Shenmue The Animation Episode 5: Equal SPOILERS thread

I loved Nozomi in these episodes. I really feel bad for her, especially when the years hit the ground.
 
Kintor said:
Definitely a huge pay-off with all the time spent developing the supporting characters around Yokosuka. I admit that I never expecting them all to go and rescue Nozomi by themselves, with Mark driving the forklift! Absolutely thrilled by this new twist on the Shenmue story.
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That dynamic actually reminded me of the Shenmue III ending. Only done slightly better because we know and care about these characters a little more. I really wish we had more with the side characters in SIII, that ending could have been so much better had we gotten more from those side characters.

But that's what this re-tooled ending reminded me of. Ryo's friends coming to his aid in his time of need. Keep your friends close.
 
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Lan Di-sama said:
I'm curious about how Ryo's relationship with Xuiying will play out when so much of it revolved around Ryo's desire for revenge clouding his judgment. I'd love to see the entire Wude arc in play. But after 5 episodes, Ryo hasn't mentioned revenge once. This is a pretty significant change to the core of the story. Perhaps the second arc will touch on this more.
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I still think revenge is on the mind for Ryo. I think he put on the whole "I'll find the truth" act in front of Ine-san...but I do think Xiuying will quickly cotton on that its more than just finding the truth. I mean even Yamagashi-san cottoned on that it was more than just that. So I think Xiuying will cotton on and I do think Xiuying will challenge him on it still.

That's maybe my one other complaint about the time spent in Yokosuka. Ine-san's concern was really down played compared to the game. That's one area where I think the game did better. Ine really was concerned for you in the game. In the anime? Didn't get that feeling anywhere near as much.

I guess we can now compare Shenmue: Chapter 1 with Shenmue the Animation considering Yokosuka is all said and done. To me? Both have their strengths and weaknesses. I think the Animation does well to streamline the main plot and pull together some of the weaker elements of the game. Most of the side characters feel way better in their development. I actually gave a crap about Goro in the Anime. In the game, I always saw him as a loveable buffoon and not much more, but I actually kind of liked him more in the anime. I liked how they handled his and Mae's relationship a lot better. I liked Anime Nozomi so much more than Game Nozomi. Although that said, I kind of prefer Game Mark over Anime Mark. I thought Anime Mark just wasn't right in his depiction. I liked that Game Mark was a little friendlier from the offset.

But there are other things I think the game does immensely better. World building for one. I think the game does such a wonderful job building its world that I didn't think the anime entirely reached the same level. But to be fair, its a truncated version of the game that's focused way more on the main plot than it is anything else.

Yeah, both have their strengths and weaknesses and I don't think one is better than the other. I think they're different enough that they both stand side by side very well. But there are things I like that are done better in the anime and there are other things that I still prefer from the original game.
 
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Another strong episode. Definitely not as good as last week’s (I’d give it a 7.5 out of 10), but a more than fitting conclusion to the Yokosuka chapter.

I really liked the changes made to Nozomi’s rescue and the larger role given to Goro, but felt that Mark’s motivations for helping weren’t explored thoroughly enough. Afterwards, he says something to the extent of “Of course I helped you, we work together,” but I’d wager that most people wouldn’t risk their lives taking on a vicious gang for a co-worker, especially one that they’ve only known for a matter of days.

It’s clear that a lot of this episode’s budget went into the combat scenes, and, as a result, there were a few sections elsewhere where the animation was noticeably bad. I guess this is to be expected on a budget production like this, but, in an ideal world, compromises like this wouldn’t need to be made. The fight itself was very well done though.

In terms of other changes, I liked that Guizang got injured saving his father rather than Ryo, but wasn’t a fan of them cutting some of the Nozomi stuff and Tom’s goodbye. The former I could perhaps forgive as they added in some other nice scenes that were arguably an improvement, but the lack of Tom was perplexing. To be clear, I have no issue with them cutting it, but doing so makes their decision to spend so much of the first episode developing Tom’s character a little pointless. I’m not sure we’ve seen him once since then, so they may as well have just cut him entirely and spent that time adding some of the other standalone stuff back in.

A few other little observations… this is the first episode with no Bailu (can’t say I’m too disappointed about not seeing the village dance) and, assuming there’s not a random flashback, it seems as though the poetry scroll will play no role in the anime (so let’s hope it’s not significant to the story). On the whole, I’d probably rate the Yokosuka arc 8/10, which is much better than I had expected. I’ll be happy if part two is this good.
 
Think Im going to do a rewatch of Shenmue the Movie alongside my first Dub watch through of this show. Episode was great. honestly with how well the anime handled the story so far I would have been okay if they stretched the Shenmue 1 arc to 12 episodes and made Hong Kong season 2 lol. I really hope we hear that the show is greenlit for a second season during the finale airing. Love this show and I hope it is what finally gets the Shenmue train going full force.

