Once upon a time, Shogun was a cultural phenomenon.
In 1980, James Clavell’s bestselling novel, which sold 15 million copies, was adapted into a television event that few have matched. Nearly a third of American households tuned in to watch an unforgettable fiction unfold in feudal Japan.
While this year’s big-budget remake may never reach that level of popularity, it is one of the few series released in the past several years that feels worthy of that honour.
The 10-episode mini-series was declared the most immersive epic since Game of Thrones by dozens of rave reviews before its premiere on Disney+ on Tuesday. It also improves greatly on the original – and addresses the many criticisms levied against it, particularly by the Japanese.
For a show this consistently brilliant, we have husband and wife co-creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo to thank. But was this the result of a meticulously laid-out plan? Far from it.
“It was chaos,” Kondo admits to The National.
She adds: “In hindsight, it’s like: ‘Look how clever you guys are for building this machine!’ But no, we built the mechanism through which we told the story as we were telling the story. We would make mistakes, acknowledge them and correct them over and over again."
Or, as her husband puts it: “We were still building the car as we drove it – no, as we were learning to drive it!”
The thing is, they wouldn’t trade that chaos for anything. In many ways, that’s exactly how Shogun became such a resounding success.
It begins in 16th century Osaka; their leader has died, with no heir old enough to replace him. The local governors are now jockeying for power – which puts a target on the back of the charismatic and wily Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada).
Meanwhile, a British navigator named John Blackthrone has crash-landed nearby, much to the ire of the resident European merchants, who fear he may expose their secret treachery against their supposed allies the Japanese.
The only way for the two to survive is to join forces against their powerful enemies.
The show was supposed to be filmed, like the original, in Japan. But then the pandemic happened and everything changed. Marks and Kondo had to instead build their car in the middle of the Canadian wilderness, and make it feel as Japanese as possible.
“The pandemic happened about three weeks after we got out of the writers' room, and then we spent about a year and a half sitting on our hands, trying to figure out a plan for how we could execute this,” says Marks.
“Fortunately, in that time, I think it gave us a lot of opportunity for some navel-gazing.”
Firstly, they started interrogating their story and thinking about the many criticisms levied the first go-around. Secondly, the story would no longer focus primarily on Blackthrone’s perspective. The Japanese characters were now just as integral, and they prioritised cultural authenticity above all else – even beyond what the original text offered.
“We really started focusing on cultural nuance,” Marks adds. "We turned the pages again and again, speaking with our Japanese producers, Japanese cultural advisers, language advisers and historical advisers to really even beyond where the book was towards a place of greater authenticity."
In Mark’s view, however, this was not as flawed a narrative as some had claimed. This was about enriching the material, not rejecting it.
“When we dug deeper into the book, it was pretty amazing for both of us to see just how far ahead of his time Clavell was,” Marks explains.
“He was very focused on this idea of how do we encounter other cultures? And how do we encounter ourselves in these other cultures? I don’t think it’s a white saviour narrative. Rather, it's an interesting counterpoint to that narrative."
He adds: “Everything that happens may have happened regardless of whether Blackstone landed there in the first place. The journey for him is really towards acceptance and towards surrender to all he can’t control, which we think is a pretty modern message to today."
Kondo agrees, adding: “We were asking the same questions that Clavell was, but in our case, we were trying to ask those questions from the filter of today, with modern experiences in mind.”
And since they could not bring themselves to Japan to bring that message to life, Japan came to them – that they made sure of.
“Everyone had devoted their careers to Japan, including the art department, hair, make-up, wardrobe," says Marks.
"Then every day we would find some other place we were lacking, and then find someone else who was an expert on that thing and fly them over. It was all done on the basis of intuition and accepting what we didn’t know."
The shoot itself was difficult – going on for months longer than the original plan – but they would not have traded the unwieldy weather of the wilderness for anything.
Marks adds: “It was a rough winter, but that was everything we asked for. It was this beautiful, untouched landscape, and we leaned into that. In fact, on the days it wasn’t raining, we brought in the rain, because we had to maintain the wet, beautiful, misty energy that we were going for with this show."
Kondo adds: “This is a timeless story in so many ways. We just wanted to create a timeless show to go with it."
Shogun's first two episodes are now streaming on Disney+ Middle East, with new episodes released every Tuesday. The first episode is available to stream without a subscription.
