sierra.doyle - 2016-12-14 17:30:20

Yu Yu were pretty good.

grimes.delia - 2016-05-18 10:20:42

This was my first anime when i was growing up in the 90's and i love it, all of the feels and its always in my top 3

lempi.okuneva - 2016-01-18 11:42:42

one of the best fighting animes of all time.if u like dbz,man u gona love it..fights are so damn kool and brutal.

tmante - 2015-01-22 04:51:19

done 
9/10 

one of the best shonen anime 

my best character 

kwabara - toguro 

dillan.cremin - 2014-11-28 21:19:39

I have to watch it once a year or I feel like I cannot function since I have grown up with it. It is a very addicting anime and it basically helped shape me into the person that I am today.

michale45 - 2014-11-18 19:32:00

Probably my favorite anime ever. I went on a journey in my junior year of high school for the whole show on DVD and got the whole thing and have rewatched it twice since. Yusuke was my hero as a kid and this show just means a lot to me. It has great characters and character development for a pure action show like this and I personally think the filler is entertaining enough that it isn't annoying. Great, great show. 
GREATEST ENGLISH OPENING SONG EVER. 

kari.weissnat - 2014-09-19 19:49:29

alysa.mante - 2014-02-22 00:26:28

NOTE: I apologize ahead of time for a rather lengthy and what’ll seem dragged on review, this is a show that holds a special place in my heart -gets teary- So I wouldn't feel right leaving anything that I feel is important out of this review. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Introduction:
“Don’t judge a book by the cover.” This is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about the show that is Yu Yu Hakusho, given it’s not actually a book but an anime adaptation of a manga, baka, of course I know this much. It appears to be another one of those scream-as-loud-as-you-can-to-power-up-and-protect-your-friends, kind of show, which seemed to be riddled throughout the anime industry in the early and late 90s. Sure the show has it’s cliché moments but I would argue they are ingeniously portrayed in an enjoyable manner that is for the most part unpredictable and interesting. The mangaka of Yu Yu Hakusho is Yoshihiro Togashi who you might know as the creator of the hit series Hunter x Hunter (Fun fact: Togashi is married to Naoko Takeuchi, the author of Sailor Moon.) - Togashi is exceptional at creating characters with depth, and putting these characters in various psychological struggles both internally and externally to strengthen their growth and development. This is what makes Yu Yu Hakusho stand out so much, it’s characterization. Now, with the introduction out of the way let’s power up and start! “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”

Story. 9/10
The show tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi a 14 year-old delinquent that is always itching for a fight, he refuses to attend classes regularly and enjoys fighting fellow delinquents in his city, not the most charming guy, right? Well he’s our protagonist, and pseudo-spoiler-alert he dies in the first, wait for it… 25 seconds of the show. He amazingly enough jumps in front of a car to save a child who was chasing after a ball. No one could have guessed Yusuke, of all people would sacrifice his life for another. Hell, even the head honchos at Spirit World wouldn’t of imagined he would perform such a selfless act, thus his adventure begins with his death.
Yusuke’s death was an unpredicted one and well he has no place to go. There’s no place for him in the afterlife, they at Spirit World, did not know he would die on that day by saving someone’s life at the cost of his own. Therefore, Koenma, the son of King Yama, decides to put Yusuke to a test, an ordeal to see if he deserves to come back to life. So with this Yusuke’s first unofficial mission begins, the mission of resurrecting himself, little does he know on completion of this mission he will become Spirit Detective of earth; and must now protect all of humanity from aberrations with the help of his assistant Botan, the blue haired grim reaper, Kuwabara, Yusuke’s classmate and arch rival, Kurama the intelligent former demon fox, and lastly Hiei the demon swordsman with a bitter attitude. Together they are earths ragtag team of defenders.
The premise of this show is an interesting one, it grabs your attention with the very unique cases *jobs* Yusuke is given as a Spirit Detective. The story at times can be rather dark, and does a very good job at pointing out the underbelly of society and meshes it with the story in a way you wouldn't feel preachy, it’s very crafty with this. Overtime we see the story progresses from the simpler cases to more life threatening and consequential ones that affect things on a larger scale which brings the intensity up!

Animation. 9/10
First off, the Yu Yu Hakusho anime adaption was done by Studio Pierrot, who is also responsible for the anime adaptations: Naruto, Bleach and GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) So it’s blatantly obvious this studio is more than credible with their animation skills. Yu Yu Hakusho aired in 1992 (Fun fact: The user Cloud_Silvers as also born in 1992) and at the time the animation was very fitting and very well done as was the fluidity in the action sequences, given at times the colors can be a bit crude. I believe the show’s visual can hold up today pretty well seeing how it originally aired 22 years ago, I bet you feel old... As we progress with the story and things become gradually more serious we see the art style losing some of it’s softness and in turn becomes a lot more detailed and mature which can be interrupted as a tool to symbolize the story and characters growths over time.

