Vortex Gaming

· The live-action drama 'Yakuza: Like a Dragon powered by Japan Unification' is evaluated as an excellent work.
· Unlike previous live-action adaptations, it meticulously respects even the smallest details of the original story, crafting a tightly woven narrative. It's a valuable experience that original fans won't regret.

· First, outstanding casting: Many characters, including Majima, Haruka, and Kashiwagi, are faithfully recreated not only in appearance but also in costume and atmosphere, closely resembling the original. They even went the extra mile by casting the original voice actor for Nishiyama.
· Second, a story that respects the original: Although there were some changes in plot progression and direction, the story fundamentally follows the original's flow. For instance, instead of a scene under Katagiri Kyo, Majima appears as reinforcements on Futo's island, naturally connecting the narrative. This contrasts with previous live-action adaptations that failed by disregarding or distorting the original.
· Third, excellent combat direction: The game's combat systems are faithfully reproduced, including Chinpira Rush, Style Change, various Heat actions, Horakushi, Parry techniques, post-combat animations, and battle BGM. Additionally, while slightly different from the original, moves like Back Crack, Break, and Chinpira Heat are also implemented.
· Fourth, meticulous recreation of sub-stories: Small details that deep-diving fans would recognize, such as vegetables, match sellers, eating meals, and distributing tissues, are very well recreated. It's commendable how sub-stories are depicted without affecting the main plot.

· Past live-action adaptations often inserted original characters or events unrelated to the main story, or caused character derailment, showing a lack of respect for the source material.
· However, this adaptation, 'Yakuza: Like a Dragon powered by Japan Unification', avoided these pitfalls and strived for faithful recreation, resulting in a high-quality production.
· Works that ignore or distort the original tend to fail, while those that faithfully follow or respect it tend to succeed.

· Nishiyama's gambling addiction was downplayed, and unlike the original where he stole money, he's depicted as assaulting a doctor, diminishing the character's impact.
· If the intention was to portray Nishiyama positively, incorporating additional scenes from 'Kiwami 1' would have been a better approach. Since other scenes were faithful to the original, this deviation stands out even more.

· It's disappointing that Kashiwagi's combat prowess was significantly toned down. In the original, he was considered a monster, but in the drama, he struggles even against regular enemies.
· While it was good that Kashiwagi participated in combat in the drama, unlike in the original, his portrayal was underwhelming. He should have at least been able to dispatch common thugs instantly.

· The forced attempt to connect the story of 'Kiwami 2' to 'Kiwami 3' felt awkward. It would have been better to omit the 'Kiwami 2' content and allocate more time to 'Kiwami 3'.
· Some suggest that dividing the story into 'Kiwami 1' and 'Kiwami 2' across different seasons would have resulted in higher quality.

· First, revise Majima's dialogue: Majima saying lines like 'Anyone related to Kiryu meets a bad end' doesn't fit his character. In the original, despite having similar experiences to Kiryu, he wouldn't say such self-deprecating things. It's important to consider that the cause of misfortune was often the individual's own actions.
· Second, enhance some directing: Compared to 'Beyond the Game', explosion scenes felt somewhat weak. While there are rumors of budget constraints during the Japan Unification era, more investment could have led to more impactful scenes. More effort should have been put into scenes involving Nishiyama, for example.
· Third, change Shingu-kun's BGM: It would have been better to use original BGMs like 'The Beat' or 'The End of the Game' for the climax boss battle. Not all battle music needs to be identical to the original, but respecting the source material for crucial moments would have been ideal.

· The production of this drama was initiated with the hope that it would lead to the creation of 'Kiwami 3', which is a very positive outlook. It's an opportunity to introduce the 'Yakuza' series to a wider audience.
· Recognizing that viewers, not just gamers, can become fans, marketing through video platforms like YouTube is highly effective. Leveraging this trend for merchandise and events is a smart business move.
· The production team is skilled at marketing and creates works from a fan's perspective, earning high praise. Their effort to understand and respond to fans' sentiments is evident.

· Some staff members hold the belief that 'existing elements must be destroyed for new creativity,' asserting it as their methodology.
· However, fans feel resistance towards the 'destruction' of cherished memories or works. They emphasize that new games should be enjoyable from a zero-knowledge standpoint.

· The live-action drama 'Yakuza: Like a Dragon powered by Japan Unification' is a very well-made production, absolutely worth your time.
· We hope that the lessons learned from the failure of 'Kiwami 3' and the success of 'Japan Unification' will be reflected in future productions.
· Works created with respect for the original, considering fans' feelings, are bound to receive high acclaim.