Fans Get a First Look at Crunchyroll and Adult Swim’s Shenmue the Animation

Crunchyroll and Adult Swim seem to be on a roll with an incredible lineup of original anime on the way. If the Blade Runner: Black Lotus anime announcement wasn’t enough for you, the companies have announced Shenmue the Animation as a part of their epic collaboration as well.

By adapting the popular game Shenmue into an anime series, both the companies are trying to expand their audience to the gaming community. The anime was announced back in September 2020, and today we finally have a trailer for it.

Adult Swim and Crunchyroll’s joint project, the original anime Shenmue the Animation, is scheduled for a 2022 release. The streaming giants will reveal further information about release dates in and outside Japan soon.

An action-packed English-subtitled trailer was also released as a first look at the upcoming 13-episode anime.

The viewers are introduced to the protagonist, who is a sturdy-looking young martial artist. In the background, a woman’s monologue plays in which she seems to be reciting a prophecy about the main character Ryo.

The trailer shows a tragic scene where Ryo witnesses his father’s death at the hands of the series’ main antagonist. That is the trigger for the story’s events and the start of Ryo’s revenge-fueled journey to dig out his father’s killer.

Moreover, a teaser art for the anime series was also revealed with the trailer. It features Ryo aggressively attacking Lan Di, the man who killed Ryo’s father, while the latter blocks his attack with a stern look.

The woman in the trailer’s monologue describes Ryo as a man unaware of his power. This indicates how the upcoming anime series might be the start of Ryo discovering his true potential and honing his skills.

Crunchyroll will be streaming the anime in Japanese with English subtitles globally, and Adult Swim has revealed that it will be airing the anime’s English-dubbed version in the US on their Toonami channel.

All I have to say now is, expect tons of awesome action scenes and captivating fight sequences as this is not just any regular martial arts anime.

About Shenmue the Animation

Shenmue is an action-adventure game series created, produced, and directed by Yu Suzuki. The Shenmue games consist of open-world 3D environments interspersed with brawler battles and quick-time events.

The story follows teenage martial artist Ryo Hazuki as he travels through the 1980s Japan and China to pursue his father’s killer. Crunchyroll and Adult Swim are adapting the game into an original anime as part of their collaboration.

Source: Crunchyroll Press Release

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