The woman named Fuji, who has captured the hearts of many viewers even though she has only appeared for a few tens of minutes in a long movie, is truly wonderful !
Fuji sama says more with a look and a gesture than pages of dialogue. She's one of my favorite characters, strength when defending Anjin's guns, deep sadness at the loss of her husband and baby, and the wry looks she gives at the uncomfortable dinner with Buntaro and Mariko
@otarthemad9780 Nope. She is a perfect Fuji. She portrayed Fuji's positive, tender and nurturing nature perfectly. Anna is a perfect Mariko. She portrayed Mariko's strength, determination and pent up hurt and sadness which became toxic perfectly.
The women in this series were all spectacularly played... There's Mariko (Anna Sawai), Usami (Moeka Hoshi), Lady Ochiba (Fumi Nikaido), and Kiku (Yuka Kouri) the Courtesan. This is how it should be done. There's nothing blatant or over-compensated about their roles. Skillful acting and completely believable story telling. Enough with the over the top "girrrl power" that's so blatantly obvious and boring (same goes for male hero archetypes). They did this right with phenomenal acting and writing. Characters with incredible strength and believable motivations and emotions. They all crushed it. Every single one of them were phenomenal. Even though they weren't always in every episode you really had a sense of what they were like by the end of the season. With subtitled films it's sometimes easy to forget the acting as you spend a lot of the time reading the text. But I found myself completely engaged to their every word and expression. If this turns out to be the best series of 2024, I wouldn't have a problem with that. It was so good. The only issue I have is that I'm going to miss this series so, so much.
Shogun: They're strong, well-written characters with unique personalities and they also happen to be women. They will butt heads with men because they have valid reasons. They can be fiery but also gentle. Hollywood: They're women, they're girl bosses and women run the world. Nevermind their motives, backstories and character development. You must root for them when they argue with men because the patriarchy must die and all men suck. Oh, and did I also mention they're women?
They were you know...women, not boss bitches or women who want to be men, the difference is obvious and the diference in sucess? Abysmal , holywood is getting destroyed by this but this series proves there is still hope
She was great. It was sad at the end when she left. But, Anjin gave her a sense of closure she might not have gotten otherwise. It was a touching repayment for her very loyal service.
She didn't left. It isn't shown in the series but according to the books she and Blackthorn end up together. It was implied she got pregnant with Blackthorn's child. Blackthorn never left Japan. Old Blackthorn was a dream sequence not a flash forward sequence ( Hint: he was holding mariko's cross in the dream sequence). He let go of his dream of returning to England and grow old there, when he tried to commit Seppuku. Therefore the episodes name is " Dream of a Dream". Toranaga's dream of becoming a Shogun and Blackthorn giving up his dream of becoming rich through his exploits and growing old in England
1:53 this should be a t shirt. The actress who plays Fuji is inCREDIBLE. She says soooo much without saying a single word. It's her eyes. It's the way the looks at something or to someone. When Anjin is telling her to leave.....the way she looks at him. Defiant but cute. That's Fuji.
She is one of the few good people in the show. Not scheming or having ulterior motives. She does her job with honor and dignity despite the hardship she endured.
@@dantruong2582 as it’s only fiction, you could always read the book to find out what happens, or even write your own version, where she marries a prince, wins the lottery, discovers the meaning of life and lives happily ever after. It’s only a fictional story in either case.
Yeah, have to agree. Moeka Hoshi cames out as the biggest winner of the show. Fuji didn't have a lot of time, but I'll bet you everyone was waiting for her scenes. I sure was. Curious what she's been in and where she goes from here. When you can convey so much and so many emotions with just a glance, you know you're looking at a terrific actress...
Totally agree... This little cutie should have been cast as Mariko... We would all have been charmed by her.......... IMO Anna Sawai would have been superb, as the ' Ice Maiden ' version of Fujiko ( it would have suited her style much better )... Possibly the Casting Director got it wrong with these two ?.... People are saying that Moeka Hoshi can not speak any English, but she speaks English well enough on TV chat shows ?
@@richardruff8712 Yeah, I would have switched them too, but here's an intreguing twist. There's heavy rumors going around that Hulu wants a second season, and there has been some soundings on the actors about their schedules - all the pre-manuvering to see the feasibility of going fowards; so Fuji is still alive, and if I was a smart writer, I've give her either an intersecting story arc or a seperate one that has her defending her monastry - she is well versed in weaponry, including pistols at this point. It could be they cast as they did so they could keep her alive for a possible S2.
@@michaelmayo Yes, I have stated elsewhere, that a possible plot line for a Season 2 could be like this :- Blackthorne petitions Toranaga to allow Fujiko to become his wife, and in return, Blackthorne promises to stay in Japan and oversee the building of a ' Western ' style fleet of ships... As the book finished after the big battle, then we can design a Season 2, to incorporate what is actually known, and would definitely allow the very cute, and, apparently, very popular, Fujiko to become the lead female role.... Just my suggestion ?
My favorite detail from the entire series is that although Yabushige's nephew and his men are willing to face off against Blackthorne and his guns, the moment Fuji threatens them, they all stand down and walk away. They don't know Blackthorne and his convictions, but they all know that Fuji is completely willing to die and take them all with her.
As long as they're arresting only Blackthorne, it is not politically significant. But if they end up fighting Fuji herself, that means they started a war with the entire Usami clan, which'd cause serious repercussions.
@@deadby15Not politically significant? Anjin is protected by Toranaga, who is Yabushiges master. If they kill him they would be in big trouble as Toranaga sees him as a very valuable asset. But Fuji doesn't have much importance to him now, she might be from a prestigious family but their power has fallen. Toranaga even allowed her husband and son to die so he doesn't see her family as essential.
