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Streaming giant Prime Video will release “Like a Dragon,” a live-action series adaptation of the SEGA game franchise “Yakuza Like a Dragon.”
The six-part crime-suspense-action series is directed by Take Masaharu (“100 Yen Love”) and Takimoto Kengo (“Kamen Teacher”) and stars Takeuchi Ryoma (multiple “Kamen Rider” titles) as the lead character, Kiryu Kazuma.
It will upload to Prime Video in two batches of three episodes on Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, with subtitled and dubbed versions in 30 languages.
The series’ story is set in two time periods, 1995 and 2005, and follows the life, childhood friends and the repercussions of the decisions of a fearsome and peerless Yakuza warrior with a strong sense of justice, duty, and humanity. The screenplay and story are by Sean Crouch and Nakamura Yugo, with a Japanese screenplay by Yoshida Yasuhiro and Yamada Kana.
Released in 2005 by SEGA, the “Yakuza” game series was positioned as an entertaining game for adults and found massive fanfare among its target audience. The series “Like a Dragon: Yakuza” depicts the lives of fierce yet passionate gangsters and people living in a huge entertainment district, Kamurochō, a fictional district modeled after the violent Shinjuku ward’s Kabukichō, that acts as the backdrop of the gameplay.
The series “showcases modern Japan and the dramatic stories of these intense characters, such as the legendary Kazuma Kiryu, that games in the past have not been able to explore,” Prime Video said.
Production is by The Fool. Executive producers are Erik Barmack, Roberto Grande and Joshua Long.
“I have poured out my heart, soul, and the experience that I have garnered over 35 years into ‘Like a Dragon: Yakuza’,” said director Take
“The unfettered appeal for Japanese content from within Japan and other parts of the world has been growing exponentially. While Prime Video Japan continues to offer a variety of content across genres, adapting an internationally popular game franchise that has such deep resonance and layered characters presents a unique charm and makes for an extremely compelling watch,” said James Farrell, head of international originals, Amazon MGM Studios.
“Since the day I first put pen to paper on the original ‘Yakuza’ script, I’ve never once thought about revisiting any of my work on the series. It’s because I understand all too well the challenges and hardships that come with remaking a finished title. However, if I were ever sent to the past through some kind of cosmic joke, this is the experience I’d want to create. If I had to go through the wringer anyhow, I’d want to make the most engaging versions of Kamurochō and Kazuma Kiryu I could —and this show has it all,” said Yokoyama Masayoshi, head of Ryugagotoku Studio and executive producer. “While the games let you experience their world through the subjective lens, this adaptation will be the ultimately objective way to enjoy the show. I have no doubt that fans of the series will be drawn to how it brings the games to life and adds new surprises. Newcomers, I’m sure will find themselves invested simply in the gritty realism of the show.”