If there's one thing that you can tell about a fair amount of members on this site, it's that some of us really like the anime Yu YU Hakusho. Yoshihiro Togashi's shonen manga was a fine series, but his story and characters really elevated itself when it was adapted into an anime series, and made its mark on animation fans all over. We've even gone so far as to rank it as the site's favorite Anime series and favorite Animated series in general in user-made tournaments, as well as ranked it among the 10 greatest animated series of all time on our official(ish) list. A bold claim, for a great show.
For a little while now, I wanted to try a collaborative effort on here, by picking a series that enough frequenters would be interested in rediscovering, or maybe just plain discovering, and discussing it together. So why not YYH?
Why YYH? Well, my above-listed credentials make it seem like a good choice for here, and in terms of anime, it just seems right. Bebop and Evangelion would be more agreeable starter choices elsewhere, but I don't know about you, but I'm kind of burned out on both of them, while Hakusho's serialized nature makes it a little harder to come back to as frequently for myself, and such makes it harder to become tired of. And there just seems to be more to enjoy and discuss here than, say, DBZ or Attack on Titan.
What's the schedule? How does 2 episodes per week sound? I'm actually going to watch and talk about the first 2 episodes tomorrow night, but I wanted to get this out and let you guys know a little in advance. I'll try to post a discussion each Monday, and if I can't, I'll let someone else who's keeping up take my place. But really, 2 episodes a week of a 112-episode series seems pretty perfect for a series. This isn't a very short run, but in comparison to a handful of potential series, it's brisk enough, and gives us a year of good discussion.
What do I have planned next? I don't know! I have a few ideas for other series that I'd like to try this for, and I'm up for suggestions, but let's see how this goes first.
If you're interested in joining along, feel free to let me know! Even if you don't think that you'll post every week, you are more than welcome to join in on your own pace and chime in whenever. Just don't spoil anything past whichever episodes we're on.
I'm game. I haven't rewatched the series in full in a fair while, and 2 episodes a week is manageable for me.
There are a lot of series (especially anime) I can think of that might be fun to do this with later on, so I hope we get a good group for discussions with this one.
Yes! We're finally doing this! :joy:
As busy as I am, I'll be sure to participate every week.
This is also surprisingly the perfect time to do this, since this year marks Yu Yu Hakusho's 25th anniversary.
I'll be happy to give my input on every single episode as we progress, and it'll be fun to watch this show alongside others. If for some reason anyone hasn't watched it, don't be too distraught at its length or status as a battle shonen. It's an incredibly entertaining show with surprisingly nuanced story-telling and character development later on down the line. This is a good opportunity to give it a fair shake.
Anyways, I can't wait for tomorrow night. I had my Dad mail me my YYH DVDs (and some other stuff) especially for this. ;D
This should be fun for discussion. Especially starting on episode 1 and doing two a week. There's a lot of good stuff to talk about even in the early episodes.
It's interesting because I can both sing my praises for the series and the anime over the manga in particular, yet also show that I'm not incapable of looking at my favorite anime objectively and criticizing some of its flaws or weaker episodes. At any rate, Avaitor will be leading these discussions, so I won't start without him. That said, I just re-watched the first episode, and I have to comment a bit on the dub. Now, I love the dub, and it'll always be my preferred version of the series. That said, Justin Cook is really the only one holding the voice acting together in the early episodes. He's just perfect as Yusuke. Everyone else really take some time to get a feel for their characters. Specifically, I think that Sabat's Kuwabara is voiced a bit too much like a typical thug in the beginning. I believe that, by the time DT rolls around, he finally "gets" the character and his portrayal is much better from there. Keiko and Botan also need some work (Keiko especially sounds very flat early on), but needless to say, the entire cast gets much, much better later on.
I have work in a couple of hours, and I get off at 9. So expect my post to be up an hour or two later. I don't usually work on Mondays, so I'll try to have these up earlier afterwords.
I think I'm going to try something a little different, and watch one episode in the dub, and the other subbed. I'll at least try that tonight, though.
Both versions are great. Despite my bias for the dub, I will say that Chiba Shigeru is excellent as Kuwabara. Due to my ignorance of the language, a lot of Japanese voice-acting sounds the same to me. That said, I could pinpoint the sound of Chiba's voice for Kuwabara because it's a real character voice. I could even distinguish it from his voice for Buggy from One Piece. Speaking of One Piece, Koenma is voiced by Luffy's Japanese VA. Oh, and Yusuke is portrayed by Nozomu Sasaki, best known for portraying Tetsuo in Akira, but he also voiced Johan from Monster. That's right, one of AR's all-time favorite heroes is voiced by one of AR's all time favorite villains. Just let that sink in for a moment.
Is Chiba Shigeru Japanese for Chris Saibat? :D Sorry, I had to.
Anyway, I will try and participate but I don't think Netflix nor CR has YYH
Damn, I was thinking of getting into this and groupwatch sounds fun, but my HDD is full and there's no freelee- ahem, I mean I'm too broke to afford the boxset :blush:
I'll try to catch up with you guys when it's convenient. :thumbup:
That's a good point, E-K, that I never thought of but is kind of accurate. Justin Cook was the only one who was perfect from the beginning. I love Sabat's Kuwabara, but he improved a whole lot between the beginning and the Dark Tournament. Botan also seems to (mostly) lose her on and off accent. In "The Beasts of Maze Castle" she pronounces whistle as "hawhistle" but in the House of Four Dimensions storyline, when referring to the Mystic Whistle, she merely says "hwhistle", with less emphasis on the "h" sound at the beginning. So that's an improvement. :D
I especially think the voice actor of Rando was much better when he voiced Sakyo.
goody2shoes: Just a minor warning since I know you aren't the biggest fan of battle shonen or Hunter X Hunter. Not to turn you away from the series of course, because it definitely deserves a chance, but to kind of let you know what to expect.
On the one hand, this doesn't have the same problems as HXH because Togashi was much more compliant with editor feedback at the time, so his good ideas and concepts are executed well. That said, it's still not perfect. The early episodes are basically the movie Ghost told in anime form, which personally I love. After that the quality is a tad lopsided until the Rescue Yukina arc, because the series goes for a more generic but safer story arc with the Saint Beasts arc because it needed the boost in readership at the time.
However, Togashi slowly makes the series his own again by telling familiar stories in interesting and engaging ways that are very character-driven. In particular, the Dark Tournament arc is a tournament arc on the outset (and a damn entertaining one at that), but the nuance of the plot lies in the parallel between Yusuke's character arc and Toguro's, something that I believe makes Togashi's work so highly regarded in the first place.
A lot of his best writing indirectly and subtly compares the hero to the villain. In the DT arc it's how good intentions to seek power can easily be corrupted and literally make you a shell of your former self. With Chapter Black (Togashi's best writing, IMO), it's a dose of realism versus idealism (with the twist being that the villain is the idealist, as opposed to the standard shonen protagonist). In HXH's York New City it's about Kurapika being on the verge of becoming a ruthless monster in order to take down those he perceives as ruthless monsters. And with Chimera Ant, despite my faults with it, the parallel between Gon and Meruem is great, as they both start out the arc as naive and somewhat arrogant characters in their views of the world and other people in general, but ironically Gon is the one who starts out in a relatively better state of mind yet goes down a dark path and becomes increasingly more violent because he can't quite come to terms with the fact that his own idealistic and arrogant view that everything would go his way ended up contributing to Kite's death.
Meanwhile Meruem starts out as an arrogant killing machine with the ideal that he is above everyone else and that there is nothing more to life than his rule, yet actively changes his view over the progression of the arc and at least tries to better himself. The execution is far from perfect, but I still personally found it interesting. YYH isn't quite as ambitious as that, but the execution is a lot better and more consistent, IMO.
Anyways, I'm getting way out of hand, here. I just meant to say that the first season of YYH is a bit uneven, and that it's still a battle shonen with tropes, so be weary of multi-episode fights and the like. Granted that I love the fights in this series, but talking about those is a different beast entirely. :sweat:
That's weird. The show isn't streaming on Funimation's site. But Dragon Ball is. Strange.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on March 09, 2015, 03:15:18 PM
I just meant to say that the first season of YYH is a bit uneven, and that it's still a battle shonen with tropes, so be weary of multi-episode fights and the like. Granted that I love the fights in this series, but talking about those is a different beast entirely. :sweat:
Actually, I'm pretty sure the fight with Suzaku (and one other spoilered Saint Beast) is the only multi-part fight until the Dark Tournament. The pacing is fairly brisk through the first season. It's essentially 26 episodes long and we only reach the Saint Beasts on episode 14.
Again, the anime staff deserves a lot of credit for this adaption.
I wasn't referring to the multi-episode fights being uneven. Just that the show has them, and it does turn some people off. As for season one, it's uneven in that the Saint Beasts arc, which takes up about a third of it, isn't very good. The Three artifacts arc is akso pretty average, minus the Kurama episode since he's my favorite character besides Sensui.
Dr. Ensatsu-ken:
Thanks for the info. Yeah, I'm not expecting too much out of it. But if it's a stronger adaptation than HxH '11, and is based on the better Togashi work, then hey I'll give it a shot.
Reading about all the ways the anime improved on the material is encouraging, I really like when the staff take creative liberties like that. I'm allergic to panel for panel manga adaptations, they show disrespect to the animated medium and/or imply lack of confident direction. See the HxH '11 adaptation as an example. This blog post (https://twolongfourtwitlonger.wordpress.com/2014/12/21/hxh-99-hxh-2011-btw/) really made me regret watching 2011 over 1999.
Quote[...]First, never underestimate the importance of how you convey visual information. Anime is in as good a state as it ever has been, but the >50 episode series is a dying art and the biggest reason why is a lack of capable episode directors. HxH might be an engaging story in its own right but if its presentation is poor then entire work will suffer. Second, anime adaptations where a personal vision supersedes the original source material are generally preferable to a straight adaptation, regardless of the quality of said original material. This isn't just an empirical observation (FMA>FMA:B, Sailor Moon OG>Sailor Moon Crystal) but something fundamental: if the director cares about the adaptation personally, then they have a greater stake in its success. Say what you will about Furuhashi's additions here and there; the direction and writing in HxH 1999 are far more consistently and cohesively realized than the Madhouse adaptation, which suffers from extreme disparities in quality on an episode-by-episode basis.[...]
Oh, definitely. While I enjoyed the 2011 anime, I have ALWAYS preferred the 1999 series. The ignorant HXH fans on MAL will bash anyone who says that the anime that dares to make any changes to the "perfect" source matetial is inhetently inferior. Such narrowmindedness is the reason that we rarely get good shonen adaptations anymore.
I LOVE Togashi's work, personally. Despite their flaws, he has written some truly captivating stories that both entertain me and provide me with enough nuance to come back to it. That said, he does still have many flaws in his writing style, and both YYH and the 1999 HXH anime are far superior adaptations because they aren't afraid to call him out on his more questionable writing, and can make his stories better by either removing or changing his BS into something much more well thought-out.
One of my favorite anime adaptations is Ashita no Joe 2, which takes plenty of liberties from my favorite manga but churns out a product just as good because it's genuine to the director's vision, rather than a carbon copy of the manga.
I agree with that quote entirely, and I haven't even gotten to the 2011 series yet. But it is what I've noticed with a lot of adaptions.
Re-watched episode 2, but I'm still going to wait fir Avaitor before commenting on it.
I will say that I'm having a lot of fun, though. I'm actually fighting the temptation to watch ahead so that I can keep pace with everyone else.
Hey guys, sorry that I'm a little late. I ended up taking someone's closing shift tonight, so I stayed longer than intended. Give me an hour or so to watch the second episode, and then I'll get this ball rolling.
But first, look at this nice screencap Spark made for us!
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi166.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fu100%2FJDesensitized%2FYYH%2520Title_zpsnrjvwkgw.png&hash=63c414c613bd2f200f8d4f5778f1b232ba2bf613)
He has more for tonight's episodes, too! I'll try to integrate them in my post.
Awesome work, Desensitized! :thumbup:
I've got my fair share to say about the premiere, and some fun facts about YYH in general. ;)
You are welcome!
I wanted to contribute something to the topic, so I decided to make a screencap for every episode to help add to the discussion. This also helps me pay more attention to what is going on animation-wise to pick out good moments.
I can't find any legal way to watch this show so I think I'm going to pass on this, unless someone knows of one.
Well, it's getting kind of late tonight, so I'll just save my thoughts for tomorrow.
I will say that Justin Cook starts off really strong as Yusuke in these episodes. Which is good since the Spirit Detective arc pretty much hinges entirely on his performance.
Alright, so this week we're watching the first 2 episodes.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi166.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fu100%2FJDesensitized%2FYYH%25201_zpsmdizx4d6.png&hash=f64cc297a0844d831029bfbbd0dcef1cca464ed6)
But you know, whenever I watch "Surprised to Be Dead", I'm simply awestruck by how effective it is. Now, this isn't a perfect premiere, and I'll get to why in a moment. But so much thankfully works, that I can't really fault it.
What I love about this episode is how its emotions are lined up. You can just cut up the remorse everyone who is grieving Yusuke's loss feels, Keiko's remorse is a little more simplistic, but is all the more effective as a result, when she's shown weeping over her friend's death. Kuwabara, meanwhile, is shown to lament how Yusuke died before they could get a good match in, ideally one where he wins. This will make sense as the show goes along and Kuwabara's character is explored, but so far he is shown to have some sort of code, at least in terms of combat. Meanwhile, his mother... is a pretty interesting character to begin with. She's wasn't shown to drink at all in these episodes, but it is apparent that something is going on to explain her lazy demeanor. There is no doubt that she loves her son, but she's somewhere else right now.
The build-up to Yusuke's death and wake is done well, as it gives us a chance to meet with some of the characters and get an idea of his life before his redemption. Although if I do have a problem with this episode, I do feel that some of the characters aren't down just yet. Everything you need about Yusuke is just fine, but his relationship with Keiko is shown to be a little lighter in the first episode, in a way that I feel contrasts with how close they were built up to be in the following one. It almost reminds me of Cory and Topanga in the first season of Boy Meets World, before she was changed for the next season. Kuwabara, similarly, isn't quite there yet, as he's kind of one-note thus far.
It's also fitting that while Justin Cook instantly finds himself as Yusuke, finding the right balance between streetwise and likable enough to fit as a protagonist, all while keeping his humorous and serious lines flow well, Laura Bailey and Chris Sabat seem to be taking their time to find Keiko and Kuwabara, similar to the series itself. Sabat in particular is playing Kuwabara a little too much like your common thug, the kind to be laughed at. Cynthia Cranz is also a little too bubbly as Botan, who may seem to be the same way as a character on the surface, but I think she's fine right now. The voice will find itself soon enough. Sean Michael Teague isn't as immediately right for Koenma as Cook is, but he's doing a little better so far with his appearance in the second, selling his exposition off well. His comedic timing seems to be a teeny bit off, however, but everything else is in check. I will say that the weak links in voice acting does come from the smaller characters, primarily Keiko and Kuwabara's friends. Some of them are pretty embarrassing, actually.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi166.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fu100%2FJDesensitized%2FYYH%25202_zps6s0vk9zs.png&hash=4137c2741dd9e2ec0a9b782329fa5157167fa3e7)
"Koenma Appears" is a good follow-up to the first episode, as the rules of the Spirit World are delved into a little. Koenma only really appears early on, as Yusuke and Botan return to earth shortly after, but he does for a reason, after all. Also keep an eye on that egg, the first MacGuffin of the series.
This is a little flighty, but entertaining and important enough to not feel like a waste. I do feel that Yusuke's time in Kuwabara's body drags, but it is helpful to see Kuwabara's ties to the paranormal, something that will matter as the series progresses. And it is fun to see how Yusuke handles things in his body, right down to his harassment of Keiko. And while I do still feel that the reveal of their families being close and the two being best friends since birth should have been addressed at least somewhat in the pilot, I can buy how Keiko can instantly tell that it's him. Their discussion is a nice little moment, one that's certainly nice to see.
Not a bad way to start things off, considering. What do you think?
The first episode is probably the strongest I've ever seen in a shonen anime. Still is.
The message it starts with (that reflects in both the opening and first ending themes) is about not wasting your life. Yusuke is wasting his life and out of nowhere loses it. And we realize that even someone like him who "nobody would miss" turns out to be an false assertion. He had a lot of value in their lives, some of which they didn't even realize until he was gone. Because of this first episode reflection of his life, Yusuke decides to give life a real chance, and is given the opportunity to have another shot at it.
This is the first episode of a show where people punch each other in the face and blow things up with energy beams. Yet, it works. Still, the atmosphere this episode puts out there sticks with you. It never really leaves which always gives you that attachment to Yusuke's ordeals and hope that he will find his place in the world.
As for the dub at this point-- it's serviceable. I've never met anyone who likes Kuwabara's voice off the bat, Botan is a little flighty, and Keiko can be flat, but none give bad performances. Though some of the one-note and BG characters aren't too good, they don't stick around long enough to matter. It's really all about Justin Cook as Yusuke here. He sells the teenage tough guy with a heart of gold and adds so much character to Yusuke that it's really hard to imagine the character sounding any other way. Even reading the manga I get Cook's voice in my head. He's perfect.
The second episode is a good way to delve further into Kuwabara's spiritual awareness and at the same time introduce us to the Spirit World as well as a very important character in Koenma. Koenma's voice is one that gets good fast, even if his first appearance is a light bit too tame. Before the Spirit Detective arc ends, I believe he gets hilarious.
I've always liked Keiko, ever since episode one. She really is the other half of Yusuke, sharing his rough side and forthrightness, yet unlike him she doesn't fall into a hot heated teenage pit of despair and is willing to do what she can to push ahead. That's why these early episodes that center around their relationship works so well to give the story its direction. If Yusuke doesn't have a strong reason to go back, these episodes wouldn't work at all.
So yeah, still a strong start to the anime. Though if you didn't know anything about the story, you might be wondering who the black and red haired guys in the opening are. Bit spoiler-iffic, no?
Sorry I couldn't participate in the discussion last night. It was really late and I had to get up early. I'll be sure to give my thoughts on these episodes later today, though, and respond to some of your comments as well.
Since Avaitor says that he'll be doing these a bit earlier starting next week, I shouldn't have a problem participating in future episode discussions. :thumbup:
01. Surprised to be Dead
So, how many other battle shonen series (or cartoons in general) do you know that start out with the main character dying? It's such a brilliant way to start out the series, and immediately got me hooked. I was lucky enough to catch the premiere on Adult Swim, about a year or so before the series became a regular of Toonami. Avaitor and Desensitized already covered much of why it's such a powerful first episode, but here is a bit more input of my own.
Interestingly, while I do prefer the anime to the manga in general, I do have to emphasize that I love the whole ordeal with Yusuke as a ghost in the manga. Togashi spends 2 whole volumes on this part, as opposed to just 5 episodes, and this also addresses Avaitor's one complaint (which I do agree with, to an extent) in the anime about not properly establishing Yusuke and Keiko's relationship in the premiere. The manga does make it more clear that they were childhood friends, and even includes a brief but notable flash-back scene confirming it. That said, their interaction in the first episode did show that they clearly knew each other well, so I didn't find it out of place to see in the second episode that he was also well acquainted with her parents.
At any rate, while the concept could be said to just be a rip-off of Ghost, what makes YYH in particular stand out is how it's executed. Togashi does an excellent job of portraying general aspects of humanity throughout this series, and this beginning is no exception. Yusuke is very much a delinquent who has no goal or grand purpose in life, and since he doesn't amount to anything, he just assumes that nobody really gives a crap about him, and thus takes the people who care about him for granted. Facing death is like his wake-up call, as he gets to see first-hand just how much he means to the people close to him, including those he never realized cared about him so much. Yes, his mother may be an alcoholic and possibly engage in some other questionable activities (I love how Togashi just leaves this as an implication rather than just throwing it in your face, BTW), but she loves her son, and despite her irresponsibility in raising him is heartbroken to when she thinks that she has lost him. Keiko clearly considers Yusuke to be more than just a friend, but I like how this isn't terribly overplayed in the series, especially in the beginning. Either way, you can believe that she is deeply affected by his supposed death. Then Yusuke is surprised to see that even people he never really liked such as his long-time rival Kuwabara are negatively affected by him dying. He never realized that, for Kuwabara, he was a goal to strive toward. He was Kuwabara's main motivation in terms of having some goal to overcome (something that he never had up to this point, which is why he never understood or saw it). And finally, I really loved the scene where Principal Takanaka reprimands the 2 teachers who make light of Yusuke's death, and shows that he truly saw something in Yusuke and wanted to help him bring out his best qualities. He may be a minor character, but I consider that to be such an effective scene that really stays with me.
Now, of course this isn't all perfect. Togashi is not known for planning stories in advance, so this isn't like Avatar: The Last Airbender or Gargoyles where multiple things are hinted at early on. Their are inconsistencies in this story, and it is in essence made up as it goes along. However, what Togashi excels at is developing his stories and characters and making it all seem natural, so even after some retconning and such, you can still call this a strong starting point when comparing how Yusuke progresses throughout the series and compare it to where he started in this episode. Overall, it's one of my favorite premieres to any animated series.
As for the quality of the voice-acting, I've already elaborated on how Justin Cook really shines as Yusuke from the start, but pretty much everyone else needs work. As you all notice, a lot of the extras are voiced by the same VAs who voice the main characters due to a lack of a talent pool to work with in terms of good VAs. So, naturally, as they get better at voicing their own characters, they also get better at voicing the extras, and the dub improves as a whole. Also, some other notable VAs get some of their earliest roles as just extras in this series, such as Vic Mignogna, so it's always fun to point out those performances when they come up.
02. Koenma Appears
This episode, while not as strong as the first, is really important in establishing some of Togashi's strongest qualities as a writer. For one thing, he's excellent at playing with expectations, and creating a unique scenario that can be humorous since this is still a battle shonen and doesn't have to take itself too seriously, yet also make it legitimately engaging from a story-line point of view. Yusuke is given his ordeal, which as Avaitor mentioned is a MacGuffin in the shape of a golden egg. What I love about this series is that, while not planned out with the same foresight as some other series which I mentioned, Togashi has a great ability to call back to certain earlier plot points and make it seem like it was planned out to some extent. This golden egg will of course be important for this first arc, both in terms of plot and as a metaphor for Yusuke's initial character arc, but as Avaitor also said, keep an eye out for it, as it will be re-introduced in another form, later, and I've always sort of seen it as a motif that has its own implications about Yusuke's overall character arc.
Aside from that, I love the whole design and comedic set-up of the Spirit World being run like a "stock exchange" (I love Justin Cook's dialogue in this series so much), and Koenma is an excellent new character. Yes, he does serve as the obligatory exposition character for the entire show, but Togashi never forgets that he's a character, first and foremost, and thus I feel as attached to him as I do the main YYH cast over the course of this series. He's both excellent comedic relief, and a good objective reference point for when the other characters are in emotional dissonance later on down the line. Having said that, in this episode his role is merely to give Yusuke his ordeal to come back to life, but aside from the funny reveal that this seemingly cutesy little toddler is standing in for the supposedly stern and vicious entity in charge of spirit world, he does have a sense of experience and authority to him, and I do find that he comes off as an intriguing character in the early episodes, besides just being the brunt of comedy and exposition.
While I do miss many of the fun stories that are cut out from the early parts of the manga, the anime made a wise choice in making the necessary cuts and changes to tighten up the pace for show watchers. Also, I'm glad that they kept in the pivotal moments that they did, such as setting up Kuwabara's spirital awareness early on, which is also something that becomes a hugely important aspect of his character and has a huge bearing on the series's plot later on. Most other writers would just make that a convenient little quirk to progress the plot of this episode, but in this show it's treated as incredibly significant and makes both it and other aspects of both Kuwabara as well as other characters seem all the more important throughout the series, thanks to almost always paying attention to early details set up like this. Overall, the episode is fun, even if not great. I also do actually like the reveal that Keiko's parents knew Yusuke well and are fond of him, so the reaction they have to him in Kuwabara's body (thinking that it's just some dis-respective impostor) is a scene which I particularly like, myself.
The direction for these two episodes is fairly strong, too. When I was taking screencaps for the episodes I took notice that Abe really knows the best way to get the most, visually, out of a scene. The entire sequence where Botan guides Yusuke to meet Koenma features a lot of cool looking angles and really brings to life Togashi's world.
