Yu Suzuki's Shenmue was one of the more cinematic games to hit shelves in the last couple years, and apparently Sega thought so too. Earlier this year, the game hit the big screen in Japan in movie form, which basically amounted to a collation of all the story fragments of Shenmue. Now we have received word that Shenmue: The Movie will see a DVD release in Japan.

The movie runs ninety minutes and features English dialogue with Japanese subtitles. Shenmue: The Movie is set to arrive on Japanese shelves on the 21st of December for a wallet-whalloping 4,700¥ (~$39). There are currently no plans to release the DVD domestically, but with the second installment in the series headed to the Xbox, such a title would serve as a valuable stepping stone for newcomers.