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The good news is that the first season of Shenmue The Animation will begin right at the beginning of Ryo’s quest for vengeance, meaning that prospective viewers who are unfamiliar with the series needn’t worry about not knowing anything about the story. In fact, having not played the games shouldn’t be seen as much of a barrier at all, as early signs suggest that the anime will be different from the games in quite a few ways.
A Faster Pace
One of the biggest complaints that people have about the Shenmue games is that they can be very slow in certain places. This is especially true of the series’ first installment, with players often having to wait around in order to progress the story. This really shouldn’t be an issue in Shenmue The Animation, however, due to how much of the story will be crammed into the first thirteen episodes.
Season one of the anime will cover all of the first game as well as a significant chunk of the second. Just how much is unclear at this time, but the second piece of key art released for the project appears to show Ryo and Lan Di fighting on top of a building in Kowloon, suggesting that the first season will cover at least two-thirds of Shenmue 2. With this in mind, things are going to have to move at a pretty brisk pace.
Missing Scenes
As well as covering all of the key story beats from the Yokosuka and Hong Kong legs of Ryo’s journey, the anime will also include some additional events that never made it into the Dreamcast classics. At the very least, trailers show that the anime will include the martial arts tournament that takes place just before the beginning of the first game, though there’s plenty of other cut content that could also make it in.
Perhaps one of the most well-known omissions from the games is the boat chapter that was supposed to take place between Shenmue and Shenmue 2. Like the karate tournament, Ryo’s fight with Chai during his journey to Hong Kong didn’t make the cut the first time around and is only referenced in the games, but may well make an appearance at some point during the anime.
Endless Easter Eggs
Given how much content there is to cram in and how little screen time there is in which to do it, it seems very unlikely that there’s going to be much time spent exploring the explorative elements of Shenmue. That doesn’t mean that things like capsule toys and arcade games won’t be making an appearance in the anime, however, as evidenced by the recently released trailer.
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In the trailer, viewers get a glimpse of the interior of the You Arcade and even a few frames of forklift action, and this is probably just the tip of the iceberg. It seems highly likely that there’ll be plenty of other nods to the series’ roots as well, so whether it comes in the form of a line about looking for sailors or hearing Delin’s iconic grunts, fans of the games can look forward to finding plenty of little Easter eggs hidden throughout the anime.
More Fighting
Despite Shenmue originally being conceived as a Virtua Fighter RPG, the Shenmue games don’t really feature too much in the way of free combat. This almost certainly won’t be an issue with the anime, however, at least not if the trailers are anything to go by, anyway. The ones released so far have packed in an impressive amount of punches, suggesting that viewers are in for a more combat-oriented experience than the games.
Set-piece moments like the iconic 70-man battle will all be included, but it appears that there’ll also be some additional fights thrown in there as well. As mentioned above, the second piece of key art appears to show Ryo and Lan Di fighting in Kowloon, which doesn’t actually happen in the games — with the pair only actually locking eyes atop the Yellow Head building during Shenmue 2.
A Darker Tone
Despite telling a story that’s centered around revenge, the Shenmue games are actually quite light in tone, for the most part. Of course, that’s not to say that they don’t still have their moments, but the quirky characters, beautiful soundtrack, and slow pacing generally provide a more relaxing (and at times, goofy) experience than the subject matter might otherwise suggest. This probably won’t be the case with the anime, however.
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With more of an emphasis on combat and less time for world-building, the anime looks set to be a lot more serious than the games on which it’s based. The art style employed lends itself to a much darker tone than a lot of Shenmue fans will have been expecting, while the new music replaces relaxing melodies with fast-paced beats. The decision not to bring back Corey Marshall as Ryo in the English dub could also be seen as the show’s creators targeting a more serious vibe, though they may have simply wanted a lead with anime experience.
Attention To Detail
One of the things that made the Shenmue games so immersive was how much work and time went into world-building. Each and every NPC is fully voiced and has their own daily routine and the first game even uses real-life weather data from the Yokosuka region taken from the time period in which the story takes place. The team behind the anime seems determined to live up to Yu Suzuki’s impeccably high standards in this regard.
Shenmue fansite PhantomRiverStone took a look at one of the backgrounds created for the anime and found that it bears a striking resemblance to its real-world counterpart. Not just the modern-day version either, but the way that it was back in 1986, with store names and the street’s layout all lining up perfectly. Granted, these little touches will likely be lost on most viewers, but are a clear indicator of how much care and attention has gone into the anime’s production.
Shenmue 4?
Over the last three and a half years, Shenmue fans have been treated to HD remasters of the first two games and the record-breaking sequel, Shenmue 3 — a game that many had given up hope of ever seeing prior to its announcement. The latter may not have lived up to everybody’s expectations, but the revival of the series has many fans once again daring to dream that they’ll someday see a conclusion to Yu Suzuki’s epic tale.
If the anime is able to attract enough new fans to the series, the likelihood of a fourth game seems pretty high, especially with Yu Suzuki having spent the last few years pitching the project to publishers. Some fans are even hoping that Shenmue 4 will be announced right after the final episode airs at the end of April, and while this may be wishful thinking, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if news regarding a fourth Shenmue game does begin to surface at some point during 2022.
The first episode of Shenmue The Animation will be available on Crunchyroll and Toonami from February 5.
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