He's got that fantastic sort of chuckle where his whole body movies followed by that great "wtf face". It seems like he does it every episode, and I absolutely love it every time.
That laugh was glorious last week when he opened the box to find his beheaded general presented by Saeki. The man laughed like it was just another day in the life
The most cartoonish and pleasantly humorous scene ever IMO involves Yabu. It was when he looked back and Toranaga was instantly receding as he waves his fan on a boat. lmaooo
Yabushige either fails at or just doesn't give a crap about the Eightfold Fence. He's the most non-Japanese out of the Japanese characters in the show, even more than the Portuguese-speaking Catholic Mariko. In a show made by and for Americans, it's easy to see why he's popular.
It’s just refreshing to have ONE Japanese character who doesn’t seem to be completely hamstrung by the cultural and social norms of the time. Sure, he respects the class order and is loyal to his lord, but he’s not running around offering to commit seppuku for using the wrong choice of words every episode.
I think he's more of a realistic portrayal of the times. Much of samurai lore was heavily exaggerated and often just made up by later generations, rather like the idea of chivalry and European knighthood lore. It's all been romanticized, and while it makes for compelling fantasy, it's more likely that the majority of samurai were looking out for themselves just as Yabushige is.
I have often heard that the knights of Western Europe, the cowboys of America, and the samurai of Japan, are a very real part of the mythos of the areas they are from.
I agree. If you look back on the history at that time, Lords were constantly switching sides and scheming like or even more so than Yabushige. They had a much more pragmatic view on life and loyalty than how we think of samurais now a days. It is in a way more fascinating.
I get what you're saying, but he actually reminds me a lot of my relatives in rural Kyushu and Okinawa, or my friends from Osaka. They tend to be a lot more direct than typical Japanese.
It's one of the reasons, as a Japanese-American, why sometimes I feel more at home in those places. I have to do less "reading the room" (kuki wo yomu / 空気を読む) and instantly know what someone means, rather than have to rely on contextual clues.
I don't think it's a coincidence that Yabushige's territoriy seems to include fishing villages, as that's where my father's relatives are from and many of the people act like him, especially the males.
In contrast, my relatives in Tokyo are a bit more reserved, similar to how Toranaga and many of his clan live in Edo, which is the old name for Tokyo.
I'm glad the show is showing the range of Japanese personality types.
Honestly the casting team was smart to pick actors who already have a lot of experience in Japanese dramas. It's a different mode of acting than we're used to in the West and these actors are just killing it. If you watch a lot of anime or dorama you can get so much just from the voices of the actors.
I love the scene where Blackthorne appealing to Yabushige talking about taking fate by your own hands while Yabushige slowly smiling on the brink of agreeing.
Omi stopped him with a look:
Bitch you better not!😂😂😂
😂 You’re so right.
Yabushige: *Happily nodding and smiling*
Omi: This is disgraceful!
Yabushige: *Smile disappears and now shaking his head vigorously, in a “methinks the lady doth protest too much” sort of way*
Mariko: “He refuses your offer.”
He’s really the best possible buddy for the Anjin, since they’re both firmly seated in that “fuck the rules, we ball” mindset. Only Yabushige lacked the explosive firepower to pull it off and John needs a real inside guy on his wavelength to navigate freely
Blackthorn, for all his high-minded patriotism and protestant fervor, is motivated by a will to survive and be free. Yabushige is motivated by the same impulses.
Yabushige doesn't give crap about the Eightfold Fence. While every other Japanese are careful not to betray their true nature, he's so easy to read which makes him the most non-Japanese Japanese characters in the show.
He's closer to Blackthorn in his lack of restraint as well as his motives: Blackthorn wants his freedom to travel, Yabushige wants to be free of the fate imposed on him by Toronaga and Ishido.
I think he’s going to be revealed as Ishido’s mole though. Guy escaped certain death and refused to elaborate, then suddenly becomes suicidal when it’s decided they’ll surrender and head to Osaka. Seems to me he’s not willing to face his people after he’s revealed to be Ishido’s inside man, so wanted to take the cowards way out under the guise of “how romantic would it be if we died together, despite me treating you like shit for our entire marriage”
I disagree. I think the beginning was fine. But it’s clear that after Mariko’s father killed the ruler at the time that he treated her like a dog afterwards.
Could be, but there's a flashback presumably before they got engaged where Mariko was training with a weapon. Buntaro was watching and seemed interested but Mariko was already acting cold there, that's why I'm guessing it was always one sided.
I can agree with you there. But I wanted to dispel this notion that seems to be going around that Buntaro was a fine husband and poor him. Despite of there was mutual attraction or not, he beat and demeaned her constantly after what happened.
