Making of Shenmue (Japanese TV Special) - Subtitled

Translation and English Captions by www.phantomriverstone.com
TV special about the development of Shenmue with Yu Suzuki. (Episode 1 of the documentary series "Network Jungle III", broadcast in Japan on the NHK BS2 channel on 12 July, 1999).

[@ShenmueYT]

✅ *Purchase Shenmue I & II (Steam):* bit.ly/2sAOKi1 ✅ *Shenmue Music Playlists:* bit.ly/2k0U5tA ✅ *English captions provided by:* www.phantomriverstone.com

[@enzonapolano6971]

Damn, they programmed the daily schedule of all 250 people in the city, that`s insane for the time.

[@Aramanak]

+Enzo Napolano Hell, I think it's still impressive in today's standards

[@raf.nogueira]

Insane for the time is the software architecture to make this work, our smartphones are thousands of times more powerful then the dreamcast hardware

[@BlazeHeartPanther]

Not to mention the dialogue between all the characters is the length of 40 two hour long movies!

[@Fascistbeast]

They can all this today and more but won’t. Yu Suzuki and the team work ethic are incredible but also originality.

[@Retrofire-47]

Reminds me of the "radiant AI" claims by Bethesda... only these were 100% realized, and recent hardly 1/10 the attention. many of the technologies in Shenmue were literally revolutionary. I would argue the game design was, too.

[@sadhbh4652]

I played these two games again recently for the first time in twenty years. At first I thought I'd put it down after ten minutes and think "Well, games have come a long way since then." Instead I ended up playing through them both for weeks. Truly beautiful works of art.

[@Retrofire-47]

Same exact experience.

[@Grandmastergav86]

Despite the terrible dubbing, what Shenmue has which so many games lack (besides astonishing attention to detail) is heart and sincerity, this is a true labour of love, not a game made by committee

[@animesocialgreengodgamingn7826]

The dubbing is otherworldly I always have felt this. Not "terrible" how can speech be delivered "terribly" haha my 2cents

[@SkitBitProduction]

The bad dub was great

[@captainmorgan5807]

Dubs are for plebs anyway.

[@salmanscience2562]

I think that the dubbing turned into a type of humor unintentionally which proved to be good for the game 😅

[@VitoVitonerLanci]

*Looks at specs from unreleased sony ps2 chip" Yu Suzuki puts sunglasses on. "Meh, it works like this. They'll probably take a couple years to understand how to use it properly" ######YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAH########

[@Drakub]

This game stands as the most mind blowing and influential experiences of my entire youth. Its significance can not be overstated. Thanks so much for uploading this!

[@hmdchy]

Same.

[@TommySasaki]

Very interesting and impressive inside look of SEGA and Yu Suzuki. Thank you for this upload.

[@lacroix12345]

Just finished Shenmue 3. Now i need to pass the time for the next installment. Let's hope it's not gonna be another 18 years before we can get our hands on the next one.

[@Staalstraal]

Played Shenmue when I already had a Gamecube. I preeetty soon realized it was something really special. The constant feeling of awe I got through the details and novelties is something I'll cherish forever. Thanks Yu Suzuki for pushing the boundaries of entertainment.

[@jeffreycapilitan3944]

The more I appreciate Shenmue, This game is made of Passion and dedication.

[@thatvideogamesshow]

This is just beyond awesome!

[@Grandmastergav86]

What a phenomenal experience it turned out to be. Majestic, a true work of art, a feat which has yet to be matched and for me most definitely never be topped. Never has a videogame left such a strong impression on me. I completed it over Christmas 2000 and immediately played through again. In total I beat the original around 30 times (I rarely play through games a second time). Shenmue 2 I probably completed around 9 (7 on the DC and 2 times on Xbox, just started playing through it again lol)

[@Retrofire-47]

You see, this is how i feel about Lost Planet 2 shame no one else shares my sentiment :(

[@gogosegaga]

I don’t think there will ever be this much investment creatively and financially into a games series ever again. It’s incredible the amount of detail in every single part of the game.

