S0L hath spoken, and sanity hath prevailed!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqR4CZj0mJQ[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIPFttZPYME[/youtube]

Sometimes I forget I forget how great this game is, but then it all comes back. This game has changed who I am, for the better -- still sappy as always but better at it.

I saw that.

S0L posted this on the Sega forum today as well, echoing comments he's made in the past:

If I was Yu Suzuki, I'd create a Kickstarter to obtain the rights from SEGA and fund Shenmue III...

Really glad to see ryan, mue 26(chris), and south carmain (ruben) yesterday. Thanks for the good time guys. Shame I don't have more time to do it often. Now that makes 4 dojo members I've hung out with!

On TV they were trying to interview one of the stars of this show, but she seemed to be a little hoarse.

The Tweetathon went extremely well yesterday, so props to the forum members who made the simple effort. Here's a little more info about it.

As for Dojo management, what more can I say? I thought progress was being made with posts like this and the thanks received on this , but the silence of the website's official channels is now beyond conspicuous.

I voted against that shit. Besides, it still illegal to sell it, and that whole it will make the police focus on other stuff is a crock of shit too. The police came on the news right after it was passed and said it in fact makes their job a bit harder now. And no the state won't make any taxes on it, that was a lie too.

I would do it if I had a medical problem that it helped, but that was not illegal in the first place, one of my neighbors has a prescription for it, I think its for his back.

Of course it makes their job harder. Now there are slightly less people available to rope into the legalized slavery that is United States prison economy. The sentences for petty drug crimes are ridiculous and any overseer enforcing such nonsense should be ashamed of himself.

Nice attitude Ryudo.

The point however isn't about individual forum members, amongst whom there will always be a certain amount of apathy and pessimism. The point is about the Dojo itself upholding its position as a beacon for Shenmue fandom.

Don't get me wrong, the campaign doesn't rely on the Dojo's help. It would have meant a lot more when Team Yu was just getting started, and I emailed Yama to no response. So nothing's changed there, apart from the attention we've since garnered on our own. But it would still be nice if this site (as in, its official outlets, again not its members) would demonstrate some of that unity that was talked about during the All-Stars poll, for which I again had to kick and stamp my feet to get anything more than a solitary post out of each of the Dojo's official channels, while the rest of the Shenmue fanbase were plugging away day and night to earn and secure Ryo's place on top.

Although I wrote the item quoted in that post, I was a little nervous when I learned someone had pasted it straight onto Sega's forum, where the reception was always going to be frostier than amongst the Shenmue fans it was intended for. But all things considered I think the thread has turned out rather well. Those who've tried wheeling out the old excuses against Shenmue III have had no comeback against the logic of fans who've given more than a minute's thought to the conundrum. The accepted wisdom has been broken down and exposed for the lazy thinking it's always been, and I'm now pretty pleased that it was given the opportunity to happen on Sega's own official platform.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCQfTNOC5aE[/youtube]

Just slip him a fiver.

Indeed. It will happen, surely. It's just that right now, all the community's efforts are dedicated to mining and making public all the music and graphics and art, and also to MiTT's Lost Chapter game. As soon as these projects are successfully complete, no doubt some storyboards might be drawn up, of course, volunteers are always welcome.

I know a few skilled animators who are also Shenmue fans. If anything materializes (and I mean very short shorts!), I will let the community know. I think it would be a lot of fun to at least produce 30s clips now and then with a short convo or sketch in the Shenmue universe.

check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGBHabhywwk

And the rational-biological reason for wanting sex is the reason why it is pleasurable in the first place.

I hope it leads to many children, so that your life is full of happy things to do, and you'll never end up alone, and your form and that of your woman (who you love) will at least live for another generation, and thence, perchance, go on and on till your descendants see times worth seeing and live lives worth living beyond our imaginations, even across the universe.