I wanted to talk about Takanaka's moment as well, but I was rushing to get SOMETHING down, so I ended up forgetting to. It's a great little moment, especially as it shows how he differs from some of the teachers at the school. Takanaka isn't a major player, and barely appears after the first arc, same with the school itself, but this helps to show that he has at least some honor code himself and is generally a good guy, that knock on Yusuke's head excepted.
This is going to be further shown in an upcoming episode, but I do sometimes wish that we could have a little more time in Yusuke's home and school life. I wouldn't trade most of what's coming later for the world, though.
Quote from: Avaitor on March 10, 2015, 03:55:37 PMI wanted to talk about Takanaka's moment as well, but I was rushing to get SOMETHING down, so I ended up forgetting to. It's a great little moment, especially as it shows how he differs from some of the teachers at the school. Takanaka isn't a major player, and barely appears after the first arc, same with the school itself, but this helps to show that he has at least some honor code himself and is generally a good guy, that knock on Yusuke's head excepted.
I believe that knock on Yusuke's head wasn't really meant as some punishment, but as a gesture to get him to listen to what Takanaka had to lecture him about for his own good. Maybe it's just a cultural thing, but I think that it's just an acceptable form of discipline in some countries. I can relate, because sometimes my dad would slap me or my brother on the back of the head (lightly, not nearly hard enough to cause any physical harm) when we did something wrong and we knew better.
But, regardless, I feel that even though he's not a big character, Takanaka's actions here do a good job of showing that not all of the people that have problems with Yusuke are dicks. It is something that becomes a stronger aspect of Togashi's writing with later villains, as most of them are not pure evil, despite being on an opposing side.
QuoteThis is going to be further shown in an upcoming episode, but I do sometimes wish that we could have a little more time in Yusuke's home and school life. I wouldn't trade most of what's coming later for the world, though.
Well, while there isn't really much more of Takanaka, it's worth noting that the manga does spend considerably more time on Yusuke's exploits as a ghost, though not for anything absolutely essential to the main plot.
I do recommend fans of the anime at the very least read the early volumes of the manga. It's a lot of great content you won't get in the anime and it does help flesh out the world a bit more.
Yeah, I've been meaning to for a while, but it's a little harder to find the manga nowadays in comparison to other successful series. I'll see what I can do before next week.
I always liked the idea of Takanaka as a sort of surrogate father-figure for Yusuke, and was a bit disappointed he just disappeared from the show after the Saint Beast arc.
The first episode is among my favorite first episodes for a shonen anime, alongside the first episodes of Dragon Ball and Detective Conan. The premise is just great, as is the way we transition from seeing a snapshot of Yusuke's life and his character, to him getting a wake-up call that, despite what he might have thought, he really did matter to a lot of people and a life he could have made something out of, and he should take the opportunity to get a second chance at living it. As a character Yusuke makes a really great first impression right off the bat, helped of course by Cook's great performance. I've always liked how one of the first things he asks Botan is how the kid is doing and gets a smile when she asks him if he wants to visit him. Though his exterior is punk-ish, his actions show that he really is a good person at heart, and it's an appealing combination. The funeral scene is also just great, with Kuwabara's hysterics over Yusuke's death, Takanaka reprimanding the asshole teachers, lamenting his death in front of his wake, and comforting his mother, and then the bit with the kid coming to thank Yusuke and later asking his mother if he can get to play with him later on not having really processed what happened, all of it really works to make a powerful, really memorable scene that caps the episode off on a strong note. This is honestly one of the best single episodes in the entire show, and the best first episode of any battle shonen anime I know of as well.
The second episode has always come off to me as more of a premise-expanding episode, in which all the rules and the finer details of the immediate plot are established. It does it's job well, and establishes a lot of good things that come into play later on. It's a transitional episode, and not much in it has ever really stood out to me as greatly entertaining or memorable. I will say I always liked Keiko, the connection she has with Yusuke, and how they compliment each other, and I like the seeing part of that here. I also really like the scene with her parents as well.
I'm pretty sure Togashi didn't originally envision he would turn the series into a battle manga. Of course, it did end up becoming one for whatever reason, but most of what happened during the series' gag-manga phase didn't really translate over into that. The anime likely cut out most of those stories and moved quickly through that part of the series because they weren't really relevant to what it became later on, and likely because that part of the series was not all that popular to begin with (though I've always liked it myself). I'm glad they kept one particular story in the anime, though, which we'll be talking about next week.
Quote from: Avaitor on March 10, 2015, 05:38:26 PM
Yeah, I've been meaning to for a while, but it's a little harder to find the manga nowadays in comparison to other successful series. I'll see what I can do before next week.
Digital copies are available to purchase for $7 a volume from Viz's website. (http://www.vizmanga.com/yuyu-hakusho) Ditto for physical copies via Rightstuf. (http://www.rightstuf.com/cgi-bin/catalogmgr/wF26vu8W1TSuRIXr29/browse/item/59816/4/0/0)
Spoiler
And if money's tight, it's not hard to find it using other means. ;)
I also liked the beginning of the manga, which was more of a comedy interspersed with some great dramatic moments. The concept of Yusuke possessing another body like he did in episode 2, for example, was done much better in an un-animated chapter where he gets stuck in a kid's body and doesn't get released until he helps him overcome his bullies. What's great is that, although Yusuke can beat them easily, he doesn't get released until the kid learns to fight for himself. It was a really fun short story that I kind of would've liked to see animated, but I understand why it wasn't.
One does have to wonder how different the series would've been if Togashi stuck to his original vision as opposed to making it a battle shonen (albeit a great one) in order to boost its popularity and save it from cancellation. Based on early YYH and Level E, he is surprisingly good with comedy, IMO. If he ever does finish HXH, I wouldn't mind seeing him pursue another comedy with his next work. Either that or a horror manga, which I know that he's always wanted to do (there are certain parts of YYH, Level E, and HXH that even allude to that).
Anyways, next week we'll be watching one of my favorite Kuwabara episodes. :joy:
Togashi's early one-shots were all comedy-focused, so I think he was interested in doing gag-manga (with horror-themed elements) early on, but later found his groove in writing more serious action-oriented fare. Personally, I really want to see him do a horror anthology series after HXH finishes, since that seems like something he would really excel at.
Oh yeah, fun fact about the English Dub:
Justin Cook himself was actually responsible for voice-casting in this show. He made sure that he understood the show, so he watched it and read translated scripts beforehand. Originally he was never going to voice-act in the show outside of some extras, but another FUNi staff member convinced him. Originally he wanted to voice Hiei, but ended up casting himself as Yusuke since everyone seemed to agree that his voice was just a better fit for the character. That said, while it takes a few episodes for the other characters to nail down their roles, you can thank Justin Cook for not only holding the early episodes of the dub together with his performance as Yusuke, but also for casting the perfect voices for all of the other main characters in the show, even if it might not seem that way at first. ;)
Yeah, I'd be totally down for reading a horror anthology by Togashi. More so than another battle shonen.
I'm not sure if this is relevant to anyone, but seeing as how GSF was looking for a legal way to watch the series, I found that the DVD sets are available on Amazon for about $15 a piece. All four 28-episode sets together would be a little over $60 in total, which is a pretty good price for a 112-episode series. I can't seem to find any better deals than that, but if those who don't already own the DVDs find that affordable enough, then that's a pretty viable option.
I'm assuming that Mondays are going to be the discussion days, so even though I watch these episodes on Sundays for convenience sake, I won't post about them until Avaitor does on Monday evening in order to keep the schedule consistent.
That said, both of these are strong episodes, IMO, but in particular I have some interesting things to say about episode 4, so tomorrow night should be fun. ;)
Yes, tomorrow is my scheduled time.
I was actually going to make a post to remind you guys about it, but I'm glad you did it for me lol. I'm actually watching them now, before TCM's Disney block, to make sure I can get my post in time tomorrow.
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I remember talking about "Kuwabara: A Promise Between Men" way back on tv.com, and Foggle referred to it as a porno title. I'll never forget that, even if it isn't really relevant here.
This is a great follow-up to the previous 2 episodes though, and helps to expand on Kuwabara's character. There have been notes made previously that he has a bit of an honor code to him, and this goes to show that despite his brutish exterior, Kuwabara really is a caring, loyal person.
He makes a good stride to stand by Okubo and deals with sacrifice to make sure that his job is safe, which includes getting the piss beat out of him. The fact that Kuwabara will still stand by and allow the kids from the other school to beat him repeatedly shows just how dedicated he is, and helps to establish the character as more than just a one-note antagonist to Yusuke. Even the beginning, when he came to the rescue of Keiko, was a good indicator. While Kuwabara makes note of this being an apology for his extended hug in the previous episode, I think that he'd be willing to defend any girl who was being bullied by bigger guys like that, simply for the reason that it's not right. Not a bad guy. He may not be the brightest guy, but this episode helps to make Kuwabara become more of a likable character than the pilot indicates.
But man, Akashi and Iwamoto are assholes. Trying to make Kuwabara and his friends learn a lesson for their frequent displays of violence is one thing, but everything else, yeesh. They were seen in the premiere to be mocking Yusuke at his wake, which is already a shitty thing to do, but continue to laugh at his death beyond. Assholes. But this episode does a good job of showing how Takanaka differs from his teachers, as while he may be a little harsh to Yusuke and Kuwabara, he does so to keep them along, not to make their lives hell. He's not getting the kids from the other school to beat Kuwabara up, or literally change answers behind their backs. Takanaka does a good job of scaring Akashi straight at the end, as any good authority figure should.
The lesser characters still need some work in the vocal department, but Sabat seems to be finding himself a little as Kuwabara here. Certain inflections still feel a little off, a little forced, but he finds a certain sincerity to the character that makes him sound a little pleasant. The voice is going to need a little more time to find itself, but so far Sabat is doing his best to find the best rough guy voice he can, with enough vulnerability to make him work.
Also, at the time I first saw this episode, I didn't know that the US was one of the few countries that has a 50% count as failing, so I was kind of surprised that Akashi wanted everyone to at least hit that score. Why bother for a slightly higher F when you can at least make them aim for a C? But now that I'm aware that most of the rest of the world considers 50 to be an average range, it makes a little more sense. Also, Yusuke's response to Kuwabara's previous score of a 7 cracked me up more than anything in the episode. Dumbass.
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But truthfully, I want to wait for EK's word on "Requirement for Lovers" before I delve into it. Or whoever's willing to go first. It's a fine episode, but not exactly a perfect one in my eyes. I'll come back to it soon, though.
I was going to reference that Foggle post, myself. :D
That bit....still makes no sense to me, but it got me to chuckle.
03. Kuwabara: A Promise Between Men
This has always been a personal favorite for me as far as Kuwabara-heavy episodes go, as well as the early episodes in general. I think that, while we get hints of what makes Kuwabara such a great person in the first episode, this is the episode that really begins to explore that aspect of his, and essentially helps to begin his character arc throughout the series. He is a delinquent, yes, but we learn that looks can truly be deceiving when we see just how honorable of a person Kuwabara is when compared to other more "acceptable" members of society who seem to look down on him.
My one minor criticism in this episode is that the teachers are a bit too over-the-top in their attempts to foil him, and it's really kind of hilarious when Justin Cook adds in the line about inquiring if one of them even has a life beyond trying to torment students. :P
I think what really makes Kuwabara so likable, though, is that arguably more than just about any other character on this show, he's always thinking about others before himself. No matter how prideful he is or how angry he gets, he always takes other people's well-being into consideration. This, as we will discover later on, even extends to many of his enemies, and it'll become an incredibly important aspect of the Chapter Black arc much later on down the line.
Aside from that, I've already discussed the other reasons for why this episode is such a good one in an earlier entry that I did when I made a list of my top 10 favorite YYH episodes (which you can find on the main YYH thread).
04. Requirement For Lovers
Now, this is one of those few cases in which, while I really love the anime and even prefer it to the manga, I think that this particular part was done a little better in the manga. Of course, I still think that this is a mostly well-done episode, but one thing that has never sat quite right with me is how they handle Sayaka's character. For those who don't know, Sayaka did appear in the manga, but had a very different role. In that story, she was the wandering spirit of a little girl with a very disturbed childhood, and Yusuke has to stop her from stealing the soul of a young boy around her age (which she attempts to do because she wants a playmate). It's an entertaining story that has a bit of comedy, some good touching moments, and draws a lot on Togashi's love of the occult and horror films. In this episode, they use that same character for some reason, but give her the role of a Spirit Investigator, which never even existed in the manga....because why would Yusuke even need one? It was already explained to us that the Egg serves the purpose of determining whether Yusuke is actually worthy of coming back to life, whereas we could already clearly see in the first episode that we had at least three core characters who cherished Yusuke's existence, so Sayaka's relevance for being there is completely non-existant. Furthermore, it felt a bit disjointed in how the first part of the episode was more about the feelings that Yusuke and Keiko had for each other, and then the last third of it became more about Yusuke being willing to make a sacrifice.
That said, I do really love the parts of this episode that work. Despite Keiko kind of being a flat character on her own, I do think that she complements Yusuke well, so I do actually care a bit about their relationship. Furthermore, I love the scene where she dashes in to save his body without fear, and how even Kuwabara comes from half-way across town to help. It's really good foreshadowing for two characters who will be very important emotional connections for Yusuke throughout the series. Some people would point out that Atsuko leaving Yusuke so unattended like that is too irresponsible considering that she almost lost him, but while not necessarily well explored in the series....that is a realistic aspect of her character. While she does clearly mean well, she is very irresponsible at heart, so it makes sense that she'd be off drinking or doing god knows what when she finally gets over her grief of Yusuke thanks to the fact that it looks like he's alive again. It's a subtle nod to the real nature of human beings that Togashi becomes better at exploring in both later arcs of this series and in later works of his in general. That said, I don't quite see it as bad writing, as some people do.
Overall, though, the obvious stand-out moment of this episode was Yusuke giving up his Spirit Egg in order to save Keiko. While some people may call it a cop-out that Koenma gives him another Egg so soon after that incident, I believe that they are missing the point. I believe that Koenma was purposely vague with Yusuke about stuff like that to really test his nature. That isn't to say that he could predict a situation like this occurring, and you could argue that it's a bit too convenient from a plot-perspective, but as a work of fiction such things are only expected from time to time, but what makes this scene great is that it's a strong moment from a thematic point of view. A strong will and selflessness is really what Yusuke needs to show that he's capable of in order to come back, and what better way to do that than to give up his "supposed" only way of coming back in the first place? This act of his will also effect what actually hatches out of that egg, but that'll be something to discuss for another time, when we get to later episodes.
Overall, though, as Avaitor said, this is not a perfect episode, but I do personally enjoy it for the things that it does get right.
Episode 3 was the episode where Kuwabara's character really took off for me. Before this he was alright, just a lunkheaded rival of Yusuke who was a surprisingly good friend to the troublemaker. But seeing a day in the life of the character (much like we saw for Yusuke in the first episode and Keiko in the next) really helped bring out why he's so likeable. He always looks after his comrades needs above his own, not daring to let them down even an inch.
It's what really makes his clashes with a certain short-stack demon later on funnier since we see how much alike they really are in a lot of ways.
I also really like the ending where he thanks Yusuke for helping him, even though he thinks he's dead at this point. The first inkling that Kuwabara thought of him as a friend this whole time and not just someone to fight.
Episode 4 is a pretty important episode in a lot of ways, but I do agree that it suffers a bit from changes from the manga. Sayaka was just a bystander dead soul like Yusuke in the manga and was scoping out Keiko to see if she was worthy enough for the boy. She also had a bad life the reflects to Yusuke on how bad he didn't really have it. This was the one disadvantage of cutting down on the spirit arc in the anime is that we lose characters like Sayaka to still stuff her into the same general role she had at this point in the manga.
They also had to rush this episode to get to Yusuke's real final challenge in the next episode (and get to the action quicker) which gives the episode an overstuffed feeling with a lot going on.
The animation, especially in the first half, is not all that impressive, either. You can tell they saved it for the ending.
All that aside, this is a great episode. Some might say Atsuko was being irresponsible, and she was. But if you pay attention to the ending, she admits to her mistake and after this point she rides Yusuke hard on doing the right thing. So, she does learn from her mistake after losing her son twice. Keiko also goes beyond the call of duty as Yusuke is not her responsibility, yet she still tries to do right by him and even ends up saving his life (and he in turn saves hers) with Kuwabara helping. Yusuke's self-sacrifice comes out strong here as a reflection of Keiko's own showing how they really do reflect well on each other. The best part of this episode are easily all the characters beginning to come into their own. You really start to hope they make it through.
Also, I think this was the episode where I knew Yusuke was going to be one of my favorite anime characters. He still is.
I also get a kick out of Kuwabara beating up his Yusuke punching bag.
Avaitor: I also used to think that a 50 was a standard failing grade until I later found out from my dad who grew up in India how tests were scored differently over there and a 50 or higher was a passing score.
To be clear, tests are much harder in those countries and typically lack multiple choice, and the whole scoring system is different, so a score of 50 on a Japanese math test would not at all be the equivalent of a 50% on an American math test. That 50 means something completely different than a standard percentage score.
On another note, I agree that Yusuke making fun of Kuwabara's score when he barely did any better himself was hilarious, though the dub line which I referenced earlier is probably my personal favorite comedian line of the episode. In general, I just love Justin Cook's ability to point out various obsurdities throughout the series, which really adds to the appeal of the character. I remember ths Desensitized once put it as Yusuke is awesome because he almost always says what we as the audience are thinking, which is no funny and Maj him every more relatable, and while that only applies to the dub version, it's still fun to see all the same.
One of my favorite dub moments involves the "video editing" comments between Koenma and Yusuke in an episode in the latter half of season one. It really brings out Koenma's arrogance and Yusuke's snark.
Alright, it's interesting to know about Sayaka's character in the manga. Something always seemed a little off about her time in the anime, and now it makes sense.
Actually, you know what, something is coming back to me. Do you remember before when I said that I haven't read the manga before? Well, technically I lied. I read a teeny bit of it when Jump was first published in the US, and I believe that I did get to read some of her material and vaguely remember getting to her origin. This would have been nice to have in the anime, but obviously I'm not too bitter, since the episode does work fine.
I always found it kind of cute how Yusuke and Keiko clearly do like each other as more than friends even at this point, but they're a little too unsure to fully accept it. This is very true of middle schoolers, which they are. Not to mention how one of them is technically dead... And I also agree with EK about how Yusuke sacrificing his egg made for a poignant moment. It also helps to further show that there's something worth saving in him, if he's willing to risk everything he's worked for just to please someone he cares about.
Nothing much I can add about these that y'all haven't already covered. "A Promise Between Men" is a great episode for fleshing out Kuwabara's character and making him a more sympathetic character with more layers to his personality than we had a sense of in the previous two episodes, and hinting at a less antagonistic connection between him and Yusuke. It's a great character-based episode, one that I would rewatch many a time on Colors Tv, and it remains among my top favorites in the entire show. "Requirement for Lovers" also does what it sets out to do well, especially in terms of demonstrating the strong bond between Yusuke and Keiko and how far they are willing to go for one another. Like others here, though, I prefer the manga's version, and ultimately, while it's a solid episode, like episode 2 it's more of a means to an end episode to me, and isn't an episode I tend to go out of my way to rewatch unless I commit to doing a complete rewatch of the entire series.
BTW, why are Talon and VLord absent in all of this? Talon especially is a huge YYH fan, so I'm actually rather surprised that he has nothing to say, here.
Quote from: Avaitor on March 16, 2015, 04:53:58 PM
I remember talking about "Kuwabara: A Promise Between Men" way back on tv.com, and Foggle referred to it as a porno title. I'll never forget that, even if it isn't really relevant here.
holy shit I don't remember saying that at all
You totally did. :humhumhum:
Here I am. I'm not going to be watching the episodes, however I will gladly comment on them.
I can't add much to the discussion at this point as you've all done a good job of summing it up. I will say that I always had one minor problem with Requirements for Lovers. Yusuke's "My life or hers? choice at the end... is there really any real choice there? If he throws the egg, he saves her life but loses the chance to come back to life. But if he decided not to, then without Kayko to save him, wouldn't his body just burn up in the fire? In fact, when she first ran into the burning house and Yusuke told her to go back, Botan said to Yusuke something along the lines of "You know you can't come back without a body, right?". And this episode comes not long after Yusuke had to get Kayko to stop his body from being cremated at the funeral. So it almost seems like the choice is to either save Kayko and stay dead, or let Kayko die and still stay dead.
He never said: "My life or hers?"
The idea was that he was unsure of whether she'd be able to make it out on her own or not, or if Kuwabara would arrive in time to help her. He then decided no to risk it and gave up the egg. The dub dialogue did make it seem like it was a different scenario, though.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on March 17, 2015, 11:01:23 AM
He never said: "My life or hers?"
The idea was that he was unsure of whether she'd be able to make it out on her own or not, or if Kuwabara would arrive in time to help her. He then decided no to risk it and gave up the egg. The dub dialogue did make it seem like it was a different scenario, though.
I did read this part in the manga, and I think I saw the sub version of the episode, but I didn't remember what was said. I almost always experienced this series in its dub, which is where Yusuke says "So my life or hers, wish somebody would've told me I'd make this choice this morning".
EDIT:
Although it did seem like it would have been impossible for her to make it out on her own, or even for Kuwabara to come to the rescue. After all, we did see lots of burning debris surround her when she got to Yusuke. Or maybe that part wasn't in the manga. Again, I don't remember.
But anyway, overall, the episode is great, though maybe my least favorite of the first five. Meanwhile, A Promise Between Men may be my favorite of them. Funny enough, I think it was the opposite when I first saw these episodes back on Adult Swim.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on March 17, 2015, 12:36:24 AM
You totally did. :humhumhum:
Well, it sounds like something I would say. I just don't remember. ;)
Quote from: Foggle on March 17, 2015, 11:14:24 AM
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on March 17, 2015, 12:36:24 AM
You totally did. :humhumhum:
Well, it sounds like something I would say. I just don't remember. ;)
I mean, it was like 7, 8 years ago. I can understand that. It's a little bit that I haven't forgotten, though. ;D
I have a really bad memory. Sometimes I can't even remember things I've done/said on the same day I did them. I also have a habit of remembering things incorrectly, which people seem to think is me purposefully trying to mess with them or make myself look better... but no, my brain just doesn't like me sometimes. :-[
I agree that Sayaka is kind of uninteresting in the animated series. I think another problem is her miscast dub voice. Sounds like a full grown woman.
Quote from: Foggle on March 17, 2015, 03:08:53 PM
I have a really bad memory. Sometimes I can't even remember things I've done/said on the same day I did them. I also have a habit of remembering things incorrectly, which people seem to think is me purposefully trying to mess with them or make myself look better... but no, my brain just doesn't like me sometimes. :-[
Probably a side effect of your age constantly jumping around to random years. Eventually, your mind can't remember at which ages you said what, and thus it basically shuts down on you.
Actually, while not great in terms of voice acting, the idea of making her sound like a full grown woman makes sense since her role is different from the manga, and in this episode she's a representative of Spirit World much like Koenma, who also sounds like an adult in the dub, so FUNimation was just trying to stay consistent and pass her off as much older than her appearance suggested, much like Koenma. It wouldn't make sense to Western viewers who speak English when one sounds like an adult and the other doesn't, otherwise.
It's worth noting that Koenma does sound suitably more childish in the Japanese portrayal, though, being voiced by Mayumi Tanaka, who's more famous for voicing Krillin from the DB franchise and Luffy from OP.
I've been busy lately, but I'll probably be able to start re-watching the show in a few weeks. I don't think I've done a complete re-watch of YYH with the blu-ray remasters yet, so it'll be fun to finally do that. :)
I could've sworn I saw you do one with those the last time (I remember watching a bunch of eps with you). Maybe that was just with seasons 2 and up, though, since idk if we had the blu-ray for season 1 yet at that point.
BTW, I think that Spark knows what screen cap he needs to use for episode 5; the scene that many-a-terrible fan-fiction are based off of. I'll be extremely disappointed to not see it featured next week. :sly:
The next two episodes have tons of screen cappable (is that a word?) moments.
