Shenmue The Animation S01 EP02 Daybreak - Analysis

Welcome back to my Shenmue Anime Analysis!
This time it will be an analysis of the second episode Daybreak.
This analysis will have SPOILERS of the anime and the games, so read with caution!

The episode begins with what appears to be a recap of Episode 1 but with some differences. Ryo asks Lan Di why he killed his father and tells him
that his father did nothing wrong! Then Lan Di said... "Then i ask you a question. What do you know about your father?
If you choose to pursue this any further, then you will suffer the same fate as your father."

Ryo gets angry and Lan Di hits him and then... then Ryo wakes up. Ryo had a nightmare with Lan Di... will Ryo have more nightmares later in the series? Maybe we will find out in the next episodes... I do love the dialogue between Ryo and Lan Di and the soundtrack in this nightmare scene.

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In this episode the opening theme started playing with the opening animation for the first time, I personally love this animation and the song is
absolutely awesome!

After the opening we go straight to Bailu Village and we see Shenhua with the cute goat again. Shenhua is saying good morning to
the residents in the village, and then after that we see Elder Yeh with the kids. We saw quite a lot of Shenmue III characters
in this episode and i think this is a beautiful decision from the anime team. This way it adds more to the story and lore of Shenmue, building Shenhua and the other characters more. I think the viewers will care even more about these characters when Ryo finally meets them, and in this way
the places in the world of Shenmue feel more connected.

We See Elder Yeh talking about the poem with the kids, Shenhua said is one of the village's oldest poems, and that she
remembers hearing the poem when she was a kid.

Shenhua then recites the poem "Coming across the sea, from a distant land in the east, he shall appear".

A girl from the village named Rin wanted to know who is the "he" in the poem, Shenhua doesn't answer the question.

Meanwhile in the Hazuki Residence...

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In the next scene we go back to Yokosuka, we can see Capsule Toys, casette tapes and the stereo on Ryo's desk, beautiful
details of things that we can see in the game.

Ryo wants to know what is written in the letter and who is Yuanda Zhu. Ryo decides to go investigate about this in
Dobuita, and in the next scene we see Ryo asking Tao-san and Liu-san, characters from the games.

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Ryo is having difficulties about the letter, even native chinese people can't read it. In this scene we see many jackets that are in Shenmue III.
Nozomi appears and she asks what's wrong, why the long face to Ryo. Ryo explains the situation and then Nozomi said she wants to help, Ryo
questions why but Nozomi said that this is what friends do. Ryo thanks Nozomi and then they part ways.

In the next scene we can see Chai, he didn't forget what Ryo did to him in the first episode! Chai's plan is to get the
other mirror so he can give it to Lan Di.

After that Ryo is walking and sees Yamagishi-san in the park, probably in Suzume park.


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Yamagishi-san talked about Iwao with Ryo, Yamagishi-san asked if he can pay a visit to Hazuki Residence after everything is calmed
down, because he wanted to burn some incence in the memory of Iwao. Ryo said that by all means and that his father would be pleased.

Ryo then asks where his father lived before Yokosuka, Yamagishi-san said he don't know all the details. Ryo
explained the situation and showed him the letter.

Yamagishi-san said... "Are you trying to dig up your father's past?" Ryo replied yes, then Yamagishi-san said "And what
will you do with what you learn?"


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In the next moment the focus is in Ryo's eyes, Yamagishi-san noticed that this is a look of someone that wants revenge and
said to Ryo that he have nothing more to tell for him. He also said that Ryo should leave this for the police and that he needs to focus
on getting his life back to normal. This scene is where Yamagishi-san mini arc in the episode began and I absolutely love this scene.

Ryo left Nozomi to find someone who can read the letter for him. Ryo is in Dobuita thinking about the letter and then Ryo remembers what Liu said about people that enter in Yokosuka in a illegal way, and about chinese mafia and then decided to investigate this lead.



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Ryo decided to go to Bar Yokosuka, and asked Saijo-san for more information. Saijo-san said for Ryo to try in the
Heartbeats Bar but to be careful. Saijo-san is one of the NPCs in the game so it was nice to see him in the anime too, and I like how Ryo
got this clue about Heartbeats Bar from Saijo-san.

On his way to Heartbeats bar Ryo encounters Tony and the Smith, characters from the game as well Ryo defeats
them without problems and then enters Heartbeats Bar.




