So does Niao Sun have both mirrors now? And other dangling plot threads...

Gang Entertainment

Gang Entertainment

Mike Paprocki
Joined
Aug 12, 2018
Location
Chicago, IL
Hi everyone, I finished Shenmue III last week and have been diving in to what everyone has to say about the ending. I've got lots of problems, most of which I've seen people already talk about, so I won't rehash that stuff here. There's a billion questions left unanswered at the end of the game - some are the result of sloppy storytelling, while some can easily be answered in the next game (if that ever happens). One thing I'm wondering...are we to assume that Niao Sun now has both mirrors at the end of the game? She takes the Phoenix Mirror from Ryo and then tries to kill Lan Di by burning the place down. Surely she's aware of the Dragon Mirror and wouldn't try to burn the place down if Lan Di still had it in his pocket?

We also assume, based on what Yuan tells us, that Lan Di survived and is on his way to the cliff temple (for some reason). Do we assume he knows Niao Sun betrayed him? Does he know Niao Sun has the Phoenix Mirror (and maybe the Dragon Mirror) or is he out behind the rubble of the castle looking for the fake mirror that Ren tossed out the window? I just replied in another thread where it's discussed that Lan Di may not have even known about the existence of the Phoenix Mirror until confronting Ryo, which raises a few million more questions...
 
She definitely doesn't have it.

Though, I feel she knows where it is (Lan Di wouldn't have it on his person, I HIGHLY doubt that)..
 
Gang Entertainment said:
Hi everyone, I finished Shenmue III last week and have been diving in to what everyone has to say about the ending. I've got lots of problems, most of which I've seen people already talk about, so I won't rehash that stuff here. There's a billion questions left unanswered at the end of the game - some are the result of sloppy storytelling, while some can easily be answered in the next game (if that ever happens). One thing I'm wondering...are we to assume that Niao Sun now has both mirrors at the end of the game? She takes the Phoenix Mirror from Ryo and then tries to kill Lan Di by burning the place down. Surely she's aware of the Dragon Mirror and wouldn't try to burn the place down if Lan Di still had it in his pocket?

We also assume, based on what Yuan tells us, that Lan Di survived and is on his way to the cliff temple (for some reason). Do we assume he knows Niao Sun betrayed him? Does he know Niao Sun has the Phoenix Mirror (and maybe the Dragon Mirror) or is he out behind the rubble of the castle looking for the fake mirror that Ren tossed out the window? I just replied in another thread where it's discussed that Lan Di may not have even known about the existence of the Phoenix Mirror until confronting Ryo, which raises a few million more questions...
Click to expand...

The bottom line is - we couldn't possibly expect the storytelling to be as good as Shenmue 3 - The Gang Edition! The only burning question we all have is - will there now be a proper remake of Shenmue 3 - The Gang Edition or a Shenmue IV Gang Edition updated to account for the events of the real Shenmue 3? So many possibilities!
 
If there's still a Tentei, it's possible the mirror is with him and/or at the cliff temple/Chi You Men base.

But yeah the ending makes next to no sense so it's almost pointless trying to get a grasp of it.
 
japalp said:
The bottom line is - we couldn't possibly expect the storytelling to be as good as Shenmue 3 - The Gang Edition! The only burning question we all have is - will there now be a proper remake of Shenmue 3 - The Gang Edition or a Shenmue IV Gang Edition updated to account for the events of the real Shenmue 3? So many possibilities!
Click to expand...

Haha, thanks for the smile. Not to diverge from the topic, but I do always appreciate you guys that still fondly remember our movies. Terry and I did play through big chunks of Shenmue III together, including the ending. Came up with a lot of jokes along the way that we'll probably turn into a script and, if we find the time, maybe film something (partly why I'm asking these questions about the plot...it would help me out to understand what actually happened in the game so I could properly make fun of it). Finding the time just isn't as easy as it used to be though, haha. Hope you saw our "Days of Future Mike" video about how Shenmue III's release ends up enraging fans and bringing about the apocalypse (dare I say coming true).

Enough of that. Please continue sharing your theories about the status of both mirrors at the end of Shenmue III.
 
