Yakuza Kiwami 2: The Soul of the Mad-Dog

[@Cherry91]

Oh finally! The long wait is over!!! I'm once again very impressed with your writing. I love how you reflect on your past through Majima's story. It makes him even more relatable, as if I needed another reason to love him. I especially like your appreciation of the Majima saga. Obviously, everyone can think what they want. But I do feel like many people miss the point this piece was trying to make. They're so hung up on the shortness of it that they overlook the depth of the narrative. It doesn't help that the gameplay isn't as satisfying as, say, Yakuza 0. We reflected during the streams that there might've been some cut content. While that may be true, I've also come to think that the barebone gameplay also reflects Majima's involvement within the grander scheme of things. I would've liked to spend more time with him, rediscovering his fighting. But this isn't the Majima of 0. He's not young anymore. He's worn out and fed up with people's shit, so much so that he stepped away to try and build a life outside of the Yakuza, and only came back to help a friend. I'm being philosophical here lol. But your videos always inspire me. Also, the shout-out to Ugaki-san is wonderful. This guy has so much talent, I'm in awe each time I listen to him. We need a Majima centric game I swear!

[@GCVazquez]

I eagerly desire a Like A Dragon Gaiden featuring Majima!

[@Cherry91]

@@GCVazquez Pls I need that like I need air RGG come through !!!!!

[@noahwen-li]

Your Yakuza is for Men video came out at the perfect time it could have for me. It was at a point where I was re examining my biases and trying to interrogate my knee jerk reactions to that kind of more feminist critique on the stuff I engaged with. So I did initially feel defensive when I saw it, but forced myself to keep a level head and just listen. And I found that your points were sensical and seemed to be in good faith. And I left agreeing with most of it. I didn't see any of the conflict that came out of that video thankfully, but I'm not surprised to hear it happened. But I want to thank you for making it.

[@GCVazquez]

Comments like this make what I do worth it thank you

[@KBash]

i'm finally sitting down to give this a watch, but lemme say, it's the quality of the craft here that makes me want to avoid covering yakuza out of respect

[@GCVazquez]

Oh man please cover Yakuza all you want! I'd love to see it

[@KhaosElement]

Holy crap. One of my favorite content creators watches the other? Awesome. Collab when?

[@ararebeast]

I guess we all wind up on the business end of Dio Brando once or twice in our lives. Thank you especially for talking about Horii, I never realized he was why the karaoke machine in-universe was called the Horiidisc before somehow. It's interesting going through this series now as it comes out and on some level realizing that you could remake these videos every couple of years and come away with different points of focus and different self-reflections. Also, the stream footage to break up the video essay is excellent every time.

[@GCVazquez]

Thanks a bunch! It's wild how different my perspective can change in such a relatively short amount of time.

[@culIen]

Thank you youtube algorithm for this high quality gc vazquez content

[@swearspark2472]

I just want to say, I'm glad you are back and can't wait for not only the other videos you are planning to release in the coming weeks, but also the rest of the RGG titles as well! P.S. I'm REALLY looking forward to you talking about judgment, Yakuza 7, and Lost Judgment. :)

[@QuestingRefuge]

I don't know how I'll ever get to but your videos have me so curious about the Yakuza series. Also huge props for how you handle your platform and openly self reflecting. It's not an easy thing to do, and I think the internet would be a lot better if more people did this.

[@GCVazquez]

I value openness above anything else! I know not everyone can be or wants to be, but as long as I can, I will.

[@thomasglatfelter6700]

I never heard that reading of the knife scene before. I always thought it was about contrasting the pain of a man getting his lifestyle completely rejected (emotionally pain) and the pain of the sudden stabbing (physical pain). The knife and the emotional rejection were both quick and unexpected to Kiryu, but Kiryu could process the stabbing pain and overcome that pain by pulling the knife out quickly and walking away from the footpath without looking back. This contrasts with Kiryu's emotionally rejection by a potential lover festering for an entire day with Kiryu unable to move past that moment taking place on the footpath - both literally and metaphorically unable to move past it. I always thought this was to show just how out-of-touch the Dragon of Dojima was with the emotionally workings of the world outside of the yakuza - that being around the sociopathic rules of the yakuza for so long had ingrained that self-harming mindset into Kiryu - and that leaves us to wonder if Kiryu can overcome that trauma and actually form deep, lasting relationships with normal people. Compared to that, a little stabbing took barely even one minute to overcome and walk away from. (Also the argument/rain scene serves as a reflection of how 'masculine' men often jump to violence as a solution for all of their problems, even at the detriment to everyone around them.) It's never crossed my mind to contrast Kiryu's stabbing and Murai's suicide, but after seeing it again that sounds like a comparison that should be obvious especially with Kiryu and Murai even describing the same exact night's events. Maybe I missed this because chapter 11 ends with Murai's death, then a different chapter starts with Kiryu and Sayama's argument and then the rain scene. Either way, there aren't many English-speaking channels or forums that talk about the Yakuza games, so I appreciate your insight to understand these stories more deeply.

