TOKYO - Japan's entertainment industry must "catch the wave" of global streaming hits like "Shogun," according to one of the stars of new Amazon television show "Like A Dragon: Yakuza."
The crime-thriller series -- unveiled at Comic-Con over the weekend, and out on Prime Video in October -- is based on a popular and long-running Sega video game series about Tokyo crime gangs.
Like "Shogun" -- the drama that topped this month's Emmy nominations -- "Like A Dragon: Yakuza" was created by an American studio, but set in Japan, with a Japanese cast speaking their own language.
HBO's recent "Tokyo Vice" also explored the world of yakuza gangsters, while Japanese animes like "Blue Eye Samurai" have recently made Netflix's global top 10 most-viewed lists.
"It makes me really happy, and it's only recently that we're getting this recognition" internationally, said Ryoma Takeuchi, the star of "Like A Dragon: Yakuza."
Co-star Kento Kaku said it is important for Japan to "catch the wave" of success stories like "Shogun" by making more shows that are "recognized internationally."
"We have to be the ones to lead the way," said the 35-year-old.
Based on a long-running video game series, "Like A Dragon: Yakuza" is set in a Tokyo nightlife district modelled on the real-life red-light area of Kabukicho.
The action hops between 1995 and 2005, as a group of childhood friends are drawn into the world of the yakuza in various ways.
Kazuma Kiryu (Takeuchi) has become a fearsome but morally conflicted warrior, in mysterious circumstances.
"I had to take the risk to build a character from scratch... he's very beefed up on the outside but intricate on the inside," said Takeuchi.
The show follows a string of recent hit video game adaptations for television, including HBO's "The Last of Us" and Amazon's "Fallout."
Beloved Japanese video game characters like Nintendo's Mario and Sega's Sonic have also recently enjoyed huge success at the movie box office.
Those followed years in which film adaptations of video games generally struggled.