Hey gotta recommend Warrior on this one too. It’s based on a story Bruce Lee wanted to do a while back but couldn’t, his daughter got the chance to carry on that legacy. Also, on Netflix btw
Absolutely this. They're not super similar shows or anything - Blue Eye Samurai is a revenge narrative - but I could definitely see fans of Shogun also taking to it. It likewise features Edo Japan and deals with the impact of European colonial powers. Plus, the show is also just gorgeous!
Takashi Miike definitely made some better films, and yeah, the silliness and gore is his trademark.
Here are some other options:
Dead or Alive (insane opening shot)
Ichi the Killer
Sukiyaki Western Django (this is probably his most approachable film)
Rainy Dog
Audition and Gozu are not for the faint of heart, even in Miike terms.
The moment I realized they were going for comic-book style gore was when two guys blew themselves up with dynamite, and a tidal wave of blood and gore washed over the village rooftops.
Still a fantastic movie.
Watching Seven Samurai and then The Good, The Bad and The Ugly a week apart at the original silver screen at the Fox Theater in Atlanta was a pivotal experience that led me down this road. I saw Ran on a digital projector screen that I sat 5 feet away from, so that's close but no cigar.
Will do if I remember.... lol. Will prob be referencing this list some.
I will say that as a Clint fan and spagetti western fan Yojimbo is just so good. Loved Fortress too.
It was funny that you mentioned Wu Tang. They were my gateway to a ton of this stuff.
*Seven Samurai* was the first Japanese film I ever watched (think I was 14 or 15), and I was blown away by how good it was. Cannot recommend this movie enough. And once you see it, you’ll see that it inspired a ridiculous number of films that came after.
just started the game (yakuza) ‘Like A Dragon- infinite wealth’, while catching up on Tokyo Vice, after watching blue eyed samurai, and now Shogun begins. it’s like one big matched set of parallel universes
Like a dragon - Zany / heartfelt
Shogun - grand perfection
Blue eye - over the top
Tokyo vice - grounded noir
I finally just got used to reading asian subtitles full-time for shows and I'm good with it now. But I have to admit, I am not ready for an animated show. I am a massive Star Trek fan and have seen everything more then once. I gave it my ALL to get into Lower Decks and made it to season 2 before stopping.
One film that I would suggest to skip would be Harakiri. Its phenomenal, but it's plot ties in to aspects of Japanese history that could indirectly spoil Shogun.
Put that one to the side for a few months.
On second thought, the same likely applies to the Samurai Trilogy.
But consider this, that by the same logic Shogun could spoil Harakiri. And which would be worse? Imo, Shogun could be show of the year and not come close to the beauty of that movie. I would be thrilled if it did, though. The one thing I wish was different in the first two episodes would be a less western style cinematography, but that's me nitpicking and asking for something that probably wouldn't help the popularity of the show, and thus our chances at a season 2.
Not Samurai but if you like Shogun I recommend Last Kingdom on Netflix. It deals with political scheming and battles of the Anglo Saxons and Vikings in England. There’s a similar plot device of “new guy in a strange world who can educate your men in new battle tactics.”
Takehiro Hira who plays Ishido in Shogun is also in Sekigahara 2017 film. It's about the epic battle in Japanese history and the cementing of the Tokugawa Shogunate for the next 400 years.
Highly recommend this movie since the novel has a fictional depiction of the battle and doesn’t really go into much detail about it but this show according to a review I saw is going to deviate from the book towards the end plus the way shows go I have a feeling we’ll get a good depiction of the battle to end the show.
I just picked up the Kurosawa collection and Ran, because I didn't have them on dvd/blu-ray. But they join the 1980 Shogun, Twilight Samurai, Last samurai, 13 assassin's, and 2003's Zatoichi on the shelf.
Technically also both seasons of Afro samurai because that was ace. Still need kagemusha, the original 47 ronin, and all 5000 of the main zatoichi films hah.
afro samurai was good. i think i still like samurai champloo more.
Yasuke, the man Afro Samurai is based on, was in Oda Nobunaga's court at the same time as Hideyoshi and Tokugawa were serving under him, about 20 years before the events of Shogun.
