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It seems like Ryo Hazuki's search for his father's killer may never be resolved - at least not in animated form. The first season of Shenmue the Animation is no longer available on HBO Max or Adult Swim, delisted in the wake of parent company Warner Bros' merger with Discovery. Toonami co-creator Jason DeMarco took to his official Twitter on Wednesday to comment on a list of cut shows posted by the @CNschedules. In his comment, DeMarco confirmed that the Shenmue anime might not get a second season. This is in spite of preparations being underway to begin production after the success of the first season.

https://twitter.com/Clarknova1/status/1574971363453857792

DeMarco did confirm, though, that Shenmue the Animation, along with titles like Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Fena: Pirate Princess, would still be viewable via Crunchyroll. As Crunchyroll co-produced the three series, it retains streaming rights. The content cuts are mainly coming as a way for Warner Bros and Discovery to reduce costs and tax burdens following the merger. As such, they mainly affect presences on HBO and related channels. The losses also don't affect releases, though the possibility remains that the company could change its mind later and scrub the show away more completely. After all, Final Space, another show on Adult Swim, was "written off" so thoroughly that streaming, physical, and digital releases were stopped outright.

Further comments by DeMarco noted that while the losses affect current shows, planned and in-progress productions remain on track. Adult Swim is producing and co-producing new anime, like Housing Complex C, an adaptation of Junji Ito's Uzumaki, and further works connected to FLCL.

Shenmue the Animation Season One is viewable on Crunchyroll. The first two Shenmue games are available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC as remasters. Shenmue III is available on PS4 and PC.

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Several new cast for the Shenmue anime have been revealed. One of the actors previously appeared in Shenmue III and will reprise her role in the anime. Furthermore, Japanese traditional rock band NARUDORA will perform the ending theme for the Shenmue anime. The song is titled "Sympathy." [Thanks, Game Watch!]

Sega revealed the voice actors for Shenhua, Nozomi, and Guizhang, along with official comments from each actor. Haruka Terui, who voiced Shenhua Ling in Shenmue III, will reprise her role in the anime series. Nozomi Harasaki will be voiced by Haruka Fushimi, and this will be the voice actor's first major role in an anime. Ryuichi Kijima, who plays Mitsuki in the Boruto anime series, will voice Guizhang.

https://twitter.com/shenmue_anime/status/1489010742758023171?s=20&t=ru8Lg_62ljGXHrfYPdGtzQ

As mentioned, NARUDORA, a 4-member Japanese alternative rock band, will perform the Shenmue anime's ending theme song. Formed in 2013, the band has frequently done street performances as well as live shows. While the title of the ending theme has been confirmed, there is no official trailer or music video as of yet.

Previously, Sega revealed that Shenmue The Animation would feature the core voice cast from the games. The new cast will Masaya Matsukaze and Takahiro Sakurai, both of whom appeared in the original Shenmue video game as Ryo and Lan Di, respectively. Crunchyroll also announced the actors for the English dub.

Shenmue The Animation will premiere on Crunchyroll on February 5, 2022. The series will also appear on Cartoon Network during Toonami at 12:30 AM. There will be 13 episodes in total.

The post Shenmue Anime Additional Cast and Ending Theme Revealed appeared first on Siliconera.

People will be able to see Ryo Hazuki’s story in a new way soon. The Shenmue anime release date is February 5, 2022. People will be able to stream it on Crunchyroll. On Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, it will the Toonami block. It will air there at 12:30am local time. There’s also a new key visual and trailer for

The new Shenmue trailer kicks off when Ryo's story begins. He happens upon Lan Di's encounter with his father. He learns about the two legendary mirrors. From there, we see the beginnings of his quest. There are also some segments showing the also legendary forklifts.

Here is the official Shenmue anime trailer, complete with release date at the end.

Here’s the English cast list for the dub.

• Ryo Hazuki: Austin Tindle
• Lan Di: Scott Gibbs
• Shenhua: Natalie Rial
• Nozomi Harasaki: Cat Thomas
• Guizhang Chen: Jeremy Gee
• Chai: Greg Ayres
• Wong: Bryson Baugus
• Joy: Luci Christian
• Xiuying Hong: Christine Auten
• Ren: Cody House
• Dou Niu: Joe Daniels

And here’s the Shenmue anime key visual. People from both the original game and the sequel appear in it. Ryo is at the bottom right. Shenhua Ling appears above him. Lan Di is in the upper right corner. Nozomi Harasaki and Chen Guizhang appear to be depicted in the bottom right corner. In the top right are Ren Wuying and Joy.