I tend not to be overly critical with animation especially anime from the 90s but for the time this was done it was done very well. The protagonists all have a unique enough styles that they’re very memorable and same goes with the antagonist, you won’t see an actual character in this show that doesn’t have a creative design, one that will burn into your brain, like a tattoo.(Fun fact: I have no tattoos.)

Sounds. 9/10

Now the soundtrack. Oh boy, does this show have one, a good one at that. The show’s soundtrack is a very memorable one because it does an amazing job at setting the mood for the show. The pieces are very 90s and kick-ass the perfect mixture for a fighting shounen. You can really tell a lot of care was put in the soundtrack because you being to feel the emotions when a certain track comes on and makes the experience all the more enjoyable.

*This is in my opinion is the most memorable song from the soundtrack.*

Listening to it you can feel a sense of urgency, emotions both sad and happy, you can feel the pain and anger all this is done with the genius music. Overall beautiful pieces composed by Yusuke Honma (Wow his name seems familiar, I swear I've seen it somewhere -whistles-) The soundtrack is beautiful, appropriate and is truly a labor of love.

Characters. 10/10

Yu Yu Hakusho’s characters are very diverse and complex. Watching the show we get to experience this adventure with them as they grow, mature, learn new perspectives and change their outlooks on life itself. The best part of the characters is that they are so human and relatable. You gradually come to understand every character, and their ideals, mindsets and feelings. You get emotionally attached to each character and even the villains you come to sympathize with as you found out their backstories. I rarely watch a show where I literally shed tears for a villain's demise. These villains all have their various reasons and they may be wrong but they're just trying to achieve their own respected goals and the show does a good job at making this apparent. They are not villains for the sake of being villains.

Enjoyment.10/10

Lastly the enjoyment factor… I love this show wholeheartedly, it’s one of my first animes I ever watched when I was younger. It was not until I was older and re-watched it could I truly appreciate this anime for what it was. A battle shounen with an amazing cast of characters, interesting storylines, and fantastic villains. This show is special to me not because of nostalgia reasons but because I’ve watched it over 6 times and still find myself not getting bored. There’s a lot to it, more than you would really think. I would say it’s arguably one of the most enjoyable long-shounens.

Yu Yu Hakusho does a superb job of creating these totally human characters both good and bad. We get to see them in a state we can understand and this makes it all the more enjoyable when seeing them mature or learning about their backstories. Again, this show will at times make you sincerely feel sorry for the antagonists because of the complexity and human nature they put into them. Out of them all Yusuke our protagonist is the one who we see “grow up” the most, from a quick-to-throw-a-punch-cocky teenager to a dependable man who can both protect and cherish his friends and loved ones which is the opposite of how he started off. I fell in love with the characters and I truly cared for them, I cried with them and I smiled with them, I was on this adventure with them and for that I thank you Yu Yu Hakusho. This show is great for both young adults and more mature audiences.

frami.delphine - 2013-09-08 22:06:54

The great shounen classic, Yu Yu Hakusho.

An amazing anime, amongst my favorites. A legitimate master piece.

It has a very interesting premise keep you interested from the start. I didn't find myself giving this a "chance", because I feel the start of the show is genuinely interesting. In which, I felt there were no "slow starts", I felt committed to the show already. It introduced it's characters very well, it showed the protagonist and his conflict, the plot, and setting all fairly quick. It had a very interesting introduction as which I feel, sets this apart from many shounen, the protagonist is dead in the VERY beginning( this may not seem that "special" anymore, as other anime have done this in the recent to past years), and I found this interesting as I'm not seeing this with a lot of Shounen (Goku was killed early, not in the beginning). And it showed great characterization in the beginning, bringing in a good part of the cast within the first few episodes, and executing them all very well. Their personalites were shown and gave you an idea of what these characters are like, and they are extremely likable. So it's off to a good start.

As far as story goes, it's fairly simple but it's very interesting. In the first arc Yusuke is dead, and has the opportunity to be revived, he accepts, and is given an ordeal. So he can be revived of he completes his task, which is basically doing good deeds( now, this may seem boring but it's really not, because it develops the protagonist more and shows more of what he's really like). So basically it was obvious that Yusuke would be revived, which is where the main plot is introduced. The basis of it is that, There are demons terrorizing earth, Yusuke is the spirit detective, who's purpose is to defeat them and keep the Earth safe from what ever plot the demons have. That is when this becomes the Shounen that conveys cliches and the like. But this is nothing to look down upon! This masterpiece executes the plot wonderfully, bringing in very likable characters, great and fitting story elements, amazing and FAR above Shounen standard fights, and involving some of the best and well developed antagonist, which are (again) far above Shounen standards. It's also very well paced, it get's to the point, and gives you a good understanding of what's happening, it doesn't drag things out, and it saves the less important things for later. And this is a fighting shounen, and this series executes it's fights very well. They're very memorable, and entertaing, and the series provides you with a vast imagination, that has multiple interesting themes.So while the plot is fairly simple, it's executed so well that it makes for a great story.

