Anime Yu Yu Hakusho

[Dagger]

As many of you know, the frighteningly spammy Yu Yu Hakusho forum was removed sometime during the transition to v7. We haven't had a single YYH topic since then. Since Cartoon Network finally announced plans to air the series in its entirety (and since the Dark Tournament arc will soon conclude), I thought now might be a good time to start some kind of Yu Yu Hakusho-related discussion. It's probably safe to assume that most casual anime fans will have heard of or encountered this show, but I'd be happy to provide some kind of summary if anyone doesn't know what it's about.

Out of all the seemingly interminable shounen series I've watched--which admittedly isn't many, as the genre doesn't appeal to me very much--YYH is easily my favorite. It originally aired from October 1992 to January 1995, and is approximately 112 episodes long (making it considerably shorter than DBZ and Naruto). Like those shows, YYH eventually settles into a tournament-type format; since such plotlines tend to be terribly unsuspenseful, I suspect I'm not the only viewer who watches the anime primarily for its characters. Its animation is at best somewhat servicable, but rises to the occasion when truly thrilling moments are called for.

To tell you the truth, I have trouble explaining why I like this show--it certainly has its share of drawbacks. I guess I'll just try to talk about a couple of YYH's positive attributes, foremost among which are its pacing, its comedy and its dub.

Unlike comparable series such as Inuyasha and the aforementioned DBZ, Yu Yu Hakusho almost never drags. Even the most significant battles rarely last more than an episode or two; better yet, adjacent fights usually differ greatly in terms of length and outcome. The female cast members are competent, resilient and interesting. I [i]really[/i] appreciate the effort that went into making them strong and well-rounded characters, since there's very little I hate more than weak, overly whiny women.

As is the case with Fruits Basket, YYH's Japanese and English VAs do not always match up perfectly. However, the acting in both languages sounds so natural and compelling that I have to give FUNimation a lot of credit for putting together a top-notch dub. I particularly love John Burgmeier's portrayal of Kurama; his voice is nothing like Ogata Megumi's, but somehow he really makes the character his own.

It definitely doesn't hurt that Yu Yu Hakusho is a very funny anime. Its comedy tends to be delightfully irreverent--or, barring that, satirical and utterly absurd. Hiei's one-liners are simply classic, as is the episode that introduces us to Puu. I admire YYH for simultaneously featuring a ridiculous demigod like Koenma (who is just impossible to take seriously) and treating the death of a major character with sensitivity rather than black humor or melodrama.

Anyway, I can't wait to see more of Karasu tomorrow evening--even though I already own that particular match on DVD. >_>;

~Dagger~

[xmystic_silverx]

[size=1]Wow, no posts? Yu Yu Hakusho is a good anime, compaired with some others out there. I can't wait to see Karasu either, even though I also have the Youko Kurama DVD.

"As is the case with Fruits Basket, YYH's Japanese and English VAs do not always match up perfectly. However, the acting in both languages sounds so natural and compelling that I have to give FUNimation a lot of credit for putting together a top-notch dub. I particularly love John Burgmeier's portrayal of Kurama; his voice is nothing like Ogata Megumi's, but somehow he really makes the character his own. "

I think John Burgmeier captured Kurama's personality perfectly. So do the rest of the cast, Justin Cook does a great job on Yusuke, making him sound like a regular teenager and the same with Chris Sabat. Chuck Huber, I must give him some praise, I've watched a webcam of him on funimationcentral.com and he looks or acts nothing like Hiei would, but when he does his acting he just, well I don't know how to explain it, its perfect. He doesn't look like a serious guy, and if I were to do Hiei's voice, I would crack up with out a try.

I love the attitude of all the female characters. They aren't fragile, whinny, damsels in distress. I'd bet they'd kick some demon butt too if they were given powers. Even Yukina has a wildside.

There are a lot of things that make YYH a great anime. The fights are exciting and a character doesn't use the same attack over and over again, like in DBZ. Hiei uses the Dragon of the Darkness Flame but each time its more devastating. Kurama's rosewhip is his weapon and signature move, and I never get tired of him flinging his rose out. Yusuke's spirit gun has the same situation as Hiei's Dragon, powerfull depending on the situation. Kuwabara's Spirit Sword is just awsome. He can turn it into so many things, its amazing.

