Ryo's 18th Birthday

[tdp903]

On my replay of Shenmue 1, I just picked up the handguard from Bunkado Antiques.

The shopkeeper mentioned that Iwao dropped off the handguard for polishing and safekeeping. He also mentioned that the handguard is given to the Hazuki heir once he turns 18. The handguard and the sword, as we know, reveal the hidden entrance to the basement where the Phoenix mirror, among other curios, was stored.

As the story goes, Lan Di showed up to obtain the Dragon mirror on Ryo's birthday, supposedly the same day Ryo was to receive the handguard. This seems to be more than merely coincidence. Any thoughts about this?

Please forgive me if this has been discussed before somewhere. If so, links are much appreciated.

 

[B-Man]

I'm pretty sure that it actually is just coincidence. Lan Di clearly didn't know that Iwao had the Phoenix Mirror, so I highly doubt that he knew or cared about the handguard.

I think the real question is "Why did Lan Di choose Ryo's 18th birthday to steal the Dragon Mirror and kill Iwao?" And again, I believe that the answer is that it was mere coincidence. I doubt that Lan Di knew what Ryo's birthday was and I don't think he had any reason to care. I don't even know if he knew whether or not Iwao had any children.

It's an interesting thought, but the only way I could see it being intentional is if Lan Di knew that Iwao had the Phoenix Mirror and also knew where it was hidden and how to obtain it.

 

[DarthJF]

Yeah, I don't think Lan Di knew or cared, so I doubt there's any in-plot reason for the date. Yu probably decided on it for dramatic reasons so we can maybe put this under "it happened because of destiny" -category.

 

[WuyingRen]

I think the real issue here is Iwao’s parenting. If the hand guard was to be given to Ryo on his 18th birthday and, on the day of Ryo’s 18th birthday, the hand guard remained at the antique shop, this can only mean one thing...

Iwao forgot Ryo’s 18th birthday.

If you ask me, he got exactly what he deserved...