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[Gp1]

Used the weekend to watch through late half of the series.

What a lesson in series production and writing.

From Toranaga's cloak and dagger using every cultural difference between west and east in a writer's arsenal, and how craftily Marks and Kondo adapted it to the screen, to the "muddier" photography but in no way less beautiful.

It turns out that the twists and surprises in the script work much better than in other series of the genre.

One of my most favorite point was duality between Blackthorne and Yabaushige and how close and apart both characters are. How in the beginning you are introduced to Japan's "alien" culture through the eyes of Blackthorne, with the scene of the samurais first boarding the Erasmus and the entire first episode, and in the end we saw through Yabaushige point of view how the civil war would play out, how he becomes a "barbarian" and Blackthorne becoming a Japanese.

 

[jufonuk]

I liked the series overall. I just wish it had one more episode.

To my mind it ended with a whimper and not a bang. ( that was My belief) Otherwise an excellent series

 

[jufonuk]

Saw the final very satisfied. Sad to see the show come to an end.

Spoiler

I'm quite satisfied the show final centered around Mariko's actions and death and didn't want to 'ejuculate' all over the audience with some huge battle just because that's what they think the audience wants... it's not what this series is about. Toronaga a great leader prepared to do horrible shit further his goal, sheesh.

I wanted it.

Me: I am just a simple English man. If they given me what I wanted. I would be happy. Though I am still. Happy. With what has been given to me.
Do not doubt my words.

Mariko: the anjin was amused.

 

[jufonuk]

There is a big difference between a villain and a maybe morally gray character especially since plenty of characters that you described have chosen to believe in Torunaga. Remember his advisor last words?
On the other hands how many of Ishido's "allies" were blackmailed or threatened in order to stay as his "allies"?

This is really true.

It’s also in my mind what set certain characters apart some were outright good (not innocent) some were gray. Others bad. What made it interesting was that some appeared to be evil or so it seemed but as the series went on. It wasn’t evil as such it was via the values of Japanese society that forced them to act the way they did.