For anyone wondering, the footage isn't from the Switch port of Yakuza Kiwami. It's just the best my laptop can produce since K1 is one of the few games I haven't re-purchased on Playstation for better footage capture 😅
As someone who HAS played the entire Kiryu saga-- the film was STILL hard to follow. The editing was abysmal, which is especially frustrating because it shows that there WAS a solid show there, but the way it was presented was confusing and unnecessary. I also agree with you on so much of the fanservice feeling like just checking off boxes, and in the wrong places. I'd have personally forgiven nearly all of the issues if the final fight between Kiryu and Nishiki just had 'em take their shirts off. The action, acting, set design, and even voice acting for the dub were all excellent. The problem was what was going on on the other end of the camera. The whole thing reminded me of the 90s Super Mario Bros. movie in the creative team trying their absolute hardest to get away from the source material while also fitting as much of it as they could (although drastically changed). It suffers the same problem of "who exactly is this for" since it's inscrutable if you haven't played 0 AND 1, but also ignores the parts of the franchise that fans like. Just a frustrating watch. Ryoma Takeuchi singing Baka Mitai had more of the Yakuza spirit and heart than the six episodes of the series.
I really wanted to like this show because I actually really liked the Kurohyou show even with all its changes from what the games story was like I still enjoyed it and thought it was good. The Yakuza prime show though... Its weird. I thought episode 1 was the worst part but it got a little better but not by much to make me enjoy my time. Thought it was strange that Kiryu was acting more like Tatsuya Ukyo in the 95' flashbacks. But I thought Majima's actor was good and the scene of Nishiki killing Dojima was done amazingly, especially how sudden the gunshot was and how they lingered on it for a few seconds afterward. That felt impactful to me and could totally imagine the games having that kind of scene. Fight scenes weren't very good and the demon stuff (discount wannabe mole from Judgment looking ass but with a mask) was pretty crap. I just wish I could like the show like some others do though especially when I was excited for it in the beginning
I'm ngl the show has grown on me, but I think it could have benefited from a couple of things 1-Introducing card thingy's from the games, maybe for the yakuza only. (i still don't know what the omi leader's name was) 2-OST by yakuza producers instead of licensed stuff 3-fights that are less lame 4-less switching between years 5-maybe showing nishiki's koi irezumi???(edit: wouldn't have changed anything it just would'be been cool)
The only thing i remotely liked about this show was Kazama being a good dad and i hated how the tv trio was continuously awful to him for no reason, like damn as if they weren't unlikable already.
Its even bad as a show from its own, like, you know Kiryu would save his sister OVER being the dragon of Dojima, so why does Nishiki just tell him to lose the last fight normally. Why would Dojima wanted so much to kill Miho and made all of this fakeout, what benefit does he get for pulling this shit? Why would in the first place wanted to fuck Nishiki, we will never know, but we still need the excuse for him to break and kill Dojima. Also, trying to connect Kazama with the DoD like that because... They been hiding his nickname for so long and no one called out after interacting with Dojima, Sera nor Goda? Nishiki turned from being mildly interesting to become the most generic villain, with no drama in his final fight Aiko must be the worst, literally had been an asshole for the entire 6 chapters with just messing everyone's lifes and for so reason he deserves some redemption? Its bad, its utterly bad
"you know Kiryu would save his sister OVER being the dragon of Dojima, so why does Nishiki just tell him to lose the last fight normally." - Because the deal was for him to win, by winning he would free his family from the Yakuza. What I can agree with you is that Kiryu would never "trade lives", he would find a way to save everybody. But the reasoning in the show is clear. "Why would Dojima wanted so much to kill Miho and made all of this fakeout, what benefit does he get for pulling this shit? Why would in the first place wanted to fuck Nishiki, we will never know" - His goal wasn't to kill Miho, he wanted to keep Nishiki and Kiryu motivated to keep making him money and hopefuly find the stolen money without questioning. He was indifferent to Miho. I actually thought Nishiki had a WAY better motive to turn bad than in the first game, which required a bit of mental gymnastics to accept when I played it. I mean the show isn't great by any means but it seems to me you didn't even try. The things you didn't understand are very basic.
@Ocean5ix didnt tried? Buddy, you are mixing scenes here. 1. Kiryu was fighting to get money to get Miho a replacement of a kidney, the drama here is that Nishiki was told by Dojima they wanted to him to lose against the last fight to get him the money. Kiryu is informed by this by Nishiki last minute and decides to WIN ANYWAYS, because he remembered he wanted to be the dragon of Dojima. 2. Again, mixing 1995 and 2005, at this point, Dojima already found and retrieve the money they were stolen by Kiryu and friends. They were been making money for Dojina, Kiryu would be fighting anyways without a motivation like Miho's life and wasting so much time and money to deceive Nishiki has literally no sense at all and that Miho was dead anyways, because the organ trafficker and the doctor lied and she would be saved by a surgiry and Nishiki was compatible. Dojima did that stupid move because the writers needed a reason to Nishiki to kill Dojima. And nishiki had ALL reasons to be bad in Kiwami. In the show he keeps repeating himself that was Kiryu's fault for his sister's dying, when is Dojima alone who lied to Nishiki. In the game he literally ran in circles against members of his own family just for them indirectly killing her, and always being downed by compared by Kiryu, always under his shadow, after that he breaks. Also, in the show he just wants to mindlessly kill everyone, thats why he wanted the money, to keep Omi and Tojo Clan fighting, while in the game he genuinely wants the money, because he really wants to be a chairman to be in control of his own destiny, thing that always felt that he never had. Dont tell me BS I had to fucking swallow this goddamn show full and you go to tell me I didnt understood the basics of it? You literally are describing me the plot points wrong. Lmao
@@kalash9467 1 - Kiryu was fighting to get Miho a replacement kidney AND to free his family from the Dojima family. In the crucial scene at the end right before he wins he hears one of the girls screaming "we'll be free!" Winning was their ticket out of there. Except Dojima changed the deal by betting on him losing instead of winning. Now you could argue that "if he changed the deal then Kiryu has no reason to win" and you'd be right but he also would've had to think about it while getting punched in the face. Kinda hard. 2- I didn't mean the money they stolen, I mean the 10 billion. The Dojima plot with Miho is so obvious, I have no idea how you're having a hard time understanding it. By delaying the surgery (by lying) Dojima had leverage over them. Kiryu was a golden cow in the fighting arena and they would be willing to do anything to save Miho. Dojima didn't want to kill Miho, it made no difference to him whether she lived or died, she was a tool to him, leverage. If Dojima doesn't add this problem into the equation they would've gotten the money for the surgery and they already had Nishiki who was compatible. By lying about it, he kept Kiryu fighting earning money for him AND then he would hit the jackpot by making him lose with everyone betting on him, except Dojima. In the game Nishiki has a reason but at the same time, to me and a lot of fans they're kinda weak. It's pretty much envy of how Kiryu was better than him at everything and people relied and liked Kiryu more, also Yumi. And honestly... it's very weak. If anything, 99% of people instead of betraying the guy that spent 10 years in prison for them, they would owe him their life and do everything to repay the debt. Instead in the game Nishiki is like "man you spent 10 years in the joint for me, you're such a good guy that I hate you", that along with other things that made his envy of Kiryu even bigger. I agree with you when it comes to the money, the show changed that and it sucked. I didn't like "Nishiki the Joker" and would've preferred "Nishiki the greedy heartless MF" from the game. And I can concede that in the games Kiryu would've never won the tournament. So I can agree that it's a "breach" of characterization for him but at the very least it gave Nishiki a better reason to hate him. It is what it is. And I feel sorry for you if you put yourself through the show only to understand 10% of it. My wife never played a single Yakuza game in her life and she understood pretty much everything with the exception of what Tojo and Omi was.
@Ocean5ix man You really are getting yourself to defend a mid show, I understood 100% this piece of crap and you telling me that "Leverage" Kiryu demonstrated to Dojima was fighting in the Arena. Which, main drama, was to save Miho. Being free? Its literally in ep 1 and we are talking to ep 5 at this point of story, neither of the 4 characters wanted to get out by this point. The things Kiryu heared in the montage before winning are flashbacks. Lmao. Not bothering in responding all of this, because you clearly have a problem to remember, idk and you will not be coherent at all
Also, we are talking about 1995, the plot of the 10 billion is in 2005, whereas is Goda who makes Kiryu and Yumi find that money. Again, you are condescendingly calling me stupid but more like you are the one who cant follow 2 plot point at the same time.
Probably should had 2 arks for season 1. The first ark being focused on Yakuza 0, setting up and presenting the mood and characters, then ark 2, being Yakuza 1 story. Basically season 1 being a mix of Yakuza 0 and 1. For people that arent familiar with the franchise, would be acquainted with it's themes, mood and characters.
I think my problem with it as an adaptation is that even if you change things, its important to at least show what makes this thing unique. Yakuza, as much as I love the games, is filled to the brim with soap opera tropes that were cliche even in the 2000s, but its the COMBINATION of all the other RGG elements that makes us love the characters and story so much. I wish I had the patience to watch the other episodes though, I think I would have preferred hating it to being bored by it 😭
I played very little of Yakuza 0. Iirc I just got the girl at the other cabaret club in the first part of Majimas half of the story. I stopped watching like 5 minutes sinto the first episode because they all started cursing Kazama when in the game Kiryu and Nishiki joined the Yakuza because of how much respect they held for Kazama.
