Differences Between the Anime and the Games (SPOILERS!)

[iknifaugood]

Episode 2 was very close to the game imo, it's hard to tell how much of the season Shenmue 1 will take up because it's technically possible to have several episodes just like this (chasing down leads, getting into fights, learning moves etc.). We'll see. Some stuff I noticed:

1. Yamagishi san plays a much bigger role and I'm all for it. Seeing him pay respects to Iwao and be the one who can see where Ryo's path is headed is a great change. It's great to show that the people in Ryo's life care about him and are worried when he gets caught up in violence. The games kept the fighting and investigation very separate, but it was nice to see that Ryo getting into fights is actually noticed by the people around him and it helps connect various parts of the narrative.

2. I liked the way they handled Charlie, it felt more natural and if this is how they're going to "condense" a lot of the content then I think it's great. It felt very true to the spirit of the game without being a direct translation and it also showcases the butterfly effect of changes in previous episodes (in this case the lead of Lan Di's tattoo). I was disappointed that Ryo didn't kick a soccer ball in his face though.

3. Reframing Master Chen as more of a gang leader. This was always kind of implied in the games but here it's much more evident that Chen is into some shady shit and actually a rival to the other gangs. We'll need to see once he's revealed but I love how much this minor change raises the stakes and makes it really feel like Ryo is involved in the seedy underbelly, especially if you're someone who hasn't played the games.

4. It's hard to tell the degree to which Ryo's strength is just enhanced for the anime, but it's definitely presented differently than in the games. First of all, he's less angry overall but he has more "triggers" like the letter which push him. Second, we get a new flashback showing that Ryo isn't especially studious so he's framed as much more of a "natural" talent. And third, they're really making the anime action packed and I'm a little worried that having Ryo be basically invincible and involved in multiple fight scenes per episode might get stale as the series progresses. I get why this is different and so far I like it but it definitely has the potential to go either way for me.

5. More Guilin! They're really leaning hard on that poem aren't they? I guess if Ryo isn't going to meet Shenhua until season 2 it's really the only way to make her a part of the show but again I'm a little worried that simply cutting to Bailu village for no real reason might get stale as the series progresses and it saps a lot of the mystery of Bailu as a new location. But that might also work to the series' advantage as I think having Bailu be so mysterious and waiting 20 years to explore it may have given it outsized importance in the minds of players. So far I like the cuts to Guilin, especially because it seems like they're going to address the poem a bit more, but I'm hoping they serve a purpose.

 

[Tomato Convenience Store]

Agree fully with points 1, 2, and 3. I think Yamagashi can serve as a trusted mentor that Ryo didn't have in S1, but not quite fill the void of a "father figure" that he lost in Iwao. It would be interesting to see if this continues to build during the next few episodes.

I'm also looking forward to learning more about Master Chen and Guizhang's activities in the harbor. I suppose I never thought too deeply about some of the shadier aspects of their business, but it makes sense.

I'd say I have some of the same concerns with the end of point 4 and beginning of point 5. I suppose that Ryo winning all of his fights is narratively consistent with S1, but I would like to see him perhaps take more damage or struggle more often. But on the other end, all the fights where he kicks ass are all against common thugs. Conversely, there's also the issue in the games where Ryo can defeat enemies like Master Baihu and Dou Niu in S2, then get defeated by regular old thugs in S3. I wonder how they're going to balance his progression as a martial artist going forward to try to define his true ability level, for lack of a better description.

The prophecy recitation feels a bit overdone at this point, but I still enjoy the cutaways to Guilin. Hopefully there are little tidbits that we learn if they continue to do this. I think as some point they have to plant the seed in the viewers mind, then leave it alone until Ryo arrives in Guilin.

 

[I Got Sriracha In My DNA]

The prophecy recitation feels a bit overdone at this point, but I still enjoy the cutaways to Guilin. Hopefully there are little tidbits that we learn if they continue to do this.

I wonder if every episode is going to focus on a part of the prophecy until Ryo gets to Hong Kong lol. But yeah while Ryo is in Yokusuka and HK, I would rather get scenes of Shenhua doing things that she spoke about in Shenmue 3 rather than talk about the prophecy 24/7.