[@ProWrestlingReality]

Im 28 turning 29 so I never played this at the pique of the release but as a young gamer owning an n64 I loved playing zelda 64, duke 3d and other games and loved just exploring the environment and towns. I remember seeing screenshots of this game as a kid and thinking it looked so cool and open, sadly never got to try it but during the initial stages of covid I got the ps4 2-pack and I really really enjoyed it. It really did take me back to what it would have felt like playing games as an older teen or adult at the high of that 90s era and had a nice unique nostalgic 2000s vibe. It was a bit of a slog to get through especially the harbour section but I beat it and got the platinum. Hoping to start the second one soon!

[@hanzobi1926]

Tbh, I'd rather see Shenmue 3 on the original engine that 1 and 2 ran on the Dreamcast than what it's going to be like with today's standards. I couldn't care less of how well the gfx and what not will be like on PC, PS4, etc. This is how I remember Shenmue and just hope the 3rd is not ruined.

[@TheOrangeMatty]

I don't think it will be ruined... I think Yu Suzuki knows what he is doing and I have high hopes for Shenmue 3...

[@BAGS00_24]

@@TheOrangeMatty so what do you think now?

[@TheOrangeMatty]

@@BAGS00_24 My opinion hasn't changed that much tbh. I still like Shenmue 3 although there was some things I didn't like as much compared to the first two games. The first one would be the way the fighting works in Shenmue 3, it's just not as good as the Virtua Fighter engine that was used in the first two games in my honest opinion. The second thing I wasn't a fan of was some of the story in the game. Now don't get me wrong, I liked most of it but it didn't really feel like it progressed the story forward that much compared to the first two games and also the ending of Shenmue 3 felt very rushed tbh. If I recall correctly there was supposed to be one more area in the game but it was cut for unknown reasons and I think the ending would of been a lot better if it wasn't for that. Overall though I enjoyed Shenmue 3 but Shenmue 2 is still my favorite of the series right now.

[@BAGS00_24]

@@TheOrangeMatty It's great that you liked it, maybe they can fix those things you (and other people aswell) disliked about this game if they ever make a Shenmue 4

[@BlazeHeartPanther]

Wow, Documentaries for video games rarely exist. It was fantastic seeing this, even if it was only the last 6 months of development. We did see a tiny of Akira being motion captured at the beginning when the game was still being developed as Virtua Fighter RPG, but it would have been great to see that old prototype of The Old Man and the Peach Tree. Other then that, this was still a very impressive documentary. Also 40 TWO HOUR LONG MOVIES worth of dialogue exchange???? holy shit

[@FlorisDVijfde]

Ryo, not Akira!

[@BlazeHeartPanther]

@@FlorisDVijfde But it would be Akira since it was the Virtua Fighter RPG I was talking about, or was that not the VFRPG that was being shown? Truth be told, this was 4 years ago and I probably need to watch this again ^^!

[@FlorisDVijfde]

@@BlazeHeartPanther Sorry I thought you meant the main character in Shenmue. I'm now watching the Shenmue animated series, it adds serious pacing to the very slow storytelling in the games.

[@orbita1]

Outstanding documentary that focuses on many aspects of the industry, including engineering - one that is massively ignored in today's media.

[@A-m-K]

Masterpiece and years ahead of its time, like the dreamcast itself.

[@corin6677]

Sega where seriously cutting edge back then . Such a shame to where they are now.

[@matycuervito]

"Trabajas metido en un ordenador en un mundo de ceros y unos, metido en matematicas, fisica, etc. Pero en el fondo, en algun lugar de esa creacion, esta su poder de transmitir algo a alguien ¿verdad?. Durante ese recorrido, este poder se aplica en la creacion, esta capacidad de comunicar a la gente, ya sea con emociones o de otra manera. Eso viene de algo que no es la tecnologia, eso es lo que creo de verdad. Creo que la unica forma de conseguirlo es hacer algo meticulasamente y de corazon. Aunque la diferencia en el rendimiento de un hardware puede explicarse por una diferencia de tecnologias. En el caso del entretenimiento o de una alguna creacion ha de conmover a la gente o influir en ella de alguna forma con la energia que irradia. Creo que lo importante es que uno se haya dedicado en cuerpo y alma a la obra" Que fenomeno este señor. Mis respetos, por su pasion y por influenciarme con su obra ademas.