It feels like they wanted to make their own Yakuza type series, but knew nobody would've watched it if it didnt have THE Yakuza characters in it. It would have been better if the characters didnt have the names of the characters in the show, because they dont even look like the character models😂
One nitpick I have is that they changed the name of Nishiki’s sister for no reason(Yuko in K1 and the prelude movie to this show’s Miho ). I don’t mind Yumi’s sister name being changed because she didn’t exist so Mizuki was more of a alias. This show needed more episodes or bonus episodes like the karaoke video that Sega put up. I also thought Sera and Dojima were the same character since they look similar and the subtitles did a poor job of differentiating between the dojima family and the Tojo clan as they translate dojima as a clan so it gets confusing. Which makes me wonder they didn’t keep the name title sequences from the game since they already did a version of it for the first episode in the heist. Also they don’t do a good job of establishing why the 4(Kiryu and crew) hate and want to be free of Kazama. Especially why they would have to resort to stealing the money to get of there when Kiryu already has a motorcycle meaning they have a source of income that seems like enough that could have just saved the money. I find it great that they made Kazama a Mr.Miyagi character and like a version of Kiryu from the games. Honestly if the show didn’t end with Kiryu realizing that Kazama was the Dragon of Dojima then it would’ve have a happier ending than the game. Haruka only exists because she was in the game, and to humanize Aiko so that her sacrifice makes since in the end. I feel like Reina could’ve been Yayoi and thought so at first until I pulled up the who appears in the scene thing. I feel the lose the fight for Miho was handled well and I understand the reason why Kiryu did the winning uppercut, because he did it for Miho and the guilt still tears him up. Honestly it all kinda felt like a prelude the whole show. I’ll have to watch it with the English dub.
I am a Huge Yakuza fan since 2006. I loved the Prime Video Series 😅 went on the web and I am surprised of the backlash. I hope a second season is greenlit despite the fans reception...
by episode 4 i began trying with a different mindset to look at what this show *is* and who its for and putting aside what the expectation has become for a successful video game adaptation. thinking about the genesis of the game series itself the big gamble from its inception was making a product that was aimed primarily at a japanese audience, i wonder what the audience response is there compared to other crime based "j-dramas" of which i am largely unfamiliar. because from the show i watched it did not seem like it was meant to hold your hand all that much if you were a western viewer. i didnt hate the experimentation, for example i thought the tragedy with miho was a compelling motive for nishiki to turn on dojima than the comparatively crude one from the original game. given the overall changes to the story i also thought it was good to spend more time focusing on their younger selves at the orphanage and their mistakes laying the groundwork for the events of the story down the line, but it felt disorienting in execution with the back and forth time skipping. there are other ways i personally would have preferred the show to reflect what i love about the series, but i dont outright dislike this and would give it a 3/5 as its own thing.
I liked it, there was pretty hype moments like the build up to Nishiki killing Dojima for example. One gripe for me is them making Nishiki discount Kuroiwa and Nishiki and Kiryu not taking off their jackets to fight.
I will say objectively it's mid tier at best. I felt everyone played their role the best they could with a few glaring inconsistencies. Kiryu for example they got him right for the most part a brash character who rarely thought things through. However having him want to become the dragon of Dojima felt wrong to me because in the games it's not a title he wanted or asked for. Yumi was done right, then again in the games she wasn't fleshed out very will because of her lack of exposure. Nishiki however I am divided on. I felt while he was solid in the show. He was a victim of being overinflated with development. I felt like they really REALLY went to hard on him becoming a villain instead of letting his development breathe. His reveal of being the shinjuku demon anyone with a brain could see it. His reason for killing dojima while completely mixed up from the games made relatable sense. Haruka felt like a afterthought and that was a disappointment as well she got little to no focus and had very few scenes. Majima was also a victim of that. Saejima didn't even belong in this series and his death? Came off as unnecessary shock value and a slap to the face as a fan of his character. I also agree with Gokudoni fan service wise they did a fine job the references were good same with the callbacks. But if that's all the series has to stand on then that's a big issue. My final thought is this. Like a dragon yakuza the TV series was a experiment. Something no one wanted or asked for. And if they ever plan to do this again. They need to improve alot and stick closer to Canon Maybe instead try to do a series about ichiban that's self contained. Because Kiryus saga is a bit too large to adapt. While Ichibans has just begun. 6/10 I wouldn't recommend it.
I doubt I'm ever gonna sit down and watch this. Not out of antipathy but I just don't see the appeal. Like you i think I'd be more into the idea if it was weirder. Cause well the story of Yakuza 1 is already told perfectly well by Yakuza 1. I kinda wish something like this expanded the scope of the setting, focused on different characters around the same time frame or something, but adaptations rarely are so daring as to not just take a story that's already been told.
Absolutely valid points. Hopefully, the writers will take cues from the discourse on this adaptation, so that a potential expansion on the Ichiban Saga can succeed where this adaptation did not.
@@Serso70 Deleted a dick response, "perfectly told" is maybe a bit hyperbolic, but I didn't say "perfect", I said "perfectly told". The game does its job just fine telling the story it has to so an adaptation of it feels superfluous. Especially one in this half straight adaptation/half character jumble form. We're not in the 90s anymore where a game getting an adaptation apparently carried some form of legitimacy.
Pains me to say that the show has been pretty mid so far. Yakuza/RGG by name only. No hate, but the director wanted to use the popularity of the IP while rejecting the reasons why it became popular in the first place.
Actually that was colombian, and i bring that up because in that show it specifically makes no sense for them to be cooking meth instead of coke. Colombia has the perfect climate, location and criminal structure to manufacture coke so they used to corner the drug market. Mexico has a poor ecology for growing coke, so meth is developed in mexico and brought into the US by US citizens (cause it makes no sense to transport it through immigrants who will be searched and scrutinized much more heavily) specifically so that Mexico could carve out some of the drug market for themselves and utilize their even better geographical location and criminal structure.
I didn’t like the show because the Yakuza games have a strong focus on the morales of the characters and their views. Those were completely changed for all the characters which made it hard for me to watch. I didn’t mind the change in story telling but I did mind the changes of the characters. One of the hardest parts was watching Kiryu and Nishiki despise Kazama even though in the games they want to become a Yakuza like him because they look up to him so much and respect the Yakuza world.
Genuinely, I didn't have too much of an issue with the show. I told myself (and others) that it was going to be a "reimagining" of Yakuza 1, like an "alternate universe," and ran with it until the end. One of its strengths was the setting. I felt like I was going through the Theater Square and the Dojima HQ with the characters. Another one (and definitely my favorite thing) was some character expansions/changes Nishiki, Miho, and Yumi were my favorite parts of the show. I understood their struggles and reasons for change between 1995 and 2005. Its weaknesses lies with its pacing (as others have mentioned), the flipping between 95 and 05 made it hard to keep up with the story. I understand it was to show the impact the past events had on the present, but it could've been toned down (the way the year changes really bothered me, the little subtitle where it spins to the two years was so slow. I don't know if anyone would mention this, but I noticed it and it took me out of 1/3 of the year switches across the 6 episodes.) Some character additions/changes also bothered me because they were just so unlikable. But I accepted most of them because of the mentality I prepared myself with for the show. I liked the story overall. It was cool. It's not perfect but I had my rollercoaster of fun.
