A Thrilling and Vengeful Coming of Age Story in Shenmue: The Animation

Source: Gamereactor

Introduction

Youth is a time of significant change. From navigating changes and challenges to determining one’s personal life trajectory, growing up puts the “form” in formative. It can be difficult to imagine additional concerns piling atop these already pressing matters, but avenging one’s father’s murder at age 18 by tracking down and confronting the killer in an international web of intrigue is exactly what Shenmue: The Animation does to great success.

A Brief History of the Shenmue Universe

The name Shenmue may not be a household name in the video game world, but it is undoubtedly one worthy of everyone’s attention. This moving martial arts-filled masterpiece of a series began in 1999 with the original game’s release for the SEGA Dreamcast. Published by SEGA, the story revolves around Japanese 18-year-old martial arts fighter Ryo Hazuki, a dogged teenager from Yokosuka who both witnesses the death of his father in 1986 and subsequently vows to find the man responsible. The man in question is Lan Di, the head of the deadly Chi You Men criminal organization based in China, but despite the serious dangers associated with this task Ryo persists undeterred.

The first game is set entirely in Japan. Starting at the Hazuki Dojo, Ryo’s childhood home in Yokosuka, and expanding gradually into the larger commercial Dobuita and Yokosuka Harbor, he makes his way through each area by questioning everyone he meets to obtain answers about his deceased father, with the discovery of and mystery of his family’s Phoenix Mirror assuming an increasingly major role. In doing so, players are treated to an inside look at Ryo’s relationships with the locals, including his family, friends and acquaintances. By the end of the first game, Ryo is poised to travel to Hong Kong to reach Lan Di and complete his mission.

The second game, which released in 2001 for the Dreamcast, continues immediately from the first, seeing Ryo enter Hong Kong via ship at the Arrival Dock. As he makes his way to the Worker’s Pier, Aberdeen and beyond, he inches closer to his goal of subduing Lan Di. Concurrently, the people he meets in Hong Kong along the way, especially martial arts master Lishao Tao, enigmatic Ren of Heavens and elusive former Five Star Corp owner Yuanda Zhu, temper his thirst for revenge, which ultimately leads to him altering his mindset about the connection between Lan Di and his father.

The story ostensibly ended there, on a cliffhanger that left the audience uncertain if Ryo ever accomplished his goal of finding Lan Di. In 2019, however, the long-awaited Shenmue III was released to provide closure. A few years later, in 2022, anime streaming giant Crunchyroll and Western cartoon network Adult Swim partnered to produce Shenmue: The Animation for one season consisting of 13 episodes. This series follows the first two games, deviating both to pad and add context to the story that is otherwise absent. These creative liberties do not detract from the plot but rather add to it, and the result is a stellar story that appeals to gamers and viewers alike.

Story Overview: Growing Up with Revenge on the Mind is Hard

This story centers on Ryo’s journey from Japan to Hong Kong to avenge his father’s murder. The first game covers from Ryo’s loss to his departure via ship, and the second takes him from his arrival in Hong Kong to rural China, where he makes his greatest discovery yet — only to end on a cliffhanger. It is tough to watch Ryo ripped from his former life of training and high school and thrust upon his quest to best Lan Di. His interactions with friends and family, notably his mother, Fuku-san and Nozomi, make the desire to see him stray from his blood lust are palpable. Despite everyone’s wishes, Ryo remains devoted to avenging his father by defeating everyone on his path, no matter their size or strength. This approach leads him to fight several mighty groups, such as the Mad Angels, Yellow Head and Chi You Men. Ryo never flinches, though, and nothing will stop him from achieving his goal.

Strengths: Faithful to the Source, Exciting Action and Emotive Story

The Shenmue anime is outstanding. Following the original plot almost exactly, it recaptures the first two games’ highlights into the small screen format. Since Ryo’s story is so intricate and involved, the series attempts to emulate the thrill of finding clues to uncover the secrets surrounding Ryo’s father’s murder. Consequently, this show features most major plot points in animated form. Some of the more nuanced and extraneous content is not present due to time constraints, which allows for a continuous momentum of events instead of the literal wait Ryo experiences in the games. Realistically, no crucial detail is missing, and this series provides a suspenseful coming-of-age tale for everyone interested.