I think the thing I like most about YYH is the comedy. Hiei's stort lines and "Hnn"s never fail to make people laugh. Yusuke's cocky attitude and perverted actions and jokes are histerical. Kurama's very serious jokes just crack people up. And everyone loves Kuwabara and Hiei's quarrels.

Well, I'm just going to put that all in a nut shell... Yu Yu Hakusho is a great anime and I highly recommend it to everyone. [/size]

[Guest V-chan]

[Color=darkblue][Font=tahoma][Size=1]Yay! Finally! The conclusion of the Dark Tournament Arc! I've been wanting to see the match between Karasu and Kurama forever X_X In truth, I also purchased the DVD, but oh well! ^_^

Yuu Yuu Hakusho is a perfect mix of everything you can pretty much ask for in an anime. Its comical scenes never seem to fail to make just about everyone laugh. Hiei's and Kuwabara's quarrels stand out as a must throughout the series, from the first time they both met each other, Kuwabara already wanted to punch his face in. Of course, he failed miserably and ended up falling face-first ^^;;; The almighty ruler of the Spirit World, Koenma, is just impossible to take seriously. When he first appeared to substitute for Genkai, he came up with the ultimate solution should he have to fight. A jetpack xD And Puu! The kawaii little blue fluffball that's Yusuke's counterpart. Who would expect such a cuddly little creature to come from such a badass teenager? *snickers*

And the beginning. Much more original than most animes would start off. Usually, any other anime would begin with the main character finding the item or meeting the friend who would eventually start off everything. In YYH, we start off the series to find out that our main character is, guess what, DEAD! ^_^

All the seiyuu's for the characters do a wonderful job of portraying their personality as well, from calm Kurama to seriously murderous Hiei.

I agree with xmystic_silverx too! The attitude of the female characters are different than in others that don't have a female character as the main character. Normally, in fighting and action anime, the girl would be a whiny crybaby that always needs rescuing. Of course, some of them need their fair share of rescuing, but they have their own attitude as well. Shizuru scared all of the demons into line at the Dark Tournament and Keiko can throw a mean slap. Then there's Botan and her big, metal bat >D[/Color][/Font][/Size]

[kenshinsbabe]

I also like the Yu Yu Hakusho series, although I haven't seen many episodes. I've seen almost all of the Dark Tournament and a little of the beginning. Also, I've seen a few episodes of the Four Beasts of Somethng-or-Other (I can't remember the name). From what I've experienced from it, I think it is a very good series. Kurama is my personal favorite character, followed very closely by Hiei. I like it because of the action, but the dialouge is somewhat sacrificed for it. I say this because there are alot of kinda cheesy lines and jokes, but if you ignore that, it's all pretty good. Not really a critic's veiw of it, but a viewer's view. Isn't that what other viewers want to hear?

[xmystic_silverx]

[quote name='kenshinsbabe']I also like the Yu Yu Hakusho series, although I haven't seen many episodes. I've seen almost all of the Dark Tournament and a little of the beginning. Also, I've seen a few episodes of the Four Beasts of Somethng-or-Other (I can't remember the name). From what I've experienced from it, I think it is a very good series. Kurama is my personal favorite character, followed very closely by Hiei. I like it because of the action, but the dialouge is somewhat sacrificed for it. I say this because there are alot of kinda cheesy lines and jokes, but if you ignore that, it's all pretty good. Not really a critic's veiw of it, but a viewer's view. Isn't that what other viewers want to hear?[/quote]

[size=1]You said something about the cheesy line and jokes and thats part of the comedy part, ne? Sometimes they say stupid things that make no sense what-so-ever and thats what makes people laugh.[/size]

[Guest Goku's_equal]

Hiei is the best character on Yu Yu Hakusho. He's awesome. He's so small, and yet so powerful. It's the coolest thing ever.

