This Brunch round-up: The week and how it made us feel..

The story goes that James Clavell wrote Shogun (1975) after a single line in his daughter’s schoolbook: “In 1600, an Englishman went to Japan and became a samurai.” The novel, which fictionalises the tales of William Adams, military ruler Tokugawa Ieyasu and noblewoman Hosokawa Gracia, spawned an epic 80s mini-series. The 2024 version, two episodes in, is subtle, subtitled and immersive. Keep watching, Gai-Jin. It’s got promise.

Athletes, they’re just like us. If you were the kind of kid who overturned the Ludo board when you lost, then Instagram handle @AthletesGettingSlightlyMad is the page you need. From Neymar making faces to Djokovic slamming his racquet on the ground repeatedly, it captures the little explosions male athletes can’t seem to avoid. It’s therapeutic.

Hip-hop fans don’t deserve them. At a concert by Seedhe Maut and Chaar Diwaar in Mumbai last week, an evening of cheering turned into a brawl. Punches were thrown. So were kicks. Videos went viral. “This is why it should only happen at metal gigs” said metalheads. Makes sense?

Need a sign to call it off with a lousy partner? Do it like Billie Eilish. “A couple years ago I had a dream about Christian Bale and it was at a little cafe in the sunlight, and it made me realise that I had to break up with my boyfriend at the time,” the singer shared at a pre-Oscars event. She’s not into Bale (he’s been married since 2000). But we’d like one Dark Knight too, please.

The four-day work-week trial in the UK has been pretty successful. Most participating companies have made the policy permanent. Staff well-being is good, turnover is low. But people also raised concerns about the extra day off, saying it leads to stress and feelings of inequity among employees. No! Don’t complicate a good thing. Just take the extra day for yourself. Here’s a chance to get a life.