"US Viewers' Resistance to English Subtitles Has Decreased"
Japanese historical drama 'Shogun,' which won 18 Emmy Awards, the highest honor in the US broadcasting industry, was analyzed by Japanese media to have benefited from the rise of Korean dramas such as 'Squid Game' in the US market.
On the 16th, Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) stated, "The success of a drama with 70% of its dialogue in Japanese in the US is largely due to the groundwork laid by the rise of Korean dramas," citing the globally popular Netflix series 'Squid Game' as an example. Most Americans prefer to watch foreign films and dramas dubbed in English, but the great success of Korean dramas has reduced resistance to watching with English subtitles.
Based on James Clavell's historical novel of the same name, 'Shogun' is a drama centered on political intrigue in 17th-century Japan. On the 15th (local time), at the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony held in Los Angeles (LA), the drama swept 18 awards including Outstanding Drama Series, Directing, Lead Actor, and Lead Actress.
Although many of the drama's producers, directors, and key staff were American, most of the cast, from leads to supporting and minor roles, were Japanese.
Nikkei noted, "The attention to Shogun also reflects the trend of diversification in American society," and reported that although a drama based on the same original work was made in the 1980s, at that time the perspective centered on a British navigator rather than Japanese characters.
Yomiuri Shimbun also cited film journalist Saruwatari Yuki's view, analyzing that Shogun's success reflects trends in the US entertainment industry. The outlet highlighted that works featuring actors unfamiliar to Americans, such as 'Squid Game' and the Japanese film 'Godzilla Minus One,' have recently gained positive responses in the US.
Yomiuri added, "The prevailing belief has been that white people want to watch only white productions and Americans dislike subtitles, but as these works have attracted attention, resistance to productions featuring many non-white actors has disappeared, and Americans have become accustomed to works with subtitles."
Hiroyuki Sanada, lead actor and producer of Shogun who won the Lead Actor award, said at a press conference immediately after receiving the award regarding Shogun's success, "I hope this will be a stepping stone for period dramas (jidai-geki) to be inherited and become globally recognized from Japan." He continued, "Having 70% of the dialogue in Japanese and using subtitles was quite a gamble," reflecting, "The biggest challenge was to make it enjoyable for both the global market and Japanese period drama fans."
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