I totally agree with you!!! I too, walked in with that exact same mindset and I think that's why I ended up liking it a lot and accepting everything it proposed so easily, even though there were things I didn't like so much. nishiki, yumi and miho were also some of my favorite things here. I loved the relationship the main 4 had
HONEST OPION: The show is okay. Nothing awful, but nothing to write home about either. For me, it was mostly a fizzle with a bit of a pop in the end. For anyone who cares enough to read this, here are my more detailed thoughts on the show. I don’t mind changes being made the story. The writers said that the show will not be following the games well ahead of the show’s release so complaining that “it isn’t like the games” is redundant. Being a rough adaptation of Yakuza 1 I think helps the show in the long run. Because in my opinion, Yakuza 1, minus the 0 and Kiwami retcons that were made a decade later, was pretty mediocre by today’s standards. That being said, I will still criticize the quality of the changes the show makes. Mainly if the changes were necessary or not. I will be going into spoilers but I really shouldn’t need to warn anyone because chances are, most of you have already seen the show or do not care enough to finish it. Kazama’s true identity. Now that is a change I don’t mind. It gives more weight to the symbol of the dragon and actually gives an explanation for why Kazama had such a revered status despite only reaching captain rank under Dojima. Even when playing the games, me and my friends theorized that Kazama might have had a dragon under that suit. (Some of them even thought that Kazama might be Kiryu’s estranged father based on how much they resemble each other.) If that were actually true why would he make up a lie while dying in Kiryu’s arms? That’s what I keep telling them but they want to believe their headcanon so badly- Getting back the topic at hand. The show. Right! Aiko’s (Yumi’s sister) inclusion was fine. Because the alternative is Kiryu getting blocked by Governor Goose Laugh, all because Yumi suffered so much EMOTIONAL DAMAGE, that she somehow forgot Kiryu existed for a long time. (This is not to say that memory loss after a traumatic event does not happen for real. But the scale in which Yumi’s mind was wiped is the basis for 60% of that game’s story. That is ridiculous!) My main problem with Aiko is that her character is such an annoying (Insert synonym for female dog here.) Not to mention a borderline manipulative psychopath as well. She honestly makes Mirei Park look like a saint in comparison. What really bothers me is that she does not face any real repercussions for her actions. Well… Aside from Haruka (If you can even count that.) and death. It seems like the writers wanted to do the classic redeemable jerk trope with her character, but it falls flat because she never drops the jack-ass act until the very end. Majima. Was actually pretty good. I can see why Yokoyama gave him a part in the upcoming Pirates in Hawaii game. It’s just unfortunate that Majima never really has any time to really shine in the show. He does some cool fighting stuff in the end but it’s so hard to see anything because it’s so dark. What is this? A show for bats? That highlights my problem with cinematography. With the exception of the fight when Kiryu gets out of jail, a majority of the fights take place in dark areas where the viewer can barely see anything. I suspect that was intentional so that the viewer cannot see just how bad the choreography actually is. Take the fight scene when Kiryu first gets out of jail for instance. The moves themselves are fine but there is no sense of impact because it is so Slooooooooooooowwwwww. For anyone that can do a decent editing job, I have a proposition. Take that Kiryu outside jail fight and speed up the footage just a bit, only slowing down slightly whenever a hit lands and adding a slight camera shake in order to emphasize the impact. I guarantee it will look a lot better. Saejima on the other hand, what the heck happened there? Why is he shorter than Majima? Not only is he in the show for like two scenes, he gets unceremoniously killed off. Jeff the Camera guy from Uncharted 2 had more of a screen presence! Now is Saejima really dead? Hard to say for certain but I don’t think Dojima’s informant would lie about that without a reason. He said quite clearly said “Saejima’s dead.” Until the show gives a clear answer, if it ever does, I’m labeling him as “dead” dead. The way Kiryu and Nishiki join the yakuza, that’s a big one I hear fans arguing about. Frankly, this change never bothered me as it still ties to the central theme of Kiryu’s character. Him making a dumb decision that seemed right at the time, but having it come back to bite him later on. I think the TV show explanation makes more sense, as it never sat right with me that Kazama, someone who was clearly against Kiryu and Nishiki joining the yakuza, just sort of goes “alright, fine.” One day like a parent giving into their child’s pestering for that new toy on the shelf. I guess it could be argued that he did it so that Kiryu and Nishiki would not do anything stupid but if is objective was to keep an eye on them, why not have them both join the same family? Finally, my biggest issues with the show as a whole, the tone and pacing. Let’s discuss pacing first. With how frequently it jumps between 1995 and 2005, the story feels very stop and go. Yes, a fractured timeline is a popular aspect of noir stories, but this isn’t Max Payne. Imagine constantly jumping between Yakuza 0 and Kiwami at different intervals, that is what it feels like to watch the show. A disjointed and messy story that can be hard to follow at times. It was a good thing that I was familiar with all the characters and story from the games because I would have been completely lost otherwise. This show is not beginner friendly. It relies heavily on your knowledge of the characters backstories, behaviors, impulses, etc. in order to properly understand. The tone. I saved this for last because it is my biggest issue with the show. It’s too serious! That is not to say that the show does not attempt humor, it just doesn’t land most of the time. (Oh look, Shibusawa is taking a piss and not taking the situation seriously. Look! Uh oh! Majima’s out of bullets. Nishikiyama just got sprayed with toilet water! Laugh you monkeys!) Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I cannot help but think that the show’s more overtly serious tone was a subtle jab from RGG. Saying, “Is this what you people really want?” There is a loud minority of fans complaining about the games getting too goofy, so I think that RGG made this show specifically to cater to those people. I am aware that the writers from the games did not work on the show but key staff members from RGG, including Yokoyama and a few others, were involved with this show as consultants at the very least. How much of an influence did Amazon have on this show anyway? The problem is that when you take the humor out of a Like A Dragon game, what you are left with is an average at best crime drama. The humor and crime genre elements work in tandem with each other to create that tone we all know and love. The samurai spin-offs, Judgement, and upcoming Pirates in Hawaii even prove that RGG can handle other genres (historical fiction, procedural, romanticized fantasy) just as well. Honestly, just letting RGG make an animated show using the FMV graphics from the game’s cutscenes probably would have been cheaper and turned out better in the long run. Overall, I give this show a 5/10. Now I just have to wait for the Majima game in February.
okay so I read your entire comment very throughly. I agree with everything you said! except maybe the tone/humor. I didn't mind it at all and I did get at the very least a small chuckle from all the comedic moments. my favorite of them all is kiryu pretending to be an american guy called michael through the phone. I had to replay it a few more times lol. maybe it's just that I'm not really that attached to the games' sense of humor although I comprehend how integral the way they balance it out with the serious things is to the series as a whole. ps: I never thought about rgg doing this on purpose for those who complain yakuza is too goofy nowadays. it's a every interesting theory I gotta say
@@katsukii.21Thanks for the response. The scene where Kiryu impersonates an American was funny. I did not include it in the above comment because that was one of the few jokes I thought did land. If they can hold on to that sense of Kiryu being out of his depth and not knowing how to best respond in season 2, if Amazon is feeling merciful enough to give this show a second chance, I think his character would be significantly better. Because if I am being honest, while he does have the fighting spirit, this version of Kiryu is about as interesting as the paint on my wall drying. I am not saying that they should turn Kiryu into a total goofball. But depicting the more day to day slice of life stuff I think would go the long way. What if Kiryu has to deal with something like a clogged toilet or his suit rips. Maybe his shoes get destroyed and Kiryu finds temporary replacements at some cheap thrift store. Being the iconic white shoes. Others make fun of the shoes for looking ridiculous but after wearing them for a while, Kiryu grows to like and keep them. What if Kiryu has to do something basic like cook dinner for for Haruka. The games showcase that Kiryu struggles a bit when cooking. (Taking an hour to cut a single onion. Come on man.) The situations don’t need to be absurd like some of the sub stories in the games. They just need to be relatable.
@@AnotherLikeADragonFan2019 hmm, you're right. they should try going for more of that if they ever make a season 2 for sure. after all things like those are what gives kiryu so much personality and what makes him interesting. speaking of which, it's kind of a mystery how they're going to continue this story if that does happen, but I hope they do it. while improving upon things that didn't go so well in this season
great video! I was waiting to see what you thought of it. personally, I've always been very open minded about the show and I was even excited to watch it when it came out. I really liked it for what it was, I thought a lot of the writing decisions were interesting at the very least, even though there were a couple of things I didn't like so much and that could've been executed better, like most of the things you listed. the one thing I hated was how poorly they handled haruka, taking away all of the main characteristics of her character and all the importance she held in the original story. I think this might be a direct consequence of aiko's character's entire existance in this show but I don't feel like elaborating about that lol. but overall I think it was a fun watch and I'd recommended to anyone who's willing to watch it 👍🏻
I wish I could have liked the show, but sadly it ended up with The Predator 2018 & Godzilla 1998 levels of quality. This show went the route of other "adult" shows the past couple years based on established IPs, and honestly this RGG adaption just fell apart. The way the show tosses aside the Kiryu & Haruka dynamic truly made me do the Y2 Kiryu hitting the table and leaving scene. The show just feels like the RGG franchise tacked onto another random script with core misunderstandings of the series. Again, I wish it wasn't this way but the show sucked. It's Yakuza without the heart. Yakuza without any streets of Kamurocho besides like two. Yakuza without the human connection. Yakuza without the fatherhood & motherhood. Yakuza without love. Yakuza without a lot of fights. I would've been down for a cool """elseworlds""" take on the series, like Nishiki meeting Saejima & Majima.....but we saw how they handled that in the show. Sigh.
I don’t know man. The problem is that even if we were to accept this as an alternate timeline (like Dead Souls) it has zero soul…no pun intended. Kiryu is unlikable and his motivations are completely nonsensical or at the very least uninteresting. They took some of the most pivotal elements of 0 that would have made Kiryu, Nishiki, and Majima who they are by the time they reach the climax of 1 and completely fumbled them in a way that not only was a complete waste of screen time, but a wasted opportunity of showing us how they become who they are and why we should care. Yumi and Aiko have zero character development and make no sense to burn time as two separate characters. Miho took way too much screen time away from developing the main characters or an interesting enough plot with just 6 episodes to play with. Anyway, it’s just a poorly written crime story with a fistful of references and Easter eggs that feel unearned, especially if the goal was for them to make their own story. And don’t get me started on how dirty they did Shibusawa and Saejima.
I kinda agree with 6/10... Maybe more of a 6,5/10 because that's what I thought when I finished it. Many main characters like Kazama or Nishiki are played perfectly in my opinion. I didn't like how Kiryu was portrayed, he could be done much better, could have more fighting scenes. He was a good protagonist in the flashbacks, but was made tottaly bland in 2005. The last episodes were much better than the first ones, especially the fifth one, it completely changed my perception of the series. The biggest flaw of the series for me was the fact that they kept on going back to 1999 so after watching like 4 episodes I wasn't really invested in the plot as I'd be if it was more consistent.
I agree on everything you said. about kiryu; many people didn't like his motivation and his change of personality but ngl, it was compelling and I can totally get behind younger kiryu acting like that, in a reimagining like this. and also same about chapter 5, it was so crazy I had to take a 2 day pause before I could watch the final one lol
Tbh I actually liked the second half more and feel as though people didnt give the show much of a chance. Glad you and Devillon7 provided unbiased perspectives in your videos for this! Very interested to see how the podcast turns out about the 6 episode series.
It's a series of videos on Devilleon7's channel where a bunch of fellow Yakuza content creators talk about different RGG-related topics in podcast form.
I really hope that this team gets a second season to improve on what they’ve already done. This was one of the more level-headed assessment I’ve seen, and I think the things they got right mostly outweighed the things they got wrong. There have been so many shows that had wobbly first seasons and went on to greatness, it would be like cutting off the koi before it could make it to the ascension of the dragon. Maybe he’ll just end up blowing away a billion dollars and a villain, or maybe it’ll blow us all away.
