Interview from 2000 with Shenmue's martial arts director & Masaya Matsukaze

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Shenmue analysis at www.phantomriverstone.com
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Translation of an interview with Tetsuya Hattori (Bajiquan master and martial arts director for Shenmue) and Masaya Matsukaze.

Hattori makes an interesting comment about moves being described in poetry that hints at a future use for the Mysterious Scroll that Ryo discovers in the dojo: "It will be a little while before we'll be able to use it in-game."

https://www.phantomriverstone.com/2022/11/interview-with-shenmue-martial-arts.html


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Translation of an interview with Tetsuya Hattori (Bajiquan master and martial arts director for Shenmue) and Masaya Matsukaze.

Hattori makes an interesting comment about moves being described in poetry that hints at a future use for the Mysterious Scroll that Ryo discovers in the dojo: "It will be a little while before we'll be able to use it in-game."

https://www.phantomriverstone.com/2022/11/interview-with-shenmue-martial-arts.html


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With stuff like this and the white leaf, I always think back to the original plan of a save file transferred between all the different games in turn, a kind of “grand campaign”. What if you had failed to find them or pick them up in Shenmue I, but then came to the time to use them in Shenmue IV or whatever, and couldn’t go back?!

I like to think of Fuku-san randomly showing up in China at the appropriate juncture and handing the relevant item to Ryo – like how he hands you the photo at the end of Shenmue I if you fail to find it in the basement.

“Pant… pant… pant… it was a long way to the middle of China, Ryo-san, but I thought you might need this leaf… Oh, you need it right now? Good thing I came. Right, now I must get back before Ine-san wonders where I am. Bye”
 
Amazing work as usual. Two quotes stood out in the amazing article.

Q: Has any kind of martial arts related message been incorporated into the game?

Hattori:
The words "Keep friends... those you love... close to you", which Yu-san has stated as a theme, are similar to those spoken by Master Wu Lian Zhi. When we were having a drink together, Master Wu said to me, "Compared to Japan, Mengcun is poor, the food may not suit the Japanese palate, and I don't have much money. But I have many friends. My friends are my treasure". When I first heard the theme, I wondered it was something Yu-san had heard Master Wu say.

Q: I know it's early, but do you have any hopes for the second Shenmue game, or any predictions about what it will be like?

Matsukaze:
At any rate, Ren is going to make his appearance! There's going to be all sorts of trouble! [laughs]

Hattori: Ryo and Ren's personalities are completely different from each other. And since they both have distinctive personalities, their characters will come to the fore even more.

Matsukaze: In the first place, Shenmue was supposed to be a two-person story. Two characters with different personalities clash with each other as they go forward, which is what makes it so interesting. But then, a sudden decision was made with a first chapter, in which only Ryo would appear.

Interesting hearing Shenmue was supposed to be a “two-person” story. Are we to assume Ren was introduced much earlier in previous versions or just a truncated chapter 1?
 
Interesting hearing Shenmue was supposed to be a “two-person” story. Are we to assume Ren was introduced much earlier in previous versions or just a truncated chapter 1?
I also found this part interesting - I don't think we've previously heard it stated about a focus on the interaction of these two characters. About the timing of Ren's introduction, it sounds like the relatively late decision to dedicate an entire chapter to Yokosuka effectively delayed Ren's introduction for a whole game compared to the original plan.
 
I also found this part interesting - I don't think we've previously heard it stated about a focus on the interaction of these two characters. About the timing of Ren's introduction, it sounds like the relatively late decision to dedicate an entire chapter to Yokosuka effectively delayed Ren's introduction for a whole game compared to the original plan.
When you look at the Saturn footage they released, there is comparatively little Yokosuka there - it’s mostly stuff from II and it seems they achieved a reasonable level of completion. So I’d say you’re correct.
 
I also found this part interesting - I don't think we've previously heard it stated about a focus on the interaction of these two characters. About the timing of Ren's introduction, it sounds like the relatively late decision to dedicate an entire chapter to Yokosuka effectively delayed Ren's introduction for a whole game compared to the original plan.
I strongly believe you can feel this in the final products.