[@WithoutNumbers]

Больше спасибо за этот отрывок! Голосовой ИИ перевод на русский язык с японского недостаточно полно передает нить этой мысли, хотя понимание масштаба проделанной инновационной работы для того времени несомненно здесь впечатляет, заставляя искренне удивляться этой игре спустя 25 лет. С исторической точки зрения для творческого самовыражения не только отдельного человека, но и такой креативной японской нации, это огромное событие для всей игровой индустрии, о котором я только на днях узнал и теперь понял еще глубже благодаря этой передаче и таким комментариям. Просто феноменальный проект.

[@XenomorphLV426]

There's something I really love about this game. I can't really explain it. I stopped playing videogames these last few years and recently picked up a copy of shenmue HD 1 & 2 on the Xbox one. Shenmue 2 was my first RPG ever(ogXbox), never got to play the 1st. Immediately I fell in love with it despite the outdated controls and graphics. I just appreciate the sincerity, technical feat, compassion, and love this game exhibits at a superficial and deeper level. This is when games used to be works of art and not just a corporate soulless cash machine. Thank you Mr Suzuki.

[@Retrofire-47]

You know what intrigues me, is how many of their pursuits were oriented around "realism", and yet the game was complimented so well by the limitations of the Dreamcast hardware. like, how minor details were more blurry and were deemphasized to the player, while more important details were high resolution/detailed. Also, things like ghost ships on the horizon of the docks really gave the player a semblance of scale. The low res also allowed for a lot more artistic freedom is creating a style to the game

[@allisonfjord]

Fascinating stuff! Also very cool to hear the voice tracks before they were compressed to hell and back

[@expectingbrainchild1707]

look at Suzuki's reaction to that kid playing at 47:53 how cute is that?

[@Fascistbeast]

I just finished my first Shenmue 1,2 playthrough on PS4. Yu Suzuki and team👏 Thankyou Masterpiece

[@Unknown-hi8ww]

When they watch Final Fantasy VIII Walkthrough.. Yu Suzuki : No voice..? Yeahh..I think that's why all characters can talk in Shenmue..

[@LuSanification]

bullshit, the japanese versions of the game have voice and so do the European and American ones.

[@LuSanification]

I own the european version, and everyone talks with a voice as they should. Same applies for shenmue 2 but shenmue 2 onlly has japanese dialog and english subtitles.

[@drunkensailor112]

you are wrong. I own the japanese shenmue 1 and the entire game is voiced. also people walking by on the street

[@Gromber]

dont play with ripped backups :D I have all original version on gdrom, and all characters have voice, japanese versions included.

[@JohnnyMatherson]

lmao this guy with his rips of the games and claiming no voice acting like it's gospel that there's no voices for folks in the streets. dumbass

[@marnixmaximus3053]

I love how they smoke in the working sessions, looks bad ass.

[@DerekMoore82]

It was a more efficient time management than today. Imagine how much time is lost when employees who have creative leeway are forced to walk away from the job every few minutes to smoke. Just let them smoke in the building I say.

[@DerekMoore82]

@Andrew Aydie Yes, I was alive in the 80's and 90's and I remember nobody cared as long as it wasn't right in our faces. We didn't complain about much back in the day and we had more freedoms and less stress.

[@DerekMoore82]

@Andrew Aydie I have been smoking for 27 years. When they banned indoor smoking I complied. I don't smoke around others, I don't even smoke in my own house, I go outside because I don't want my smoke messing up the air in the house, I'm considerate enough to avoid smoking too close to other people as well. All I'm saying is back in the day nobody seemed to care and it was everywhere. Also, I do think that it hurts productivity for employees to have to take smoke breaks, but I also understand not smoking around people. I think depending on the job there should be some accommodations if it's possible.

[@lukejohnson3818]

This was so good. Thank you for subtitling this!

[@bcdcdude8252]

Wow - so many interesting things here! Thank you for uploading it :)

[@JoeSlap]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@davidm2364]

Thank you so, so much to whoever took the time to subtitle this. (And fascinating to see how much of what became Shenmue II is here).

[@gogosegaga]

This was incredible...! Thanks for translating. We finally got a glimpse of just how much attention to detail Yu Suzuki put into the games and they were all he better for it :) I really can't wait for Shenmue 3!!

[@SledgeNE]

I love Shenmue! ♥

[@SlashBeetlejuice]

Beautiful. Dreamcast for life

[@57Rye]

Cool to see Ed Fries pop up there at the end.