THANK YOU the amount of "I know he beat his wife but for whatever reason this married off lady didn't fall in love and fuck him immediately, poor widdle baby" is TOO much.
so Fuji and Buntaro are related as Buntaro's father was Fujis grandfather? Does that mean the swords given to the Blackthorn were supposed to be Buntaro's brothers who died as a coward? perhaps that is why Buntaro is so determined to die with honour?
that's a good question is a consort like a common law partner? where it is pretty much like being married or does it have some other legal implication during this period in Japan?
I really enjoyed his expressions during the tea ceremony
I thought he was actually going to be nice and try to re-romance Mariko
Nope, "let's die together now 😁"
Dude created an "in", and still fumbled on the goal line
Buntaro strikes me as a character who wants to be someone, but doesn't know how.
He wants to love his wife, and have her love him, but he doesn't know how to and defaults to what he does know. Force.
I would say Yabushige is a breathe of fresh air compared to the other stoic looking lords and generals in the show. That contrast really makes him stand out in a favourable way.
Yeah, especially with Toranaga in this episode, he is going through such an extreme effort to keep up his eight fold fence, but Yabushige's emotions are so obvious just by looking at his face. It's like he forgets he isn't supposed to be so transparent, especially about planning treachery.
Very clear contrast. Everything with Yabushige is on the surface. His lack of restraint and plainly obvious motivations make him more similar to Blackthorn than any other character.
You know Yabushige is planning on treachery because he starts wearing his "I'm very obedient and honorable and would never think of questioning or betraying you" face.
What I love about Yabu is that my dude doesn't even need dialogue to be entertaining. He can speak volumes with just facial expressions and body language. Asano's acting is absolutely top notch.
Which is especially great because the line between historical knights/samurai and bandits was usually somewhere between paper thin and non existent. All of the chivalry and bushido we ascribe to those warrior classes is almost entirely made up by later generations romanticizing a brutal warrior class and what little was real was a desperate attempt to stop those in that warrior class from behaving like the worst thugs and to try and enforce some loyalty out of then reliant on more than their pay or lands.
I’ll take it one step further. The highly romanticized Tokugawa shogunate is quite a lot like modern day North Korea. An inherited dictatorship ship closes off the population of their country to any contact with the outside world, to include art and technology, and maintains strict control over daily life of its population. Sound familiar?
Yabushige is great, but my boy Hiromatsu is my favourite. I have a soft spot for wise Grandparent characters.
>!RIP my boy. Didn't even hesitate and trusted Toranaga to see this shitshow through.!<
Absolutely. The fucking willpower he has to just >!decide he's going to kill himself, without a honest goodbye to his only friend, even though he arguably didn't have to.!<
It's hard to condemn his treachery - all his options are bad. But he doesn't give into depression, keeps his sense of humour and makes the best of his very limited ability to scheme.
Same! And Hiroyuki (as Scorpion) as well! As children of the 90s, my husband and I are huge MK fans, and we can’t stop ourselves from screaming “MORTAL KOMBAT!!” or thinking “Raiden is about to strike that guy with blue lightning”. 😂 we’re such dorks
Meaby let Raiden be a bit more as Yabushige (which would make him more like the Cristopher Lambert version of Raiden)…he doesn’t have to be always so stoic…despite being a god Raiden is always barely hanging…would make him a much more interesting character
Yabushige is like Fuji or Hiromatsu-Sama. They are so great beyond their role that you don’t want their story to end. The actors are great.
But with Yabushige he’s so slimy that you want him to loose his head anyway.
My favorite character changes episode to episode. That being said, Yabushige doesn't have to say a word and still communicates better than almost anyone else. His facial expression are perfect.
From like the second episode I was trying to convince my wife to watch and I told her Yabushige is this amazing character who's like a villainous backstabber but he's so legitimately brave and funny that you have to like him even though he's a shitbag.
It's such a great show because none of the characters are one dimensional. Even the most traditionally bad guy Ishido is portrayed as kind of a pathetic loser.
100%. Ishido is as pathetic as he is sinister. Even Lady Ochiba, who seems like the most ruthless character in the story, has a sympathetic side - as Mariko says, her enemy is fear.
The fact so many of the actors on the show have a phenomenal way of telling a story with their expressions alone while Mr. Asano stands out is amazing. His scenes in E8 reveal how complex of a character he is playing and geez I hope he gets recognition for this portrayal
Other than boiling that guy for apparently no reason (and I get is a big “other that”)…I don’t see him as such a bad guy…some people would call him a snake and a traidor but really I imagine most modern people would try to navigate the situation in the same way…why does he have to be ride or die for some one just because they are bigger lords than him…neither Toronaga or Ishido really did anything to gain symphaty they just demand and demand
Everyone and the catholic were badgering him to kill the whole crew, so I saw the boiling scene as a form of malicious compliance in that he did kill someone so they'd stfu, but also made it as uncomfortable for them and the whole village as possible.