The Shenmue anime adaptation release date is February 5, 2022. It will be on demand on Crunchyroll. On Cartoon Network, people can see it during Toonami at 12:30am. There will be 13 episodes total.

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Adult Swim and Crunchyroll will debut a new animated series adapting the story of classic Dreamcast adventure Shenmue. The first look at the show since its initial announcement in September 2020 comes from the "Shenmue: Continuing the Legacy" virtual at the 2021 New York Comic Con. The revealed new key art and a trailer for Shenmue The Animation, showing off key scenes from the game in anime form.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZglZdwRw3XA

The Shenmue the Animation trailer mostly consists of scenes from the first game in the trilogy. It includes scenes like protagonist Ryo Hazuki's first encounter with Lan Di, the death of Ryo's father, and fights at the Yokosuka docks. The trailer also shows Ryo's battles against Chai and Mad Angels gang boss Terry Ryan.

Chikara Sakurai will direct Shenmue the Animation (their previous work includes Lost Song and Naruto Shippuden), and series creator Yu Suzuki is on board as an executive producer. Telecom Animation Film is animating the series. Telecom has produced a variety of shows, including Futakoi, Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro, and Lupin III. Sola Entertainment will take on a management role, while streaming services Crunchyroll and Cartoon Network's Adult Swim division are co-producing. When the series premieres in 2022, they will handle international distribution and localization.

Shenmue the Animation will premiere in 2022 on Crunchyroll and Adult Swim outside Japan. The original Dreamcast games were rereleased for PC, Xbox One, and PS4 in 2018. The final entry, Shenmue III, released for PC and PS4 in 2019, with a Complete Edition rerelease in 2020.

The post Shenmue The Animation First Trailer Revealed at NYCC 2021 appeared first on Siliconera.

Wonder waddle the Numskull Tubbz duck versions of Kazuma Kiryu and Ryo Hazuki look like? The company revealed looks at the latest Sega characters in its line of cosplaying rubber ducks. Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, and Yakuza are all represented this time around by Beat, Ryo, and Kazuma. Each one is expected to ship in July 2021.

The Beat, Kazuma, and Ryo Tubbz ducks are birds of a feather. Each one arrives in a package that includes a bathtub with their respective game’s logo on it. Each one is also about 3.5” tall. They’re made of PVC. However, while they look like the traditional rubber duck bath toy, they do not actually float in water.

Here’s a closer look at Beat both in and out of his box. He comes equipped with a can of spray paint.

[gallery columns="4" ids="883350,883351,883352,883353" link="file"]

This is Ryo. He’s wearing his traditional jacket and looks ready for a fight.

[gallery columns="4" ids="883355,883356,883357,883354" link="file"]

Finally, here’s the Kazuma Kiryu Tubbz duck. He’s wearing his suit from the original Yakuza game and has a bike he can use to beat up some enemies.

[gallery columns="4" ids="883358,883359,883360,883361" link="file"]

The Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, and Yakuza Tubbz ducks are all expected to ship sometime in July 2021. All three of these ducks won’t leave you with a big bill. The pre-order price at Just Geek is $14.99/£12.99/€15,61.

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Famitsu recently published a lengthy interview on the Shenmue anime series. Famitsu interviewed Yuu Suzuki (Shenmue series creator) and Yuu Kiyozono (Shenmue the Animation producer, Telecom Animation CEO). Both gentlemen offered insight into how production is going, voice casting, and much more. We've translated some of the important bits of the interview below.

• The anime will cover Yokosuka and Ryo arriving in Hong Kong.
• The director, writer, and animation team really wanted to include characters that show up in the Hong Kong parts of the game.
• Kiyozono says the anime has been in the works for 2 to 3 years, during the development of Shenmue III.
• The anime didn't come about because of Shenmue III's release.
• Kiyozono feels that his studio can bring the strengths of Shenmue to life. He was attracted to the Shenmue IP because it represents shows off Japan so well. He liked that the game starts in Yokosuka.
• Suzuki: "After Shenmue II released, fans often asked me when Shenmue III would come out. At that time, I was seriously considering the possibility of releasing Shenmue III as an anime, a novel, or a manga."
• Suzuki: "Shenmue is a bit of a unique game. It might be kind of difficult to get a wide audience to play it. But now that it's becoming an anime, the barrier for entry will be lowered. ... I hope people watch the anime, get interested in the series, and play games."
• Kiyozono says the team went to Yokosuka to get a feel for the narrowness of the streets and the atmosphere. They also took photos of the signs and architecture, all to represent Yokosuka accurately. Says Dobuita Street still feels like it did in the 1980s. They really want to capture the Showa era Yokosuka where Japan is not as clean as it is now. They hope they can convey to non-Japanese people the nostalgia that Japanese people have for this era/aesthetic.
• Says the budget is higher than a typical anime TV series. Putting a lot of effort into crowds, NPCs, streets, etc.