[@XxIkkiRaiden0xX]

This video proves how genius Yu Suzuki is. It´s incredible too see how difficult is create a video game, especially a game so detailed like Shenmue. This makes me excited to see how good is going to be Shenmue 3.

[@kokonutmusic]

;(

[@minsukim7693]

私は韓国人ですが、当時BS2は韓国釜山では見ることができたので、これを見ていました。シェンムのすばらしいグラフィックに戦慄するほど驚いた記憶が未だに鮮やかです。

[@WithoutNumbers]

Это действительно круто!

[@Dukefazon]

Amazing what they could achieve with that now-old technology. I hope that developement on Shenmue 3 will be a lot easier, with a given game engine that they don't have to write for themselves, with services like google maps and other. I'm looking forward to Shenmue 3, I'm playing Shenmue (1) for the first time right now.

[@fissionmailedsuccessfully]

+Dukefazon As much as I hope for Shenmue 3 to be great as it can possibly be, I kinda got the impression from this documentary that the whole reason the original was so impressive was that they tried their hardest to push the limits of the somewhat restrictive Dreamcast. Without similar challenges there is no reason for game developers to innovate and apply creative solutions to problems. Just take modern Call of Duty for example.

[@Dukefazon]

The appeal of Shenmue for me is the atmosphere and the detailed surroundings. If they got that right I'm okay with it.

[@gm112]

I wish the discussions around 54:39 were shown more. Yu Suzuki is breaking down the ps2 and its a rare ass glimpse into two competitors studying each other. Very awesum possum grade awesum!

[@grim_bbx2241]

34:30 man predicted the future of architecture and interior design based off a Shenmue game and i love it

[@lasersauceretroarchives6544]

Yu suzuki is an example of a perfectionist but done it right. He might be strict at work but for the better. I like it when he wants his team to be more opinionated. I mean you can see the ending product and for sure, we won't see this much effort again for a video game. Thank you Yu suzuki

[@Jona_RPD]

Gracias por la traducción Víctor.

[@alanescareno9748]

A Masterpiece was Born Thank You 🙏🤗Yu Suzuki

[@leftyfourguns]

Suzuki-sensei just casually walking up to a white board to draw a diagram of the PS2 chip and explain (quite accurately) how long it will take developers to fully utilize it's potential...a true gaming god

[@Pwnsweet]

Very cool, thanks!

[@Maidencloud]

Merci ! un documentaire très , très intéressant !

[@marianoardilesveron5283]

genios!!

[@RockYeahh]

I'd love to see more from this old TV series.

[@GrandeGio95]

At 22:00 it's show a rare poster of Shenua riding a horse, wow

[@WebVManReturns]

Virtua Fighter 3 may be in the Smithsonian, but it is not the world's first 3D fighting game. Virtua Fighter 1 is.

[@napoleonsol639]

Realmente creo que este juego tuvo que haber tenido una fama bastante superior a la que en su dia capto , el trabajo detrás de él muestra incontables horas de dedicación, esfuerzo y cariño.

[@Cricas]

Really impressive. Thank you for the translation, guys. This is an historical document. Also, Sony was pretty foolish back then, as the PS2 took a long time to achieve what the Dreamcast already had

[@marioe.4400]

15:50 - That's the guy from White Dynasty Qr., wearing a 'Jet City' T-shirt (Jet Set Radio reference...?), saying: " Sorry but our store/stall isn't ready yet...".

[@johnnada6855]

RESPECT to Suzuki, ALL his games are fucking masterpieces, Shenmue 2 OOOFFFFF it shocked me to the bone in 2021., but since his arcade games to virtua fighters and Shenmue, this guy is a total genius and one of the most influencial men in videogames., Suzuki and Miyamoto are at the same level, and though Miyamoto did strong games for consoles, Suzuki did stronger games for arcades., total respect for Suzuki, as for Shenmue 3, it is the best game made for a super budget limited production., he did a very good job even when it is not cutting edge like shenmue 1 and 2, he managed to release something good enough to make the fans happy, so sad SEGA didn´t backed shenmue 3 could have been even better,., but besides that, the Suzuki legacy is amazing

[@grim_bbx2241]

Actually incredible

[@darwintorres4395]

Merci beaucoup pour la traduction, ce vraiment sumpa

[@philkasafir]

How can anyone dislike this... Seriously.... 2 people suck.

