(Part 2/3) Concept Art From the 2022 Shenmue The Animation Promotional Event

Welcome back to our exploration of Yokosuka City's Shenmue anime celebration! In Part One, we delved into some intriguing concept art and sketches from the game's early days and the anime's creation. 

Now, in Part Two of this mini-series, we'll uncover more captivating art from the streets of Dobuita that were on display during the event.

Let's continue our visual journey through Shenmue's world.

Special thanks to も_なお Mo_Nao for kindly providing her photos taken at the event, to which cropping & straightening has been applied. Be sure to follow her on X (Twitter) at @greed_air for a heap of original Shenmue content!

Hazuki Residence

"At the Hazuki Residence gate"

"At the Hazuki Residence gate (night)"

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(Part 1/3) Concept Art from the 2022 Shenmue The Animation Promotional Event

Concept art displayed at the entrance of the Honey Bee restaurant

In April to June 2022, Yokosuka City ran a promotional event in celebration of the Shenmue's adaption anime form, which was run in collaboration with IGN Japan. There were various activities arranged including give-aways of Shenmue The Animation themed postcards at participating stores and an online gacha-gacha game.

• Related post: Shenmue x Yokosuka: Animation Promotion Announced
• Related post: Photo Report: Shenmue The Animation Promotion in Yokosuka
• Related post: Yu Suzuki's Visit to Dobuita Street with IGN Japan

During the event, exhibits of concept art and sketches from both the early days of the game's development as well as during the anime's creation were put on display inside a number of stores around the Dobuita Street area.

The event was divided into three periods or "phases" that lasted 3 weeks each. The artwork selection was completely refreshed at the start of each period, rewarding those visitors lucky enough to be able to visit Dobuita St multiple times across the event period.

As only a limited number of fortunate fans would have been able to attend the event in person, we have gathered together as many photos of these art pieces as possible, with adjustments applied for perspective and/or contrast. There was a mixture of sketches and art from Shenmue The Animation, as well as from development of the first Shenmue game.

This first post focuses on images displayed during the Phase One of the event.

Special thanks to も_なお Mo_Naomi (@greed_air on Twitter / X) for providing her photos for the art displayed during Phase Two and Phase Three. The Phase One photos were sourced from my own visit. 

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Muecas Dan: Sega's Official Shenmue Fan Club

Muecas Dan logo and slogan ("We are the Muecas Club!! ~We Deeply Love Shenmue~")

What Was "Muecas Dan"?

"Muecas Dan" (ムーキャス団) was a Shenmue fan club that regularly published Japanese-language Shenmue content online. It ran from early 2001 to 2004, and its founding members consisted of staff from the official Shenmue project team.

Shenmue Cast FAN

Muecas Dan was formed by the official Shenmue team to communicate with fans. Fans who made contributions to their web magazine were recognized as Muecas Dan members.

Muecas Dan was introduced in the January 2001 (Vol. 60) edition of the Weekly AM2 online magazine, in a section initially called 'Shenmue Cast Fan' - here 'cast' referred to members from the Shenmue project team.

"Yes! We are Shenmue's Cast Fans!" - the logo for the Shenmue Cast FAN page

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Unofficial Fan Meet-Up in Yokosuka, January 2024 | Photo Report

Last weekend, an adventure with fellow Shenmue enthusiasts took us on a journey through Ryo's stomping grounds in Yokosuka. Our mission was to uncover the secrets behind Ryo's father's demise, help children name any stray kitten found... and generally have a fun day out exploring the setting of the first game in Yu Suzuki's epic series with other fans.

Grab your leather jacket and join us as we dive into a report on the day's escapades of this unofficial Shenmue fan meet-up!

Harbor Vista

The initial gathering point on this sunny afternoon was outside JR Yokosuka station, at one end of Verny Park. This was a perfect place to wait and soak up the atmosphere, as the park stretches along the harbor and provides magnificent views of ships and submarines belonging to the bases of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force on one side and the US Navy on the other.

Verny Park, Yokosuka (image credit: 怪猫)

It was fun to see all the Shenmue and Sega themed items being worn or carried - replicas of Ryo's leather jacket (including one with exquisite hand-stitched patches), Ryo's Timex watch, jeans and white sneakers, custom-made Ryo and Ren figurines, official and unofficial Shenmue T-shirts, and even a complete "black suit" cosplay that would fool Lan Di himself. Other items included Shenmue guide books and photos of prized Shenmue merchandise and items signed by Yu Suzuki and other Sega legends. The copies of SkillJim's Shenmue World magazines that I brought along also received a lot of interest from those who had not seen them before (Issue One is available for viewing online).

Two special guests (image credit: 怪猫)

A wonderful memento from EREN(echo) Small treats and gifts were shared out, and one of the group had kindly visited the tourist office beforehand to gather Shenmue guide maps. The generosity of Shenmue fans knows no bounds!

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Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for January 2024

Every month Phantom River Stone holds a poll among our patrons to choose a topic for the blog in the coming month. After tallying the votes (including accumulated votes from previous months), the winning topic that has been voted this time is:

"Yu Suzuki on Arcade Game Development at SEGA + Keiji Okayasu on the Virtua Fighter Port to the Saturn"

A TV interview with Yu Suzuki on the Japanese TBS channel in February 2022 will form the basis of this upcoming post, in which he discusses several of the arcade games he developed while at Sega in the 1980's through to the 1990's, such as Hang On, R-360 and Virtua Fighter.

Comments from Keiji Okayasu (who later went on to become Game Director for Shenmue I and Director for Shenmue III) will also be included on the technical process and challenges involved with the much-lauded port of Virtua Fighter for the Sega Saturn.

Coming in a future post on the blog.

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