Shenmue, the iconic video game that kept fans waiting nearly two decades for its latest installment, will manage to appease followers courtesy of an upcoming anime series adaptation, this time taken on by Crunchyroll and Adult Swim, not via a Kickstarter campaign.
The news was made public by Crunchyroll, during their own Virtual Crunchyroll Expo, finally confirming prior leaks pointing to a Shenmue project being in the works for the saga that not only made its name as one of the first successful open world games on the Dreamcast in 1999, but also for an intriguing and captivating story that drew fans aplenty.
As far as major details go, Crunchyroll showed initial poster artwork for the show, but was limited to confirming that the series will be 13 episodes long and will have Shenmue’s creator and game designer, Yu Suzuki, on board as Executive Producer. Animation production will be in charge of Telecom Animation Film, while Chikara Sakurai will be in charge of directing the series.
The Shenmue series is not the first collaboration between Crunchyroll and Adult Swim, as both parties have also recently announced a new anime production titled Fena: Pirate Princess, among other joint work. A release date, as well as any other details regarding this new Shenmue project are due to be announced later on.
After disappointing sales and the bittersweet reception garnered by Shenmue 3, Yu Suzuki is said to have learned a lot from his latest experience and remains open to the possibility of taking another shot at Shenmue 4, however, it’s hard to know if he will ever get the chance to do so due to perceived failure of the last title. On the bright side, a Shenmue anime might let the series reach a satisfying ending for both fans and its creator.
Even if Shenmue makes a successful game-to-anime transition, with only 13 episodes initially confirmed, it’s hard to imagine the series’ plot concluding this way; after all it’s not exactly easy to fit over 65 hours of gameplay and a complicated storyline within limited screen time. Whatever the case, hopefully it won't take another 20 years to get a Shenmue series finale.
No release date has been set for Shenmue - The Animation.
Source: Crunchyroll