(Featured Image Source: Crunchyroll / Adult Swim)
Get ready for an epic martial arts journey with the premiere on Shenmue the Animation on Crunchyroll & Adult Swim on February 5th!
Shenmue the Animation is a Crunchyroll & Adult Swim production. A planned 13 episode series, it will follow the same story as the game. It is directed by Chikara Sakurai, produced by Yû Kiyozono for Telecom Animation, and Joesph Chou for Sola Entertainment. The game’s creator Yu Suzuki will be executive producing.
The voice cast will include:
- Ryo Hazuki voiced by Masaya Matsukaze (Japanese) and Austin Tindle (English): A high school boy and heir to the Hazuki style martial arts. When his father is murdered by a mysterious man named Lan Di, Ryo begins a journey to polish his martial arts and uncover the truth behind his father’s death.
- Lan Di voiced by Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese) and Scott Gibbs (English): A high-ranking member of the underground organization Chi You Men who murders Ryo’s father and steals the Dragon Mirror.
- Shenhua voiced by Natalie Rial (English): A young girl who lives in a rural village in Guilin under the care of her foster father. Pure and simple, she has vast knowledge of plants, animals, and other natural survival skills.
- Nozomi Harasaki voiced by Cat Thomas (English): Ryo’s classmate who has secretly admired him ever since he saved her from bullies in middle school. Strong and considerate, she usually spends her time helping in her grandmother’s flower shop.
- Guizhang Chen voiced by Jeremy Gee (English): Guizhang was born in Yokohama and taught martial arts by his father from a young age. Since Ryo has a similar upbringing, although Guizhang acts cold he feels close to Ryo.
- Chai – voiced by Greg Ayres (English): A member of Chi You Men. He has a unique condition allowing him to do superhuman-like moves. After Lan Di has taken the Dragon mirror, he begins looking for the second mirror.
- Wong voiced by Bryson Baugus (English): A member of Heavens. He looks up to Ren like a brother and aspires to be like him.
- Joy voiced by Luci Christian (English): Joy is a young woman who loves motorcycles. Her father runs a trade business and is highly trusted by many. Like Ryo, Joy has also lost her mother at a young age.
- Xiuying Hong voiced by Christine Auten (English): Her priest name is Lishao Tao. Although she is young, she is known as the grand master of Bajiquan. Her facial expression is always calm, but her clear eyes look like she can see through people’s hearts and intentions.
- Ren voiced by Cody House (English): The charismatic head of Heavens, a street gang that operates in Beverly Hills Wharf. He is obsessed with money and does not trust anyone other than his friends. Ren is rivals with the Yellow Heads gang and plans to beat them one day.
- Dou Niu voiced by Joe Daniels (English): While being the boss of Yellow Heads, Dou Niu is also part of Chi You Men. To gain trust from Lan Di, he also begins looking for Yuanda Zhu. Dou Niu has a large bear-like body, which puts Ryo and his friends in a difficult situation when fighting him.
The original Shenmue was released in 1999 and was written, directed, and produced by Yu Suzuki. It follows Ryo Hazuki on a martial arts journey to avenge a slain family member. It became a cult classic going on to get a sequel in 2001. Its third entry, Shenmue III, become Kickstarter’s fastest-funded and highest-funded video game project ever after earning $6.3 million.
This is the third Crunchyroll and Adult Swim Production, the others being Fena: Pirate Princess and BLADE RUNNER – Black Lotus.
Shenmue the Animation premieres Saturday, February 5 at 9:30 PM PST, with the English dub premiering on Adult Swim’s Toonami and the subtitled version streaming on Crunchyroll worldwide outside of Japan and China.
(Source: Crunchyroll)
oh, and don’t forget…
The Sixth Annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards Are Set For February 2022! The best of the best, what anime series will the fans choose as their favorites from 2021? The nominees will be announced and voting will begin on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, at 9 AM PST and will close Tuesday, January 25, 2022, at 5 PM PST. Fans can vote daily, with the winners revealed on Wednesday, February 9. Head to the official site to learn more.
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