The Warner Bros and Discovery merger saw many animated projects cut from HBO Max and canceled entirely. Classic cartoon series like Courage the Cowardly Dog, Powerpuff Girls, Infinity Castle, Scooby-Doo, and more eventually found themselves leaving the streaming service thanks to Warner Bros Discovery making big changes. With series like Uzumaki running into serious drama thanks to the merger, there’s another original anime adaptation that got the axe, and we’re still missing it to this day.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Shenmue The Animation first premiered in 2022, created thanks to a partnership between Crunchyroll, Telecom Animation Film, and Adult Swim. The series, for those who might not be familiar, was based on the original video game franchise, Shenmue, which got its start all the way back on the Sega Dreamcast. The story of the game series, which influenced the anime, follows young protagonist Ryo Hazuki as he seeks revenge for the death of his father. Hazuki’s quest was told over the course of three games, first starting in 1999 and ending in 2019. Unfortunately, there has been no word on the series returning in the future.
Ironically, Shenmue The Animation’s cancellation was revealed via social media, as Toonami co-creator Jason DeMarco confirmed that the series would not be returning for a season two. In a now-deleted thread, DeMarco stated, “Sorry guys, this happened. You can still watch all of the anime on Crunchyroll, and it will still be available as digital downloads and yes, it’s looking like no season 2 of Shenmue, even though sadly, it did well enough that we were gearing up for a season two. Maybe one day…” To this day, the decision remains heartbreaking for several reasons.
What Made Shenmue Work
Shenmue The Animation had strong bones thanks to the beloved video game series’ long-running tale, wherein the animators were able to condense Ryo’s story into a cohesive frame. To the surprise of none, the action was also worthy of the video games, giving us plenty of martial arts choreography to complement the drama. While we might not put Shenmue’s television series at the same heights as the likes of Castlevania, Devil May Cry, and Pokemon, it was worthy of praise, especially when it came to the ever-expanding roster of video game anime adaptations out there.
There were plenty of differences between the story of the anime and the games that spawned it, making it all the more depressing that we never had the chance to check out the Crunchyroll series cover more ground. Especially with the third entry landing only a few scant years prior to the anime’s release, there were plenty of events from the trilogy that would have translated well to the medium. Shenmue The Animation, unfortunately, is only one example of a series that won’t continue on Adult Swim, caused by the merger or otherwise.
Adult Swim Originals And Their Future
In the past, Adult Swim had created plenty of original anime productions that helped propel the programming block to new heights. Series such as Fena: Pirate Princess, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Housing Complex C, and the FLCL sequels helped to show how the Cartoon Network programming block could make anime originals of its own. While the block saw serious success with its recent Ninja Kamui, which was confirmed for two new seasons in the future, not nearly as many original anime are confirmed as in Toonami’s past.
This year alone, major heavy hitters such as Dandadan, Dragon Ball Daima, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga, and more have landed on Adult Swim. Even without anime originals, Adult Swim has been excelling across the board, hopefully ensuring that the Cartoon Network block has a bright future ahead of it.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Courtesy of Comedy Central -
Image courtesy of Focus Features.
