Man, it’s hard to believe it’s been 21 years since I first played Shenmue on my Dreamcast way back when. It’s even harder to believe it’s been at least 19 years since I first heard of the Shenmue Dojo. My first time hearing about the fan site known as the Shenmue Dojo was way back in 2002. I found the Dojo through a simple web search upon looking for info on Shenmue in general. I was hungry for news on Shenmue III given the cliffhanger ending of Shenmue II. Little did I know that it would result in a 14 year wait for it to be officially announced.
The Dojo was one of those sites I would often lurk when looking for new information. Back in my younger days of toying around with web design, I always dreamed about starting a fan page and at that time Shenmue was the number one candidate as I was in love with those games. Then I saw the Dojo and felt a pinch of jealousy. I figured there was no point in making a fan page when these guys had already done a bang up job making one.
I always admired how extensive and knowledgeable the site was regarding Shenmue in general. Although, for reasons of my own, I never actually joined the forum during those formative days. To be honest, I had bad experiences with toxic Anime Communities and really didn’t want my love of Shenmue to be shattered for fear that the community would be just as insufferable. However I did lurk that site for years on end. I would always check in looking for new info while occasionally trawling the forums. That was until 2009, when I went through that period of doubt that I think every Shenmue fan went through at least once in their life. That period of feeling like Shenmue III was an impossibility.
Let’s be real here; SEGA is no longer the SEGA it once was in the 90s. At that point, we were barely getting Yakuza games in the West as once upon a time, we the fans had to beg SEGA to bring them to the West. My oh my, how times have changed in regards to the popularity of Yakuza. But yeah, what chance did we really have of getting Shenmue III if we had to beg SEGA to bring over the latest Yakuza games? So I went through that brief period of doubt. I kind of let my lust for it die as I came to the realization that it probably wouldn’t realistically happen. Although, I would still occasionally lurk the Dojo forums as I couldn’t let that hope die entirely.
Jump forward to 2015 and that amazing Sony E3 conference. That conference has since gone down as legend. The one where all our dreams came true. Being a Fumito Ueda fan, I didn’t think it could get any better than the opening re-emergence of The Last Guardian. Boy, was I wrong though! Because then came the greatest moment of all. The re-emergence of Shenmue with the announcement of the Shenmue III Kickstarter. It was a moment of pure bliss for me and a much needed shot in the arm for the community as a whole. It showed that there was still life to be had in Shenmue and it was a day of celebration for both the die-hards and the skeptics alike.
It was also a day that taught me a valuable life lesson. Don’t give up on your dreams! No matter how impossible they may seem. If Shenmue III could happen against all odds then anything in this life is possible!
And yet, I still didn’t join the forum. I was lurking the forums again, but I didn’t actually sign up until February 2019. Having finally joined the forums; I can honestly say that it has been nothing but a wonderful experience for the last 3 years. I got to join in on the pre-hype for Shenmue III. I’ve translated and written a few pieces for Phantom River Stone since then. But most importantly, I also got to meet and befriend so many amazing people within this community.
Despite the polarized reaction to Shenmue III within the fan base, what surprises me most is that the fire is still burning in all of us. We are now in a much better place than we were before. We have the Anime to look forward to in 2022. We have all this new merchandise that seems to pop up on a daily basis. And there is always the continued hope of getting Shenmue IV. The fire still burns within this franchise and this community continues to push on refusing to let it die.
As such, the Dojo helped re-ignite a passion in me that I thought I had lost a long time ago. In more ways than one. Not only am I back to writing a blog again, but I’m also now running my own Shenmue fan-page on Twitter and Instagram. In the small time that I have been a part of this community it has been very good to me in return and for that I can only thank them.
Much like Shenmue has been teaching me life-lessons without me really noticing, so too has the Dojo taught me something in life. Don’t give up on your dreams! Always reach for the stars and never take no for an answer! So with all of that said, let's salute a Happy Birthday to the Shenmue Dojo.
Congratulations on keeping the fire alive for 21 years!
-Daniel M
I really want Shenmue to be concluded by Yu Suzuki. It has been technologically surpassed, but it's vibe remains unique. Shenmue III was brought down by it's telegram-style combat, but it retained that "80's martial arts kung-fu movie" feel. I loved it
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