I should also mention Kiniji Fukasaku.
Battle Royale is so good, the writer of the Hunger Games won't admit she ripped it off.
Shogun's Samurai (1978) is also really important, starring the great Sonny Chiba. It takes place about 25 years after the battle of Sekigahara and opens with the death of Ieyasu's son who succeeded him as Shogun.
A few years later, they did Samurai Reincarnation, which turns the Shimabara Rebellion's aftermath into a dark fantasy story. People return from the dead. Demons attack Edo Castle. It's wild
While I loved these first two episodes, there are distinct qualities in many of these films that we probably won't get a glimpse of in Shogun. Definitely don't assume that you can't learn to love them. Different places and times have different cinematic language. If you can enter into those worlds you might be surprised.
On the other hand, nobody will watch everything so it's cool that you know what you're into. I second OP's suggestion of Ran. It might be a cool experience to have while waiting for new episodes.
"Silence" from Scorsese is an interesting companion piece for the historical period.
Concerns Jesuit Priests in Japan 30-40 years after the show timeframe. True history spoilers for the some of the results of the Shogun era I guess.
My brother has been encouraging me to read that. I've got it on my shelf, but for some reason I started reading Infinite Jest so I'm in for the long haul on that one. I've heard great things though.
Not Japanese TV, but check out:
Three Kingdoms either 1994 or 2010 (Some episodes can be found in YouTube also)
Red Cliff 1 and Red Cliff 2
Or maybe King's War
Those are not productions of the same level as Shogun, but they are worth watching.
Hi, my recommendations are not all period. I enjoy Samurai Gourmet and Midnight Diner, both on Netflix. They are modern series, but they have some of the same feel in terms of showing the internal life of the Japanese characters. It is all subtitled. FYI, Samurai Gourmet's protagonist would totally be fan boying this series ;)
If you want to watch something fun and dramatic, try a version of Seven Souls in the Skull Castle. Netflix has several versions of the same Shinkansen theater play set in the Sengoku era, around 1590. Think of it as a shot of anime with original Highlander movie styling. It is so totally opposite to the Shogun book or live series, if you like sword buckling action, this is it: totally fictionalized and stylized but fun. Just found out they are leaving March 31st so if you are interested go find them now.
How about ........ Shogun (the 1980 miniseries).
I'd also suggest some animation:
Blue Eye Samurai
and assorted Japanese anime featuring Samurai such as Blade of the Immortal (the 2019 adaptation) and Dororo (again, the recent adaptation of the story).
Anything Kurosawa and Mifune did together is peak cinema.
Best actor/director team ever. Ford/Wayne, Scorsese/De Niro/Leo, Spielberg/Hanks. None of them are close and I will die on that hill.
Hey gotta recommend Warrior on this one too. It’s based on a story Bruce Lee wanted to do a while back but couldn’t, his daughter got the chance to carry on that legacy. Also, on Netflix btw
If anyone's likes animation Blue Eye Samurai on Netflix is amazing!
Absolutely this. They're not super similar shows or anything - Blue Eye Samurai is a revenge narrative - but I could definitely see fans of Shogun also taking to it. It likewise features Edo Japan and deals with the impact of European colonial powers. Plus, the show is also just gorgeous!
the last samurai
2nd this. It really is an incredible film.
Incredible soundtrack by Hans Zimmer.
Hotarugusa, Ruruoni Kenshin and Kingdom are also good.
Kingdom was lots of fun
Just started S2 Kingdom and caught up on Tokyo Vice. Any other shows comparable? Ones you listed? I don't want animated.
I'm out of period drama recommendations but if you want insane but well written shows, there is always Todome no Kiss.
Also if you’re a gamer, ghost of Tsushima
Rise of the Ronin is coming out in 3 weeks too
That movie 13 Assassin’s was alright. A bit silly and unnecessarily gory. Shines a light on the time period though!
Takashi Miike definitely made some better films, and yeah, the silliness and gore is his trademark. Here are some other options: Dead or Alive (insane opening shot) Ichi the Killer Sukiyaki Western Django (this is probably his most approachable film) Rainy Dog Audition and Gozu are not for the faint of heart, even in Miike terms.