Shenmue II is much more of a "video game". Someone on this forum pointed this out regarding the music: each area has its own theme tune, it's location-based, like a typical game. The characters are far more stereotypical and less rounded, too.

But in Shenmue I, the music often reflects Ryo's mood (the "FREE" songs). The characters have their own routines, the Passport disc (absent from the second game - although that may be down to market realities and the state of the DC) goes into background detail on them all, and there's generally more detail. I just don't think Shenmue 2 has that sort of depth to its NPCs.

It really feels like the Shenmue II parts came first, with Shenmue I being a more focused, smaller elaboration - a meditation, almost - on the concept of mundane details, with all the detail that moving to the Dreamcast afforded them.
 
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I strongly believe you can feel this in the final products.

Shenmue II is much more of a "video game". Someone on this forum pointed this out regarding the music: each area has its own theme tune, it's location-based, like a typical game. The characters are far more stereotypical and less rounded, too.

But in Shenmue I, the music often reflects Ryo's mood (the "FREE" songs). The characters have their own routines, the Passport disc (absent from the second game - although that may be down to market realities and the state of the DC) goes into background detail on them all, and there's generally more detail. I just don't think Shenmue 2 has that sort of depth to its NPCs.

It really feels like the Shenmue II parts came first, with Shenmue I being a more focused, smaller elaboration - a meditation, almost - on the concept of mundane details, with all the detail that moving to the Dreamcast afforded them.
Extremely well put.
 
I also found this part interesting - I don't think we've previously heard it stated about a focus on the interaction of these two characters. About the timing of Ren's introduction, it sounds like the relatively late decision to dedicate an entire chapter to Yokosuka effectively delayed Ren's introduction for a whole game compared to the original plan.

Do you recall a timeline or any interviews which shed more light on their decision to make Shenmue 1 only set in Yokosuka? I vaguely recall the game getting bigger and bigger with more ideas, changes made that at some point Sega felt would be more advantageous to split up the releases recouping more of their investment but I would be curious if you recall anything else.

I strongly believe you can feel this in the final products.

Shenmue II is much more of a "video game". Someone on this forum pointed this out regarding the music: each area has its own theme tune, it's location-based, like a typical game. The characters are far more stereotypical and less rounded, too.

But in Shenmue I, the music often reflects Ryo's mood (the "FREE" songs). The characters have their own routines, the Passport disc (absent from the second game - although that may be down to market realities and the state of the DC) goes into background detail on them all, and there's generally more detail. I just don't think Shenmue 2 has that sort of depth to its NPCs.

It really feels like the Shenmue II parts came first, with Shenmue I being a more focused, smaller elaboration - a meditation, almost - on the concept of mundane details, with all the detail that moving to the Dreamcast afforded them.

That's interesting. I always assumed the opposite, they had a lot of the story beats of what we see in the first two games of Shenmue completed even back during Saturn build. When things got moved to Dreamcast it allowed them to greatly expand the size and scope of the project, especially the start of the game which snowballed into a dedicated chapter focused in Japan. At the time there was a huge push for realism, which is why the first game feels like living in Ryo's virtual shoes.
By the time of Shenmue 2's release, they either took players' feedback to heart or they simply didn't have the time, money or, market incentive to have the same level of detail in a much bigger play area. I do recall they had planned for a passport type disk for Shenmue 2 but it was cancelled last minute.
 
Do you recall a timeline or any interviews which shed more light on their decision to make Shenmue 1 only set in Yokosuka? I vaguely recall the game getting bigger and bigger with more ideas, changes made that at some point Sega felt would be more advantageous to split up the releases recouping more of their investment but I would be curious if you recall anything else.
I don't recall seeing a lot in interviews about that decision, but the timing described in Yu's GDC talk suggests some time in 1998:
  • From Yu's GDC 2014 talk:
    • 1997, as Virtua Fighter RPG: the story consisted of 11 chapters. The plan for the "next-generation Saturn" version was set in China with a play time of 45 hours, with the first game covering the first 2 chapters (i.e. the Yokosuka and HK sections, based on the concept art).
    • 1998, as Shenmue: title changed to Shenmue & decision made to release each of the 11 chapters as an individual game, with "Chapter 1: Yokosuka" being the first.
  • April 1999: interestingly, it took until this date for Sega to reveal publicly at the Tokyo Game Show that it would be a multiple-title series
 