It's one of the weirdest adaptations I've seen because it actually adapts faithfully most of the major bullet points of Yakuza 1 and even has the Empty Lot plot from 0... but at the same time it completely goes into fan fiction territory with the details, by removing characters, replacing them with other characters, misinterpreting motivations and bad characterization. As a huge fan just like most people here, I played all of the games and thought the show was okay.. 6.5 or 7.0/10 at best. I think that despite all the bumps in the road it managed to tell the story I know and love to my wife, who would never experience it otherwise. When it comes to the technical aspects of the show, it's kinda what I expected after watching shows like Alice in Borderland and the Full Metal Alchemist live action movie. It's obviously no Tokyo Vice or Shogun, but it isn't the worst thing I've ever seen. Last but not least I'm seeing this trend of saying "it's Yakuza/RGG in name only" and honestly... I completely disagree. Like I said in the first paragraph the show follows the most important plot points of Yakuza 1. I also like to do this exercise, I suggest people "reverse engineer" this thought and think about it like this: If this show was completely unrelated to Yakuza and had totally different names but still maintained the same story, would you call it a blatant case of plagiarism of Yakuza? I personally would.
Seems to be pretty hot take but: After watching the series in japanese and english both, I.. kinda like it. Major factor for me was to NOT try to see it as 'the' Yakuza/Like A Dragon story but as "how someone would tell the story they heard about this local legend yakuza to a stranger" -type of deal. The type you'd probably hear in one of the countless Kamurocho izakayas' or other mini-bars, told in broken english by rather drunken local that had decided you, the gaijin, to be their best pal for the night. "So there was this kid, he had friends you know, he wanted to be boxer, fighter but came yakuza to save his friend.. This one boss was XYZ, the clan did ABC, but this guy in family screwed them over.. See this cop guy saw it all and.. The Dragon had to beat up his brother that refused to see sense and nobody knows what the missing money actually was for. Imagine stacking it up on the roof of Millenium Tower and, like, blow it all up with fireworks or something! Wouldn't that be Craa-y-zy!" We as the fans of the series know the "real story" already, but this guys additions to the legend are at least worthy of buying them an additional pint as a thank you for sure.
Bro the listened was too much at time times it like kiryu stab scene over and over again I enjoyed the show it had some solid ideas but the execution was rather sloppy
I only differ on you saying that a one on one adaption of the first game would be redundant cause a lot of people havent played either game version. Plus I love watching show adaptations with people
see, the story can be different. but u have to have the characters stay true to themselves. yakuza isshin is the perfect example. we have the same characters in a different setting and story, but they're still true to themselves. that's what makes them fan favorites. if u change their personalities, they're not the same characters. at that point, just change their names too and nobody will be mad
The hardest thing about the show is that as a fan of the games, you HAVE to separate this from said games lmfao. 1995 parts were okay with some great ideas yokoyama could even learn from but the 2005 scenes were awful. I legit started skipping the aiko scenes. Even with all that though, on its own the show is pretty bad but I did enjoy some parts.
Haven't quite finished the series but it's so confusing. Had no idea who Nishiki's sister was for a good while. And just don't know who it's for. Casual viewers won't be able to follow it (for example, they don't tell you Date's a cop for most of the episode, you just have to know) while hardcore fans were never going to like something so divergent from the original story.
It's about as Yakuza as Ishin but I enjoyed it. Much like i enjoyed the objectively terrible movie i only rewatch the Majima parts of. The crying going on about this show is how we end up with the hiatus we got after Dead Soulsm
I don't think it's the same case as dead souls tho. Dead souls suppossed to be big breakthrough for west market and it's failure meant yakuza doesn't work for outsiders to sega until yakuza 0's release. But it's already popular now. Tv series popularity or unpopularity won't change the game franchise popularity
@gsifdgsgs Worded it badly I guess. Moreso, "well that was poorly recieved on that marketplace lets never do that again" kind of parallel between the western market and non videogame adaptations. They're purely out for money, as evident by paid for day 1 NG+. I've seen dozens of people saying "amazon trash, not watching" or "haruka's not even in it, unfaithful not watching". Bothing ignoring ghe likes of Fallout/Last of Us and yoy know, Haruka being in the trailer, respectively. But then how many of those commenters are children purely playing on gamespass yelling "grapes are sour" when they cant access/afford prime. Idk, I wish them the best, i dont know what's lost in translation but the forcing the talent not to play the games has an eerie Netflix Witcher vibe to it.
@@DeathCrunch unfortunately that's true, it feels like sega milking the yakuza fans hard and I don't think they will stop until a major blow happens to them with pissing of fans too hard. I hope they don't go ps3 capcom route with making everything even the ending a dlc(asura's wrath)
@@gsifdgsgs Worst part is, that would work, dedicated fanbase. Damn straight I paid extra money for every 3jima horse armour add on DLC to play my guys in whatever half hearted minigame, the same way every Street Fighter, Resident Evil, ect fan does. We just have to hope that, like you say, they stay malignantly greedy AF and not maliciously like Asura's Wrath or every single Konami or Square property they push out the door 3/5th finished or split into multiple full priced games. Seriously, what they're doing with FF7 ought to be a crime.
@@DeathCrunch I only played the og ff7 but yeah, they even had a battle royal called ff7 first soldier that is a tie-in prequel to milk the fanbase even more, honestly current square enix stinks
As most people I was disappointed after the first episode because I had wanted and somewhat expected something else from the tv show. But after the third episode I found myself being disappointed for having to wait another week for the rest of the episodes to be released. I had accepted that the show was its own thing and I was able to enjoy it for what it was. Do I prefer the games? Absolutely. But I think the actors did a good job and by what little I have seen of them in interviews they seemed excited for the show and the characters they portrayed and I appreciate that. I hope we get a second season because I would love to give them another chance and as a massive Daigo fan I would love to see what the show would do with his character, good or bad (Saejima? What on earth was that?!?) And Ryuji? Yes please
@@oscarfrancoisdesatonaka7217 hikaye olarak yorum yapamam çünkü ben bi tek 3 bölüm izledim ama o kadar karmakarışık anlatmışlar ki bi ton zaman çizelgeleriyle ve tonca karakter perspektivleriyle en basit hikaye olan yakuza 1'i başımı ağrıtacak seviyeye getirmişler bana kalırsa
I think even watching this as someone who never played the game it’s still a bad show. They put in too much stuff in 6 eps, and that rushed many parts. The only part that felt fleshed out was Nishiki’s fall. The story would’ve been more compelling if they focused on Kiryu and Nishiki. How did Nishiki rise through the ranks? He walked out with the deeds (somehow) then what? Explore his transformation! No Koi? Ok. But why Demon of Shinjuku? Why the pentagram? What was in Kiryu’s head during those years in prison? Show more of his convictions to stop Nishiki, not just “We are family…”The final showdown felt flat because the time that should’ve been used to build it up has been spent on the plot points that also didn’t get explored enough like Aiko’s, and unimportant characters like Date and Majima (this show version not the games version.) I never thought of Yakuza 1 story as a great piece of writing, so I was ready for the changes. Thing is they didn’t do much with it. Yumi can fight, then what? Date is now more active, then he contributed what to the story? The florist is now an asshole, and? DoD tattoo is earned from winning in the ring, and? Kazama is an ex-yakuza now, what does that change? There are interesting ideas, but they never went into it. There are more problems but these are my main issues with the show. I would love for a decent adaptation but I rather they create something new than trying to adapt the game if the changes are going to be like this.
@@richardharrow2513 IDK that’s kinda generous. It’s a 4 at best, putting all RGG elements aside it’s just not written well enough to be a good crime drama. The actors didn’t stand a chance with this script. Shame too because visually it’s very appealing and some of the casting could have worked well with a stronger production or at the very least action choreography.
I tried, I dropped it when Kazama gave up his pinky... then finding out later Kazama was the "dragon of Dojima" and then ending the series on that cliffhanger. My decision was justified
My whole issue with the show is the fact that 90% of the plot is original, so they should have done something original with it. I would have much preferred it if the characters werent kiryu and nishiki and yumi, but new people we could learn about through the story.
For anyone wondering, the footage isn't from the Switch port of Yakuza Kiwami. It's just the best my laptop can produce since K1 is one of the few games I haven't re-purchased on Playstation for better footage capture 😅
ps2 yakuza footage would've been nice
Kudos for getting your own footage instead of getting it from the internet
As someone who HAS played the entire Kiryu saga-- the film was STILL hard to follow. The editing was abysmal, which is especially frustrating because it shows that there WAS a solid show there, but the way it was presented was confusing and unnecessary.
I also agree with you on so much of the fanservice feeling like just checking off boxes, and in the wrong places. I'd have personally forgiven nearly all of the issues if the final fight between Kiryu and Nishiki just had 'em take their shirts off. The action, acting, set design, and even voice acting for the dub were all excellent. The problem was what was going on on the other end of the camera. The whole thing reminded me of the 90s Super Mario Bros. movie in the creative team trying their absolute hardest to get away from the source material while also fitting as much of it as they could (although drastically changed). It suffers the same problem of "who exactly is this for" since it's inscrutable if you haven't played 0 AND 1, but also ignores the parts of the franchise that fans like.
Just a frustrating watch. Ryoma Takeuchi singing Baka Mitai had more of the Yakuza spirit and heart than the six episodes of the series.
For who's sake!
I really wanted to like this show because I actually really liked the Kurohyou show even with all its changes from what the games story was like I still enjoyed it and thought it was good.
