San Diego (AFP) – Japan’s entertainment industry must “catch the wave” of global streaming hits like “Shogun,” according to one of the stars of the new Amazon television show “Like A Dragon: Yakuza.” The crime-thriller series, unveiled at Comic-Con over the weekend and set to premiere on Prime Video in October, is based on a popular and long-running Sega video game series about Tokyo crime gangs.
Like “Shogun,” the drama that topped this month’s Emmy nominations, “Like A Dragon: Yakuza” was created by an American studio but is set in Japan, featuring a Japanese cast speaking their own language. HBO’s recent “Tokyo Vice” explored the world of yakuza gangsters, while Japanese animes like “Blue Eye Samurai” have recently made Netflix’s global top 10 most-viewed lists. “It makes me really happy, and it’s only recently that we’re getting this recognition internationally,” said Ryoma Takeuchi, the star of “Like A Dragon: Yakuza.”
Co-star Kento Kaku emphasized the importance for Japan to “catch the wave” of success stories like “Shogun” by producing more shows that are “recognized internationally.” “We have to be the ones to lead the way,” said the 35-year-old. Based on a long-running video game series, “Like A Dragon: Yakuza” is set in a Tokyo nightlife district modeled on the real-life red-light area of Kabukicho. The action spans between 1995 and 2005, following a group of childhood friends drawn into the world of the yakuza in various ways. Kazuma Kiryu (Takeuchi) has become a fearsome yet morally conflicted warrior under mysterious circumstances.
“I had to take the risk to build a character from scratch… he’s very beefed up on the outside but intricate on the inside,” said Takeuchi.
The show follows a string of recent hit video game adaptations for television, including HBO’s “The Last of Us” and Amazon’s “Fallout.” Beloved Japanese video game characters, like Nintendo’s Mario and Sega’s Sonic, have also enjoyed significant success at the movie box office. These successes came after years in which film adaptations of video games generally struggled.
“Like A Dragon” executive producer Erik Barmack suggested that previous flops were due to Japanese creations being “pulled over to Hollywood” and stripped of their context. “Game players particularly can sniff out when something doesn’t feel right,” Barmack told AFP. With the new series, Amazon insisted on creating “a local story…authentic to its roots in Japan.” This strategy is shared with “Shogun,” from the Disney-owned FX network.
Although shot in Canada, “Shogun” meticulously transports viewers to the intricate and deadly world of early 17th-century court politics of feudal Japan. It is a hot favorite to win big at the Emmys in September, where it has become only the second non-English-language series ever nominated for best drama. It would be the first to win.
James Farrell, vice-president of Amazon MGM Studios for International Originals, stated there was never any question of filming “Like A Dragon” in English. “There is this swell of interest and love for Japan around the world,” he said. “The games are popular outside of Japan because it’s Japanese,” added Barmack.
© 2024 AFP
