Man, I need to try to see if my anxiety would let me watch this. I loved the original, and I'd like to see how this one handles the pheasant episode. That's one of the few parts I can remember vividly. I'd really like to see if it's as gut wrenching as the first time.
It lasted even longer in the original, as did the humiliation of the pilot. So far the remake has been very true to the original, but modernized. They made the boiling water scene more intense, but shorter. If it keeps being like the original then that first episode is the hardest to watch.
They also respected the philosophical aspect of it, with a pensive monologue that reflects the ambivalent nature of the scene and the character of Yabu in the book.
Also, good call removing the CSA scene from the book but still keeping the sexual perversion of the character present.
If nothing else, take comfort in the growth of society since the time being depicted. Most places wouldn’t, uh, make human soup nowadays. So that’s nice, anyway.
I found the first episode to treat the gore sparsely. The soup part is mostly off camera or blurred and suggested. The didn't linger on it like the Indian Jones face melting guy. I thought it was tastefully done, if you'll pardon the pun.