The five-part mini-series “Shogun,” based on James Clavell’s 1975 bestselling novel of the same name, was a smash hit for the NBC network in September 1980, spurring a boom of all things Japanese in North America. The show, which 33% of all American households with a television saw either completely or in part, was reportedly responsible for making sushi trendy in a country where prime cuts of tuna were once consigned to cat food.
Now, a new 10-episode series also titled “Shogun” and streaming on Disney+ in Japan, has become a massive hit, recording 9 million views worldwide in the first six days since its release on Feb. 27, while winning praise in Japan and abroad for everything from its use of subtitles instead of dubbing for the Japanese dialogue, to its respectful and rounded treatment of its female Japanese characters.
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