Would also like to add that I am glad that the save nozomi and 70man battle events were one and the same in the anime. its funny because when Shenmue remastered came out, I completely forgot that they didnt happen during the same night. lol
 
This episode marked 2 pretty big changes from the game’s story, Nozomi didnt move to Canada and Guizhang stayed in Yokosuka not because of the injury but because Ryo wants him to stay with his father.

Aside from that, im very curious to see how they’ll handle Hong Kong’s arc as in the game it was mostly based on 2 themes that are more or less missing in the anime : Ryo’s focus on revenge and Ryo’s growth as a martial artist.
 
Once again, my thoughts first, reading others later!

Now the fact they've managed to cram the story of Shenmue I in 5 episodes and for the most part succeed is a miracle in and of itself. However, I just *wish* they had an extra episode just to flesh out a few bits and bobs. Imagine what those extra 20 minutes - 4 minutes per episode could've added?

So, that aside, I thought it was brilliant. I wanted to count how many people were defeated in the 70 man battle, but I decided not to because I want to enjoy the episode and not overthink it first time around. My guess it wasn't 70 in the end as I don't think I saw the Village People henchman at all. Once again, the fight scenes are kinetic and you can feel the power.

My misgivings of Mark from the previous episode have been fully disposed of with what he, Mai and Goro have done. It's interesting that Mai has had quite a lot of screen time considering she's not in the game as much as say Tom. That said, it was funny to see the dynamic between her and Goro which folllows the trope of the straight and comic quite nicely.

Although it makes sense, seeing the iconic motorbike scene at daybreak instead of early morning robs it of a little power, but that's just a personal opinion. This is where I wish there was just a few minutes more with Nozomi saying she had to go to Canada (although they got around that by saying she no longer needed advice). The goodbye scene was just too quick and casual. That said, that little cut with teardrops falling on the ground genuinely made my eyes well up. It was a beautiful and tragic little moment.

The climatic scene with Chai was fine, but once again...just too quick. I would've actually liked him to have got a hit on Ryo to show that he still has much to learn. Again - a few seconds here could've added a little more weight.

So, overall - the Shenmue I arc was pretty satisfying and I tip my hat to everyone for more or less getting the story beats done. I am sad that many characters were non existant or just had one scene (Tom), but I can understand why they had to do what they do.

My main worry now is how much of Shenmue II will we get in the remaining 8 episodes? Ideally it should end before going to Kowloon and then a 2nd season can cover that, Guilin and Shenmue III. If they end it in Guilin, then it almost makes Shenmue III pointless which I think would be a big mistake.

My other worry is the lack of a Japanese release. I genuinely don't understand why this is. I know Shenmue is more popular overseas, but it's not like the old days of having to wait months for a translation; the Japanese dub already exists. I think it's an act of self harm that is unforgivable.
 
What a ride, aside from some nitpicks both this episode and the season 1 arc turned out so much better than I ever could have hoped for.

Sticking to this episode for now:

- My favorite moment was Ryo saying farewell to Ine-san and Fuku-san. For a hot second the editing of the episode made me think they'd skip past it, so I was happy to see him back at the dojo. The captain planet handshake they did was really touching, and I think it had a profound impact on Ryo - you can see him looking at his hand as he's walking away.

- 70 man battle was awesome, and I liked the resolution to saving Nozomi.

- I think the Gui-Zhang/Chen stuff has been particularly well done, especially in this episode.

Nitpicks:

- No Tom, if they would've spent one minute establishing him in the harbour he could've helped save Nozomi. I think it would've fit if they cut out one or two of the prophecy scenes.

- the Nozomi farewell was well done, but the game did a far better job here; whereas I feel the anime nailed every other aspect of Nozomi a bit better.

Cannot wait for the SH2 parts.
 
Just watched the fantastic episode and loved it. Some great aspects to the side characters and Goro and his missus (Mai Chan?!) Were great. She is badass.

I thought Tom was on the search for his brother in the Mad angels, it's like they completely forgot this and could have had him find his brother amongst the 70 man brawl

I wish they had put shenmue into 6 episodes but overall it was great and can't wait for Shenmue 2
 
Oh yes and nozomi is amazing in this anime. I love their relationship. I thought he had showed more affection in anime at first but he ended up not saying bye in an affectionate way which was in keeping with the game
 
bcdcdude said:
My other worry is the lack of a Japanese release. I genuinely don't understand why this is. I know Shenmue is more popular overseas, but it's not like the old days of having to wait months for a translation; the Japanese dub already exists. I think it's an act of self harm that is unforgivable.
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Really? I thought it was showing in Japan considering all the burnt in Japanese subs every time they speak Mandarin.
 
Liking the differences in the story that they are making such as Goro, Mai, and Mark being involved in Nozomi's rescue. Hope they include more of these changes in their adaptation of Hong Kong and am really hoping the next episode covers the missing boat chapter that was cut from the game.
 
I have loved every episode and this one wasn't going to be less!

