Yu Yu Hakusho (2023)

"Before you start complaining, why not start practicing?"

Yu Yu Hakusho had considerable story to tell with numerous characters in a very short amount of time. For the most part, and for someone completely unfamiliar with the source material, it succeeded.

The story was streamlined and relatively cohesive. The main characters and their characteristics were fired out with the speed of a 22. Yusuke was the tough rebellious teenager who helped out those in distress but didn’t want anyone to know it. Keiko had been friends with Yusuke since childhood and knew all of his foibles and strengths. Kuwabara was Kusuke's rival who couldn’t help but respect the opponent he desperately wanted to beat. After the accident that transformed Kusuke’s life, a plethora of Yokai and supernatural beings were brought in as well as the requisite human baddies.

YYH covered enemies to friends, training sessions, coming of age, and the old end of the world ploy. I enjoyed the enemies to friends and strangers to friends storylines. There were backstories and characters given short shrift, but in a 5 episode drama they did a fairly good job of forming the characters. The hair and costume colors were bold. I have found it helpful when watching dramas or movies based on anime to think of them like Western superhero movies. The flamboyant hairstyles and costumes make much more sense to me now. At least no one was wearing yellow spandex, although Koenma’s pacifier was truly bizarre. One of those things that might work better in animation than live action. The CGI was well done for a drama and there was plenty of it. The episodes kept things moving with fights using supernatural weapons and abilities. The battles pulled double duty by covering up a basic story. If there was a drawback to the fights, a few of them went on too long. The acting was all over the place, from competent to-adequate, completely over-the-top, and barely registering a pulse.

Yu Yu Hakusho felt more like a long movie in some ways rather than a very short drama. As in a movie, characters were given just enough development to differentiate them and understand their motivations. With a myriad of characters involved, both good and evil, the writers managed to wedge in as much backstory and world building as they could. Overall, I found this supernatural fantasy to be comprehensible and entertaining with the forged friendships and creative fights being the highlights.

27 Dec 2023

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Full of action without a soul!

Before I start my review, I want to say something, so people can understand why I think, this is just another below average Japanese adaption!

I LOVE Yu Yu Hakusho since I was 10! I still remember that every week when the new episode aired in my country, I recorded every episode on my VHS. Yes, I'm that old, I used a VCR.? Then I watched all the 112 episodes, over and over again. I've seen the anime at least 50 times. So, when I say, YYH is my favorite Anime, I'm not exaggerating at all. When I first saw the trailer for this adaptation, my first thought was that it looks cheap, like basically every Shounen Fight adaptation that was made in Japan. Even tho the casting looked good, and the best part in this adaptation is the cast and the acting, I don't think I can name other positives.

The worst thing in this show is not the fact that it's only 5 episodes. They literally adapted 66 episodes from the anime in 5 episodes! Okay, okay, technically this isn't true, because they left out some side-stories, not to mention important characters and backstories. The worst part is not this. The fact is, if you never watched the anime, I don't think you're going to feel anything towards the characters. Sometimes it made me emotional, BUT only because I know these characters already, and I know why those things happened. Also, why these characters acted like the way they did.

If you never watched the anime, maybe you'll feel that it was a fun, because it is action packed and there's no slowing down, not even for a second. Still, I don't think you will have any connection with the characters. This adaptation is like a recap of 66 episodes. You will know the basics, but what's the point watching a recap when you can watch the whole story with real emotions, and you can see the whole journey and character developments? Not to mention, you'll understand why these characters became friends. They completely left that out from the show. This is like when you play an online game with strangers. They're not your real friends, but it's still fun, except that you will forget about them after you closed the game. This show is exactly like that!

So, yeah, it's not bad, but you're going to forget everything and everyone after you finished it.
I don't see the point of having another recap season. The best part in this show is the fight scenes, the acting, and the fact it will make people watch the anime!

Lastly, I have to say that the OST (the songs and the score too) was boring. One of the best part of the anime is the score!
Also, the VFX is not always bad, but it wasn't anything special. It's a typical Japanese CGI anime adaptation.

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Yu Yu Hakusho : A Mesmerizing Dive into the Spirit World.

Yu Yu Hakusho unfolds a captivating fantasy story that seamlessly weaves action, humor and supernatural elements. This Japanese live action series is comprised of five episides whose length ranges between 40-50min. Show introduces viewers to a world where the boundaries between the living and the spirit realm blur.

