Who is this crime lord? Why did he want his father dead? There are a lot of tropes involved. Destiny, vengeance, and secrets are all well-worn devices that get shown off in Shenmue in the early going. What makes the anime worth your time, whether you have played the games or not, is the way it takes the rich atmospheric density of Japan’s metropolitan area and starts to flesh it out in ways that are similar to the source material, yet carve out their own identity.
For as good as the graphics were on the Dreamcast, the rich artistic style used in the Adult Swim and Crunchyroll co-production is more modern and in line with other modern anime. The color palette is darker, literally and literarily. This leads to a much more engaging style of storytelling. Viewers are concerned for Ryo. They are intrigued at the mysteries that are hiding behind every street corner. Thugs…
