Like a Dragon: Yakuza

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.

I played though yakuza 1 and i expected this show to be a little different from the game but it more like the halo show. The characters aren't how they are. The show is dark it hard to see things in it. The 2007 film was a better adaptation of the game. It was more faithful than this show. Some of the games plot is not here at all. In yakuza 1 kazama is in his late 30s early 40s in the show he like 25 or something it not faithful to the games. I was expecting something better then this but i was disappointed by this show for not being very faithful to the games it feels like the writers didn't play the games.

Even as a big Ryu Ga Gotoku fan, I would've been fine with story changes, after all Yakuza games get really silly with their storylines and sudden plot twists. However, this show makes no sense and it doesn't respect the source material at all. Kiryu is shown to be a polar opposite of what he is in the games, like all other characters including Kazama, Yumi and Nishikiyama. I can understand trying to have the characters grow as the story progresses, but this was terribly executed.

Not only that but the lore changes are completely awful and pull you back from the story. For instance, Kazama being away from the Yakuza, instead of being this behind-the-scenes mastermind? Really?

The sets and the overall costume design are awful too. It simply doesn't look like the characters are in 1995 nor 2005. No visuals nor looks match the iconic first two decades of Japan's Heisei era. For instance, where is Dojima's mustache? Everyone looks like they walked straight from 2024. Tokyo Vice, another Yakuza Crime show that came out in the last few years, has no issues portraying this era with beautiful sets and having people wear correct attires. The set designs don't reflect the epic/grandeur locations of the games, which is a bummer, as this show would've benefited from those opulent locations.

Overall, I am torn that this came out as terrible as it did. I wish the writers took better care of this source material. I am not saying that changes weren't needed, but this is the complete opposite of how the games are, and even ignoring that, this story is simply not good to stand in its two feet. There are a lot of complete remakes, such as Scarface (1983) and Battlestar Galactica (2003), that manage to be their own thing without disrespecting the source material. Here, unlike those, the writers clearly thought they were improving upon the original story, instead of trying to reimagine/ make their own thing. Well, the overall result is as weak as watery grape soda. No, it's not grape juice, this is just water with some grape in it. Awful.

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.