Like a Dragon: Yakuza

To be honest, if they had approached this like Judgment-setting it in the same universe but with new characters and a new story-I wouldn't dislike this series nearly as much. The cast for this show was very promising, all actors were prolific actors, the Director directed 100 yen Love and Naked Director.

The main issue is that they took characters from the original game, dumbed down their motives, and completely missed the mark. During an interview the director confessed that he wanted to create something more than the game, he ask everyone in the cast to not play the game beforehand. He wanted to make something that is favorable by audience that are not familiar with the game. Hence the second title "beyond the game"

It's clear that they don't grasp the depth and complexity of the Yakuza game, and because of that, they've created something that is shallow compare to the source material, yet they seem to believe they've somehow surpassed the source material.

I didn't want a 1:1 adaptation of Yakuza, but I certainly didn't want *this*. It butchers half the characters with their characterization, and makes you hate characters that you probably shouldn't hate. Maybe I'd be more forgiving if they didn't give it the same name as the game series and just said it was "inspired by," but no instead we got...whatever the hell this is. An incoherent mess that roughly follows the plot of the first game. Theres...there's just so much that was disappointing about this show. The one thing I LIKED and still do is that actor who played Majima did a stellar job and the total of 10 minutes he was actually in the show was super fun.

Having played the games, I found the series very disappointing. In my opinion they did a disservice to the characters. The story is very different from the game storylines. As a result I found it confusing and difficult to follow. The ever going back and forth between time periods didn't help. Despite that, the series does have entertainment value. The acting is decent (and consistent) throughout the series. There is good character development. The cinematography was very good and action sequences flowed nicely. Once in a while the camera angle used or lighting made a scene difficult to follow. From reading reviews of fans of the game, the series was a disappointment. I have to agree, but I still found it entertaining.

It was clear from the trailers that this wasn't going to be in any way related to the plot and characters of the games so I tried to watch it as a yakuza (lower case) series. It still didn't work. A main aspect of any film or TV show is that that the characters need to be engaging. I didn't care for any of them, one way or another.

The timeline jumps are confusing and there are far too many characters to keep track of.

There isn't even much going on or a plot to follow, it's just random scenes, one after another, which isn't helped by the flat characters. Nor is there much insight into Yakuza traditions, culture and procedures and of those there are, some of them are wrong.

Even Tokyo Vice does a much better job of portraying the Yakuza lifestyle.

I was hoping for something similar to the Fallout series which was brilliant: take the background/history/world from the games and tell a new story with it so you don't need to have played the games to understand what's going on. Everything looked like it did in the games.

In LaD:Y, all that atmosphere is missing. There isn't enough of Kamurocho (the real life Kabukicho). It just feels empty, nothing has character.

I wanted it to be good... instead, it's bad. Really, really bad. The characters fail to embody and embrace the rich history present in the Yakuza series; instead, they fall into the age-old trap of trying something "new." Why would you buy a beloved IP with more than 8 mainline games, each with over 60 hours of gameplay and intricate history, only to try something "new"? Is it just for marketing? It feels as if they completely disregarded what made the series so cherished by fans. Instead of building upon or faithfully recreating the well-crafted legacy that was already there, they decided to go in a direction that strips away the very elements that made the Yakuza series special in the first place. This isn't innovation-it's a misguided attempt at reinvention, and it falls flat on its face.

The direction in still scenes is fine, but nothing extraordinary. There are moments where it captures some of the original atmosphere and resemblance but never the greatness or uniqueness, and even those moments are few and far between. They serve more as a reminder of what could have been rather than a testament to what the series offers. The emotional depth is missing; the subtle character nuances that drew players into the Yakuza universe are absent, leaving the story feeling hollow and uninspired. The worst comes in the action scenes where, contrary to the game's stable and consistent style, the scenes are jumpy, with many continuity errors. These fight sequences, which are supposed to be the heart-pounding highlights, end up being frustrating to watch. The pacing is off, and it lacks the cohesion that made the original fight choreography so engaging. The actor isn't able to fully bring out Kiryu's strength at all-whether it's his physical prowess, emotional depth, or sheer determination, none of these defining traits are effectively portrayed. Instead of portraying Kiryu as the fierce, determined figure we all know, the actor's performance feels lackluster and disconnected, as if they were only loosely familiar with the character's background and motivations.

It's a messy, unfortunate situation. I thought I would find solace in the idea that art is subjective, but this is objectively bad. Even beyond personal preference, the glaring flaws are impossible to ignore. The narrative structure is fragmented, the emotional beats are poorly timed, and the overall experience lacks the depth and polish that Yakuza fans have come to expect. It's such a disappointment to see the downfall of a series that once held so much promise. I wish I could point to a single redeeming quality that made it worth the experience, but sadly, every aspect feels compromised. Instead of evoking nostalgia or excitement, it leaves behind nothing but frustration and a sense of wasted potential. Perhaps if they had stayed true to the core elements that made the series beloved-maintaining consistent character depth, narrative cohesion, and compelling fight choreography-it could have delivered a more satisfying experience.