You'll have to be specific. :humhumhum:
Well, episode 5 has two big heartfelt moments. There's the "romance" moment, and then there's the "bromance" moment. Take your pick. :>
I have more interesting comments and critiques to make on tonight's episodes than I thought I would. I can't wait to start the discussion later on.
On another note, does anyone want to consider discussing The Golden Seal special and the feature-length theatrical film in a bonus week after finishing the main series about a year from now? Neither are very good, of course, but I figured that they may still be interesting to discuss for die hard YYH fans like ourselves. At any rate, we have a year to decide. :D
The Three Artifacts arc has a surprising amount of character moments. Of course, it mostly all comes from one new character.
I can't wait until next week when my favorite protagonist of the series gets properly introduced. :shakeshakeshake:
Spoiler
Gouki
pretty memorable.
Now it's time to celebrate my favorite day of the week (although I usually watch these episodes the Sunday before- I might have to watch them just before my write-ups next week though, we'l see)!
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"Yusuke's Back" is kind of risky for an episode, as its two acts are only vaguely related. Otherwise, they could hold separate episodes based on the material, but don't due to lack of content. It almost feels like an episode of PPG or EEnE with their two-episode structure, but that's not really a bad thing at all.
The first act lives up to the episode's title, as Yusuke comes back from the dead. The trial is basic- he must have one of the three people who cares about him the most kiss him to revive Yusuke, almost like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. The first two choices make sense- his mother, obviously, and Keiko is another no brainer- but Kuwabara is a strange call, since they've never reciprocated much positivity when he was alive. You'd think that if Keiko's family was so close to the Urameshi's, one of her parents would be a better choice, or even Takanaka.
But at least we're spared from seeing Yusuke and Kuwabara kiss, not counting the self-censored fantasy sequence. And while it's obvious that Atsuko loves her son, she's still not the most reliable person to have this much responsibility on her shoulders. So it doesn't become a surprise when Yusuke has to put everything into Keiko, despite a unique challenge getting in the way.
It's also not too much of a surprise when it turns out that Keiko gets to Yusuke JUST in time, since imagine the shitstorm that would have occurred if Yusuke had to go through even more trials as a ghost. It's not that impractical, but this seems like a good place to end the first part of this story, as the show wisely cut some filler out to give us an idea of what Yusuke's home life is like and how he is as a person, without spending too much time away from the action. The earlier episodes have an almost serene pacing to them, and it's time to cut back and get to what the show is about.
The second half is more of what to expect, but still retained to the earth. It's a pretty basic tale, Yusuke dealing with a bully that's holding Kuwabara's cat hostage, but what comes out of this guy he decks is indicative of the show's future. Y'see, we're dealing with demons here, and this guy is a small fry compared to the big dinners Yusuke's going to tackle.
We get a little time on earth before this, as Yusuke re-familiarizes himself with his daily routine, taking us back into his life with him still being front and center. The scene where Yusuke thanks his muggers, almost crying, is a highlight of just how funky he can be, and a favorite moment of these episodes in general. It helps to keep the light-hearted tone the show has succeeded at maintaining alive, even as we get closer to the main storyarc.
And I wonder who was surprised about Botan being the fortune teller? Maybe if you were watching the show in its original Japanese first, since it's kind of easy to be ignorant of vocal tones for people speaking in foreign languages. Even then, the blue hair you can vaguely see is still an obvious call. But it is welcome, and leads us into the next episode.
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"Three Monsters" introduces us to the three demons that can make or break Koenma's backside, depending on whether or not Yusuke can successfully obtain the Three Artifacts of Darkness for him.
If you've been paying attention to the show's opening, you'll probably recognize two of these guys from there, Hiei and Kurama. While Kurama only has a small sampling of lines and leaves the scene early, Hiei has a little more material himself, and so far, I'm not really feeling it. Chuck Huber will find himself fitting more comfortably into the role, but he's a little too, well, interested right now, almost devilish. This is fine for right now, but I've always recalled Hiei's more stern, quietly inflections, as that is more of the character that I recognize. Huber is almost a little too alive here, but I'll save talking about the character for a little later, as there will be more to get to soon.
Instead, let's focus on the third demon, Gouki. Jeremy Inman does a pretty good job of him, keeping the character as menacing as he should be, and does seem to have a little fun doing so, as well. His human design is handsomely ugly, as he looks hideous and threatening, just as he should. His demon form is a little less impressive, but it's hardly bad itself, if anything just maybe too cute.
We merely get a sampling of their fight, the show's first big one, as the rest will be saved for the next episode. Now, I decided to not make this week only have 1 or 3 episodes, because this won't be the last time a battle won't end on an even-numbered episode. It's a good way to prepare for what's to come. But so far, this is leading up to be a good one, and a heck of a way to lead up to the Spirit Detective storyline that is building up.
The rest of the material is pretty fine, as well. Iwamoto continues to prove how much of a dick he is, with his wish to get rid of Yusuke, and going as far as to steal from students in hopes to frame him. Talk about teacher of the year. Yusuke's act of vengeance, the spirit gun, is awesome, but his use of it shows vthat he still has some growing up to do. Koenma hints that he may need to use it for later, but at the same time, does show Yusuke how to use this new power of his, which leads him into a gray area. Because a nice energy blast like that would sure help him out.
And let's give Spark some credit for these nice screencaps. He made this one for the first arc, and I think now's a good time to share it!
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One new thing that I'm going to do is to give an overall cumulative rating whenever a story arc concludes. The Spirit arc being the first one will get its rating, down below, since it has now been wrapped up at this current point in our re-watch.
05. Yusuke's Back
So, I only have one real problem with this episode, and that's simply that it should be two episodes. We have two very disjointed plots taking up the same half-hour, which feels especially out of place since we're transitioning out of one story arc and straight into a brand new one. Having said that, this episode still works on a moment-to-moment basis, rather than as a whole package. While it does make me kind of prefer the manga on the whole for not being nearly as rushed in this arc, I do have to respect the brisk pacing that the anime managed to keep for this arc, relative to the manga.
On the plus side, this did have some really memorable moments. The iconic "dream-kissing-sequence" between Kuwabara and Yusuke was a great comedic point in this episode, as was the moment when Yusuke was back to life and rather than punch out those muggers like he easily could've, just freaked them out instead by showing his appreciation for being alive. It's a great indication of Togashi's comedic routes, and something that he'd later have much more fun with in his short-lived Sci-Fi series, Level E.
In terms of the second half of the episode, it is undeniably important in establishing what the rest of the series will be like, at least in terms of its general concept. The stuff where Yusuke helps out Kuwabara is amusing to see, and although we already know of Kuwabara's honor code from previous episodes, it's good to see it established that despite their rivalry, Yusuke clearly has a lot more respect for Kuwabara than he previously let on when he immediately finds the idea of Kuwabara stealing anything ridiculous, knowing that he'd never stoop to that level no matter what, anyone did. Him helping Kuwabara with the bullies was a cute little moment, but nothing more than that, really.
I can't explain why, but I've always really liked that scene where Yusuke takes down his first demon without even really knowing what he's doing until Botan fills him in on his new employment which he doesn't yet realize he signed up for by agreeing to come back to life. It's just something about Yusuke's reaction to seeing a demon for the first time, and being more genuinely curious and intrigued than flat-out shocked or surprised, and how the demon is the one who's incredibly dumbfounded that such a seemingly simple human is seeing something that he's not supposed to see. It's just one of those fun aspects about Yusuke's character, I suppose. It is a little silly that Yusuke couldn't recognize who Botan was with such an obvious disguise, but it was a trope of shonen manga and anime at that time, and it doesn't happen too often, so I just roll with it. Overall, it's an entertaining episode, but probably one of the weaker ones in the Spirit Detective arc. Speaking of which....
Spirit Arc; Overall Rating: B (B+ in the manga)
Summary Of Thoughts: Very creative, fun, and solidly entertaining, the Spirit arc is a really unique and inventive way to start off a great series such as this. That said, it's far from perfect, and does suffer from a bit of a rushed nature compared to the source material, and some questionable plot points and somewhat inconsistent character development. On the whole, though, there is really nothing else like it in the genre, so it has the great distinction of being pretty timeless.
06. Three Monsters
Alright, so this is where we finally start getting into the real meat of the series. This is where is starts to slowly shape up and resemble the iconic battle shonen that we all known and love. Of course, it still has quite a ways to go to get there, and that can clearly be seen in this episode. On the plus side, it's great that after a nice slow and charming arc like the last one, we get something completely different and a sense of real danger is brought in. We are introduced to the role of the Spirit Detective in this arc, and we get our first glimpse at Spirit Energy, this Universe's form of power that most characters use to channel their various abilities. It's also notable for being the debut of one of the most iconic attacks in all of manga and anime, the Spirit Gun! While a lot punier than the version we're used to seeing (the same could of course be said for Goku's Kamehameha Wave from Dragon Ball), I have to say that it was really exciting to see this as a kid for the first time, when I didn't yet know what kind of series this was shaping up to be yet, and it was a genuine surprise to see Yusuke using an energy blast. Keeping it in such a weak state right now is also a smart move, so as to not make it a cheap "get out of jail free card" for any tough situation that Yusuke might find himself in. On this end, it's an introduction to Togashi's smart story-telling and excellent ability to keep things fresh and interesting, as you'll want to know how Yusuke can take on the new enemies introduced in this episode when he can't even manage to use more than one puny Spirit Gun a day, and on top of that has absolutely zilch experience fighting demons in the first place. Although, this episode also introduces some of Togashi's notorious inconsistencies, like: Koenma can apparently stop time to tell Yusuke to get on a mission to find the Three Artifacts without having to appear in front of other human beings....which begs the question of why doesn't he use this clearly over-powered and insanely useful ability ever again throughout the series? It's one of those things that I don't make a big deal about since I'm sure that Togashi could have easily made an explanation for why it can't be used in other situations if he wanted to, but I just find it amusing to think of all of the situations in the series where being able to stop time could've come in real handy. :D
One really good thing that this episode does is to strike a good balance between humor and seriousness. On the one hand, the fact that the biggest concern for Koenma is not what the three demons will do with the artifacts, but instead how his father will react to finding out that they were stolen while he was away, makes for some genuinely great humor. On the other hand, Botan showing frustration with Koenma for irresponsibly throwing Yusuke into this case when he lacks so much experience, and without even giving Botan ample time to train Yusuke how to be a proper Spirit Detective, makes for a really good serious moment that lets you know that the situation at hand is still dire, and that Yusuke is going to need to use his best survival skills to stay alive, because he's sure not going to be able to win any power battles against three opponents who are all currently much stronger than he is.
Now, as for our three assailants in question, we have Gouki to start off with. He's....incredibly generic, but I suppose that makes him a suitable first villain for Yusuke to overcome (if you don't count Akashi and Iwamoto as true villains, that is). Gouki of course lacks any of the creative subtleties and nuance that Togashi's later villains in both this series and Hunter X Hunter are famous for, and even his design is about as generic as they come, but this struggle isn't really about Gouki. It's about Yusuke continuing his character arc and developing even further. As we are learning in his confrontation with Gouki, Yusuke's first major lesson is not to be so damn headstrong and rush into a situation that he cannot fully comprehend. Currently, he is in a really bad spot seeing as how he has absolutely nothing to fight Gouki with, having used up his only reserves of Spirit Energy on the day by wasting it on Iwamoto, and Yusuke is clearly not physically strong enough to take him on, so of course he's not going to survive this fight unless he escapes, somehow.
We also get the introduction of our next two series regularly, Kurama and Hiei. Interestingly enough, neither of them were really planned to be major characters in the series. They were only brought back upon very popular reception from the fans, and in a way you can sort of see the routes of greatness in them even from their first appearance. I mean, yes, there's hardly anything noteworthy about them now, but something about the way that they behave and how they are designed, especially in contrast to Gouki, makes them feel far more appealing as characters. Of course, Togashi didn't have their back-stories fully fleshed out at this point in the story, and in Hiei's case, he really is nothing more than a villain at this point (Togashi would later ret-con his tragic past into the story, which is why his character in this arc feels inconsistent with the rest of his appearances and overall development). That said, there was still something about his first appearance that must have grabbed people, but we'll get to that when it comes to his episode next week. The same goes for Kurama, although in this case there is clearly more to his character than either of the other two in this arc, as Togashi does clearly have something out of the ordinary planned for him, but once again, that's discussion for next week. I will say that, in terms of voice-acting, Chuck Huber seems to be having fun as Hiei, but as Avaitor stated, he clearly needs to work on the role. Much like Sabat's Kuwabara, Huber doesn't seem to fully understand the character that he's playing, and while his first appearance was just that of a straight-up villain, I do feel that having access to knowledge about the rest of the series, Huber could've done a better job of trying to make his tone match-up with that of some of his later appearances to some degree. It's a minor gripe, though. As for John Burgmeier's Kurama, though, while he could still use some work himself in terms of his tones for different lines and his general range, I do have to say that, next to Justin Cook's Yusuke, he starts out stronger than any of the other VAs do for their respective main roles. He clearly seems to have a better understanding of his character from the get-go, and I think that will pay off to some degree in the next episode, and will be especially great in some of Kurama's best moments later on in the series.
Overall, another solid episode, though as we'll later find out, it's pretty mediocre in quality relative to the show's best output.
The time stopping thing is an anime addition. It's not in the manga. The reason it's there is because Iwamoto and Koenma would be otherwise talking at the same time to Yusuke about two different things thereby making the scene too confusing. I just take it as Koenma only able to freeze time of those with no spiritual energy like the teacher. Otherwise, it is what it is.
I'll talk about the rest later, but for now, here's something for the Three Artifacts mini-arc:
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You got me. That's one change that I completely forgot about since I haven't read the manga in years. I suppose it makes sense for the anime to do that, but I'd rather that they just change the scene to make more sense. But, as you say, it is what it is.
Yusuke's Back is a bit disjointed in how there are two different story-lines in play, but considering they had to whittle it down to get to what the main audience wanted ASAP, I think they did a good job. My favorite parts include Yusuke finally making it back to his body and seeing Keiko again for real and the back half of the episode when Kuwabara goes all weak-kneed over the poor cat. "He's a she!" It's just a fun little back half.
Of course the real fun this week is that we've begun the Three Artifacts arc, which is where the main plot finally takes hold. Of course we don't see much of Hiei or Kurama this week, we do meet the monstrous Gouki. It's fairly obvious this isn't someone who was going to come back later being just a thug with a lot of power, but there seems to be a bit more to this alliance than we previously thought. Unfortunately, we won't get to see what that means until next week.
Togashi always had planned to bring Kurama back from his first appearance, but Hiei was a big question mark for him. It shows in their first appearance, though at least Togashi was able to explain his early appearance and strength as being affected by the Jagan which he never relies on again-- but that's for next week. For now, Yusuke is in way over his head fighting three much more powerful enemies with nothing but a weak spirit gun, his tools, and his keen mind capable of 9s in Science class. Yep, he's in pretty big trouble.
Not much to really talk about this week except that it's nice to see Yusuke back even if nothing appears to be different on the surface. But underneath, everything has changed. The old lazy punk Yusuke is not going to be able to remain such for much longer. Not if he wants to stay alive.
Gouki was good for a first obstacle for Yusuke. No more.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on March 23, 2015, 10:00:14 PMTogashi was able to explain his early appearance and strength as being affected by the Jagan which he never relies on again
When did he say that?
I figure Hiei gained popularity because of his cool design and super speed.
Flashbacks of how Hiei got the Jagan, IIRC. It was said that the Jagan might drive the user mad, and it takes up a lot of power (which was why Hiei was able to go into the human world), both of which go a long way explaining why Hiei was so different in his early appearances and why he never resorts to using the Jagan or his transformation again after the upcoming episode. It might be a YMMV situation, but it made sense to me.
But that's a discussion for next week.
It seems I'll be habitually late on these discussions until school's out for me, since Mondays are just too busy for me to be online much. Anyways, there's not much I can say about these episodes that you guys haven't already said. Episode 5 might feel disjointed, but both parts are well-done and it's a good closer to Yusuke's adventures as a spirit and as a beginning to his new job as a Spirit Detective. Episode 6 is a nice set-up for a good first arc in terms of giving Yusuke a challenging obstacle for him to overcome and learn the ropes of his new gig. Overall, solid episodes, but next week's set will have more interesting things to talk about.
I don't expect that most people will have too much to say about these episodes until we get to the Dark Tournament arc, where characters and story-lines start getting more interesting and nuanced.
For me, the series picks up with Genkai's Tournament, so I should be able to say more substantial things about the episodes from that point onwards. The really early episodes just haven't inspired much for me to note about yet, at least nothing more than what everyone else has already said before the point I end up chiming in.
I personally can't wait for Rescue Yukina. There's a lot of great lines in that one and we meet three of the major players (four if you count the club) of the Dark Tournament. Plus the first inklings of Hiei's backstory.
I want to say Yusuke's Back was the first episode I ever saw, but I can't be totally sure. It was at least one of the first ones I saw, so I have that connection with it.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on March 24, 2015, 03:06:24 PM
I personally can't wait for Rescue Yukina. There's a lot of great lines in that one and we meet three of the major players (four if you count the club) of the Dark Tournament. Plus the first inklings of Hiei's backstory.
I love how that's basically a break period between the "epic" scale of the Maze Castle portion (relative to everything before it) and the huge 40+ tournament arc. Easily my favorite story of the Spirit Detective part.
Spoiler
I also love how the Jagan implant there is completely different from how it's shown later on in the series. :P
Okay, so I'm working tomorrow night, and I'm pretty annoyed, since my class gets off 10 minutes before the last possible shift at works starts, which is why I ask to not work then. But this also means that my post will probably be very late tomorrow, which will also suck, as I have class early the next morning.
As a result, I might try to make tomorrow's post tonight instead. We'll see how this goes.
Just go with whatever is most convenient for you.
I can post tonight, or if it's very late tomorrow, then I'll reserve my thoughts for Tuesday. Either way is fine.
I just re-watched both episodes for this week. While far from perfect, I still really like episode 7 a lot, but man does the next one not hold up for me. Of course, I'll elaborate on my feelings for both in more detail tomorrow night.
I still can't wait until we get to DT, though. I'm super confident that we'll be able to hold really interesting discussions by that point. It'll be really fun. :joy:
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If there's one thing that these episodes prove, it's that Yusuke is still pretty dumb. But a lucky kind of dumb. He didn't really plan his
"Gouki and Kurama" lives up to the episode's title, as it finishes off Yusuke's fight with the former, and gives the latter his time for development. This is similar to "Yusuke's Back" in that this is almost like two separate stories combined for one episode, but it works well enough.
Still, it might have worked better if Yusuke and Gouki could have finished things off with the previous episode, while this gave more time to Kurama. Gouki works well enough as Yusuke's first demon encounter, but he's hardly an outstanding antagonist, as it's evident by how easily Yusuke gets him with the Spirit Gun. The fight is effective enough, but this is hardly the most exciting half.
Now Kurama's material, this is strong. The explanation behind Kurama's need for the Forlorn Hope is written well, as his ties to his human parents comes off as believable. What we see of Kurama as a character is also likable, as he's proven to be smart, but hardly obnoxious about it, just as John Burgmeier is finding the character's voice already. There's a warmness and a mind to it, which is perfect for the character.
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"The Three Eyes of Hiei" is another good one, showing off Hiei's strength and fury. Now this won't be the last of the character, but here he proves a good challenge to Yusuke, as he almost gets Keiko down. But I'm out for tonight. Maybe I'll come back to this one later tomorrow.
Sorry that this one is so brief, but I kind of lost my energy after work. Let's see what you guys think!
There's no doubt that Kurama is the highlight of the Three Artifacts arc, having a backstory that is both interesting and a bit sad, and clearly the character Togashi wanted to explore more. Gouki makes for a good first opponent for Yusuke, not being too overwhelming, but being just menacing enough to show just what kind of work Yusuke is in for.
Hiei, however, doesn't fare quite as well. His episode is more exciting than it is interesting, being very action packed with a quite shallow villain. Driven mad by the Jagan, Hiei is little more than a crazed menace out to level everyone and everything. His transformation is strange (and is thankfully never used again) but there is a strange sort of charisma there. Even if Togashi wasn't sure about him at the time, it was clear there was more to Hiei than what this episode showed us. But yet again Kurama steals the show as he saves Yusuke from an untimely death and stops his short friend from breaking one of the most important rules.
We won't be seeing either one of them again for a little while, but this was a worthy arc to introduce both of these characters. So far so good in YYH, but we should soon have more interesting material to talk about as opposed to just saying "Now that was cool!" over and over.
I always felt that the 7th episode was a bit disjointed. I would have preferred it being either split into two episodes, or ending Gouki's part in the story in the last episode and devoting this one entirely to Kurama, who's story in this arc is easily it's highlight, and a strong character introduction to him in showing his backstory, humanity, and some of the strengths and weaknesses of his character. The 8th episode is a nice action-paked episode, but Hiei isn't that interesting of a villain here, though I actually do like his demon transformation form. He makes a good challenge for Yusuke, and Kurama getting in on the action and helping him out (helping both of them out in the process, really) is also nice. Overall the Three Artifacts arc is probably the least interesting arc in the show for me, though. The next arc, though, is probably my favorite in the Spirit Detective saga, so I can't wait to revisit it!
07. Gouki and Kurama
Like others have pointed out, this episode does feel a bit disjointed, but unlike "Yusuke's Back," this is in the middle of a story-arc, rather than ending one and transitioning into the next one, so for a serialized series of this nature where such a thing is pretty common, I don't find it quite as jarring.
As for the episode itself, Gouki's half was serviceable in showing how Yusuke can prevail if he uses his head. He still rushes into his second fight (albeit for a very understandable reason), but understands Gouki's strengths and weaknesses now, and uses his knowledge of his opponent to his advantage. His ability to strategize on the fly will continue to grow and improve as his actual fighting skills do, as the series progresses over time.
I know that, in the grand scheme of things, it's probably not much, but I really do love Kurama's portion of the episode. Much like with Kuwabara, early on, it's a good example of the "there's more than meets the eye" mentality that is so poignant in all of Togashi's series. In this case, many people will naturally assume that Kurama is just another villain based on the fact that he was in on the robbery of the Three Artifacts, but right from his first proper exchange of dialogue with Yusuke, we learn a very interesting back-story that, while vague at this point in the series, shows us how some demons can become capable of empathy and other complex human emotions, which of course is yet another feature that will become incredibly important later on in the show. Yusuke being willing to sacrifice his own life on the spot to help out Kurama does show how selfless he really is....but also how idiotic he can be, as once again he's just jumping face-first into a situation which he can't fully grasp. Still, it's a really good way to earn Kurama's trust and friendship, and in later arcs he is going to be SO glad that Kurama's on his side, rather than being his enemy. There's a specific episode in the Chapter Black arc where that becomes all too apparent. :sly:
Still, putting my own bias and nostalgia aside, it is very basic stuff for a battle shonen series, so I can't give it too much credit, but it still holds up just fine, IMO. Also, as I stated before, John Burgmeier's portrayal of Kurama, while still far from perfect, is already a lot closer to where it should be than either Sabat's Kuwabara or Huber's Hiei. He clearly does have a lot of understanding and respect for the character which he is portraying.
08. The Three Eyes of Hiei
I'm sorry to say it, but as I commented earlier, this episode really just doesn't hold up for me. Hiei is just a generic villain in this episode. Even with the ret-con of how the Jagan Eye turns him evil, I still have problems with how he acts in this episode, even out of context with the rest of this series. For instance, his evil master-plan isn't even fully fleshed out. It's only vaguely described that he wants to use the Shadow Sword to zombify some humans into an army of demon slaves....because....he's evil, I guess. There really isn't much thought put into his motivation or his reason for even stealing the Three Artifacts in the first place. You can tell that Togashi is still inexperienced by this point by how little he has really thought any of these characters out other than Kurama, and you really can tell that he didn't originally plan to keep Hiei around for long.
As for his transformation, I thought that it was fine, yet irrelevant in the grand scheme on things, as the only time that he ever uses it again is in the non-canon feature-length movie, and for all of about five-seconds to do just one (admittedly cool-looking) attack.