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In the next scene we see that the Heartbeats Bar scene in the anime is very similar to the scene in the game, even the NPCs! Some
of the dialogue is also similar along with the whole fight. The song that plays in this part is really good and fits really well in this scene.

After the fight Ryo asks again about the chinese operations. Yoshifumi Hato said that he will tell but with the condtion
that Ryo never show his face again, Ryo accepts the condition and then Yoshifumi said for Ryo to search for a guy
named Charlie. I quite like this scene in the anime, really well done.




The next day in Dobuita...

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The next scene we can see Ryo in Dobuita investigating Charlie. We also saw more characters from the game like Ono-san,
Kurita-san and Takashi Takashiro. It was really nice to see these characters in the anime, they are really faithful to the game and the
way Ryo finds the information/clues in the anime are really nice too!

Read heads to the Tattoo Parlor next in search of Charlie, but with no luck...However after Ryo leaves the Tattoo Parlor, Takashi Takashiro calls what appears to be Charlie to tell him about Ryo. Then in the next scene we can see Charlie and his goons and they are talking about Ryo, trying to understand who Ryo is and why Ryo is searching for them.

In the next scene we see Ryo walking and he encounters Xie Gao Wen crying. Xie Gao Wen is an NPC in the game so is nice
to see him in the anime as well.


XieGaoWenAndRyo.jpg

Xie Gao Wen is crying and said that they took his soccer ball, and that they won't give it back unless he takes Ryo to them. Ryo
asks who did this, Xie Gao Wen said that it was a man named Charlie.

Ryo then goes with Xie Gao Wen to the place where Charlie and his goons are. Charlie asks what the hell Ryo wants
with him, Ryo said that he wants to know more about the local chinese operations in Yokosuka. Charlie thinks that Ryo is
involved with Master Chen and calls his goons to fight with Ryo, the fight is really well done here.

Charlie throws the ball to Ryo and decides to run away. Ryo gives the ball back to Xie Gao Wen, to which he says
"xie xie" just like in the game, and this reminds me again that Ryo is a kind character that helps a lot of people, just like in the games! The
attention to detail with these things in the Shenmue world is beautiful.

Charlie ran away and Ryo lost sight of him, we can see Chai lurking in the shadows.

Wang Guanji.jpg




In the next scene we can see the You Arcade is quite a lot bigger than compared to the one in the game. Ryo
and Nozomi asked Wang Guanji about the letter but he said he can't read this, and that there's something wrong with the
characters. It was nice to see another NPC of the games in this episode. In this scene we can even see a drink vending
machine really similar to the vending machine of the english version of the game.

After that Nozomi said sorry and that she couldn't find anyone who could read that chinese. Ryo said it's okay and that
he should be the one to apologize for all the trouble.




Nozomi.jpg



After that Nozomi talked about universities with Ryo, she talked about wanting to go to the same university in Yokohama
that Ryo was recruited at. Nozomi was trying to make Ryo see how much she likes him and wants to be with him, Ryo just
replied... "University, huh..." and then they part ways. Typical Ryo!

Next, Ryo was walking and looking at the letter, and then he suddenly stops and a flashback of young Ryo with Iwao begins. Ryo as a child is seen reading a manga magazine called Shonen Champion. Iwao then arrived and said for Ryo to read a martial arts book instead! This book
contains all the keys to his important discoveries in martial arts. In this scene we can see action figures of Akira
and Pai Chan from Virtua Fighter, another nice detail in the anime.




RyoandIwao.jpg



Ryo said he will read later and then leaves the residence... we then see Ryo in the present again.

The next scene we see Nozomi in her room. We also see the photo of "Friends"... Ryo, Nozomi, Ichiro and Naoyuki that is on Nozomi's desk. This is another nice detail from the game. Nozomi is questioning whether Ryo will go or not to university, but then all of a sudden receives
a phone call from Canada, it's her father. The scene ends here and we don't know what her father said to her.




Nozomi2.jpg




In the next scene we see Charlie and his goons in the Heartbeats bar. Charlie thinks that Ryo is involved with Master
Chen and then decides to ask Tony and Smith for help. Tony and Smith wanted to find Ryo as well so they accept the job.

The next scene is in Hazuki residence, here we see Fuku-san and Ine-san talking with Yamagishi-san in the altar room.
Ine-san thanks Yamagishi-san for the visit and Fuku-san said that Iwao would be glad he came! Yamagishi-san said that
he owned quite a lot to Iwao.