[@jabberw0k812]

Love that the intro feels like it is speaking to a person who has no idea what a video game is.

[@carolinatgallo]

Melhor making off dos anos 90, é muito bom ver como era grande a expectativa das novidades tecnológicas dá época, sem contar que é uma maravilha ver como era os anos 90.❤

[@DycypleLo17]

#LetsGetShenmue4 &#ShenmueAnimeSeason2

[@Tempora158]

37:59 Hard to believe Daytona USA and GAME OVER YEAH!!!!! came out of this formal looking guy back in the 90s.

[@usermissy]

he didn't mention anything about daytona or game over yeah

[@BlazeHeartPanther]

You have to admit. Best Game over, and best dubbing by Japanese guys for the games soundtrack "I wanna fryyy-yy-yy, so Hiiiiigh, wets go-oh-oh-oh togetheeeerrrr"

[@liquidmodernitytasteslikeu2855]

amazing

[@wordsshackles441]

54:42 - This is fascinating, because when Yu Suzuki said that the character model used 100k polygons - LOL - it shows that they had no clue and that by this point, the Ps2 hype was even fooling veterans of the industry that had first hand in AAA game development. Amazing really. PS: For those who don't know, 100k polygons per characters is a very rare occurrence even on current gen HW. Let that sink in for a moment...

[@leftyfourguns]

Maybe it was taken out of context. It was probably something more a long the lines that the PS2 was theoretically capable of 100k polygon models. And that specific model in that tech demo may have in fact been composed of 100k polygons or close to it. Of course Suzuki would've known the practical applications in actual software though.

[@wordsshackles441]

@@leftyfourguns That character is nowhere near 100K. Maybe 15K, and perhaps not even that much. I can tell you that just by looking at it. They were clueless.

[@lamiamekni2802]

I love it

[@ranmasaotome2640]

muy completo este documental shenmue es mi video juego favorito muy adelantado a su epoca junto con la dreamcast

[@tombombadilofficial]

In Japanese, Shenmue has realistic sounding Japanese conversations contributing to its immersive feel, but in English, the American voice acting was so bad it feels like watching a cheesy, dubbed 80’s Asian Martial Arts movie.

[@mandjtravel6579]

5:10 500 hours? hmmmm that is a little ambitious lol.

[@NoobFLProducer]

He means through all 6 games he had planned for it.

[@carlosernestogameroleon5750]

Buen documental

[@archas49]

tres interessant !

[@Cyclon32289]

Shenmue was peak for video games. After that only graphics and size has evolutioned but in terms of gameplay and immersion it was all a step down.

[@papeleofacturascasa1875]

Does anyone know if it continues with a second part? If so, could you answer me with the link? Its a great video!!!

[@Elimni]

Hello! I made this video's Chinese subtitle. How can I add it?

[@HasamiAge]

A pity that Sega didn't work out the good well. And we have have had to expect so much time.

[@SquareyCircley]

A few little mistakes but I like a lot of the liberal translation choices* like 未来が見えた！→ A vision of the future! *Unlike in the game itself..... OHHH!!!!

[@loneck]

What is that music starting at 57:15? I like it. Nice documentary btw.

[@RyoHazuki10]

Brutaaaal

[@theguitarhero3]

Can someone tell me the song on 24:03. It sounds so good.

[@thesch2867]

Everlasting World from Shenmue Orchestra version: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2GpaJtro554e5Y That part of the song starts at 1:21

[@Mr357]

Why are they saying "Picard" at 6:32? Was that already a meme back then?

[@caiocesarheadbanger]

♥

[@enzonapolano6971]

lol, in the documentary they say that it doesn`t matter how fast the players is, it`s gonna take 500 hours to beat shenmue XD anyway, great documentary for one of the best games ever.

[@notanotherreviewer.]

+Enzo Napolano Well, they said that for the saga, we only got a couple of games.

[@amonnunesfarofapoop7047]

+Enzo Napolano Nowadays you can even beat the game at a whopping 8~20 hours!