The story centers around Yusuke Urameshi, a spirited young man thrust into the afterlife after a selfless act. As he navigates the spirit world under the guidance of Botan viewers are treated to a tale of spirit detectives, demons and unyielding friendships. The series stays true to its genre, delivering an engaging story that hooks the audience from the very first scene.

Yu Yu Hakusho's live action adaptation is directed by Tsukikawa Sho. It uses impressive CGI to make the supernatural parts stand out. In the world of live action adaptations, Yu Yu Hakusho is a standout giving us a captivating retelling that stays true to originial material. The series shines with a compelling opening, well choreographed fights and seamless visual effects.

The series brings you into a world of cool creatures and monsters. Demonic entities make things intense, thanks to Tsukikawa Sho's direction. Even the computerized violence feels real.

What makes Yu Yu Hakusho special is how it mixes humanity with supernatural stuff. Characters like Yusuke and Kuwabara have depth and feelings. Yusuke's serious vibe by Kitamura Takumi and Kuwabara's funny yet heartfelt performance by Uesugi Shuhei balance it out. Its relatable and funny making the show enjoyable.

Yu Yu Hakusho on netflix is a must watch for supernatural and horror action lovers. It has a unique blend of familiar elements and a compelling story all packed into a short yet satisfying five episode season. The show deserves a solid 10/10 for its engaging storytelling, vibrant characters and seamless mix of manga and live action.

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Disappointed

The first episode started great, it's a high budget production and episode one made that clear for me. I went in with high expectations, ready to get invested, to get emotional to understand the story and the characters.
But none of this happened. Characters are very static, I don't know where they are popping from or why, what their aims or aspirations are.
I could only tell who's good or who's evil. But felt no connection to the story. No build up.
I feel like there's a huge part of the story missing. All there is, is fights and fights. Nothing else.
It was kind of a waste of time for me, sorry.
Love the actors, their performances and the cinematography though.

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Fast-paced Action Thrills. Here we go..

As an avid fan of the beloved manga, this is like a sweet treat. I didn't put any expectation and guess what? I watched the whole thing in one seating, (wait, so it was done right, right?) Hmmm sadly not so much, it's not perfect but even after all that, I'm finding myself wanted for more. Why?

It is a fast paced action thrills that really focus on the fighting sequences. I was amazed by it and would abruptly screamed myself out coz' it reminds me some pages of the manga. I giddy myself over Genkai throwing the walnuts. >___<

The cast ensemble although its not quite being portrayed accurately but pretty much matches the vibes of what these characters represents. For me, Urameshi stands for Second Chance, Kurama for Gratitude, Hiei for Salvation, Kuwabara for Loyalties, Genkai for Hope and
Toguro for Despair. If only their depth of backstory was told in more detail and subtle way.

You may hate or love this live adaptation BUT a BIG kudos to the action choreographer/ special effects team coz the fighting sequences are CRAZY!!!

Yes, it had potential to be even greater, but I am not going to complain about it.

As always; Would I spend another 5 hours of this?
You can count on it, any day, any time. :)

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Best Fight Scenes!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the fight scenes as well as the Yokai's depiction.

My favorite is Kurama, he is so pretty in both human and especially in Yokai's form. I love his gifts too

I'm not a big fan of ML because his fighting style just seems reckless to me. I much prefer Kurama, and even Hiei.

Overall, it's enjoyable to watch, esp the fight scenes. Also love seeing animation coming in 3d forms like this!

The story is normal but okay for a short drama like this. What bothers me the whole time is...Yukina has healing power, but the WHOLE time, she is watching and standing still...she could have like walked over to any of them and heal them, instead of waiting until everything is over? lol

Other than that, I find this a good watch. I won't mind a S2, but maybe different ML with similar spirit world concept or sth

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An Entertaining Fiasco: The Anime is Better, but...

(No spoilers about the Netflix version, but there may be some from the anime.)
It has taken me weeks to write this because I am torn. It wasn't until I watched a review on YT that my feelings about this entertaining fiasco congealed. The "live action" version of YuYu Hakusho, easily one of the best, most well written shonen anime/manga of all time is not a true adaptation. Rather, it's a re-telling of the story I've loved for almost 30 years. It has aspects of the anime and manga, but it's its own beast all together. Fans of the story may be torn. Those who have never seen the anime will probably really like it. I mean there's nothing to dislike. I can not see anyone hating it though. I have dubbed this retelling YuYu Hakusho: Netflix hen.

