SPOILERS SHENMUE THE ANIMATION EPISODE 7 "Future" THREAD

Excellent episode. Just excellent. My favorite episode of the series so far.

So much good Xiuying stuff. Love how they're already touching on her backstory. Love that Ryo blows off Joy a lot just like in the game, and particularly love how they're integrating Joy in the storyline. Love that Ren is already playing a part. Love how they expanded the Jie quest and how much more they do with Zongquan.

And FANGMEI!! I lowkey hoped that they would've snagged Ikue Otani to voice Fangmei again but the new Japanese voice actress Ayumi Mano successfully captured the voice as well.

Guys. They are doing it. They are nailing Shenmue II so far!
 
Crazy how good they are mixing things around. AS soon as they introduced the Yellow heads they right away used them to steer Ren away from Ryo. Oh and they introduced REN! All while Ryo is still learning the second Wude.

The writers themselves are MASTERS.
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The careful attention to detail they do.. its gonna put a tear in my eye man..
 
Let me just say - fuck daylight savings time. Internationally you get used to something happening at a certain time and then they change it up and go an hour earlier! Ah well, at least the start time should be locked in now for the the rest of the season.

Anyway, really enjoyed this episode. I mean, I've enjoyed every episode so far but something about episode 7 just flows so well. I love the way the way they've incorporated the new material with the Shenmue 2 storyline. Some excellent foreshadowing with Ren and the Yellow Heads. Smart to bring Ren in earlier, even if Ryo isn't aware of his presence yet, helps to create the impression of Ren as always being one step ahead of everyone else that was only ever hinted at in the original game.

The big standout to be though was Zongquan. I always figured that his side story would probably be cut for time or at least drastically reduced. Instead Zongquan gets nearly a whole episode dedicated to himself and the relationship with his former master. Seriously, Zongquan is a badass in this anime, with that lowkey drunken kung-fu archetype that hides his power behind some comically understated moves. The writers have clearly done their homework and zeroed in on the most compelling elements of Shenmue 2's story and giving those parts time to breath. When this started never would I have imagined that Zongquan'' story would get so much care and attention.

Lastly, I also like what the anime is doing to develop Joy as character. These little vignettes, with her clearly trying to woo an oblivious Ryo, really make her character seem less abrasive then her game counterpart. Almost makes me sad when Ryo will eventually leave Hong Kong with bringing Joy along for the ride.
 
This episode ended being a little too slow for my tastes with very little story progression. Probably the worst episode yet (I’d give it a 7), though I did enjoy Ryo’s interactions with Zongquan.

I wish they’d taken the end of the last episode and tacked it onto the beginning of this one.
 
The consistency continues to impress me, to the point that I'm not going to rank individual episodes anymore. They just keep either raising or meeting the bar they set for themselves.

I think a lot of people who feel that the show rushes through the games too fast will love this episode. It's probably the "slowest" one in that it dedicates itself almost entirely to one plot point, with minor deviations (Ren/Joy).
 
Up until this episode, I didn't understand why some people thought that we would need 26 episodes to tell the Shenmue I and II story. Now it completely makes sense. Imagine that in the Shenmue I part, they could've expanded the story of the mirror, could've introduced Megumi, could've told the story of the Three Blades in more detail, etc.
But this episode was just perfect, it already makes me sad knowing that we only have 6 more episodes left...
 
Man the music in that scene when Ryo hands over Zongquan's letter was really beautiful. I got such a kick out of seeing the shopping mall exactly as it was in the game, too. Just how the second episode of the Shenmue I arc enhanced Yagamishi, this second episode of Shenmue II does the same for Zongquan in a really effective way.

Fight scenes were good, too. I especially liked how it imitated the games motion blur for Xiuying's dodges in the opening. Seeing Zongquan use his bag of books as a blunt force weapon was like a bit of Jackie Chan improvised fighting. Noticed how the street thugs are pulling batons and knives now, just like they did in the second game. That Iron Palm landed with some conviction, they are really selling the heavy hits in this show.

I'm so impressed with the whole thing.
 
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Holy potatoes, what another cracking episode! Last week I had no idea how the remaining Wude would be incorporated - if at all - so to have an entire episode dedicated to it was a brilliant surprise. It is genuinely making me think how the remaining episodes will go and how far into Shenmue II we will reach by the end of episode 13.

I'm really enjoying the 'remixed' nature of the show in that some things are being incorporated in a slightly different way, but not to the detriment of old fans who know the games like the back of their hands. It's been said many times, but the people working on this show are treating the material with great honour.

It's lovely to see Xiuying, Fangmei (perky as ever!) and even a flashback of Xiuying's brother! It's also nice to see Ryo treat Joy with more respect than in the games and Ren looks badass as always.