[@leftyfourguns]

+Enzo Napolano That is for the whole saga. Shenmue was supposed to be 16 chapters or so and Shenmue 1 & 2 made up 8 of those chapters.

[@leftyfourguns]

In the translation they said "the whole saga", so maybe Suzuki was referring to the entire Shenmue story? He had planned to make like 7 different Shenmue games to tell the full story.

[@rickylean2040]

Okay so there literally showing scenes from Shemue 2 ending? The whole scene with the fire and shemua happens in the ending of shemue 2.

[@JoshFinerty]

anyone know the music at 33:42?

[@Cyclopz0rs]

0:17 racing lagoon

[@marnixmaximus3053]

"Rore-Plarying Gameru"

[@av-w2524]

like the game console space race at the beginning of the 21st century

[@szkokee]

😮

[@limitslines9896]

wtf , smoking in an office

[@kyiwinhtin8994]

that's why they are genius

[@chupapeitos]

90s dude haha

[@jonice3216]

I always wonder that is it possible to transplant shenmue to ps2 ?

[@STAXONDECK1]

No it wouldn't, textures would have been a blurry mess

[@X_Gon_Give_It_To_Ya]

45:58 Lol why does Yu Suzuki look so pissed off here?

[@BlazeHeartPanther]

He's probably just focusing.

[@asamiyashin444]

Is there any time limit in this game? I mean, if you let pass the days without continuing the story what happens?

[@LuSanification]

there is, but dont worry about it, you're given plenty of time

[@asamiyashin444]

Musgrave And what happens when the time is over? Can you stay playing until Spring?

[@LuSanification]

yep, actually spring is the time when if you don't reach the conclusion of the game, it will be game-over with a very peculiar cutscene.

[@LuSanification]

but still, it's not something you shpuld worry about, shenmue was made for you to stop by and smell the roses, there is a lot to be seen and enaught time to enjoy it all at your own pace.

[@WebVManReturns]

500 hours? Yeah right! I beat the game in 2 weeks playing for only 2-3 hours a day.

[@Oregondanne]

+WebVMan And totally missed the point of it, it seems.

[@Grandmastergav86]

30 mins of Shenmue is 1000x better than 100 hours of Final Fantasy, Cod or Skyrim IMHO

[@TheOrangeMatty]

The 500 hours meant the entire saga however we all know we only got Shenmue 1 & Shenmue 2 so yeah that never happened until Shenmue 3 finally got announced like 2 years ago...

[@MaillonRecordz]

I wish I knew Japanese so I could understand

[@TommySasaki]

+Kirby Doge Well theres subs if you press the subs button.

[@MaillonRecordz]

Thanks

[@lamiamekni2802]

I wonder if the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation 1 did well in Japan

[@drunkensailor112]

Ps1 yes, n64 no.

[@lamiamekni2802]

@@drunkensailor112 i said Japan

[@drunkensailor112]

@@lamiamekni2802 and I answered that.

[@lamiamekni2802]

@@drunkensailor112 and do you know why the N64 didn't do well in Japan (sorry if I annoyed you)

[@drunkensailor112]

@@lamiamekni2802 no annoyance at all. My opinion it failed is because of the cartridges. Japanese developers went to saturn and playstation including all the rpg developers. Also the saturn sold much better in Japan than n64

[@zihhuanlin8389]

我在等你的莎木四阿

[@JoPeTuYaTroJoueY]

thanks ! Shared on facebook.com/Tuyatrojouey ! French Gaming Community !

[@PEARAPPLEStm]

Sensacional juego, ahora veremos que sucede con Shenmue III , la lógica apuntaba a que si la segunda entrega salio para la primera Xbox , la tercera debio haberse lanzado para la Xbox One, solo que Microsoft se vio carente de vision y ya ni hablar de Nintendo y sus amiibos , Sony tiene la exclusiva mas tentadora de esta generacion de videojuegos, es la excusa perfecta para adquirir una Play 4 !!!

[@albertmas3752]

De hecho no tiene la exclusiva. También se lanzará en PC.

[@chupapeitos]

Pero no tiene en las consolas, es como un Horizon Zero Dawn

[@EthanLR]

shmoo

[@shinjiikarir]

No wonder it failed, that demo @ 5:00 looked boring as fuck

[@TheOrangeMatty]

Nope not really...