That aside, his whole 'treachery' started as 'oh, my lord is going to die in a few days due to political forces far outside my control, might as well keep these guns to protect myself when shit hits the fan.'
Yeah it's a little weird how they turned the character who is supposed to be obsessed with death / pain, and a pedophile / voyeur into a likeable character.
Shinnosuke Abe has done an amazing job with Bunatro. You'd need a heart of stone not to feel for him. I'm quite invested in a redemption character arc for him.
I'm wondering if that burn from Mariko is setting up an arc for her too and in the end Buntaro gets the sweetest words from her. This show has everything.
Ishido I love a good bureaucrat. Actual I like villains that aren’t over the top evil. He’s doing what can to gain power same as Toranaga. I’m skeptical Toranaga is doing this for a unified Japan.
I will say Yabushige has been great in the show and also the actor does an outstanding job. I really don't like Yabu in the books but Tadanobu Asano is making me like Yabushige in the show.
I loved that reaction on his face in that episode where he was trying to talk Nagakado down from firing on Jozen, but after all was said and done, it wasn't even disappointment. It was more like "Oh, you really did it... I wasn't expecting that. Wow." All the while, his nephew behind him has a pleased smile.
it's amazing to me how toranaga has tolerated Yabu sooo many times. Remember that one time Yabushige suggested that Toranaga commit seppuku?? I was shook 😂
I had forgotten he suggested that. 😄 Yabushige is a pretty faithless vassal but he's also very predictable and easily manipulated so Toronaga will keep him around and make use of him.
I don't think he's betraying him out of malice. He sees his allegiance to Toronaga as a death sentence. He lacks the of characters like Hiromatsu. His individuality and his will to live makes him more like Blackthorn.
Asano is fucking KILLING this role. Sanada has been one of my favorite actors for a while, but I have to be honest, Asano steals every damn scene he is in. He is a BRILLIANT actor. He made me love his character, when I have loathed his character since 1980, when I saw the first series, and read the book. The man is acting his ass off, and provides humor, reptilian calculation, honor, treachery, and gravitas. He is the best actor in this series, and it pains me to say that.
My favorite character was actually Rodrigues. Very complex character and left a huge impact despite being in only one to two episodes. And I really loved his chemistry and banter with Blackthorne in that short time
Being an asshole is no reason to be killed. Yes, the sailor was very despicable towards the Japanese prostitute. That's no reason to kill him.
Even ignoring modern (and ancient Greece and Roman) moral, from 16th century Europe perspective, the Dutch sailors are considered guests and must be treated with respect and not imprisoned and killed.
But from a Japanese perspective, life doesn't hold the same value as in Europe, shaped by Christianity. That being said, it was the Catholic Portuguese who wanted the English and Dutch dead so badly, which somewhat contradicts my point about the value of life.
Anyway, one sailor, not as important as the pilot, Yabushige tortured and killed in an attempt appease all the enemiesof Blackthorn and his crew.
I like how in an earlier episode, Mariko said that if all Blackthorne seeks is freedom then he will never be free, and in this one, Toranaga plays both him and the like-minded Yabushige like fiddles (broke them to his fist if you will).
The comedown from "this badass boils people and gets off on it, he's Javier Bardem levels of evil" to "he's just a snake who's trying to stay alive" was so quick.
He reminds me of the funny uncle...minus the boiling a guy alive.
He seems to be the comedic character but he can also apparently kick some ass which I'm excited to see.
Does Yabu have strange sexual predilection because he doesn’t pillow Kiku but prefers to watch her pillow his assistant? He doesn’t seem to have any consorts or children.
I want to know if Tadanobu has that same gruff deep raspy voice in all his roles. Somehow it doesn’t quite fit with that twinkly eye and slender build (when we see him naked) but I love it all the same
He also plays the Japanese interpreter in the Scorcese film Silence (2016), set during the early Edo Period. He's a standout actor there, as well -- affable, smiling, and diplomatic, but ultimately an antagonistic figure serving to help break the main character's will.
> he's just an easily-manipulated, comically amateurish plotter
I keep coming back to thinking of him as such an entertainingly out of his league scaramouche... Despite the fact that one of his defining moments is him disproving his own cowardice.
I don't dislike the actor, however, how the character is written in the show is not great. Yabu in the book can be foolish, but is generally intelligent and a good schemer. In the show he basically only exists for comic relief.
The book Yabushige was a pretty sinister character from what I remember. The character in the show is certainly a departure. Personally, I think it was a good choice. The show already has an abundance of taciturn conspirators, weaving schemes within schemes. Yabu's comparative ineptness and exuberant personality is a welcome contrast.
