Taigas are about as historically accurate as the Chinese historical dramas about dynastic turning points, I have discovered. (I think sageuks have, so far, the best track record for that sort of thing.)
I'm probably feeling more bitter about this than warranted, but I just finished watching the taiga on Oeyo, most famously married to Hidetada Tokugawa (Gou ~ Himetachi no Sengoku, I believe). It did go for some fairly controversial interpretations of Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and even Hidetada, but the characterizations were so weak! The writer went for the high road of non-vilifying everyone to the point of making everybody a good guy, which, newsflash, Sengoku era, not going to happen. (I think they might have strained something, trying to keep everyone happy.)
So it became a little farcical to me, aside from reducing who was probably a fairly badass samurai hime to a milksop who tilted her head and went 'ha?' all the time. D:
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Date: 13 Mar 2012 02:30 pm (UTC)I'm probably feeling more bitter about this than warranted, but I just finished watching the taiga on Oeyo, most famously married to Hidetada Tokugawa (Gou ~ Himetachi no Sengoku, I believe). It did go for some fairly controversial interpretations of Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and even Hidetada, but the characterizations were so weak! The writer went for the high road of non-vilifying everyone to the point of making everybody a good guy, which, newsflash, Sengoku era, not going to happen. (I think they might have strained something, trying to keep everyone happy.)
So it became a little farcical to me, aside from reducing who was probably a fairly badass samurai hime to a milksop who tilted her head and went 'ha?' all the time. D:
Maybe actual documentaries fare better?