Spoiler

I'd like them to show her doing weird things like talking to animals and seeming to understand them. Obviously not reveal any obvious powers until Ryo shows up, but make it clear something is strange whenever she's present. Or establish her relationship with her father/step-father.

 

[iknifaugood]

I suppose that Ryo winning all of his fights is narratively consistent with S1, but I would like to see him perhaps take more damage or struggle more often. But on the other end, all the fights where he kicks ass are all against common thugs. Conversely, there's also the issue in the games where Ryo can defeat enemies like Master Baihu and Dou Niu in S2, then get defeated by regular old thugs in S3.

This is very true because it's so hard to remember that this series isn't building up to S1 as an ending and in S1 Ryo is very much king shit. That being said, I'm sure Guizhang is going to put Ryo in his place next episode. It'll be very interesting to see how they handle S3 considering they will probably be starting the season off with the ending to Kowloon. It's so hard to picture.

I wonder how they're going to balance his progression as a martial artist going forward to try to define his true ability level, for lack of a better description.

This is so true since they've already shown him to be such a formidable fighter I guess they're going to use that as a barometer. Like when Ryo can't even land a hit on Xiuying, or punching Dou Niu does nothing etc.

I think as some point they have to plant the seed in the viewers mind, then leave it alone until Ryo arrives in Guilin.

Ya I would kind of prefer it if Ryo just had a bunch of dreams about her, but as I recall those dreams don't start until he gets the Phoenix Mirror so let's see if they maintain it. Maybe the cutaways will stop at that point?

Obviously not reveal any obvious powers until Ryo shows up, but make it clear something is strange whenever she's present.

I really hope they do this, it would set the tone for what's to come, especially since the poem is ABOUT Shenhua and they're probably not going to meet this season.

 

[Tomato Convenience Store]

I wonder if every episode is going to focus on a part of the prophecy until Ryo gets to Hong Kong lol.

Shenhua: "From a far Eastern land across the sea...a young ma-"

*Taps Shoulder*

Ryo: "I'm looking for a town with the name of Guilin."

Shenhua: "...ANDNOWTHESAGABEGINS!"

 

[DoubleO_Ren]

SONOMONO!!! Getting sick of hearing her say that now lol

 

[iknifaugood]

Another episode that was so close to the game I could practically hear the QTEs when the flashlight fell and Guizhang told Ryo to push the button in the warehouse. I only noticed a few differences:

1.Coming off of last week, the Chens are definitely characterized as proper gangsters, complete with henchmen who abduct Ryo! This is such a minor change but I love what it does for the story and how it already makes Ryo perceive his father differently; Guizhang and Chen's relationship is more strained because of it. I really love this change and I'm happy they expanded on it this episode.

2. More form Lan Di! So it was awesome to see Lan Di speaking Chinese even though he was apparently interrogating the owner of a Chinese restaurant. I'm not sure if this is supposed to take place in China and show how Lan Di learned about Iwao or in Japan and show how he learns about Yuanda Zhu. It certainly read like the former when I was watching it but since the episode shows Lan Di leaving for Hong Kong I'm inclined to think it's the latter. Also a touch weird that they were speaking Chinese but not Shenhua (and presumably not anyone else in China).

3. More Guilin! Uhh... I didn't like this scene. I don't think we need the poem in every episode, especially if the point of the scene is to show Shenhua's life before Ryo. Maybe they could talk about the mirrors or something else if they really feel the need to connect it to the main plot?

4. Phoenix Mirror! It's in a less hidden location and I like that the Mirror points Ryo toward the photograph but I guess that's it for the Hazuki basement. I was expecting Ryo to be a little more surprised about his father's past but it really seems like we might be done with Shenmue 1 in the next episode, 2 max. I guess the white leaf isn't important? What we learn about the mirror is almost word for word what we learn in the game and we even get an image of Chi You so it will be very interesting to see how this plays out with the whole Qing dynasty twist since that's thousands of years after the time of Chi You. I'm a complete sucker for everything involving the mirrors and I loved the way this episode handled it.

