Shenmue is getting an anime, courtesy of Crunchyroll and Adult Swim
Found any sailors yet?
It might've taken a whopping 18 years for Shenmue III pick up where the last game left off, but it may not take quite so long for Ryo's next adventure to show up. Sort of. While no new game's been formally announced, this week Crunchyroll and Adult Swim announced an animated adaptation of the slow-burn revenge quest.
Details are thin on the ground right now, but a Crunchyroll announcement this week confirmed that a 13-episode run has been ordered from Telecom Animation Film. One Punch Man director Chikara Sakurai has been brought on to direct, while series creator Yu Suzuki has been brought on board as executive producer.
There are a whole lotta games trying their luck at this telly lark lately, mind. Netflix have commissioned an anime based on Ubisoft's Splinter Cell and a live-action Resident Evil series, while Amazon are reportedly working on a Fallout show from the makers of Westworld.
I wouldn't expect Shenmue to be quite as action-packed as the above examples, though. In his Shenmue 3 review, Matthew cherished the slow, often boring placidness of the series' endearingly plodding story. "For all its creaky ideas and garlic guzzling, I was enraptured for chunks of Shenmue III. Its laid back rhythm lulls you into a state that few games do, one of such extreme zen/boredom that even the smallest change in pace can feel monumental."
More deets on the Shenmue anime will be released "at a later date". Until then, we can only speculate on the kind of high-stakes antics Ryu will get up to in his intense quest for revenge. Turtle racing? Forklift truck proficiency training? Asking around town for sailors? Exciting stuff.