You don't want another TV series where the white protagonist is stranded in an Asian culture and learns to love it?
What are you, some kinda commie?
Compliance will be rewarded
Re: Good Historical Fiction?
You don't want another TV series where the white protagonist is stranded in an Asian culture and learns to love it?
What are you, some kinda commie?
Things I trust more than American conservatives:
Drinks from Bill Cosby, Flint Michigan tap water, Plane rides from Al Qaeda, Anything on the menu at Chipotle, Medical procedures from Mengele
大信皇帝
Re: Good Historical Fiction?
James Clavell's Shogun was based on the life of William Adams who was an English privateer in Dutch service. He was stranded in Japan and came into the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Frankly that is a preferable story line than a show with an all Asian cast done by Americans, because they would undoubtedly screw it up. At least with a white lead there is an easy connection and a way to expand the world.
What bothers me about Shogun is that they didn't even bother to have any level of historicity. All the characters are made up but based on actual characters. I don't know why James Clavell didn't write the actual life of William Adams instead of making up John Blackthorne, Lord Yabu, Lord Toranaga etc.
Why I'm against a remake is because Game of Thrones exists... and has undoubtedly been influential. All I need to say.
Edit:
Wait, what do you mean another? Aren't Marco Polo and Shogun the only ones?
The day a western studio touches actual Japanese and Chinese history is the day I gladly commit seppuku. Kind of like what is happening with Total War Three Kingdoms.
Besides everyone knows that if there was going to be a writer it would be me.
Last edited by Lord Oda Nobunaga; January 30, 2019 at 02:40 PM.
"Famous general without peer in any age, most superior in valor and inspired by the Way of Heaven; since the provinces are now subject to your will it is certain that you will increasingly mount in victory." - Ōgimachi-tennō
Compliance will be rewarded
Re: Good Historical Fiction?
I should say that I was making fun of the overall trope of "white dude stranded on foreign land" in general, not just Asian culture.
So that's my bad.
I didn't realize it was based on actual history like Marco Polo. But yeah...keep to the actual facts as best as you can. History is usually interesting enough without having to fabricate anything.
Things I trust more than American conservatives:
Drinks from Bill Cosby, Flint Michigan tap water, Plane rides from Al Qaeda, Anything on the menu at Chipotle, Medical procedures from Mengele
大信皇帝
Re: Good Historical Fiction?
Which also really bothered me about Marco Polo. Some of the liberties in Season 1 were tolerable but Season 2 went off the deep end.
Not sure how many times they've done these types of stories. Lemme think... Shogun, Marco Polo, Last Samurai, Dances With Wolves, Outcast (this movie was so bad), 47 Ronin (absolutely terrible).
Though to be fair 47 Ronin and Outcast were mostly Asian productions. Dances With Wolves actually pulls its punches with regards to portraying the Sioux more positively. Last Samurai is really inaccurate... it was okay but I don't really like it.
In Shogun the character of John Blackthorne doesn't do all that much. It is literally just a story about a white guy in Japan. He gets into some trouble, interacts with the culture and has an adventure or two. He doesn't contribute that much to the actual events. His story is very much secondary to the setting. What I did like about the series is that all Japanese characters speak Japanese, except for the one girl.
When it aired a lot of Japanese-Americans complained that it portrayed Japanese culture negatively. But honestly I can't really see why. For instance that they depicted the Japanese as being overly cruel, but the depiction is pretty accurate. In fact in the film the protagonist is led to overcome his shock and merely accept this as the way of things. The main message is that he needs to accept life as being very Zen-like and to embrace death. The reason he doesn't understand is because he is a western Barbarian. The series also played a lot with the relationship of the Protestants and Catholics. Blackthorne's biggest prejudice in the show was actually against Catholics.
Last edited by Lord Oda Nobunaga; January 31, 2019 at 12:07 PM.
"Famous general without peer in any age, most superior in valor and inspired by the Way of Heaven; since the provinces are now subject to your will it is certain that you will increasingly mount in victory." - Ōgimachi-tennō
hoi polloi
Re: Good Historical Fiction?
Looked bad from the other side of the field never tried it. But probably not as bad as the 300 and its sequel slaughtering classical history.Which also really bothered me about Marco Polo. Some of the liberties in Season 1 were tolerable but Season 2 went off the deep end.
IN PATROCINIVM SVB Dromikaites
'One day when I fly with my hands - up down the sky, like a bird'
But if the cause be not good, the king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make, when all those legs and arms and heads, chopped off in battle, shall join together at the latter day and cry all 'We died at such a place; some swearing, some crying for surgeon, some upon their wives left poor behind them, some upon the debts they owe, some upon their children rawly left.
Hyperides of Athens: We know, replied he, that Antipater is good, but we (the Demos of Athens) have no need of a master at present, even a good one.
Compliance will be rewarded
Re: Good Historical Fiction?
I know it was bad but I loved 300 Rise of an Empire...the music alone was amazing.
Plus...ancient ship battles. How often do we get that?
Things I trust more than American conservatives:
Drinks from Bill Cosby, Flint Michigan tap water, Plane rides from Al Qaeda, Anything on the menu at Chipotle, Medical procedures from Mengele
Re: Good Historical Fiction?
BUMP!
I haven't found my answer in the thread but thought it best to not start another thread on historical fiction...
What are people's favourite Roman historical fiction series? Are there any based upon the early Republic/ Early years of Rome. I'm currently researching the Roman expansion within Italy and I always take more in through historical fictions that are usually accurate enough for my needs! Please fire away!
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