 

[iknifaugood]

This was another perfectly "condensed" episode where pretty much everything from the game that needed to happen did, but the details were a little different. IMO it's very easy to do this kind of thing to S1 because that story benefits from being truncated; it will be very interesting to see how this strategy fares for S2, where there's a lot less to cut and a lot less character depth to add.

1. No more poem! As with the game, Ryo dreams of Shenhua once he finds the Phoenix Mirror only this time he dreams about the bad ending from Shenmue 2 except Lan Di doesn't say anything. Loved it!

2. Mark is completely recharacterized in the show as being openly hostile to Ryo initially. I love this change because it continues the anime's trend of holding Ryo accountable for his actions which I think only serves to make the world he inhabits more interesting. Ryo is involved in shady business and the people around him react accordingly.

3. Nozomi continues to be a much more important part of this story than she was in S1 to the point where we actually see her get kidnapped. Every scene with her and Ryo is such a perfect little vignette of the life he's leaving behind it's just sublime. In the game, the sequences with her were really spread out and many of them were easily miss-able; Nozomi felt like just another small part of the world Ryo inhabits until the ending. If there's one element of the anime that stands head and shoulders above the source material, it's this relationship. Chef's kiss.

4. Ryo gets his motorcycle from one of the Mad Angels (sporting the jacket from Akira!). This kind of combines a couple of scenes from the game and is part of the condensing that I really like, it would have been bizarre for Ryo to get it from one of his friends who hasn't been introduced yet (though I did miss him catching the keys). Ryo is also told to kill Guizhang rather than cripple him, further escalating the stakes and once again painting the Chens as far more dangerous. There's also a nice little scene where Master Chen says that they can't get involved now that Ryo has the Phoenix Mirror (he also says it's a shame to fail Yuanda Zhu, not sure what is meant by this) which may be setting the stage for a different ending to S1 where Guizhang isn't crippled.

5. One way the game was absolutely better was the double KO between Ryo and Guizhang, I think we can all agree on that.

Looks like S1 will be wrapping up next episode, which leaves us with a healthy 8 episodes for S2, meaning we could potentially get 4 episodes of Hong Kong and 4 of Kowloon. Wouldn't surprise me at all if the series ends with Ryo meeting Shenhua without showing us much of Guilin.

 

[Demon's Triangle]

Shozo Mizuki the homeless man who teaches Ryo shadow step seems to have been cut which is a shame imo. One of the most interesting and memorable supporting characters in the first game.

 

[iknifaugood]

Shozo Mizuki the homeless man who teaches Ryo shadow step seems to have been cut which is a shame imo. One of the most interesting and memorable supporting characters in the first game.

That was a shame but understandable given how much is packed into each episode. This is about the only series I can think of where the episodes would benefit from being longer. I don't even think we'll see Tom again.

 

[Demon's Triangle]

That was a shame but understandable given how much is packed into each episode. This is about the only series I can think of where the episodes would benefit from being longer. I don't even think we'll see Tom again.

I would have liked to see the harbour arc take up 1 more episode if they were allowed a higher episide count. They could fleshen out out the supporting characters who hang around the harbour and explain more about the long Zha, higher the stakes in the conflict with the mad angels.

 

[iknifaugood]

I would have liked to see the harbour arc take up 1 more episode if they were allowed a higher episide count. They could fleshen out out the supporting characters who hang around the harbour and explain more about the long Zha, higher the stakes in the conflict with the mad angels.

It seems like they have the episode count right (5 for S1, 8 for S2) but the length of the episodes is what's killing them. If S1 took up more of the episode count, they might have had to end at a really weird point in S2; they likely have enough room to go all the way to the end of disk 3 now. It would have been nice to get an episode about the harbor drama where we can see how the gangs are terrorizing the locals, but not at the expense of ending the series with a bang (and hopefully getting us more seasons).

 

[hmjohnny]

I figured they were going to end S1 in 5 episodes but I still think if episode count wasn't a barrier they should have stretched it to 6. There are scenes in the game that were cut that could have given a little more breadth to the characters. We don't see Ryo struggle to get to Hong Kong really or meet any resistance from his friends/family on why he wants to go there. Fuku-San's character is practically cut from the show.

Even the new content like Mark's brother now having joined the Mad Angels (rather than being killed by them) likely wont have a payoff if the next episode is the end.