Moreover, I hope the Dojo becomes humanity's first multigenerational interwebz gaming club. I'd like to see a virtual culture grow here, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren being connoisseurs of antique video games as well as new, continuing what we have begun here, still meeting daily well into the next century to discuss the state of the interactive art, and possibly grow into a studio or a center for studios making FREE games, or otherwise unique new approaches to the ancient art of storytelling, of which Shenmue is a fine example. For that is why we are here. We are the lovers and transmitters of wonder, which is wisdom. Thus, I hope this place becomes a beacon of light for all mankind, each most worthy of the new generations inheriting our usernames, and in such a way that we live on indefinitely. The son becomes the father, and the father, the son. Because everything we do is leading to a goal, the only goal for whom we are its goal. A convergence of meaning, like the raindrops of our lives falling into the sea.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how your turn any and every thing or situation into a religious experience, like Marlon Brando in Superman.

Morgan Freeman's response to the shootings.
"You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here's why.It's because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single victim of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.CNN's article says that if the body count "holds up", this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer's face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer's identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don't sell. So congratulations­, sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem."

Here in America once you've been convicted of a crime worse than traffic ticket you're pretty much screwed. When every application asks if you're a convict and there are 7 applicants to every job it stands to reason it doesn't take much to be put in the discard pile. Our prison system does more to debilitate it's inmates than rehabilitate them for functioning in normal society, but even among those that can survive it with a clear head, trying to make an honest living is practically impossible if they tried.

Of even more concern to me personally however is how America has a growing trend of making prisons into slave labor. It gives the system too much incentive to lock up innocent people for the lucrative business of putting them to work for profit seeking companies looking to cut cuts by laying off regular employees.

FAO: Dojo management... again.

Shenmue fans have adopted the word UNITY for you, in the hope that you'll remember what it means. The proceeds have gone to a charity that helps speechless children learn to communicate...

http://teamyu.net/dojounity.jpg

http://adoptaword.com/search-results.php?word=unity

If you decide you'd like to start representing a fanbase that's actively campaigning for this series - the name on the Dojo's marquee - then please do. It's not difficult or time consuming at all, that's the key to its continued growth, but I'm only too happy to help you get started if you have questions.

Otherwise, if Yama didn't mean these words and Ziming's finger slipped when he thanked this post , then I'll concede I'm wasting my time. But I feel those on the Dojo who support the Tweetathon deserve support in turn from the leaders of the website they inhabit and contribute to. That's what a community does.

Spoke to Henry recently. He seems better, which was good to hear..

I liked the example that someone brought up in another recent topic. The fact that we're never supposed to be awake at dawn to see it, but they programmed a full sunrise anyway. Why? Because Shenmue, that's why.

Hey guys. Again, limited internet access and time means i cant be on much, but i do think of you guys and the Dojo everyday. I miss it, and hopefully there will be a time in the future where i have my own place with internet and some time to chill here. i hope everyone is keeping well, and you all have a lovely Christmas and New Years. :heart:

We should have a bajillion categories like the one Mitts did. I want this voting process to be an all day event.

Much appreciated, Ziming. I've always felt that even if the tweetathon didn't help, it was a good outlet to display our disappointment with Sega over it, and that's a little something, at least. I believe we gotta stand up and not shut up about it. If you're not happy with something ya gotta speak up or you're forever getting your fudge packed.

There was a scene in the movie About Schmidt (later omitted) that echoes an earlier iconic scene from a much older Nicholson film, 5 Easy Pieces . In it Schmidt gives in to the demands of a waitress, instead of getting what he ordered. It was in early test screenings, but was pretty much deleted, yet a glimmer of it still remains in the movie at the beginning. In 5 Easy Pieces he's in a diner and asks for some toast, but the waitress wouldn't give it to him, and so he spoke up abut it. Here's the clip on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvXVP5lSF1s