I don't recall seeing a lot in interviews about that decision, but the timing described in Yu's GDC talk suggests some time in 1998:
  • From Yu's GDC 2014 talk:
    • 1997, as Virtua Fighter RPG: the story consisted of 11 chapters. The plan for the "next-generation Saturn" version was set in China with a play time of 45 hours, with the first game covering the first 2 chapters (i.e. the Yokosuka and HK sections, based on the concept art).
    • 1998, as Shenmue: title changed to Shenmue & decision made to release each of the 11 chapters as an individual game, with "Chapter 1: Yokosuka" being the first.
  • April 1999: interestingly, it took until this date for Sega to reveal publicly at the Tokyo Game Show that it would be a multiple-title series

Interesting, thanks for clarification. I guess the decision at least publicly did take some time which does link with this interview that the decision to split games coming quite late.

It’s fascinating for as much information we have about Shenmue’s development so many questions and mysterious remain.
 
With stuff like this and the white leaf, I always think back to the original plan of a save file transferred between all the different games in turn, a kind of “grand campaign”. What if you had failed to find them or pick them up in Shenmue I, but then came to the time to use them in Shenmue IV or whatever, and couldn’t go back?!
This is one of the many reasons why I wish Shenmue III and beyond were released on the Dreamcast back in the day, and/or that Sega made Shenmue III and beyond. It was originally supposed to be "your journey". Everything you learn and obtain follows you through the rest of the series. It seems like now they're forcing what they feel is canon, and not what is canon to you which sucks. Even there were different paths or outcomes in the story, but in Shenmue III it's so linear. If only they made III and beyond back in the day for the DC, or Sega decided to make the games with a higher budget.
 
When you look at the Saturn footage they released, there is comparatively little Yokosuka there - it’s mostly stuff from II and it seems they achieved a reasonable level of completion. So I’d say you’re correct.
In all honesty, Shenmue I was mostly filler. Even the Asia Travel scam event was such filler and unnecessary to the plot that it was cut in both Shenmue the Movie and the anime. Even Guizhang was never intended to return again after I, but since he was so popular, they decided they were gonna make him return in future titles. It just shows how the characters in I's original purpose were to advance the plot to get to Ryo's journey to China. Even in the pictures for all the chapters, Yokosuka is one small chapter out of them all and the rest is about Ryo traveling to China. Even the picture for Yokosuka is Ryo about to leave on the boat for China.
 
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Guizhang has only returned in one phone call each for Shenmue II and Shenmue III. He will very likely not return in person.
 
Guizhang has only returned in one phone call each for Shenmue II and Shenmue III. He will very likely not return in person.
I thought there was a phone conversation in III where he said "my leg is better and I'm coming". Although I heard it in the Eric Kelso voice mod, so I don't know if he did that just for the mod. I read on a old site and I think maybe it's also on the Shenmue II Dreamcast discs when you put them in your PC that "Guizhang was only intended to appear in Chp.1 but due to his popularity he might return" or something along those lines.
 
I thought there was a phone conversation in III where he said "my leg is better and I'm coming". Although I heard it in the Eric Kelso voice mod, so I don't know if he did that just for the mod. I read on a old site and I think maybe it's also on the Shenmue II Dreamcast discs when you put them in your PC that "Guizhang was only intended to appear in Chp.1 but due to his popularity he might return" or something along those lines.
That was a recorded line not in the mod but for a YT video. That's 100% not in the game.
 
Oh ok. Thanks for letting me know. I thought that could be the case that it wasn't actually in the game.

Also keep in mind Guizhang job was to guide Ryo to meet Xuixing. Since we are now well passed this story point I am not sure what other narrative purpose he would serve. Thus I don’t expect to see him in any future entries.
 
Also keep in mind Guizhang job was to guide Ryo to meet Xuixing. Since we are now well passed this story point I am not sure what other narrative purpose he would serve. Thus I don’t expect to see him in any future entries.
I thought he was going to go because he knew Ryo was reckless and because he and Master Chen wanted to know what Lan Di was doing.
 
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