Yu Yu Hakusho Review: Also known as 幽☆遊☆白書 in Japanese, this is a brand new action-packed fantasy adventure show based on the manga of the same name by Yoshihiro Togashi.
On December 16, 2020, talks of making a real-life version of the Japanese manga was announced. It’s going to be on Netflix everywhere, and Kazutaka Sakamoto from Netflix is helping make it. Akira Morii is producing it with the Robot company. Then, on July 15, 2022, it was shared that Shō Tsukikawa would be the director, Tatsurō Mishima would be writing the script, and Ryō Sakaguchi would be in charge of the cool VFX.
The live-action features actors like Takumi Kitamura, Shuhei Uesugi, Jun Shison, and Kanata Hongō, alongside others.
– The Review Contains Minor Spoilers –
Yu Yu Hakusho Review: Discussion
The series started pretty promising, which made me hope that this adaptation might be different from what Netflix usually does. In the beginning, we see Yusuke looking at an accident spot. Then he sees himself lying on the stretcher and realizes he has been gravely injured, and now he is a wandering soul out of his own body.
This is how his adventure begins, and soon, he meets Koenma, the son of Enma, the God of hell. He appoints Yusuke as a spirit detective in exchange for saving Keiko’s (Yusuke’s friend) life, and now Yusuke will have to protect the human realm from Yokai.
For those who have not yet watched the anime, this series might not be much of an issue. But for anime and manga fans, this would seem like a rushed attempt done only to attract the fanbase. I have no complaints regarding the visual effects or the VFX used here, as they are pretty good. The background music and the cinematography also give you a chance to experience the wondrous world of Yu Yu Hakusho adequately.
The actors are also pretty good at their jobs and play their part with care. Yusuke is believable with his brooding nature and you feel his friendship with Kuwabara and others.
But the aspect that I could not digest is how they took elements from the two biggest arcs of the anime and put them in a pot to make an underwhelming concoction. I understand that it is not possible for anyone to adapt the whole thing absolutely faithfully. But they should have just picked small segments rather than cramping everything till the Dark Tournament Arc and making a five-episode show out of it.
Still, not everything is bad. The action sequences are really good and very interesting to look at. The actors really outdid themselves in this sector.
The pacing here is very fast cause they show too many things at the same time. This is also why it becomes difficult for anyone to get connected to the characters. I specifically did not like how little screen time Genkai got.
The training segment of Yusuke, which is one of the most important parts, got only a few minutes of screen time. You also see the transference of the spirit wave orb soon after Yusuke starts training, and that too without any of the hardships that the original Yusuke had to face while getting it. This show deserved more care and time, which, sadly, it did not receive.
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Yu Yu Hakusho Review: Verdict
All in all, the series could have been great, but thinking about the reputation that live-action adaptations have, I’m not surprised that this turned out average. But yes, if it got a better budget and more episodes, then this could have been one of the best live-action shows ever. I also do not think there will be a second season, but if they do, I hope this time they will adapt the last arcs properly.
If you want to watch this, you can. There is nothing wrong with it, but my advice would be to move straight to the anime after this show, as only then you can understand how great Yu Yu Hakusho is.
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