This was a normal way of doing things back in the day. Your parents ever embarass you by making a huge fuss over something in public? Same thing here. People don't do this often enough anymore. We're too conciliatory. You might be surprised how often and easily this works. I once got a mailed threat from Blockbuster Video that they would take the money I owed them to collections unless promptly paid. They sent me this for a late fee of about 4 dollars that was only 3 weeks old. Normally, you might expect your customer to pay it the next time they rented a movie, but nooooooo, Them fuckers wanted their cash right now. So I wrote out a check to Ballbuster Video (literally) and in the memo portion wrote " Blockbuster sucks fucking donkey balls. Netflix is better!" They cashed that shit. A few months later, Blockbuster got rid of all late fees. I must not have been the only one to complain. and not too much later, Ballbuster Video pretty much went out of business. That's what happens when you lose sight of things.

One time I was at my local grocery store when the old lady ringing me up (who, I might add, coincidentally looked a lot like the waitress in 5 Easy Pieces) looked at the back of my card, saw no signature (it was a brand new card, got it that day), and reprimanded me on not having my signature on it, She wasn't nice abut it either. So I asked her if I could use her marker, as to oblige her. she gave it to me and I wrote EAT SHIT on it. I handed it back to her and said "HOW YA LIKE THAT, LADY?" The look on her face was priceless! I kept it on my card, and for years wrote it on all subsequent cards, for it really was just a colorful way of writing check ID. This tactic worked like a charm as instead of just glancing at the back of my card, people would go "Whaaaa?" and actually check my id. You should try it if you're having card issues. Most people would just laugh, but once in a while I would get frowns, and one time I was even kicked out by the manager of a Subway for it. More like forbidden to come back to the premises, as I got to finish my sandwich before getting the heave ho. Not like it mattered, the place was out of my neck of the woods. Speaking of Subway ....

A few years ago I would often stop by the nearest Subway to pick up my lunch on my way to work, until suddenly they stopped taking Master Card, and would no longer accept my only form of payment (I refuse to walk around with cash. We live in the future, goddamnit!) The other Subway in town was owned by the same person and thus didn't accept Master Card either. I took it upon myself to send both stores a Txt-to-land-line message every day that read "I am boycotting your store because you won't take Master Card. Because of that, I now eat at Jimmy John's. I am an unsatisfied customer, hear me roar!" It was a celebrity impersonator txt to landline service, and of course I chose Arnold Schwartzenegger. Because when it comes right down to it, ya gotta go with the running man. This went on for 3 and a half weeks until I woke up one fine morning and actually got a reply from the Manager of one of the Subways. She said that they were in negotiations with Master Card, but that they'd take my card anyway. So I went and got me a muthafuckin sammich. Nice happy ending, eh? Years earlier they had a sandwich called the Southwest Chipotle Guacamole crunchamunchfuckafuckafoofoo or smething like that. Either way it had Guacamole, which I had thought was what made the sandwich so tasty, but I was probably just too intoxicated to know I was eating garbage. Anyhw, I only got to eat it three times, the first time drunk, second time right after having a wisdom tooth pulled and still flying high on sodium pentothol, the third time while taking shrooms. The first and only time I took shrooms, and I didn't even really get many visuals, though my senses went into overdrive, felt like I was the six million dollar man, could hear everything outside clearly, and my subway guaca crunchasouthwestafuckafoo sandwich was the best thing I ever ate in my life. It was like angels pooping golden daffodils in your mouth. Wait, that's kind of a shitty metaphor. Anyhow, the sandwich was a limited time deal, I guess. I wrote them an email every day for a few months begging them to bring back the Guac, but it fell on deaf ears. I would make up the dumbest reasons for them to bring it back, like my great grandma was on her death bed, and she had finally mustered up the strength to utter 3 or 4 whateverthefuck words "S-s-suuu-uubbway S-S-southwest G-G-guacamole C-C-cr-crunchamuncha fuckaduppadadippittydo sandw-w-w-wwich." Years later they did indeed bring back the Guac, but it tastes like a fart tart. Maybe it was because I was sober?

