Yu Yu Hakusho Web Series Review: The reading and viewing of manga and anime have always remained particularly elitist. Nonetheless, in recent times we have seen a marked rapprochement of the public with this type of story: this may also be due to the live-action version adaptations that Netflix is distributing.
After the great success of One Piece, Yu Yu Hakusho, a manga written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi (already previously adapted into an anime) is cinematically transposed into a series currently consisting of a single season of five episodes, each lasting approximately an hour.
In the cast we find Takumi Kitamura in the role of the protagonist Yusuke Urameshi, Shuhei Uesugi in that of Kazuma Kuwabara, first nemesis and then the right-hand man of Urameshi himself and Go Ayano in the role of the fearsome minor Toguro, a fearsome and invincible yokai.
Yu Yu Hakusho: detective of the spirit world:
The series opens in medias res showing Urameshi helpless on the asphalt, dead. His spirit can be seen watching his body being taken away by the ambulance. This is followed by a short flashback necessary to help the viewer understand the protagonist better: he is a grumpy young man, with strong ideals, who does not hesitate to defend the weak, but at the same time does not accept that people control him in any way.
Death will paradoxically bring about an upheaval in his existence: the guardian of the spirit world allows him to return to life to chase away the yokai, demons who have escaped from their world. In particular, Urameshi will have to defeat three yokai who have taken possession of three important magical objects. After numerous battles, vicissitudes, and lessons learned, Urameshi will realize that the yokai are not the real enemies to be defeated.
YuYu Hakusho Web Series Analysis:
One of the most striking elements of Yu Yu Hakusho is the attention to detail, which makes the Japanese atmosphere more authentic. This especially concerns the landscapes: a place that especially reminds the reader of the typical setting of this country is the house of Genkai, an elderly fighter who instructs Urameshi and Kuwabara in the use of spiritual energy and the astral ray and sword respectively.
Another interesting factor that makes the series pleasant to watch is the presence of many fight scenes, which are particularly compelling. Such scenes maintain a certain balance between action, suspense, and the sight of blood or excessive violence, thus gaining the viewer's attention.
Urameshi: from young neighborhood hoodlum to hero:
Yu Yu Hakusho presents the personal growth of the protagonist Urameshi. This, in the first scenes, is shown to the public as an ordinary hooligan who spends his days from one fight to another. Death leads him to better understand what is important and how much the people around him, like Keiko herself, care about him. Slowly as the episodes continue, we see Urameshi learning valuable lessons: the most important are taught to him by Genkai. She encourages him to really commit to what she does and convinces him to respect the advice of others.
But Urameshi gets the greatest teaching from Kuwabara himself: the young man, after seeing his friends get injured without being able to do anything, is determined to become stronger. Genkai gives him the task of breaking a large rock with a wooden sword, but such a feat seems almost impossible in the eyes of the viewer and of Urameshi himself. However, Kuwabara's stubbornness and willpower lead him to discover and master the astral sword, with which he will split the rock. Urameshi thus learns not to give up and this determination will also be reflected in the final battles.
Minor Toguro: A villain with a touching backstory:
In the first episodes of Yu Yu Hakusho the Yokai are portrayed as the great villains who want to destroy the world: as the story continues, we realize that reality is more complicated than that. In fact, even a fearsome fighter like Toguro Minor seems to be much more than a simple assassin. Toguro, who is curiously shown as similar to a Matrix character in his first appearances, was originally a human; after failing to prevent the death of his loved ones, he decides to become stronger by transforming into a demon, a yokai. Thus he becomes pure strength but continues to be haunted by feelings of guilt.
A live-action for the general public:
The live-action adaptation of anime and manga that Netflix is therefore promoting and carrying forward makes these stories accessible to a wider audience. Sometimes viewers can become quite biased towards anime series, avoiding them. The creation of these transpositions, however, encourages more viewing even for the most skeptical spectator! Consequently, although the adaptation may not be fully appreciated by lovers of Japanese products, it allows a greater number of people to enjoy compelling stories, which Yu Yu Hakusho fits fully into.