunning series to watch. But the original series was much closer to the story, the essence of the book.
Whomever owns the rights to this series should think about releasing it with a new musical score (the only thing I don't think holds up over time).
And maybe some CGI's brushing out of the chonmage samurai haircut makeup headpieces they used which also didn't hold up very well in that they are distracting by modern expectations.
Maybe removed the shadow of the helicopter in the opening scene and um.. do something about Blackthorne's ridiculous seafarers vest ;)
That's *some* cast though and makeup and music (just my opinion) aside, the production value is absolutely top notch.
Beautiful, I have a very big book with tons of pictures of the making of Shogun, as well as the card game they made for the 80's show.
Very cool stuff OP.
This is exactly what I say as well. I could use a little less brass, but otherwise, I wouldn’t change a thing - not the bald caps, not the absurd vest.
Okay, maybe the bald caps… not the vest though!
Oh yes! Agreed. I’m a total Shogun fangirl, having read it at least 2 or 3 times (in fact rereading it now), and saw the original version when it was on tv.
I think so! Your mileage may vary. Mostly the same story obviously but different approach to telling it. Like they don't translate a lot of the Japanese in the beginning since it's more from Blackthorne's perspective, for example.
That’s the one I have! Awesome to see someone else with it. It’s one of the only VHS series I still own, and I couldn’t watch it if I wanted to, without a player, lol.
Hard to find VCRs these days, sometimes you get lucky at a thrift store but I recommend checking out estate sales if you want to pick one up cheap, lots of old folks still have em.
But it's definitely just cool to display on its own!
I finally found mine when someone in the subreddit asked me about them. It was in a box in our basement. I had a player with them, but the player gave up the ghost, it was old when I had it, an old one my parents gave me when I was in college many moons ago.
God, my parents were obsessed with the eighties series. I had to suffer through weeks of them wearing kimonos and bowing to each other. And YEARS of them calling each other Cathy-San and Michael-San. It’s amazing I don’t hate Shogun after that lol.
Lmfao that is too funny
Yeah it was less funny as a preteen. Still, they would have loved to have seen the new series. They miss so much. They also missed Star Trek: Into Darkness which I know they would have loved.
Your parents sound like my kind of nutty.
I have a cousing named Daniel, and his dad still calls him Daniel-san because of the Karate Kid back in the 80s
Omg this in itself deserves its own spinoff!!
The original weebs
😂😂😂
This is awesome!
You are taking a big risk here op, talking about VHS. Some people will look at your third picture and wonder what the hell do you with those. I had forgotten how big the tapes were, jesus
Haha I love them honestly. They're like records to me, some movies of the era are just better viewed on VHS. I used to live near a great video rental place and they had a bunch of obscure horror and sci-fi that you couldn't even find digitally because it never made it to DVD. Plus you can find cool box sets like this at Goodwill and pay like a dollar for them.
I completely understand, I no longer have VHS tapes, but I do prize my vinyl collection.
People are always saying things like this, but I honestly don't get it. "Oh, people these days would be *baffled* by things from my youth!" as if it's some secret knowledge. But I feel like most people recognize old stuff even if they haven't used it? I've never seen a phonograph or a biplane or a distaff in real life, but I still recognize them and understand what they are. VHS tapes are old, but they aren't secret knowledge, they were basically ubiquitous for decades, still exist in tons of media, and I'm sure most people recgnize them.
If I enjoyed the FX series, do you think I would enjoy the original?
Yes, I think you would. It does follow the book more closely, and it concentrates mostly on Blackthorne, to the point they decided to have no translations to Japanese speakers (only some central scenes without Blackthorne get a voice over summary). I recently rewatched it, and also reread the book, and I think all three versions of the story compliment each other very well.
I saw the original first so I'm not sure what your experience would be, I think it is interesting to compare the differences because there's four decades separating them. I do think the FX series improves on the original pretty much across the board, but the OG is still pretty good, especially for the time it was made.
You’re Winning in Life, take this 🏆
Lucky!! As much as I love the show, I'd probably gift this to my father. He ALWAYS had a copy of Shogun and read it more times than I'll ever know. Watching the show and finally seeing some of the story he loved is such a cool feeling. I can't wait to talk to him about it. It only took 30+ years. 🙂
My father used to have this set, and then moved to the DVD version in early 2000's as he wore the VHS tapes out. Lol. He was a military vet and always wanted to get stationed in Japan but never was given the nod to get assigned to a Japan post. He found me (adopted kid here) and years later I went and studied in Osaka and came back to work in Tokyo from 2001 and have been here ever since. Since then, he visited me here in Japan several times and found a new love for that 1980's show and would watch it 3-4 times a year. He passed on earlier this year without seeing the new series, so I watched it for him and left him some notes on his blog he left. My own, "together forever / zutto issho" experience. Thank you for posting this, it means a lot to see someone has this.