Now, I do love one particular scene where Kurama steps in to save Yusuke. Sure, you could argue about the logic of why he didn't just interrupt Hiei's attack by attacking him before he landed his attack on Yusuke, but I just love the visual representation of how Kurama is paying back Yusuke by showing that he is also willing to sacrifice himself to help him out, and this firmly establishes their friendship and alliance. It's the start of the development in which Kurama eventually becomes my favorite protagonist in the series. It's probably the only moment in this episode that stands out to me. The rest is just standard-fare.
Three Artifacts Arc
Overall Rating: C
Summary of Thoughts: While it's a nice introduction to the other two main characters of the show, it clearly doesn't deliver with the foresight of how important (and different) they would prove to be later on. Aside from that it's about as standard as a shonen series can get, and while not bad by any stretch, fails to showcase the level of creativity and nuance that Togashi's characters and stories are capable of reaching when he's on his A-game. Overall, it's serviceable, but aside from a few stand-out moments in this arc, that's about it.
I've always liked John Burgmeier's execution of the "I've caused her great pain. It's hard to raise a child who thinks you're inferior" line. Feels like he does mean it.
As for The Three Eyes of Hiei, it's nothing special. I mostly like it because it's Hiei's big real introduction. I do think his design looks really bad though. I know the animation was poor at the beginning of the show's run, but at least Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama looked like themselves. Hiei looks different.
Hmm, I don't mind "The Three Eyes of Hiei" as much as you guys, even if I can't really argue with anyone's points. I think nostalgia is simply getting the better of me in this case, as I just remember Hiei being such a badass in this episode, as he was a bigger threat than Gouki and had a cooler fight with Yusuke.
In hindsight, yes, this isn't the Hiei that I know and like best, but I still feel a bit of that DBZ-loving testosterone that made the initial viewing a treat.
I always thought Gouki seemed (physically) stronger, while Hiei was undeniably faster.
Personally I like everything we've seen so far. But the only real knockout episode so far was the first one. That said, we're coming around soon on some great ones as the next mini-arc is quite a step up from Yusuke's first case.
I really like the premiere and the third episode the most out of what we've seen up to this point. The last episode was the only sub-par one for me, so far.
The Genkai arc introduces one of my other favorite characters from the series, and is a good arc overall, but Rescue Yukina is probably my favorite part of the Spirit Detective story-line, and to me it's where the show really manages to find its footing (not to mention that the animation quality improves somewhat).
Genkai's Tournament is pretty good but it actually might be my least favorite part of the Spirit Detective arc. But it remains special because, as E-K said, it introduces a great character, and it also takes another character who's been in the show since the beginning and fully integrates them into the storyline.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on March 31, 2015, 05:45:40 PM
I really like the premiere and the third episode the most out of what we've seen up to this point.
This, alongside the second half of Gouki and Kurama.
My least favorite Spirit Detective story is the Saint Beasts arc. That has the one benefit of bringing the main four protagonists together for the first time, but the actual story is pretty boring and feels much longer than it needs to be, IMO.
I think all the episodes are quite enjoyable so far, but the first and third episodes are the only ones I'd call truly excellent. The series picks up for me with the Genkai Tournament arc, and really hits it's stride starting with Rescue Yukina.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on March 31, 2015, 06:00:28 PM
My least favorite Spirit Detective story is the Saint Beasts arc. That has the one benefit of bringing the main four protagonists together for the first time, but the actual story is pretty boring and feels much longer than it needs to be, IMO.
I have a weird relationship with Maze Castle. I like it because it's the first storyline that's fairly epic in size and stakes, plus as you said it establishes the main team. I typically hold the unpopular opinion of calling it my 2nd favorite part of the Spirit Detective arc (after Rescue Yukina). However, on some days it drops down to being my least favorite part of the season because of how longwinded it is. Strange fact, but I can't really explain it any better.
I like Maze Castle. I was really into it when I was younger. I think it's actually the part of the Spirit Detective saga I've rewatched the most. And it has the plus of being where I got introduced into the series as well. I did get a bit tired of it's length and battles the last time I watched it, though, so it dropped down right in the middle of arcs for me. I still have positive memories of a lot of aspects of it, though, so I'll be curious to see how it holds up for me this time around.
I used to enjoy the arc more, but it kind of lost its luster for me after seeing Togashi do a very similar arc much better. For me, that was Trick Tower from HXH, which is both a lot more creative and interesting at building up the relationship between its main characters, IMO.
The Saint Beast arc has some great moments (which I'll mention when we get there) but it is probably my least favorite part of the arc.
Rescue Yukina, though, is the highlight of the Spirit Detective saga by far. So many screencappable moments. :D
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on March 31, 2015, 06:16:37 PM
Rescue Yukina, though, is the highlight of the Spirit Detective saga by far. So many screencappable moments. :D
So true.
I think Maze Castle is the part I might have seen most of the Spirit Detective arc as well, but partially because those were the episodes that Adult Swim seemed to re-run most back when it was first on.
The lack of certain aspects of logic in these episodes are amusing, but also a fairly minor complaint in the grand scheme of things. :P
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Now we're getting there! "The Search Begins" gets a little silly at times, but it introduces enough key components to the series at large, that it's easy to forgive and just enjoy as is.
This is also helped as Genkai is simply a great character, even early on. Right now she's only the ringleader, to her circus with her own rules, where everything is perfectly set in place the way she wants it. And she lives on with this regulation.
And so far, Linda Young has found a good range for her. It's funny, because one of the first times that I was able to tell a distinction between voice actors as a kid was when I could tell that Genkai and Frieza had the same voice actors, but even then, Frieza sounded wrong to me. But I always liked Young as Genkai, as she found the right mixture between rough and interested, if not necessarily compassionate, that fits the character quite well.
This is true in the episode, as Genkai is shown to be, for the most part, emotionally distant, but not entirely. The way her eyes pop out when Yusuke reveals that he defeated the bat creature with alarming speed. She can tell, just like we can, that there is more to this guy than meets the eye, and that's going to make the next few episodes fun to watch.
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The tournament is a shonen trademark, but one that can be quite effective if used well. This is a good beginner, if nothing else. But Kuwabara's reveal of the spirit sword is a big moment, one that helps to keep the momentum going for the matches, just as I'm still on the edge of my seat from the cliffhanger at the end.
Sorry that this is another brief one, but I was roped into some last-minute plans, and literally just watched these episodes 20 minutes ago, so I wanted to post this before it got too late. I'll try to add some more thoughts later.
Also
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Kuwabara, just because you are Bad Guy, doesn't mean you are bad guy.
And now we enter into the Genkai Tournament arc!
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The first episode is fairly goofy, but fun for what it is. I always enjoy how Kuwabara is there purely by chance, doesn't want anything to do with this, but then manages to get extremely involved to the point that he becomes (for all intents and purposes) Yusuke's sidekick. The two are beginning to form a real friendship and this arc is the first to show it.
Also, Baldoc might be the best one shot character in this whole series.
Ah, the Street Fighter references. :D
09. The Search Begins
And thus we enter into the Genkai arc. While this is a tournament arc, in essence, it does show Togashi's creativity in that it doesn't initially consist of straight-up fighting until mid-way through. Of course, this is another concept that is taken much further in HXH, but the simplicity of it all definitely works to the benefit of this arc.
On the one hand, it's amusing to see Yusuke's carefree attitude towards a supposedly very serious threat to humans around his area with a demon such as Rando being said to be as incredibly lethal as he is. This arc works as a good way to pump him into shape, and this is where he truly begins to take his role as Spirit Detective more seriously. On another hand, we have Kuwabara return, this time becoming a part of the main cast for good and in many ways will be sort of like Yusuke's closest friend, even if neither would want to admit it due to their previous rivalry. This is also the beginning of his proper growth as a character, which starts coming into fruition by the next episode. Additionally, their reaction to unwittingly pulling out red pieces of paper at the same time was just priceless.
Of course, the real star here is Genkai. She will serve as another permanent addition to the show, and this episode firmly cements her as a somewhat humorous character, yet also an incredibly deadly force to reckon with at the same time. One thing that I love (and this is something that Togashi will continue to excel at as his writing improves), is that now you can really tell that there is more to this character than just what's on the surface based on her first appearance alone. The way that she's presented, the uniqueness of her personality as opposed to built-up expectations by the viewer, her general demeanor, and the strange actions and decisions that she makes do an excellent job of establishing her as a strong supporting character to the main cast.
The run through the forest was a fun bit, and it tells us important aspects about our two main leads at this point. Kuwabara uses his spirit awareness to sense the safest route through the forest, but this also applies to his character in general as, despite his appearances as just another thug, he actually puts a lot of thought into many scenarios which he finds himself in. All the while, it's Yusuke who's once again the knuckle-head who only thinks to rush straight through. Of course, this isn't always the best way to make it through a difficult situation, as we get a hint of that here when Yusuke nearly fails the test due to getting stuck fighting Baldoc in the forest. Genkai does pull the strings for him at the end due to realizing that he has great potential, but at the same time, it doesn't mean that Yusuke can always get away with doing what he has been doing to make it out in one piece up to this point.
Of course, some aspects of this episode are silly, like how she has an entire arcade of spirit-training devices set-up in her home, but this is more of a funny little quirk that is ever-present in Togashi's writing. It's meant to let us know that, this is still a fun and entertaining series, and we shouldn't be taking it TOO seriously, at least not at this point in time.
Overall, it's a solid episode. I really can't say much more than that.
10. Kuwabara's Spirit Sword
This is yet another solid episode, for the most part. Having a tournament in the dark adds a nice, unique little stipulation to the cliche. And I'm sure that the animators absolutely loved it, as it gave them the perfect excuse to NOT have to animate some scenes for a change. :sly:
One thing of note is that I love Koenma's perceptiveness in these fights. We see that he's not just some bratty-looking toddler, and that he does take his job seriously enough to analyze all of the suspects and try to figure out who Rando might be. There's a small moment in here that, if you pay attention, does give you a little clue as to his identity, and it shows that there is at least a little bit of sharp thinking going on in Koenma's head, even though he doesn't draw any hard conclusions from any of these fights.
The star of this particular episode, though, is obviously Kuwabara. We get further development of his character, and in this case he gets his own power equivalent to Yusuke's spirit gun. He manages to materialize his energy in the shape of a sword, and while this isn't necessarily a special fight in any regard, I will always remember the first time that he unleashes the sword as an iconic and memorable moment in the series as I do the first time that Yusuke used his Spirit Gun, as puny as it may have been at the time. I also like how Genkai makes note of his potential as well, showing that unlike certain other shonen series, this will be one that equally develops its characters rather than just focusing all of the best moments on the main protagonist. And finally, we have the start of Kuwabara's short-lived crush on Botan, but I always find his pursuit of true love to be amusing in a cute sort of way.
The last bit of the episode continues a tradition for this series that was started with Yusuke's fight with Gouki, which is to leave things off on a good cliffhanger by presenting an opponent and starting up a match, and getting you just invested enough before leaving you hanging and wanting for more. It's a great way to keep viewers hooked, and you can tell later on that this is really part of Noriyuki Abe's directing style for this series as it becomes clearly intentional to leave off at the most crucial moments of a fight or plot point in many episodes to keep you as the viewer as hooked and invested in the story as possible. This is actually something that many modern shonen anime adaptations could learn from as they often tend to leave off at whatever random point in the plot that they make it to, without any thought put into building up any sense of dramatic tension to leave off on.
I do want to point out the funny little quibble which I have with Yusuke's fight with Kibano: As they are fighting in the dark, Kibano reveals that he has a device which allows him to track Yusuke's movements based on his spirit energy, only....did anyone ever wonder how the hell he possibly could have anticipated that he would need such a device at all in this tournament when, by all accounts he, like everyone else, did not even know that there would be a tournament of any kind in Genkai's selection process, let alone one that takes place in the dark where this device would specifically be useful? Yet, that's not even the most baffling thing to me. Even stranger than that is....where the hell was he carrying that device all of this time? It's clearly too big to fit into one of his pockets, and he wasn't carrying any extra bags or gear with him where he could have stored it, so....did he have that thing crammed up his ass the whole time? :>
Needless to say, it's another minor gripe, but shows that Togashi has a tendency to just make things up on the spot. But, to end this analysis of the episode off on a positive note, it also shows that he is good at implementing elements of strategy into his fights, and indeed does cleverly plan some things out ahead of time. For instance, remember that little fit of irritation that Yusuke caused Genkai to have, causing her to carelessly throw her cigarette at him in sign of her annoyance, yet missing him by a hair and having it fly into the dark? Well, pay attention to that apparent little "throwaway" detail and keep it in mind when watching the next episode. ;)
On anothet note, as a kid I was kind of stupid and didn't understand the concept of how one voice actor could play multiple characters on the same show, so based on the same voice and a similar design, I always used to wonder what the hell Mr. Iwamoto was doing in the tournament as a trained assassin while not acknowledging Yusuke or Kuwabara from his school, or even making mention of his alter ego as a school teacher. :D
Needless to say, I didn't really put much thought into how fucking stupid and nonsensical that assumption was, on my part. :humhumhum:
Did Kibano say the helmet enhances his strengths or anything along those lines? I honestly can't remember. But if he did say something along those lines, I'd imagine the ability to see someone in the dark is merely a benefit of the ability to see someone's spirit power. I'm not sure. As for how he carries it, maybe it's able to be folded together. :P
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 06, 2015, 10:13:42 PM
Also, Baldoc might be the best one shot character in this whole series.
If I remember correctly, the people who made the anime did a lot with him compared to the manga. And I think they even redesigned him.
Welcome to the next week of discussion! I'll be your host this week as Avaitor finds himself a little busy to contribute right away, but what a week it is!
Last time we left out hero alone in the dark, being pounded into pulp. Yusuke has never been a very lucky guy, but now he has to fight an opponent who can not only see in the dark, but can anticipate his every move. How can he beat something he can't even see? Well, we find out this week in the first of our double header! there isn't much story, per say, to talk about this week, but four good fights that should soak up much discussion.
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Hard Fights for Yusuke closes out the previous fight against Kibano where Yusuke finds himself outmatched by both experience and skill, not even able to land so much of a hit on Kibano. Of course, Yusuke is not anything if he's not clever, and while he is being beaten on finds his way out of the match in the most clever way possible.
I have to say, this was a very cool match. Yusuke uses his head for the third time this series in a fight (the first being with Gouki and the second with Hiei) and manages to clinch a victory out of the jaws of defeat. Of course, Yusuke's cleverness and resourcefulness will be tested in future episodes, but for now he's lucky that Genkai has a nicotine obsession.
Speaking of luck, Yusuke's second fight is against HanzoKazemaru gives him a similar disadvantage. Twice he has been paired with the toughest (or are they?) fighters in the tournament, and one right after the other! This time not only is he outmatched, but has no room to think of a plan. In a final gamble he charges at HanzoKazemaru and, well, the result isn't pretty.
The second fight this week is another great one. Last time Yusuke was outmatched by brawn, and this time by spirit energy. But like the last time, he is able to use his opponent's cockiness against them, resulting in a narrow win.
But now there are only three fighters left, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Shorin, and one of them is the demon Rando. At this point it isn't hard to guess who it can be.
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Or is it? Shorin seems like a wimp. Not much physical strength and he seemed to win his quarter-final fight by luck, not skill. Kuwabara mops the floor with him until Shorin seems to have had enough and unveils something that . . . well, he probably shouldn't be able to do.
The episode isn't called Rando Rises, Kuwabara Falls for nothing, because Shorin isn't what he seems at all. After taking a sound beating from Kuwabara, he reveals that holding back any longer is not something he can afford to do. With one psychic ability, Shorin defeats Kuwabara so badly that he may have left Yusuke's friend as a cripple, but Yusuke has reached his limit and jumps into the fray for the final match.
This match is fairly creative despite the apparent difference in strength between the two opponents. Kuwabara's spirit awareness enables him to dig deep for his Spirit Sword's abilities and as a result he is slowly turning into a real warrior. Unfortunately, Shorin has more than enough tricks to deal with him. The final moments where Kuwabara is defeated are still cringeworthy moments so many years later. Shorin is not the simple boy he claims to be as he sadistically tortures Kuwabara to near death before the fight is finally called.
The final match this week is between Yusuke and Shorin, and it's a slobber-knocker. Yusuke is mad, really mad. He won't give Shorin an inch, and doesn't let up on him. Despite Shorin showing yet more impressive techniques that he shouldn't know, it simply doesn't matter to Yusuke who is running on pure adrenaline and spirit energy, and charges full tilt through all his attacks. He takes Shorin apart, bringing the sadistic boy to the ground and to his defeat.
Or is it?
This fight is proof positive that getting Yusuke mad is probably a bad idea. Shorin is destroyed in this fight, it isn't even a contest. But then Genkai won't call the fight after he takes him down. Mostly because while Shorin is beaten, Rando is not. He sheds his form and reveals who he really is, and now he's ready to give Yusuke a real fight.
We end our week as Rando is finally revealed and the real final match is about to begin.
So those are our episodes this week. What did you think?
Great input, Spark! I've been busy with both studying as well as trying to finish watching all of season one of Daredevil, so I might not get a chance to post my detailed thoughts on each episode until tomorrow, but I definitely will get to it. :thumbup:
Yeah, sorry, I had a movie premiere that I was working last night, so I didn't see it as feasible to do the weekly post. Thanks, Spark!
These were both damn fine episodes, closer to the show we're going to know and love! Yusuke's current skills contain a combination of skill and good luck, so it's fun to see how he uses this to win his fights. And the ending to the latter episode is a great way to set up for the fight between Yusuke and Rando!
These fights really were awesome, and we still have one left (which is, in my opinion, top notch) to go. Togashi really seemed to get into the groove with this arc and really solidify his style. Smart fights with cool powers, and a hero with more guts than muscle.
Also, I think Chris Sabat really seems to be finding his groove with Kuwabara. His performance in the fight against Shorin was far more flexible than the early episodes.
Sorry, but I had my hands full today again. I'll definitely write something up on these episodes by tomorrow, though.
So, it looks like there are only three of us discussing this now, being that CX hasn't posted on here in the past two weeks. Oh well, I plan to go all of the way through this series, myself, regardless of how many other people do. It's still my favorite anime of all time, damnit!
11. Hard Fights for Yusuke
We're still not quite there yet, in terms of the show truly living up to its potential. That said, this was a strong entry (as are the next two episodes), and it really shows how resourceful (and lucky) Yusuke can be. In the conclusion to his fight with Kibano, we see a minor scene from earlier, in which Genkai throws her cigar into the darkened fighting arena, pay off when Yusuke manages to spot it and slip it onto Kibano without him noticing, giving him the perfect marker for his location. It did rely on luck since Yusuke hadn't planned for Genkai to do that, but it also takes a great opportunity to capitalize on that luck in the first place.
Next he takes on Kazemaru (Desensitized already used the Hanzo joke, so I'll refrain from it, myself), which is especially bad for Yusuke since, not only did he just barely survive a fight with Kibano, but without having any real time to recover, he is basically being forced to fight another opponent who is far more skilled and experienced than himself, and on top of that has little to no spirit energy left to work with. Of course, he does pull through and win this fight by luck, but pay careful attention to how he originally planned to win the fight, in that he was prepared to sacrifice himself to take out Kazemaru, and leave Kuwabara to fight Shorin who it is obvious at this point is Rando in disguise. This time, Togashi is very cleverly setting up an important character flaw for Yusuke that was also hinted at in earlier episodes: he doesn't think things through. All throughout the Spirit Detective saga, pay closer attention to how Yusuke gets out of tough situations. He does use strategy, yes, but he also takes a lot of risks that, quite frankly, could horribly backfire if he didn't luck out with
Togashi pulling the strings and saving him since he's the protagonist. This will eventually culminate in something, but I won't say what, right now, even though the only people following this show in these discussions have already watched it before. I'm still going to avoid spoilers and pretend like people are going in blind, just to give me more stuff to say later on. What I can point out is how much more desperate and dangerous a situation Yusuke continually finds himself with each new fight.
In his fight with Gouki, he ended up using up his only Spirit Gun on a gamble that his insides were vulnerable, though to be fair, he could have presumably escaped that situation if he was wrong and found another way to defeat him (although, at the cost of losing the souls that Gouki had already consumed). In his confrontation with Kurama, he chooses to blindly trust Kurama because he told him an affectionate story of his past. In this case, the trust is well placed, but it could have easily gone bad for Yusuke had Kurama been a more shady character. Finally, in his fight with Hiei, he not only gambles his own life but that of Keiko's as well, and in this case on bouncing his Spirit Gun off of the Forlorn Hope (without really knowing whether it would work or not), and not to mention that he just rushed into fighting Hiei without a plan since he was very hot-headed after he kidnapped Keiko. In all three situations, he was taking big risks that could have easily gotten himself or other innocent people killed.
This theme continues in Genkai's arc, what with how he rushed through the center of the forest and almost lost due to not making the time limit, and I already covered how his recent fights just went. If he had really died and left a very oblivious Kuwabara to deal with a deadly foe that he was not prepared to battle in the least, well....we would see how that would have basically would have ended up in the next episode. And yes, Genkai could have still stepped in, but the bottom line is that right now she's not really on Yusuke's side or anything, so he still could have basically destroyed his future as a Spirit Detective and Genkai would have just been neutral to the whole situation outside for taking down Rando. The bottom line is that, Togashi is presenting Yusuke with escalating stakes and showing how Yusuke is outmatched in all of them, and that he's been getting using luck to get by a bit too much. Eventually this is going to catch up to him and he will encounter an opponent who is so much stronger than him that it would be hopeless for him to try and defeat them without being properly prepared to take them on. But, we'll get to that when it comes.
12. Rando Rises, Kuwabara Falls
Yet another good Kuwabara episode, and a solid one overall. Now that we know for sure that Shorin is Rando, we get a good dose of how Togashi loves to play with expectations. Rather than having him cream Kuwabara right away, we see that, in accordance with his physical appearance, Kuwabara can beat the crap out of him with ease. Clearly he can't physically overpower the guy. So then he starts using spirit-based attacks, and even then Kuwabara seems to have the upper hand....until it becomes apparent that Rando is just warming up. He's playing around, testing some of the older abilities that he has learned. To him, Kuwabara isn't nearly significant enough of a threat to fight him seriously. This is shown in how he eventually hits Kuwabara with a shrinking spell and quite literally toys with him as if he were an action figure that he could dismantle. The way that he slowly snaps Kuwabara's arm is downright sadistic. It also does a good job of setting up how Kuwabara will need to do a lot of growing of his own in the future.
This of course forces Genkai to call the match, and now it's Yusuke's turn to take out Rando, as was his original assignment. We didn't get to see too much happening in this episode as Rando only just revealed his true form by the end, but keep in mind what I said about Yusuke's previous fights and apply it to this battle as well once we get to the next episode. Other than that, I honestly don't have too much to add in this case. It was a good episode, but also a very straightforward one, and more of a transitional piece into Yusuke's fight, rather than one to be analyzed as heavily as I have done for some of the other episodes so far.
Sorry I haven't been chiming in lately. :sweat: I've just been swamped with a lot of work/personal things, so I haven't been able to make time to rewatch these. It's unfortunate, since I really do like this arc and these episodes and would probably have a lot to say about them if I could refresh myself on them. In any case, I'll probably resume participating when school's out for me in early May.
That's fine. I've been in your shoes before, so I know what it's like. ;)
What I like about Rando is that he does feel like a big deal at this point. The moment when the pieces start to come together, particularly in that spooky moment of Shorin chanting, is very effective. Then there is his entrance at the end of the episode which is actually exciting and makes him seem intimidating, even if it's a bit over the top (which I don't even care about) and his voice is still pretty lame. Really, the buildup to Rando starts when his energy destroys the compass, which worked perfectly fine for Hiei. At this point, Hiei and his little gang suitably seem like small fries, even if it doesn't totally make sense how...
Spoiler
In Maze Castle, Hiei and Kurama are on par with Yusuke in strength.
Actually, Rando is much stronger than Yusuke. Don't forget my point about how most of Yusuke's opponents in the Spirit Detective saga are stronger than him and he has to rely on a combination of both strategy and luck to defeat them.
Spoiler
In the case of Rando, Yusuke accidentally blocks out his ears unbeknownst to Rando, which reverses his chant onto himself and shrinks him to a size easy enough for Yusuke to crush. Yusuke won because of luck, not because of skill, strength, or overall spirit energy.