I loved this episode, I think it was the best one so far. Aside from some narrative condensing choices I think all of the changes were really strong. Mark's character is more interesting and I really like how they are re-framing Ryo. it was a nice touch to see him mess up driving the forklifts.

I'm also curious how they will handle S2. I'm a little worried they will condense too much, especially some of the cool parts, but I'm more interested to see what they add. It will be really interesting to see how someone like Xuiying will change in the anime.

 

[iknifaugood]

I figured they were going to end S1 in 5 episodes but I still think if episode count wasn't a barrier they should have stretched it to 6. There are scenes in the game that were cut that could have given a little more breadth to the characters. We don't see Ryo struggle to get to Hong Kong really or meet any resistance from his friends/family on why he wants to go there. Fuku-San's character is practically cut from the show.

Even the new content like Mark's brother now having joined the Mad Angels (rather than being killed by them) likely wont have a payoff if the next episode is the end.

It remains to be seen how S1 will be wrapped up but suffice it to say that it's definitely less concerned with set ups and payoffs and more concerned with painting a picture of the world. It's probably why characters that have a narrative payoff like Nozomi and Guizhang are brought to the forefront and characters like Goro and Fuku-San are relegated to the background. It's important to remember that Shenmue 1 itself doesn't provide much in the way of "payoff" because every single character introduced in this game with the exception of Chai and Lan Di will not be seen again. Even a character like Shozo Mizuki, while it sucks that he was cut, was kind of incorporated into Yamagishi-San's increased importance. How many old people do we need to see teaching Ryo moves in the series?

If it was a choice between packing as much content in with a bang and fleshing it out, they made the right call IMO.

I'm also curious how they will handle S2. I'm a little worried they will condense too much, especially some of the cool parts, but I'm more interested to see what they add. It will be really interesting to see how someone like Xuiying will change in the anime.

It will be a lot harder to cut things like this because (presumably) far more characters from S2 will be reappearing down the line and many more of them play important roles. It's an interesting pacing dilemma since S2 is essentially another beginning for the series so I'm curious/excited to see how they handle it.

 

[hmjohnny]

It remains to be seen how S1 will be wrapped up but suffice it to say that it's definitely less concerned with set ups and payoffs and more concerned with painting a picture of the world. It's probably why characters that have a narrative payoff like Nozomi and Guizhang are brought to the forefront and characters like Goro and Fuku-San are relegated to the background. It's important to remember that Shenmue 1 itself doesn't provide much in the way of "payoff" because every single character introduced in this game with the exception of Chai and Lan Di will not be seen again. Even a character like Shozo Mizuki, while it sucks that he was cut, was kind of incorporated into Yamagishi-San's increased importance. How many old people do we need to see teaching Ryo moves in the series?

If it was a choice between packing as much content in with a bang and fleshing it out, they made the right call IMO.


It will be a lot harder to cut things like this because (presumably) far more characters from S2 will be reappearing down the line and many more of them play important roles. It's an interesting pacing dilemma since S2 is essentially another beginning for the series so I'm curious/excited to see how they handle it.

Well, we're talking about ideals not the reality of a show with a limited episode count and budget. It remains to be seen if we feel that they condense too much of S2 and then I might say that they should have cut S1 further.

Still, if budget/time was no object I'd prefer an extra episode or 2 to let the story breath properly. I'm not advocating for a 1:1 of the game's story and I'm looking at it less as a fan who wants to see the game animated and more with the lens of a newcomer who knows nothing about Shenmue and is expecting a proper show with narrative payoffs. I don't disagree that we need to see Shozo, it would be redundant to have him other than fan service, but if you are going to set up Chekhov's gun with any of the characters the audience does expect a payoff whether it matters in the long run or not. This isn't unique to the anime btw, fans are still wondering about things like the mysterious scroll and white leaf in the game and would be pretty disappointed if those had no payoffs.

On the other hand, not everything needs to fit in to the broader story. The anime is leaning pretty heavily into the mirrors/Chi You Men mystery angle which I like but it is doing so a little at the expense of Ryo's character development. the point of characters like Fuku-San is not to contribute to the plot but to act as a foil to Ryo. For what it's worth I don't mind at all that they change or cut characters and their scope from the show if the same or more impact is given to another character instead. I like what they did with Yamagshi-San but he's in like 2 scenes. If they wanted to condense a few characters into his role they could have given him more screentime.