[COLOR=#503F86][SIZE=1][b]Welcome to OtakuBoards, Goku's_equal. Bear in mind that OtakuBoards we try and encourage really decent post quality, which includes long, nicely-detailed posts. So try and include as much as possible when writing a reply in future. -Solo[/COLOR][/SIZE][/b]

[Guest V-chan]

[Color=Darkblue][Font=tahoma][Size=1]Oh yeah! I have something else to add about how YYH portrays the different characters! We all know Botan as the supposed Grim Reaper. Everyone expects the Grim Reaper to be a shadow character made of bones covered in a big black cloack and carrying around a scythe, right? And out pops Botan in her pastel pink kimono and blue hair! Completely the opposite of what someone would expect. And she doesn't have a scythe! She has an oar and a big, metal bat! (<~ Sorry. I like the bat ^.^) And Koenma! Ruler of the Spirit World! A tiny little whiny baby who doesn't know how to do anything ^^;

Hiei's cool and he's second on my list. Kurama is the absolute best in my opinion *hugs her Kurama plushie* Kawaii little kitsune *.* And Youko Kurama's so cool! I love his tail! *tugs on it* Hee hee. Okay, in truth? I'm obsessed with Kurama *smiles innocently* The music he has is really good and Megumi Ogata has such a great voice *.* If anyone hasn't heard it yet, try Koori no Naifu wo Daite! It's kind of a sad song, but it's really good ^^ Nightmare and Sayonara wa mirai no Hajimari is also great to listen to ^^[/color][/font][/size]

[Cahoots34]

The thing I enjoy most about the show is the complete lack of reverence for the time-honoured but tired stereotypes of shounen series. I'd admire any series that begins with the death of its main character (an immature thug) who is then chaperoned by a giggly Grim Reaper, reincarnated by a 3-ft.-tall God of Death with a pacifier dependency, mentored by a petite female psychic and goes on to (attempt to) vanquish evil in the questionably-fearsome company of two demons (one incredibly effeminate, the other short) and a gangly, inane redhead. If there is a moral to the series (which I'm going to conclude, given all of its jolly perversity thus far, there is not) it must be to never assume anything based on appearance nor ever underestimate nonconformity, for to do so would be stupid, and there are apparently many creative ways to kill stupid characters... in animation.

(Really, who envisioned a lethal whipping by an adolescent redhead who carries roses?)

[Guest angel1469]

[FONT=Impact]undefined[/FONT][QUOTE=Cahoots34]The thing I enjoy most about the show is the complete lack of reverence for the time-honoured but tired stereotypes of shounen series. I'd admire any series that begins with the death of its main character (an immature thug) who is then chaperoned by a giggly Grim Reaper, reincarnated by a 3-ft.-tall God of Death with a pacifier dependency, mentored by a petite female psychic and goes on to (attempt to) vanquish evil in the questionably-fearsome company of two demons (one incredibly effeminate, the other short) and a gangly, inane redhead. If there is a moral to the series (which I'm going to conclude, given all of its jolly perversity thus far, there is not) it must be to never assume anything based on appearance nor ever underestimate nonconformity, for to do so would be stupid, and there are apparently many creative ways to kill stupid characters... in animation.

(Really, who envisioned a lethal whipping by an adolescent redhead who carries roses?)[/QUOTE]

Yeah but the death was completely accidental! That is the real tragity! :bawl: But because he died he got even stronger! :D The 1 person I reall hate in this series is that evil taguro brother! I can't beleive he is so...so...mean. :flaming: He is like a :devil:

[color=hotpink][size=1]Angel, please work on your post quality. Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation are a MUST! Please read our rules and observe them from now on. Thank you! *QA*[/color][/size]

[xmystic_silverx]

[size=1]Toguro wasn't really mean. He wanted Yusuke to (contains spoilers) [spoiler]beat him (ooops :laugh: If you watch the TV series then don't be angry, I might give away some things). Toguro is a real kind-hearted guy. A long time ago, his students were killed by the monster Kiren. That's what changed him. He became.. erm.. whats the word? ... jeez, I don't know. But when he entered the DT with Genkai he killed Kiren in the final match and wanted to be the strongest demon. Know one really knows why he would want to be like the monster he hated so much.[/spoiler] Well... thats all Im givin' away

