Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for February 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 for this time is:

"Influences & parallels of the 1980s manga Kenji on Shenmue"

Kenji is a popular martial-arts based manga series in which several similar elements to those in Shenmue can be recognized.

Published in the years prior to the development of Shenmue, from 1988 to 1992, it follows the journey of a boy named Kenji, a teenager passionate about the Chinese martial art Bajiquan. The series encompasses a wide array of martial arts styles, drawing inspiration from the author's own expertise.

Kenji explores other martial arts to enhance his skills, and his journey takes him to Hong Kong and China, where he encounters various martial arts masters, forms friendships, and faces challenges.

Given the overlap in the subject matter with Shenmue and the period in which it was published, it would not be surprising to find its influence within the game. However, mention of Kenji is not readily found among past interviews with Yu Suzuki.

In this post, we will be examining parallels and similarities between this popular manga and Shenmue, and tracking down any interviews available with development staff in which its influence may have been mentioned.

Coming in a future post on the blog.

Become a Patron!

Yu Suzuki's Early Days in Manga Form! Part 3/3 | Scanlation by Daniel Mann

Welcome to the third and final part of Daniel Mann's scanlation of a manga about the early days of the legendary games creator Yu Suzuki. The original was published in 2019 by DenFamiNicoGamer, 

Go here to read the earlier parts:

• Yu Suzuki's Early Days in Manga Form! Part 1
• Yu Suzuki's Early Days in Manga Form! Part 2

In this part of the interview, Yu Suzuki talks about how Virtua Fighter evolved, and paved the way for the development of Shenmue. The manga ends with a tribute to the legend that is Yu Suzuki.

Note: the manga panels read right to left.

-Switch

Become a Patron!

Yu Suzuki's Early Days in Manga Form! Part 2/3 | Scanlation by Daniel Mann

Part Two of Daniel Mann's scanlation of a manga that was originally published in 2019 by DenFamiNicoGamer, about the early days of the legendary games creator Yu Suzuki.

Go here to start from the first part:

• Yu Suzuki's Early Days in Manga Form! Part 1

Thanks to Daniel for making this fun manga about Yu Suzuki's life accessible to English-speaking fans!

In this part of the interview, Yu Suzuki talks about the first supervisor he had at Sega, the first game he wrote (Champion Boxing), the realism of his hit game Hang-On and more.

Note: the manga panels read right to left.

-Switch

Become a Patron!

Yu Suzuki's Early Days in Manga Form! Part 1/3 | Scanlation by Daniel Mann

We welcome back guest contributor Daniel Mann, who has produced a fantastic scanlation of a manga that was originally published in 2019 by DenFamiNicoGamer, about the early days of the father of Shenmue and numerous revolutionary games: Yu Suzuki.

Many thanks to Daniel for making this fun manga about Yu Suzuki's life accessible to English-speaking fans!

This is the first installation of a three-part series. (Note: the manga panels read right to left).

-Switch

In “Waka-Ge no Itari: Game Creator no Seishun” (The Youth of Game Creators), Keiichi Tanaka takes us on a journey through the passionate, youthful and excessive memories of the game creators who struggled mightily during the youthful years of the gaming industry (1980-1990). 

For our 20th edition, this week we welcome an icon in the gaming industry: the one and only Yu Suzuki. He created a number of iconic titles in the 1980s before going on to pioneer the 3D fighting game with Virtua Fighter in 1993. He is also the general director of Shenmue III, the long awaited third installment in the popular video game series, which is set for release this November (2019). He is without question a legend in the video game industry.

In this interview, Yu Suzuki reminisces with us about his childhood and his love for handicrafts, his days in college, his early years at SEGA and much, much more. 

Become a Patron!

Two Dazzling Shenmue-Inspired Projects: a Rock Opera & a Fan Manga

The talent and creativity of Shenmue fans know no bounds! Demonstrating this are these two recent fan-made projects that have been inspired by the game: one is musical and the other visual art. The artists' love for Shenmue shines through in the care and attention given to the works.

We'll be introducing these two amazing fanmade projects:

• A Progressive Rock Concept Album: "The Samurai Boy Saga: 1986" by Andy Hughes
• A Shenmue Manga: "Shemmue Doujinshi" by Sebastian Riera

Links are provided in the descriptions to find out more about each. So, let's get started!

Become a Patron!

Shenmue Comic: Training in Guilin

Today we take a look at a Shenmue-themed comic strip that was published on the official Shenmue.com website around the time of the release of the Shenmue games, to which I've added an English translation.

The comic strip in Japanese only. (Read on for the translated version.)

First, a few background notes that tie in to the comic.

Muecas and Shenmue.com

This comic strip was part of a section of Shenmue.com called "Muecas" (a word that was formed from "Shenmue and Dreamcast" Cast Fans" - thanks to Kiyuu for the clarification! Trust me, it sounds less weird in Japanese). Contributors to those section were called the "Muecas team", and consisted of a group of actual Sega staff who had been working on Shenmue, as well as a number of fans from the general public.

The logo of the Muecas Team.
"We love Shenmue deeply"

Become a Patron!