[@jakejones4801]

Another great one! Keep it up! I’ll never get used to hearing DIO in the series lol. And forgive me if you’ve already answered this, but are you gonna do a Yakuza 7 questrospective?

[@Cherry91]

Oh yeah he is gonna do a Yakuza 7 questrospective, after Judgement. We've been hyping the thing for him lol. I can't wait for that one. Come hang out on Twitch with us, we'll have some very deep convos 😏

[@GCVazquez]

Yep! I'm covering things in order of release, and I'm writing up the Lost Paradise script right now. Going to be streaming Judgment in a few days, and then once that script is done I'll be doing the same for Yakuza 7!

[@jakejones4801]

@@GCVazquez awesomeeeeee. Can’t wait!

[@danglydang3410]

Personally I really enjoyed and appreciated the Latino/Hispanic representation video and the discussion about representation in video games. I feel like since representation has always been lacking it's easy to forget your own people and heritage aren't included.

[@danglydang3410]

Edited for grammar

[@larsnyman2455]

Kiwami 2 is the closest I’ve ever come to platinuming a Yakuza game, but I played it in a room full of people that would shoot me weird looks if I played the gravure mini game near them, so I never touched it. I love how Ibuchi’s voice actor just did the Dio voice, it’s just that iconic

[@weebsneku]

One of my issues with kiwami 2 is how much stuff was carried over from 6 without making sense in the timeline. Like how 6's moveset is sort of a refined martial arts version of the dragon of dojima street brawler and how many of kiryu's heat moves require momentem where he doesn't have the full strength to do his classic moves. Kiwami 2 actually adds in classic heat moves from 2 which is cool but kiryu's moveset is still the 6 version and the new heat moves are only additions nothing was replaced so 2 era kiryu has old man moves. Also not a combat thing but just a nitpick is that dragon engine kiryu just looks weird to me and while the face and moveset can be fixed for me (i play on pc and the classic kiryu and style switcher mods are awesome) it just feels like bleh you know. But I also understand that Kiwami 2 was really just made to refine the DE so that it'd be better for Judgement and Y7 so I understand the why of it

[@MilkJugA_]

the yk2 majima saga is disappointing, i hope to see a fully fledged money-laundering adventure with majima one day

[@PizzaDog92]

Nice to see posting again on here, big dog. Your videos are what finally pushed me into trying out the Yakuza series and I haven’t looked back since!

[@GCVazquez]

Glad to hear it!

[@jbbelenkokoro2673]

I came back to your channel to see the videos that I missed since KZbin's algorithm is weird. I'm glad that you mentioned your Yakuza is for Men video and its impact. You are valid in your criticisms even if some people understandably disagreed with it. Anyway, love your analysis on the Majima Saga and how it gave closure to Makoto.

[@jack0slack]

Horii, man. I told you!

[@GCVazquez]

He's so good

[@erc3338]

Wasn't expecting any kind of response regarding YifM, but appreciate that you did! Good job, dude!

[@SolidArf]

My favorite thing about Questrospective is how introspective each retrospective is. (I just really wanted to say that - but jokes aside, you tie your personal perspective in with each of these videos so precisely, that I always walk away having both learned and *felt* something. This was one of my favorites yet.) Also, as someone who started with the Kiwami games and LOVED knife in the rain in YK2... I'm floored by how much the original was even more poignant. Never realized!

[@diIlon3735]

34:12 My memory is a bit foggy, but I'm pretty sure you already had bounding throws unlocked from the start in 6, but the game never tells you that you have it nor how to use it.

[@GCVazquez]

That would explain why I don't remember having them LMAO

[@zacharywong483]

Another great video! I love your ability to communicate your praise and criticisms of a game in such a balanced and well-explained way! Keep up the good work!

[@redphienix]