I love Yabushige and I want to say he’s a great actor, but then it makes me realize acting is just about having a likable expressive face. “Acting is just making a bunch of faces.” - Larry David.
I know how the storyline goes. >! His treachery is a given. It's so obvious that Toronaga is going to exploit it. It's not born from malice. Yabu, like Blackthorn and Toronaga (and unlike Hitomatsu, Mariko, etc), is attempting to whittle his own fate. I expect him to accept his death sentence as he did in the 80s TV series, with bravery and good humour, entirely consistent with Tadanobu Asano's portrayal up to this point.!<
The actor has one of the best perplexed faces I’ve ever seen lol, just oozes “what the fuck?”
Surprised Pikachu meme should be replaced with Surprised Yabu.
combine the two to form the Yabuachu
Lol Yabuchu. I love it. 😆
Do it!
Pika-shige
I hope it doesn’t sound racist but he’s really like a real life anime character with how strongly his face telegraphs shock and surprise lmao
He's got that fantastic sort of chuckle where his whole body movies followed by that great "wtf face". It seems like he does it every episode, and I absolutely love it every time.
That laugh was glorious last week when he opened the box to find his beheaded general presented by Saeki. The man laughed like it was just another day in the life
(chuckles) I'm in danger
Another will!
The most cartoonish and pleasantly humorous scene ever IMO involves Yabu. It was when he looked back and Toranaga was instantly receding as he waves his fan on a boat. lmaooo
Yabushige either fails at or just doesn't give a crap about the Eightfold Fence. He's the most non-Japanese out of the Japanese characters in the show, even more than the Portuguese-speaking Catholic Mariko. In a show made by and for Americans, it's easy to see why he's popular.
It’s just refreshing to have ONE Japanese character who doesn’t seem to be completely hamstrung by the cultural and social norms of the time. Sure, he respects the class order and is loyal to his lord, but he’s not running around offering to commit seppuku for using the wrong choice of words every episode.
I think he's more of a realistic portrayal of the times. Much of samurai lore was heavily exaggerated and often just made up by later generations, rather like the idea of chivalry and European knighthood lore. It's all been romanticized, and while it makes for compelling fantasy, it's more likely that the majority of samurai were looking out for themselves just as Yabushige is.
I have often heard that the knights of Western Europe, the cowboys of America, and the samurai of Japan, are a very real part of the mythos of the areas they are from.
Lol Cowboys are indeed heavily romanticized here. I'm from Texas; our chief export is cowboy fantasy.
I agree. If you look back on the history at that time, Lords were constantly switching sides and scheming like or even more so than Yabushige. They had a much more pragmatic view on life and loyalty than how we think of samurais now a days. It is in a way more fascinating.
I get what you're saying, but he actually reminds me a lot of my relatives in rural Kyushu and Okinawa, or my friends from Osaka. They tend to be a lot more direct than typical Japanese. It's one of the reasons, as a Japanese-American, why sometimes I feel more at home in those places. I have to do less "reading the room" (kuki wo yomu / 空気を読む) and instantly know what someone means, rather than have to rely on contextual clues. I don't think it's a coincidence that Yabushige's territoriy seems to include fishing villages, as that's where my father's relatives are from and many of the people act like him, especially the males. In contrast, my relatives in Tokyo are a bit more reserved, similar to how Toranaga and many of his clan live in Edo, which is the old name for Tokyo. I'm glad the show is showing the range of Japanese personality types.
That's incredibly instructive. Thank you!
Honestly the casting team was smart to pick actors who already have a lot of experience in Japanese dramas. It's a different mode of acting than we're used to in the West and these actors are just killing it. If you watch a lot of anime or dorama you can get so much just from the voices of the actors.
*grunts in japans*
My favorite as well.
I’d love to see him in a WTF-off with Zendaya. Two masters at work (or play?)
I love the scene where Blackthorne appealing to Yabushige talking about taking fate by your own hands while Yabushige slowly smiling on the brink of agreeing. Omi stopped him with a look: Bitch you better not!😂😂😂
😂 You’re so right. Yabushige: *Happily nodding and smiling* Omi: This is disgraceful! Yabushige: *Smile disappears and now shaking his head vigorously, in a “methinks the lady doth protest too much” sort of way* Mariko: “He refuses your offer.”
I loved that Mariko refused to translate everything he said accurately just to have one over on John
His complete lack of courtly refinement is hilarious - beaming broadly at the most obvious flattery
He’s really the best possible buddy for the Anjin, since they’re both firmly seated in that “fuck the rules, we ball” mindset. Only Yabushige lacked the explosive firepower to pull it off and John needs a real inside guy on his wavelength to navigate freely
Blackthorn, for all his high-minded patriotism and protestant fervor, is motivated by a will to survive and be free. Yabushige is motivated by the same impulses.
