When Warner Bros. and Discovery merged, many animated shows were removed from HBO Max and completely canceled. Popular cartoons like *Courage the Cowardly Dog*, *Powerpuff Girls*, *Infinity Castle*, and *Scooby-Doo* were taken off the streaming service as part of the company’s restructuring. In addition to issues with series like *Uzumaki*, another original anime adaptation was also canceled, and it remains unavailable to viewers.
The anime series *Shenmue The Animation* debuted in 2022, a collaboration between Crunchyroll, Telecom Animation Film, and Adult Swim. For those unfamiliar, it’s based on the *Shenmue* video game series, which originally launched on the Sega Dreamcast. The anime follows the story of Ryo Hazuki, a young man on a journey to avenge his father’s death – a storyline that unfolded across three games released between 1999 and 2019. As of now, there are no plans for a second season.
It’s ironic that the cancellation of *Shenmue The Animation* was announced on social media. Jason DeMarco, a co-creator of Toonami, confirmed the show wouldn’t be renewed for a second season. He explained in a now-removed post that despite the anime performing well enough to warrant a continuation, it wouldn’t be happening – at least for now. He mentioned it’s still available to watch on Crunchyroll and as digital downloads. The decision remains disappointing for many fans.
What Made Shenmue Work
Based on the popular video game series, *Shenmue The Animation* successfully adapted Ryo’s complex story into a focused narrative. The action sequences lived up to the quality of the games, featuring impressive martial arts. While it might not reach the same level of acclaim as anime like *Castlevania*, *Devil May Cry*, or *Pokemon*, *Shenmue* is a commendable addition to the growing number of anime based on video games.
The anime adaptation differed significantly from its source games, which was disappointing considering the potential for a more comprehensive series on Crunchyroll. With the third game released just a few years before the anime, there was a lot of material that could have been adapted well. Sadly, *Shenmue The Animation* is just one of the shows that won’t be continuing on Adult Swim, likely due to the recent merger.
Adult Swim Originals And Their Future
Adult Swim has a history of producing successful original anime series, like *Fena: Pirate Princess*, *Blade Runner: Black Lotus*, *Housing Complex C*, and the continuations of *FLCL*. These shows demonstrated Adult Swim’s ability to create its own unique anime content. While the recent series *Ninja Kamui* has been a hit and will return for two more seasons, Adult Swim currently has fewer confirmed original anime projects compared to its past successes.
This year, Adult Swim has become a major destination for popular anime series like *Dandadan*, *Dragon Ball Daima*, *Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War*, and *Blue Exorcist: Shimane Illuminati Saga*, among others. Even with shows not originally created by them, Adult Swim is performing exceptionally well, which is a positive sign for the future of the Cartoon Network programming block.
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2025-09-27 18:11