All that said, this is again in an ideal world where the anime can take an extra episode or 2 to flesh out the characters and not one where they have limited time condense the story to its most essential beats.

 

[iknifaugood]

Still, if budget/time was no object I'd prefer an extra episode or 2 to let the story breath properly. I'm not advocating for a 1:1 of the game's story and I'm looking at it less as a fan who wants to see the game animated and more with the lens of a newcomer who knows nothing about Shenmue and is expecting a proper show with narrative payoffs. I don't disagree that we need to see Shozo, it would be redundant to have him other than fan service, but if you are going to set up Chekhov's gun with any of the characters the audience does expect a payoff whether it matters in the long run or not. This isn't unique to the anime btw, fans are still wondering about things like the mysterious scroll and white leaf in the game and would be pretty disappointed if those had no payoffs.

I don't really think there are any structural issues so far; anything that may be a "set up" such as Mark looking for his brother, could possibly be paid off next episode or it could just have been there to add a slight dimension to a character that HAD to be in the show. The big question is what is Shenmue 1 ABOUT? Like what's the overall point? Characters like Shozo and Megumi seem like they'd be no brainers for adaptation but are they really? The game is really more of a procedural/mood piece which is at odds with both its function as the beginning of an epic martial arts saga but also the anime's overall episode count. Even without any kind of restraint, S1 is fundamentally serving a different function, working backwards from a different ending. It feels much closer to the Shire portion of Fellowship of the Ring now than it ever has.

On the other hand, not everything needs to fit in to the broader story. The anime is leaning pretty heavily into the mirrors/Chi You Men mystery angle which I like but it is doing so a little at the expense of Ryo's character development.

It's way too early to say that this is the case. Ryo didn't exactly undergo much character development in S1 and there are many repeated beats from S1 to 2 (and 3 for that matter), with characters warning Ryo of the path he's on and how revenge is bad etc. I can totally see how that would need to be paced out differently.

 

[iknifaugood]

That was the most different episode by far and also the one I had the most mixed feelings about.

1. All main characters now have a role to play at the harbor. I feel like this change makes the ending to S1 feel a lot more like S2 which may work against the series when we reach that point. Mark now helps to take out some Mad Angels which would work a lot better if they killed his brother (though regardless I could have done without the image of them peeing their pants). Goro and Mai get to help out (and get married!) but the whole thing felt forced and lacked logic. Ryo and Guizhang were more than capable of dispatching the Mad Angels and it didn't seem like the added help accounted for much. I like the changes to the characters more than the changes to the narrative. Considering how the anime prioritized bringing all the characters back, it was weird to me not to have at least one more scene with Yamagishi-San.

2. Guizhang beats Terry unassisted. I don't mind this change but I miss Ryo's badass disarming of Terry from the games. It definitely makes Guizhang seem more powerful than Ryo, which I guess is what they were going for.

3. Nozomi makes her decision to leave for Canada after she realizes Ryo is leaving for Hong Kong. They have literally knocked every scene with these two out of the park. I was pretty blasé about Nozomi in the games but the anime had me rooting for their doomed relationship and this was just the icing on the cake. Ryo being oblivious to what she's going through is a wonderful change that demonstrates the anime taking full advantage of being outside Ryo's perspective.

4. Ryo now leaves with a blessing from Ine-San. I simply don't understand this change: the anime has raised the stakes of almost every plot point but this, probably the second most important scene in S1, they choose to lower the stakes? Ryo is throwing his life away in pursuit of the most dangerous man ever and the attempt to reframe it as Ryo "clearing his father's name" does nothing to change that. Ine-San quietly praying for Ryo as he says goodbye to Fuku-San was a way more fitting note to send Ryo off on his journey. This just came across as confused to me and this would have been the perfect scene to add Yamagishi-San, considering the role he played earlier.

