Yu Yu Hakusho review

Non spoiler review

Story:

Yu Yu Hakusho the ghost files is about a young boy who is chosen as a spirit detective to combat evil on earth. Yu Yu Hakusho has one of the best storylines because the show breaks traditional norms of storytelling and takes completely different approaches! There are several very creative and impressive directions in the storytelling, making Yu Yu Hakusho one of the best TV shows! The plot and characters develop for better or worse!

Yu Yu Hakusho the ghost files has some of the best fights in TV history! The fights are not too long or short. They're at a perfect pace! I love how characters serve as commentators and better explain the fights in more detail. The fights often include strategy, intensity, emotion, internal and external conflicts blended so well together! Characters are pushed beyond their physical and mental limits which is what made the fights so memorable! I loved how the fights weren't determined only by skill against skill. Randomness as well as teamwork were also included in the outcome making it more suspenseful, shocking, and revealing! 

Seasons 1-3 were the show's best seasons! I love how each season deals with different situations. Overall, I thought seasons 2 and 3 were the most brutal as the stakes were so high! Seasons 1 and 2 had several scenes involving Kuwabara which almost brought me to tears from how powerful they were!           

There were several flaws with Yu Yu Hakusho. I thought the humor was very forced. Characters like Hiei make repeatedly fun of Kubawara's intellect. If all you can do is make jokes at someone else's expense, it becomes cheap humor. Repeated jokes on Kubawara's intellect became filler material. While almost all of the characters were lovable and memorable, they still needed more development. I felt some were character archetypes that were copied and pasted into the show to some degree. For example, I felt one character was a typical love interest to please fans of her relationship with Yusuke. I would've loved to see another character develop more instead. I had mixed feelings about the final season. As the show progresses, I felt the passion and energy it had from the beginning starts to fade. 

Cinematography:

The camera angles were spectaular! I loved how the camera angles give you ariel views of the battlefields and move around as if you're spectating from a huge bird. The camera angles sometimes move slower, building more tension to Yu Yu Hakusho: the ghost files! Other times, the camera moves faster at capturing shots and becomes more shaky which also adds to the suspense! The camera sometimes films from a lower angle to make you feel just how powerful and huge characters like younger Toguro are!      

Characters: 

Yu Yu Hakusho the ghost files had mostly interesting, memorable, solid, and complex three dimensional characters. Even minor characters end up being lovable, memorable, and important to the development of major characters. Their personalities and fighting styles are complex. Heroes like Yoko Kurama, Hiei, and villains like Toguro have similar alternate sadistic personalities. When characters work as a team, their characters become more complex due to their changing relationships! As the show progresses, you see how each character in Yusuke's team needs one another physically and emotionally. Here's several characters which stood out to me.

Yusuke:

Yusuke is reckless, competitive, and intelligent when the situation is right. He has a kind heart and will fight for what's right. 

Younger Toguro:

Younger Toguro is an interesting character because he's mysterious and silent. You don't know much about him which is scary! He's the type to save the best for last. His character was well designed. His powers are somewhat disturbing as you see his muscles bulge outwards! His shades make him look inhuman and emotionally distant from people. 

Genkai: 

Genkai is a very harsh teacher! She has alot of wisdom on her students strengths and weaknesses. She can sense when a student like Yusuke can go beyond his limits although he doesn't believe he can. She knows how to motivate him to do so. Genkai is hellbent on accomplishing her goals.    

Hiei: 

He's a mostly cynical character who keeps his distance from others. Similar to Kurama, Hiei is very intelligent!  

Kurama:

Kumara is very intelligent and usually three steps ahead of his opponents! I love how its hard to know what he's feeling as he barely shows emotion through his body language.

Kuwabara: 

Kuwabara is similar to Yusuke. They're both determined and have strong wills. Kuwabara is a man of principles and empathetic at times.     

Botan:

Botan is helpful and optimistic but she's clumsy. It was hard to watch Botan be put in situations where she had to commit immoral acts for the greater good! You could see Botan was morally conflicted! 

Shinobu Sensei: 

He's probably one of the most complex characters as he has multiple personalities, each with their own fighting styles and abilities. What's disturbing about him is his unpredictability especially when he changes personalities!  

Theme:

I felt the overall theme of Yu Yu Hakusho: the ghost files was the importance and value of being human despite all of your shortcomings. Yu Yu Hakusho: the ghost files teaches you shouldn't aspire to be something that you're not.     

Animation:

Yu Yu Hakusho: the ghost files' animation is among the best i've ever seen! I love how when light emits from characters powers - the animation has tons of different colors - blue, red, purple, white, etc. The colors have different contrasts throughout the show. I love how the animation blends different types of animation together. Proportions and bodies become warped to emphasize the power characters have! The animation is highly detailed. Its probably at its peak in season 2!    

