Several languages are spoken in FX and Hulu’s epic Shogun but viewers only ever hear two.
This article contains spoilers for the first two episodes ofShogun.
Midway through its second episode,FX/HuluminiseriesShogunfeatures a moment that could be rife with misunderstanding.
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Oh and did we mention that viewers never actually hear Portuguese?
Blackthorne and Father Martins words are translated into English for the benefit ofShoguns largely American audience.
Take, for instance, that aforementioned scene.
Clavells story is enormous, incorporating exhaustive research of feudal Japanese history into a spine-busting 1152 pages of narrative.
Authenticity is the name of the game in anyShogunadaptation.
And it all comes down to language.
[English] was sort of our lingua franca that we decided on early, Marks said.
If you have European characters speaking, for the most part theyre speaking Portuguese.
William Adams, historically, and John Blackthorne, the fictional character, both spoke a number of languages.
It made sense that Portuguese could be his way of getting in with them.
Podcast host andShogunwriter Emily Yoshida also notes that the writers room for the series was made up of English-speakers.
He wants to know if she will feel conflicted about dealing with a heretic due to her Catholic fate.
It went to the Japanese and it came back I have more than one heart.
I thought that was a beautiful and much more spiritually accurate way to put it.
Its clear thatShogunappreciates translation not solely as an obligation but as a creative opportunity.
The first two episodes of Shogun are available to stream on Hulu now.
Episodes premiere Tuesdays on Hulu and Tuesday nights at 10 p.m.
