Revenge is in the air this Februrary on Crunchyroll and Adult Swim
Depending on who you ask, Shenmue is legendary, now and forever — it’s not even up for debate. Others respect the series from a comfortable distance with fond memories, and plenty more folks just know about it from second-hand goofs and hearsay. There are a lot of takes! And while Shenmue III has only further complicated things (as evidenced by reactions to a recent Epic Games Store giveaway), a bunch of people are rooting for the incoming anime adaptation. Shenmue the Animation will debut on February 5, 2022.
Over 13 episodes, Shenmue the Animation will try to “capture the same essence of mystery and thrilling martial arts” that Ryo fans remember from the Dreamcast days.
Some of the biggest question marks so far have been what the core cast will sound like, and what note the story might end on. On the former point, the Japanese site for Shenmue the Animation lists Masaya Matsukaze as Ryo Hazuki and Takahiro Sakurai as Lan Di, which is consistent with the games. (Per Siliconera, Austin Tindle will voice Ryo and Scott Gibbs will play Lan Di in the English dub. You can get a preview in the trailer.)
As for the latter concern — don’t hurt us, Telecom. It’s been enough of a slow burn!
Here’s the new English trailer for Shenmue the Animation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pldV6eZdHWo
And here’s the Japanese trailer from Crunchyroll
Now normally, I’d say to pick your poison, but they’re both worth watching. It’s always interesting (and sometimes not very flattering) to compare English and Japanese performances side-by-side, especially given the source material. Beyond those inherent differences, though, these are straight-up different trailers with different vibes.
When it comes to the Shenmue series, I’m no Michael Huber — but the trailer(s) still managed to put me in a good, hopeful-enough mood. It’s intriguing. Trailers are just trailers, so we’ll see what everyone thinks of Shenmue the Animation on February 5.
The debut is set for 9:30 p.m. Pacific. Worst case, I’m excited about the gif potential.
