2008-07-02

King of Zipangu

I've known Oda Nobunaga and the Sengoku Jidai ever since I played KOEI's Nobunaga Ambition around 20 years ago. I always hoped that there would be a movie about him. Finally, I've finished watching the entire 51 episodes of King of Zipangu and so far, it was awesome. It was equally great with Shinsengumi!, another Japanese taiga drama.

The series began with Nobunaga's childhood and ended with his death in 1582. It started rather slow, focussing on the characterization of Nobunaga and historical figures around him. The movie also accompanied by a subplot regarding the early development of Christianity in Japan. Actually, the series was narrated from the perspective of Luis Frois, a Portuguese Jesuit missionary, whom was also a friend of Oda Nobunaga.

A character considered ruthless, Oda Nobunaga actually almost managed to unify the entire 66 provinces in Japan. He was on his way to invade Mori when his life was cut short by the betrayal of Akechi Mitsuhide. His goal was only to unify Japan, whatever it takes.

Naoto Ogata as Oda Nobunaga

I'm not sure if some of the scenes were fictionalized, but if there were, Nobunaga's desire that the people worship him as a god was probably a fatal mistake. Nevertheless, we'd never know about that for sure.

Okay, the good side about the series was the acting. Watching it just made me feel like watching the real events. The same goes with Shinsengumi! series. The cast was also perfect. Battle scenes, however, could've been a lot better. Unlike battle scenes in the movies like Lord of the Rings, the depictions were too simple. I guess it could've posed a titanic cost to shoot the scenes like those of Lord of the Rings movies. Too much emphasis on the Nobunaga's private life was also perhaps, too much. Still, that's what the series trying to tell. Also, the subplot about Christian missionaries were also too much. It could be simpler, though. The final episode was also too shallow. It should've been concluded with the Battle of Yamazaki between Hashiba Hideyoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide.

Overall, this is a series worth watching. The overall score is 9.0.

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