When it comes to developing the best games the industry has to offer, Japan and the West are relatively equal. But when it comes to adapting those games into prestige TV series, the land of Nintendo, Sony and Sega is lagging far behind the pace.
During a press event at the chic Hotel Gajoen in Meguro Ward on June 4 Amazon Prime Video has announced a TV adaptation from the long-running Like a Dragon series (developed by Sega and known outside Japan as the Yakuza title). Starring Ryoma Takeuchi as Kazuma Kiryu and joined by Masaharu Take, chef of The Naked Director, ‘Like a Dragon: Yakuza’ takes viewers through the rough streets of Kamurocho, located in the Kabukicho district of Shinjuku district Tokyo. The six-episode TV adaptation is part hard-boiled crime drama and part collection of vignettes depicting the trials and tribulations of urban life in Japan. The TV adaptation will be split between 1995 and 2005 as Kiryu struggles to live by a personal code of honor amid the cutthroat world. of the Japanese mafia.
Takeuchi certainly seemed to be playing Kiryu’s role during the event. His hair was slicked back and the 31-year-old actor wore a black patterned kimono and similarly patterned chukka boots. The full length of the character’s dragon back tattoo, Takeuchi explained, took 2.5 hours to apply during filming – necessary tedium for the 185 centimeter tall Takeuchi if he wants to convincingly portray a character driven by a ginger neighborhood walks and honor beats. and justice against street criminals and loan sharks with nothing but his bare hands.
