New York Comic-Con 2021 has already released some major bombs in the world of anime by showing the first clip from the upcoming Dragon Ball Super movie, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, with the comic convention also set to explore the world of My Hero Academia as well. However, an unexpected challenger has entered the ring with the upcoming collaboration between Cartoon Network and Crunchyroll with Shenmue: The Animation, the anime adaptation of the classic video game franchise that debuted on the Sega Dreamcast and recently made a major return thanks to a crowdfunding effort by the series’ creator.
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Toonami shared the newest trailer for the upcoming series, which is set to have thirteen episodes and will have a director for both One-Punch Man and Naruto, Chikara Sakurai, coming on board to help bring to life the new show by Telecom Animation Film:
The Official Synopsis to the video game anime adaptation from Toonami and Crunchyroll reads as such:
“After he witnesses his father’s murder at the family dojo, Ryo dedicates his life to finding the man responsible — a mission that takes him from the streets of Yokosuka, Japan to the sprawling metropolis of Hong Kong, and beyond. Soon he’ll learn that larger, mystical forces are at play as he trains to become the ultimate martial artist in his quest for revenge.”
While the latest video game of the series was released to mixed reviews, Shenmue fans were blown away originally when the franchise announced its return with Shenmue 3. With this upcoming anime series once again exploring the life of Ryo Hazuki and his quest to see his father’s murderer punished, this certainly seems like good news for fans who would like to see the game series continue with a fourth installment.
This won’t be the first time that Crunchyroll and Toonami have teamed up, with both outlets recently releasing the story of Fena: Pirate Princess to their respective audiences. With Shenmue: The Animation being an adaptation of a beloved anime franchise, it will be interesting to see how popular the collaboration becomes and what fans of the original series think of this new take on the world that was brought back from limbo decades after its last installment on the Dreamcast.
What do you think of the first trailer for the Shenmue anime? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of video game adaptations.
