The animated series was unveiled at New York Comic Con 2021
The firs trailer for Shenmue: The Animation is officially out, based on the popular game from Dreamcast. And it did not disappoint. There were solid Kung Fu fights laid out throughout the 1 minute 15 seconds clip. The trailer was shown first at the New York Comic Con 2021.
What the creator had to say?
The series’ creator Yu Suzuki, director Chikara Sakurai, and producer Yu Kiyozono were present at the panel. The series is backed by Sola Entertainment producer Joseph Chou, and they said that the anime will adapt the vast lore of the game.
About the legacy left by the game, Suzuki said that it’s so grand and long that it’s hard to reach a wide audience as just a game series. Back when Shenmue 3 came out, he stated that the game only reached about 40% of the overall story. He admitted that animation is a lot more straightforward than a game, and can tell a more linear story.
Meanwhile, Sakurai admitted that he never got to play the original games as he couldn’t afford it at that time. He said it’s interesting to make a movie out of a game that he couldn’t play.
About the show:
The story takes place in Yokosuka and Hong Kong, and will bring familiar characters from the game. Shenmue will be featured in flashback scenes. There will be 13 episodes and will air on both Crunchyroll and Adult Swim. A dubbed version will also be released.
The original story is set in 1986, where teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki returns home to his family dojo in Yosuka, Japan. But he find his father Iwao in the midst of a fight between the evil Lan Di. Lan Di threatens to kill Ryo unless his father tells him to reveal the location of the artifact known as the Dragon Mirror. His father reveals, but Lan Di kills him anyway. Ryo then sets out to avenge his father.
The anime will release in 2022. Check out the trailer below:
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