MOVIE NEWS – Prime Video’s Like a Dragon series, based on SEGA’s Yakuza game, promises a gripping mix of crime, suspense and action across six episodes…

Prime Video is producing Like a Dragon, a live-action adaptation of SEGA’s acclaimed Yakuza video game series. Directed by Take Masaharu of 100 Yen Love and Kengo Takimoto of Kamen Teacher, the series will deliver a potent mix of crime, suspense and action that is sure to captivate viewers.

The six episodes of Like a Dragon will be available in 30 languages, subtitled and dubbed. According to Variety, the series’ main character will be Takeuchi Ryoma. He is a familiar face from several Kamen Rider titles. He will be the one who hides in the complex role of Kiryu Kazuma.

The story spans a decade, taking place between 1995 and 2005, and delves deep into the life of Kazuma – a feared Yakuza member known for his unwavering sense of justice, sense of duty and humanity.

Its story unfolds against the backdrop of Kamurochō, a fictional entertainment district inspired by the infamous Kabukichō in the Shinjuku district. This setting, familiar to fans of the game series, serves as a vivid canvas for the drama to come. Screenwriters Sean Crouch and Nakamura Yugo, along with Japanese writers Yoshida Yasuhiro and Yamada Kana, created a script that explores the characters’ lives and their relationships with childhood friends, marked by their consistent choices.

The series will not only try to adapt the basic situation of the original game but also develop it further, providing a more detailed insight into the characters’ personal trials.

Also into elements that video games often touch only briefly. The depth of the story is further enhanced by the vibrant, sometimes violent world of Kamurochō.

The plot of the series will revolve between the past and the present, giving viewers a panoramic view of the development of the protagonist, who turns from a fierce warrior into a man struggling with his responsibilities and past actions. This adaptation, according to Prime Video, “presents modern Japan and the dramatic history of these intense characters in a way that previous games only hinted at.”

Yokoyama Masayoshi, head of Ryugagotoku Studio and one of the project’s executive producers, shared his personal enthusiasm for the adaptation.

“I have poured out my heart, soul, and the experience that I have garnered over 35 years into ‘Like a Dragon: Yakuza,'” he said. Masayoshi’s comments reveal that he is a dedicated believer in recreating the complex world of Kamurochō and its inhabitants. , to further enhance the story that fans loved in the original games.

Like a Dragon will be released in two instalments on October 25th and November 1st.

Source: Variety