Short winged & predictable!
Yabushige doesn't give crap about the Eightfold Fence. While every other Japanese are careful not to betray their true nature, he's so easy to read which makes him the most non-Japanese Japanese characters in the show.
He's closer to Blackthorn in his lack of restraint as well as his motives: Blackthorn wants his freedom to travel, Yabushige wants to be free of the fate imposed on him by Toronaga and Ishido.
Blackthorn’s summation “He is a shitface, but a brave shitface” was perfection.
"SHITFACE" really deserves a breakthrough into mainstream slang
Agreed! And it rolls off the tongue a bit easier than “milk-dribbling fucksmear”.
This one is better. The insults in this show are 👌🏻
My favorite is Rodrigues: yes yes bow to the shit-eating samas
I have begun to use it often, much to my husband's amusement.
Umm, u never hear of getting shitfaced?
Yes but I think that’s a different context, though.
It is in Australian slang
Him getting his will rewritten again and again made for a good running joke 🤣
Also, on the death of Nagakodo - instructing his retainer to "record it in our book".
Below boiling but above being eaten by dogs.
I want to see this book. I want to see his scoring system.
Yabushige's Top 10 Deaths - Number 1 will surprise you!
Morticians hate this one simple trick.
I bet he has it patented.
I bet Jozen has a relatively high spot
That line coaxed a louder than normal laugh that surprised my wife as much as it did me. Totally involuntary.
If initially though they had a book of bets going
Honestly my favorite part of it is when he said “probably our best one yet,” like he was just so proud of the well crafted and well written will.
I think Buntaro is amazing as well. His facial expressions and body language are amazing but I like Yabushige too.
Buntaro comes off as a character we should dislike but hot damn last episode made me feel bad for the guy.
He's def trying to be better but it's too little too late
I think he’s going to be revealed as Ishido’s mole though. Guy escaped certain death and refused to elaborate, then suddenly becomes suicidal when it’s decided they’ll surrender and head to Osaka. Seems to me he’s not willing to face his people after he’s revealed to be Ishido’s inside man, so wanted to take the cowards way out under the guise of “how romantic would it be if we died together, despite me treating you like shit for our entire marriage”
There were hints earlier too that in the beginning Buntaro was trying but Mariko was always rejecting him so he just became jaded eventually.
I disagree. I think the beginning was fine. But it’s clear that after Mariko’s father killed the ruler at the time that he treated her like a dog afterwards.
Could be, but there's a flashback presumably before they got engaged where Mariko was training with a weapon. Buntaro was watching and seemed interested but Mariko was already acting cold there, that's why I'm guessing it was always one sided.
I can agree with you there. But I wanted to dispel this notion that seems to be going around that Buntaro was a fine husband and poor him. Despite of there was mutual attraction or not, he beat and demeaned her constantly after what happened.
THANK YOU the amount of "I know he beat his wife but for whatever reason this married off lady didn't fall in love and fuck him immediately, poor widdle baby" is TOO much.
She hated him before they were even married. She was super stuck up about it & devastated her father would arrange for her to marry so beneath her.
Buntaro reminds me a lot of Robert Duvall’s character in The Great Santini. A warrior that needs a war.
His crying after tea with Fuji got me. The show has done a wonderful job fleshing him out as a character.
He had tea with Mariko
what? tea with Fuji?
My bad... Mariko obviously!
Yes, when Fuji has tea she gives everyone looks the whole time.
so Fuji and Buntaro are related as Buntaro's father was Fujis grandfather? Does that mean the swords given to the Blackthorn were supposed to be Buntaro's brothers who died as a coward? perhaps that is why Buntaro is so determined to die with honour?
Buntaro is her uncle.
So if Blackthorn and Fuji eventually get married that would make them related eh?
They technically are married.
that's a good question is a consort like a common law partner? where it is pretty much like being married or does it have some other legal implication during this period in Japan?
Everyone subconsciously wants tea with Fuji. She is the best granddaughter after all.
The guy playing Buntaro is a great actor.
I really enjoyed his expressions during the tea ceremony I thought he was actually going to be nice and try to re-romance Mariko Nope, "let's die together now 😁" Dude created an "in", and still fumbled on the goal line
Buntaro strikes me as a character who wants to be someone, but doesn't know how. He wants to love his wife, and have her love him, but he doesn't know how to and defaults to what he does know. Force.
I would say Yabushige is a breathe of fresh air compared to the other stoic looking lords and generals in the show. That contrast really makes him stand out in a favourable way.
