Earlier in September, Crunchyroll in partnership with Adult Swim and Telecom Animation Film announced a new Shenmue animated series. According to Famitsu (translation via Siliconera), the core voice cast from the Shenmue games will reprise their roles in the upcoming anime. Currently, a broadcast window has not been announced, however, it will be available on Crunchyroll and Adult Swim platforms outside of Japan.
Shenmue Anime
A recent Famitsu interview with Yuu Suzuki (Shenmue creator) and Yuu Kiyozono (producer for the anime) revealed new details about the production, voice casting and storyline of the series. It is reported that the budget for the series is “higher than a typical anime.” Moreover, it is said that the animation team wanted to capture the feel and look of Showa-era Japan in the 1980s. Kiyozono added that that specific aesthetic evokes a lot of nostalgia for the Japanese people from that period.
He continued, saying that the show had been in development during the production of Shenmue III. Suzuki states that he considered the possibility of Shenmue III being an anime or a manga as opposed to a third game.
Thanks to Famitsu and the translation by Siliconera, we know he added the following:
As mentioned before, the original Shenmue voice cast will return but there will be newcomers in the anime. According to Segabits, the new series is set to have thirteen episodes. Similar to the first game, the show will follow Ryo Hazuki as he attempts to find the man who killed his father. The anime will cover Ryo’s arrival in Hong Kong.
