FUku-san was originally going to be the one kidnapped, but…. (My favorite Yu Suzuki moment)
TRANSLATION
"This is something that was revealed during a Shenmue livestream, but it was planned that Fuku-san, in casual clothing, was going to be kidnapped. That scene was actually created. When Yu-san saw it, he said, 'No one would want to save this guy!' and everyone agreed. And it was changed to [Nozomi] Harasaki being kidnapped.😀 Incidentally, the song that was provisionally used for the motorcycle [rescue] was First Love by Hikaru Utada."
During my Dreamcast Livestream of Shenmue 1 and 2 i nearly died laughing after a Shenmue expert viewer told me that Fuku-san was originally going to be the one kidnapped, as he stated this, i had replied INSTANTLY that id wouldnt have gone and saved him, and literally as i said that out loud, his next message came in stating that Yu Suzuki said they didnt do this because “No one would want to save this guy!' …. He was right! lol!
First scene in Shenmue 1 was one of the last finished
Crazy part about the initial in-game cut scene, it was actually one scene that was refined all the way up to the conclusion of the development process. Considering the significance of the scene in establishing Ryo's drive to seek vengeance for his father's demise, it is logical that it was examined and edited again and again before its unveiling.
TRANSLATION
"Shenmue went on sale 19 years ago today. The part for which we reworked the motions right up until they very last minute, just before mastering, is actually the opening (with Ryo, Lan Di and Iwao). It was created early on, improving its quality was the last thing to be done. It has a lot of characters and interactions, so it was left until later.😀"
Edits and refinements to character Skeletons from Shenmue I to II
TRANSLATION
"The year of Shenmue's revival has come to an end (so here's something special for you all 😀). In fact, the bone structure of the characters changed between Shenmue I and Shenmue II. The neck and chin were made so that they could be pulled back. 'So what?' you might say. 😅 What pleased me more was that the number of base model shapes was increased. Happy New Year everyone!"
Scans also uploaded in original tweet. Names for skeletal model parts here, also Don Yiu labled as OBESE!
One single Night to create Shenmue I's Bad Ending
Its crazy to me that the developers had put together this entire ending sequence in just one night, as it certainly didn't feel rushed or hastily made.Crazy their quality still rings true even here!
TRANSLATION
"The bad ending of Shenmue One was created in a hurry. I was on my way to the station to catch the last train when I realized I had left my wallet at the office, so I went back to the office and started creating the motions for the bad ending, which took through to morning. I was up all night working on it, so if you haven't seen it, now is a great chance to watch it. 😀"
"Personally, I found it quite rare to stumble upon the bad ending during gameplay (you have to kill time until mid-April on purpose to trigger it), but when I finally did, it was chilling to witness Lan Di's sudden reappearance at the Hazuki Dojo.
The character animations in this scene were just as convincing and lifelike as in any other part of the game. I was astounded to learn that the developers had put together this entire ending sequence in just one night, as it certainly didn't feel rushed or hastily made."
Yuan's Hair dyed for Muecas
This tweet pertains to coloring Yuan's hair for Muecas, a group composed of Shenmue enthusiasts who referred to themselves as a clandestine association. Muecas maintained its own section on the official Shenmue website between late 2001 and March 2004, where they shared fan art, photographs, and other submissions that were Shenmue-themed and published every two weeks. The community included multiple members of the actual Japanese voice cast and development team who concealed their real identities behind aliases, such as Masaya Matsukaze, Hiroshi Noguchi, and Kenji Miyawaki, alongside followers.
“Speaking of Shenmue, the Muecas group seemed to disappear before I knew it... 😅 I remember that we had a lot of fun at the end, making alterations to pictures taken by the cameraman, and getting people from other departments involved, doing whatever we wanted. I was the one who dyed the hair of the person acting as Yuan blonde.😀”
The allusion to coloring Yuan's hair pertains to a comical serialized tale that appeared in recent editions of Muecas. Loosely based in the realm of Shenmue II, the story unfolds over several parts.
RECYCLED NPCs in SHenmue II’s opening cutscene
In the opening scene of Shenmue II, a solitary character reappears in each camera cut, consistently present without fail. It's intriguing to ponder how many observant viewers have taken note of this amusing quirk. It appears that the developers simply had some fun with this, and it holds no particular significance. Upon closer examination of the opening, you can verify this - the same character donning a blue tracksuit can be seen wandering or engaging with others, seemingly teleporting throughout the world. Technically, multiple characters are reused throughout this segment. Notably, the guy in the tracksuit is named Kuang Lu and can be spotted in various areas of the game where a generic NPC character was required, including the front seat of Ryo's bus ride to Kowloon. You may want to check out the definitive Shenmue II Character Database created by Miles Prower/Stuart, available for download from the Shenmusings website, for more insight into the game. Thanks to Miles Prower/Stuart for providing this information!
"In Shenmue II's opening cut scene, the same one person always appears [in each of the camera cuts]. I wonder how many people have noticed? There's no special meaning to it - it's just the creators having some fun"
we lost out on Joy wearin short shorts because of stupid motorcycle company….
Never had a reason to be mad at Honda till now…. Really though, the fact they allowed her to ride it without a helmet is kinda crazy in itself. They are super concerned about safety and peoples impressions of it, but youd think theyd care about the helmet more than jeans… Joy in short shorts below!
"Joy is one of the heroines of Shenmue II. Originally, she was to wear shorts. However, a complaint was received from the motorcycle manufacturer that shorts, as well as not wearing a helmet, could not be allowed. However, it turned out to be technically impossible to put a helmet on her, so the motorcycle's actual brand was not able to be used. The long pants were kept in, for some reason. 😅"
I'm a huge fan of Joy and her badass style in Shenmue II. As it turns out, her motorcycle in the game was modeled after Honda's CBR1100XX. It's interesting to note that in the early version of the game, the bike still bore the Honda logo in the Game Jam prototype, but was later replaced before the official release. I'm always fascinated by these little details and the thought that goes into creating a cohesive gaming experience.
non-stop Debugging! And it shows!
Its actually insane to me how bug free these games are. I just completed a massive playthrough of Shenmue 1 AND 2, on my MITZKETO livestream channel on twitch (and im going to play 3 as well) and I experienced 1 single glitch the ENTIRE playthrough! Its just crazy to me how unlikely that is with all the moving parts.
TRANSLATION
"Something I remember very clearly about working on Shenmue I is the debugging. We had about 200 developers debugging 8 hours each a day in 3 shifts, 24 hours a day. Endlessly stalking the characters on schedules (the townsfolk) was such fun... wasn't it.😅 With Shenmue II, it was done tucked away inside a separate room, ceaselessly playing arm wrestling or Lucky Hit. What kind of mind-body training was that!😀"
As a dedicated fan of Shenmue, I'm constantly impressed by how rarely bugs crop up in the games, which is surely a testament to the rigorous testing process they must have undergone. While I absolutely adore playing Lucky Hit for a quick source of income or to kill some time in Shenmue II, I can't imagine spending hours on end doing so.