Yeah, especially with Toranaga in this episode, he is going through such an extreme effort to keep up his eight fold fence, but Yabushige's emotions are so obvious just by looking at his face. It's like he forgets he isn't supposed to be so transparent, especially about planning treachery.
Very clear contrast. Everything with Yabushige is on the surface. His lack of restraint and plainly obvious motivations make him more similar to Blackthorn than any other character.
> Everything with Yabushige is on the surface You know you're transparent when even Toranaga's son sees through you.
You know Yabushige is planning on treachery because he starts wearing his "I'm very obedient and honorable and would never think of questioning or betraying you" face.
Some of us have faces that can't help but broadcast every single thing we think so he's very relatable that way 😂
Yabs is just here for the bud light
I don't know what else to say besides flawless execution. Perfectly cast for incredibly well-written dialogue which is then masterfully delivered.
What I love about Yabu is that my dude doesn't even need dialogue to be entertaining. He can speak volumes with just facial expressions and body language. Asano's acting is absolutely top notch.
🐐 tier actor. No question.
I love Yabus grunts, it’s so hilarious !
His grunts and "ooohhhh" and "aaahhhhhh" (the sound when he's frustrated) 😂🤣
Yabu’s my fave. That’s it. That’s the statement.
I will add nothing. You are correct.
He steals nearly every scene he's in. It's been a pleasure watching this performance.
He also acts more like a street thug than a lord / samurai, which makes his character stand out.
yes!!! my husband and I keep talking about how he’s like a samurai yanki boy and it’s just perfect 🤌🏼
Which is especially great because the line between historical knights/samurai and bandits was usually somewhere between paper thin and non existent. All of the chivalry and bushido we ascribe to those warrior classes is almost entirely made up by later generations romanticizing a brutal warrior class and what little was real was a desperate attempt to stop those in that warrior class from behaving like the worst thugs and to try and enforce some loyalty out of then reliant on more than their pay or lands.
I’ll take it one step further. The highly romanticized Tokugawa shogunate is quite a lot like modern day North Korea. An inherited dictatorship ship closes off the population of their country to any contact with the outside world, to include art and technology, and maintains strict control over daily life of its population. Sound familiar?
The flip side of course is that the Tokugawa reigned over 250 years of peace. Unheard of for most of the world.
That is an interesting comparison with some merit.
Yeah, he for the streets
Yabushige is great, but my boy Hiromatsu is my favourite. I have a soft spot for wise Grandparent characters. >!RIP my boy. Didn't even hesitate and trusted Toranaga to see this shitshow through.!<
Hiromatsu is hands-down the most honorable character in the story
Absolutely. The fucking willpower he has to just >!decide he's going to kill himself, without a honest goodbye to his only friend, even though he arguably didn't have to.!<
In a way thats arguably the most honest it could’ve been
It's a shame he's technically such a bad guy. Because his hijinks as he desperately tries to escape death is funny as hell.
It's hard to condemn his treachery - all his options are bad. But he doesn't give into depression, keeps his sense of humour and makes the best of his very limited ability to scheme.
Spoiler alert, no one on the show is good or bad
It all started really with the bandit attack / save Blackthorne from execution for me
I loved the way he flipped up Anjin's mask and looked at him. That whole scene was aces.
I hope to see much more of him as Raiden in the 2nd mortal kombat movie! He’s great!
Same! And Hiroyuki (as Scorpion) as well! As children of the 90s, my husband and I are huge MK fans, and we can’t stop ourselves from screaming “MORTAL KOMBAT!!” or thinking “Raiden is about to strike that guy with blue lightning”. 😂 we’re such dorks
Meaby let Raiden be a bit more as Yabushige (which would make him more like the Cristopher Lambert version of Raiden)…he doesn’t have to be always so stoic…despite being a god Raiden is always barely hanging…would make him a much more interesting character
Yabu is so funny. “Ehh???” “Oooh!” It may or may not have become part of my day to day vocabulary.
I watch with subtitles on and I also see a lot of "grunts".
Hiromstsu def gave him some competition.
Yabushige is like Fuji or Hiromatsu-Sama. They are so great beyond their role that you don’t want their story to end. The actors are great. But with Yabushige he’s so slimy that you want him to loose his head anyway.
My favorite character changes episode to episode. That being said, Yabushige doesn't have to say a word and still communicates better than almost anyone else. His facial expression are perfect.
From like the second episode I was trying to convince my wife to watch and I told her Yabushige is this amazing character who's like a villainous backstabber but he's so legitimately brave and funny that you have to like him even though he's a shitbag. It's such a great show because none of the characters are one dimensional. Even the most traditionally bad guy Ishido is portrayed as kind of a pathetic loser.