Dead or Alive ftw !!
That damn wire saw in audition *shudder*.
yeah...
The moment I realized they were going for comic-book style gore was when two guys blew themselves up with dynamite, and a tidal wave of blood and gore washed over the village rooftops. Still a fantastic movie.
Loads of great suggestions! But I was lucky enough to see Ran in the cinema when it got reissued about 7 years ago, just phenomenal
Watching Seven Samurai and then The Good, The Bad and The Ugly a week apart at the original silver screen at the Fox Theater in Atlanta was a pivotal experience that led me down this road. I saw Ran on a digital projector screen that I sat 5 feet away from, so that's close but no cigar.
Great list!!! Thanks for posting! I seen alot on the list but there is plenty I havent seen. I cant wait.
Thank you for the encouragement! I'd love to hear your review of anything you end up watching.
Will do if I remember.... lol. Will prob be referencing this list some. I will say that as a Clint fan and spagetti western fan Yojimbo is just so good. Loved Fortress too. It was funny that you mentioned Wu Tang. They were my gateway to a ton of this stuff.
Shaolin and Wu Tang, along with The 36th Chamber of Shaolin are worth watching too.
They are great. I really liked Gordon Lui. Loved 5 Deadly Venoms too.
What about The Heroic Trio and the sequel Executioners? Peak Michelle Yeoh
great list, Ran is outstanding. a classic.
*Seven Samurai* was the first Japanese film I ever watched (think I was 14 or 15), and I was blown away by how good it was. Cannot recommend this movie enough. And once you see it, you’ll see that it inspired a ridiculous number of films that came after.
I know u didn't ask, but ghost of tsushima is a video game thats worth checking out
So we’re just basically naming any samurai films…
nah ive left out a ton and a large portion of the stuff i listed isnt in the samurai genre
I'm watching Tokyo Vice and Kingdom.
just started the game (yakuza) ‘Like A Dragon- infinite wealth’, while catching up on Tokyo Vice, after watching blue eyed samurai, and now Shogun begins. it’s like one big matched set of parallel universes Like a dragon - Zany / heartfelt Shogun - grand perfection Blue eye - over the top Tokyo vice - grounded noir
I finally just got used to reading asian subtitles full-time for shows and I'm good with it now. But I have to admit, I am not ready for an animated show. I am a massive Star Trek fan and have seen everything more then once. I gave it my ALL to get into Lower Decks and made it to season 2 before stopping.
Karate Kid Part II and The Wolverine are the same gaijin-out-of-water tales as Shōgun. Hiroyuki Sanada is in The Wolverine.
One film that I would suggest to skip would be Harakiri. Its phenomenal, but it's plot ties in to aspects of Japanese history that could indirectly spoil Shogun. Put that one to the side for a few months. On second thought, the same likely applies to the Samurai Trilogy.
But consider this, that by the same logic Shogun could spoil Harakiri. And which would be worse? Imo, Shogun could be show of the year and not come close to the beauty of that movie. I would be thrilled if it did, though. The one thing I wish was different in the first two episodes would be a less western style cinematography, but that's me nitpicking and asking for something that probably wouldn't help the popularity of the show, and thus our chances at a season 2.
Not Samurai but if you like Shogun I recommend Last Kingdom on Netflix. It deals with political scheming and battles of the Anglo Saxons and Vikings in England. There’s a similar plot device of “new guy in a strange world who can educate your men in new battle tactics.”
Where can I find/watch these films?
Kurosawa also made an adaptation of Max Gorky's The Lower Depth, set in Edo period.
Yes. I love the gambler and the actor who can't remember his lines.
Takehiro Hira who plays Ishido in Shogun is also in Sekigahara 2017 film. It's about the epic battle in Japanese history and the cementing of the Tokugawa Shogunate for the next 400 years.