@@katiegomez3952 Just because they're pawns does not mean he doesn't value them. Throughout the entire show whenever he lost a key member of his retinue he has shown genuine remorse and reverence for their deaths. The lost of Fuji's husband and son was not because they weren't essential... it was the opposite. Fuji's grandfather is Toranaga's right hand man and for someone from his house to openly threaten another high lord equal to Toranaga in rank was political suicide and the only way to avert the damage was for her family to take accountability for it.
@@deadby15 there are rules. They had orders to bring Blackthorne disarmed but no orders to take the guns. Fuji was a consort defending the boundaries and property of her household. She was fulfilling her function. By demanding that she give up the guns, they had overstepped their boundaries and so quickly backed down
The meek way Japanese maidens tuck their hands into their sleeves and still use them (EVEN WHILE POINTING A GUN) while keeping that graceful pointed posture, is some of the most beautiful, cultural detailing. Everything about how a woman comports herself in her home in Japanese culture just beams pure feminity❤😊
The samurai swords would not be touched by the women with their bare hands. She just assumed that his pistols were the equivalent to swords and treated them the same way.
@aquilifergroup That's really not true, until the Edo period. In reality, she's avoiding touching the pistol for the same reason she would avoid directly touching a katana, or any similar precious object, with her bare hands- Simply out of respect and consideration. Japanese culture was very spartan, and for men of the bushi class, their personal possessions (aside from things like clothes and table ware) would mostly be weapons. She was showing the Anjin respect, by showing respect for his prised possessions.
@@TheShurikenZone she does it more than just that instance. I’m talking about their overall conduct, gestures and mannerisms. I just love the sleek and postured look of how they tuck their hands in their sleeves. How they glide while walking, rather than walking heel toe. How they kneel before passing through an inside door and kneel back down to close it. Everything Japanese women do and how they do it is so disciplined and polished.
Moeka Hoshi as Fuji is exquisite. I looked up her bio and she is 28 but, she doesn’t look a day over 16. She is so expressive without any words. I especially like the part with the pistols where she speaks so forcefully to Anjin.
The look on Fuji's face (her eyes, as always) at 3:34 .....LOL. She knows it's supposed to be a secret and she knows that she slept alone that alone the night before but Mariko didn't....
Fuji is the best example that personality plays such a big part in who you find beautiful and sexy, if you hold two pictures up of Mariko and Fuji pretty sure most men would pick Mariko but if you see the personality and traits of Fuji almost all would pick Fuji, a real ride or die b, kinda crazy when you think about it
Fuji was made up to look less physically appealing than Mariko. In the few shots where you can't see her childish braids and curls she's really pretty. Mariko is at the centre of the story, and had to be presented as the hot one.
Totally agree! I was infatuated with Mariko from the start because she was so hot, but the more I saw Fuji (especially in the stand-off scene), her behaviors, personality, gestures, etc. she started growing on me more and more. I became a less intrigued with Mariko and more drawn to the the less prettier Fuji, who ultimately became way more attractive in my eyes!
joining the fuji fan club, most relatable character in the entire series for my wife and I. She's just trying to survive and get on with her day, and she wants no part of any of the shenanigans that are happening around her.
#TeamFujisama 💪💪💪💪💪 She is sooooooo adorable!!! I really hope she can get bigger roles in other shows. Beautiful, cute, funny, and sad. She delivers everything so well without any dialogue.
The best television we have gotten in years. Buntaros tea ceremony. Fuji being just heartbreaking and amazing. Marikos poetry. First series in a long time that I was moved to tears.
Game meat has a strong odor. The rabbit they found there may be wild so the stew smells and tastes funky too. Now I've found a wikipedia page about the Japanese Hare, which Japanese people hunted and've eaten. So I guess rabbit stew is something maybe the peasant class enjoyed and not the noble class (the samurais).
The women in the show are so well written and portrayed!! This is what we need more of, not Disney's she-hulk twerking in an office to show 'girl power'. Women overcoming adversity with their own strengths and ability's, overcoming their own trials and hardships! God damn this series and its actors and actresses are phenomenal! This series debunks the rhetoric of , oh 'you only hate the show cos its a woman', no...people hate the show cos the women are badly written. Shogun is women done correct!!
There is no "correct" or "wrong" way to do women. Either you like a show. Or you don't. I think She Hulk sucks. But there are others that love the show. Who gives a fuck? Just be happy that there is different stuff for different people to enjoy.
@CrniWuk ofcourse there is. Right or wrong being measured by the result vs the goal. If you want people to see your movie, shogun blew she hulk out of the water. And shogun female characters form large part of the praise the series received.
Little wife has a lot of power. All the words Mariko says couldn't convince him to give up his guns. Wife calls him, and says to give guns to her, he obliges :3 And she was ready and willing to make that shot
It’s just a pity those pistols weren’t wheel lock pistols from the Elizabethan period in the first scene. That make of flint lock wasn’t made for another 100 years. It would be like putting a Glock 17 pistol in a WW1 movie. But I love everything about this scene. Fuji is quality wife material.
Mariko (Anne Sawai) is a disappointment for most Japanese viewers because her face is considered ugly, or below average. No way she could be an actress in Japan. She was chosen for the role because she can speak english fluently (she's from New Zealand) & she has a rather generic "asian looking" face. The kind you find in massage parlors. Some Japanese think she looks Filipina or Vietnamese. Hoshi Moeka, on the other hand , looks unmistakably Japanese (not Chinese, Korean etc). Despite her looks though, Anne Sawai is a good actor.