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Yamigishi-san asked where Ryo was, to which Fuku-san said that Ryo is away for the moment. Yamagishi-san said he is concerned
with Ryo and that it looks like Ryo is digging up his father's past to determine what led to his ultimate demise. Ryo lacks experience and that a young man of 18 shoud be leaving such matters to the authorities.

Yamagishi-san remembers the look Ryo gave to him but he doesn't talk about that to Ine-san and Fuku-san. He
continued to mention that what's important is that the adults closest to him point him in the right direction.

Then Fuku-san said that he thought the same thing but that Ryo fully believes in his father and that Ryo just wants to know, to be absolutely positive, that his father did nothing wrong. Fuku-san understands how important this is for Ryo, so Fuku-san
said that he can't stop him. It is intersting to see that in the anime Fuku-san and Ine-san understood and accept Ryo's decision faster
than in the game

In the next scene we see Ryo investigating about Charlie in the You Arcade, and we see two NPCs from the game, Shingo Mochizuki and Koji Yabe. We also see arcade cabinets like the game but in the anime version we can also see some Virtua Fighter cabinets that weren't in the game.

Tony and Smith appear and approach Ryo. Ryo asks what they want and they say that they want to apologize, if Ryo needs
anything to not hesitate to ask them. So Ryo said that he is looking for Charlie, Tony and Smith said that they are friends
with him and for Ryo to follow them.

Ryo3.jpg



Ryo follows them and a fight starts with Charlie and his goons. Charlie almost hits Ryo with a knife and then Ryo drops
the letter. Charlie's goons grabs Ryo, Charlie picks up the letter, and at this time Ryo feels a great sense of anger yelling at Charlie to get his hands off the letter! After that Ryo defeats all of Charlie's goons. Tony and Smith see everything and get scared, so run away. Yamagishi-san sees them running and decides to have a look at what is happeninginside the building.

Yamagishi-san was surprised to see Charlie and Ryo. Ryo defeats Charlie and then gets the letter back. Charlie asks
what is up with Ryo and this letter. Ryo said that this letter is the only thing that connects him to the other
half of his father and that his father was accused of being a killer, thus getting murdered by a man named
Lan Di. Ryo said that he believes his father wasn't a killer, and he is going to prove it! Until then... he
is not letting any potential clues slip through his fingers.



LanDi.jpg



Yamagishi-san heard everything and then leaves. Then Charlie said that Lan Di is well known in his business as one of the
most dangerous men to deal with, and warned Ryo that if he go down this road, he might get more than he bargained for. Chai
was in the shadows this whole time and heard everything. We then can see Lan Di again in a short scene.

Ryo leaves the place and then encounter Yamagishi-san, probably in Suzume park again. Ryo asked what Yamagishi-san was
doing there at this hour... Yamagishi-san replied that he was just drinking with his father. He said that he was a
student of traditional martial arts, and that him and Ryo's father often sparred together...after training often sharing
a drink together.



Yamagishi2.jpg



Yamagishi-san also said that at that time Iwao knew little of the old martial arts and was always very eager to ask
questions for him. Ryo said he had no idea about that, to which Yamigishi-san said that a father does not show all of
his faces to his son, and that he doesn't even know if these are things that a son should know. He recommends that Ryo just moves
on about learning this side of his father that he kept hidden from Ryo, then perhaps it would be for the best.

After that Yamagishi-san gives the clue/information for Ryo to visit the pottery store in the shopping district.
Yamagishi-san believes that the owner there can read all forms of chinese, both new and old, and that maybe she can decipher
the letter sent to Ryo's father.


Ryo thanked him and then jsut as he was about to leave Yamagishi-san tells him to wait. He said he would like to impart his
knowledge of martial arts with Ryo. Ryo said it would be an honor, and learns the double blow from Yamagishi-san. This was the
moment that Yamagishi's mini arc in the episode ended, and it was beautiful in my opinion!
While this was happening we see Shenhua recite the poem in a scene that is reminicent of the prologue scene in the game with the hawk flying by.

The episode now ends showing a little bit of Guizhang and Master Chen in the warehouse.

GuizhangAndMasterChen.jpg


After that we see for the first time the ending theme and ending animation for the season. The ending theme is a beautiful song!.
The ending animation focus is on Nozomi, the kitten and Ryo, so i feel that we will see Megumi and the kitten in the next episode perhaps.


