In this 10-episode series we are led to side with the character of Toranaga, a Japanese lord whose life, and the life of everyone in his corner, is at risk at the hands of the other ruling regents. The way the show depicts Toranaga at first is the classic take on a strongwilled man, who is vilified because he is too much of a risk to the remainder of the ruling parties. The five men were supposed to rule in unison until the king comes of age, however, one man seems to go against the will of the other four and therefore is persecuted. We are led to believe that the four regents are the vile and egoistical ones, giving in to greed and foreign christian influence over the wellbeing of their own people. Lord Toranaga, on the other hand, supposedly goes against this, wishing to survive and bring prosperity with his vision.
This carefully crafted image shatters in the last minutes of episode 8 and subsequently in ep 10. The man plays the underdog, pretends he is ready to give up so that his followers are all the more riled up and urge him to fight on. He gaslights his generals into signing an agreement to give up, he has his most trusted advisor and lifelong friend commit seppuku as part of his plan. He sacrifices lady Mariko into giving her life to him as well, so that he can free hostages who are on his side and manipulate the king's mother into assisting him. He then orders for the Anjin's ship to be burned and tortures the whole village, killing innocent people, pretending to be looking for the culprits of the burning, all as a twisted test to see how the Anjin would behave. He claims to be humble, to be ready to sacrifice himself for the good of the realm. He is not. He is ruthless, trecherous, absolutely obsessed with power, holding human life in no regard, killing people at whim. And the worst of it all, he will kill off anyone in his circle, be it his loyalists or regular villagers, just to prove a point. There is nothing noble about this man.
This series leaves you wondering whether you have been rooting for the wrong side all along and feeling that all of this 10-hour investment has been wasted. Especially that, after you learn of Toranaga's villainy, there is absolutely no follow up to see how the other characters react to this man having his way and what the fallout of all this is to the general people.
This carefully crafted image shatters in the last minutes of episode 8 and subsequently in ep 10. The man plays the underdog, pretends he is ready to give up so that his followers are all the more riled up and urge him to fight on. He gaslights his generals into signing an agreement to give up, he has his most trusted advisor and lifelong friend commit seppuku as part of his plan. He sacrifices lady Mariko into giving her life to him as well, so that he can free hostages who are on his side and manipulate the king's mother into assisting him. He then orders for the Anjin's ship to be burned and tortures the whole village, killing innocent people, pretending to be looking for the culprits of the burning, all as a twisted test to see how the Anjin would behave. He claims to be humble, to be ready to sacrifice himself for the good of the realm. He is not. He is ruthless, trecherous, absolutely obsessed with power, holding human life in no regard, killing people at whim. And the worst of it all, he will kill off anyone in his circle, be it his loyalists or regular villagers, just to prove a point. There is nothing noble about this man.
This series leaves you wondering whether you have been rooting for the wrong side all along and feeling that all of this 10-hour investment has been wasted. Especially that, after you learn of Toranaga's villainy, there is absolutely no follow up to see how the other characters react to this man having his way and what the fallout of all this is to the general people.