Disney’s new Shogun series features beheadings, a man being boiled to death and brutal, violent battles played out on screen… and viewers are loving it!

Disney+ has released its bloody new blockbuster series Shogun, which fans are touting as the next Game of Thrones.

Set in the 17th century, the highly anticipated action drama depicts the brutality of feudal Japan and revolves around a military chief fighting for his life in a series of savage, violent clashes.

Based on James Clavell’s critically acclaimed 1975 novel, Shogun features brutal beheadings, people being boiled alive and cut open with katanas – with fans already celebrating it as one of the most bloodthirsty hits of the year.

The first two episodes of the ten-part weekly show were released this morning on Disney+, with the fantasy epic receiving rave reviews from viewers and critics alike across the world.

One delighted fan said they were enthralled by the show’s opening, tweeting: ‘Holy s***, what a great way to launch me into the series today. I’ve been waiting not so patiently, literally for three years, finally I understand my solution.’

A second compared the series to hit series Game of Thrones, adding: ‘My mind is blown by Shogun. The acting, the gore – good god, the gore! Honestly, this feels like Game of Thrones, only better. By far the best thing on TV right now.’

Another fan tweeted: ‘HOLY F*** I KNEW THIS SHOW WAS INCREDIBLE!!!’

While a lover of the original 1975 book added: ‘Hell yes. The book is an amazing representation of that time and I’m so happy to see it come to fruition on screen.”

“What a great way to launch me into the series today. I’ve been waiting not so patiently, literally for three years, finally I’m getting my FIX,” another added.

Set in 1600s Japan, Shogun is rooted in the real history of that period, a dangerous time when various warlords battled for ultimate power while European powers warily circled the island.

The arrival of a castaway Englishman – John Blackthorne – upsets the balance in Japan, yet offers intriguing possibilities because he knows important global information. Initially a pawn, he grew into a trusted advisor and ally.

“It really boiled down to it being a story about agency and this story about characters trying to control the path of their own destiny in a very chaotic world where you could literally lose your head at any moment,” said screenwriter Justin Marks. .

The series contains elements of intrigue and spectacle, like ‘Game of Thrones’, with brutal beheadings, people being boiled alive or cut open with katanas, blood splashing on window screens and arrows with fire tips.

It also shows the reluctant understanding that grows between Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) and a love story between Blackthorne and translator Lady Mariko (Anna Sawai).

“Maybe fate brought you here for a reason,” Blackthorne is told shortly after the shipwreck in Japan. “Maybe you’ll live long enough to find out what it is.”

But when Marks first got his hands on a copy of James Clavell’s original 1975 novel, the screenwriter admitted he’d been reluctant to delve into it.

The book about a British sailor shipwrecked in feudal Japan was huge: more than 1,000 pages. And old: ‘It was the book that was on our parents’ bedside table.’ Plus, it sounded culturally out of step. He assumed it could not be adjusted before 2024.

But at the urging of his wife, novelist Rachel Kondo, he finally picked it up and quickly realized why Clavell’s novel was so celebrated.

“When you open it up and go through it, it’s a remarkably modern story,” he said. ‘It really gets to the heart of what it is to encounter another culture and encounter yourself in it.’

Marks and his wife dove into the fish-out-of-water story and are now ready for the world to see their fictional 10-episode limited series “Shogun.”

The series is now riding a wave of new TV offerings that embrace Asian culture, including Max’s ‘Ninja Kamui,’ ‘Warrior’ and ‘Tokyo Vice,’ Paramount+’s ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice’ and ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ and ‘House of Ninjas’, both on Netflix.

The 1975 book “Shogun” sold millions and a 1980 TV miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune was watched by 1 in 3 American households and won three Emmys and three Golden Globes. Both the series and the book created a wave of interest in feudal Japan, from children playing with toy katanas to video games and Tom Cruise starring in “The Last Samurai.”

“It’s almost impossible not to continue reading ‘Shogun’ once you’ve opened it,” The New York Times said in its review. ‘Yet it is not just something you read, you also live it. The imagination is possessed.’

The new show – with Clavell’s daughter Michaela as producer – adapts the story. Sanada said if the book was “blue eyes looking at Japan,” the FX series wears “Japanese lenses.” Blackthorne isn’t so much the hero here as a catalyst, as co-creators Marks and Kondo explore the power dynamics.

Those tuning in may get a whiff of “The Godfather,” another 1970s epic with a strong sense of loyalty, family and honor, while violence lurks. There’s also a comment about “Succession,” which Marks doesn’t deny.

“In a writers’ room, there’s always a show that we all watch when we do it, and ‘Succession’ was that show,” he says, laughing. ‘We actually just loved it. And in some ways it probably got thrown into the mix.”

Shogun is available to stream on Disney+