The Yakuza prime show though... Its weird. I thought episode 1 was the worst part but it got a little better but not by much to make me enjoy my time. Thought it was strange that Kiryu was acting more like Tatsuya Ukyo in the 95' flashbacks.
But I thought Majima's actor was good and the scene of Nishiki killing Dojima was done amazingly, especially how sudden the gunshot was and how they lingered on it for a few seconds afterward. That felt impactful to me and could totally imagine the games having that kind of scene.
Fight scenes weren't very good and the demon stuff (discount wannabe mole from Judgment looking ass but with a mask) was pretty crap.
I just wish I could like the show like some others do though especially when I was excited for it in the beginning
I'm ngl the show has grown on me, but I think it could have benefited from a couple of things
1-Introducing card thingy's from the games, maybe for the yakuza only. (i still don't know what the omi leader's name was)
2-OST by yakuza producers instead of licensed stuff
3-fights that are less lame
4-less switching between years
5-maybe showing nishiki's koi irezumi???(edit: wouldn't have changed anything it just would'be been cool)
Definitely feel you on your first point. I had to have the imdb page up my whole time watching just to see who tf was talking.
They really should've had the first 3 episodes be flashbacks(1995) and then had the final 6 take place in the present(2005)
The only thing i remotely liked about this show was Kazama being a good dad and i hated how the tv trio was continuously awful to him for no reason, like damn as if they weren't unlikable already.
Its even bad as a show from its own, like, you know Kiryu would save his sister OVER being the dragon of Dojima, so why does Nishiki just tell him to lose the last fight normally.
Why would Dojima wanted so much to kill Miho and made all of this fakeout, what benefit does he get for pulling this shit? Why would in the first place wanted to fuck Nishiki, we will never know, but we still need the excuse for him to break and kill Dojima.
Also, trying to connect Kazama with the DoD like that because... They been hiding his nickname for so long and no one called out after interacting with Dojima, Sera nor Goda?
Nishiki turned from being mildly interesting to become the most generic villain, with no drama in his final fight
Aiko must be the worst, literally had been an asshole for the entire 6 chapters with just messing everyone's lifes and for so reason he deserves some redemption?
Its bad, its utterly bad
"you know Kiryu would save his sister OVER being the dragon of Dojima, so why does Nishiki just tell him to lose the last fight normally." - Because the deal was for him to win, by winning he would free his family from the Yakuza. What I can agree with you is that Kiryu would never "trade lives", he would find a way to save everybody. But the reasoning in the show is clear.
"Why would Dojima wanted so much to kill Miho and made all of this fakeout, what benefit does he get for pulling this shit? Why would in the first place wanted to fuck Nishiki, we will never know" - His goal wasn't to kill Miho, he wanted to keep Nishiki and Kiryu motivated to keep making him money and hopefuly find the stolen money without questioning. He was indifferent to Miho.
I actually thought Nishiki had a WAY better motive to turn bad than in the first game, which required a bit of mental gymnastics to accept when I played it.
I mean the show isn't great by any means but it seems to me you didn't even try. The things you didn't understand are very basic.
@Ocean5ix didnt tried? Buddy, you are mixing scenes here.
1. Kiryu was fighting to get money to get Miho a replacement of a kidney, the drama here is that Nishiki was told by Dojima they wanted to him to lose against the last fight to get him the money. Kiryu is informed by this by Nishiki last minute and decides to WIN ANYWAYS, because he remembered he wanted to be the dragon of Dojima.
2. Again, mixing 1995 and 2005, at this point, Dojima already found and retrieve the money they were stolen by Kiryu and friends. They were been making money for Dojina, Kiryu would be fighting anyways without a motivation like Miho's life and wasting so much time and money to deceive Nishiki has literally no sense at all and that Miho was dead anyways, because the organ trafficker and the doctor lied and she would be saved by a surgiry and Nishiki was compatible. Dojima did that stupid move because the writers needed a reason to Nishiki to kill Dojima.
And nishiki had ALL reasons to be bad in Kiwami. In the show he keeps repeating himself that was Kiryu's fault for his sister's dying, when is Dojima alone who lied to Nishiki. In the game he literally ran in circles against members of his own family just for them indirectly killing her, and always being downed by compared by Kiryu, always under his shadow, after that he breaks.
Also, in the show he just wants to mindlessly kill everyone, thats why he wanted the money, to keep Omi and Tojo Clan fighting, while in the game he genuinely wants the money, because he really wants to be a chairman to be in control of his own destiny, thing that always felt that he never had.
Dont tell me BS I had to fucking swallow this goddamn show full and you go to tell me I didnt understood the basics of it? You literally are describing me the plot points wrong. Lmao
@@kalash9467 1 - Kiryu was fighting to get Miho a replacement kidney AND to free his family from the Dojima family. In the crucial scene at the end right before he wins he hears one of the girls screaming "we'll be free!" Winning was their ticket out of there. Except Dojima changed the deal by betting on him losing instead of winning. Now you could argue that "if he changed the deal then Kiryu has no reason to win" and you'd be right but he also would've had to think about it while getting punched in the face. Kinda hard.
2- I didn't mean the money they stolen, I mean the 10 billion. The Dojima plot with Miho is so obvious, I have no idea how you're having a hard time understanding it. By delaying the surgery (by lying) Dojima had leverage over them. Kiryu was a golden cow in the fighting arena and they would be willing to do anything to save Miho. Dojima didn't want to kill Miho, it made no difference to him whether she lived or died, she was a tool to him, leverage. If Dojima doesn't add this problem into the equation they would've gotten the money for the surgery and they already had Nishiki who was compatible. By lying about it, he kept Kiryu fighting earning money for him AND then he would hit the jackpot by making him lose with everyone betting on him, except Dojima.
In the game Nishiki has a reason but at the same time, to me and a lot of fans they're kinda weak. It's pretty much envy of how Kiryu was better than him at everything and people relied and liked Kiryu more, also Yumi. And honestly... it's very weak. If anything, 99% of people instead of betraying the guy that spent 10 years in prison for them, they would owe him their life and do everything to repay the debt. Instead in the game Nishiki is like "man you spent 10 years in the joint for me, you're such a good guy that I hate you", that along with other things that made his envy of Kiryu even bigger.
I agree with you when it comes to the money, the show changed that and it sucked. I didn't like "Nishiki the Joker" and would've preferred "Nishiki the greedy heartless MF" from the game.
And I can concede that in the games Kiryu would've never won the tournament. So I can agree that it's a "breach" of characterization for him but at the very least it gave Nishiki a better reason to hate him. It is what it is.
And I feel sorry for you if you put yourself through the show only to understand 10% of it. My wife never played a single Yakuza game in her life and she understood pretty much everything with the exception of what Tojo and Omi was.
@Ocean5ix man You really are getting yourself to defend a mid show, I understood 100% this piece of crap and you telling me that "Leverage" Kiryu demonstrated to Dojima was fighting in the Arena. Which, main drama, was to save Miho. Being free? Its literally in ep 1 and we are talking to ep 5 at this point of story, neither of the 4 characters wanted to get out by this point. The things Kiryu heared in the montage before winning are flashbacks. Lmao.
Not bothering in responding all of this, because you clearly have a problem to remember, idk and you will not be coherent at all
Also, we are talking about 1995, the plot of the 10 billion is in 2005, whereas is Goda who makes Kiryu and Yumi find that money. Again, you are condescendingly calling me stupid but more like you are the one who cant follow 2 plot point at the same time.
This show split the fandom further than the first time Yakuza 7 got announced to turn based
Probably should had 2 arks for season 1. The first ark being focused on Yakuza 0, setting up and presenting the mood and characters, then ark 2, being Yakuza 1 story. Basically season 1 being a mix of Yakuza 0 and 1. For people that arent familiar with the franchise, would be acquainted with it's themes, mood and characters.
I think my problem with it as an adaptation is that even if you change things, its important to at least show what makes this thing unique. Yakuza, as much as I love the games, is filled to the brim with soap opera tropes that were cliche even in the 2000s, but its the COMBINATION of all the other RGG elements that makes us love the characters and story so much.
I wish I had the patience to watch the other episodes though, I think I would have preferred hating it to being bored by it 😭
I played very little of Yakuza 0. Iirc I just got the girl at the other cabaret club in the first part of Majimas half of the story. I stopped watching like 5 minutes sinto the first episode because they all started cursing Kazama when in the game Kiryu and Nishiki joined the Yakuza because of how much respect they held for Kazama.
It feels like they wanted to make their own Yakuza type series, but knew nobody would've watched it if it didnt have THE Yakuza characters in it. It would have been better if the characters didnt have the names of the characters in the show, because they dont even look like the character models😂
One nitpick I have is that they changed the name of Nishiki’s sister for no reason(Yuko in K1 and the prelude movie to this show’s Miho ). I don’t mind Yumi’s sister name being changed because she didn’t exist so Mizuki was more of a alias. This show needed more episodes or bonus episodes like the karaoke video that Sega put up. I also thought Sera and Dojima were the same character since they look similar and the subtitles did a poor job of differentiating between the dojima family and the Tojo clan as they translate dojima as a clan so it gets confusing. Which makes me wonder they didn’t keep the name title sequences from the game since they already did a version of it for the first episode in the heist. Also they don’t do a good job of establishing why the 4(Kiryu and crew) hate and want to be free of Kazama. Especially why they would have to resort to stealing the money to get of there when Kiryu already has a motorcycle meaning they have a source of income that seems like enough that could have just saved the money. I find it great that they made Kazama a Mr.Miyagi character and like a version of Kiryu from the games. Honestly if the show didn’t end with Kiryu realizing that Kazama was the Dragon of Dojima then it would’ve have a happier ending than the game. Haruka only exists because she was in the game, and to humanize Aiko so that her sacrifice makes since in the end. I feel like Reina could’ve been Yayoi and thought so at first until I pulled up the who appears in the scene thing. I feel the lose the fight for Miho was handled well and I understand the reason why Kiryu did the winning uppercut, because he did it for Miho and the guilt still tears him up. Honestly it all kinda felt like a prelude the whole show. I’ll have to watch it with the English dub.
