Tokyo Yakuza is an anthology, and game, set in the not to distant future of an alternative reality where Japan won World War II.
Basic Information
Format: Digital (ebook and PDF) and Print
Estimated Delivery: December 2014
Location: Chicago, IL
When it comes to alternate reality Japan, this is not my first rodeo so to speak. A rather long running anime called Gintama also takes place in an alternative reality. What seems to stay in the same between our universe, Gintama, and Tokyo Yakuza, is the desire of crime syndicates to control resources. In the case of Tokyo Yakuza, the desire to control has the world on the verge of a third world war.
The campaign which is currently being run is primarily to fund the anthology. The team is including a limited run prototype of the Tokyo Yakuza game only in the highest tier and plans on crowd funding the game in the future. Both are being produced under the Oriental Excess brand. For more information regarding the game, you can check out the Tokyo Yakuza website.
Book Overview
The World of Tokyo Yakuza
The Tokyo Yakuza™ world is a near-future dystopia and alternate history (Japan won WWII and developed a new energy source based on poisonous algae) in which the Yamaguchi-gumi organized crime family starts a brutal gang war between the 5 clans in the year 2020, in the run up to the Tokyo Olympic Games. Lovers of hard-boiled crime, film noir, yakuza eiga, Japanese anime, and cyberpunk with surreal or light fantasy elements, based on Shinto and East Asian mythology, are sure to get a kick out of the wild characters and situations in our twisted take on Tokyo, Japan.
Campaign Specifics
Goal: $1,000
Pledge Tiers: 10 tiers ranging from $1 to $59
End Date: Thu, Dec 25 2014 8:31 AM EST
Funding Type: Fixed
Chances of success
First, it’s great that the team is getting their feet wet by funding a smaller project. Typically graphic novel projects require much less funding than games, which can easily cost tens of thousands. In this case, the base goal is only $1,000. Since this is their first campaign, there are some flaws. The first update came ten days after the campaign launch. As I have mentioned repeatedly, an update should come out within the first day or two, or even sooner if the campaign is proceeding quickly. It shows that the team is actively involved. That being said, the team does seem to be actively involved. When I contacted them, I received a reply almost immediately and had the necessary information to start the review within the day.
I also noticed that there aren’t any social media accounts set up for the product or for the company. Personal social media accounts are great, but they lack a professional quality that is necessary for a robust campaign. I would definitely suggest that such accounts be created, both for the product and for Oriental Excess.
Overall I feel that the campaign will do well, but not quite as well as it could have done with a few changes. But, this is a learning process for the team.