Also, the Maze Castle stuff takes place a couple of weeks after Genkai's tournament, and through training Yusuke has become stronger than he previously was. Since they never directly confront each other, it is never made clear whether Hiei and Kurama are on par with Yusuke, but if they are by that point, it'd only be because Yusuke worked his way up to their level, because (once again) they were clearly stronger than him as it was during their first encounter, as evidenced by Kurama taking a stab wound that would have presumably killed or incapacitated Yusuke, and the aforementioned fact that Yusuke beat Hiei based on strategy rather than power.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on April 16, 2015, 02:36:16 PM
Actually, Rando is much stronger than Yusuke. Don't forget my point about how most of Yusuke's opponents in the Spirit Detective saga are stronger than him and he has to rely on a combination of both strategy and luck to defeat them.
I wasn't denying that. What made you think I was saying that's not the case? :sweat:
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on April 16, 2015, 02:36:16 PMAlso, the Maze Castle stuff takes place a couple of weeks after Genkai's tournament, and through training Yusuke has become stronger than he previously was. Since they never directly confront each other, it is never made clear whether Hiei and Kurama are on par with Yusuke, but if they are by that point, it'd only be because Yusuke worked his way up to their level, because (once again) they were clearly stronger than him as it was during their first encounter, as evidenced by Kurama taking a stab wound that would have presumably killed or incapacitated Yusuke, and the aforementioned fact that Yusuke beat Hiei based on strategy rather than power.
True. Though it does make the first three Saint Beasts seem pretty weak since they were beaten by Kurama and Hiei, who I think were stated to be D class demons. But then again, maybe those Saint Beasts were, too. After all, Suzaku seemed to think little of them. I wouldn't be surprised if he chose to work with them because of reasons beyond strength, such as Genbu being able to communicate with demons outside the castle.
The Genkai Tournament is a surprisingly good arc for what amounts to a short tournament. Togashi and Toriyama seem to be the best at tournament style arcs, I don't think I've read a bad one from either. Three Kings manga aside, anyway.
Spoiler
The Saint Beasts apparently went soft for staying so long separated from everything else. Both Genbu and Byakko were stated to not be as good as they once were and Seiryu was sloppy and arrogant. I would say Suzaku and Rando were around the same general power. Yusuke was outclassed by them both, but he was better trained to deal with Suzaku.
Rando's loss was his own fault. He kept mindlessly grabbing power without even considering what it was that he was grabbing. He fell on his own sword and that is why he lost. It was a good way for him to lose as an opponent who had 99 techniques yet didn't really understand any of them.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 16, 2015, 04:30:28 PM
Spoiler
The Saint Beasts apparently went soft for staying so long separated from everything else. Both Genbu and Byakko were stated to not be as good as they once were and Seiryu was sloppy and arrogant. I would say Suzaku and Rando were around the same general power. Yusuke was outclassed by them both, but he was better trained to deal with Suzaku.
Rando's loss was his own fault. He kept mindlessly grabbing power without even considering what it was that he was grabbing. He fell on his own sword and that is why he lost. It was a good way for him to lose as an opponent who had 99 techniques yet didn't really understand any of them.
Spoiler
That's true. I'd also wager that Seiryu's downfall had to do with the fact that Hiei was able to really play to his strengths. Hiei not only had a clear speed advantage, but as a fire demon, he was also able to easily melt Seiryu's ice attacks.
I'd say Suzaku was stronger than Rando. He did, after all, swat Yusuke's Spirit Gun away with his fist, and this was after Yusuke was beefed up by Genkai's training.
Once again, I probably won't have time to post tomorrow, so expect my write-ups to be late by a day or two.
I'll definitely get to post tomorrow, but next week probably won't happen. I have plans to eat at 'Ohana at Disney's Polynesian. Right in time to catch Magic Kingdom's fireworks. :D
I re-watched both episodes tonight, but as expected I don't have any time to post about them in detail until either tomorrow or Wednesday.
I will say that Justin Cook's monologue as Yusuke when he's about to get eaten by fish is pretty damn hilarious, as is the ending to the Rando fight. And while I'm not keen on the Saint Beasts arc, it gets off to a fairly decent start.
Of course I eagerly await to read everyone else's input on the episodes.
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Alright, the Genkai Tournament ends on a pretty high note. "Yusuke vs. Rando: 99 Attacks" is almost the full Yu Yu package. The combat between Yusuke and Rando is some of the best that we've seen yet, energetic and fun to watch throughout. There's also a good bit of tension after Rando obtains the spirit gun, which helps to bring what started off with a good premise into a damn fine one. With Rando able to steal and use other people's abilities, he's revealed to be more than just the average kind of pest Yusuke has dealt with before.
This results in a deeper fight between the two, and culminates in one of the most explosive shots to date, a combination of spirit guns from the two, as Kuwabara offers off what's left of his energy to Yusuke. It's a great sequence that's worth seeing as it progresses on screen, so I'm glad that Spark chose to not spoil it with his screencap.
Then it has a great ending with Yusuke needing almost no energy to defeat Rando once and for all, in a funny little moment that EK referenced earlier. A good call, since some humor will be needed for him, now that Yusuke has won the tournament and is going to train with Genkai for the next six months. Well, at least he'll learn some cool new moves in the interim.
This was a good arc, a nice taste of what's to come and a solid introduction to one of the most important characters in the show's run. Genkai continues to run a cool medium between interested and distant, which is present throughout. She keeps a stern demeanor during the tournament, but she does show some concern for Yusuke and even Kuwabara's safety. At the same time, she seems to be aware that this wasn't too much more than they could handle, which is why she doesn't really step in. There is more to her character, but we'll get to that later. It also helps that Rando is easily the toughest opponent Yusuke has fought yet, but was a little too cocky to be a big threat to Yusuke for long. The ending result was rather promising, as we've seen.
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And as we're about to head into the Saint Beasts arc, this ep doesn't waste too much time re-familiarizing Yusuke with his environment after his time training with Genkai. A little time is spent with Yusuke bonding with his human friends, before he and Kuwabara get a little crack at some blue-skinned creeps, and learn about their next mission. Soon, they are teamed up with Kurama and Hiei, who are back as they're ordered to help the two.
The one challenge the gang has to deal with just as the episode fades into the credits is the four trying to hold their own underneath a giant weight, which isn't really working out. One of them can leave, but the other three will be crushed then on. Talk about a great challenge. But we'll see how they solve it next week.
This was a good episode, and helps to set up the next arc well. It's been a while since I've seen it all, but I remember liking it. We'll just have to see how it holds up, though.
Yusuke's speech in the Japanese version is more disappointed and annoyed than in the dub. In the dub he's just pissed. "This is dumb!" is a pretty hilarious final line to go out on as he falls into the water.
I'll talk more about it later but I just wanted to say that. I always liked how the dub emphasizes Yusuke's snark over his disinterest.
I've always found Yusuke to be a great character in both versions, albeit for somewhat different reasons. In the Japanese version he's more apathetic and easily frustrated, yet has an unorthodox mentality to fighting and survival that ends up keeping him alive. In the dub he's a lot more snarky and agitated, often using sarcasm and wit to mask his nervous tension in a desperate situation, and also being less concerned with power differences and more on the ball about what his next course of action should be. In either version, though, he stands in stark contrast to your typical shonen hero, while still remaining wholly likable, which is why he's one of the greatest shonen protagonists of all time, IMO.
That said, I personally prefer Justin Cook's version of the character, as his dialogue also makes him a great surrogate character for the audience, often verbalizing what we are all thinking in the back of our minds when he sums up a situation. When he acknowledges something as stupid or not making sense, it just works to brilliant effect.
It's like when you watch an anime with friends and you each take turns poking fun at it, but in YYH, Justin Cook basically does that for you, while at the same time managing to keep the more serious and dramatic moments just as emotionally resonant as they should be.
Thinking about how Rando learned Yusuke's Spirit Gun by watching him use it once, makes me wonder what other attacks he learned during Genkai's Tournament.
13. Yusuke vs. Rando: 99 Attacks
I've already talked a bit about this episode, and have already made it clear how Yusuke relied on luck more than proper skill and strategy alone to pull it through. So I won't rehash those points out, other than once again bringing up the point that he still clearly has a lot of growing left to do. One thing that this episode does expand on from earlier portions of the story is the relationship between Yusuke and Kuwabara. Both of these guys obviously have a lot of respect for each other, even if they aren't willing to openly admit it, and my favorite overall scene from this episode was when Kuwabara gives Yusuke some of his spirit energy to keep him going, and also manages to motivate him to regain his fighting spirit against Rando in a way in which he knows will work with Yusuke's mentality: by egging him on. This shows how much these characters really understand each other, and while the friendship between Gon and Killua in Hunter X Hunter is arguably the best written friendship that I have seen in any manga or anime series, the chemistry between Yusuke and Kuwabara is certainly no slouch. Both characters will heavily help and influence each others' development as the series progresses.
I once read an analysis on YYH which pointed out how a lot of Yusuke's earliest foes represented dark versions of himself and his character, which I really came to agree with. To be clear, this doesn't mean that this is what Yusuke could have turned into under different circumstances (Chapter Black will pretty much address why that isn't the case at all), but rather that these guys have the same sort of mentality toward achieving their objectives as Yusuke does, with the difference being that they are evil. I mentioned how Yusuke needs to stop relying on luck, but also how he needs to think outside of the box of just being more powerful than the other guy, and learn how to fight with his mind as much as he does with his fists and spirit energy attacks. Well, part of the reason why this fight still works so well, despite Yusuke getting lucky, is because Rando has the same kind of faults, so it's believable that he would lose despite the power difference between them since he ultimately lead to his own downfall. Keep in mind Genkai's speech at the end, about how Rando may be powerful and have plenty of attacks up his sleeve, but unless he truly understood how to use them, he would never truly master them, and thus that was his major flaw as a fighter. However, that does not just apply to Rando. It can also be seen as an indirect commentary on Yusuke's approach to fighting and problem-solving in general, and thus Genkai's words are even more poignant when looked at in that context.
I did mention how the humor in this episode was great, and I still stand by that. Even in seemingly grim situations like this, it's good to know that the series has a sense of humor about itself. A barely-able-to-stand Yusuke defeating Rando by crushing him with an elbow drop was just priceless. And of course Justin Cook just does the impossible and keeps getting better and better at playing the character, and it helps that Sabat is finally growing into his role as Kuwabara, as well. As for Genkai, we still really don't know much about her, but a keen observer can tell that in reality, Yusuke wasn't truly in that much danger during his fight, since Genkai could have stepped in at any time and taken down Rando herself. That said, I believe that it was ultimately important for Yusuke as a character to overcome Rando, as it would very much represent overcoming one of his own weaknesses if you consider that particular analysis of Rando. I believe that Genkai thought of this and under that pretense decided not to interfere unless she was absolutely certain that Yusuke no longer had any chance of prevailing, but thankfully he made it through in one piece, and the resulting student-mentor relationship that he will have with Genkai is probably my favorite example of that archetype in this genre.
Basically, this was a solid conclusion to a solid arc.
Genkai Arc
Overall Rating: B-
Summary of Thoughts: While far from perfect, this was a step forward in the series to becoming the great battle shonen that we know it as. It took the tired and usually dry concept of a tournament and presented some new and interesting ideas and concepts to make it feel fresh. While it didn't quite expand on any of those ideas in very meaningful ways, the effort was still appreciated and left the arc feeling more entertaining than it would have in the hands of a lesser writer.
14. The Beasts of Maze Castle
While I've made it clear that I'm not particularly a fan of this arc, I have always at least enjoyed this introductory episode. It's nothing too special, but it holds the distinction of containing what I consider to be one of the most iconic moments in the entire series: that of our main four protagonists getting ready to team up for the first time. When I first saw that scene of Kurama and Hiei coming to Yusuke and Kuwabara's rescue, and then that very image of them all appearing on-screen together for the first time to symbolize their comradery from now until the end of the series, it felt really awesome. Former villains reforming and becoming allies to the main heroes is nothing new, but this is one of my all-time favorite examples of this cliche being done right.
Additionally, we have stuff like Yusuke learning a new attack, the Shotgun, which isn't nearly as iconic as the Spirit Gun, but still a pretty neat attack. And once again, Justin Cook really helps bring a lot of excellent humor to the role in the dub. I love his interactions with Keiko in this episode, as brief as they are, and I always chuckle at that moment when he realizes that in all of the chaos and confusion, he accidentally stood Keiko up at the movie theater and then makes the quick and witty comment of how he'll handle the Saint Beasts while Botan can handle Keiko. Stuff like that just really amuses me.
This episode also manages to end off on a decent cliff-hanger. It's one of those situations where, when you stop to think about it, doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I mean, first of all, who the hell designed a castle where the main entrance was the Gate of Betrayal, and how exactly could they have known that any intruders would just waltz through the front entrance, and even if they did, that there would be more than one of them for the whole concept of the gate to even be relevant in the first place? But....if you can look past that, it's a good way to start building up trust between our main four characters by putting them through this test right from the get-go. Other than that, there isn't really too much to analyze about this episode. It's a basic introduction to a new story arc, and one that I find doesn't really do much with the characters or overall concept or themes of the series. It's serviceable enough on its own, but does absolutely nothing special to stand out from a series full of excellent writing that is usually far above one's average expectations based on the genre. So, I can call this episode solid enough, but my lack of anything too interesting to say about it as opposed to how talkative I could get about most previous episodes is really telling of how lacking in substance this arc is.
That cliffhanger on episode 14 always gets me. For some reason I remember that above all probably because it was the end of the First Battles DVD release and I hate ending collections on cliffhangers. Thankfully the season 1 DVD covers everything before the Dark Tournament so I don't have to worry about it anymore, but still.
It's a very good place to end the episode, though. We think our heroes have this in the bag, after all. Yusuke's been training and has far more strength than before, same as Kuwabara, and Hiei and Kurama are already really good. A team of four like them should easily clean house. Yet, they're only at the gate and already facing down death. It gives you the impression that this place isn't going to be as easy as all that after all.
Sure the Saint Beast arc is not the peak of the show in any way, but it has some pretty good parts. This is certainly one of them.
This was a good place to end it, since I don't even remember how they got out from the block. It's a nice little cliffhanger, and has me excited for this coming Monday.
Welcome to the next week of Yu Yu Hakusho havoc, fellow Spirit Detectives! This week we continue our journey with Yusuke Uremeshi and his three companions through the endless pit of despair known as Maze Castle as Botan attempts to quell things down back home before thing really hit the fan. This week is a bit of a light week otherwise, only two fights to speak of, but one of them is pretty clever.
Of course, first our heroes have to escape from the crushing ceiling at the entrance. And how do they do it? Why, relying on the most unpredictable member of their team is how! Our heroes enter Maze Castle and are confronted with the first of their deadly obstacles.
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Genbu, The Stone Beast contains the fight in question and is the very first time we see Kurama in action. Using his Rose Whip, Kurama can cut through just about anything, though he didn't quite count on an enemy that could be cut apart forever. What follows is not quite the one sided fight we were expecting from someone as experienced as Kurama, continuing the theme of the previous episode of things not being what they are expected to be on the surface.
Though the fight is pretty intense, it is not Kurama's brawn, but his brain that ends up saving them. Genbu might have been soft from years of isolation, but he was no joke. And thankfully it allows our heroes to move on, even if Kurama has been wounded in the process.
This episode is actually pretty good. It has an intense beginning where Hiei is forced to make a tough choice off the bat, and Kurama is allowed to prove his mettle in a pretty creative fight. Though the Saint Beast arc is not my favorite part of the series I have always quite liked the beginning of it for showing us more of characters we thought we knew well.
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Next we meet Byakko, The White Tiger and a battle on the outskirts of the castle high in the sky. Kuwabara makes an idiot of himself to endanger the world while he tries to prove to the other three that he isn't dead weight. He does this by fighting off six tiger beasts before finally taking on Byakko himself. Of course in Yu Yu Hakusho nothing comes easy, so the question is: what lies ahead?
This episode is not one of the high points of the series, the arc, or Kuwabara's character development. It's merely one dragged out fight where little actually happens and we wait for it to finally end.
Unfortunately, next week we have to deal with a similar fight, but it will thankfully be book-ended by a much better one. A lot like this week, actually, only the better fight is first.
And that's our episodes for this week fellow Spirit Detectives. What say you to where we are in the Saint Beast arc?
"Genbu the Stone Beast" was the first episode of YYH I ever watched. I still consider Hiei faking out and telling off the Eye Demon and the way Kurama defeats Genbu among my favorite moments in the series, and the episode as a whole definitely got me interested in watching more of the show, as well as establishing Kurama as one of my favorite characters in it.
15. Genbu, The Stone Beast
And....this is pretty much where the quality starts slipping for this particular arc. On the positive side, I think that Hiei's moment in this episode was a stand-out scene. It shows him wrestling with the decision of whether to really pay off the faith and trust that Yusuke put in him, or to get rid of his old nemesis and a few other by-standards in one moment. In the end his hesitation actually works to his benefit since he receives a warning of the trap that would activate if he had just haphazardly thrown the switch to save his allies. Also, while we know that Hiei has an honor code to him that would have prevented him from ultimately taking the route that he may have been considering for a moment, first-time watchers aren't really aware of that aspect of his character, making that moment a lot more tense than it is on a re-watch.
It was also a smart writing decision to have Kurama be the first one to fight, being that he's the only one of the main four characters who we haven't had a chance to see in action, yet (and I also like how Hiei shows a deep respect for his ability, given his own sense of pride). Yes, this arc does go with that Game of Death logic that most battle shonen adhere to, where for whatever reason both the heroes and villains seem to have some unwritten agreement to fight one-on-one rather than practically try to battle each other all at once. However, I don't see this in and of itself as a writing weakness as much as it is a traditional aspect of this genre, so it's something that I accept because in the end it's part of even a good battle shonen's charm. However, that's about where my praise for the episode ends, and it's really not much to go on. To be fair, this fight does do a decent job of showing off how Kurama is a strategist, in that he's very much the "brain over brawn" of the group, and while that can be attributed to a genre archetype well enough, Kurama stands out from the crowd of such characters in many other series thanks to excellent writing. Unfortunately, that's not really present in his first bout with Genbu, who himself is a very generic and unmemorable foe, so in the end the episode just feels a bit forgettable in the grand scheme of things. It's certainly not bad, but it doesn't show the inspiration or creativity that we've seen from previous portions of the series, so it feels like more of a step backward, overall.
16. Byakko, The White Tiger
Unfortunately, this episode only continues the downward spiral of this arc. Despite a fairly decent and interesting start, we've basically boiled this all down to something that you could find in literally any generic battle shonen series. It feels less like a Yu Yu Hakusho story arc and more like something that you'd expect to see in a newly serialized WSJ series from a newbie mangaka with no real talent. Byakko is another boring, generic villain, and while I'm always for seeing Kuwabara show us what he's got, this episode honestly doesn't do anything new with his character. We already know that Kuwabara has a lot of heart. We already know that he's not very skilled but can pull through tough situations. And while, yes, he does exhibit a better level of strategy here than in previous fights, it's less of a step forward for his character and more of just presented as a mildly clever way to get through the first phase of his fight with Byakko. Even the ability that Byakko uses where he turns his hair fibers into wild demonic beasts feels remarkably underwhelming. If this were something like JJBA, HXH, or a later arc of this show itself, you could bet that something as out there as this concept would be put to much better and more interesting use. But over here, it just feels like some random thing that Togashi came up with on the spot and only serves to showcase what Kuwabara can do with his Spirit Sword now.
And, that's really about all that I have to say for this episode. There's just not that much to it. I will give props to Justin Cook yet again, though, this time for the "That depends on which finger I use" line, which is pure fucking gold. :D
I'm wrapping up "Byakko, The White Tiger" now, and it's true, this isn't super original or tight. The action is pretty watchable, but this is not Kuwabara at his best, nor is Byakko a great villain.
The previous episode was stronger, especially as Kurama showed off his skills and Hiei pulled off a (somewhat) surprising rescue, but I can see how it comes off as average to some people.
Yeah, the fight against Byakko is a bit unnecessarily long. Isn't it nearly two full episodes?
By the way, do we ever get an idea of how long the crew was in the Maze Castle?
I just watched the episodes for tomorrow's discussion. Aside from Hiei having another decent moment....man, this arc really is as weak as I remember. It just doesn't do anything interesting with the characters or world. If anyone here were watching this for the first time with us, I'd feel the need to reassure them that the show gets significantly better after this arc. For a comparison, I know that I'm not a fan of Greed Island from HXH, but that arc actually comes off as genuinely much more interesting and creative than this one.
It doesn't help either that the animation for these early episodes is mostly garbage. Thankfully it picks up dramatically with Rescue Yukina, as does the English voice-acting.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on May 02, 2015, 10:50:36 PMBy the way, do we ever get an idea of how long the crew was in the Maze Castle?
Do you want to rephrase that? I don't quite understand what you're trying to ask here.
Well like, we know that the mission to rescue Yukina took Yusuke and Kuwabara about two days, as they are shown camping at night in the woods and then waking up to continue the mission. We also know the Dark Tournament took up about a week from the time they reached the island to the point where the tournament ended. I'm wondering if there is any indication of how many hours/days the team is in Maze Castle.
I would assume about a few hours (or around half a day) since we frequently switch back to the human world and Botan is still fighting zombies while the color of the sky does not indicate that night has fallen.
Not to mention that Keiko is still in school and ready to leave when the horde turns on her.
Which is kind of funny since they were going to a movie before this whole fiasco started. I suppose she realized that they ditched her and just headed back to school on what was presumably an off day (since no other students are there) to get some errands done. Remember, Japanese schools aren't like American ones. It's not unheard of for some students to come in on holidays to get some work done of their own accord, from what what little I remember of my World Culture studies from way back in high school.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what she was doing. Not like there was much else to do since Yusuke ruined her day.
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"Byakko's Lair" expands upon his previous episode, with an extended fight between Kuwabara and Byakko, and while I do find the fireball sequence to be exciting, it's true that this isn't all that great.
Byakko simply isn't that good of an antagonist, since he's pretty one-note, and kind of annoying. His dialogue with Kuwabara is just simply boasting and taunting, with little punch to make it more exciting. And despite Kuwabara's need for personal redemption, he's not all that strong of a lead here either. I did root for him to win, primarily so we could get rid of Byakko, but there wasn't a whole lot to offer.
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I liked "Seiyru, The Blue Dragon" a little better, since Seiyru has a little more personality to him, and it's cool to see Hiei's skills again. But it isn't much of a fight, maybe since Hiei is a little too good. That, and I wasn't happy with seeing Byakko again, but at least it took no time for him to go.
The most important parts of the episode are 1) the chase scene Keiko has from the possessed Iwamoto and other people, which is easily the most thrilling part of these episodes, and 2) the reveal of Suzaku, the main villain of the arc. He doesn't have a whole lot to him, but this does promise for more exciting episodes, since these are pretty average on the whole.
Byakko might actually be my favorite of the Saint Beasts (not like that's saying much). I like how at first he literally laughs at Kuwabara for trying to face him on his own, and gets furious when he thinks its for real. Then, after losing the first fight, he develops a respect for Kuwabara. After calling him merely "human" in the first fight, he now calls him "swordsman".
I liked seeing Hiei take down Seiryu since it was a pretty fast-paced fight and we see more of the side of Hiei that first showed up when Kurama wanted to break their partnership in the Three Artifacts arc. Hiei doesn't like being abandoned, and it is probably his biggest pet peeve as we see it come up again and again. I guess we eventually find out where that comes from, too, but that's not for a looooong while. It also explains why ice attacks don't faze him, but we'll have to wait to comment on that.
Otherwise it's nice seeing what he is capable of when he goes all out.
As for the whole Byakko thing, it's probably the series low-point for me. A multi-episode fight that goes on too long and establishes things we already knew about in regards to Kuwabara. At least we're past it now.
Up next, the third longest fight in the series.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 04, 2015, 03:12:46 PM
Up next, the third longest fight in the series.
What's funny is that the first and second longest fights don't feel dragged out as that or the Byakko fight, and are appropriate in length...
Spoiler
And one of them, the Sensui fight, is nearly ten episodes!
Quote from: talonmalon333 on May 04, 2015, 03:16:04 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 04, 2015, 03:12:46 PM
Up next, the third longest fight in the series.
What's funny is that the first and second longest fights don't feel dragged out as that or the Byakko fight, and are appropriate in length...
