In the book there was. A lot bigger discussion regarding different attitudes towards sex between Japanese and Europeans. They touch in this little bit in the show regarding helping Blackthorn “ease his tension”. At one point some Japanese are having a debate about Blackthorns’s sexual preference since they have been ordered by Toranage to tend to his health and make him comfortable. Blackthorn gets embarrassed when Mariko says that the women helping him bathe will also “pillow” him. He then gets angry when she offers him a boy. One of the samurai guarding Blackthorn is confused and then he remembers hearing about a man who did it with ducks and wants to get a duck and leave it with Blackthorn .
Question which is admittedly off-topic. Have ever watched the Netflix series, Samurai Gormet? It's entertaining, funny in an un-gut wrenching laughter kind of way.
Missed last weeks episode but did see this week’s and the show continues to be good. One thing that I don’t think this show does as good of a job as even the 1980’s series is the relationship between Blackthorne and Toranaga. Spoiler The earthquake scene is a major turning point in both Blackthorne’s view of life in Japan and also his relationship with Toranaga. In the book Blackthorne does save Toranaga but Toranaga also saves Blackthorne and Mariko. After the earthquake passes Toranaga pisses on crevasse created by the quake and has Blackthorne join him. It’s a moment of levity that brings them closer. It’s not made clear in the book about what Toranaga knows of Blackthorne and Mariko’s relationship but he likely does and is using it to control both of them. Him making Buntaro stay with Blackthorne is likely a test of all three and a message to all other that he, Toranaga, is more important than their own emotional discomfort.
Game like pheasant can be pretty tough when it’s fresh and the idea is to age the meat. It’s hung so that it gets air circulation and doesn’t just sit in a puddle of decay. In the book Blackthorne talks about it should be hung by the neck until it falls off. Also they didn’t go into it in the show but at the meal with Buntaro Blackthorne is eating rabbit stew which he cuts up with the chef’s prized sushi knife. This disgusts the Japanese which is why Fuji tells the chef to order new knives and the chef offers to get a non Buddhist to cook.
I thought the idea was that he would go back and eventually eat it but Didn't seem like he was doing anything but being nasty AF I was wondering if there was some . .. english thing Rocket River
It isn't, and wouldn't have been unusual to hang pheasants for a week or so.... but keep in mind they'd be doing so in England with high temperatures barely hitting 50 degrees.... so it would be basically refrigerated most of the time.
Deep down he just wanted it to rot to pieces. @ Rocket River..... Spoiler Yeah the Uejiro Gardener explanation that he was terminally sick and wanted a quick death that meant something in their society .....was solid.
IDK but the introduction of that female baddie is not something I expected at all.....not having watched the original or the book.....