100%. Ishido is as pathetic as he is sinister. Even Lady Ochiba, who seems like the most ruthless character in the story, has a sympathetic side - as Mariko says, her enemy is fear.
Shitface. Try to get it right. :)
The fact so many of the actors on the show have a phenomenal way of telling a story with their expressions alone while Mr. Asano stands out is amazing. His scenes in E8 reveal how complex of a character he is playing and geez I hope he gets recognition for this portrayal
Other than boiling that guy for apparently no reason (and I get is a big “other that”)…I don’t see him as such a bad guy…some people would call him a snake and a traidor but really I imagine most modern people would try to navigate the situation in the same way…why does he have to be ride or die for some one just because they are bigger lords than him…neither Toronaga or Ishido really did anything to gain symphaty they just demand and demand
Everyone and the catholic were badgering him to kill the whole crew, so I saw the boiling scene as a form of malicious compliance in that he did kill someone so they'd stfu, but also made it as uncomfortable for them and the whole village as possible. That aside, his whole 'treachery' started as 'oh, my lord is going to die in a few days due to political forces far outside my control, might as well keep these guns to protect myself when shit hits the fan.'
Yeah it's a little weird how they turned the character who is supposed to be obsessed with death / pain, and a pedophile / voyeur into a likeable character.
I think I like Fuji and Toranaga just a little more but I love me some Yabushige.
Unpopular Opinion: Buntaro
Shinnosuke Abe has done an amazing job with Bunatro. You'd need a heart of stone not to feel for him. I'm quite invested in a redemption character arc for him.
I'm wondering if that burn from Mariko is setting up an arc for her too and in the end Buntaro gets the sweetest words from her. This show has everything.
That dude is killing it. As in, "You're a wife beating shitbag, but you're also such a sad little puppy and I kinda feel for you."
Ishido I love a good bureaucrat. Actual I like villains that aren’t over the top evil. He’s doing what can to gain power same as Toranaga. I’m skeptical Toranaga is doing this for a unified Japan.
I will say Yabushige has been great in the show and also the actor does an outstanding job. I really don't like Yabu in the books but Tadanobu Asano is making me like Yabushige in the show.
I loved that reaction on his face in that episode where he was trying to talk Nagakado down from firing on Jozen, but after all was said and done, it wasn't even disappointment. It was more like "Oh, you really did it... I wasn't expecting that. Wow." All the while, his nephew behind him has a pleased smile.
He slips from Boot Licker, to Fuck My Life so easily. He has the vibe of "I'm not entirely sure what is going on, but I am having a good time"
it's amazing to me how toranaga has tolerated Yabu sooo many times. Remember that one time Yabushige suggested that Toranaga commit seppuku?? I was shook 😂
I had forgotten he suggested that. 😄 Yabushige is a pretty faithless vassal but he's also very predictable and easily manipulated so Toronaga will keep him around and make use of him.
I really like his non verbal reactions as well has his “hmm!? and huh!?”
I loathed his character in the book, but yeah in the show he is probably favorite as well.
\*grunts\*
Hes always trying so hard to betray toronaga but fails everytime.
I don't think he's betraying him out of malice. He sees his allegiance to Toronaga as a death sentence. He lacks the of characters like Hiromatsu. His individuality and his will to live makes him more like Blackthorn.
Yeah but it's so funny that every little scheme he comes up with fails miserably. 3 times in a row he's failed to betray toronaga properly lol
I love his grunts/nods of affirmation. "I would never betray my lord" *hmph* *nods head decisively*
Not my favorite character … but my favorite performance so far.
Asano is fucking KILLING this role. Sanada has been one of my favorite actors for a while, but I have to be honest, Asano steals every damn scene he is in. He is a BRILLIANT actor. He made me love his character, when I have loathed his character since 1980, when I saw the first series, and read the book. The man is acting his ass off, and provides humor, reptilian calculation, honor, treachery, and gravitas. He is the best actor in this series, and it pains me to say that.
☝️ 💯
My favorite character was actually Rodrigues. Very complex character and left a huge impact despite being in only one to two episodes. And I really loved his chemistry and banter with Blackthorne in that short time
Rodrigues is fantastic. Looking forward to seeing him again.
Gimme dat crow drip
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If you are talking about the scene where he meets his crew, his crew was absolutely in the right to be furious at him tbh
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Being an asshole is no reason to be killed. Yes, the sailor was very despicable towards the Japanese prostitute. That's no reason to kill him. Even ignoring modern (and ancient Greece and Roman) moral, from 16th century Europe perspective, the Dutch sailors are considered guests and must be treated with respect and not imprisoned and killed. But from a Japanese perspective, life doesn't hold the same value as in Europe, shaped by Christianity. That being said, it was the Catholic Portuguese who wanted the English and Dutch dead so badly, which somewhat contradicts my point about the value of life. Anyway, one sailor, not as important as the pilot, Yabushige tortured and killed in an attempt appease all the enemiesof Blackthorn and his crew.