Gang Entertainment said:
Haha, thanks for the smile. Not to diverge from the topic, but I do always appreciate you guys that still fondly remember our movies. Terry and I did play through big chunks of Shenmue III together, including the ending. Came up with a lot of jokes along the way that we'll probably turn into a script and, if we find the time, maybe film something (partly why I'm asking these questions about the plot...it would help me out to understand what actually happened in the game so I could properly make fun of it). Finding the time just isn't as easy as it used to be though, haha. Hope you saw our "Days of Future Mike" video about how Shenmue III's release ends up enraging fans and bringing about the apocalypse (dare I say coming true).

Enough of that. Please continue sharing your theories about the status of both mirrors at the end of Shenmue III.
Click to expand...

I did see that and loved it. Hope you, Terry and the rest of the Gang are doing well!
 
Well, at the end of Shenmue III, Lan Di has the Dragon Mirror, while Niao Sun has the Phoenix Mirror. Since they're made of something similar to marble, I don't think Niao Sun ever thought that the Dragon Mirror might burn with the castle... Moreover, as Red says, we know that Shenhua is necessary as well to use the mirrors. Lan Di seems to know about it as well (that's why in the bad endings he's always chasing down Shenhua) but I'm pretty sure that Niao Sun doesn't know about this point.
 
How do we know Shenhua is key to using the mirrors?

The bad endings don't actually happen, so while they might hold a clue to that I wouldn't assume anything.
 
It is never explicitly spelled out that she is the key to anything...she remains mysterious, that's about it. Lan Di only tracks her down in Shenmue II's bad ending for a purpose...in III, he leaves her alone, and doesn't even meet her in Shenmue I's bad ending.
 
24Nathan said:
It is never explicitly spelled out that she is the key to anything...she remains mysterious, that's about it. Lan Di only tracks her down in Shenmue II's bad ending for a purpose...in III, he leaves her alone, and doesn't even meet her in Shenmue I's bad ending.
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yes nothing stated 100% but if you piece some of the things together, it indicates she has "powers" (including the old project berkley trailer ) and her bloodline. i feel she is important to how the story ends (ie the use of the mirrors).
 
I agree that Shen Hua will somehow prove integral to how the mirrors are used, but at this point in the story, I think it's safe to say that none of the characters (Shen Hua included) would have any reason to think that just yet. Well, maybe Shen Hua's father. If only Ryo had thought to ask a couple of follow-up questions during their conversation on the boat ("So, about this prophecy I keep hearing of...")

But I guess Ryo only cares about getting another crack at Lan Di, thus why he had no problem giving away the Phoenix Mirror and seems pretty uninterested in getting it back (or even finding out why the bad guys want it). Too bad I, as a member of the audience, am more intrested in learning the whole story than the main character...
 
Maybe the mirrors grant Shenhua the super powers we saw in the first Project Berkley Trailer?


Has been ages since this Trailer though. Maybe the Mystical Power Shenhua is not a part of the universe anymore..
 
9dragons said:
Maybe the mirrors grant Shenhua the super powers we saw in the first Project Berkley Trailer?


Has been ages since this Trailer though. Maybe the Mystical Power Shenhua is not a part of the universe anymore..
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they also indicated "powers" in the shenmue online game.. unless that was just artistic licence(?)
also in shenmue 3,
doesnt she torture one of the snake head leaders for info - its not shown what she did but it could easily be something unnatural
 
As a side note, were the mirrors ever specifically mentioned as "created in ancient times" in I or II, or was it just an assumption based on other info?
 
orient said:
As a side note, were the mirrors ever specifically mentioned as "created in ancient times" in I or II, or was it just an assumption based on other info?
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The mirrors are never explicitly mentioned as being made in ancient times, so the 1910 revelation isn't a retcon or plot hole.

At the end of Shenmue 2, Shenhua mentions that an ancient emperor created stone mirrors and people fought over them, but not explicitly Ryo's mirror.

However, the prophecy is presumably ancient. It also mentions Shenhua's destiny "since ancient times". I'm hoping this isn't something that gets swept under the rug as the prophecy references the Phoenix Mirror, so it should somehow all be connected.

EDIT: FWIW I don't think the mirrors being created in 1910 is a retcon. I believe that was always in the original script. I still have hope that Suzuki can make sense of this story in the long run.
 
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