Yu Yu Hakusho (幽遊白書) is a Japanese live-action adaptation of the manga by Yoshihiro Togashi originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump for four years from 1990 and published by Shueisha. It is directed by Sho Tsukikawa and Tatsuro Mishima adapts the screenplay. There are 5 episodes in the series with a runtime of about 45-56 minutes.
The cast of the series includes Takumi Kitamura as Yusuke Urameshi, Jun Shison as Kurama, Kanata Hongo as Hiei, Shuhei Uesugi as Kazuma Kuwabara, Sei Shiraishi as Keiko Yukimura, Kotone Furukawa as Botan, Ai Mikami as Yukina, Hiroya Shimizu as Karasu, Keita Machida as Koenma, Meiko Kaji as Genkai, Kenichi Takitoh as Toguro, Goro Inagaki as Sakyo, Go Ayano and others.
The story revolves around Yusuke Urameshi, a tough and kind-hearted person who is brought back to life after dying in an accident. He becomes a detective in the spirit world and his mission is to locate and defeat the demons that have entered the human world.
Yu Yu Hakusho Review
The series opens with a scene of an accident where the paramedics are trying to revive Yusuke, while his spiritual self is standing beside him. It doesn’t take long for him to realise that he died in the accident while trying to protect a young child from an oncoming vehicle. Botan, a woman who claims to be a guide to the spirit world, reveals to Yusuke that his death while performing a good deed was unexpected. Furthermore, due to his delinquent past, there is no place for him in either heaven or hell.
Blue-haired Botan takes him to Koenma, the son of the Spirit King, who wants to bring him back to life, entrusting him with the task of detective of the spirit world. The strange deity explains to him that the balance between the human world and the demon world is in danger, more and more evil creatures are crossing the barrier that divides them. Yusuke’s task will be to find and defeat the demons that have escaped control and wreaking havoc in the human world.
Despite having no desire to go back, thinking everyone is better off without him, he changes his mind on seeing his heartbroken mother & friends. What he didn’t expect is that right from the start, he will have to face attacks from demons, even if some of them seem not to be entirely evil, capable of feelings such as love and compassion.
Meanwhile, a powerful person is secretly planning to destroy the barriers that exist between the two worlds. Yusuke, who has gained the ability to concentrate spiritual energy into powerful beams, will have to pass increasingly challenging and life-threatening tests to prevail.
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When it comes to live-action adaptation of anime, there’s rarely any TV series that does full justice to the story and multiple arcs. Likewise, in Yu Yu Hakusho, the creators have done their best to replicate the world and the period where Yusuke is, the visuals, special effects etc are quite good. But the pace and trying to pack everything in the span of 5-episodes ruins the best of efforts.
In general, if there’s an action-based story, one of the core developments is the rise of the hero. How the protagonist learns to move mountains and discovers innate power, they never knew existed. Similarly, in the story, Yusuke goes to a master to learn to use his powers effectively. The way he fails, almost gives up yet slowly finds new hope in himself is significant to his growth and a big part of his journey. But the series shows it like a random training session for a day or two, making it a linear graph.
Some more arcs like this run past the screen without giving the audience enough time to immerse and connect with the characters. One thing happens after another and significant moments lose their impact. For those who haven’t watched the anime or read the manga, it might not feel very rushed but the pacing issue will still be evident.
Other than that, compared to previous adaptations, Yu Yu Hakusho does a wonderful job of bringing it to the big screen. The actors make all the difference by staying true to the character, also the action scenes don’t feel awkward. Overall, it’s worth a watch regardless if you know the story or not.
Rating: 3/5
Yu Yu Hakusho is available for streaming on Netflix.
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