Spoiler
And one of them, the Sensui fight, is nearly ten episodes!
None of the fights in the series wear out their welcome, except for the ones in the Saint Beast arc. They're just so . . . dull.
17. Byakko's Lair
So, I'll just come right out and say it: this episode sucks. It's one of the few downright bad episodes in the show, from the poor writing to the dry and uninspired animation. I know that this show had a really small budget to work with, but at least more episodes are a bit more creative with scenery to distract you from the lack of animation, while other episodes actually do a stellar job of bringing these characters to life through fluid motion. This episode does neither of those things, and Maze Castle itself is just a really boring environment.
This episode serves as the conclusion to Kuwabara's fight, but I can't help but feel that showing Byakko alive and having him square off against Kuwabara again serves no real purpose here. In the first place the fight never really progressed Kuwabara's character other than showing off how he had improved his Spirit Sword ability from before. With that out of the way, what's left to show? This encounter wasn't used to further develop his character, and Byakko gets dispatched fairly quickly again, so this entire sequence just felt pointless to me.
This episode was ultimately a waste, and literally did absolutely nothing to further the plot (it actually held it up, if anything) or help further develop the characters. And while Talon did point out that Byakko showed a bit more respect for Kuwabara this time, it ends up being irrelevant since Byakko loses and is promptly killed off in the next episode. Even though this was in the manga, it feels like filler.
18. Seiryu, The Blue Dragon
This episode is certainly a step up from the last one, but just barely. I'd call it below average but not necessarily terrible. Chuck Huber's sarcastic delivery of the line "It would appear we've found a maze in Maze Castle" was a funny little one-liner, which I thought was worth mentioning. And in general, as a Hiei episode, I do think that Huber is really growing into the role, now. Desensitized's analysis of Hiei not wanting to be abandoned was a good one, and how that was why he got pissed when he saw how Seiryu killed off Byakko like he was nothing. Of course, Togashi was a long way off from having any inkling of what Hiei's past was like in his head, and probably couldn't have planned that, but I like to believe that he subconsciously had an idea of Hiei's true nature as a character by this point in the series, so it still works for him anyways, and makes a surprising amount of sense once his past finally is revealed much later on in the story.
I also actually enjoy this fight being a rather quick one, especially since the fight with Byakko had overstayed its welcome. It makes Hiei feel like a bad-ass, and also serves to make Yusuke look tough for having taken him down back in the Three Artifacts arc, while simultaneously demonstrating how Kuwabara is behind the curve and really has a lot of catching up to do in order to truly be on par with the other three fighters of the team.
I also think that, while a pretty flat and forgettable character, Seiryu was a perfect early opponent for Hiei as he sort of serves as an analogue of his character. Seiryu is very full of himself and believes himself to be above others, and I sort of got the feeling that after getting the Jagan, Hiei sort of developed such a demeanor. Seiryu offering him the chance to join the Saint Beasts also clearly represents him tempting Hiei to give into his dark side, and Hiei's stern refusal shows us as the audience that he's definitively ready to start on his path of redemption. Elements like that worked enough in this episode's favor to make it a worthwhile watch for what it was.
Unfortunately, the rest of it is just as dull and uninspired as what came before it, and it really doesn't do much to make this arc any more interesting. If I had to describe it in a short phrase, I'd say that this episode is the epitome of barely adequate entertainment for this series.
Slightly better than last week, but still "meh" episodes, overall. I won't be able to give more detailed thoughts on them until tomorrow, however.
So is someone still going to post about these episodes today? If not, then I'll just have to do it tomorrow.
I don't think I'm going to say much. There isn't much to say about them.
But I think these episodes feature the most overtly obvious reused animation in the entire series.
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Man, that's a cool image, a nice way to whet your appetite for "Suzaku, Leader of the Beasts". Even if it's an average episode, lead by an average villain.
A part of Suzaku's mediocrity is his design, which is a weird combination of cutesy, heartthrob, and menacing, in which none of it works. His reveal in the shadows was actually pretty cool, inviting a welcome disposition to the character that would have been even more effective if we hadn't already seen him in the previous episode.
It's also not helped that Suzaku's VA in the dub isn't all that great. He pauses in weird places and has an odd choice of emphasis, and his general delivery is weak on average. But at least he's not as annoying as that fucking bird, who NEVER STOPS OVEREMPHASIZING. I feel like it's supposed to be annoying, but that's no excuse.
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The fight continues in "Seven Ways to Die", which is about equal in quality. The action is well done, so there isn't too much to say negatively about it, although I do wish this would wrap up a little sooner. The novelty has already been wearing off, even with multiple Suzakus giving Yusuke the fight of his life.
I generally find myself more interested in Keiko and Botan handling the possessed humans. They work well as a pair, and Keiko's usefulness is a welcome addition. She's the kind of final girl that I could get behind, and it's nice to see Botan recognize why Yusuke must like her as they team up.
The most interesting thing about Suzaku is that he had a cameo appearance in Hunter X Hunter (2011). Why they decided to reference him of all the YYH villains, I have no clue, but it says how lacking his character is when that brief little nod to him is more interesting and memorable than the character himself.
On the plus side, next week we start the best arc of the Spirit Detective saga. The next villain makes this one look like a minor league player.
I don't mind the performance for Suzaku in the dub, but then again I've always really liked Jerry Jewell's voice. Suzaku is admittedly not one of his better performances, but it's hardly on the level of his Priapus from the Maria dub either. I agree that Murugu is annoying as hell though, in both versions.
I've always found the battle with Suzaku fairly standard, and admittedly unmemorable. The stuff going on with Keiko and Botan was always more interesting to me, as was Kuwabara, Hiei, and Kurama fighting those creepy ass zombies.
Jewell's later character performances are a huge step up from Suzaku.
Also, another big problem with this arc is the aesthetic of it all. The environment is drab and dull and lifeless, and it's dark and devoid of the bright and colorful nature of the rest of the show. Yes, I understand that it's intentional, but it gets grating to look at for so many consecutive episodes. And yeah, the DT arc has the characters stuck in one general location for 40+ episodes, but it's at least very colorful with more interestingly designed new characters, and you still do get to see a nice variety of scenery around the island.
You can look at the images to see how drab this arc is. The one I got from episode 19 was the one with the most colors and they're only bright blue and orange.
But yes, Jewell does much better later, though it isn't like there's much for him to work with here.
Yeah, the thing is, this is a very typical shonen storyarc, and I feel that my excitement for it at a younger age was caused by my relative lack of experience in this type of shonen series, Dragon Ball/DBZ aside. So I didn't really understand the game, and how this was factoring in.
In hindsight, the Saint Beasts arc is mighty generic, but is at least watchable enough to not make me regret coming back each week.
HE'S GOING TO USE THAT TECHNIQUE? OHHHH YOU'RE GOING TO DIE YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!
I'd give this fight a bit more credit than you guys. It contains Yusuke's "Because they need me" moment which...
Spoiler
basically sets the course for the entire rest of the series, largely the storyline of the Dark Tournament.
It's also the first fight where it feels like something really big is at stake. And Suzaku just seems more powerful than any prior villain up to this point.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on May 11, 2015, 10:14:18 PM
HE'S GOING TO USE THAT TECHNIQUE? OHHHH YOU'RE GOING TO DIE YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!
*One episode later.*
YES! SHE'S GOING TO DIE SHE'S GOING TO DIE!
Since I brought it up earlier, and just for the hell of it:
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Seeing as how Chrollo's book shows the picture and profile of other Nen users whose abilities he has copied, I suppose that would mean that Suzaku is in fact a Nen user, and exists within the context of Hunter X Hunter 2011's Universe, which is insanely meta. :D
19. Suzaku, Leader of the Beasts
This episode is just completely forgettable. Yusuke finally arrives to fight Suzaku, and predictably gets his ass kicked initially. There is a decent moment of strategy here in which he manages to land a well-earned punch on the guy, otherwise the fight is clearly very one-sided. Suzaku unleashing his mind-controlled minions after Keiko to distract Yusuke almost feels unnecessary at this point given how uneven their difference in power seems.
Overall, I really can't think of anything to say about this episode that hasn't already been said. It's just dreadfully boring, and thematically it's really nothing new.
20. Seven Ways to Die
So, for the most part this episode is another dud, but it does have one genuinely good moment which Talon already pointed out. The bit where Yusuke is being tortured by Suzaku (and Justin Cook does a really convincing job of selling Yusuke in agony) is ironically the moment where, at least in his mind, he can calm himself down enough to think. Remember, the whole theme of the Spirit Detective saga is how Yusuke needs to learn to stop rushing into things head-on, and has to know how to prepare for what he has to face. Each time he has gone against a new villain, he has come more and more dangerously close to death. The flash-back where Genkai gives him a well-deserved lecture about his lack of commitment to giving in his full effort toward anything in case he fails is especially poignant, now. Yusuke has been doing everything half-assed for his entire life. As she pointed out, he was born naturally talented at fighting, so he took it for granted, but now that he must face enemies far stronger than any humans, that means diddly squat. Yusuke's subsequent realization of "because, they need me" finally gives him a reason to abandon his previous ways and start to become a fully fleshed-out fighter, and in the process also a much better human being. That said, it's a brief moment in an otherwise crappy arc, so it doesn't make up for much, and Yusuke's true growth doesn't start until the next arc, and doesn't really even bear fruit until about midway into the Dark Tournament.
Other than that, it was at least neat to see that Keiko isn't your typical damsel in distress character and can take care of herself well enough without Yusuke or anyone else around to save her. Hell, she even helped out Botan in this whole ordeal, so she definitely earns her place in this series, even if I would have liked to see her get a bit more development than she did by the end of it all.
Anyways, we have one more dull episode to make it through, and then it's all uphill from there. We are finally on the verge of not just the good stuff from the series, but the truly great stuff. The very stuff that makes it my personal favorite anime, despite its flaws.
Rescue Yukina is so good. It's one of the parts of the show that is just pure fun, and it succeeds at that far better than anything Maze Castle sets out to accomplish. And, on rewatches, I think simply knowing that the Dark Tournament is up next makes it even more fun and exciting.
Looking forward to discussing those episodes.
I just re-watched the episodes for tomorrow's discussion. Man, the difference in quality between Saint Beasts and Rescue Yukina is like night and day. I could almost swear that they were written by two completely different people, even though I know that they were both written by Togashi. That said, he finally hit his stride with this arc. Before now, I was mostly enjoying re-watching YYH (Saint Beasts aside), but I wasn't really feeling that deep passion and love that I have for this show, but now is the point where I'm finally starting to really get engrossed in it again.
Kuwabara has a good role in Rescue Yukina. He almost seems like the main character of it over Yusuke.
I can't wait for tomorrow! I work until 9, but I'll try to bring my post in before midnight.
It really is a strong turnaround. Can't wait to really dig into this. It was pretty hard to choose pictures for it.
Spoiler
"I'm going to be a scientist!"
"Watch my magic snap." *Snap*
"Come on, that's just a cheap camera trick!"
"Okay, I'll see you guys in a couple of days!"
...
"You think he knows the way to the mountain?"
"Doubt it."
"Wow! Now this is a big waste of space."
"You know, Yusuke, some people like the wilderness."
"Yeah, old hermits and people who don't know how to talk to girls."
"We can't leave. We just got here."
"Yeah, we're lost and the birds ate our breadcrumbs."
In addition to everything else, the humor is back in full force. Outside of a few lines there really wasn't any in the last arc.
Oh god, yes! The dialogue in the English dub is golden. I don't care if it's not what was said in Japanese, I fucking adore the English adaptation. Justin Cook is just priceless. And I do consider both versions to be separate shows (and Yusuke especially is a different character in the dub, with similar values to his Japanese counterpart), despite still loving it either way.
The dub is certainly funny, but even the original Japanese manages some good laughs in there, too. I mean:
Spoiler
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The Saint Beast arc had Kuwabara making a fool out of himself between fights, but that was about it for comedy. And it got old rather quickly. Rescue Yukina keeps the drama and the action, but remembers the adventure and comedy of the earlier half of the Spirit Detective arc. It's here that Togashi finally hits his groove.
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"Yusuke's Sacrifice" was a pretty good way to end the arc, even if it's about as average as the arc itself. Suzaku has overstayed his welcome at this point, so just getting him out of the way was worth it. Besides that, Yusuke and Keiko's ending scene was a nice way to wrap up her annoyance towards Yusuke having to bail on her.
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"Lamenting Beauty", meanwhile, feels promising. Not only am I aware that the upcoming arc is worth the investment, but the wraparound is strong. And this also introduces Kuwabara's sister, who I've always been a fan of. You gotta love how tired she gets of him, too.
Yeah, this is a super brief post, but eh, I just worked 12 hours and I'm not feeling much for writing. I'll read your stuff soon though, EK!
21. Yusuke's Sacrifice
And thus we end the Saint Beasts arc. And....yeah, that was pretty dry stuff. Aside from having the main four characters team up for the first time, we really made no significant progress, here. We learned nothing new about Yusuke, Kuwabara (aside from the fact that he's an Oingo Boingo fan, apparently), or Kurama, and while it was nice to see another side to Hiei, it was not well-explored in this arc. The theme of Yusuke being too knuckle-headed and not thinking things through, thus potentially repeating the accident that nearly killed him in the first episode, does finally come to its logical stretch point in his confrontation with Suzaku, at least. Being forced to rely on his own life energy due to having sapped his Spirit Energy reserves leaves him in a near death state. Not only did he just barely manage to take out Suzaku, but if Kuwabara and the others hand't gotten to him in time, he would have been dead for good.
Naturally we will slowly start to see him change beginning with the next arc, but at the same time my issue is that this resolution of the theme of Yusuke's wreckless nature is not explored in any interesting way here. We just see his fight with Suzaku, and nothing of relevance happens to the character before that. The "they need me" bit from the last episode was a good moment for him, as I already pointed out, but it ultimately didn't feel like it was as effective of a scene as it should have been due to the lack of adequate build-up beforehand.
And that's pretty much all that I have to say about the final episode of this particular arc. Overall, it was mostly just really boring.
Saint Beasts Arc
Overall Rating: D
Summary of Thoughts: Uninspired, lifeless, and dull are the three words that most prominently come to mind when I think about this arc. It's not outright terrible, but it just does absolutely nothing of interest despite a fairly decent and promising start. The villains are lackluster, one-dimensional, and not well thought out, and aside from a few interesting moments, this arc really feels out of place in a series like this that typically excels at taking conventional set-ups of the genre and doing incredibly interesting things with them. This arc was neither interesting nor well-written in any regard, however. It's easily the weakest arc in the entire series.
22. Lamenting Beauty
Now we're finally getting somewhere. It's not an especially extraordinary opening to an arc, admittedly, but after what we just got through, it's a very welcome change of pace. Koenma entrusting a videotape of the next mission to Hiei to deliver to Yusuke is a bit questionable, but while this probably wasn't the intention, I've always liked to believe that he secretly did this on purpose because he knew that Hiei would find out about where his sister was being held, anyways, and doing this would somehow allow Koenma to directly track Hiei and see how he would respond to the situation, and if he could potentially be a permanent ally to Yusuke and the rest of the group. It's really far-fetched thinking on my part, but hey, it is what it is.
And, yeah, let's not beat around the bush here. Hiei has a cute, helpless, innocent sister who looks and acts absolutely nothing like him, but this direct contrast only comes off all the more interesting because we can now identify with Hiei and see that, through his own apparent family member, he clearly has a soft side and a heart to him. We don't get to learn too much about Yukina herself, in this episode, other than that despite being a demon she is a very kind person and really seems to love nature and innocent animals like birds (she's a regular Snow White). Her ability to unwillingly have her tear drops turn into magical spherical ice crystals that are worth a fortune does feel a bit contrived, but it's not too hard to buy given how diverse an array of demons this show has, and as we've seen so far, Togashi can get pretty creative with their different abilities, so it does seem to fit into a world of this nature. Of course, for now, Yukina and her expensive ice crystals are merely a MacGuffin to give the heroes an objective to reach in this arc, but I do believe that she has a lot to say about Hiei's character as we learn more about both of them later on.
I really love how Kuwabara just has such a soft spot for innocent women who he finds to be attractive. He was yapping on about how he didn't want to help Yusuke on another mission, but changed his mind in a heartbeat once he learned about Yukina from the videotape. And honestly, given his moral code of character as well as how he jumped in to help during the last arc, I think that he would have offered to help in the end, no matter what, despite what he claimed. But, still, there isn't a better motivator for the guy than a damsel in distress. Yusuke, in contrast to Kuwabara and Hiei's motivations, is really just doing this because it's his job (and I find it amusing how Keiko believes that being a Spirit Detective means that Yusuke is working as an intern for an actual detective agency), and almost feels like a side character in this particular story-line, but he will have his important character-defining moments and development as the arc progresses, as well, though ultimately I think that this one is more focused on Kuwabara, and even a bit more towards Hiei by the end of it.
On the side of the villains, we are introduced to the Black Black Club (or Black Book Club in the Viz translation of the manga), and one of its head members, Gonzo Tarukane, and his butler Satotoz (I know that he's not Satotz, but that's what I'm calling him because the resemblance is fucking uncanny). I just love this aspect of world-building. We have seen that there are others in the human world who are trained to use Spirit Energy and are aware of the presence of demons, but over here we now see that this is something that has reached the criminal underground world, and is perfect set-up to find out how the criminal underworld itself is actually a heavy influence on the activity of demons in the human world, which will lead directly into the Dark Tournament arc.
Furthermore, we are introduced to the Toguro Brothers, and on that note, I'm going to have to disagree with a comment that Talon made earlier about Suzaku feeling like a huge step up from the villains that came before. He was definitely the strongest villain that Yusuke had faced up to that point, but he didn't feel the least bit memorable in his presence at all, and in the end he just felt like a slightly stronger version of Gouki or Rando. The Toguro Brothers, on the other hand, just have such an ominous feeling to them from the get-go, as if they could easily take down all of Yusuke's former foes at once without even breaking a sweat (and that would be either of them, individually). That scene with Yukina in particular is very telling, and my favorite scene of the episode. Rather than try to beat the tears out of her, they understand that she has very human emotions, and instead go after the birds that she loves and crushes them right in front of her. This understanding of human nature of their own, and not just relying on pure brawn like previous villains, really sets them apart from the pack of generic bad guys. I also love how we already get subtle nuances of Toguro being a more three-dimensional character when he actually turns to acknowledge Yukina and says that she can make it easier on herself by giving up hope. At first glance, when you don't really know the character, that just seems like it might be generic bad guy talk. But I think that he's genuinely speaking from experience (given his own troubled past that we'll learn about later). He's essentially saying that if you aren't strong enough to protect yourself, you might as well just give in to the wills of others who have control over you if you hope to have any bit of salvation at all. The advice itself is wrong, but Toguro's intentions do seem to be like giving genuine advice rather than just being a dick for the sake of it. Maybe I'm reading too much into that scene, but I don't think so given how three-dimensional Toguro turns out to be as a character.
Finally we end the episode with Yusuke and Kuwabara being bad-asses. We also get what I consider to be a very important scene for one of the big themes of this arc in which they question why a demon would sell-out his own kind and protect humans who he knows to be torturing a demon, to which he basically responds that humans sell each other out all of the time, so why can't demons? This really helps establish the parallels between the two species, and that they aren't truly different at all outside of appearances and physiology. It's a very big theme that will be prominent in the Dark Tournament arc and downright central to the Chapter Black and Three Kings arcs. I thought that it was pretty clever to set it up in a small, but also pretty fun and entertaining scene of this nature.
And now we're officially into the final arc of the Spirit Detective saga, Rescue Yukina!
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The second episode this week offers a lot more than your average episode of the Saint Beast arc did not only setting up the villain and the stakes, but also giving our heroes (Kuwabara mostly) ample motivation for seeing this mission through to the end. What I like about this arc is how Yusuke and Kuwabara have fallen into step on how to be Spirit Detectives (well, a detective and his partner, anyhow) and exude experience and confidence they didn't quite have in the earlier arcs. I mean, sure, Yusuke acted confident but he never really was doing anything other than playing a part. Here, he seems genuinely motivated and good at what he does for the first time in the series without needing someone to twist his arm.
On the other hand, the Toguro Bros. are easily the most intimidating villains our heroes have gone up against so far. They aren't confident fools like Rando or Suzaku (I actually think the Saint Beast arc would have been better if Rando was the boss somehow instead of Suzaku, honestly. He's a better version of the same character), lunkheads like Gouki or Genbu, or plain annoyances like Byakko. Without even throwing a single punch so far, they already feel very ominous.
Kuwabara's lady fixation was played for jokes before. We get it, he's an old school guy looking for the perfect woman, but it didn't feel like there was much there. But even from the moment he first sees Yukina, it feels like something entirely different for him. Sure you could say Kuwabara is really the main character in this arc and Yusuke is the wise-cracking sidekick, but, then, it's earned. Kuwabara has needed this development since he lost to Rando and Yusuke has needed another layer shown to him since about the same time. We didn't get any of that in the last arc, but we're already getting it here and this is only the first episode of the arc.
Hiei as well, we only got a small glimpse of in the last arc, but now we start to learn about him. He had a sister? Is she anything like him? What's their relationship? Since when does Hiei care about anyone other than himself? Rescue Yukina is the first time we really see that Hiei is more than just the really fast guy with crazy sword skills. And he doesn't have to have many lines to show it.
If it isn't obvious yet, I'm a big fan of this arc and it is one of my favorites in the entire series. This episode was really good, but next week will be even better.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on May 18, 2015, 10:03:51 PMI'm going to have to disagree with a comment that Talon made earlier about Suzaku feeling like a huge step up from the villains that came before. He was definitely the strongest villain that Yusuke had faced up to that point
To be honest, that was really the extent of my point. I was just saying that Suzaku seemed like a bigger deal than the others because he was the most powerful foe yet. Didn't really mean to get at anything about characterization. He's not much to write home about in that category, though I do kind of like his last words. And yeah, you really do get the feeling that Toguro could crush any of Yusuke's past opponents within minutes.
Spoiler
Which, of course, turns out to be very true. And I'm not even talking about Toguro at full power. I mean that tiny degree of power he used to face Yusuke and Kuwabara in the Spirit Detective arc (which I think was 20%). I genuinely believe he could have annihilated Suzaku using only 20% of his strength. :P
Yusuke: "The family jewels have not been stolen."
Man, now the show's really brining out it's A-game. I wish that more people would join in on the discussions, but either way I'm excited to talk about each set of episodes every week from this point.
I can't wait for tomorrow!
Also, I just got volume 2 in the mail from Amazon. It's about time I finally got it in! This will be fun to go through.
This was a great week of episodes. I had problems finding enough pictures to use.
Unfortunately I won't be able to do full write-ups for these episodes tonight, so it'll have to wait until tomorrow. That said, I'll still be happy to discuss these episodes like usual.
And goddamn, I do love Sakyo. He's a really underappreciated villain. While Toguro is the main muscle for Yusuke to deal with, this guy is clearly the mastermind working from behind the scenes.
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Man, they look badass here. Makes sense, since "The Toguro Brothers Gang" is a fine episode, just as "The Deadly Triad" is.
The thing that makes these episodes feel so fresh in comparison to the Saint Beasts arc is brevity. It seems like everyone involved realize how these villains are meant to be stock bait for the real enemies- the Toguros- and that not too much time should be spent on them. Because really, it took only 5 minutes of episode time for the Toguros to prove their worth in comparison to every other villain thus far, and wow is it awesome.
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And EK is right, Sakyo is a hell of a villain. He doesn't do much yet, but it's obvious that he's a step ahead of everyone, and it's fun to figure out how.
Just check how much less drab this arc is to the last one:
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What I enjoy so much about these episodes is how much faster it is from the previous arc with our heroes not wasting any time to do what they're supposed to do. There's no showing off (other than boasting) or wasted words (other than jokes), just the mission and how they plan to attack. It also helps that the villains, both demon and human, are given a lot of character and invest us in their schemes while our heroes are plowing through a frickin' demon army to save Hiei's sister. Speaking of Hiei, we learn a bit more about him as well as his sister, and how they really couldn't be more different.
