'Shenmue the Animation' Reveals Main Cast, Additional Staff

by DatRandomDude
Jan 19, 2022 9:25 PM | 11 Comments

Video game company Sega opened an official website for the anime adaptation of the Shenmue game series on Thursday, revealing the main cast, additional cast, opening theme, first key visual (pictured), and first promotional video. The anime is scheduled to premiere on Crunchyroll outside of Japan and Adult Swim in North America on February 6 at 12:30 p.m. EST, while it is planned to premiere in Japan in 2022.

Masaya Matsukaze (Hunter x Hunter (2011)) and Takahiro Sakurai (Shuumatsu no Walküre) are starring as Ryou Hazuki and Lan Di.

Staff
Director: Chikara Sakurai (One Punch Man 2nd Season)
Series Composition: Kento Shimoyama (Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou, Aruiwa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen)
Original Character Design: Udaka
Character Design: Kensuke Ishikawa (Tsukiuta. the Animation chief animation director)
Art Director: Natsue Muramoto (Lupin the IIIrd: Chikemuri no Ishikawa Goemon)
Color Design: Makiko Kojima (Studio Road) (King's Raid: Ishi wo Tsugumono-tachi)
Sound Director: Yasunori Ebina (Ousama Ranking)
Music: Kana Shibue (Devils Line)
Music Production: Wave Master
Studio: Telecom Animation Film

Singer-songwriter Kashitarou Itou (Deca-Dence ending theme) is performing the opening theme "UNDEAD-NOID," which is previewed in the promotional video below.

Sega released the first Shenmue game in Japan in December 1999 on the Dreamcast console, in November 2000 in North America, and in December that year in Europe. The second game in the franchise was released in 2001 in Japan and Europe on the same console, followed by a reissue on Xbox in the US in 2002 and Europe in 2003.

A compilation of the first two games, Shenmue I & II, was released in 2018 on Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Sega published the third game, Shenmue III, worldwide last November on Playstation 4 and PC after a crowdfunding campaign, which began in June 2015.

PV

Official site: https://shenmue-anime.jp/
Official Twitter: @shenmue_anime

Source: PR Times

Shenmue the Animation on MAL

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11 Comments Recent Comments

I never played the games, but I've heard some pretty bad things, so I'm fine just watching the show.

Jan 30, 2022 7:30 PM by malvarez1

Slimsith said:

Playcool said:

LOL, I feel you on that, I m more interested in this series for its plot than anything else, so if they can nail the plot and we don't have to get bothered with ancient gameplay, that is a plus!

Off-topic, but I find the odd choice of your forum avatar and signature charming, Sakura and some yuri (probably valkyrie mermaid or something), NICE.

Well, I have Shenmu 1+2 from Steam, but I have yet to play it.
Even when I had the Dreamcast, I had the European versions which means I had part 2 then as well, but there was so much to do and mess around with "in game", that life being life, I was never able to complete it.

At least with the anime and what I saw in the trailer, they do make use of what the game had as far as features, but they're not going to shit on the story, which is what I took from the trailer, so it looks really promising.

Have yet to buy them, pondered to do so on my PS5, but a friend of many did it previously to be and warned me how boring and outdated it was, not that I had not heard about it before, but when it comes from people closer, you grew more aware on it.

Jan 21, 2022 1:55 PM by Playcool

Playcool said:

Slimsith said:
Cool. Now I won't have to play the game anymore!

LOL, I feel you on that, I m more interested in this series for its plot than anything else, so if they can nail the plot and we don't have to get bothered with ancient gameplay, that is a plus!

Chroma said:
Nice Virtua Fighter RPG got an anime adaptation!

Maybe this is a hint that Shenmue 4 is in production.

I wish this anime gives an ending to Ryo's story probably it won't happen.

Off-topic, but I find the odd choice of your forum avatar and signature charming, Sakura and some yuri (probably valkyrie mermaid or something), NICE.

Jan 20, 2022 4:55 PM by Slimsith

Aside from the very questionable OPM S2 director, just hoping that Shenmue will get the attention it deserves after 20+ years of an adaptation of the classic Dreamcast game.

The characters most of them are the OG VAs for the game, so there's that already to up the hype.

Jan 20, 2022 10:42 AM by KANLen09

Kinda iffy on the staff, but hopefully this'll be a good adaptation of the game

Jan 20, 2022 5:33 AM by Tokoya

Cool I hope this will be good

Jan 20, 2022 3:23 AM by RedChrome

Slimsith said:
Cool. Now I won't have to play the game anymore!

LOL, I feel you on that, I m more interested in this series for its plot than anything else, so if they can nail the plot and we don't have to get bothered with ancient gameplay, that is a plus!

Chroma said:
Nice Virtua Fighter RPG got an anime adaptation!

Maybe this is a hint that Shenmue 4 is in production.

I wish this anime gives an ending to Ryo's story probably it won't happen.

Off-topic, but I find the odd choice of your forum avatar and signature charming, Sakura and some yuri (probably valkyrie mermaid or something), NICE.

Jan 20, 2022 3:06 AM by Playcool

Nice Virtua Fighter RPG got an anime adaptation!

Maybe this is a hint that Shenmue 4 is in production.

I wish this anime gives an ending to Ryo's story probably it won't happen.

Jan 20, 2022 2:36 AM by Chroma

Cool. Now I won't have to play the game anymore!

Jan 20, 2022 2:18 AM by Slimsith

Hyped for this, from the looks it the series might be covering some of Hong Kong too.

Jan 20, 2022 1:52 AM by JokerVentura

The staff looks like they could make this work.

By the way, the Telecom Animation Film link in this news post links to the page for Lupin III: Part 5, not to the studio's page.

Jan 19, 2022 10:30 PM by Sleepteiner