Dialogue: 

The dialogue in Yu Yu Hakusho: the ghost files can be light and humorous but also very intense! Some of the show's best dialogue was around the end of season 1 when Kuwabara fought in the four saint beasts arc! I love how despite having no fight scenes, the dialogue is still interesting. I don't find myself usually wondering when characters are going to start fighting.     

Acting: 

The voice acting is incredible! All of the actors are deeply immersed in their roles especially the voice actor who plays Kuwabara! You can feel the intensity and energy of the voice actors especially during fight scenes as they emphasize specific words, scream, change their tones of voice, etc.    

Soundtrack: 

The opening theme of Yu Yu Hakusho: the ghost files overpowered the rest of the show's soundtrack. Yu Yu Hakusho's opening was very catchy, upbeat, and solid! I loved how the vocals shifted from being rhythmic to being melodic! Yu Yu Hakusho is a rare show which doesn't need a full soundtrack.         

In conclusion, Yu Yu Hakusho: the ghost files is one of the best TV shows of all time! I don't think Yu Yu Hakusho the ghost files can ever be recreated. I'm unsure if that's unfortunate or fortunate. I highly suggest buying Yu Yu Hakusho seasons 1-3 on DVD!  

      

Spoiler review

Story:

Yu Yu Hakusho the ghost files is about a young boy who is chosen as a spirit detective to combat evil on earth. Yu Yu Hakusho has one of the best storylines because of how the plot and characters develop for better or worse! There are several very creative and impressive directions in the storytelling, making Yu Yu Hakusho one of the best TV shows! 

Unlike most TV shows, the main character dies early in Yu Yu Hakusho the ghost files! That course of action in the story is one of a kind! As if things couldn't get any worse, Yusuke struggles with the internal conflict his life is meaningless so he has no reason to return to life! Other characters struggle to motivate him to find a way to live again!  

Another very creative plot development is watching Yusuke's enemies become his friends! Difficult circumstances forced them to form alliances with him. As time goes on, you're left worrying if they're loyal to Yusuke or wouldn't hesitate to betray him when they no longer benefit from him! They don't become heroes but shift from being villains to anti-heroes!

Yu Yu Hakusho the ghost files has some of the best fights in TV history! The fights are not too long or short. They're at a perfect pace! I love how characters serve as commentators and better explain the fights in more detail. The fights often include strategy, intensity, emotion, internal and external conflicts blended so well together! Characters are pushed beyond their physical and mental limits which is what made the fights so memorable! I loved how the fights weren't determined only by skill against skill. Randomness as well as teamwork were also included in the outcome making it more suspenseful, shocking, and revealing! 

Seasons 1-3 were the show's best seasons! I love how each season deals with different situations. Overall, I thought seasons 2 and 3 were the most brutal as the stakes were so high! Seasons 1 and 2 had several scenes involving Kuwabara which almost brought me to tears from how powerful they were!           

There were several flaws with Yu Yu Hakusho. I thought the humor was very forced. Characters like Hiei make repeatedly fun of Kubawara's intellect. If all you can do is make jokes at someone else's expense, it becomes cheap humor. Repeated jokes on Kubawara's intellect became filler material. While almost all of the characters were lovable and memorable, they still needed more development. I felt some were character archetypes that were copied and pasted into the show to some degree. For example, Keiko started off as a very strong character who played an important role in the plot and Yusuke's development. Eventually, she was reduced to being a typical love interest around seasons 2-3 and didn't feel necessary to the show anymore. She just became a typical love interest who felt forced in the plot simply to please fans of her relationship with Yusuke. I would've loved to see another character develop more instead of her. I had mixed feelings about the final season. I was satisifed with the ending especially when the characters don't fully know their purposes yet. I was dissatisified with how the last season felt somewhat bland. I felt it was a rehash of season 2 to some degree.     

The biggest flaw was choosing to bring back Genkai from the dead. Her death would've deeply impacted Yusuke for the rest of the show. Her return to life made Toguro's impact on Yusuke and his friends much less powerful. If Genkai stayed dead, it would've been much more interesting to see how Yusuke would grow without her. I can already imagine what could've happened if Genkai stayed dead. Yusuke would've probably gone through a severe identity crisis. Yusuke would've lost the insight Genkai gave him on his flaws especially when he needs it the most at very critical moments. He might've been tempted to take the same path younger Toguro took as a result of her death. The stakes of the battles that came after her death would've been raised  higher than before.                         

Cinematography:

The camera angles were spectaular! I loved how the camera angles give you ariel views of the battlefields and move around as if you're spectating from a huge bird. The camera angles sometimes move slower, building more tension to the show! Other times, the camera moves faster at capturing shots and becomes more shaky which also adds to the suspense! The camera sometimes films from a lower angle to make you feel just how powerful and huge characters like younger Toguro are!      