Who watched the beginning of Karasu vs. Kurama and has seen the uncut? Did you notice that they didn't edit out the parts where it suggested yaoi? I thought for sure they would change the words. Then again, I bet most small children don't understand that yet.[/size]

[Dagger]

[quote name='xmystic_silverx][size=1']Who watched the beginning of Karasu vs. Kurama and has seen the uncut? Did you notice that they didn't edit out the parts where it suggested yaoi?[/size][/quote]

I noticed, and I was immensely happy. :p

Anyway, I really enjoyed Saturday's episode, "Beneath Bui's Armor." It's always nice to see Hiei back in action, and this fight is going to be a lot more exciting than I expected. Hiei's victories are usually the quickest and the easiest (just as Kurama's battles are often the most brutal and Kuwabara's the longest and/or most tedious). I'm almost positive that Hiei will be able to defeat Bui, but I can't wait to find out how.

~Dagger~

[Guest HotIceHunter]

Hey all, I'm doing a project in my English class with a song tie in, but we need to write down what songs we're going to be using, so that there's no one using the same song twice. I'd like to use either the the opening song for Yu Yu Hakusho, or the closing song (the one during the Yusuke vs Toguro fight). The only problem is, I have no idea what the title for those songs are, or who wrote them. I tried looking at the opening and closing credits, but the only thing I found was that someone named Carl Finch directed the making of them.

So, do any of you out there know what I'm looking for? Even if you don't know the artists name, I can probably get by with just the title of the song. Thanks,

HIH

[Hevn]

My song list is at home so maybe I can get back to you later tonight. I only remember that the title of the opening song is [B][COLOR=Indigo]Bomb of Smile[/COLOR][/B] since it is in english, all the other titles are in Japanses I think so I can't remember them. Hope this helps though...

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]Having looked at an anime lyrics site, I can see no less than seven Ending themes for Yu Yu Hakusho. Daydream Generation and Homework ga Owaranai seem to be the earliest two *shrugs*

I also merged this thread with the original Yu Yu Hakusho discussion. Be sure to check for existing anime threads before starting another. It's neater, and you might even find the answer to the question already in there. If you don't, then it's a good place to ask, heh.[/COLOR]

[Guest zackiechan]

hey can anyone fill me in on what happened last week and the week before. on yuyu cuz i missed and jus now thought about it when i saw this so if some could please fill me in. thanx.

[Dagger]

[quote name='zackiechan']hey can anyone fill me in on what happened last week and the week before. on yuyu cuz i missed and jus now thought about it when i saw this so if some could please fill me in. thanx.[/quote]

[spoiler]Kurama stayed down for over 10 seconds prior to killing Karasu, so Karasu is ruled the victor despite the fact that he's now dead. In the following episode, Hiei challenges Bui, who later reveals that he wears armor to protect his opponents from his own incredible strength (rather than to protect himself from his opponents). Kurama tells Yusuke that the outcome of this battle could potentially be disastrous, since neither Hiei nor Bui can fully control their powers.[/spoiler]

With that having been said, please read OtakuBoards' Rules before writing another reply. Your post quality leaves something to be desired, and proper capitalization is never a bad thing. If you have any questions, you're more than welcome to PM me or one of the other moderators. ^_^

~Dagger~

[Guest Tree]

Yes, I was quite distressed when I saw there is no Yu-Yu Hakusho section.

[color=hotpink][size=1]Hello Tree and welcome to the OtakuBoards! I just wanted to let you know that your post quality is fine, but we highly discourage single-sentence posts. Thanks a lot and have a great time here! *QA*[/color][/size]

[Guest HotIceHunter]

Hey all, I was wondering what the name of the song was for the Yu Yu Hakusho opening credits song. I was also wondering who wrote the lyrics.

