In the Spring of 2022, a promotional event was held on location in Yokosuka to celebrate the anime adaptation of Shenmue, Shenmue The Animation, which was organized by Yokosuka City in collaboration with SEGA and IGN Japan. Various pieces of concept artwork were exhibited at a number of shops in the area, some being from the anime while others were sketches and illustrations from the time of development of the first two games.
Among the artwork were reproductions of certain storyboards from the game, detailing the camera shots and spoken lines to guide creation of cut scenes in the game.
The three storyboards exhibited at the event which we will cover in this post are from Shenmue II and are entitled:
"Encounter with Joy"
"Xiuying's Tears"
"Encounter with Shenhua"
We will be looking at these in more detail and translating any written notes and characters' lines, noting differences of interest between the storyboards and the final implementation of the cut scenes in the game.
Every month Phantom River Stone holds a poll among our patrons to choose a topic for the blog in the coming month. After tallying the votes (including accumulated votes from previous months), the winning topic that has been voted this time is:
"Photo shoot: Megumi Yasu as Nozomi Harasaki + Mini Interview [Dreamcast Magazine March 2000]"
The March 2000 editions of Japan's Dreamcast magazine featured cosplay by Megumi Yasu, the voice actress who performed the voice of Nozomi Harasaki in the Japanese version of Shenmue.
Accompanying the Nozomi Harasaki cosplay photos was a brief interview with the actress, which we will also be translating.
"158 Game Creators' New Year's Resolutions" from Famitsu (the Chinese Zodiac animal sign for 2025 is the Snake)
Famitsu.com has released its annual survey spotlighting insights from notable figures in the Japanese gaming industry, and Yu Suzuki was included again this year. This year 158 creators were surveyed and, as per tradition, the respondents were invited to choose a "keyword" or phrase that represents their aspirations for the year ahead, share their New Year's resolutions, and offer updates on their current activities.
Yu Suzuki, CEO of YS Net. (Not a particularly recent photo of Yu-san - this archive photo dates back to 2022).
Yu Suzuki's responses for the coming year in 2025 are as below, translated from the original Japanese.
This year they are short and sweet, highlighting the recent game announcement from YS Net, and committing to continuing on with new development. His keyword for the year has a self-improvement theme:
Q: Your Keyword for 2025?
YS: Getting active! [literally "resolving my lack of exercise!"]
Q: Your New Year's Resolution?
YS: In 2024, I was able to announce the release of a new title at the year end. I will continue developing to bring new gaming experiences to everyone! Q: Recent News
YS: Very soon, Netflix will deliver my new game, Steel Paws, to you. It’s a thrilling action game where you can blow away hordes of enemies with simple controls. If you’re subscribed to Netflix, you can play it on any supported mobile device.
Q: Looking Ahead
YS:I’m looking forward to Ghost of Yōtei*!
*Ghost of Yōtei is the next big action-adventure game set in Japan from the team behind Ghost of Tsushima, coming to PlayStation 5 in 2025. This time, the story is set in 1603 on the snowy slopes of Mount Yōtei in Ezo (modern-day Hokkaido), where you’ll play as Atsu, a fierce female warrior taking on the mantle of "The Ghost." With a mix of open-world exploration, dynamic weather, and upgraded combat, it’s shaping up to be an even more immersive experience than its predecessor. Fans of Ghost of Tsushima or Japan-based adventures should definitely keep an eye on this one!
Related Links
Yu Suzuki's end-of-year responses from recent years:
Dreams of Saturn 2.0, the eagerly-anticipated update to last year's fan game by George Kitchen, is now available for download!
This is an incredible Christmas present for all Shenmue fans.
Containing not only the complete original game (tweaked and improved), it features a complete new harbor-based section with brand new mini games, an extended story line, numerous QTEs and cut scenes, fully-voiced NPC interactions and more. What's more, Ryo is now controllable in either first-person or third-person mode throughout the game.
Head over to the Shenmue Dojo to download it now for PC & Mac!
Notes:
A controller is required to play (mouse & keyboard not currently supported)
If you need help on installing / setting up the game, Matt from the Shenmue Dojo has released a "how-to" video:
DOS 2.0 Feedback and Discussion
A forum has been created for discussing the game over on the Shenmue Dojo forums.
Together with the announcement of a new Virtua Fighter game at The Game Awards, Sega released a mini-interview with Yu Suzuki to commemorate the "30th anniversary" of the Virtua Fighter franchise. As part of this, a short video interview with Yu Suzuki was released.
(Technically, Virtua Fighter premiered in the arcades in 1993, with the December 1994 timing most closely tying in to its release on the Sega Saturn console in November 1994).
