TV Tokyo is showing a new video game-related variety show series called Game Majime-san which roughly translates to "Serious Gamers". It bills itself as a series in which "top idols of the Reiwa era [i.e. those of the modern day] play famous games seriously" and features the reactions of members of popular female idol groups playing classic video games for the first time.
The first two episodes covered Metal Gear Solid 3, and the latest episode was Shenmue! It features comments from Esra Krabbe of IGN Japan as well as Susumu Aketagawa (the original voice recording director of the first two games).
While the title of the show is clearly somewhat tongue-in-cheek - you'll find several references emphasizing how "serious" the players are with respect to their respective missions - it should help to introduce Shenmue to a younger generation of game players who may not know about it, and the background information it shares about the game is accurate. It even contains short interviews with journalists and a former project team member (not Yu Suzuki!).
As the broadcast was in the Japanese language, we present is a full transcription of the show in English, below.
Narrator: Good evening, everyone. This show delves into classic games in an academic way. Idol heartthrobs of the Reiwa era make a serious effort to clear the games. This is a "Super-hard Educational Game Variety" show!
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| TV Tokyo's new series, "Game Majime-san" |
The classic game we'll be talking about this time is...
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| Esra Krabbe (IGN Japan) |
Esra Krabbe (IGN Japan): I don't think I'd be sitting here right now if this game didn't exist.
Narrator: Released in 1999, it's the first entry in the legendary Shenmue game series. Developed on a massive scale as a flagship title for the dream game machine, the Dreamcast, its attention to detail is so impressive that it was even praised by Steven Spielberg.
So, how did Shenmue influence the gaming industry at the time?
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