5. Chai no longer drops a girder on Guizhang. This scene was almost identical to the game but now it's some pipes rather than a girder, which is now a lot more realistic. Ryo also dispatches Chai with relative ease, I guess demonstrating how far he's come as a martial artist during S1, but it will definitely make any subsequent appearances from Chai completely pointless (which they kind of already were). The ending felt a little too "happy" but the anime has succeeded in making S1 feel more like an introduction rather than its own story which is working in its favor so far.

6. I don't think "revenge" was ever said once so far. Will be very interesting to see how Xiuying's relationship with Ryo will be changed because of that...

And that's a wrap for S1! Overall I thought it was a very effective retelling of the story and it serves to illustrate just how much you can cut from a game and still get the point across. Even though I liked this episode the least so far, I'm super excited to see what's in store for S2 (hopefully they don't waste an episode on the boat).

 

[hmjohnny]

Guizhang beats Terry unassisted. I don't mind this change but I miss Ryo's badass disarming of Terry from the games. It definitely makes Guizhang seem more powerful than Ryo, which I guess is what they were going for

I don't mind the change but I did feel it was less "earned" than the scene in the game. It's probably because the Mad Angels are less developed in the show. I did feel like "checkmate" was far less threatening than "let me invite you to hell" though.

Ryo now leaves with a blessing from Ine-San. I simply don't understand this change: the anime has raised the stakes of almost every plot point but this, probably the second most important scene in S1, they choose to lower the stakes? Ryo is throwing his life away in pursuit of the most dangerous man ever and the attempt to reframe it as Ryo "clearing his father's name" does nothing to change that. Ine-San quietly praying for Ryo as he says goodbye to Fuku-San was a way more fitting note to send Ryo off on his journey. This just came across as confused to me and this would have been the perfect scene to add Yamagishi-San, considering the role he played earlie

This is what I was getting at with having an extra episode or longer run time to let the story breath a little more. I'm happy that they condensed characters and gave others more roles to play but if you are going to do that you also need to give those characters more screen time. I agree the game does this scene better. It seems the show gave this message to Terry when he threatens Ryo about the challenges he'll face in Hong Kong and surely not survive but this comes across as really Saturday morning cartoon-esque and loses a lot of the gravitas that came from seeing his family turn on him. In the game Ine-San even cuts him off from the allowance when he continues to pursue it and basically refuses to help him at all. It also removes Fuku-San's character because he's shown to help Ryo despite Ine-San's protests, it gives him that brotherly vibe that's lost on the show. Personally, this is a highlight of S1 for me and one of my biggest gripes with the show's changes so far.

Ryo also dispatches Chai with relative ease, I guess demonstrating how far he's come as a martial artist during S1, but it will definitely make any subsequent appearances from Chai completely pointless (which they kind of already were).

I had no problem with this but I found it hilarious that he dispatches him with Swallow Dive instead of Elbow Assault. He's just been spamming that move on the show since he learned it lol

I don't think "revenge" was ever said once so far. Will be very interesting to see how Xiuying's relationship with Ryo will be changed because of that..

I'm just not feeling the tonal change of Ryo's primary motivation being about clearing his fathers name than revenge. Especially since he's clearly going after revenge anyway by chasing Lan Di. Some might say this is more subtle but it undermines the notion that Ryo is met with obstacles for going after Lan Di by his friends/family and that hes motivated, at least in part, by anger. It would have been interesting to see that anger played up a little more in the show in a deeper way as well. Also, revenge being at odds with the martial arts is a running a theme for the games. We don't know how it will play out in the long run but it does seem important and if I had to guess is contingent on the Iwao/Zhao mystery.

The show might be saving this conversation for Xiuying which could be interesting but if it doesn't show up then, I'll assume it was just removed from the show entirely which would be kind of baffling.

 

[Tomato Convenience Store]

That was the most different episode by far and also the one I had the most mixed feelings about.

1. All main characters now have a role to play at the harbor. I feel like this change makes the ending to S1 feel a lot more like S2 which may work against the series when we reach that point. Mark now helps to take out some Mad Angels which would work a lot better if they killed his brother (though regardless I could have done without the image of them peeing their pants). Goro and Mai get to help out (and get married!) but the whole thing felt forced and lacked logic. Ryo and Guizhang were more than capable of dispatching the Mad Angels and it didn't seem like the added help accounted for much. I like the changes to the characters more than the changes to the narrative. Considering how the anime prioritized bringing all the characters back, it was weird to me not to have at least one more scene with Yamagishi-San.