Within the interview, in which Suzuki recalls development of the original Virtua Fighter, Shenmue also gets a mention in relation to the background graphics:
"The backgrounds in particular are a variety of Asian themes, which I like. The detailed renditions were quite noteworthy to me. I faintly* feel some similarities with Shenmue".
- Yu Suzuki (official subtitles)
*Note: Suzuki's words don't actually imply "faintly"; a closer translation would simply be: "I feel some similarities with Shenmue".
In a past interview with 4Gamer in 2017, Suzuki declared "Going forward, I'm aiming for graphics you can smell". And so we can take his comment about the background and scenery graphics seen for the new Virtua Fighter as high praise:
"They've grown more and more realistic, so much that you can almost smell them."
Suzuki is also impressed by the battles seen in the footage for the new Virtua Fighter game, especially its collision detection as seen by the following line. Note: this is a full translation of his words; the video subtitles are incomplete:
"[In particular,] when your punch lands on your opponent, there's a moment where the hit is absorbed by the flesh, and then the power is transmitted, sending them flying".
Achieving this level of detail into battles echoes something Yu-san mentioned he wanted to achieve himself (and demonstrated with a slow-motion punch to his own face!) during the Shenmue community interview by the Shenmue Dojo and Phantom River Stone earlier in the year.
View the Video
A transcript of the interview subtitles follows below.
Video Transcript: Sega Mini-Interview with Yu Suzuki
Q: Now that Virtua Fighter is looking at its 30th anniversary, could you say a few words?
Yu Suzuki: Happy 30th anniversary! I'd like to thank everyone for these 30 years, building the Virtua Fighter brand into what it is now. When we developed the world's first full 3D fighting game, I can still remember working on it, and excitedly wondering how it would be received by the public.
Q: Could you share your feelings on Virtua Fighter?
Yu Suzuki: The Virtua Fighter characters back then were built out of what looked like cardboard boxes.
They didn’t look anywhere near human. Internally, we called them names like Robo 1 and Robo 2, since they looked like robots. Virtua Fighter has evolved since then, and now the characters finally look human. Thinking about it fills me with emotions.
Q: Could you talk a little bit about your thoughts on the announcement of a new Virtua Fighter game?
Yu Suzuki: These are just my feelings after watching the footage, but the backgrounds in particular are a variety of Asian themes, which I like. The detailed renditions were quite noteworthy to me. I faintly feel some similarities with Shenmue.
They've grown more and more realistic, so much that you can almost smell them. That's how believable they look now. The part that leaves the biggest impression on me is the battling. Even just the demo looked really good. I get the feeling this one is going to be a big hit.
The main point of focus is the "collision detection". When your punch lands on your opponent, there's a moment where the hit is absorbed by the flesh, and then the power is transmitted, sending them flying.
It feels incredibly realistic, and I feel like the battle systems have gotten really close to what I've always envisioned.
Q: Could you say a few words about the future of the Virtua Fighter series?
Yu Suzuki: Now that I've heard that the RGG [Ryu Ga Gotoku] team is going to be working on Virtua Fighter, I'm very excited. I hope I can play it soon.
A range of new Shenmue merchandise has just been announced by Limited Run Games, which is available now for pre-order. The most innovative item has to be the "orphan cat" plush which comes with a cardboard box and a (plush) can of tuna!
The site notes that the artwork is subject to change, and that pre-orders close 12 January 2025.
Summary of pricing:
Trading Cards & Accessories:
Shenmue Trading Card Sleeves ($5.99)
Shenmue Trading Card Storage Box ($9.99)
Shenmue Trading Card Binder ($19.99)
Clothing:
Shenmue Snapback Hat ($31.99)
Shenmue Logo Shirt ($29.99 - $34.99)
Shenmue Pullover Hoodie ($54.99 - $59.99)
Various:
Shenmue Game Case Keychain ($9.99)
Shenmue Commemorative Coin ($9.99)
Shenmue Enamel Pin - Tomato Convenience Store ($14.99)
A new mobile game has just been announced from Yu Suzuki and YS Net! Steel Paws is billed as a "feel-good battle action" game for mobile devices. It was revealed by way of a premiere trailer at the recently-held The Game Awards and is set to launch exclusively on Netflix Games in 2025.
Steel Paws: a "Dynamic Action Adventure Game"
The description provided by Netflix for the trailer reads:
"Embark on a dynamic action adventure game as a girl alongside her Buddy Robots to conquer a mysterious Tower that reappears every century".
The Japanese trailer has a similar description, with some additional detail (translation):
"A girl sets out on an adventure with her companion robots to conquer the mysterious tower that appears once every 100 years. Master abilities, upgrade your companion robot, and take on the enigmatic tower. Defeat enemies, earn rewards, and fight your way through a world beyond imagination!"