My dad used to tell me that if someone punches you, you HAVE TO punch them back, and it's advice to live by. It doesn't matter if they're bigger than you, or that you don't stand a chance. Fucking man up and retaliate, he'd say, otherwise they own you no matter what. We gotta be less like Schmidt, and more like the old codger in this video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_-BoAw0l4Q

First 4 Figures announced on Christmas day that they will be creating a Ryo Hazuki statue. A teaser image was shown at the main site, they will start taking preorders in early 2013.

So Christmas miracle or temporary curse.. But my parents dog who is more than 10 years old lost all sight, smell and hearing yesturday. They took the dog to the vet and the vet said she would probably never get her senses back again.
Because im Christian and actively pray atleast once a week, I prayed last night that God would restore the dogs senses. My family was devistated and it seemed like a horrible way to live for a dog thats been nothing but loving all its life.
Well this morning the dog is back to 100% normal again.
Either shitty vet or God granted our wishes, either way its very impressive and releiving.

Happy Birthday Peter, I think it's funny that a new piece of Shenmue merchandise gets announced on his birthday

Would anybody here want to start a book club here at the dojo? We could take turns picking a novel for us to read over a week/2week/month period, whichever works best for everybody, and discuss. I think it would be fun but we'd have to at least get a few people interested and willing. Anybody think this is a good idea?

mue 26 wrote:Purple is cool, it's a very spiritual colour.

you hippie POS

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtvBNbqVUoA[/youtube]

I've been playing a bit of El Shaddai recently. It's pretty great. It seems like every Japanese action game has been looking towards the Bible for inspiration when it comes to monsters for the longest time now, usually throwing a few deformed cherubs in our direction to slaughter or something. So I think it's only right that El Shaddai takes the biblical influence to it's apogee, and then coats it all in a beautiful psychedelic shell. The actual combat is decent enough, but it's all the trippy surprises the game keeps throwing at me that I'm really enjoying so far.

There are more Japanese Christian martyrs than any other one group of people. Even though the various governments of Japan have often violently suppressed it for hundreds years, there is a very deep and traditionally secret history in some families that date back to the failed Christian peasant Shimabara Rebellion. Hence, there is a profound connection to Biblical imagery. In many ways, more Japanese have been more faithful orthodox Christians in recent centuries than Europeans and Americans. It's fascinating and little-known, as well as dark and sad as well as having moments of light and glory - all the poignant things that make life the horrifying mystery it is, yet we cannot turn away.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09744a.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakure_Kirishitan

Remember the Samurai Shamploo episode about all this (Unholy Belief), or did they censor it out of the line-up outside of Japan?

TWEETED MUDAFAKAZ!!

It was much easier that i thought

I twatted.

Looks like you may have to enlist the help of MiTT3NZ.

^ :lol: This made me laugh.

When my cousin retires from the RAF next year he's moving to Australia to open a plane model shop, so the timing's all wrong. Although another cousin of mine's currently over there, I haven't spoken to her in years and I ain't sure if she'd be able to get him a job (pretty sure she's living off of savings) There's also an old school friend there, but she's pregnant and engaged so I don't talk to her anymore either.

...dick ed.

Turn off the 3D and give the library some time. Before you know it games will be coming out that appeal to you.

So I've spent the evening totting up tweets, because I'm a dude who knows how to spend a Friday night, and it's good news again .

And call me an optimist Ziming, but I hope the number of retweets that your message received, compared with other recent output on the @Shenmue_Dojo account (32 vs 5, 4, 1, 0, 2, 1, 1, 0, 1, 0...), might give you pause for thought on what it is that Shenmue fans really care about. I think it goes to show that not everyone within your sphere of influence is as campaign-weary and jaded towards Shenmue III as you're feeling right now. I'd be delighted if this perked up your spirits, but of course I'll gladly settle for another tweet every 3rd of the month. :)