0:58 TEN WHAT⁉️⁉️
10 YEAR'S IN THE JOINT MADE YOU A FUCKING PUSSY!!!
I am a Huge Yakuza fan since 2006. I loved the Prime Video Series 😅 went on the web and I am surprised of the backlash. I hope a second season is greenlit despite the fans reception...
by episode 4 i began trying with a different mindset to look at what this show *is* and who its for and putting aside what the expectation has become for a successful video game adaptation. thinking about the genesis of the game series itself the big gamble from its inception was making a product that was aimed primarily at a japanese audience, i wonder what the audience response is there compared to other crime based "j-dramas" of which i am largely unfamiliar. because from the show i watched it did not seem like it was meant to hold your hand all that much if you were a western viewer.
i didnt hate the experimentation, for example i thought the tragedy with miho was a compelling motive for nishiki to turn on dojima than the comparatively crude one from the original game. given the overall changes to the story i also thought it was good to spend more time focusing on their younger selves at the orphanage and their mistakes laying the groundwork for the events of the story down the line, but it felt disorienting in execution with the back and forth time skipping. there are other ways i personally would have preferred the show to reflect what i love about the series, but i dont outright dislike this and would give it a 3/5 as its own thing.
I liked it, there was pretty hype moments like the build up to Nishiki killing Dojima for example. One gripe for me is them making Nishiki discount Kuroiwa and Nishiki and Kiryu not taking off their jackets to fight.
I will say objectively it's mid tier at best. I felt everyone played their role the best they could with a few glaring inconsistencies. Kiryu for example they got him right for the most part a brash character who rarely thought things through. However having him want to become the dragon of Dojima felt wrong to me because in the games it's not a title he wanted or asked for. Yumi was done right, then again in the games she wasn't fleshed out very will because of her lack of exposure. Nishiki however I am divided on. I felt while he was solid in the show. He was a victim of being overinflated with development. I felt like they really REALLY went to hard on him becoming a villain instead of letting his development breathe. His reveal of being the shinjuku demon anyone with a brain could see it. His reason for killing dojima while completely mixed up from the games made relatable sense. Haruka felt like a afterthought and that was a disappointment as well she got little to no focus and had very few scenes. Majima was also a victim of that. Saejima didn't even belong in this series and his death? Came off as unnecessary shock value and a slap to the face as a fan of his character. I also agree with Gokudoni fan service wise they did a fine job the references were good same with the callbacks. But if that's all the series has to stand on then that's a big issue. My final thought is this. Like a dragon yakuza the TV series was a experiment. Something no one wanted or asked for. And if they ever plan to do this again. They need to improve alot and stick closer to Canon Maybe instead try to do a series about ichiban that's self contained. Because Kiryus saga is a bit too large to adapt. While Ichibans has just begun. 6/10 I wouldn't recommend it.
Yep, I hated him wanting to become the Dragon for the same reason. It's such low-level, 'tell don't show' storytelling.
The show does have decent ideas for making Yakuza 1's story more special than it already is but the way it was executed could've been better.
I doubt I'm ever gonna sit down and watch this. Not out of antipathy but I just don't see the appeal. Like you i think I'd be more into the idea if it was weirder. Cause well the story of Yakuza 1 is already told perfectly well by Yakuza 1. I kinda wish something like this expanded the scope of the setting, focused on different characters around the same time frame or something, but adaptations rarely are so daring as to not just take a story that's already been told.
Absolutely valid points. Hopefully, the writers will take cues from the discourse on this adaptation, so that a potential expansion on the Ichiban Saga can succeed where this adaptation did not.
by what means is yk1 story perfect? i'm a fan of the series, but cmon
@@Serso70 Deleted a dick response, "perfectly told" is maybe a bit hyperbolic, but I didn't say "perfect", I said "perfectly told". The game does its job just fine telling the story it has to so an adaptation of it feels superfluous. Especially one in this half straight adaptation/half character jumble form. We're not in the 90s anymore where a game getting an adaptation apparently carried some form of legitimacy.
Pains me to say that the show has been pretty mid so far. Yakuza/RGG by name only.
No hate, but the director wanted to use the popularity of the IP while rejecting the reasons why it became popular in the first place.
This show feels like the Mexican remake of Breaking Bad
Actually that was colombian, and i bring that up because in that show it specifically makes no sense for them to be cooking meth instead of coke. Colombia has the perfect climate, location and criminal structure to manufacture coke so they used to corner the drug market. Mexico has a poor ecology for growing coke, so meth is developed in mexico and brought into the US by US citizens (cause it makes no sense to transport it through immigrants who will be searched and scrutinized much more heavily) specifically so that Mexico could carve out some of the drug market for themselves and utilize their even better geographical location and criminal structure.
I didn’t like the show because the Yakuza games have a strong focus on the morales of the characters and their views. Those were completely changed for all the characters which made it hard for me to watch. I didn’t mind the change in story telling but I did mind the changes of the characters. One of the hardest parts was watching Kiryu and Nishiki despise Kazama even though in the games they want to become a Yakuza like him because they look up to him so much and respect the Yakuza world.
Genuinely, I didn't have too much of an issue with the show. I told myself (and others) that it was going to be a "reimagining" of Yakuza 1, like an "alternate universe," and ran with it until the end.
One of its strengths was the setting. I felt like I was going through the Theater Square and the Dojima HQ with the characters. Another one (and definitely my favorite thing) was some character expansions/changes Nishiki, Miho, and Yumi were my favorite parts of the show. I understood their struggles and reasons for change between 1995 and 2005.
Its weaknesses lies with its pacing (as others have mentioned), the flipping between 95 and 05 made it hard to keep up with the story. I understand it was to show the impact the past events had on the present, but it could've been toned down (the way the year changes really bothered me, the little subtitle where it spins to the two years was so slow. I don't know if anyone would mention this, but I noticed it and it took me out of 1/3 of the year switches across the 6 episodes.)
Some character additions/changes also bothered me because they were just so unlikable. But I accepted most of them because of the mentality I prepared myself with for the show.
I liked the story overall. It was cool. It's not perfect but I had my rollercoaster of fun.
I totally agree with you!!!
I too, walked in with that exact same mindset and I think that's why I ended up liking it a lot and accepting everything it proposed so easily, even though there were things I didn't like so much.
nishiki, yumi and miho were also some of my favorite things here. I loved the relationship the main 4 had
HONEST OPION: The show is okay. Nothing awful, but nothing to write home about either. For me, it was mostly a fizzle with a bit of a pop in the end.
For anyone who cares enough to read this, here are my more detailed thoughts on the show.
I don’t mind changes being made the story. The writers said that the show will not be following the games well ahead of the show’s release so complaining that “it isn’t like the games” is redundant. Being a rough adaptation of Yakuza 1 I think helps the show in the long run. Because in my opinion, Yakuza 1, minus the 0 and Kiwami retcons that were made a decade later, was pretty mediocre by today’s standards.
That being said, I will still criticize the quality of the changes the show makes. Mainly if the changes were necessary or not. I will be going into spoilers but I really shouldn’t need to warn anyone because chances are, most of you have already seen the show or do not care enough to finish it.
Kazama’s true identity. Now that is a change I don’t mind. It gives more weight to the symbol of the dragon and actually gives an explanation for why Kazama had such a revered status despite only reaching captain rank under Dojima. Even when playing the games, me and my friends theorized that Kazama might have had a dragon under that suit. (Some of them even thought that Kazama might be Kiryu’s estranged father based on how much they resemble each other.)
If that were actually true why would he make up a lie while dying in Kiryu’s arms? That’s what I keep telling them but they want to believe their headcanon so badly-
Getting back the topic at hand. The show. Right! Aiko’s (Yumi’s sister) inclusion was fine. Because the alternative is Kiryu getting blocked by Governor Goose Laugh, all because Yumi suffered so much EMOTIONAL DAMAGE, that she somehow forgot Kiryu existed for a long time. (This is not to say that memory loss after a traumatic event does not happen for real. But the scale in which Yumi’s mind was wiped is the basis for 60% of that game’s story. That is ridiculous!)
My main problem with Aiko is that her character is such an annoying (Insert synonym for female dog here.) Not to mention a borderline manipulative psychopath as well. She honestly makes Mirei Park look like a saint in comparison. What really bothers me is that she does not face any real repercussions for her actions. Well… Aside from Haruka (If you can even count that.) and death. It seems like the writers wanted to do the classic redeemable jerk trope with her character, but it falls flat because she never drops the jack-ass act until the very end.
Majima. Was actually pretty good. I can see why Yokoyama gave him a part in the upcoming Pirates in Hawaii game. It’s just unfortunate that Majima never really has any time to really shine in the show. He does some cool fighting stuff in the end but it’s so hard to see anything because it’s so dark. What is this? A show for bats?
That highlights my problem with cinematography. With the exception of the fight when Kiryu gets out of jail, a majority of the fights take place in dark areas where the viewer can barely see anything. I suspect that was intentional so that the viewer cannot see just how bad the choreography actually is.
