Animation Revelation's Animation Blog

Well, its been a good couple of months since FUNimation released the surprisingly good, or in terms of action anime, well above average, first season of Yu Yu Hakusho. Now, really, what could it be that sets this series apart from another series that was airing around the same time, which went under the title….Dragon Ball Z, I believe? Well, with season 2 covering a majority of the Dark Tournament story arc that might be a question which someone looking to purchase this set would like an answer to. For some people, a 28-episode set of insane and over the top action is the only way that they’ll cough up the thirty bucks to view this bad boy. However, some might demand to see something more than just action, something that goes beyond expectations, and delves further to make a great, and even somewhat original style of story-telling, fulfilling the potential that many could see within the first season’s unique twists to this otherwise “generic shounen” genre. Well, Yu Yu Hakusho may undeniably be an action based shounen series, but I am confident in saying that this season will also please both audiences who want that DBZ style action, as well as those who crave something more than just that.

Getting onto the plot, things pick up right from where season one left off, in the middle of Kuwabara being on the verge of getting splattered from well over a hundred feet high, by the overjoyed brat known as Rinku, who holds him under his control at the tip of his….yo-yo’s? OK, weird choice of weaponry, but you’ve got to give the show some credit for using something “not so obvious.” At any rate, from what one would probably expect would come after the end of this fight, another fight will pursue, and another after that, and so on. Now, from that, most people who aren’t looking for another action-fest, would probably be turned off, feeling that this is just going to turn into another one of those long tournament arcs in anime, which have been overused in far too many shows. However, Yu Yu Hakusho’s Dark Tournament is generally thought of by many anime fans who have seen the series, to be the definitive tournament arc in any anime (and for good reason), even for people who aren’t too fond of these types of story lines (since, let’s face it, a fighting competition isn’t the most original plot device).

What one will see, though, should they choose to watch even the first five episodes of this seemingly mindless story, is something that will completely take them off guard. Yu Yu Hakusho, once again, brings plenty of its own unique twists, to an otherwise cliché concept, making it an entity all of its own. As Team Urameshi’s interesting band of characters progress through their matches, they face all sorts of different foes, and under various different conditions. Believe it or not, there will be plenty of tense situations which you would never see coming, some of which will keep you on the edge of your seat, anticipating how a character is going to crawl his or her way out of a situation that’s seemingly impossible to overcome. And if there is one factor which could be seen as the greatest contributor to the quality of season 2, it is the characters. And, in that respect, its not just the main characters who will compel you. Interestingly enough, it is the interactions that they have with the new and supporting characters who come into play, which makes the episodes so interesting to watch, and can also lead to some of the most memorable anime moments out there. What you will realize upon watching the advancement of the plot, is that not all of the subjects involved in this brawl-fest are just in it for the blood and gore. Each team, or even sometimes just individual characters within the team, has their own motivations, ranging from a group fighting for the right to roam freely in a land which they are forbidden to live in, to a team which is being forced to fight against their own wills. Along with each fight, or most of them, anyways, come little side-stories (which thankfully stay interesting without going too far off track from the events at hand) that add layers to the plot, and the chemistry between these different characters, with their personalities, commonalities, grudges, and differences. All of this serves to increase the intriguing setting of Hanging Neck Island (really, what a pleasant name to give to an island with a five-star hotel and lots of greedy old rich-men who do their business there).

Perhaps the most compelling conflict between characters, within this story line, though, is that of the history between Yusuke’s master, Genkai, and her former partner of the Dark Tournament event which had taken place over half a century ago, Toguro (the younger brother of the Toguro Brothers, to be specific), who is also the main villain of this portion of the series. In addition to him, there is Sakyo, the interesting, ingenious, and somewhat mentally fucked up (pardon my French) human who pulls the strings behind the scenes of the tournament committee, in order to achieve his “real goal” in having invited Team Urameshi to the current tournament. And perhaps it is the fact that there is actually a logical human reason to having this tournament, being the fact that it is good for business, which causes it to feel so much more than just another cliché. With all of the wagers underground businessmen place on who they think will win, in addition to the unimaginable amounts of money that must be made from the purchase of tickets to the event (even though most of its viewers happen to be demons), even more layers of well thought-out plot devices are piled onto the action, immediately stripping away the feeling that you are getting another DBZ clone. Its really only the fact that this season doesn’t end the Dark Tournament story arc, leaving the viewer at a complete cliffhanger toward the climax of the story, that may piss some people off.

