Yu Yu Hakusho is a Japanese action fantasy adventure series developed by Akira Morii and Kaata Sakamoto. The series is a live-action adaptation of the 1990–94 manga series of the same name by Yoshihiro Togashi. The show revolves around Yusuke Urameshi a delinquent junior high school student that gets into a lot of fights. After he dies saving a child in a car accident, he gets resurrected to be a supernatural investigator. This version of Yu YU Hakusho is a mediocre TV series that although not awful left me with not much emotion at all and is nowhere close to be compared to one of my favourite anime of all time.
The direction in the show is decent. The actors in the series work well enough with each other and play there parts perfectly fine. The mood of the show feels a bit two over seriousness for what the series is meant to be and tries to make it feel like its more epic than it is. The comedy is there but it just doesn’t feel quite right and doesn’t hit that sweet spot of seriousness and humour that they originally did. The style of the show is interesting the show has a lot of stylisations and over the top stuff that fits the show well considering the source material but in a live action setting it does come across as a bit strange.
The acting in the show is decent. Takumi Kitamura does a decent job as Yusuke Urameshi he plays a rough, brash character that home form a dad life likes fighting and learns to grow up throughout the story. Shuhei Uesugi does a decent job as Kazuma Kuwabara he plays a tough guy that is Yusukes rival turned friend that plays a tough guy that acts as comic relief. Jun Shison does a decent job as Kurama he plays the two sides of the character being his clam and friendly human character and his fox spirt form. Kanata Hongo does a decent job as Hie he plays a detected character that pretends not to care about others but cares for them especially his sister. Sei Shiraishi does a decent job as Keiko Yukimura she plays Yusukes friend/love interest that cares for him as well as being strict with him. Kotone Furukawa does a decent job Boten she plays a spirt of the underworld that becomes Yusukes friend and partner in the story. Ai Mikami does a decent job as Yukina she plays a shy character in Hiei’s sister that is sold into slavery before being recued and helps the others in their journey. Keita Machida does a decent job as Koenma the chief of the underworld that acts as Yusuke’s boss. Meiko Kaji does a good job as Gnekai a grizzled old woman that becomes Yusuke’s master. Kenichi Takio does a good job as Toguro the muscle-bound villain of the show that is Yusuke’s rival. Goro Inagaki does a decent job as Sakyo the man in charge of the tournament that isn’t comply evil land has a certain level of respect for Yukuske.
The Writing in the show is decent. The show very much follows the suture of the original anime. The set up of Yusuke dying, Boton, kurama, Kuwabara, kurama and Hiei. All the characters are present here however the backstays feel somewhat rushed due to the limited number of episodes there is not enough time to let their stories play out slowly like in the original show. Again, this is the same with the story of the show that although follows the first arc well leading up to just before the dark tournament a lot of it has been cut down leading to a story that feels a bit rushed hitting the main points but cutting out some of the character growth in the process.
The cinematography in the show is decent. Most of the cinematography is nothing special and severs its purpose fine. However, there is some genuinely great shots with the use of lighting in some scenes that really work in the show. The special effects are decent the CGI isn’t great but its not the worst and is what I expect form a show like this. The practical effects and cartoony feel look weird in live action but are faithful to the original anime.
Overall, Yu Yu Hakusho is a mediocre TV show. While not awful the show didn’t leave any real lasting impression on me either leading to a series that really doesn’t have a lot to say about.