DUBAI WORLD CUP RACE CARD
6.30pm Meydan Classic Trial US$100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
8.15pm Dubai Sprint Listed Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,200m
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group Two $450,000 (D) 1,900m
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,800m
10pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm Well Of Wisdom
7.05pm Summrghand
7.40pm Laser Show
8.15pm Angel Alexander
8.50pm Benbatl
9.25pm Art Du Val
10pm: Beyond Reason
UAE%20athletes%20heading%20to%20Paris%202024
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEquestrian%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAbdullah%20Humaid%20Al%20Muhairi%2C%20Abdullah%20Al%20Marri%2C%20Omar%20Al%20Marzooqi%2C%20Salem%20Al%20Suwaidi%2C%20and%20Ali%20Al%20Karbi%20(four%20to%20be%20selected).%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EJudo%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMen%3A%20Narmandakh%20Bayanmunkh%20(66kg)%2C%20Nugzari%20Tatalashvili%20(81kg)%2C%20Aram%20Grigorian%20(90kg)%2C%20Dzhafar%20Kostoev%20(100kg)%2C%20Magomedomar%20Magomedomarov%20(%2B100kg)%3B%20women's%20Khorloodoi%20Bishrelt%20(52kg).%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECycling%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESafia%20Al%20Sayegh%20(women's%20road%20race).%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESwimming%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMen%3A%20Yousef%20Rashid%20Al%20Matroushi%20(100m%20freestyle)%3B%20women%3A%20Maha%20Abdullah%20Al%20Shehi%20(200m%20freestyle).%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAthletics%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMaryam%20Mohammed%20Al%20Farsi%20(women's%20100%20metres).%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
The specs: 2018 Peugeot 5008
Price, base / as tested: Dh99,900 / Dh134,900
Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 240Nm @ 1,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2-litre%204-cylinder%20petrol%20(V%20Class)%3B%20electric%20motor%20with%2060kW%20or%2090kW%20powerpack%20(EQV)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20233hp%20(V%20Class%2C%20best%20option)%3B%20204hp%20(EQV%2C%20best%20option)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20350Nm%20(V%20Class%2C%20best%20option)%3B%20TBA%20(EQV)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMid-2024%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETBA%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
5 of the most-popular Airbnb locations in Dubai
Bobby Grudziecki, chief operating officer of Frank Porter, identifies the five most popular areas in Dubai for those looking to make the most out of their properties and the rates owners can secure:
• Dubai Marina
The Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence are popular locations, says Mr Grudziecki, due to their closeness to the beach, restaurants and hotels.
Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh482 to Dh739
Two bedroom: Dh627 to Dh960
Three bedroom: Dh721 to Dh1,104
• Downtown
Within walking distance of the Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa and the famous fountains, this location combines business and leisure. “Sure it’s for tourists,” says Mr Grudziecki. “Though Downtown [still caters to business people] because it’s close to Dubai International Financial Centre."
Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh497 to Dh772
Two bedroom: Dh646 to Dh1,003
Three bedroom: Dh743 to Dh1,154
• City Walk
The rising star of the Dubai property market, this area is lined with pristine sidewalks, boutiques and cafes and close to the new entertainment venue Coca Cola Arena. “Downtown and Marina are pretty much the same prices,” Mr Grudziecki says, “but City Walk is higher.”
Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh524 to Dh809
Two bedroom: Dh682 to Dh1,052
Three bedroom: Dh784 to Dh1,210
• Jumeirah Lake Towers
Dubai Marina’s little brother JLT resides on the other side of Sheikh Zayed road but is still close enough to beachside outlets and attractions. The big selling point for Airbnb renters, however, is that “it’s cheaper than Dubai Marina”, Mr Grudziecki says.
Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh422 to Dh629
Two bedroom: Dh549 to Dh818
Three bedroom: Dh631 to Dh941
• Palm Jumeirah
Palm Jumeirah's proximity to luxury resorts is attractive, especially for big families, says Mr Grudziecki, as Airbnb renters can secure competitive rates on one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations.
Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh503 to Dh770
Two bedroom: Dh654 to Dh1,002
Three bedroom: Dh752 to Dh1,152
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
%3Cp%3EMATA%0D%3Cbr%3EArtist%3A%20M.I.A%0D%3Cbr%3ELabel%3A%20Island%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Manchester City 4
Otamendi (52) Sterling (59) Stones (67) Brahim Diaz (81)
Real Madrid 1
Oscar (90)
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