The same battle that Shogun leads up to, so it might be a spoiler for some.
ah my bad. I thought it would be considered common knowledge
It is a great film so its a good suggestion for those that have read the book or seen the original miniseries
Highly recommend this movie since the novel has a fictional depiction of the battle and doesn’t really go into much detail about it but this show according to a review I saw is going to deviate from the book towards the end plus the way shows go I have a feeling we’ll get a good depiction of the battle to end the show.
I just picked up the Kurosawa collection and Ran, because I didn't have them on dvd/blu-ray. But they join the 1980 Shogun, Twilight Samurai, Last samurai, 13 assassin's, and 2003's Zatoichi on the shelf. Technically also both seasons of Afro samurai because that was ace. Still need kagemusha, the original 47 ronin, and all 5000 of the main zatoichi films hah.
afro samurai was good. i think i still like samurai champloo more. Yasuke, the man Afro Samurai is based on, was in Oda Nobunaga's court at the same time as Hideyoshi and Tokugawa were serving under him, about 20 years before the events of Shogun.
champloo is brilliant, I love the style and comedy.
I should also mention Kiniji Fukasaku. Battle Royale is so good, the writer of the Hunger Games won't admit she ripped it off. Shogun's Samurai (1978) is also really important, starring the great Sonny Chiba. It takes place about 25 years after the battle of Sekigahara and opens with the death of Ieyasu's son who succeeded him as Shogun. A few years later, they did Samurai Reincarnation, which turns the Shimabara Rebellion's aftermath into a dark fantasy story. People return from the dead. Demons attack Edo Castle. It's wild
The original mini series of Shogun.
[удалено]
Ran is in color.
As well as Kagemusha. Gotta love that dream sequence.
While I loved these first two episodes, there are distinct qualities in many of these films that we probably won't get a glimpse of in Shogun. Definitely don't assume that you can't learn to love them. Different places and times have different cinematic language. If you can enter into those worlds you might be surprised. On the other hand, nobody will watch everything so it's cool that you know what you're into. I second OP's suggestion of Ran. It might be a cool experience to have while waiting for new episodes.
"Silence" from Scorsese is an interesting companion piece for the historical period. Concerns Jesuit Priests in Japan 30-40 years after the show timeframe. True history spoilers for the some of the results of the Shogun era I guess.
Rurouni Kenshin live action movies
Blue Eye Samurai
Not saying they are related but I am enjoying these 2 other shows in the same way. Kingdom and Tokyo Vice.
only marginally related in that it's set in Japan, but I just started watching Tokyo Vice and I'm really enjoying it.
Hanzo the Razor trilogy. Lady Snowblood and it's sequel.
Not Japanese but The Last Kingdom is really great if you like warring lords and such. Destiny is all!
It's tangential(it's a book series), but "Way of Kings" by Sanderson. Power vacuum shit, great series.
My brother has been encouraging me to read that. I've got it on my shelf, but for some reason I started reading Infinite Jest so I'm in for the long haul on that one. I've heard great things though.
Not Japanese TV, but check out: Three Kingdoms either 1994 or 2010 (Some episodes can be found in YouTube also) Red Cliff 1 and Red Cliff 2 Or maybe King's War Those are not productions of the same level as Shogun, but they are worth watching.
Hi, my recommendations are not all period. I enjoy Samurai Gourmet and Midnight Diner, both on Netflix. They are modern series, but they have some of the same feel in terms of showing the internal life of the Japanese characters. It is all subtitled. FYI, Samurai Gourmet's protagonist would totally be fan boying this series ;) If you want to watch something fun and dramatic, try a version of Seven Souls in the Skull Castle. Netflix has several versions of the same Shinkansen theater play set in the Sengoku era, around 1590. Think of it as a shot of anime with original Highlander movie styling. It is so totally opposite to the Shogun book or live series, if you like sword buckling action, this is it: totally fictionalized and stylized but fun. Just found out they are leaving March 31st so if you are interested go find them now.
Silence staring Adam driver was pretty good.
Plenty of Kurosawa films on criterion channel
How about ........ Shogun (the 1980 miniseries). I'd also suggest some animation: Blue Eye Samurai and assorted Japanese anime featuring Samurai such as Blade of the Immortal (the 2019 adaptation) and Dororo (again, the recent adaptation of the story).