let me start off by saying i have zero nostalgia for shenmue. i did not own a dreamcast at any point, nor did i follow any of the cult following online. shenmue became a gradual obsession of mine with time, watching my favorite streamers play the games and soak in the atmosphere they provided. there's something really special about shenmue, specifically the first game. there is a vibe that i've seen very few games replicate with as much success but i think that's due to the unique position shenmue's development was in at the time it was being made. what many people don't know is shenmue was the most expensive video game production at the time it was made, and it has a surprising influence on games to come later that many don't really talk about.
that being said, the games didn't really age all that great unfortunately. a lot of what can be criticized in terms of quality are subjective from person to person. I mean i love the sonic adventure games and those games play like hot garbage, and i think a lot of people feel the same about sonic adventure and many other games, shenmue included.
now that that's out of the way, i bingewatched the whole shenmue anime and ho-LY SHIT is it really REALLY good. granted, i only think so because i know as much as i do about the games. but i geniunely think the anime could be enjoyed if no one knows anything about the games at all. a ton of the fat was cut away for a much more cohesive narrative in what could be managed in an unforgiving time slot of 13 episodes. that's about 6 hours to cover 2 seperate games that combined equal about 40+ hours of average game time. that's insane! but they managed to pull it off.
i don't think i can really do much justice to describe what exactly i like about shenmue but i'll try. effectively, shenmue feels like an ode to classic east-asian storytelling. a deeply tv-drama inspired narrative with martial arts as a central connecting theme, some vague magic-like mysticism, ancient prophecies, and such a respect for even the most mundane aspects of both chinese and japanese culture with a powerful eastern-sounding soundtrack to back it all up.
there's also the goofy video game-y ness like when ryo hazuki was doing forklift races with his fellow forklift driving coworkers every morning.
that being said, the games didn't really age all that great unfortunately. a lot of what can be criticized in terms of quality are subjective from person to person. I mean i love the sonic adventure games and those games play like hot garbage, and i think a lot of people feel the same about sonic adventure and many other games, shenmue included.
now that that's out of the way, i bingewatched the whole shenmue anime and ho-LY SHIT is it really REALLY good. granted, i only think so because i know as much as i do about the games. but i geniunely think the anime could be enjoyed if no one knows anything about the games at all. a ton of the fat was cut away for a much more cohesive narrative in what could be managed in an unforgiving time slot of 13 episodes. that's about 6 hours to cover 2 seperate games that combined equal about 40+ hours of average game time. that's insane! but they managed to pull it off.
i don't think i can really do much justice to describe what exactly i like about shenmue but i'll try. effectively, shenmue feels like an ode to classic east-asian storytelling. a deeply tv-drama inspired narrative with martial arts as a central connecting theme, some vague magic-like mysticism, ancient prophecies, and such a respect for even the most mundane aspects of both chinese and japanese culture with a powerful eastern-sounding soundtrack to back it all up.
there's also the goofy video game-y ness like when ryo hazuki was doing forklift races with his fellow forklift driving coworkers every morning.
and yes, in classic video game style, this is a mandatory part of the game. you WILL do forklift races and you WILL like it.
and not only that but there is a whole sega arcade where you can play space harrier and hang on, and gacha machines outside of konbini where you could get sonic character figurines from.
and not only that but there is a whole sega arcade where you can play space harrier and hang on, and gacha machines outside of konbini where you could get sonic character figurines from.
at some point ryo can also own a dreamcast that hangs out in his room. i don't know if you can play it but it's a thing he can just have.
a lot of this SEGA paraphernalia was referenced in the anime if you paid close attention. i really like when games do stuff like this i can't explain why. i just like when video games are video games.
anyway shenmue is cool. the anime is a very good cohesive retelling of the main stories of 1 and 2 and while it leaves out a lot, i can understand why due to time constraints. also, the main theme makes me want to start wailing anytime i hear it.
a lot of this SEGA paraphernalia was referenced in the anime if you paid close attention. i really like when games do stuff like this i can't explain why. i just like when video games are video games.
anyway shenmue is cool. the anime is a very good cohesive retelling of the main stories of 1 and 2 and while it leaves out a lot, i can understand why due to time constraints. also, the main theme makes me want to start wailing anytime i hear it.