The Shenmue Anime Is A Faithful Adaptation Of A Dreamcast Classic
Shenmue is a strange choice for an anime. Yu Suzuki's Dreamcast classic tells a great story, but at such an intentionally glacial pace, it doesn't seem like it would translate well to an episodic TV series. Most of the game is spent wandering the streets of Yokosuka asking people questions, with an occasional, usually brief, eruption of violence. So as a Shenmue fan who loves it for its idiosyncratic slowness, I was curious how this new series, the first episode of which is available to watch now on Crunchyroll, would tackle the source material.
The first episode, titled Thunderclap, sets the story in motion with the brutal murder of Iwao Hazuki at the hands of the mysterious Lan Di. Devastated by the loss of his father and sensei, and hungry for retribution, teenage martial arts prodigy Ryo Hazuki embarks on a quest for vengeance, ignoring the advice of his family and friends. Pretty similar to the beginning of the game, then. But what I love about the anime is how it gives us a previously unseen insight into what Ryo's life was like before this traumatic event changed it forever.
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Explore Ryo's bedroom in the game and you'll find a cupboard filled with trophies. In the anime we see Ryo taking part in a high school martial arts tournament, where he defeats a cocky rival with a single punch. This is one of many examples of the show's attention to detail, taking something from the game and expanding on it. We learn that Ryo is a promising student with a bright future, about to leave high school and go to college. But then he returns home on that fateful, snowy evening to find his world has been torn apart.
Ryo is a lot more human here. In the
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