I tried looking at the credits on my DVD, but the credits didn't have anything about the songs in them. Do any of you know? Thanks,

HIH

[pbfrontmanvdp]

Yea since they're about 20-something episodes ahead with the DVD's, I'm just gonna stick with those since my friend has every single one that is currently available. Once in a while its alright to watch the toonami ones but they leave so much out, which leads me to my question.

Why did they take out/edit so much of the more recent episodes of YYH? I know theres a lot of mature situations (even though I personally don't believe they are), but they seem to be going over board on this series. Cowboy Bebop didn't have anywhere near as much editing as YYH, along with a close rival (even though i hate to say this) DBZ. Is there anyone who could possibly explain why they butchered the recent episodes so much..to me its just not the same.

[Dagger]

The difference between Bebop and Yu Yu Hakusho is that Bebop has always been shown on Adult Swim; Toonami operates by another set of rules. From what I can tell, the Dragonball series receive less censoring because they're far less bloody. The violence is a bit more "cartoonish," if that makes any sense.

CN just doesn't have much leeway when it comes to editing... a giant struggle took place before they were able to show Inuyasha uncut, and several relatively harmless scenes in FLCL drew numerous parents' ire. The company can claim that those anime aren't aimed at kids, since they air on AS, but Toonami is obviously intended for teenagers and children. To avoid litigation and/or breaking the law, they have to censor YYH pretty heavily.

I agree with the removal of certain scenes, such as the part during episode 54 that features a brief clip of [spoiler]Kuwabara masturbating,[/spoiler] but I do agree that a lot of CN's edits are rather silly. It's not as though kids can't find incredible amounts of violence on nearly every other channel around that time at night. Nevertheless, this censorship can't be wholly blamed on the station itself... I'm fairly sure that it's either required by the FCC, or necessary to keep parents from flipping out and suing.

~Dagger~

[Guest Snow angel]

I would have to say that Yu Yu Hakusho is my favorite anime. It's interesting, and doesn't drag on. The characters are well rounded. And I most definitely love how they add humor into the show. My favorite character is Genkai.

[Dagger]

Over the course of the show, Kuwabara has become progressively less annoying--so I guess it's only natural that he's started to grow on me. However, I do hope that his battle against Elder Toguro won't be any longer than two episodes. One of the things I really like about Yu Yu Hakusho is the fact that few fights end up being stretched out (as they are in most similar series, not to mention any names) or consist of more talking than actual bloodshed.

And yes, the ratio of bloodshed to time spent strategizing is quite important. After all, I need to get my weekly dose of shounen violence. :p

~Dagger~

[Amity]

[COLOR=Plum]At last they show the rest of the Dark Tornament! See I knew they would all along. I remember back when you told me that it would be very choppy if the producers edited it, Dagger. Although I have yet to buy the DVD's, I am seeing that the sensored version on Toonami is seeming to be a little messed up in my eyes. Though I am happy to see that they finally released the rest of the episodes, I would rather enjoy seeing all of the action and not the sensoredwhere you might miss half of the action that there really is in it. If they might have released it for Adult Swim, people might have gotten to see full action quantity. Anyways, I'm enjoying the rest of the episodes of the Dark Tornament. So happy.[/COLOR]

[DragonessFei]

I really love Yu Yu Hakusho because it is a very original show in my opinion. The characters are wonderful (especially Kurama! :love: ) and I SOMEWHAT like the plotline. Around the Spirit tournament thingy (I forgot the name of it) the show got a little stale...

[Guest Hieis Lost Love]

Yu Yu Hakusho is my totally favorite, even though it isn't my first one, Hiei is SO cute :love: :love: :) ;) :devil: :p :D .........ok too many smilies.... evil.... :flaming: Hiei is SO cute! I am so glad!!! I used to just like Goku and Vageta from DBZ...

[color=green][b][size=1]Hello, Hiei, and welcome to OtakuBoards. We ask that you put a little more thought-out description into your posts to ensure something of quality and easy read for other members. It seems you already caught on to abusing the smilies. ^_~ Please keep this in mind, and enjoy your stay.[/b] - PiroMunkie (Team Leader of Tokyo 3)[/color][/size]