• The core voice cast from the games will return in the anime.
• Some new voice actors will be included, too, to get younger anime fans interested in Shenmue.
• Kiyozono says after announcing the anime adaptation, they received messages on Twitter from fans overseas that they wanted to participate in the production. Says it's the first time having that happen to him, despite being in the industry for many years.
• In of where they are in the production at this point, Yuu Suzuki has just looked over the first and second parts. The voices have not been incorporated yet.
• Suzuki approves of it. Likes how they've incorporated CG effectively. Feels like they've done the games a good service with unique excellence only found in anime.
• Though he's listed as an executive producer, Yuu Suzuki describes his position more as a "supervisor on the world-building". For example, making sure Ryo doesn't pick up a knife to fight, or that a particular character would or wouldn't say a particular thing. Suzuki will also ensure there is a sense of urgency portrayed throughout the series.

Finally, Yuu Suzuki was asked about the development status of Shenmue IV. Suzuki eagerly responded, "I guess it's a situation where I'm ready to go whenever I have the chance to do it."

Though no release window has been announced, the Shenmue anime series will be available on Crunchyroll and Adult Swim platforms.

The post Core Voice Cast Returning for Shenmue Anime Series, More appeared first on Siliconera.

Streaming service Crunchyroll announced a partnership with Adult Swim and Telecom Animation Film to distribute a Shenmue anime series, according to announcements made at the Virtual Crunchyroll Expo 2020 event. [Thanks, Segabits]

The Shenmue anime will be thirteen episodes long and is based on the original Shenmue games. The games follow the story of Ryo Hazuki, a young martial artist. After Ryo's father is killed, he drops out of school to search for the murderer. The press release stated that the series will take Ryo "from the Japanese streets of Yokosuka to beyond the Hong Kong metropolis,” implying that the narrative may cover the events of Shenmue and at least part of Shenmue II.

Directed by Yu Suzuki and first released in 1999, Shenmue is a pioneering title that helped lay the groundwork for modern open-world and action titles. At the time, the original was considered the most expensive game ever developed. Though the games were a commercial failure, they attracted enough of a cult following that when Suzuki announced his intention to develop Shenmue III in 2015, its accompanying Kickstarter campaign became the most-funded video game project ever on the platform.

Telecom Animation Film, a veteran studio that produced such series as Lupin III and Futakoii, will be producing the Shenmue anime under the direction of Chikara Sakurai. Sakurai has a long slate of credits, mostly in animation, and served as Chief Animation Director on several Naruto and Naruto Shippuden feature films.

The Shenmue anime is currently in production. Though no broadcast window was set, the series will be available outside Japan via the Crunchyoll and Adult Swim platforms. Meanwhile, both original Shenmue games have been remastered for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, while Shenmue III (which just released its latest DLC) is on PC and PS4.

The post Shenmue Anime Series Announced by Crunchyroll and Adult Swim appeared first on Siliconera.

Gaming retailers from Czech Republic and Slovakia may have possibly leaked a Shenmue 1 & 2 Pack for PS4 and Xbox One with new listings that were recently discovered. [Thanks, Game Jouhou.]

So far we’ve seen the listing appear on four online shops, one from Alza of Czech Republic and three from Slovakia with Heureka, GetGame, and MadGamer.

While there aren’t any cover arts or a specific release window for what appears to be a collection featuring the first two Shenmue games, all retailers have it listed for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

As always, take it with a grain of salt for the time being until we get official word, but we’ll be keeping an eye out for more information in the meantime.

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Sega appears to have some plans for the Shenmue series, or maybe just having a Shenmue brainstorm session, as Sega Europe just ed a few domains related to the open-world action series. [Thanks, TSSZNews.]

The trademarks that were recently found started with one for a domain registratin of “Shenmuehd.com” by “SegaEurope Ltd.” Keep in mind that domain registrations don’t mean new developments, by any means, but according to TSSZ, Sega has a pretty good track record when it comes to domain registrations followed up by a new project unveil.