The action involved with Ryo’s quest is one of the draws of the games as well as this series. Stemming rom Ryo’s childhood living with a martial arts master of a father, training and discipline are key to his success, as demonstrated in the games by the practice and Virtua Fighter-inspired 3-D combat. Ryo’s determination is also evident in this anime, most noticeably in the fact he defeats virtually all his opponents, regardless of physical size or power, in a matter of single-digit hits. Although it involves a little more time to amass such prowess in the games, seeing a teenager take down everyone in his way in the name of his father is adrenaline-inducing, much like is done in One-Punch Man and Attack on Titan.

Another undeniable, and perhaps the most moving, strength is the emotions the characters generate regularly throughout this series. From the start, Ryo’s unwavering commitment to his father is inspiring (if arguably mulish). Similarly, the allies he meets in Guizhang, Mark, Master Tao and Ren — and finding out their reasons for helping — are among some of the most touching shown in recent history. Away from the action, people like Fuku-san, Nozomi, Goro and Fangmei assist Ryo through their insights, and seeing them contribute is just as meaningful. The Four Wude Masters and their respective teachings as well as the added scene featuring Ren accepting he admires Ryo’s tenacity, especially for a man of his age, are particularly poignant, and when combined with Ryo’s overall plot, they reveal Shenmue as a tale of personal growth as much as revenge. That the soundtrack, as with that of the games, is provides apt musical accompaniment to the action is a significant bonus.

Weaknesses: Some Cut Content and Unequal Game Plot Distribution

Although the additional content enhances this story, it is able to do so in part at the expense of cut content. It is true there is nothing major removed from this show, but some of the conversations Ryo has during his journey are memorable moments that would have fit in nicely. For example, in the first game he speaks with two Dobuita antique shop owners after having rescued one of their grandsons from Mad Angels gang members hired to scare him off. These interactions further the idea from earlier in the game when Ryo tries to locate Chinese residents in the area that, despite his graphic introduction to Chinese people by way of Lan Di, they are among the most helpful individuals in his quest. Sadly, such moments are not included in this anime due to time constraints, but they would have been nice to see. After all, seeing Ryo obtain myriad Gachagacha capsule toys resembling Sonic the Hedgehog and other famous SEGA characters never gets old (but at least Tails from Sonic the Fighters makes an appearance in the second episode).

The other shortcoming present is the asymmetrical game representation. Specifically, out of the 13 episodes, the first five feature the first game’s plot, and the remaining eight cover the second. Nothing significant is lost in this process, but one could wonder how the story could have been told had it been distributed differently, for example, by spending six episodes on each game and the final to wrap it up with aspects from both. What is included is wonderful, but having those extra conversations would have been even more outstanding.

Conclusion and Score

Shenmue: The Animation is a joy to watch. From Ryo’s questioning everyone he meets to the realizations he has as the new man he becomes by the end, seeing his personal transformation is enthralling. The profound changes he makes along the way only increase his appeal to viewers. Unfortunately, some of the conversations and moments Ryo has to get to this point are absent from this anime. None of these missing moments affect this show adversely, though, and in the end watching this work is an excellent way to see the story as an alternative to playing the games.

Pros:

• Faithful to the games
• Suspense and action abound
• Emotion-filled story

Cons:

• Some content and conversations removed due to time constraints
• Episodes cover more of the second game than the first

Score: 9/10

Standout Quote

• “Live for one’s convictions. Die for one’s convictions. That is how I lived my life.” — Iwao Hazuki to Ryo in his letter

Series Information

• Title: Shenmue: The Animation
• Starring: Masaya Matsukaze/Austin Tindle, Takahiro Sakurai/Scott Gibbs, Haruka Terui/Natalie Rial, Osamu Taira/Cody House
• Director: Chikara Sakurai
• Studio: Telecom Animation Film
• Network/Platform: Crunchyroll/Adult Swim (Toonami)
• Release Date: 6 February 2022
• Series: Shenmue

References/Further Reading

To learn more about the Twisted Metal series as well as this franchise at large, please visit the following links:

• Shenmue Franchise (Giant Bomb)
• Shenmue: The Animation Anime (Crunchyroll)

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this review as well as throughout this blog belong solely to Lord Trichechus Rosmarus of Premier Polygon Productions. Consequently, they represent the perspectives only of these entities and in no way aim to disparage the artists’ works cited.