Another cool touch here are the fight scenes. Not only are they directed by someone who obviously loves their kung-fu flicks, but the animation, voice acting, and dialogue show that everyone involved are having a ball. This is not only the point where Yu Yu Hakusho hits its stride, but the point where the anime staff have all settled into what they know best. It only gets better from here.
Of course, it isn't over yet. While Yusuke and Kuwabara wasted no time at all plowing their path through the mansion, they still have one final obstacle left. And it might very well be the toughest they've ever faced.
And man is the English dub dialogue great in these episodes. There are just far too many quotable lines from episode 24, alone.
I love how in contrast to the last few arcs, and many other shonen in general, this arc has fun and has Yusuke and Kuwabara kick the crap out of the lesser minions like one big joke. You also get a sense that aside from being stronger, they are more experienced, now, and have really gotten a hang of the whole Spirit Detective gig, which goes a long way toward keeping this arc from feeling same-y like before.
Oh, the dub is picking up, for sure. Chris Sabat in particular has been picking up the pace as Kuwabara, and his chemistry with Yusuke has only improved as the show goes on. This is keeping it great to watch.
23. The Toguro Brothers Gang
As I mentioned earlier, what particularly stands out to me about this episode (and arc in general) is that Yusuke and Kuwabara's past experiences finally seem to be paying off. They both have a well-earned sense of experience that they have gained from past cases, and while they still have a lot of growing left to do, it's refreshing to know that they won't continue to repeat past mistakes. Furthermore, it's a nice change of pace from the last arc to just see them mow down waves of demons rather than just go for boring and predictable one-on-one fights with villains that were little more than cannon-fodder to begin with.
In this arc Kuwabara gets a bit more focus than Yusuke, as does Hiei, so I'll save the discussion about how the Spirit Detective arc portion of Yusuke's character development caps off for next week. In the case of Kuwabara, though, aside from gaining a new love interest, I think that this arc does a good job of establishing him as the heart and emotional core of the team, even though the full team isn't assembled for this arc. It's still a really good set-up for his character role throughout the rest of the series. And since he is just fighting alongside Yusuke for now, it also does a good job of continuing the bond that they started to form in the Genkai arc, and shows how Kuwabara is becoming, in many ways, Yusuke's closest friend and a reliable crutch for him as well.
That said, Toguro really steals the show, here, IMO. The bit where Tarukane asks him to slay that giant hybrid demon is the scene that really did it for me. Togashi does a brilliant job of establishing early on how there's more to a character than meets the eye, and he especially excels at this with villains. You see, it's not Toguro's strength that makes him impressive. I mean, yes, using only a fraction of his power to kill a creature that arguably even Yusuke might not be able to defeat at his current level is impressive, but it's the way that he went about it that really showcased how there's more to him than your typical Gouki, Rando, or Suzaku-type villain.
Quite plainly, he didn't want to do it. He knew that he was stronger than the creature and that it would be no real fight trying to kill it, and thus he didn't want to. He is clearly prideful of his own power, but also seems to want to avoid abusing it. This, combined with his past which we will learn about later on, portrays him as an odd villain who doesn't necessarily perceive himself as a bad guy (though, once again, there'll be more development on that aspect of his character later on), and to me those are the best types of villains, because they are interesting and you can relate to them on some level. He's no one-dimensional villain, but an actual fleshed-out character, or at least he clearly will be one in the coming episodes. Granted that, it's clear to us viewers that his older brother doesn't really share his level of compassion, but regardless, this scene along with his words to Yukina in the previous episode firmly cement him as a very different kind of antagonist than anything the show has shown us thus far. We also get introduced to Sakyo, here, but since he's a bigger part of the next episode, why don't I just move onto talking about that one?
24. The Deadly Triad
So, I've always found the logistics of how exactly Tarukane's little betting game is supposed to work: like, do the losing betters pay him or Sakyo, who made the winning bets, and how exactly does he profit from this since technically he didn't place a house bet of his own? That said, it matters little in the grand scheme of things, to me. The Triads themselves are slightly tougher fodder for Yusuke and Kuwabara to take down, but I always did like how humorous those battles were, and especially love how Justin Cook's dialogue really addresses how stupid sexism complaints in shows can be when the people who make them don't realize what sexism really is to begin with. In this case, he's beating up a demon transvestite, but Yusuke clears away any sense of controversy by saying that nothing about gender or sexuality should matter since their opponent is a bad guy and trying to get in their way. In fact, treating them the same as you would any other opponent is exactly how to NOT be sexist or a biggot. I wish more shows (and people) could understand this simple concept (it's why I can't stand so many complaints about certain other shows that hold no real weight behind the arguments).
Putting that aside, the animation in these episodes have been a marked improvement from the Saint Beasts arc, and this episode in particular has really well-done fight scenes for the time. But, what's more is that this is a brilliant example of what most modern shonen shows don't do: give the audience visual cues. You see, a visual cue is when a show helps establish something with visuals rather than dialogue. It doesn't necessarily have to be tied to logic, especially in animation, but at least it can enhance the presentation of what you're watching. For example, we know that Sakyo is clearly a more important character that we should be focusing on than any of the other members of the Black Black Club, even though that hasn't been said in words yet, because he is clearly more well-designed than any other character on the other screens, the camera angles seem to specifically focus on centering him in frame as opposed to anyone else, and in several instances (including the very image that Avaitor used for this episode's discussion), the other members are faded out in black silhouettes while he can be seen in full color. The show is telling us that he's important and that we should probably pay attention to him even though technically we shouldn't know that yet (assuming that you were watching this for the first time).
Furthermore, while not tied to any logic, the animators give you a visual clue about the link between younger Toguro and Sakyo in that they both smoke cigarettes. Now that alone doesn't imply anything, of course, but notice how they are literally the only two characters in this arc who are seen smoking cigarettes. Tarukane smokes a cigar (not a cigarette) at one point, and it's entirely possible that any of these guys could smoke cigarettes, but there is a reason that the animators clearly only chose these two to add that detail to. It isn't that it's a coincidence in any sense that makes it stand out, but just the fact that the people making this chose to even highlight such a minor detail in the first place. Like I said, it's a clue given as a visual cue, and doesn't have to be tied to logic, but at least subconsciously we notice it as the audience.
Also, I just love how Sakyo is such a player. You know that he's having a blast messing with Tarukane's head, and it's clear without any need for words that he is in control of the situation at hand. He quite obviously knows who "the intruders" are, and it's not hard to believe that he knows about the Toguro Brothers and their minions as well, and that he has some inside information that not even Tarukane is privy to. He's the type of character that you could imagine fitting in another story where smart characters often prevail, like in Death Note or Game of Thrones, but he's a YYH villain written by Togashi, and yet another example of how and why this guy is so goddamn renowned for the villains that he writes.
We get a cute little flash-back scene for Hiei and his relationship (or lack thereof) with Yukina, and Kuwabara being able to connect his thoughts to Yukina's to contact her because of his clear crush on her (and his previously established strong spiritual connection) were cute little scenes, as were the exchanges between him, Yusuke, and Botan. Overall it was probably the best episode (and really the best set of episodes) that we've seen from this show so far. And the best part of it all is that it still only gets exponentially better from here on out. I can't wait for next week!
The next set of episodes are essentially the conclusion of this arc and a transition episode into the next. So, we'll be officially saying goodbye to not only Rescue Yukina, but the entire Spirit Detective saga as well. It's been a fun ride so far.
Hard to believe it improves from here, but it really does.
On another note, the pacing deserves a lot of credit. Next week we'll be ending the season of a typical 26 episode series and look at how much we've gone through so far. Most series would be wrapping it up here, but YYH still has much more to tell without relying on shonen tropes to prolong it.
My only minor complaint with Rescue Yukina is that it is the beginning of Botan fading into irrelevancy. In the Spirit Detective arc she had a really good role and, while funny, was also serious and informative. Dark Tournament onward, I feel as if she just kind of hangs around and says silly things. It feels like Togashi had a clear purpose for her in the first arc as Yusuke's guide and assistant, but didn't know what to do with her after Yusuke got good enough at his job. While that's not yet the case in Rescue Yukina, it does feel like she doesn't have as much to contribute here compared to previous storylines.
EDIT:
That aside, I absolutely love the Rescue Yukina story. While the previous parts were, to varying degrees, all enjoyable (unless you weren't a Maze Castle fan), this is the point where, for me, Yu Yu Hakusho truly becomes the show that I love, the point where it really finds itself. In Rescue Yukina, the pacing is fast and perfect, the (English) dialogue is top notch, the fights are great, the animation is improved, the villains are easily the best yet, and just the fun vibe of the whole thing makes it work so well. As far as I'm concerned, this marks the beginning of the show's long golden era, which goes until the end of the third season.
Well, I feel that Botan already served her role as mentor for the first phase of Yusuke's character arc as a Spirit Detective. Genkai of course replaces Botan as his mentor for the Dark Tournament arc. Then he butts heads a lot with Koenma in the Chapter Black arc since that story has a lot more to do with Koenma and his failure in recruiting Sensui, and then in the final arc Yusuke is mentored by Raizen for about half of it until he finally becomes mature enough to no longer need a guiding figure in his life. The point being that the role that Botan initially occupied was meant to be cycled around to other characters. That said, it's true that she doesn't have too much purpose in the main plot later on aside from exposition, but I'm still glad that Togashi kept her around as she's a fun character and the group would have felt very different without her presence.
Anyways, I re-watched the episodes for this week's discussion. One is a good conclusion to Rescue Yukina. The other is more of a set-up episode for DT and suffers a bit for that, but works much better if you view it as the beginning of the second phase of Yusuke's character arc.
That is a good point about the mentor thing. And I do agree that I'm glad she remained in the group. I remember, when...
Spoiler
she is shown crying when Yusuke departs for Demon World in the first half of Demon World, it's easy to be reminded of the fact that she's known him longer than most of the characters in that scene, in fact probably more than everyone there except Kuwabara. But the word "reminded" is a bit telling to me since, otherwise, we kind of forgot about that fact since she doesn't do a lot. I also prefer her as a character in the first arc because I think she wasn't as much of an airhead.
And I'm really looking forward to discussion on the next episodes.
If this was HxH, she probably would have been killed in the Dark Tournament somehow.
With this week we officially end the Spirit Detective saga by wrapping up Rescue Yukina and having a bit of an epilogue/training sequence, and next week the Dark Tournament officially starts. It's been a fun ride so far!
My plans for tonight-
-Eat
-Watch the Daredevil finale as I pack for my trip home tomorrow (the recent posts in the other thread remind me that I haven't seen it)
-Watch this week's eps
-Write about them before midnight
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Yusuke and Kuwabara only get one episode to fight Toguro, and while "Kuwabara's Fight of Love" is a satisfying end to this arc, I can't say that I'd call it one of the greats.
While I do appreciate brevity in battle shonen, sometimes an extended fight is helpful. What we got out of the battle here is strong, but we really needed another episode to get the full effect from the arc.
Otherwise though, it's a strong way to finish off with some of the most personal action scenes he show has had thus far. Not so much for Yusuke, who is treating this as seriously as his other missions thus far, but doesn't have a huge incentive to keep going as much as Kuwabara does. And it's a strong moment for his character when we see that Kuwabara's love for Yukina is related to more than just her phyiscal appearance- his vision gives Kuwabara the ability to see how she has been mistreated here, which is what pushes him to go above and beyond for her. It's sad, but poignant, especially as Kuwabara is shown doing his best to keep his own against Toguro. A great bit of teamwork helps the two save the day for now, and helps to cap this off.
And then you have Hiei, who almost beats Tarukane to death until Yukina stops what could have been the last punch. Plenty is said between the two during this moment without actually saying much, And that is how you do it, effectively ending the Rescue Yukina arc and making way for the next episode.
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"Toguro Returns" lives up to the episode title, as we see that he didn't actually die, and what his and Sayko's true motives are.
The lion's share of this episode is build up for the Dark Tournament, and some of it feels familiar- Yusuke and Keiko have a day out planned, he gets called in during the middle of it, shit goes down that he has to take care of.
What makes this episode matter is what that shit is, and Toguro's presence has only grown since his earlier appearance. Seeing Yusuke scared beyond belief as Toguro shows off his skills is a bit surprising, but all the more welcome for the show. It's one of his most human moments in a while, and shows that despite kicking ass in the spirit world so far, there's a lot he hasn't been prepared for.
After that comes a montage reel showing off Yusuke's return to being trained by Genkai, while Kuwabara holds his own with Kurama and Hiei. They're all welcome sequences and character building that help to push towards the ending scene, when the four show up with a "mystery" fifth member. I wonder who that could be...
Like last time, my entry will be a day or two late.
As Avaitor mentioned, I really love how we visually see Yusuke afraid of someone for once. Not only does it give him a new obstacle to overcome in his character arc, but it really effectively ups the stakes and lets you know that the Dark Tournament will be unlike any other arc that we've seen thus far. While the other arcs felt like entertaining little vignettes, this one has all of the workings of a grand-scale epic, and that's what makes it really exciting.
True, the fight with Toguro could have been longer, but it makes up for it by being incredibly surprising. This was the mission that showed how much Yusuke and Kuwabara had grown as Spirit Detectives (technically in Kuwabara's case) and this final battle really showed it more than any other.
It's different in that Yusuke and Kuwabara don't make any rookie or stupid mistakes throughout. The reason they almost lose and die is not for any reason other than they aren't strong enough. The second episode points this out even further while showing that while they've come a long way and are finally coming into their own, they still have to push further. Because if Toguro wasn't holding back to fulfill Sakyo's plans, they would have been pounded into meat chunks. The training they throw themselves into is very understandable given just that one encounter.
So that is how the Spirit Detective saga ends. Yusuke finally begins to find his niche and place in the world only to be told he's not ready yet. He still has further to go, and he's going to have to face certain death in order to claim it.
Most first acts of anime, especially shonen, tend to be very formulaic and simple. It's enough to get you invested in the characters and story and hopefully build a strong base for the rest of the tale. YYH does this too, but it manages to remain engaging even while going through the motions of things like the Saint Beast arc. By now we're invested in Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei, and want to see them make it through the certain terror just ahead of them.
I've been enjoying this rewatch immensely. I hope you guys have been, too.
Quote from: Avaitor on June 01, 2015, 09:30:36 PM
While I do appreciate brevity in battle shonen, sometimes an extended fight is helpful. What we got out of the battle here is strong, but we really needed another episode to get the full effect from the arc.
I actually like that. One episode is enough for a fight like this. Plus, that one episode is more entertaining than any of Suzaku's three.
Quote from: Avaitor on June 01, 2015, 09:30:36 PMsome of it feels familiar- Yusuke and Keiko have a day out planned, he gets called in during the middle of it, shit goes down that he has to take care of.
I really like that in this episode, as it's the last time we'll see this side of Yusuke's life, the city and all that, before they spend 40+ episodes in a tournament on a tropical island. But I do think the title of the episode is a bit of a spoiler and that they probably should've called it something else. But that's only relevant on the first watch.
I love how much stronger the team gets in those two months of training. At the start of the tournament, Yusuke already feels so far beyond what he was even in the last episode of the Spirit Detective arc.
25. Kuwabara's Fight of Love
This was a decent conclusion to a very good story arc. The whole theme of this arc is summed up in the two central characters of this particular story-line, Kuwabara and Yukina. Aside from establishing her as Kuwabara's romantic interest, their conversation in this episode perfectly summarizes how good and evil is not a clear-cut concept between race or anything of that nature. Whether you're a demon or a human, you can choose what kind of person that you want to be, and thus there are demons who can be good people, such as Yukina, and humans who can be complete scum, such as Tarukane. This theme is explored more deeply in the later arcs, but it was this arc that really established it as a major theme of the entire series.
I also really love the ending scene with Hiei nearly killing Tarukane but ultimately being stopped by Yukina. As Avaitor pointed out, it really expresses a powerful bond between the two that does not need words to explain it. This, I believe, is where Hiei truly becomes a more sympathetic character and really helped to establish him as a fan favorite for many people.
And of course, Sakyo and the Toguro Brothers made entertaining villains, but there isn't too much to say about them in this episode other than what I've already stated, especially considering that we'll learn more about them in the coming arc. I do have to disagree about this fight needing to be longer, though. It made perfect sense that it was as short as it was since the Toguro Brothers just needed to put up enough of a fight to make sure that it seemed legitimate, even though they weren't really trying. Additionally, it was sort of a way for Younger Toguro to test Yusuke's potential, since he was interested in him after learning that he was Genkai's student, which I believed that he already knew by the time of their encounter. Otherwise, he might have gone down even easier. At any rate, it makes perfect sense in retrospect from the next episode why this fight was able to end so cleanly, because that's how both sides of the opposition wanted it to go down, albeit for very different reasons.
Rescue Yukina Arc
Overall Rating: A-
Summary of Thoughts: This is the best arc of this series up to this point. It's nothing novel or original, but it's just the right combination of fun and serious, and that combined with the overall quality of the dub clearly improving as well as the overall animation quality made this arc a lot more fun to watch that the drab, and almost unbearable Saint Beasts arc. This also plants the seeds of the more complex and nuanced themes that this series will explore, so it's a lot more important of an arc than it might seem to be at first. Overall, it was just really well done.
26. Toguro Returns
So, you can view this episode in two ways. On a surface level, yes, it's just a pretty standard and uninspired set-up for the Dark Tournament arc. The plot is basically just how Sakyo and Toguro reveal that they were working together all along, and how Toguro threw his fight with Yusuke, but now wants a real fight with him. Thus he interrupts Yusuke, who's on yet another date with Keiko (BTW, they were going to Disney Land rather than the park in the sub-version; I just found that amusing enough to mention), and we get a training montage between Yusuke and Genkai, as well as for Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei. All in all, it's pretty basic stuff that needs to be gotten out of the way in order to get to the good stuff.
But, now, go back and look at this whole episode from Yusuke's perspective, while keeping in context all of his previous character development up to this point, which I have made care to go over in previous write-ups. Up until the Rescue Yukina arc, he was getting by via his own ability, which was always just barely enough, forcing him to rely on a bit of luck to scrape by each encounter as well. After his training with Genkai, and then during his fight with Suzaku, we finally saw him progress a little bit and realize why he needed to fight, and thus he started taking his role as Spirit Detective more seriously and put his heart into his work. And with Rescue Yukina, that seemed to be enough. I mean, with the experience that he had accumulated, he and Kuwabara were able to get through most ordeals like they were a piece of cake, and only had a bit of trouble with the Toguro Brothers, but also seemed to be able to take them down with a bit of good strategy. Everything seemed to be on the right track and now Yusuke had things down in his life.
And then all of that goes to shit in a matter of no time at all when Toguro reveals himself and his desire to really take on Yusuke now that his previous assignment had been completed. Then, upon revealing just a fraction of his true power to Yusuke, he threatens to kill everyone that Yusuke cares about if he refuses to participate in the Dark Tournament. And the thing is, he can completely back up that statement. Yusuke realizes for the first time in his life that he's not at all prepared for something like this. If Toguro really wanted to, he could kill Yusuke or anyone around him and Yusuke, at his current level, couldn't do a thing about it no matter how much he would want to. All of his power and abilities, his hardships and training, and all of his experience has amounted to nothing in front of this utter beast of a person. This is why we visibly see Yusuke react in utter fear. He has come to fully realize what a cocky kid he really is, after all. And this is what has set him on a path through the second phase of his character arc.
It's very telling that when we first saw his training with Genkai, we saw how poorly they got along and how Genkai was most frustrated with how Yusuke went into it with such a half-assed effort. Going back to her this time and claiming that he was really serious about it now, and seeing as how Genkai seemed to have expected him, you can really tell that this is something that was bound to happen. She knew that his training wasn't really complete and that he would eventually have to get something in real life to finally wake him up and get him ready to really put all of his heart and energy into bettering himself. Looking at this episode in terms of that aspect of Yusuke's character makes it a lot more interesting than it is as just a piece of plot set-up.
Additionally, I really like how Toguro's words to Kurama and Hiei manage to establish them as permanently part of Team Urameshi, not just for the sake of the Dark Tournament, but as a way of saying that they have turned on their past and are now committed to working together with Spirit World and humans, thus solidifying their face turns. Additionally, we get a bit of nuanced characterization for Kurama. Up until now, we have always assumed that Hiei is the darkest member of the group, and that Kurama was mostly just a nice guy. Yet Hiei spoke with a lot of respect about Kurama in the Saint Beasts arc, almost as if to say that even he wouldn't dare screw with the guy. While we'll finally get glimpses of how Kurama can really sink to the darkest points in terms of his character as opposed to any of the other main characters, there was a small little line in their training sequence that hinted at Kurama not being such a nice guy when the situation at hand really got serious. In this case, we learn that while sparring, Hiei was going soft and Kuwabara despite the two guys clearly despising each other. Meanwhile, while Kurama was a lot more friendly with Kuwabara in their past encounter, he explained how unlike Hiei, he will not show Kuwabara any sign of compassion here. Either he could make it through the training, or not make it anywhere at all, since Kurama would not go easy on him. It's a really small piece in an already small scene, but I found it to be a great little nod to what's to come in terms of where Kurama's character can go.
Also important is that this is the closest we've gotten to a training arc so far in the show. It's literally one episode of plot and character reveals and a bit of training. By the end they're on their way to the Dark Tournament. That's some good pacing since, let's face it, we really don't need to see a training arc for these characters since the story itself serves as training for them.
I'm wondering if we want to try to do something a little different for the Dark Tournament saga, since it's not only the most popular part of the show, but the longest as well. Maybe a fight scorecard, with a ranking on how each character stacks up might be cool. Or speculation on other characters might have handled the fights. I dunno, just throwing out ideas. But this arc is pretty different, even though all the arcs are pretty different from each other none are as focused on straight on battling as this one.
Yeah, we could try something a bit different. I'll at least give my personal grades to all of the fights in each round, and it'd be fun to speculate some "what if" scenarios.
Hey guys, sorry, I went to Disney today and I almost forgot about tonight. Give me an hour or so to watch the episodes and right up a piece, okay?
Episode 27 was a bit more set-up and not a whole lot of stuff going on of much relevance, though it was entertaining. That said, once the tournament kicks off, it's a lot of fun, and I especially can't wait for next week's episodes.
As usual, though, I can't really give you a write-up until tomorrow.
No hurry, it's mostly set-up this week.
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"The Dark Tournament Begins" is pretty self-explanatory. The Dark Tournament, well, begins. It helps to give us an idea of what to expect from Team Urameshi's mysterious masked fighter, who kicks ass. But yeah, come on, Kuwabara wasn't wrong with his assumption at all. We all know this.
But the episode is important for Botan coming clean to Keiko and Shizuru about Yusuke and Kuwabara's whereabouts. Shizuru, sharing her brother's gift, is a little more aware of their exploits, but this is big for Keiko, as she's about to get more into this world. Otherwise, it's a solid, if average, prep episode.
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"First Fight" is another basic episode title, but one that works well enough, as we get to see most of a pretty satisfactory introduction fight.
We met Rinku, along with the rest of Team Rokuyukai, in the previous episode, but this shows how he's able to make it into such a tough tournament. His little kid act is a great bluff, as he's pretty smart with his tactics, and that's what keeps things going.
But I also like how we get to see Koenma's older body in the episode. I like his baby form, but his older form is surprisingly handsome and appropriate. Plus seeing it blow everyone away, including the Angus Young-lookalike demon, is fun.
All I can think is if this was a five on five match, Team Urameshi would have cleaned house in seconds. Rokuyukai was very lucky they decided on one-on-ones. But I digress. Don't want to get ahead of myself.
Hiei's plan on the boat was hilarious, especially when the other combatants stole his idea. Otherwise, there's not much to say about it. It is a smart way to hold a qualifier and is the first indication that Togashi likes to start journeys off on ships for some reason.
The Kuwabara / Rinku fight is a very good introduction to the Dark Tournament. Kuwabara and the audience are quickly shown not too take opponents lightly and Rinku shows there's more to him than initially thought. While it's not my favorite fight in the tournament (that's a a bit of ways off) it is a good one and a great proper start to the saga.
Fashionably late as usual.
27. The Dark Tournament Begins
This was basically more set-up. It's necessary set-up, mind you, as it explains how Keiko and Shizuru find out about the tournament, as well as how the general lay-out of the tournament itself will be organized. It's a very "shonen" sort of story-telling pit, and this show isn't exactly able to escape it (and don't even get me started on how bad it can get with HXH at times). That said, I feel that Togashi does a good job of keeping you invested in the plot, even when he has to get you through the boring but necessary formalities that come with these sorts of story arcs.
