I saw like a dragon: the movie which makes this yakuzaposting by my standards, imo
A really, really, really fun black comedy that ultimately suffers from a lack of cohesion. I appreciate leaning in on the comedic side of things, going all-in on the goofier aspects of the games. This movie honestly had more in common with Looney Tunes and Popeye than it did Sonatine or Miike's own Ichi the Killer. I love the format too, of these disparate stories that weave in and out of each other. It kept the pacing up and made sure no one story dragged for too long.
Unfortunately, I think the biggest thing holding the movie back is that the main thrust of the plot, the more serious side of the film really, feels very underdeveloped. The basic plot of the first game is here, but it is merely presented. The movie spends more time on Kiryu trying to find Kazama than it does on the ultimate climax with Nishikiyama and Yumi. The narrative of the Korean hitman was intriguing, but much like Jingu in the game, his ultimate target isn't interesting and gets little to no development.
Despite this, I had a fun time and could see myself watching it again, if only because of Goro Kishitani's performance as Majima. He matches the energy of the the character in the pre-Yakuza 0 games perfectly. He is by far and away the best part of this film. Generally everyone else does a great job (I particularly was delighted by Yutaka Matsushige's turn as Detective Date), but Kishitani was the standout.