Update 4/2/18:
We have a little more information about Shogun World. The Delos Destination website was updated with the name of the world and confirms it’s based on the Edo period:
For those for whom Westworld is not enough, the true connoisseur of gore can indulge their fantasies with the slash of a katana. Modeled after Japan’s Edo period, Shogun World offers a chance for guests to embrace their inner warrior, in a landscape of highest beauty and darkest horror. Let your true self take shape in the land where self-discovery is an art form.
Previously:
Delos will be facing a host of problems when season two of Westworld premieres on HBO on April 22. The resident robots of one of their theme park worlds, Westworld, are revolting, and one of the issues Delos will have to reckon with is whether they can stop this uprising from spreading into their other parks (they have six total), like Shogun World. We’ve seen glimpses of the world in trailers and through in-universe websites, and the latest footage from the series paused on one character in particular: a geisha. She’ll be played by Rinko Kikuchi.
If Shogun World is like Westworld, it’s sprawling. The location of the park would likely be miles away from the Delos corporate structure we saw in season one. However, when Maeve made her escape, we saw hosts dressed in samurai attire in the background. So presumably, all the robots are made in the same place–which would make it easy for the hosts of Westworld to recruit the Shogun World hosts to their side. I don’t know which group of robots to be more afraid of. Given what Delos put the hosts of Westworld through, I have no doubt Shogun World robots were equally abused. I don’t want to imagine what a geisha would have had to endure at the hands of guests who have twisted ideas of a geisha’s role.
So, if Kikuchi’s character awakes and gains sentience, imagine the ass she will kick. It will be glorious. What if she ends up joining forces with Maeve? Thandie Newton‘s character is seen wearing a kimono in the season two trailer, so she’s spending some amount of time in the park. I don’t know if we’ll see Shogun World, but I believe hosts from that park are going to have a key role in the upcoming season.
How prominent do you think Kikuchi’s role will be in season two? What theories do you have about Shogun World? Tell us in the comments.
Image: HBO
Amy Ratcliffe is an Associate Editor for Nerdist. Follow her on Twitter. Maybe she’s a host. Who knows.
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