I have heard praise of Shōgun for a while now. 
That praise, along with the show’s outstanding performance at the Emmys, and its intriguing setting of 1600 Japan left me eager to check it out.
The only thing stopping me was the lack of Disney Plus in my household.
Having finally got it, Shōgun was one of the first shows I checked out and was by far the most engaging. 

Based off the 1975 book of the same name by James Clavell, the show kicks off with the arrival of John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), a foul-mouthed protestant sailor from England.
The first Englishman to set foot on Japanese soil, Blackthorne becomes of immediate interest to the Lord of Kantō, Yoshiii Toronaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), much to the dismay of Blackthrone’s catholic Portugese enemies.
He has arrived at a time of great turmoil in Japan, where Toronaga is embroiled in a bitter struggle for power against his fellow lords for the fate of the country.
With the help of his Japanese interpreter and Toronaga loyalist, Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), Blackthorne begins to assimilate to the culture, while experiencing events that will shape Japan’s history. 

I know from the way I have described the plot so far, it seems like Blackthorne is the main character of this story, but that is actually not the case.
Yes, his arc is great to watch play out, and Jarvis’ performance is fantastic, but Blackthorne’s role mostly serves as an introductory lens for viewers who are not familiar with this period of Japanese history and its customs.
The real main players are the Japanese cast, all of whom do incredible jobs with their performances.
Hiroyuki Sanada is of course an incredible actor, and he transforms into Yoshii Toronaga, being more than deserving of his Emmy win. 

Tadanobu Asano is also great as Kashigi Yabushige, a character so self-serving that you want to hate his guts, but his personality is so entertaining you find it difficult to do so.
The real standout, though, is Anna Sawai as Mariko, who goes on an intense journey, as she finds herself struggling with her difficult past, abusive marriage, faith, and her growing closeness to Blackthorne.
All of this culminates in “Crimson Sky,” the ninth and best episode of the show, where she delivers a powerhouse of a performance.
Just like Sanada, she was more than deserving of her Emmy win.

What makes these characters even more interesting is that many of them are based off real people, important to Japanese history.
After finishing Episode Ten, I immediately found myself looking up information about these people and how the events of the show differed from real life.
Just imagine how many other viewers did the same after finishing the series and thus became more knowledgeable about the history of Japan.
But it is not just the characters that make Shōgun great, obviously.
The production quality of the show is excellent, with the costuming and sets perfectly reflecting the time period.
The CGI is also top quality, with not a single shot drawing me out of the moment.
Speaking of shots, the cinematography and editing are also stellar throughout, as is the score which makes every enthralling scene only more gripping.
This includes the opening theme, which has great visuals that remind me a lot of Game of Thrones’ intro.

Sadly, this is not the only thing about Shōgun which reminds me of Game of Thrones, but that has nothing to do with the present quality of the show, rather the future quality.
You see, Shōgun completely adapts James Clavell’s book, and the show was originally intended to be a single season.
Well, money talks, and Shōgun’s success has resulted in the green light for a second season.
With nothing left to adapt, that means the writers are going to have to write their own original stuff for season two.
We all know how Game of Thrones degraded after the writers ran out of book material, so there is always the concern for this happening with the second season of Shōgun.
However, as stated, the original novel was based off very real people and events, so the writers at least have something to work with, unlike the Game of Thrones writers. 

And no matter the quality of this eventual second season, this first season of Shōgun will remain a masterful work with excellent characters, acting, production and score.
It has also undoubtedly helped spread knowledge about 1600s Japan and that is probably the highest praise a show based in that setting could receive.