Take the fight scene when Kiryu first gets out of jail for instance. The moves themselves are fine but there is no sense of impact because it is so Slooooooooooooowwwwww. For anyone that can do a decent editing job, I have a proposition. Take that Kiryu outside jail fight and speed up the footage just a bit, only slowing down slightly whenever a hit lands and adding a slight camera shake in order to emphasize the impact. I guarantee it will look a lot better.
Saejima on the other hand, what the heck happened there? Why is he shorter than Majima? Not only is he in the show for like two scenes, he gets unceremoniously killed off. Jeff the Camera guy from Uncharted 2 had more of a screen presence! Now is Saejima really dead? Hard to say for certain but I don’t think Dojima’s informant would lie about that without a reason. He said quite clearly said “Saejima’s dead.” Until the show gives a clear answer, if it ever does, I’m labeling him as “dead” dead.
The way Kiryu and Nishiki join the yakuza, that’s a big one I hear fans arguing about. Frankly, this change never bothered me as it still ties to the central theme of Kiryu’s character. Him making a dumb decision that seemed right at the time, but having it come back to bite him later on. I think the TV show explanation makes more sense, as it never sat right with me that Kazama, someone who was clearly against Kiryu and Nishiki joining the yakuza, just sort of goes “alright, fine.” One day like a parent giving into their child’s pestering for that new toy on the shelf. I guess it could be argued that he did it so that Kiryu and Nishiki would not do anything stupid but if is objective was to keep an eye on them, why not have them both join the same family?
Finally, my biggest issues with the show as a whole, the tone and pacing. Let’s discuss pacing first. With how frequently it jumps between 1995 and 2005, the story feels very stop and go. Yes, a fractured timeline is a popular aspect of noir stories, but this isn’t Max Payne. Imagine constantly jumping between Yakuza 0 and Kiwami at different intervals, that is what it feels like to watch the show. A disjointed and messy story that can be hard to follow at times. It was a good thing that I was familiar with all the characters and story from the games because I would have been completely lost otherwise. This show is not beginner friendly. It relies heavily on your knowledge of the characters backstories, behaviors, impulses, etc. in order to properly understand.
The tone. I saved this for last because it is my biggest issue with the show. It’s too serious! That is not to say that the show does not attempt humor, it just doesn’t land most of the time. (Oh look, Shibusawa is taking a piss and not taking the situation seriously. Look! Uh oh! Majima’s out of bullets. Nishikiyama just got sprayed with toilet water! Laugh you monkeys!)
Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I cannot help but think that the show’s more overtly serious tone was a subtle jab from RGG. Saying, “Is this what you people really want?” There is a loud minority of fans complaining about the games getting too goofy, so I think that RGG made this show specifically to cater to those people. I am aware that the writers from the games did not work on the show but key staff members from RGG, including Yokoyama and a few others, were involved with this show as consultants at the very least. How much of an influence did Amazon have on this show anyway?
The problem is that when you take the humor out of a Like A Dragon game, what you are left with is an average at best crime drama. The humor and crime genre elements work in tandem with each other to create that tone we all know and love. The samurai spin-offs, Judgement, and upcoming Pirates in Hawaii even prove that RGG can handle other genres (historical fiction, procedural, romanticized fantasy) just as well. Honestly, just letting RGG make an animated show using the FMV graphics from the game’s cutscenes probably would have been cheaper and turned out better in the long run.
Overall, I give this show a 5/10. Now I just have to wait for the Majima game in February.
okay so I read your entire comment very throughly. I agree with everything you said! except maybe the tone/humor. I didn't mind it at all and I did get at the very least a small chuckle from all the comedic moments. my favorite of them all is kiryu pretending to be an american guy called michael through the phone. I had to replay it a few more times lol. maybe it's just that I'm not really that attached to the games' sense of humor although I comprehend how integral the way they balance it out with the serious things is to the series as a whole.
ps: I never thought about rgg doing this on purpose for those who complain yakuza is too goofy nowadays. it's a every interesting theory I gotta say
@@katsukii.21Thanks for the response. The scene where Kiryu impersonates an American was funny. I did not include it in the above comment because that was one of the few jokes I thought did land.
If they can hold on to that sense of Kiryu being out of his depth and not knowing how to best respond in season 2, if Amazon is feeling merciful enough to give this show a second chance, I think his character would be significantly better.
Because if I am being honest, while he does have the fighting spirit, this version of Kiryu is about as interesting as the paint on my wall drying.
I am not saying that they should turn Kiryu into a total goofball. But depicting the more day to day slice of life stuff I think would go the long way.
What if Kiryu has to deal with something like a clogged toilet or his suit rips. Maybe his shoes get destroyed and Kiryu finds temporary replacements at some cheap thrift store. Being the iconic white shoes. Others make fun of the shoes for looking ridiculous but after wearing them for a while, Kiryu grows to like and keep them.
What if Kiryu has to do something basic like cook dinner for for Haruka. The games showcase that Kiryu struggles a bit when cooking. (Taking an hour to cut a single onion. Come on man.) The situations don’t need to be absurd like some of the sub stories in the games. They just need to be relatable.
@@AnotherLikeADragonFan2019 hmm, you're right. they should try going for more of that if they ever make a season 2 for sure. after all things like those are what gives kiryu so much personality and what makes him interesting.
speaking of which, it's kind of a mystery how they're going to continue this story if that does happen, but I hope they do it. while improving upon things that didn't go so well in this season
THEY MADE A YAKUZA SHOW!!!!
great video! I was waiting to see what you thought of it.
personally, I've always been very open minded about the show and I was even excited to watch it when it came out. I really liked it for what it was, I thought a lot of the writing decisions were interesting at the very least, even though there were a couple of things I didn't like so much and that could've been executed better, like most of the things you listed. the one thing I hated was how poorly they handled haruka, taking away all of the main characteristics of her character and all the importance she held in the original story. I think this might be a direct consequence of aiko's character's entire existance in this show but I don't feel like elaborating about that lol.
but overall I think it was a fun watch and I'd recommended to anyone who's willing to watch it 👍🏻
The first 3 episodes were an absolute drag, the last 3 found the right pace and were interesting.
I would've preferred an anime 30min, 8 episode series.
I was so confused by Yumi's sister in the show. I'm pretty sure she's mostly a red herring in Yakuza 1.
I wish I could have liked the show, but sadly it ended up with The Predator 2018 & Godzilla 1998 levels of quality. This show went the route of other "adult" shows the past couple years based on established IPs, and honestly this RGG adaption just fell apart. The way the show tosses aside the Kiryu & Haruka dynamic truly made me do the Y2 Kiryu hitting the table and leaving scene. The show just feels like the RGG franchise tacked onto another random script with core misunderstandings of the series.
Again, I wish it wasn't this way but the show sucked. It's Yakuza without the heart. Yakuza without any streets of Kamurocho besides like two. Yakuza without the human connection. Yakuza without the fatherhood & motherhood. Yakuza without love. Yakuza without a lot of fights.
I would've been down for a cool """elseworlds""" take on the series, like Nishiki meeting Saejima & Majima.....but we saw how they handled that in the show. Sigh.
If the show were branded as a "reboot" rather than a "loose adaptation", the show could get more love at least a bit
I don’t know man. The problem is that even if we were to accept this as an alternate timeline (like Dead Souls) it has zero soul…no pun intended. Kiryu is unlikable and his motivations are completely nonsensical or at the very least uninteresting. They took some of the most pivotal elements of 0 that would have made Kiryu, Nishiki, and Majima who they are by the time they reach the climax of 1 and completely fumbled them in a way that not only was a complete waste of screen time, but a wasted opportunity of showing us how they become who they are and why we should care. Yumi and Aiko have zero character development and make no sense to burn time as two separate characters. Miho took way too much screen time away from developing the main characters or an interesting enough plot with just 6 episodes to play with. Anyway, it’s just a poorly written crime story with a fistful of references and Easter eggs that feel unearned, especially if the goal was for them to make their own story.
And don’t get me started on how dirty they did Shibusawa and Saejima.
Have you seen discussions on this show? There is NOT an even split on this games quality by fans
I kinda agree with 6/10... Maybe more of a 6,5/10 because that's what I thought when I finished it.
Many main characters like Kazama or Nishiki are played perfectly in my opinion. I didn't like how Kiryu was portrayed, he could be done much better, could have more fighting scenes. He was a good protagonist in the flashbacks, but was made tottaly bland in 2005. The last episodes were much better than the first ones, especially the fifth one, it completely changed my perception of the series. The biggest flaw of the series for me was the fact that they kept on going back to 1999 so after watching like 4 episodes I wasn't really invested in the plot as I'd be if it was more consistent.
I agree on everything you said. about kiryu; many people didn't like his motivation and his change of personality but ngl, it was compelling and I can totally get behind younger kiryu acting like that, in a reimagining like this.
and also same about chapter 5, it was so crazy I had to take a 2 day pause before I could watch the final one lol
It sure is!
Tbh I actually liked the second half more and feel as though people didnt give the show much of a chance. Glad you and Devillon7 provided unbiased perspectives in your videos for this! Very interested to see how the podcast turns out about the 6 episode series.
I think it's telling that nobody would be talking about this show if it didn't have the IP slapped onto it.
what is this RGG cast thing he talks about in the video?
It's a series of videos on Devilleon7's channel where a bunch of fellow Yakuza content creators talk about different RGG-related topics in podcast form.
Did it got the spirit of the game 🤔 ?