In case you don't know Yusuke Urameshi is a 14 year old yankee (Japanese term for teen thugs, gang members, etc.). He's an excellent fighter and e seems hard on the outside, but he really has a good heart. After an accident Yusuke undergoes trials assigned by, Koenma, the son of Enma, King of the Underworld, to become a spirit detective. He forms a team with once rival, Kuabara, and 2 demons (Kurama and Hiei) to rid the world of demons. That's Yu Yu in a nutshell. The only difference, which isn't much, is that Yusuke in the Netflix version is 17.

The good
Netflix's version is fast paced and action packed. If that's all you're looking for, you won't be disappointed. The CGI was a little ify here and there, but forgivable. The cast is good. I only recognized Takito Kenichi, who was perfectly creepy as the Elder Togoro brother, but for the most part the cast is solid. There's no mistaking who is who. While I didn't like the portrayal of Yusuke at first, he did grow on. The actor that played Kubara, however, was fantastic. He didn't necessarily look like Kuabara (his size and hair color being notable), but he embodied the spirit of Kuabara down to the walk. He was truly perfect.

The bad
Why was Koenma an adult from jump? Why didn't they explain the pacifier? They made him look like a damn perv sucking on binky for no reason. What they did to Kurama was a travesty. The cutting of Hiei's story and introduction was equally as sad. That brings me to what is really sad..the rush job. Why did they try to put 1/2 the story into 5 hours? They tried to cram over 60 anime episodes (approximately 30 hours of content) into 5- 1 hour episodes. Who does that? Why? Where's the fire? Why the rush? All questions I asked myself when I realized there was no episode 6. My only hope is that there is a 2nd season and they will have managed to work in some significant arcs and characters they omitted, especially the Dark Tournament. You guys don't know how badass any of them are with seeing the tournament.

The music was good at least I think it was. To be 100% I don't remember it. Re-watch? Hmm I'll probably re-watch it. I mean why not? It's only 5 episodes!

Fans of the anime: Netflix hen is decent. It's not the story you know, but it's not not the story either. It's a solid 6.
New YuYu fans: it's good. If you like fight scenes and action, you'll probably enjoy it enough to give it 7.5-8. However, you do yourself a huge disservice by not watching the anime.

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Something was missing

Overall, this was a good series and I was hooked from the beginning. However, the script seems a little off. The main problem is they tried to pack in a lot of content into 5 episodes. I felt that I was not getting the complete picture about many of the characters and this fantasy world. As for the positive, the cast was excellent and did a great job with their characters considering what they had to work with. The cinematography and special effects were amazing.

Random Note:

I would have liked a few more episodes to help me fully understand this world. Then again, my overall disconnect with this series may be due to the fact I did not read/watch the source material.

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DIsrespected the most important arc in the source material.

I finished the Yu Yu Hakusho anime and started to binge the live-action a day later. What surprised me the most was the complete disregard of 60% of the content from the anime/manga. I understand the budget/production costs would not allow detail orientation despite that they should have ended the show with Toguro not going full strength, getting defeated and then coming back with an invitation to the dark tournament. The Dark Tournament Arc is one of the most notable tournament arcs in the history of Japanese anime/manga because it went on and influenced tournament-based arcs in various anime/manga. To completely disregard an arc as crucial and heartfelt as that was a poor choice. They should have brought the dark tournament arc in season 2 with five episodes again because there are characters introduced in that arc who come later on in the actual source material with a purpose and depth to them. Overall, it was a decent adaptation as it showed high potential but they chose to ignore an extraordinary chance of story telling; I would not be surprised if casual watchers enjoyed it more.

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Fighting scene execution wins!

Another anime franchise that Netflix decided to pour out their budget for a live-action. Yu Yu Hakusho, popularized in my country as “Ghost Fighter,” is a notable series during the 90s and early 20s. The anime became part of my childhood happy memories and after reading the announcement for a drama version, I am thrilled and somehow scared at the same time.

The production quality did not disappoint. We were served with realistic visual effects, the iconic costumes of the characters, and most especially the execution of the fighting scenes that deserve applause. Nevertheless, I can’t help but notice that they fast-forward the sequence of the story by cutting some major parts from the original version. It is understandable since they need to fit everything with only five episodes in total but I never expected to see everything in one sitting. To be honest, I was expecting to see them fight in the tournament in the demon realm.

The actors portrayed their roles nicely too. I love the perfect appearance of Kurama and the moment he turned into the white fox. They give justice to the characters although some of the cast aren’t that great compared to what I imagined them to be. Still, everyone did a good job handling their specific roles.

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