This moment was kind of cheesy but I didn't mind it so much. My thought is that Ryo knew that there was going to be a huge brawl and that the distraction was an opportunity to rescue Nozomi, even if he and Guizhang would have taken down the entirety of the Mad Angels. For all we know, Terry could have panicked as he saw that his men were easily defeated and then harmed Nozomi in some way.

2. Guizhang beats Terry unassisted. I don't mind this change but I miss Ryo's badass disarming of Terry from the games. It definitely makes Guizhang seem more powerful than Ryo, which I guess is what they were going for.

"You gotta learn to fight fair!"

3. Nozomi makes her decision to leave for Canada after she realizes Ryo is leaving for Hong Kong. They have literally knocked every scene with these two out of the park. I was pretty blasé about Nozomi in the games but the anime had me rooting for their doomed relationship and this was just the icing on the cake. Ryo being oblivious to what she's going through is a wonderful change that demonstrates the anime taking full advantage of being outside Ryo's perspective.

I thought this was done really well, too, and is a great example of what can be done when you can change character perspectives in a film format. Anime Nozomi is lightyears ahead of game Nozomi, and I think that's a popular sentiment here.

4. Ryo now leaves with a blessing from Ine-San. I simply don't understand this change: the anime has raised the stakes of almost every plot point but this, probably the second most important scene in S1, they choose to lower the stakes? Ryo is throwing his life away in pursuit of the most dangerous man ever and the attempt to reframe it as Ryo "clearing his father's name" does nothing to change that. Ine-San quietly praying for Ryo as he says goodbye to Fuku-San was a way more fitting note to send Ryo off on his journey. This just came across as confused to me and this would have been the perfect scene to add Yamagishi-San, considering the role he played earlier.

I agree with this. It was a bit odd that there was no pushback or at least concern with Ryo pursuing this path. I don't think Ine-san particularly needed more screen time to justify any sort of pushback as @hmjohnny suggested, just this particular scene presented an opportunity for SOME sort of concern, now that reality was kicking in that Ryo was leaving Japan for Hong Kong.

5. Chai no longer drops a girder on Guizhang. This scene was almost identical to the game but now it's some pipes rather than a girder, which is now a lot more realistic. Ryo also dispatches Chai with relative ease, I guess demonstrating how far he's come as a martial artist during S1, but it will definitely make any subsequent appearances from Chai completely pointless (which they kind of already were). The ending felt a little too "happy" but the anime has succeeded in making S1 feel more like an introduction rather than its own story which is working in its favor so far.

Chai was definitely less of a threat this series and I'm hoping his arc is done at this point. He was reframed as more of a shadowy figure instead of a combat threat, which I wouldn't say I minded. I hope Ryo eventually meets his match and that Xiuying is the one who puts him in his place. I've been thinking that maybe this change is something that makes Ryo's progression feel more natural over the course of the 13 episodes compared to 2 games released a year or so apart.

Say for example, Ryo gets established as a super bad-ass during the S1 moments of the anime, but it's not until S2 after he leaves for a new country that he starts to learn that he's not even close to as good as he needs to be. Because S1 and S2 are separate games, Ryo would need to experience failure at points in both stories. But since the anime is one continuous story, perhaps it makes more sense that this progression is combined to be somewhat linear.

6. I don't think "revenge" was ever said once so far. Will be very interesting to see how Xiuying's relationship with Ryo will be changed because of that...

While it was never acknowledged by other characters, I think that Ryo's final dialogue in Ep. 5 "Lan Di..." shows that this is primarily on his mind. Or at the very least, his feeling for revenge started to bubble to the surface as he realizes that he's getting closer to Lan Di. Perhaps I'm the only one who interpreted it this way but that was my takeaway.

And that's a wrap for S1! Overall I thought it was a very effective retelling of the story and it serves to illustrate just how much you can cut from a game and still get the point across. Even though I liked this episode the least so far, I'm super excited to see what's in store for S2 (hopefully they don't waste an episode on the boat).