I really hope that this team gets a second season to improve on what they’ve already done. This was one of the more level-headed assessment I’ve seen, and I think the things they got right mostly outweighed the things they got wrong. There have been so many shows that had wobbly first seasons and went on to greatness, it would be like cutting off the koi before it could make it to the ascension of the dragon. Maybe he’ll just end up blowing away a billion dollars and a villain, or maybe it’ll blow us all away.
It's one of the weirdest adaptations I've seen because it actually adapts faithfully most of the major bullet points of Yakuza 1 and even has the Empty Lot plot from 0... but at the same time it completely goes into fan fiction territory with the details, by removing characters, replacing them with other characters, misinterpreting motivations and bad characterization.
As a huge fan just like most people here, I played all of the games and thought the show was okay.. 6.5 or 7.0/10 at best. I think that despite all the bumps in the road it managed to tell the story I know and love to my wife, who would never experience it otherwise. When it comes to the technical aspects of the show, it's kinda what I expected after watching shows like Alice in Borderland and the Full Metal Alchemist live action movie. It's obviously no Tokyo Vice or Shogun, but it isn't the worst thing I've ever seen.
Last but not least I'm seeing this trend of saying "it's Yakuza/RGG in name only" and honestly... I completely disagree. Like I said in the first paragraph the show follows the most important plot points of Yakuza 1. I also like to do this exercise, I suggest people "reverse engineer" this thought and think about it like this: If this show was completely unrelated to Yakuza and had totally different names but still maintained the same story, would you call it a blatant case of plagiarism of Yakuza? I personally would.
How does this series compare to the live action movie?
They're drastically different experiences in almost every way. Definitely recommend checking the movie out as well, cause it's a fun watch
its Amazon online shopping quality.
i enjoyed the show alot and i enjoyed the games however havent played alot of them yet
Seems to be pretty hot take but: After watching the series in japanese and english both, I.. kinda like it.
Major factor for me was to NOT try to see it as 'the' Yakuza/Like A Dragon story but as "how someone would tell the story they heard about this local legend yakuza to a stranger" -type of deal.
The type you'd probably hear in one of the countless Kamurocho izakayas' or other mini-bars, told in broken english by rather drunken local that had decided you, the gaijin, to be their best pal for the night.
"So there was this kid, he had friends you know, he wanted to be boxer, fighter but came yakuza to save his friend.. This one boss was XYZ, the clan did ABC, but this guy in family screwed them over.. See this cop guy saw it all and.. The Dragon had to beat up his brother that refused to see sense and nobody knows what the missing money actually was for. Imagine stacking it up on the roof of Millenium Tower and, like, blow it all up with fireworks or something! Wouldn't that be Craa-y-zy!"
We as the fans of the series know the "real story" already, but this guys additions to the legend are at least worthy of buying them an additional pint as a thank you for sure.
Is like Majima Everywhere but a Story
Bro the listened was too much at time times it like kiryu stab scene over and over again
I enjoyed the show it had some solid ideas but the execution was rather sloppy
Like a Dragon: Infinite cope
I only differ on you saying that a one on one adaption of the first game would be redundant cause a lot of people havent played either game version. Plus I love watching show adaptations with people
see, the story can be different. but u have to have the characters stay true to themselves. yakuza isshin is the perfect example. we have the same characters in a different setting and story, but they're still true to themselves. that's what makes them fan favorites. if u change their personalities, they're not the same characters. at that point, just change their names too and nobody will be mad
The hardest thing about the show is that as a fan of the games, you HAVE to separate this from said games lmfao.
1995 parts were okay with some great ideas yokoyama could even learn from but the 2005 scenes were awful. I legit started skipping the aiko scenes. Even with all that though, on its own the show is pretty bad but I did enjoy some parts.
Haven't quite finished the series but it's so confusing. Had no idea who Nishiki's sister was for a good while. And just don't know who it's for. Casual viewers won't be able to follow it (for example, they don't tell you Date's a cop for most of the episode, you just have to know) while hardcore fans were never going to like something so divergent from the original story.
It's about as Yakuza as Ishin but I enjoyed it. Much like i enjoyed the objectively terrible movie i only rewatch the Majima parts of.
The crying going on about this show is how we end up with the hiatus we got after Dead Soulsm
I don't think it's the same case as dead souls tho. Dead souls suppossed to be big breakthrough for west market and it's failure meant yakuza doesn't work for outsiders to sega until yakuza 0's release. But it's already popular now. Tv series popularity or unpopularity won't change the game franchise popularity
@gsifdgsgs Worded it badly I guess. Moreso, "well that was poorly recieved on that marketplace lets never do that again" kind of parallel between the western market and non videogame adaptations.
They're purely out for money, as evident by paid for day 1 NG+. I've seen dozens of people saying "amazon trash, not watching" or "haruka's not even in it, unfaithful not watching". Bothing ignoring ghe likes of Fallout/Last of Us and yoy know, Haruka being in the trailer, respectively.
But then how many of those commenters are children purely playing on gamespass yelling "grapes are sour" when they cant access/afford prime.
Idk, I wish them the best, i dont know what's lost in translation but the forcing the talent not to play the games has an eerie Netflix Witcher vibe to it.
@@DeathCrunch unfortunately that's true, it feels like sega milking the yakuza fans hard and I don't think they will stop until a major blow happens to them with pissing of fans too hard. I hope they don't go ps3 capcom route with making everything even the ending a dlc(asura's wrath)
@@gsifdgsgs Worst part is, that would work, dedicated fanbase. Damn straight I paid extra money for every 3jima horse armour add on DLC to play my guys in whatever half hearted minigame, the same way every Street Fighter, Resident Evil, ect fan does.
We just have to hope that, like you say, they stay malignantly greedy AF and not maliciously like Asura's Wrath or every single Konami or Square property they push out the door 3/5th finished or split into multiple full priced games. Seriously, what they're doing with FF7 ought to be a crime.
@@DeathCrunch I only played the og ff7 but yeah, they even had a battle royal called ff7 first soldier that is a tie-in prequel to milk the fanbase even more, honestly current square enix stinks
As most people I was disappointed after the first episode because I had wanted and somewhat expected something else from the tv show. But after the third episode I found myself being disappointed for having to wait another week for the rest of the episodes to be released. I had accepted that the show was its own thing and I was able to enjoy it for what it was. Do I prefer the games? Absolutely. But I think the actors did a good job and by what little I have seen of them in interviews they seemed excited for the show and the characters they portrayed and I appreciate that. I hope we get a second season because I would love to give them another chance and as a massive Daigo fan I would love to see what the show would do with his character, good or bad (Saejima? What on earth was that?!?) And Ryuji? Yes please
That being said, why did they change Nishiki’s sister’s name from Yuko to Miho? I genuinely didn’t get who she was until the end of episode 2.
disgusting show
kanka o kadar kotu degil cidden siz beklentiyi arşa çıkardınız (ingilizce yazmadım türk görünce milliyetçi duygularım kabardı)
@@oscarfrancoisdesatonaka7217 hikaye olarak yorum yapamam çünkü ben bi tek 3 bölüm izledim ama o kadar karmakarışık anlatmışlar ki bi ton zaman çizelgeleriyle ve tonca karakter perspektivleriyle en basit hikaye olan yakuza 1'i başımı ağrıtacak seviyeye getirmişler bana kalırsa
I think even watching this as someone who never played the game it’s still a bad show. They put in too much stuff in 6 eps, and that rushed many parts. The only part that felt fleshed out was Nishiki’s fall. The story would’ve been more compelling if they focused on Kiryu and Nishiki. How did Nishiki rise through the ranks? He walked out with the deeds (somehow) then what? Explore his transformation! No Koi? Ok. But why Demon of Shinjuku? Why the pentagram? What was in Kiryu’s head during those years in prison? Show more of his convictions to stop Nishiki, not just “We are family…”The final showdown felt flat because the time that should’ve been used to build it up has been spent on the plot points that also didn’t get explored enough like Aiko’s, and unimportant characters like Date and Majima (this show version not the games version.)
I never thought of Yakuza 1 story as a great piece of writing, so I was ready for the changes. Thing is they didn’t do much with it. Yumi can fight, then what? Date is now more active, then he contributed what to the story? The florist is now an asshole, and? DoD tattoo is earned from winning in the ring, and? Kazama is an ex-yakuza now, what does that change? There are interesting ideas, but they never went into it.
There are more problems but these are my main issues with the show. I would love for a decent adaptation but I rather they create something new than trying to adapt the game if the changes are going to be like this.
I'm prolly getting prime video for this show
Dont
A rare L from Goku tbh
I agree. It's 7 at least
@@richardharrow2513 IDK that’s kinda generous. It’s a 4 at best, putting all RGG elements aside it’s just not written well enough to be a good crime drama. The actors didn’t stand a chance with this script. Shame too because visually it’s very appealing and some of the casting could have worked well with a stronger production or at the very least action choreography.
It's amazon, it's trash.
Invincible is from Amazon
The boys
They did great with the fallout series which got me excited for this as a fan of the series
The Kamen Rider shows on Amazon prime are peak.
Reacher is good
I tried, I dropped it when Kazama gave up his pinky... then finding out later Kazama was the "dragon of Dojima" and then ending the series on that cliffhanger.
My decision was justified
I'm gonna lie, the show was amazing 🔥
My whole issue with the show is the fact that 90% of the plot is original, so they should have done something original with it. I would have much preferred it if the characters werent kiryu and nishiki and yumi, but new people we could learn about through the story.
Maybe an adap of judgement?
It really was TERRIBLE!!