Characters: 

Yu Yu Hakusho the ghost files had mostly interesting, memorable, solid, and complex three dimensional characters. Even minor characters end up being lovable, memorable, and important to the development of major characters. Their personalities and fighting styles are complex. Heroes like Yoko Kurama, Hiei, and villains like Toguro have similar alternate sadistic personalities. When characters work as a team, their characters become more complex due to their changing relationships! As the show progresses, you see how each character in Yusuke's team needs one another physically and emotionally. Here's several characters which stood out to me.

Yusuke:

Yusuke is reckless, competitive, and intelligent when the situation is right. He has a kind heart and will fight for what's right. 

Younger Toguro:

Younger Toguro is an interesting character because he's mysterious and silent. You don't know much about him which is scary! He's the type to save the best for last. His character was well designed. His powers are somewhat disturbing as you see his muscles bulge outwards! His shades make him look inhuman and emotionally distant from people. As the show progresses, you can sense he's a troubled and traumatized person.   

Genkai: 

Genkai is a very harsh teacher! She has alot of wisdom on her students strengths and weaknesses. She can sense when a student like Yusuke can go beyond his limits although he doesn't believe he can. She knows how to motivate him to do so. Genkai is hellbent on accomplishing her goals.    

Hiei: 

He's a mostly cynical character who keeps his distance from others. He respects his teammates to some degree even though he tends to hide it. Deep down, he's vulnerable and afraid of connecting with others for fear of abandonment. Similar to Kurama, Hiei is very intelligent!  

Kurama:

Kumara is very intelligent and usually three steps ahead of his opponents! I love how its hard to know what he's feeling as he barely shows emotion through his body language. He can be unpredictable especially after he "tests" his opponents and searches for weaknesses he can exploit. He's willing to take some damage if it means gaining advantages such as more knowledge of his opponents. He's kind which can be a strength and weakness!      

Kuwabara: 

Kuwabara is similar to Yusuke. They're both determined and have strong wills. While other characters have multiple powers, Kuwabara usually only has a spirit sword. Kuwabara is a man of principles and empathetic at times.     

Botan:

Botan is helpful and optimistic but she's clumsy. It was hard to watch Botan be put in situations where she had to lie to characters like Keiko for the greater good! You could see Botan was morally conflicted! 

Shinobu Sensei: 

He's probably one of the most complex characters as he has multiple personalities, each with their own fighting styles and abilities. What's disturbing about him is his unpredictability! When he changes personalities, i was frightened from the way he has his eyes closed as he stands motionless and the battle's paused briefly.   

Theme:

I felt the overall theme of Yu Yu Hakusho: the ghost files was your love for power should never overshadow your love for others. Once your love of power causes you to abandon those who love you, you'll lose your humanity and become evil like the show's villains. Yusuke realizes this at the end of the show which is why he shockingly lost. If Yusuke won the match, Yusuke would've likely ended up like younger Toguro due to his obsession to become stronger at all costs.          

Animation:

Yu Yu Hakusho: the ghost files' animation is among the best i've ever seen! I love how when light emits from characters powers - the animation has tons of different colors - blue, red, purple, white, etc. The colors have different contrasts throughout the show. I love how the animation blends different types of animation together. Proportions and bodies become warped to emphasize the power characters have! The animation is highly detailed. Its probably at its peak in season 2!    

Dialogue: 

The dialogue in Yu Yu Hakusho: the ghost files can be light and humorous but also very intense! Some of the show's best dialogue was around the end of season 1 when Kuwabara fought in the four saint beasts arc! I love how despite having no fight scenes, the dialogue is still interesting. I don't find myself usually wondering when characters are going to start fighting.     

Acting: 

The voice acting is incredible! All of the actors are deeply immersed in their roles especially the voice actor who plays Kuwabara! You can feel the intensity and energy of the voice actors especially during fight scenes as they emphasize specific words, scream, change their tones of voice, etc.    

Soundtrack: 

The opening theme of Yu Yu Hakusho: the ghost files overpowered the rest of the show's soundtrack. Yu Yu Hakusho's opening was very catchy, upbeat, and solid! I loved how the vocals shifted from being rhythmic to being melodic! Yu Yu Hakusho is a rare show which doesn't need a full soundtrack.         

In conclusion, Yu Yu Hakusho: the ghost files is one of the best TV shows of all time! I don't think Yu Yu Hakusho the ghost files can ever be recreated. I'm unsure if that's unfortunate or fortunate. I highly suggest buying Yu Yu Hakusho seasons 1-3 on DVD!