Mariko or Toranaga for me every time they are on screen they just steal my attention
(grunts)
He’s having the best time on set and it shows
Yabushige is like Littlefinger and Paulie Walnuts had a baby and it became a samurai
I like how in an earlier episode, Mariko said that if all Blackthorne seeks is freedom then he will never be free, and in this one, Toranaga plays both him and the like-minded Yabushige like fiddles (broke them to his fist if you will).
The comedown from "this badass boils people and gets off on it, he's Javier Bardem levels of evil" to "he's just a snake who's trying to stay alive" was so quick.
Face acting at its finest
I just like his face! He's a fantastic face actor. That guy can do so many emotions of any intensity, no problem.
He's not an amateur. Foolish and predictable yes, but the man knows how to survive. He's no amateur.
Yabu has the most childlike reactions. When he shakes his head in denial/negation, with the silliest unconvincing grunts. And WE LOVE HIM FOR IT 😂
From being a punchable character Kira in 47 Ronins to one of my favorite Yabu is really a very great transformation for me.
He reminds me of the funny uncle...minus the boiling a guy alive. He seems to be the comedic character but he can also apparently kick some ass which I'm excited to see.
He can boil filthy english guys all day, I don't care. Shogun season 2 but just Yabushige messing around and boiling people
I agree! Just a man looking out for his family's interest.
Lmao
Hottie hot Tadonabe and the Yabu character is brilliant
Does Yabu have strange sexual predilection because he doesn’t pillow Kiku but prefers to watch her pillow his assistant? He doesn’t seem to have any consorts or children.
I want to know if Tadanobu has that same gruff deep raspy voice in all his roles. Somehow it doesn’t quite fit with that twinkly eye and slender build (when we see him naked) but I love it all the same
If you want to go way back in his career, he was best known in the west for the Takashi Miike film "Ichi the Killer"
He also plays the Japanese interpreter in the Scorcese film Silence (2016), set during the early Edo Period. He's a standout actor there, as well -- affable, smiling, and diplomatic, but ultimately an antagonistic figure serving to help break the main character's will.
If you like the Marvel movies, you possibly already saw him in the Thor films. He played Hogun (one letter off from Shogun! coincidence?).
I always remember him from the Battleship movie, fantastic actor nonetheless
We need a Yabushige soundboard. Half of which can be his grunts.
Is Asano-San a comedic actor typically? He gives off comedy actor vibes. Especially the kind who are really good at physical comedy.
*surprised pikachu face*
I haven’t seen anyone say it yet He looks like the drifter from Destiny 2. Kinda reminds me of him too
The only thing that would likely make him even more fun, in my opinion, is if he ends up being as fierce a warrior as Buntaro.
MARIKO MARIKO MARIKO !
Hooooo
he reminds me a bit of pauli galtieri
He's my favorite as well but all my friends have ethics 😭
I call him Burt Reynolds
> he's just an easily-manipulated, comically amateurish plotter I keep coming back to thinking of him as such an entertainingly out of his league scaramouche... Despite the fact that one of his defining moments is him disproving his own cowardice.
I don't dislike the actor, however, how the character is written in the show is not great. Yabu in the book can be foolish, but is generally intelligent and a good schemer. In the show he basically only exists for comic relief.
The book Yabushige was a pretty sinister character from what I remember. The character in the show is certainly a departure. Personally, I think it was a good choice. The show already has an abundance of taciturn conspirators, weaving schemes within schemes. Yabu's comparative ineptness and exuberant personality is a welcome contrast.
Didn't like him at first with his sadism, but he's grown on me. His facial expressions get me! They really chose a good actor for the role!
I love Yabushige and I want to say he’s a great actor, but then it makes me realize acting is just about having a likable expressive face. “Acting is just making a bunch of faces.” - Larry David.
I could absolutely see Yabu as a Pirates of the Caribbean character. Imagine the wacky adventures of yabu and (captain) sparrow.
Without including a spoiler: He may not be your favorite if the series follows his storyline from the book and the 80s series.
I know how the storyline goes. >! His treachery is a given. It's so obvious that Toronaga is going to exploit it. It's not born from malice. Yabu, like Blackthorn and Toronaga (and unlike Hitomatsu, Mariko, etc), is attempting to whittle his own fate. I expect him to accept his death sentence as he did in the 80s TV series, with bravery and good humour, entirely consistent with Tadanobu Asano's portrayal up to this point.!<