The Japan Times - Japan TV can catch 'Shogun' wave, says 'Like A Dragon' star

The crime-thriller series -- unveiled at Comic-Con over the weekend, and out on Prime Video in October -- is based on a popular and long-running Sega video game series about Tokyo crime gangs.

Like "Shogun" -- the drama that topped this month's Emmy nominations -- "Like A Dragon: Yakuza" was created by an American studio, but set in Japan, with a Japanese cast speaking their own language.

HBO's recent "Tokyo Vice" also explored the world of yakuza gangsters, while Japanese animes like "Blue Eye Samurai" have recently made Netflix's global top 10 most-viewed lists.

"It makes me really happy, and it's only recently that we're getting this recognition" internationally, said Ryoma Takeuchi, the star of "Like A Dragon: Yakuza."

Co-star Kento Kaku said it is important for Japan to "catch the wave" of success stories like "Shogun" by making more shows that are "recognized internationally."

"We have to be the ones to lead the way," said the 35-year-old.

Based on a long-running video game series, "Like A Dragon: Yakuza" is set in a Tokyo nightlife district modelled on the real-life red-light area of Kabukicho.

The action hops between 1995 and 2005, as a group of childhood friends are drawn into the world of the yakuza in various ways.

Kazuma Kiryu (Takeuchi) has become a fearsome but morally conflicted warrior, in mysterious circumstances.

"I had to take the risk to build a character from scratch... he's very beefed up on the outside but intricate on the inside," said Takeuchi.

- 'Authentic' -

The show follows a string of recent hit video game adaptations for television, including HBO's "The Last of Us" and Amazon's "Fallout."

Beloved Japanese video game characters like Nintendo's Mario and Sega's Sonic have also recently enjoyed huge success at the movie box office.

Those followed years in which film adaptations of video games generally struggled.

"Like A Dragon" executive producer Erik Barmack suggested that previous flops were the result of Japanese creations being "pulled over to Hollywood" and stripped of their context.

"Game players particularly can sniff out when something doesn't feel right," Barmack told AFP.

With the new series, Amazon insisted on making "a local story.... authentic to its roots in Japan."

It is a strategy shared with "Shogun," from the Disney-owned FX network.

Although shot in Canada, "Shogun" meticulously transported viewers to the intricate and deadly world of the early 17th-century court politics of feudal Japan.

It is a hot favorite to win big at the Emmys in September, where it is only the second non-English-language series ever nominated as best drama. It would be the first to win.

James Farrell, vice-president of Amazon MGM Studios for International Originals, said there was never any question of filming "Like A Dragon" in English.

"There is this swell of interest and love for Japan around the world," he said.

"The games are popular outside of Japan because it's Japanese," added Barmack.

H.Hayashi--JT