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October 7th marked the first day of New York Comic Con, after taking a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the final three episodes of Fena: Pirate Princess quickly approaching, Toonami and Crunchyroll hosted back-to-back panels for their next two upcoming co-productions, Shenmue: The Animation and Blade Runner: Black Lotus, revealing new information including new trailers and key visuals for both upcoming shows.
The Shenmue: The Animation panel was first, as Crunchyroll and Toonami revealed some of the first details since the show was first announced at Crunchyroll Expo 2020 a year ago. This included a new “first look” trailer and a key visual.
The trailer was released in English by Adult Swim and Japanese (with English Subtitles) by Crunchyroll, both of which you can see below:
Shenmue is scheduled to premiere in 2022 on both Toonami and Crunchyroll and will be 13 episodes in length. Storyline-wise, the Shenmue anime will cover the plotlines of the first two Shenmue games, Shenmue 1 and Shenmue 2.
According to Kevin Moncayo from our media partners at Swimpedia, Shenmue: The Animation will include backstory details that were never featured in the games, and although the anime features a linear storyline, the show’s producers are working to replicate the game’s atmosphere, such as when Ryo stops to talk with people on the streets. In addition, some of the locations the anime will be set in include Yokosuka, Hong Kong, & Kowloon.
Although New York Comic Con was an in-person event this year, due to COVID-19 precautions, the panels were prerecorded and held virtually. The panels are presently not available to view publicly at this time.
[swimpedia] on Twitter: “Check out this #NYCC first look at the #Toonami and #Crunchyroll original series, Shenmue the Animation, coming in 2022! pic.twitter.com/p02xf1xOnU / Twitter”
Check out this #NYCC first look at the #Toonami and #Crunchyroll original series, Shenmue the Animation, coming in 2022! pic.twitter.com/p02xf1xOnU
[swimpedia] on Twitter: “Highlights from the @ShenmueAnime panel:* Many pages of backstory were consulted that were never featured in the games* Story is linear but has the atmosphere of the games, such as Ryo stopping to talk to people on the street* Locations include Yokosuka, Hong Kong, & Kowloon pic.twitter.com/3efSrTU12w / Twitter”
Highlights from the @ShenmueAnime panel:* Many pages of backstory were consulted that were never featured in the games* Story is linear but has the atmosphere of the games, such as Ryo stopping to talk to people on the street* Locations include Yokosuka, Hong Kong, & Kowloon pic.twitter.com/3efSrTU12w
The panel for Blade Runner: Black Lotus immediately followed, and the big reveal included a new trailer along with a premiere date of November 13, 2021. Toonami will air the first two episodes back-to-back from midnight to 1:00 a.m. Eastern/Pacific time. Crunchyroll will release the English-subtitled version concurrently on their streaming service.
The trailer was released in English by Adult Swim and Japanese (with English Subtitles) by Crunchyroll, respectively:
In regards to production of the trailer, Toonami co-creator Jason DeMarco said he “leaned more heavily into the vibe of the show.” The trailer’s music also includes a Vangelis track and a track by Com Truise.
SPIRAL CURSE DEMARCO on Twitter: “PS the music in there is a Vangelis track, and Com Truise. Enjoy. / Twitter”
PS the music in there is a Vangelis track, and Com Truise. Enjoy.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus’ premiere will occur three weeks after the final episode of Fena: Pirate Princess airs on October 23. While this all but confirms that Blade Runner will take Fena’s spot upon the latter’s completion, there will be a two-week gap in the schedule between new episodes of both shows. At this time, Toonami has yet to reveal the block’s schedule following the DC FanDome movie night on October 16.
Blade Runner: Black Lotus is set in the year 2032, between the events of the original Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049, and set 10 years after Blade Runner Blackout 2022. The series will be 13 episodes in length.
The series is centered on a female replicant named Elle (voiced by Jessica Henwick). According to IGN, co-director Shinji Aramaki described the plot of Black Lotus as “a revenge story of a female Replicant.” Being a 13-episode series, Black Lotus will explore deeper into Elle’s story in addition to some of the themes and conflicts of the franchise, compared to what the previous films and shorts could due to time constraints.
[swimpedia] on Twitter: “Highlights from the Blade Runner: Black Lotus panel:* It’s a revenge story, but being a series allows it to expand beyond that* Ghost in the Shell was a major thematic influence* There was a challenge balancing new creative additions with pre-established Blade Runner elements pic.twitter.com/BiMMgdEnQz / Twitter”
Highlights from the Blade Runner: Black Lotus panel:* It’s a revenge story, but being a series allows it to expand beyond that* Ghost in the Shell was a major thematic influence* There was a challenge balancing new creative additions with pre-established Blade Runner elements pic.twitter.com/BiMMgdEnQz
Special thanks to Kevin Moncayo and Swimpedia for the news tips.
What are your thoughts on the news from NYCC? Are you looking forward to Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Shenmue? Let us know by commenting below or directly on our social media.