I love it! To me, it feels like the folks who are unhappy are watching with a checklist of events that happened in S1, and marking off points for every checklist that's not there. There are a lot of generic comments like "it should have like, been more cinematic and stuff, and more epic, and also they should have made it established and stuff and there should have been 10 minutes to make it breathe". I say that mostly in jest, folks can like/dislike what they want. I also think it's tough to unlearn what you know about the story.

 

[iknifaugood]

It seems the show gave this message to Terry when he threatens Ryo about the challenges he'll face in Hong Kong and surely not survive but this comes across as really Saturday morning cartoon-esque and loses a lot of the gravitas that came from seeing his family turn on him.

Totally agree. I can kind of see it from the POV of them treating Shenmue as more of an "adventure" story rather than a revenge story but considering this is the moment that Ryo chooses to ignore his father's dying words, which they kept in the show, it really robbed the scene of any emotional weight. I get that this is just Episode 5/13 and so it's not really an ending, and Fuku-San and Ine-San aren't really "characters" and maybe it's part of them restructuring Ryo's arc so we'll have to see how it changes based on the actual ending to the series. I can see why they would want to avoid the repetition of everyone Ryo meets telling him that revenge is bad and to abandon his goals but that would mean in the process of fixing one problem they created another because the scene just doesn't work for me at all. It also didn't help that it was bizarrely silent.

My thought is that Ryo knew that there was going to be a huge brawl and that the distraction was an opportunity to rescue Nozomi, even if he and Guizhang would have taken down the entirety of the Mad Angels. For all we know, Terry could have panicked as he saw that his men were easily defeated and then harmed Nozomi in some way.

That's true, this is likely what they were going for. I wish it was made just a little more clear and didn't rely on so many flashbacks, it made it unnecessarily difficult to follow (at least for me) especially considering how relatively simple the set up is.

I don't think Ine-san particularly needed more screen time to justify any sort of pushback as @hmjohnny suggested, just this particular scene presented an opportunity for SOME sort of concern, now that reality was kicking in that Ryo was leaving Japan for Hong Kong.

The only thing I can think of is that, as I mentioned above, they were going for a more "adventure" vibe and/or wanted to avoid the repetition of having the same conversation with Xiuying in a couple of episodes.

Say for example, Ryo gets established as a super bad-ass during the S1 moments of the anime, but it's not until S2 after he leaves for a new country that he starts to learn that he's not even close to as good as he needs to be. Because S1 and S2 are separate games, Ryo would need to experience failure at points in both stories. But since the anime is one continuous story, perhaps it makes more sense that this progression is combined to be somewhat linear.

I hope this is where they're going with it and I can see why they'd go this route. Once Ryo gets taken down a peg by Xiuying and Dou Niu, that might start to make him more frustrated and angry with the limits of his own abilities. Time will tell but I really hope they nail the Ren/Ryo dynamic because a lot of that relies on Ryo being more aloof than he currently is in the anime.

While it was never acknowledged by other characters, I think that Ryo's final dialogue in Ep. 5 "Lan Di..." shows that this is primarily on his mind. Or at the very least, his feeling for revenge started to bubble to the surface as he realizes that he's getting closer to Lan Di. Perhaps I'm the only one who interpreted it this way but that was my takeaway.

I felt similar. It really seems like they've flipped the motivation from the games where Ryo is single minded in his obsession with revenge and all the mysteries of his father and the mirror are kind of ancillary to one where he's more focused on the adventure and the revenge aspect is downplayed. It may end up being the right call, it's so hard to remember that this is just episode 5.

I love it! To me, it feels like the folks who are unhappy are watching with a checklist of events that happened in S1, and marking off points for every checklist that's not there. There are a lot of generic comments like "it should have like, been more cinematic and stuff, and more epic, and also they should have made it established and stuff and there should have been 10 minutes to make it breathe".

I have no idea how you could possibly look at the current state of Shenmue and not absolutely love this series. It's of such a high quality in almost every respect considering how niche the source material is and any adaptation is going to make changes, that's just the nature of it. But we'll see if my tone changes when they start messing with my beloved Shenmue 2 lol...