Oh HELL yeah! Excited as hell to listen in on this piece; It's been a minute since I played through K2, 3 years as it turns out, jeez, already? huh. Anyway, I have great memories- many of which I got to revisit on the Yakuza 2 video, but lord knows this vid will be a different beast. 0:40 YOU SON OF A- PC version was such a boon. 7:35 All's said but genuinely worth restatin'. Thinkin' on the work you consume is good practice, and allowing yourself to disagree and challenge is much the same. I'm outspoken on this fact, but I appreciate that you took such a difficult task head on- in your own videos challenging facets of the series that are very much worth the effort all in the name of seeing the series improve going forward, rather than losing itself in these fault lines. While it's been undeniably more 'fun' I guess is the word, cheering along to the themes and gratuitousness of the Yakuza series alongside you, it's been far more rewarding to be granted, er, 'participation' through viewership of the harder discussions to be had. And I do mean that; As a huge fan of Yakuza it's obviously a blast to shout excitedly at all the core lessons and ridiculous scenes- but it is because of my adoration for these parts of the series that I find discussing the rest not just worth it, but both necessary and valuable. I'm a big fan of the more challenging videos in this questrospective thus far, though I suppose I'd be parroting your own hopes in saying I hope future entries become slightly less so than some others- but that's a given as the hope is to see things improve rather than regress lol. 13:00 - @ Hisakawa's impact on the role, hell yeah~ 15:10 - @ knife in the rain, well shit. Okay, damn. I can't remember if I rewatched this scene in full during your Yakuza 2 video or not, but holy hell if the OG isn't something compared to the remake. I even went back to find some old posts from my playthrough and it's funny how lacking in impact the moment was for my playthrough of K2, but just watching the OG cutscene right now left me with pause at how well done it was. Talk about a downgrade, and it's not purely from the music switch (though, my opinion is yeah lol). The loud as hell knife sounds and unwillingness to commit to the mute effect really tore it down while the original left me stunned and I KNEW what the scene was, dang. (Blues you say) Oh hey, I mentioned the silence and knife sound lmao. 23:22 - Ooooh, that's a nice tell of how he handles the role, I adore Ugaki-san's work as Majima and your volume analogy is a damned tidy way of explainin' how his take of the character plays out. 27:30 - Gah~ Being reminded of this aspect of Kiwami 2 honestly makes me consider replayin' the whole dang thing just for Majima's part in it. But more-over, I appreciate the overview on just how it came to be, I hadn't any clue who was behind it, or half of Horii-san's credentials and if I were to be completely honest: Knowing this has revitalized my excitement to finally play Like a Dragon once I'm able. I already wanted to for all the obvious reasons, but this is such a kick in the rear to do just that lol. 29:00 - Hell yeah to that; You march forward. And on topic of the world in K2, it really did hit a note of immersive quality that stunned me back when I played it and has remained to this day- when I picture getting immersed into the cities of Yakuza I picture my first few minutes in K2, it's just how it is. Closin' Hey, not much to say. That's a mighty fine and mature way to handle yourself- a step of accountability I'll admit to bein' a bit impressed by- it's just as easy to say sorry and leave it at that after all. Kudos, man. And to circle back, I do still very much appreciate the work you poured into your harder videos on the Yakuza series, it's honestly hard to hear just how it played out, mostly because it's easy to justify preparing and reacting the way you had despite the faults therein. Live and learn, and you seem determined to do just that. The vid was a joy, and having been granted so many fine write ups it's been a pleasure to see you redouble your efforts on yourself throughout em. I thank ya, and hope ya have a good one~ (and would ya look at that, I didn't get fuckin' lost for months on end and end up missing out on a new god dang GC vid, lol, Now to finally figure out how to watch twitch with any semblance of regularity because those streams really are a fun time!)

[@GCVazquez]

If you can make it to the streams you're always welcome!

[@azrafahmad5635]

Good Catch on the Horii, reminds me of a comment I left you on an earlier video but Horii seems to be one for modernizing aspects of the franchise in a good way.

[@cosmicsynapse8076]

It has been a very enjoyable ride to watch you cover the Yakuza games! I know you still have more you want to do and I look forward to being there to see you have fun and reflect on what comes next! Thanks GC!!

[@GCVazquez]

Thank you!!!!!

[@percymacdonald6657]

Love your videos but miss the karaoke intros!

[@GCVazquez]

I'm trying to bring them back for LAD!

[@percymacdonald6657]

Glad to hear it. I get why you don't like 6 but I really wanted to see you do 'today is a diamond' ukelele and all.

[@GCVazquez]

@@percymacdonald6657 I picked up ukulele to do it and everything! Just didn't have the time to get it all done for the video unfortunately. Maybe next time!

[@percymacdonald6657]

@@GCVazquez sad to hear that! With regards to how depressing today is a diamond actually is when you look at the lyrics one KZbin comment said 'my personal headcanon is that kiryu is oblivious to the dark undertones and takes this song entirely at face value' cheered me right up :)

[@kacklina]

your back! yey

[@GCVazquez]

I'm always here! Just working on super secret things :D

[@kacklina]

@@GCVazquez I'm glad, I honestly don`t start to understand how creating youtube content works, but I personally still thank you for your "Yakuza is for man" video. I feel you talked for a lot of fans that love a lot this series but feel the same way. As a woman, is personally uncomfortable. Maybe because I am not a youtuber but I really don`t see why you have to apologize, your friends don't need to think the same as you, the problem is the people who trall them for assuming they should. Maybe when people were trying to talk to you in the comments and you were closed-minded and hostile to them, I would get why you apologize. The people attacking the women who share your opinion would still do it outside of your own opinion....the internet NEVER forgot that buzzfeed woman. Anyway, I am glad to see you again on youtube and hope whatever secret project that comes to be successful. If anything your opinion made me feel supported as an audience and as a fan of this games.

[@KhaosElement]

This is the part where you don't vanish for another year, right? Right?

[@GCVazquez]

Yes this is the part where I stick around

[@KhaosElement]

You're a gentleman and a scholar sir. I've genuinely missed your work.

[@Buzani27]

GC GC GC GC

[@otakonxxx]

A fantastic return. I can't wait for what you have lined up.