What can we expect to see in the next episode?

I feel that Ryo will go to Russiya China Shop and Xia Xiu Yu will translate the letter. Xia Xiu Yu will talk about the
Big Dipper and other things with Ryo... maybe it will be in Russiya China Shop that Ryo sees the plate with Chiyou that we saw in the trailer, and
this will expand the story and lore of Shenmue.

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Then I think Ryo will try to call to Guizhang and Master Chen, after which Ryo will go to the harbor and we will probably see Goro,
forklifts and much more! Ryo will try to enter Warehouse No 8, maybe Shozo Mizuki will help Ryo in this part too. Shozo Mizuki
is one of my favorite characters so i'm looking forward to see him in the anime.

Ryo will talk to Guizhang and Master Chen about Lan Di and the mirrors, again Chai will probably be there listening to
everything! We will see the fight between Ryo and Guizhang in Sakuragaoka, and maybe in this episode or in the next episode
Ryo will find the Phoenix mirror.

I also think that in this episode or in the next episode we might see Fuku-san giving money to help Ryo buy a boat ticket to
Hong Kong, and everything about the Asia travel company.

I can imagine also that in this episode there will be more scenes with Shenhua in Bailu Village, more scenes with Lan Di, Nozomi, Fuku-san and
Ine-san, maybe even with Tom. Possibly more flashbacks with Iwao, fights and much more, more scenes that are not in the game, and maybe we
will even see another character have a mini arc like Yamagishi-san had in this second episode. I hope that it will maybe be Shozo Mizuki that has this mini arc in the anime, or maybe we will even see Megumi-chan and the kitten in this episode too?

I also think Ryo will investigate in a similar way that he did in the second episode...I think we will see more NPCs that we
can see in the game too, and it would be so nice to see Tomato Convenience Store in the anime. 🍅 I think in this episode we will
see more familiar places in Yokosuka like we saw in the second episode.

I feel that we will see the kitten and more NPCs from the games, maybe in this episode we will see
Ichiro, Naoyuki, Megumi, Goro, Shozo Mizuki and many others.


What NPCs from the games you want to see in this episode?
please share your opinion in the comments below!

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I don't know exactly in what part of the story will be good to end with in the third episode. Maybe the episode will end showing
Terry just like we saw Guizhang and Master Chen in the ending of the second episode? Maybe the episode will end with Ryo
finding the Phoenix Mirror? I don't know for sure... but all i know is that i'm very much looking forward for the next episode because in my opinion
this season will get even better!

The name of the next episode is Yin-Yang so maybe we will see the Eight principles of Yin and Yang in this episode. It would
be really interesting if the eight principles of Yin and Yang appear!

The eight principles of Yin and Yang are...

Exterior and interior
Cold and hot
Empty and Full
Yin and Yang

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Final Thoughts

The episode was beautiful. The anime is giving even more depth to the characters in my opinion. The revenge is there but
Ryo now questions more things about Iwao. Yamagishi-san has his own mini arc, wondering if he should help Ryo or not. There was more screen
time for Shenhua/Bailu Village, and Shenmue III characters appearing this way add more to the story, building
Shenhua character and make the world of Shenmue feel even more connected! Hey maybe we will even see Niao Sun in this season!?
We saw Shenmue III characters in this episode so it is not impossible for Niao Sun and other characters to appear in
this season possibly!

In the games we see everything from the perspective of Ryo, this is good because is Ryo's journey so it makes sense that in the games is this way, but with the anime we are having the chance to experience the Shenmue Story in a new look from other perspectives as well and I like this route for the anime version of the story.

Lan Di with more screen time. The interactions with Nozomi are wonderful, building her and Ryo's relationship.
The fights are awesome. There is more screen time for Shenhua/Bailu Village. The way Ryo finds and investigates the clues/informations is done so in an interesting way. The flashbacks with Iwao add more to his relationship with Ryo with Iwao too!

The identity and essence of Shenmue is in the anime. The anime team have found a nice balance to tell the story while also
showing the details that we can find in the game. Things such as capsule toys, cassette tapes and much more, and all of this with attention and care to the details about the Shenmue World, the pace of the anime is perfect! The anime is a breath of fresh air for this wonderful story, and I really love this new take onthe Shenmue franchise.

Next week I will be back for my analysis of Episode 3 Yin-Yang, thank you all so much for reading, bye bye ~


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