So I didn't see a thread about this awesome live action Web series titled Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist. Forget the awful first Street Fighter movie starring Van Damme. Forget about that lame Chun Li vehicle too. This 12-episode Web series was made by fans themselves who appear to truly respect and care for the characters and the franchise mythos. It basically details the story of Ryu and Ken when they were still training as students under their master Gouken, as well as the origins of Gouki (aka Akuma), before the events of the Alpha series of video games. Check out the trailer and watch the episodes, then judge for yourself. Personally speaking as a longtime SF fan who grew up throwing countless quarters into SFII at the arcades, I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for Season 2! STREET FIGHTER: Assassin's Fist TRAILER! - YouTube
I just finished watching season 1 and I thoroughly enjoyed the web series. Without a doubt, Ansah, Howard, and the rest of the crew did right by Street Fighter. I found this to be more enjoyable than any previous work of SF fiction, including manga and anime. I think that for a true fan of SF lore, SF:AF is the strongest effort by anyone to tell the origin of not only Ryu and Ken but Gouken, Gouki/Akuma, and Goutetsu. I know that many deride the "Shotoclones" for being boring but it's the fault of the way that the video games don't afford a lot of story telling to any single character, especially in the later games where you have dozens and dozens of characters on the roster. The way that season 1 laid the foundation for the history of Ansatsuken from Goutetsu onward was a smart move. It tells us of the martial legacy that Ryu and Ken inherit and why it's important. I found the tragic history of Gouken and Gouki to be engaging and it made me appreciate the evolution of Ansatsuken as Gouken developed and passed onto his students. As I recall, Gouken remarked that for Ryu and Ken to master Ansatsuken's special techniques by using mu no hado alone made them pioneers of the martial art. I assume that before them, aside from perhaps Gouken to a certain point, previous Ansatsuken warriors had to or chose to master the special techniques using satsui no hado, which leads to madness or death in battle eventually. So with that in mind, while people will still think Ryu and Ken are boring, Ansah's take on Ansatsuken, its history, and Gouken's success in teaching Ryu and Ken to master Ansatsuken without relying upon satsui no hado...it makes me think Ryu and Ken are more cool and badass more than ever. Ansah has said that if the web series gets renewed for a second season, he'd like to explore the origins of Chun-Li and Guile, with Scott Adkins in mind for Guile. I hope SF:AF gets more seasons!
Yeah, I saw it last week all together on my TV. I absolutely loved it. I would say it's the best live adaptation of a video game that I loved as a kid for me.
