Anjin (Shōgun)

"Anjin" (安針) is the series premiere of the American historical drama television series Shōgun, based on the novel by James Clavell. The episode was written by series developers Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, and directed by co-executive producer Jonathan van Tulleken. It was released on Hulu on February 27, 2024, and it also aired on FX on the same day.

The series is set in 1600, and follows three characters. John Blackthorne, a risk-taking English sailor who ends up shipwrecked in Japan, a land whose unfamiliar culture will ultimately redefine him; Lord Toranaga, a shrewd, powerful daimyo, at odds with his own dangerous, political rivals; and Lady Mariko, a woman with invaluable skills but dishonorable family ties, who must prove her value and allegiance.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.764 million household viewers and gained a 0.14 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The series premiere received critical acclaim, with major towards the visuals, performances and production values.

Plot
In 1600 Osaka, the reigning Taikō has died, leaving five equal regents to maintain control of Osaka Castle. The Dutch trading ship Erasmus gets stranded off the coast of Ajiro after running into fierce storms and running out of food. A few survivors, including English pilot John Blackthorne, are taken prisoner when a party of samurai seize the Erasmus.

One of the regents, Yoshii Toranaga, is summoned before his colleagues: Ishido Kazunari, Kiyama ukon Sadanaga, Sugiyama Josui and Ohno Harunobu. Toranaga has been accused of consolidating his power and the other regents are seriously considering a motion by Ishido to impeach him, which would also condemn him to seppuku. Toranaga is not scared of their threat, as he claims his sole purpose is to protect the Taikō's young heir, Nakamura Yaechiyo. One of Toranaga's men, Usami Tadayoshi, insults Ishido and is forced to commit seppuku for not only himself, but also his infant son, devastating his wife Fuji.

Blackthorne is released from his cell and taken to face Kashigi Yabushige, Lord of Izu and a powerful vassal of Toranaga's clan. He realizes that Japan and Portugal have formed a secret trade route, with the Catholic Church's Jesuit order being the political and religious rivals of the Protestant Blackthorne. Yabushige's translator, a local Jesuit priest, immediately condemns Blackthorne as a pirate and suggests his execution. However, Yabushige decides to spare him, eager to use the Erasmus to gain Ishido's favor, and instead has one of Blackthorne's men boiled to death.

Toranaga's general, Toda "Iron Fist" Hiromatsu, arrives in Ajiro and forces Yabushige to turn over ownership of both Eramus and Blackthorne to him; the latter is placed under the supervision of Spanish navigator Vasco Rodrigues. As they return to Osaka, the ship is hit by a severe storm, forcing Blackthorne to assume command as he reorganizes the crew. However, Rodrigues is swept by the tides and washes ashore near a cliff. Blackthorne manipulates Yabushige into helping him rescue Rodrigues. Yabushige's rope breaks and he falls into the water; unable to swim, he draws his sword to commit suicide. However, he and Rodrigues are saved when a group of samurai bring them a new rope. Blackthorne is then taken to Osake Castle. Coming face to face with Toranaga and his translator, Toda Mariko, Blackthorne bows before them.

Development
In January 2024, Hulu confirmed that the episode would be titled "Anjin", and was to be written by series developers Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks and directed by co-executive producer Jonathan van Tulleken. It was Kondo's first writing credit, Marks' first writing credit, and van Tulleken's first directing credit.

Writing
Justin Marks explained that the writers hoped they would not make tropes related to the "stranger on a strange land" depictions on other projects. Marks said he wanted "a story about globalization", exploring the culture through different lens. For the Japanese dialogues, the writers would make the scripts in English and, after consulting with researchers, send them to a team of translators in Tokyo to change it to a modern Japanese. Subsequently, the scripts were sent to an unnamed Japanese playwright specialized in jidaigeki to rewrite the dialogues into "a more polished prose."

Filming
Hiroyuki Sanada, also serving as producer, was essential in the authenticity of the series. He convinced the crew in hiring Japanese crew in different departments, and showed on set every day to check on the production values, even before the director arrived. Before filming started, actors were subjected to a boot camp to train. One of the requirements were learning falcon training, and Sanada explained that the scene with the falcon was his first day of filming.

Viewers
In its original FX broadcast, "Anjin" was seen by an estimated 0.764 million household viewers and gained a 0.14 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This means that 0.14 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.

Critical reviews
"Anjin" received critical acclaim. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating for the episode, based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10.

Meredith Hobbs Coons of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A–" and wrote, "With one of these actors serving as a producer on the show, Clavell's daughter Michaela signing on as an executive producer, and a seemingly massive budget to get the historical and cultural details right, authenticity is the name of the game. And it shows." Jesse Raub of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "When we're first introduced to Lord Toranaga, he's riding a horse through a field with his entourage, watching his falcon dive out of the sky to take down a pheasant. It's bright and sunny, and the audience gets a taste of just how gorgeous Shōgun can be, with its incredible costuming and wide shots of jaw-dropping locations and sets."

Sean T. Collins of The New York Times wrote, "Of the two episodes in this initial offering, the former is by far the weaker. For one thing, it falls victim to a bad case of first episode syndrome: a tendency to front-load shows with attention-grabbing material that is much blunter and broader than what follows." Erik Kain of Forbes wrote, "I'm deeply impressed so far and can't wait to see how this plays out. There's a lot of bad TV out there right now, but Shogun goes to show that there is still genuinely great TV being made as well."

Johnny Loftus of Decider wrote, "Shōgun fits a ton of character backstory, setting of the seventeenth century Japan political scene, foreboding about the pivotal conflict to come, and cultural insight into this first episode, and by its conclusion, not only has Blackthorne learned to speak a few words of Japanese, but we've become immersed in this layered world full of metaphor and bursts of righteous violence." Tyler Johnson of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "A sweeping shot of feudal Osaka concludes with Blackthorne bowing before Toranaga, and the skill with which this pilot (the episode, not the beleaguered Brit who holds that job) handled such complex material leaves us as awed as any of the stunning visuals delivered by director Jonathan Van Tulleken."