In addition to what sounds like a potential HD remake, Sega ed a couple more domains with “ShenmueRemastered.com” and “Shemnuegame.com” (the second one isn’t a typo), which were ed back in September 2016. The reason it is spelled that way is because the one with the proper spelling was ed in 2015 by a Mike Dobbin for GoDaddy.

Again, keep in mind that this isn’t a confirmation by any means, but it’s always fun to speculate whenever we see trademark or domain registration activities!

The post “Shenmue HD” And “Shenmue Remastered” Domains ed By Sega Europe appeared first on Siliconera.

An interview with Shenmue’s creative director Takeshi Hirai on the “Shenmue 3 Official” YouTube channel sees him talking about the challenges of creating the original game.

Hirai describes the original Shenmue as the team’s biggest achievement of their careers due to it helping to establish the open world genre.

He also discusses the difficulty of simulating weather patterns in the game as well as replicating the physics of two people handcuffed together as happens in Chapter 2 of Shenmue.

Finally, Hirai says that he feels it’s important that fans were able to express how much they wanted Shenmue 3 through crowdfunding. He also says he’d like to see Shenmue’s QTEs and battle system combined into something new.

You can see more interviews with the Shenmue team on the Shenmue 3 Official channel.

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Animator Peter Sjöstrand has created a video of what a Shenmue-themed stage in an 8-bit Mega Man might look like. He made it in honor of Shenmue 3 being announced and encourages people to contribute to the game’s Kickstarter.

As you’ll see in the video above, Sjöstrand’s imagining of this Mega Man stage has you playing as an 8-bit version of Ryo as he takes on enemies with punches instead of a gun arm. Included in the beating is a capsule toy miniboss, the Mad Angels (with the forklift), and Lan Di.

It also includes a ride on top of a tram and a soccer ball-firing ability as tributes to various quick-time events in Shenmue.

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Cinematographer and film maker Adam Sipione has released a trailer for his documentary “A Gamer’s Journey: The Definitive History of Shenmue.”

The documentary follows the history of Shenmue through its development, the launch and its financial flop, and the many years after during which fans were desperately hoping for a third game in the series after it was “officially discontinued.” The story of the games is told through interviews with fans, critics, YouTubers, voice actors, and developers in order to present Shenmue as a classic videogame and a masterpiece.

“To me, Shenmue is more than just a game,” Sipione writes. “It has influenced my life in many positive ways and was also the reason I decided to go to film school. Shenmue presented you with this interactive world that felt more real than any other video game at the time, and on top of that it had a captivating and engaging story. It was this story that led me to pursue a career in film because it made me want to tell stories for a living. I have had some amazing opportunities in my career and without Shenmue I would probably be a completely different person.”

The documentary was started well before Shenmue 3 was announced at E3 but this has since been incorporated into the documentary too.  And so it also looks towards what fans hope for in this third game. You can follow the documentary’s progress on its Facebook page.

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London-based record label Data Discs is planning on selling vinyl editions of the soundtracks for Shenmue and Streets of Rage this September.

Data Discs says that its aim is to “showcase the creativity of game composers and bring their (often overlooked) works to audiences both new and old." To achieve this, it carefully selects from what it considers to be the best soundtracks out there and then remasters them before putting them on vinyl.

You can listen to a couple of remastered tracks from the Shenmue soundtrack on Data Discs’s Soundcloud page.

Pre-orders for the vinyl editions of the soundtracks on the Data Discs website went up on May 30th. There will apparently be exclusive editions available to those who pre-order early on.

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A modder has created and released a “Shenmue Edition” of Dead or Alive 5: Last Round for PC. It retextures some of the characters into Shenmue models so that you can imagine you’re playing the Shenmue fighting game you never knew you wanted.

It’s the work of “Esppiral” on the Shenmue Dojo forums. They’ve turned Jacky into Ryo and Akira into Lan Di, and you can also have them fight in the Shenmue dojo. The modder may also make further changes and additions in the future, but for now, this is it.

You can the mod here. Obviously, you’ll need a copy of Dead or Alive 5: Last Round to be able to play it. More screenshots can be seen below.

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Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki will be holding a post-mortem on the game at the 2014 Game Developers Conference, Gamasutra reports. Suzuki’s talk will be translated by Mark Cerny, lead system architect for the PlayStation 4.

Suzuki will begin the talk by discussing the origins of Shemue as an RPG based on the Virtua Fighter series, originally in development for the Sega Saturn. He will go on to reveal how the game ended up in its final form on the Sega Dreamcast in 1999.

The session will be an hour long in length. GDC 2014 will take place in San Francisco, California from March 17th –21st, 2014.

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