Keep Friends

[Axm]

Okay, I don't know why this bites at me so hard, but it's irritating every time I see it: why does no one ever quote the full spoken line?
I've seen it show up in peoples' sigs by itself over and over, like it's some kind of series catchphrase:
"Keep friends."
What does that even mean by itself? Not a goddamn thing. It's the first two words in a sentence. A sentence which, without quoting the full line, could have several different messages.
"Keep friends... in line with a good slap."
"Keep friends... away from your mom."
"Keep friends... sexually satisfied."
"Keep Friends... in a constant series of reruns, because that show is always entertaining."
And then I go to the kickstarter page for the first time in a while, and they put this up:



An official page for the game, and a.) they couldn't even get the quote right, and b.) it still doesn't make any damn sense. It might even make less sense, considering the overexcited double-exclamation marks punctuating it. These are the parting words of a dying man gasping for breath, not an enthusiastic party time battle cry.
So for the record, the line is:

"Keep friends -- those you love -- close to you."

Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, and it comes off as an incredibly obvious little nugget of non-wisdom to begin with (not sure why it ever really caught on).
But if you're gonna use it, at least get it right, ya mooks.

[Ceej]

I know what you mean...that line is ingrained into my head...mostly because I've seen that opening sequence 3 billion times.

I'm not even going to get into the graphic because I know that was Awesome Japan's work and enough has already been said about them really.

[amiga1200]

hmm?!
obviously we have a joker with a sense of TUMOR!
...
they say a smile, or a gut-busting can be a contribution.
in that regard, this passes a1+ infinity!
...
on the flipside, a difference in languages, understandings and dialects can be the difference between love and war.
who knows?
perhaps the misunderstanding lies elsewhere?
tbh, went over my head, saw no fault...(or i'm missing the joke, probably that?!)

[Mystere]

"Keep friends" is irritating but "Keep those you love!!" appeared in the Kickstarter's final hours, to (presumably) be taken as "Donate to see the game / characters you love".

Apt paraphrase > abbreviation. Then again it was AJ so who knows?

[Sonoshee]

It was spoken with Iwao's last few breaths, so that is most likely why it came out the way it did.

"Keep (your) friends (and) those you love, close to you".

[Axm]

I don't find it to be non-wisdom. I think we take our friends and people who care about for granted. Ryo certainly does in I as he alienates all of them.

[NeoShredder]

Fixing "Awful Japan's" work yet AGAIN...Tell me about it OL!

[amiga1200]

@ Himuro. interesting?!
smart man.
in the sense, he's got a lob-on for lan-di, and the responsible thing WOULD be to tackle his issues ALONE!
kinda reduces COLLATERAL DAMAGE. (a real friend keeps their vengeance and their friends separate, they simply don't mix. very responsible thing to do.
'before embarking on a quest for revenge, dig two graves.' unknown)

[OL]

I don't find it to be non-wisdom. I think we take our friends and people who care about for granted. Ryo certainly does in I as he alienates all of them.

Eh, sure, it's not stupid advice, but my point is more that it's still kind of an obvious, not-exactly-spectacular line of dialogue. It's akin to "brush your teeth after every meal." Not everyone follows that advice, but it's still a really basic thing to say, and hardly fitting at all of being one of the most-quoted, most-remembered lines in a game.

[Axm]

I don't find it to be non-wisdom. I think we take our friends and people who care about for granted. Ryo certainly does in I as he alienates all of them.

Eh, sure, it's not stupid advice, but my point is more that it's still kind of an obvious, not-exactly-spectacular line of dialogue. It's akin to "brush your teeth after every meal." Not everyone follows that advice, but it's still a really basic thing to say, and hardly fitting at all of being one of the most-quoted, most-remembered lines in a game.

Well, sure, outside of the Shenmue world, the line sounds like basic, straightforward etiquette; within the context of the game, however, it takes on a much darker meaning: that of a dying man's warning.

[Thief]

I think it's a nice line. As for why people say just "Keep Friends", well in the context of talking about Shenmue, it's a nice shortening/symbol for the larger quote. I think "Keep Friends" has just about the same meaning as the full line. "Keep (your) friends" -- if you heard that, out of context, I doubt many people would assume there was anything to come next. In has meaning on its own, without the need of anything further. In fact, the actual quote is just a tad bit redundant.

[TwiceFriedRice]

I don't find it to be non-wisdom. I think we take our friends and people who care about for granted. Ryo certainly does in I as he alienates all of them.

Eh, sure, it's not stupid advice, but my point is more that it's still kind of an obvious, not-exactly-spectacular line of dialogue. It's akin to "brush your teeth after every meal." Not everyone follows that advice, but it's still a really basic thing to say, and hardly fitting at all of being one of the most-quoted, most-remembered lines in a game.

I think the full conversation he has with Ryo about it in the flashback is much more powerful. It's all about context. I don't think the line in the opening is meant to be impactful for the viewers, more just a kind of foreshadowing.

[sand4fish]

It does sound stupid and the quote kind alienates people outside the hardcore fan base. Though I believe it caught on because it was a really memorable key scene in the first game, and it could actually carry deeper undertones than what it appears. Iwao might have actual life regrets by not following that statement (his whole ordeal with Lan Di even being a consequence of this) and on foreshadowing his son to follow his footsteps eventually, Iwao uttered those words to Ryo as a warning to not repeat the same mistakes.

Of course this is my own romantic wish thinking. The reality might as well be that Ryo suffers from Asperger (by the way he talks to NPCs sometimes) and Iwao has to literally remind him of stuff that is usually common sense to other people.

[amiga1200]

It does sound stupid and the quote kind alienates people outside the hardcore fan base. Though I believe it caught on because it was a really memorable key scene in the first game, and it could actually carry deeper undertones than what it appears. Iwao might have actual life regrets by not following that statement (his whole ordeal with Lan Di even being a consequence of this) and on foreshadowing his son to follow his footsteps eventually, Iwao uttered those words to Ryo as a warning to not repeat the same mistakes.

Of course this is my own romantic wish thinking. The reality might as well be that Ryo suffers from Asperger (by the way he talks to NPCs sometimes) and Iwao has to literally remind him of stuff that is usually common sense to other people.

^^
i'm starting to like this place!

[Himuro]

Honestly, I'm fine with the image. Looking neoshredder's version, you'll see how crowded it is. Honestly, they should have opted for a wide header like Bloodstained. That way, they wouldn't have been so confined to such a small image.