By Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – Japanese actor Ryoma Takeuchi believes video game fans will have a special connection to the new television series “Like a Dragon: Yakuza.”
The series is based on the popular video game “Yakuza: Like a Dragon” and will stream on Amazon Prime Video starting October 24. It was unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con last month.
The Sega video game and show immerse people in a crime drama inspired by the Yakuza genre of Japanese film and deals with the Japanese mafia.
“I think fundamentally it comes down to the emotional core of the drama, and that’s something that will definitely appeal and resonate with the game’s diehard fans,” says Takeuchi, who plays the main character Kazuma Kiryu, who is part of a secret political organization.
“There will also be a connection to the original source material, so that’s something you can expect as a surprise,” he added.
The series begins with a group of children in an orphanage who conspire to steal money from the local mafia. When they get caught, the mafia chooses different roles for them to avenge their crimes.
There is a time jump of decades that begins with the orphans growing up, now former friends and living deep in the world of crime.
The series, like the globally popular video game, is steeped in Japanese culture and the dialogues are all in Japanese.
“Audiences around the world love the game because it is distinctly Japanese and set in a very specific location, the characters and the way business transactions are done,” executive producer Erik Barmack told Reuters.
“The way the mob behaves in the game is location specific. To do this show well, you have to stay true to the culture of the game and what the game represents,” he added.
For James Farrell, head of international programming at Amazon Studios, it is important to note that audiences today are watching foreign language programs differently than years ago, when people were less interested in reading subtitles.
“The pie is getting bigger and bigger,” he said.
“Our biggest show outside the US so far was ‘Maxton Hall’ from Germany. If you said a German drama was going to be the number one show, the answer would be ‘No way, it’s going to be a Spanish one, it’s going to be one of the others we have listed,'” he added.
The goal, says Farrell, is to find the perfect balance between “down-to-earth and local,” but also “accessibility and familiarity.”
(Reporting by Rollo Ross and Danielle Broadway in San Diego; Editing by Mary Milliken and Matthew Lewis)