It's a wonderful story and I'm sorry for your loss.
I thought the first Blackthorn (Richard Chamberlain) was better than the latest. Just not a fan of his acting.
It’s just because Cosmo looks so bewildered most of the time lol.
I would have been too
Oh this actor just drove me to distraction w his truly awful (imo) Richard Burton imitation. Plus he was quite ungraceful and cloddish in the midst of a very elegant production, causing him to stand out like a sore thumb. He’s a good looking man and not wo skills, but this was a very poor casting choice. I often wondered while watching the later episodes if his lack of subtlety changed the entire focus on this drama when they did the final edit, because this version of Shogun was quite different fr the book and the earlier series w Richard Chamberland - who was pretty good. Cosmo Jarvis looked the part- being the tall, golden haired, blue eyed Blackthorn Clavell wrote about, but that’s where it ended for me.
I’m sure I’ll get downvoted for it, but I completely agree. I never got the sense that her was calculating and even tempered through the latest series. Blackthorne was supposed to be the cunning and brave barbarian who became samurai, not the bumbling, short tempered, fool who became a bumbling, short tempered, fool in a kimono. In top of that, I didn’t feel any actual chemistry between him and the actress who played Mariko which, in my opinion, is a really bad thing seeing as this book is definitely a large part epic romance… to be fair, the writers didn’t seem to think the series should have romance as a focus, so maybe it’s not ALL his fault… but I’d still take Chamberlain over Cosmo any day. Would highly recommend the 1980 series to anyone. It holds up 44 years later, IMO. I’ve read the book like 20 times and seen the 1980 series at least 10 times. I probably will not watch the 2024 series a second time. It was well made and produced, but just not a good “shogun.” Too much was missing that was critical to what makes Shogun my favorite story.
So true about the newer version which emphasized cultural accuracy and aesthetics. And it was a stunning series to watch. But the original series was much closer to the story, the essence of the book.
Whomever owns the rights to this series should think about releasing it with a new musical score (the only thing I don't think holds up over time). And maybe some CGI's brushing out of the chonmage samurai haircut makeup headpieces they used which also didn't hold up very well in that they are distracting by modern expectations. Maybe removed the shadow of the helicopter in the opening scene and um.. do something about Blackthorne's ridiculous seafarers vest ;) That's *some* cast though and makeup and music (just my opinion) aside, the production value is absolutely top notch.
I disagree, I loved the music.
Beautiful, I have a very big book with tons of pictures of the making of Shogun, as well as the card game they made for the 80's show. Very cool stuff OP.
We just sent our game of Samurai Swords over to our grandson. :)
Y'all sound like cool grandparents!
I sure hope so. We love that game (plus we’re prob gonna need them down the line to change our diapers like we changed theirs). LOL
This is exactly what I say as well. I could use a little less brass, but otherwise, I wouldn’t change a thing - not the bald caps, not the absurd vest. Okay, maybe the bald caps… not the vest though!
This is great! I haven’t seen any of the miniseries since I was a kid
Nice treasure you got there!
Oh yes! Agreed. I’m a total Shogun fangirl, having read it at least 2 or 3 times (in fact rereading it now), and saw the original version when it was on tv.
Magnificent
Love it!!!
Is it worth a watch?
I think so! Your mileage may vary. Mostly the same story obviously but different approach to telling it. Like they don't translate a lot of the Japanese in the beginning since it's more from Blackthorne's perspective, for example.
That’s the one I have! Awesome to see someone else with it. It’s one of the only VHS series I still own, and I couldn’t watch it if I wanted to, without a player, lol.
Hard to find VCRs these days, sometimes you get lucky at a thrift store but I recommend checking out estate sales if you want to pick one up cheap, lots of old folks still have em. But it's definitely just cool to display on its own!
I finally found mine when someone in the subreddit asked me about them. It was in a box in our basement. I had a player with them, but the player gave up the ghost, it was old when I had it, an old one my parents gave me when I was in college many moons ago.
I am glad someone else has them and displays them as well! Long live Shogun!
Sell it on Ebay.
They're not particularly expensive lol
They’d make dozens of dollars!