World Guidance Guidebook: Shenmue Developers Survey (May 2000) - Part Two

In Part One, we began our translation of an extensive survey of 57 Shenmue developers published in the World Guidance guidebook in May 2000, shortly after the game’s original release. Having heard from members of the Sound & Music and Graphics Design teams, we now continue with responses from the Game Development and Planning teams.

Keiji Okayasu

Role: Game Director

Keiji Okayasu with Yu Suzuki in 2000

Q. What do you like about Shenmue?
A. The variety and depth of the mini-games.

Q. Who is your favorite character, and why?
A. The Santa who appears at Christmas. His lines are simply funny, and he’s a limited-time character on top of that.

Santa Maeno

Q. What scene left the deepest impression on you?
A. The Jimmy chase scene. During the QTE, there’s a moment where Ryo spins around someone to dodge them. The first time I saw that, I thought, “Whoa, that’s cool!”

QTE: chasing Jimmy through Dobuita

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Takumi Hagiwara (Ren): 1999 Interview & Current Whereabouts | Article Translation

In today's post we present a translation of an interview with the Japanese voice and motion actor for Wuying Ren in Shenmue II: Takumi Hagiwara, which was published in the Japanese Dreamcast Magazine in early 1999. We also try to piece together Hagiwara's movements after the release of Shenmue II.

This topic was selected by the Phantom River Stone blog patrons via our monthly poll on the Phantom River Stone Patreon and was available for early access.

Dreamcast Magazine Interview with Takumi Hagiwara (March 1999)

The most memorable performer appearing in this game is probably Takumi Hagiwara, an actor that doesn't merely play the part of Ren Wuying, but rather embodies him completely. What's lies in his appeal? Let's close out our 3-week interview series by talking with someone who, in a sense, exemplifies the art of "getting into" a Shenmue character.

A Hong Kong street gang. His sharpened, abrasive personality has earned him the nickname "Ren" (which means "blade").

Editor's Diary: Yu Suzuki Recognized His Charm

Ever since the Shenmue premiere in Yokohama (December 1998), Hagiwara has been giving off a slightly different vibe. At the premiere, Yu Suzuki said, "I thought: this is the person I want to play Ren." But when I actually spoke with Hagiwara, there was a bit more to the story of how he was hired that was interesting to hear.

In the video that was shown at the Shenmue premiere in other cities, Yu said of Ren: "After all, he is the head of a gang. So I don't think he cares about what happens to the other members of his gang in Aberdeen. He's not the kind of guy who cares about others like that." But I think seeing how his feelings begin to change after meeting Ryo and Shenhua will also be something noteworthy to watch for. Looking back on it now, I have a feeling that Ren will live on in everyone's heart as a really distinctive character.

Hagiwara, who plays Ren, seems to be the type of person who would rather have people see for themselves how the game turned out than talk about it. I hope everyone will take a good look at Ren's performance in the completed game.

-Editor

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