Characters, probably the best aspect of Yu Yu Hakusho. As I said earlier, Yu Yu Hakusho does characterization very well, it does a great job at showing the characters true personality, and doesn't leave much to be desired. The four main characters, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and Kurama are all very well developed. They all have diverse personalities, and they all play a major part in the series. From comic relief, to romantic interest, you can get something from the cast to have interest in. Side characters are done very well also, and aren't just forgotten about after playing their part. Character development is also a huge part of Yu Yu Hakusho, In the first episode Yusuke developed as a character, and changed his viewing on life. Yu Yu Hakusho is full of it, characters come to moral complexities, or just come to realization that they should get serious with life. Yu Yu Hakusho is supernatural, but it can be very believable when it comes to characters and life's struggles.Also, characters came be very funny interacting, and the series sense of humor was actually good, and actually tried to entertain you with it. The antagonist as well are very well developed, and some of the best. It shows how corrupted they really are, and how hard their life was, and their motives are believable and understandable, you can actually grow to be attached to the antagonist, and wish that it turned out differently. Characters are overall amazing!

The sound, it's great! The soundtrack is fitting, and fun to listen to. It is reused a bit, but it doesn't become repetitive, and make you lose interest in the soundtrack.The themes for the sound track were great as well, they can make you reflect on what's happening and it emotionally ties you to the show. The sound effects, nothing special, typical 90's sound with hitting, and other various actions, though the Spirit Gun sound was something that was a bit new.The dialogue is another highlight of the show. It's not the typical action script that'd you'd hear in most anime. It's actually pretty diverse, and dynamic, fitting the mood, and not repeating itself multiple times over, it wasn't predictable either. Also, the dub is actually good, I think that it fits the characters better than the sub( I've watched the series over in both versions, multiple times, so I'm not being one sided here) and the dubs dialogue was a bit more mature and appealing than the sub.The sound excels in most aspects.

The animation, it was very inconsistent.Some times above average, and sometimes subpar. Though I feel the fight scenes were choreographed well, and were fun to watch. And like many 90's anime it had good key animation. In the major fights they were done very well having a good frame rate, and well executed movements. The less important fights were decently animated, but even still fun to watch.The effects were good, the attacks, and special moves were well drawn. The art style was great, and colors fitting to the series with appeal. At times, though the character models seemed a little stiff, and the animation became dull.Overall, I feel the animation was slightly above average.

With all of this tieing in together, I very much enjoyed this series, and it easily became my favorite. The story was well executed and paced, the characters were likeable and well developed, the comedy was entertaining, the dialogue was dynamic, and the animation was above average. I feel that this series does an outstanding job to entertain the viewer, which leads me to give this anime a 10.

buford.smith - 2013-08-05 01:00:18

Also known as the legendary Ghost Fighter in Philippine shores, this is probably the only shounen show that rivals Dragonball Z in terms of massive popularity (in this country at least). This is prime example of how to make a PROPER shounen show; simple, action packed, and with a small ragtag crew of boys with special powers. No matter how you look at it and no matter how much it evolve, it is still an acceptable formula. This the reason why Hatekyo: Hitman Reborn became popular in the first place.

Having said all of this let us go into details. First and foremost this is a shounen show, so screw anything that involves logic and common sense. The world is in dire need of a hero to protect the humans from the demons coming from the demon realm, and they hired a dead 14 year old boy to do their dirty work. Gazillions of episodes later, we found out that that boy is a prime candidate for the demon lord because he is son of the former one to begin with. So yeah, crazy storytelling, but this is how shounen shows are made anyway. Tried and tested, but it works, and it cannot always be a bad thing even by today's standard. But if you ask me if this formula is something to admire, not really. But my point is, every main protagonist in shows like these must always have the certain "plot armor" to keep the story at least a bit interesting for non dedicated fans. Things will get dragging, true, but this is still shounen and this is how things work since the genre began.

Character wise, we have a cast of cookie cutter tropes, a main protagonist who has tougher than diamond willpower, "that" loyal friend who is annoying but turns out to be powerful ally, that silent guy who is overpowered, hostile, and unadmirable at first but turns out to be soft on the inside, and that cool bishie that fangirls will swoon over. Might take time to appreciate them but since this show has plenty of episodes, we are given a so many chance to get to them each of them better.

Want something to truly admire? The music, of course. 90s animes like these are never short of memorable soundtrack, and the added fact that that they did not change the opening theme the entire time made that song an instant classic.

Cannot nitpick on the animation nor the voice acting for the standards back then are truly different from today's standard, so let's just leave it at that regardless of how low quality you thought they might be.

Overall, a pretty solid show despite being overly generic even by 90s standard. What's important is that it remains constantly enjoyable all throughout.