4 Westworld spin-off mini-series HBO needs to develop
By Shah Shahid
Shogun World
The most obvious, exciting and interesting spin-off from season 2 of Westworld has to be the story of the characters in Shogun World, as seen in episode 5, Akane no Mai. Why there isn’t a series about Samurais set in Feudal Japan already being developed at HBO is beyond me!
More from HBO
- Hacks season 3 gets exciting release update: Here’s what we know
- Blue Beetle gets disappointing Max release update
- Friends snags No.1 spot on U.S. streaming services – and we’re not surprised
- Will there be a Steven Universe revival? Rebecca Sugar says “if there’s a huge amount of public demand”
- Industry season 3 is not coming until 2024: Here’s what we know about the release
This episode gave us deep characters, with soulful storylines and backgrounds, which were as beautiful as the ending was devastating. Veteran character actor Hiroyuki Sanada as a Ronin who turned his back on his tyrannical leader at the risk of facing dishonour, has such depth of back-story that the episode could only mildly hint at. Especially when he takes up the cause to protect the small town, along with a Madam and her group of Geishas.
The Madam (Rinki Kikuchi) herself also has a rich history, with a heart of gold who adopted a young abandoned girl, who is then kidnapped by the same brutes that the Ronin abandoned. The story, featured across two episodes of season 2, already provided so much implied history between these characters, that a fully fledged 5-6 episode miniseries could further develop and give audiences the whole story of the Ronin and the Geishas.