About

Shōgun is a limited series based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell produced by FX and streamed on Hulu. The story is set in Japan in the year 1600 at the dawn of a century-defining civil war. Upon release in early 2024, the series was met with fairly positive reviews from both the audience and critics. Online, the show's political and dramatic tone sparked some debates, jokes and inspired fans to share memes about their expectations of the show.

History

Shōgun^[1] was originally announced on August 3rd, 2018, during the Television Critics Association press tour^[2] by FX chief John Landgraf. The show's first trailer was released on November 3rd, 2023, on FX^[3] YouTube channel, amassing 12 million views and 75,000 likes in four months.

The 10-episode limited series is set in feudal Japan and follows "the collision of two ambitious men from different worlds and a mysterious female samurai." Shōgun's first two episodes premiered on^[4] on February 27th, 2024.

Reception

Shōgun's first two episodes drew positive reviews from critics, scoring an 83 score on Metacritic^[5] and a 100 score on Rotten Tomatoes^[6] based on 53 reviews. Yahoo News^[7] journalist Roxy Simons stated that "Shōgun is a masterpiece that deserves every bit of your attention," while the Screen Rant^[8] review said the show "should be a priority watch, as it dazzles us with political intrigue, culture, and an intensity that brings everything together nicely."

Online Presence

The series' two-episode premiere on February 27th, 2024, became a viral topic on social media, as netizens started to share their thoughts and expectations for the series, with a fair amount of posts comparing the limited series' dramatic tone with HBO's Game of Thrones_. For example, on February 27th, 2024, X^[9] page @PhysicalMedia posted the show's trailer paired with the caption "#SHOGUN is one of the most groundbreaking masterpiece of television I’ve seen since Game Of Thrones." The post (shown below) amassed over 29,000 views and 266 likes in a day.

People who just watched the show's first episodes also shared their excitement about it on X. For example, on February 28th, 2024, X^[10] user @DaveMcNamee3000 posted a picture (shown below, left) of Tom Cruise as a samurai paired with the caption "Me after watching Shogun," which amassed more than 4,700 likes and 313 retweets in a few hours. On the same day, X^[11] user @ExileGrimm posted an image of Timothy Olyphant as ‘White Sushi Chef’ from The League FX show paired with the caption "Me telling the group chat they need to see Shogun ASAP." The post (shown below, right) amassed roughly 9,400 likes and 785 retweets in a few hours.

Related Memes

Mariko Translates Blackthorne's Rant

Mariko Translates Blackthorne's Rant refers to a series of caption memes that parody the scenes in which the Shogun character Lady Mariko translates Portuguese to Japanese for John Blackthorne. In memes, which use a reaction image of the two standing next to each other in traditional Japanese garments and the caption above, Mariko gives an abridged translation of Blackthorne's rants about sports and other topics.

Search Interest

External References