Review of Yu Yu Hakusho: Vol 5

Introduction

Yu Yu Hakusho is a long running series that has over a hundred episodes to it. It`s certainly a daunting prospect for anime fans more used to shows lasting 26 episodes at the most. It certainly hasn`t been helped by the release schedule. The discs are mirroring the US releases of 3 or 4 episodes per disc, and Volume 4 was released nearly a year ago now. Rather than be waiting on tenterhooks for the resolution of the cliffhanger, most fans will probably have forgotten the series exists. The belated release of Volume 5 doesn`t even indicate that the show is back on track, as at time of writing, Volume 6 is pencilled in for a December release. It`s a shame that MVM didn`t opt for Manga`s release strategy with the similarly epic Naruto series, that of 13-episode boxsets. Anyway, after a quick look at Volume 4 to catch up with what`s been going on, I finally dive back into the Spirit Realm and Yu Yu Hakusho.

Yusuke Urameshi was your average juvenile delinquent, making his way reluctantly through school, ruling the roost when it came to who was top dog, although that meant regularly facing off against his rival Kazuma Kuwabara. That all changed one day when he was knocked down by a car while rescuing a toddler, and was killed. Death was only the beginning of his problems, as spirits soon appeared to tell him that it wasn`t yet his time. Returning to a corporeal existence, he was assigned the duties of a Spirit Realm Detective, to stop rogue spirits from flouting the rules and regulations of the human world. The battle against the Demon Realm continues on this disc, The Beasts Of Maze Castle. Kurama and Hiei have joined Yusuke and Kuwabara, as they try to storm the castle. Time is running out for the Human Realm as the dreaded Makaichu bugs continue to infest the cities of Earth. But facing our heroes are the Four Holy Beasts. The three episodes on Volume 5 of Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files are as follows. The translated Japanese titles are followed by the English language version titles.

Ep 16. Grow, Rei-ken! Kuwabara: A Man`s Fight - Byakko, The White Tiger

Kuwabara is determined to show his courage and defeat the next Holy Beast. He has been practicing with his Reiki and can now produce a Spirit Sword of lightsaber proportions. He`s unprepared for the tiger demon Byakko though, who looks on Kuwabara`s challenge derisively. From four of his hairs, he creates hellbeasts to slaughter the mortal, and Kuwabara is overwhelmed.

Ep 17 Byakko`s Hellish Roar - Byakko`s Lair
The battle against the Holy Beasts continues, and Kuwabara has his hands full with the tiger beast Byakko. What`s worse is that Byakko actually grows stronger by absorbing his opponents` Reiki energy. How can Kuwabara hope to defeat such a foe?

Ep 18 Hiei Comes Forward to Battle! A Slashing Sword - Seiryu, the Blue Dragon
The next opponent waits, and this time it is Hiei who must rise to the challenge. Unfortunately time is running out in the human realm, and before they can even reach the next arena, they have to negotiate the castle`s labyrinth.

Video

Yu Yu Hakusho gets a 4:3 regular transfer as per the original television broadcasts. It`s a clear unproblematic transfer, but the animation is certainly showing its age. Made before the advent of CGI, when the characters would be hand drawn, there is a more rough and ready feel to the animation, and the colours lack the vivid strength that recent shows exhibit. The animation is smooth and serves the story well, but is hardly exceptional.

Audio

For sound you get a choice of DD 2.0 Japanese and English, and both soundtracks serve their purpose. The dialogue is clear, and as usual I listened to the original language track for preference. I sampled the dub and it`s one of the old school dubs, with ill fitting character voices and excruciating dialogue. You also have a choice of dubtitles or translated subtitles, although the disc auto selects them according to which soundtrack you choose.

Features

There is a brief selection of extras to accompany the disc, including the jacket picture, and multi-angle credit sequences in Japanese and English.

There are text Character Profiles, and Name Translations, and you can look at the opening and closing sequences minus the credits.

Conclusion

I have my doubts about Yu Yu Hakusho, and not just because of the content. To maintain a fanbase, it is essential that a long running series like this be given a regular release schedule. That most certainly hasn`t happened here. The most ardent of fans will have given up on this volume early on, and imported the series from the US. Casual fans will probably have forgotten that this show exists. That leaves a diminished audience who will buy this volume. That and the four-month gap to the next volume certainly don`t bode well for Yu Yu Hakusho in the UK, although I fervently hope I`m wrong.

For while Yu Yu Hakusho isn`t the acme of animation, and its story certainly doesn`t push any boundaries or stray far from its formula of one-on-one battles with demons, it is light and entertaining. It`s the sort of animation that, given a couple of edits for content, wouldn`t be out of place on any Saturday morning schedule. It`s an ultimate battle anime, in that the focus is on the fights between characters. There`s plenty of the staple anime clichés, bloated dialogue while combatants take a breather, slow motion and repeated takes to get the best look at special moves, and the action pauses to let a caption flash up to announce the latest explosive death defying battle combo, just before its effects are felt by the hapless opponent. Too much of this would be a turn-off, so its fortunate that Yu Yu Hakusho`s strengths are in the characters and their relationships. The characters are written well, and the show is infused with a light sense of a humour and a refusal to take itself seriously. When the fights may be getting tiresome, there is always someone ready with a wisecrack, usually Kuwabara, to provide a chuckle or two. The battles are usually being observed from up above by Koenma and his minions, and their observations also provide light relief.

Once again, the release format and schedule do this series no favours. Last volume saw our heroes enter the Castle and face the first of the Holy Beasts. This volume sees the battle continue, but there is no sign of resolution by the end of this disc. 70 minutes of battle, and the story has barely moved on. You`ll have to wait for volume 6 to see how it all turns out. In that respect this volume is something of a disappointment. Otherwise it`s more of the same from Yu Yu Hakusho, it`s repetitive and light on story, yet oddly addictive.