Shenmue anime brings back core cast, covers Shenmue I

In September, Yu Suzuki , Crunchyroll, and Adult Swim formally announced a 13 episode Shenmue anime series with no confirmed release date. Beyond the initial announcement, there were no other details.

This week, Famitsu interviewed Yu Suzuki and Yu Kiyozono about the anime series, delving a little deeper into the details. With translation by Siliconera, here are some of the most interesting bits:

The Shenmue anime will cover the entirety of Shenmue I, leading up to the arrival in Hong Kong. The anime was actually in production for three years, and did not come out earlier because of Shenmue III‘s release. In addition to having a higher budget than the regular anime series, they do plan on bring back the core cast from the Shenmue games.

Yu Suzuki hopes the anime will expand the fanbase, saying:

“After Shenmue II released, fans often asked me when Shenmue III would come out. At that time, I was seriously considering the possibility of releasing Shenmue III as an anime, a novel, or a manga… Shenmue is a bit of a unique game. It might be kind of difficult to get a wide audience to play it. But now that it’s becoming an anime, the barrier for entry will be lowered. … I hope people watch the anime, get interested in the series, and play games.”

Yu Suzuki

Yu Suzuki has already seen the first and second parts of the anime, but they have not included the voice overs yet. No release date has been confirmed yet.