I liked they gave Nozomi more protagonism than in the game. However, I miss some moments from the game that weren't in the anime like Tom teaching the tornado kick to Ryo.

I didn't like the rearrange of Nozomi being saved by Goro, May and Mark. I preffer her to be saved by Ryo as in the game!

Obviously, they can't put every scene from the game because that'd make the anime much longer but as I said they didn't include important moments in my opinion.

I know that it's a japanese culture thing but, I'd have given a strong hug to Nozomi If I were Ryo when he runned into her in the park..

Amazing anime, I hope it has the success it deserves!
 
Shenhua-Nani? said:
This episode marked 2 pretty big changes from the game’s story, Nozomi didnt move to Canada and Guizhang stayed in Yokosuka not because of the injury but because Ryo wants him to stay with his father.
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I’m pretty sure that Nozomi does move to Canada though, at least that’s the impression I got anyway. She wanted to ask for Ryo’s advice about whether or not she should go, but realizes that Ryo has already decided to leave for Hong Kong and, in turn, that he had been a big part of her reason for wanting to stay in Japan. When she tells Ryo that she’s already made up her mind, I think the most logical conclusion is that she will be leaving at some point. She just chooses not to tell him because she doesn’t want to distract him.
 
Bigger departure from the games than I expected (in a good way), but a nice little cap on the Yokosuka arc by having most of the major supporting characters present at the downfall of the Mad Angels. Mark's expert forklift action got a cheer and a laugh out of me. The anime team have been very restrained in not pandering to the memes, so I'm glad the most they indulged in that stuff was making the forklift a key part of an action set-piece.

Some extra texture to the story with Terry's foreshadowing of the Yellow Heads too, which is appreciated. The map of Shenmue's underworld being a bit more interconnected with the Chi-You-Men as top dog makes sense, given that all three games have some sub-gangs doing their bidding for favour.

Real gauntlet of emotions here; bittersweet with Ryo & Nozomi, heart-warming and life-affirming with Guizhang & Master Chen. Nozomi not telling Ryo she's going to Canada is an interesting change too, and I wonder how it'll play into the series if the story is completed through the anime eventually... 🤔

Ryo returning home to Japan someday to find she's not there and deciding to go to Canada to find her would play quite nicely into Shenmue's themes of keeping people close, and provide a mirror for Ryo's journey to Hong Kong. Instead of leaving Japan for revenge, he's now doing it for love instead... or something like that.
 
To me the bar in terms of quality for the animation so far was very low and I would rank this episode insofar, as that it kept the same level of quality.

I liked the 70-men-battle. I thought they executed that pretty well. Also the scene with Chai at the end was pretty nice, even though I didn`t like that they used the swallow dive again to finish chai off. The elbow assault is just to iconic not to use it.

I thought the whole gathering of side-characters was just too corny. I didn`t like it at all and it didn`t make much sense. Also I already thought Nozomi was annoying at times but Mai managed to relativize that pretty quickly.

Finally I gotta say Shenmue I has a very particular mood. This animation so far didn`t manage to capture that at all. Not one bit. I hope Shenmue II is characterized better, even though the premise of the animation will make some of the aspects of Shenmue II hard to make sense without changing them significantly, which I personally would prefer.

Honestly I hope the showrunners will not botch my favourite character, which is Xiuying. I have my doubts though...
 
Master Mo said:
To me the bar in terms of quality for the animation so far was very low and I would rank this episode insofar, as that it kept the same level of quality.

I liked the 70-men-battle. I thought they executed that pretty well. Also the scene with Chai at the end was pretty nice, even though I didn`t like that they used the swallow dive again to finish chai off. The elbow assault is just to iconic not to use it.

I thought the whole gathering of side-characters was just too corny. I didn`t like it at all and it didn`t make much sense. Also I already thought Nozomi was annoying at times but Mai managed to relativize that pretty quickly.

Finally I gotta say Shenmue I has a very particular mood. This animation so far didn`t manage to capture that at all. Not one bit. I hope Shenmue II is characterized better, even though the premise of the animation will make some of the aspects of Shenmue II hard to make sense without changing them significantly, which I personally would prefer.

Honestly I hope the showrunners will not botch my favourite character, which is Xiuying. I have my doubts though...
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How does it not make sense? They all work at the harbour, so it's not as if they were coming from far away or anything.

And just out of curiosity, what anime do you like that has good animation? I'd like to compare and contrast to see if you're being reasonable or not. Not all anime has the budget of a Studio Ghibli or Kyoto Animation.

As for Nozomi, I think she's wonderful (although I still prefer the gentle melancholy of the game Nozomi). Mai is great, but she's a bit one-note in that she's no nonsense. That's fine; her keeping Goro in line gave a few chuckles, but there's not much to her more than that.

@danielmann861 - I might be wrong, but i've not heard anything to suggest the show is being shown on TV in Japan? I'd love to be proved wrong.
 
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