I wouldn't say it was the best episode, but the show has been consistently strong to the point that it doesn't matter if it's not the best. A 9/10 episode is just as a good as a 10/10 episode; the latter being one that has a more personal connection to me. I just love this show so much.

We are beyond the half way point of the series now. I feel sad that in 6 weeks it will end. I pray that a 2nd season will be announced as well as Shenmue IV which would be the icing on the cake.

As a side note, I would love to have a framed photo of the 4 Wude when I get my own place as I feel that incorporating its teachings has - and will be - a benefit to me as a person. That's how brilliant Shenmue is. It allows us to improve ourselves and not many games allow you to do that.
 
tomboz said:
This episode ended being a little too slow for my tastes with very little story progression. Probably the worst episode yet (I’d give it a 7), though I did enjoy Ryo’s interactions with Zongquan.

I wish they’d taken the end of the last episode and tacked it onto the beginning of this one.
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This is basically my take on the episode, very weird choice to dedicate an entire episode to the least memorable Wude Moment of the game.

And i didnt like how they managed the first Xiuying fight, in the game Ryo was arrogant and sextist and got teached a lesson, here it was much more soft.

Also, im starting to seriously doubt that the anime will reach Guilin, we have 6 episodes left and we are still far from Kowloon.
 
Sundays are more interesting with Shenmue anime around!

I hope they release the anime OST, it has some nice tracks. I liked a lot the music they played when Xiuying was telling Ryo he could stay at her home.

It's a surprise to see the early introduction of Ren and the Yellow Heads. I think is a good way to introduce them in the story.
They aren't putting aside any important character of the story and that's nice.

I would love they finished Shenmue's story in anime form apart from making the game of course, so I'm afraid until they release Shenmue 4 they won't do it.
 
Another great episode, really enjoying the music and the animations. They’re capturing Hong Kong perfectly.

Joy is becoming my favourite character so far in the anime, love how they are having her a great help to Ryo whilst being an interesting person in her own right. Xiuying is everything I want her to be as well, cool and reasonable. Lovely seeing Fangmei, too. Voice actress nails her persona.

They slowed down again and I like how they gave the story of JIN, was touching to see. The moment you realised he is selling books … right in the feels.

I did like that we got more of Ren (no secret he is my favourite game character of all time) but I’ll admit I was a bit bummed we didn’t get that final reveal. It made such an impact in the game. No doubt we’ll still get the garage scene (right…?) but now the tension is lost on the viewers. It was however a nice touch to have them pass in the street without knowing each other.

Guess we’ll have another wude per next two episodes, meaning we won’t leave HK for Kowloon until end of episode 9, start of 10. That’s going to be tight. Excited to see how they solve it, hopefully it won’t be too rushed in Kowloon. Might as well end episode 13 on Ryo arriving with the boat/leaving Kowloon.
 
I reckon they'll do the next two wudes next week, weaving in Ren introduction along the way. We know Yuan, Master Baihu and Don Niu are in the anime so only 2 episodes is far too tight for Kowloon imo.
 
Another great episode. I think the game does a much better job at introducing Ren, but I can understand why they would cut that down and focus on the Wude. Still really enjoyed the episode.

On a side-note: the one Yellow Heads (Yellow Heaven) guy who told Zongquan that they would meet again looked like Mr Muscles from S3.
 
Loved it. Again, adding a bit more depth to a character that was great in the game, Zongquan, but didn't really get a chance to shine like he does here.

This is the first episode that felt like a typical serialised anime to me, with a mini-arc that began at the start of the ep and wrapped up by the end; with sprinkles of main plot progression throughout. It reminded me of Fullmetal Alchemist or something. Very well done. One of my favourites so far.
 
I didn't expect them to spend as long as they did on Zongquan of all characters. Feels like they totally slammed the brakes on compared to the usual pace - definitely the slowest one yet.

I wonder if they're going to double down on the slower pace for now before speeding up again closer to the end.
 
Another great episode! Crazy that we've had 2 episodes now pretty much fully dedicated to a single wude each. I wonder if they will keep this pace for the remaining 2 and then it ramp back up for the finale.

The final scene of the episode, paired with that grand music, really managed to carry a lot of emotion for some reason. Really caught me off guard. Loved it! Cannot wait to hear the full version of that track when the OST releases! Fingers crossed.
 
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To me this felt like the ideal pace for the show if it was a 20+ episode season. I really enjoyed it, but it definitely felt different to what we've grown accustomed to e.g. cramming a boatload of stuff into each episode due to the short season length.

But if there's any part of Shenmue they should slow down and explore at a calmer pace, it's probably the wude and Xuiying's teachings.
 
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