Summary
Prime Videohas just announced that a live-action series adaptation of one of my favourite game franchises of all time,Like a Dragon(AKA Yakuza) is coming this October 25. Like every other LaD nerd on the face of the earth, my first instinct was to cheer with my face turned towards the sky, like Kasuga Ichiban might when passing an exam at Ounabara Vocational School. Then I read the press release, and that excitement quickly cooled.
The Press Release Focuses On Its Grittiness
I’ve written extensively about my love for the series. There’s many reasons I adore Like a Dragon, but above all, I love the games becausethey’re campy as all hell. On paper, the plots sound extremely serious – after all, they’re largely about violence and organised crime. In practice, though, they’re laugh-out-loud, tears-in-your-eyes hilarious. I cannot describe the sheer bliss of watching Goro Majima working in his cabaret club for the first time, nor can I begin to explain the joy that every ridiculous substory in each game evokes in me. The comedy, acting as a foil to the serious themes of the main storyline, is the entire point.
Concerningly, Amazon’spress release about the showdoesn’t mention that at all. It says that the series is an original story based on the franchise, which it then describes as depicting “the lives of fierce yet passionate gangsters and people” in Kamurocho. It goes on to explain that the series “showcases modern Japan and the dramatic stories of these intense characters”. The series will move between 1995 and 2005, and will be “an original crime-suspense-action series” that follows Kazuma Kiryu. A statement from the show’s lead, Ryoma Takeuchi, highlights the show’s “human drama and conflict”, as well as the “intense fighting scenes”.
Masayoshi Yokoyama, head of Ryu Ga Gotoku and writer and producer on the games, is involved as well. Comfortingly, he says that while he’s never thought about visiting his work on the series, “if I were ever sent to the past through some kind of cosmic joke, this is the experience I’d want to create”. Less comfortingly, he says that newcomers will likely “find themselves invested simply in the gritty realism of the show”. To this, I can only say, bro, what?
If It’s Not Funny, It’s Not Yakuza
Are there gritty, realistic parts of the games? Yes, undoubtedly. At times, the game gets extremely serious about the cruelty perpetuated by organised crime, themes of redemption and accountability to yourself, and what it means to be a good person. But the majority of the seriesis not gritty. In Yakuza Kiwami alone (which is set in the same years as the show), Kiryu plays crane games to collect prizes for a businessman, is scouted as an exotic dancer, helps a guy stuck in the toilet with no toilet paper, and nearly gets shot by an assassin posing as a female performer at a bikini bar. Without this touch of humour and absurdity, the series simply doesn’t have the same appeal.
Is it even Yakuza if Majima isn’t popping up unexpectedly,dressed in bizarre outfitsand screaming Kiryu’s name?
From the press release alone, I’m not sure the adaptation is going to successfully keep the spirit of the games. Not once does it mention humour. Instead it focuses entirely on the grit and drama of it all, which isnotwhat made the series iconic in the first place. The fact that Yokoyama is associated with the project gives me some assurance that it might still go in the same direction, but the way it’s presenting itself doesn’t make me feel very optimistic about it.
Also, It’s Only Six Episodes Long
The series will be dropping in two parts, with three episodes releasing on October 25, and the last three releasing on November 1. We don’t know how long each episode will be, but that still doesn’t seem like enough time to cover both the very dramatic main storyline while incorporating the substories that the series is best known for.
I might be panicking for no reason – Amazon’s last foray into video game adaptation with Fallout was a huge hit that captured the key elements of the game very well. People were hesitant about that too, but most were pleasantly surprised. My concern about the press release may turn out to be completely unwarranted, but right now, it doesn’t feel like things are quite adding up. I’d love for Prime to prove me wrong, but I’m not sure it will.
Yakuza
Yakuza, also known as Like a Dragon, is a series of action-adventure games developed by Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Taking place largely in the fictional Tokyo district of Kamurochō, the games are often crime dramas featuring characters such as Kazuma Kiryu, Goro Majima, and Ichiban Kasuga, and are known for their host of fun minigames such as karaoke.