What also adds to the entertainment value of this show, is the outstanding team of English voice actors participating with their talents for the various roles in this anime. Justin Cook really made wise decisions in casting the right voice actors to fit the right characters. While some might accuse Yu Yu Hakusho’s English dub of straying too far from the original script, it should be pointed out that it is impossible to keep one-hundred percent true to the original Japanese text, due to certain language and cultural barriers. So, in this respect, the dub does a fine job of keeping each character, as well as the overall story, in the same personalities and tones, while expressing them in a way that English speaking audiences can appreciate. It also adds in some undeniably great humor, which just happens to be good enough to excuse FUNimation from making those changes, even if they were admittedly uncalled for. Still, for those who are not pleased with the English voice acting of this series, the original Japanese audio, with English subtitles, is also at hand.

Music is something which plays an important role in any anime, and whether Yu Yu Hakusho’s music is good or not, is something that is purely up to the opinion and tastes of the viewer. However, the music does fit the theme of the series, with the right tunes kicking into play at the right moments, to increase the amount of emotional tension in certain atmospheres.

Honestly, I could go on talking about this season’s strengths long enough to make a book on them. So, to just sum up my overall thoughts on the aspect of this DVD’s main content, overall, you are getting a package of assorted goods (of stuff that you actually like), with bad-ass fights, great characters, great character-development (especially on Yusuke’s part), great and unique villains, interesting chemistry between the characters (including the heroes and villains), strong plot development, and plenty of innovation to the genre, that makes for a fresh take on the tournament style story arc, and adds its “dark” aspect to it in a fitting way (since its not called the “Dark Tournament” for nothing).

Still, it would be wrong of me to claim that anything is absolutely perfect, and Yu Yu Hakusho is no exception. Even though you will be getting a lot of quality entertainment, quite a few people would expect more than just the uncut TV episodes when purchasing the DVD box set of this season. Unfortunately, these discs merely contain the same content as Yu Yu Hakusho’s previous 8-volume releases of the series and aside from a few trailers and textless opening and ending credits in the dub and the original version, this box set won’t give you any sort of special-features, or worthy extras, whatsoever. Also, being that this series is well over a decade old, you shouldn’t expect any great quality animation, which wasn’t even great for its time, and can sometimes be swift and fluid during some action sequences, but often-times ends up being stale and lifeless during many scenes that don’t involve action (though, to be fair, this seems to be standard among many anime). The artwork, on the other hand, is a great mix of loveable anime style character designs and backgrounds, mixed with odd and unique cartoony details. The sound quality is mostly good, and plays in 2.0 stereo in both the English and Japanese audio tracks, but can sometimes sound a little off-key with voices, or produce some rather annoying static screeches during odd sound effects.

Even with all of those issues, though, the price-tag of $35 for a full season couldn’t be more reasonable, especially with the quantity of episodes that you’re getting, compared to other anime DVD’s which will give you far less content in terms of actual episodes, for that same price. In other words, there are very few reasons for why not to buy the Yu Yu Hakusho season 2 box set from FUNimation. The only people who I would not recommend to buy this release, are those who either already own the entire series on DVD in the form of previously released sets, have not yet seen the first season (in which case I’d recommend you to buy that set, watch it, and then buy this one), or who just can’t stand anime for some reason (but in that case, go screw yourself you biased jerk). If you are a Yu Yu Hakusho fan, or if you have seen and liked the first season, and wish to get through the rest of the series, then BUY THIS DVD! You will not be disappointed.