One thing that I have come to realize is that, while I do love this arc on the whole, I couldn't convince someone who doesn't really care for this genre of why it's good, and that's fair. Still, for me, there is just something so fun and engaging about the concept of a tournament fought out by characters that I really like. It's a lot of fun, but the fights aren't of the mindless variety. They almost always use strategy that is both simple yet clever enough to keep things interesting, and between the fights we get a lot of great character development. It also helps that most villains aren't just one-dimensional punching bags this time around. There's also that aspect of how a lot of people feel that any sense of filler is bad and that everything in a show has to add up to something else and come back into play in the plot, later. I remember Doug Walker harping on stuff like this a lot in a lot of his reviews of shows, but to me that's only important for the type of story that you're trying to tell. For a very focused story on a grand scale like Avatar: The Last Airbender, that kind of story-telling makes perfect sense. For a primarily fun and more character-driven show like Yu Yu Hakusho, it's all about enjoying the adventure at hand, and it still works because the writing mostly works very well for what's happening at the moment, rather than being overly-concerned with what will happen later. That said, this show does a brilliant job of developing Yusuke's character over time and making it feel like a truly natural progression as it goes along, and it does it better than most other contemporary series in the genre, IMO.
As for Yusuke being asleep due to the intensity of his training, I consider it to be a very fun way to both follow and mock this trope of shonen. The main hero being kept out of the action until there's finally an opponent or situation grand enough for him to show off how much he's grown to the other characters has been very popular in this genre long before YYH even started, and Dragon Ball was the king of exploiting this. However, in this case, Togashi wrote it as Yusuke just flat-out being asleep and completely ignoring what was going on until he's finally needed, which I also find to be mocking the trope since it's basically like saying that the main character "might as well be asleep" if he's going to be blind to all of the struggles of his friends up to that point.
28. First Fight
Pitting the main team's weakest and least experienced character first against the (seemingly) weakest character of the opposing team is a predictable but very effective way to start, as it starts things out slow enough to get you a feel for the basics of what this tournament will be like. Kuwabara can show that he's not such a green boy anymore, but at the same time still has a lot to learn, especially when he starts paying the price for underestimating Rinku. I also really love Hiei's sideline commentary about how Kuwabara really needs to learn how these sorts of fights go down, and that he should drop his honor and play just as dirty as Rinku and his future opponents in order to prevail. We of course know that Kuwabara's code is far too sacred for him to even consider that, but it also says much about Hiei's character and will be a great point of reference when tracking his character development and seeing how he changes his own attitude towards fighting his opponents later on.
Rinku's use of yo-yo's as his primary weapon (aside from being a prototype of something that Killua will use in HXH) is a really great example of Togashi's sense of creativity. This is a world where demons and magic are extremely common and the rules of this Universe are never clearly defined. Thus, why not go wild with the concepts that he can portray, rather than just having enemies being generic tough guys with generic swords or guns or whatnot? It reminds me of something that Bruce Timm once said regarding animation when working on Batman: The Animated Series. I don't have the direct quote, but the gist of it was that in the medium of animation he felt that you absolutely SHOULD take full advantage of the format and do things that were flat-out impossible in live-action. Why limit your creativity? The story and characters will still resonate with people as long as you can connect to them on a thematic and emotional level, but that has nothing to do with trying to limit the capabilities of your characters or world, just so long as it suits the type of story that you're trying to tell in the first place.
At any rate, the fight itself is fun, but nothing too spectacular. It's a good lesson for Kuwabara not to underestimate his opponent, but to be quite honest, it's next week that I'm really waiting for. Both Kurama and Hiei have some pretty fucking awesome bouts in this match, so those episodes should be a really fun watch.
I gotta say that the match against Team Rokuyukai is a tremendous start to this arc. You learn more about Kuwabara and the tone of these matches with Kuwabara, you learn something new about Hiei, and Kurama gets another level to his character shown off. And this is the first round.
I'm still not certain who the strongest member of the team is, however. It's a bit vague in these episodes on who the best is.
I was just thinking that as well. I'd also mention that I think every team match in the tournament is tremendous.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on June 10, 2015, 04:01:17 PM
I'm still not certain who the strongest member of the team is, however. It's a bit vague in these episodes on who the best is.
Spoiler
I remember Kurama thinking to himself that Chu "might" be even more powerful than Zeru. But it's never confirmed.
I think I'll have to pay attention to the lines in future episodes to confirm for myself.
Either way, we're in for some great matches.
Man, things are finally heating up this week (literally)! We get two bad-ass fights back to back, and I just love how we see how cold Kuarma can be when Roto pleads for mercy.
This will be a fun discussion. And, really, there aren't any modern shonen which I can think of that can properly do the really memorable short-fights that just sell you on how lethal a character can be when you piss them off. Yu Yu Hakusho, Dragon Ball, Fist of the North Star, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and Rurouni Kenshin are the only ones that could really pull that off, IMO.
I'm going to do this one earlier than usual, since I'm going out tonight. First let me watch last night's GOT, then these eps, and I'll get to it.
But I ripped the plastic from the second set, and wow am I excited. It's about time I got closer to completing my collection.
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"Flowers of Blood", holy shit!
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And "Dragon of the Darkness Flame", holy holy shit!
Sorry, you guys can probably do better than me. :p
Great time for Photobucket to crash.
Flowers of Blood successfully shows the truth behind who Yoko Kurama really was, and it wasn't a very nice guy. Though Kurama is different in now that he has people he would gladly die for if need be, he is still perfectly willing to kill to protect them. Of course, he probably could have cut Roto in two at the match's start, but he isn't the type to show all his cards at once. What this episode successfully does is show that Kurama is not the softy of the group (which was slightly hinted at before now, but never explicitly shown) and that he can be just as cutthroat as Hiei. Kurama is not only crafty-- he might be the most dangerous member of Team Uremeshi.
Dragon of the Darkness Flame is probably even more surprising an issue. To point out a bit of a spoiler, Zeru is technically one of the most powerful opponents in the entire Dark Tournament and Hiei managed to kill him with (seemingly) little to no effort at all. But what this episode effectively does is put a target on Team Uremeshi as the competition to beat. Not only that, but the Ensatsu-ken is not quite the trump card it might seem to be as we will soon find out. Though this episode was mainly Hiei showing him to be the strongest member of Team Uremeshi (at least to outsiders) it actually sets up much to come later including making the tournament committee very nervous.
All in all, a great set of episodes.
Next week, however, we finish off the bout with Team Rokuyukai. It's a pretty great ending, too.
The Zeru match feels really short to me in that it's purpose was entirely to introduce the Dragon of the Darkness Flame. But for that purpose it works really well and leaves an impression that sticks with you.
The Roto match is one of those fights that works so well for reasons beyond attacks thrown at each other. These fights just have so much put into them. It's funny that it's only been a few weeks since we talked about those Maze Castle battles. They've made such an improvement in such a short time. And next week, we'll see a multi-episode fight done perfectly.
I was once again running fashionably late this week due to being incredibly busy, but as always, here are my thoughts on the episodes:
29. Flowers of Blood
So I ranked this as one of my favorite episodes way back when I did my YYH list, and that opinion still stands. As many of you all know, Kurama is my favorite protagonist on this show, and this is one of his key defining moments. When I first watched this episode, I had always pegged him as the clever but kind member of the group. This is what gave me the first taste of the true Kurama that lay beneath the very human exterior that he wears. I mean, yes, he is a nuanced character with plenty of humanity to him, but this was one of our first major glimpses into his truly demonic side.
When Roto threatens to have his mother killed, he is also using his human characteristics against him as a weakness. Still, you can't help but respect Kurama, someone we've seen as a very dignified character up to this point, putting up with the abuse for as long as he does. But then when Roto tries to humiliate Kurama and commands him to lick his boot, I was honestly curious if Kurama would give into THAT kind of demand, which it would seem he'd have to do with his mother's life on the line. But, instead we finally get him to reveal the truly merciless, cold-blooded bad-ass that he is. I just love everything about this fight. It's completely unconventional for a typical battle shonen, and both surprisingly and satisfyingly ruthless. The moment where Roto realizes that he's fucked and begs Kurama for mercy, only to have Kurama casually glance back with a blank stare lacking any sense of empathy and coldly responding "no," was really the part that sold me on this whole fight. And of course, this is only a mere little peek into how dark of a character Kurama can be. I can't wait until we see more about him and his past revealed as our re-watch of the series progresses.
And yes, there is that bit at the beginning where Rinku wins the match against Kuwabara. I don't really have too much to say about that, but it's actually quite a good start to have one of the protagonists lose in the very first battle of the tournament to send the message that this won't be an easy affair by any means. That, and it sets up that Kuwabara still needs to improve quite a lot as this tournament progresses.
30. Dragon of the Darkness Flame
And this is just a damn fun and bad-ass Hiei episode. Sometimes you just need a good, fast fight like this. Much like Kurama's fight, we see how truly ruthless Hiei can be, though this in and of itself isn't really anything too surprising since we already knew that he could be a bad-ass. What makes the moment that he unleashes his attack (the Ensatsu Koku Ryuu Ha, just to correct Desensitized) seem so great is the feeling of impact that it brings to the table, something that modern shonen anime forget to do when they try to make an attack seem cool. If you notice, the animation-style changes just for the attack when it activates, making things seem distorted as if the entire arena were engulfed in flames. It really sells how powerful, devastating, and scary this power is supposed to be.
I also love how there's very little "dicking around" in the fight before Hiei ultimately concludes that he needs to use this move to win. Nothing feels needlessly dragged out or forced on us, which is a rarity among shonen anime adaptations that are airing while their source material is also still running. Hiei unleashes the attack, it's an awesome moment, and then it's all over before you know it. Zeru is dead. End of story. There's just something so compelling about the simplicity of it all, especially since as far as we know, he was far stronger than most if not all memebers of Team Urameshi at that point. It really leaves you in a state of now knowing what exactly to expect from future fights, which is just great.
We are also introduced to Yusuke's first opponent, Chuu. I've always found him to be a really fun character, but I'll save talking about him and Yusuke's corresponding fight and character development for next week's discussion.
I do think it seems like they hurried up the Zeru fight a bit to get to the dragon part, but that part really made up for it a lot.
I also like the second half of the episode, where we get to know Chu, watch him be goofy, and finally see Yusuke awaken where he actually does seem tougher, more confident, and just more awesome than ever.
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You guys got into just how the previous two episodes ruled better than I could, and it's not like things peak from there. "Stumbling Warrior" is a strong continuation, as it gives us Yusuke's first fight of the tournament.
It helps that Chu is a worthy adversary to Yusuke, in terms of strength and personality. He clearly has quite the power to back him up, which is what makes the first half of the episode so exciting to watch. But it's the second act where it's shown that Chu is a strong enough personality in his own right, as we get a taste of his past and an idea of how funny he can be himself. He and Yusuke aren't too far off, as it's shown when a strange sense of appreciation is shown between the two at the end of the episode.
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But as seen there, and throughout "Knife Edge Death-Match", Yusuke has definitely gotten some great training from Genkai. He holds his own just fine through some of Chu's strongest attacks, as he totally keeps up during the titular sudden death match.
They're both well-constructed episodes that make this one of the most exciting fights yet. And there's way more to go.
Man, I almost forgot how entertaining Chu is as a character. He's one of the first opponents that Yusuke has who is just a fighter and not really a villain or antagonist in any way. The fight is also really entertaining, and really helps to establish the completion of Yusuke's previous character arc and transition into his next one.
As usual, though, I'll have to post my full thoughts later on in the week. I'm just way too swamped right now.
I also enjoyed the small subplot of Sakyo helping out Shizuru from the mob of demons. Adds a bit to his character that he knows all human beings aren't trash and all demons are saints (unlike someone who will come along later) and how much he has in common with Toguro.
As for the fight, well, that was an intense end to the first round, wasn't it? Who would have thought things would have been so tough so fast? Especially considering how simple the prelims were.
So, I would look at the power rankings as such at this point:
Zeru
Hiei
Kurama
Yusuke
Chu
Kuwabara
Roto
Rinku
We can't rank the jobbers or the Masked Fighter since they didn't actually fight.
Watching these episodes, I still think Zeru is probably one of the most powerful characters in the Dark Tournament and only lost because of Hiei's trump card which almost ends up killing him as well. Kurama quite clearly dominated Roto, and Yusuke was near par with Chu outside of his inexperience in these types of fights. Rinku only beat Kuwabara because Kuwabara fought sloppily and didn't take Rinku seriously.
Despite the power advantages, they didn't mean a lot in these fights, did they? Kurama almost lost to Roto by deceit (thankfully he has a brain), Hiei needed a risky move to overcome Zeru's strength, and Rinku was a smarter fighter than Kuwabara. Only Yusuke's fight was decided purely by brawn, and it was still quite exciting.
Suffice to say, this was a great first round.
I don't know if I'd say that Hiei was that strong at this point in the tournament. His trump card, DOTDF (or EKRH) is definitely a top-level technique, but by his own admission it's not fully under his control, and he had to temporarily sacrifice the use of his right arm to use it, making him significantly weaker as a result. Also, as Kurama pointed out, it was a last resort, thus his own skills as a fighter were rather insufficient at this point.
I'd say that taking the attack out of the equation (which it is, since he can't summon the dragon again for a while now), his skills are probably a bit behind Yusuke and Kurama, with one having a lot more raw Spirit Energy a muscle power to work with, and the other being a far superior tactician who excels in technique.
Oh, post-fight I agree. This list was the ranking before he used the technique.
But you do have a point as Hiei attacked Yusuke at full strength when they first boarded the ship and he matched the midget blow for blow. So, I may very well be overrating Hiei and he should be just above Chu since he seems around the same level as Yusuke.
If I revise it to post-fight it is surely at around this now:
Kurama
Yusuke
Hiei
Chu
Kuwabara
Rinku
I'd say Yusuke and Chu are equal, and are both above Hiei. Zeru is probably sandwiched between, from what I remember. I do kind of think that Yusuke is starting to dominate Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei by this point since he underwent two training sessions with Genkai (with the second session in particular being the point where he went all out).
I don't think Yusuke is THAT far ahead of the other three at this point. At the very least he was even with Hiei in their skirmish. Kurama we don't really know yet as he hasn't hit his limit or shown weaknesses like Hiei and Kuwabara have in the first round. I also don't think Kurama is far more powerful that Hiei, either. If anything, I think the three of them are around the same level except for Hiei who lost some ground due to his self-inflicted wounds.
But we'll see just how much they've improved in the coming matches.
As for Zeru, I tend to think he was the most powerful member of Rokuyukai and Chu and Yusuke being near even would make him the strongest overall. Just my opinion, anyway.
I still want to comment more on these episodes, but I've been so busy this week that I just have so little time to write out all of my thoughts.
However, I should mention that Chu's voice starts the trend in the dub of associating various characters with various cultures or ethnic groups in regard to their accents. On the one hand, I can totally understand how this turns some people off from the dub due to stereotyping and not even being necessary and whatnot. On the other hand, this is very much the show that I grew up with, and I'd be lying if I said that it didn't add a certain charm for me.
That said, I've switched back and forth between the dub and sub, and while the dub is still my preferred version, I really didn't give the Japanese seiyuu enough credit in the past. They do an excellent job of portraying these characters, and personally I still prefer Shigeru Chiba's Kuwabara to Chris's.
The sub is great.
As for the accents, I think they're a nice touch. That add a bit more to the humor by being so off-kilter. Especially Jin.
So, I'm REALLY late on writing my full thoughts, this week, but I've been super busy (and still very much am), so you'll have to excuse me. That said, I am firmly dedicated to not missing out on a single week of discussion, so you can always still expect me to get something written out before we discuss the next set of episodes.
31. Stumbling Warrior
So this is Yusuke's big opening fight of the tournament, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. What makes Chu such a good opponent is that he's not the typical breed of one-dimensional evil scum that Yusuke has mostly fought up to this point. He's just another fighter who has a passion for battle, which now Yusuke also shares, so there's a mutual respect between the two which gives the fight an interesting dynamic. I also love how well-paced the battle was. It wasn't dragged out, nor did it feel too rushed. It was just one great moment after another, with very well-done commentary by the spectating characters.
What's more impressive to me, though, is how we can see the progression of Yusuke's character here. He has clearly come a long way from before his second training session with Genkai. Now he has a passion for what he is doing, whereas he once couldn't care less and was more or less doing his duty out of feeling obligated to serve Koenma who helped bring him back to life. Of course, Yusuke is still somewhat reckless here, but you get a sense that aside from just being stronger, he knows a lot more about what he's doing and is using his accumulated experience to his advantage. While this was no easy fight by any means, for him, I do think that he ultimately managed to keep himself alive not just by brute strength or even by technique, but also by very cleverly and effectively utilizing all of his abilities in a way that strategically made sense.
32. Knife Edge Death-Match
This episode is of course the bad-ass conclusion to the fight between Yusuke and Chu. However, the brilliant twist here is that the fight itself isn't anything too special. It's just the two of them on their last legs beating the crap out of each other like regular, non-power-wielding men. It's the reactions and commentary of the other characters, most notably Kuwabara, that really manages to sell the fight. That, and Toguro looking on at Yusuke with interest really shows you how much he sees in him. Furthermore, we have an introduction to a member of Toguro's own team, Karasu, and I just love how mysterious and foreboding he already seems despite him only having taken down two weak guards during his entrance.
Keiko's opposite reaction to Kuwabara is suitably appropriate for her character. She clearly really cares about Yusuke and it's probably terrible for her to realize that he'll be putting his life on the line not only for this fight, but for every fight that he participates in during this tournament, just to fight a guy who by all accounts he has little to no chance of defeating, and that's assuming that he actually manages to survive his other encounters. However (and this is where critics of the series should really learn to understand that it largely operates on a very Eastern philosophy for the mind-set of its characters), as Kuwabara explains, aside from the plot reasons for why they must fight (Toguro threatening to kill everyone that they care about if they don't), it's also very much something that Yusuke really wants to do, now. We'll learn more about Yusuke's less than straight-forward thoughts on Toguro, but needless to say, he is clearly compelled more than ever to take him down, and while the main reason is for him to protect the people he cares about, there is a hint of him having a bit of fear and respect for Toguro's awe-inspiring level of power, and the street punk in him that was always the toughest doesn't want to show weakness and admit to defeat, so more than just wanting to protect people, he also very much wants to be the best, himself. Thus, his fight with Chu is a great metaphor for that aspect of his character arc in this story-line.
On another note, we got some genuinely good filler in terms of Sakyo showing another side of himself to Shizuru. While this doesn't really relate to the main plot, I think that it does a good job of showcasing a nuanced side to Sakyo that ultimately makes him a more interesting villain. We have just assumed that he is another corrupt human being who does evil things for shits and giggles, but him saving Shizuru shows us that there may be a bit more humanity left in him than we realize, though the show wisely doesn't delve too much into over-analyzing his character so that us viewers can interpret him in our own way. It's just a really interesting writing choice, IMO.
I'm running a bit behind again this week, but I'll watch the episodes tonight and comment about them tomorrow.
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"A Day in Waiting" and "Percentage of Victory" are solid episodes, even if I wouldn't classify either as great. These are important since they show a struggle going on for the characters now- Yusuke's inability to use his Spirit Gun, and Hiei's weakened hand after using the Dragon of the Darkness Flame- while wisely keeping them separate.
They also have less intense, character building first halves of their episodes, while the latter part of both bring on the action. The first episode shows us that Toguro isn't slouching at all, reminding us of his strength, while the other episode sets up Team Urameshi's next match, as Yusuke, Kuwabara, and the "stranger" take on 3 of their opponents' teammates together, as Kurama and Hiei face the other two elsewhere. It's good stuff.
33. A Day in Waiting
This was a good transitional episode, bridging the aftermath of the first round of the Dark Tournament into its next phase for Team Urameshi. We get to see various characters dealing with the development of their own individual character arcs now that they have some downtime. I always found this series to have a really entertaining sense of humor when it came to the design of the some of the lesser demons, such as "Rugby" being a sports-themed fighter. It's just so bizarre and the type of concept that you could only really see explored in a shonen series.
I believe that the main focus is on Yusuke, however. Him not being able to use his Spirit Gun is actually a good metaphorical aspect of where his character is right now. As we know, Yusuke has changed a lot as a fighter since the Spirit Detective arc, but because he has also changed a lot as a person, he doesn't quite understand who he really is at the moment. Interestingly enough, despite Keiko's earlier reaction to all of this brutality, we get a great scene with her exploring Yusuke's character and that she has come to realize (even though Yusuke may not fully realize it himself, yet), that Yusuke is genuinely happy for a change. He never truly fit in among people, but in a fight-to-the-death tournament of demons he suddenly feels right at home. Not only is Yusuke becoming stronger and more clever as a Spirit Detective, but he's also learning to be more like himself than ever before.
Finally, we have a scene where Toguro ultimately annihilates a pretty tough team in their own right, and I just love how without any dialogue we get a clear sense that he's putting on a show for Yusuke. He's really interesting in bringing out Yusuke's full potential, and he knows just the right way to egg him on and motivate him to become even stronger, by instilling yet another dose of fear in Yusuke. However, this time we see more of a frustrated response in Yusuke as opposed to his crap-your-pants shock during their last encounter. Once again, it's another element of how much Yusuke's character and mentality is really coming into its own, now.
34. Percentage of Victory
This episode continues the tournament with an all new match for Team Urameshi. However, first I just want to mention that it was really great to finally see the Spirit Egg plot element from way back in the first arc come back into play, as I mentioned that it would come back several weeks ago. While not explicitly stated, I believe that Yusuke's inability to utilize his Spirit Energy has to do with the Egg remotely feeding off of it, and it being "just about ready to hatch" is a great metaphor for Yusuke finally having made his first complete transformation as a character.
As for the fight itself, I always loved how this arc, unlike most other tournament arcs, always manages to keep the formula from feeling stale by changing up the circumstances during each new fight. Whereas the first round had a basic one-on-one set-up, this one changes up the pace by having a single three-on-three match, while the other two members illegally square off against Kurama and Hiei outside of the arena. It's an interesting twist and manages to make a battle with an otherwise bland and forgettable set of opponents way more entertaining that it should be.
I really how Yusuke, as Kayko indicates, finally seems more like himself now. There's a great moment in the Knife Edge Death Match where he's throwing punches with Chu and is clearly having a blast.
And I love how, after the referee Koto asks if Toguro is okay with five on one, he first says "Naturally, they're my terms" and then "Sorry if this makes it harder to announce". A little respect from Toguro again. :D
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"Glimpse Beneath the Mask" and "Ambition Destroyed: A Trial of Light" don't really add too much to this arc's plot, at least on the top of my head, but they're strong episodes, and help to keep the humanity alive in our two main characters.
And I'll get to them later. I have to go now, but I wanted to get the ball rolling at all.
I'm not feeling well today and have stuff to get done tomorrow, so I'll post about these episodes later on in the week.
To be honest, though, it's the next few weeks that I'm looking forward to. Team Urameshi vs. Team Masho is one of my favorite set of traditional shonen battles ever. It's going to be an absolute blast.
There's not much to talk about with this match, really. The best part is seeing the Masked Fighter's technique. It's also really hard to understand the power scale in these episodes other than the Masked Fighter is clearly the strongest in the whole match. Also, it is interesting to see just how weakened Hiei is and how clever Kurama remains (which we'll see more of in the next match) outside of the ring.
It's the next match that is the best part of the arc, in my opinion.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 08, 2015, 08:30:22 PM
There's not much to talk about with this match, really. The best part is seeing the Masked Fighter's technique. It's also really hard to understand the power scale in these episodes other than the Masked Fighter is clearly the strongest in the whole match. Also, it is interesting to see just how weakened Hiei is and how clever Kurama remains (which we'll see more of in the next match) outside of the ring.
It's also pretty clear that Yusuke is far stronger than the rest of them other than the Masked Fighter, at least once he gets back his Spirit Gun.
Also, I'd say this match adds to the main plot in the sense that we see the he Masked Fighter unmasked... even though we don't know who it is at the time. But it does lead into her eventual true reveal. I do remember that, when I first saw these episodes years ago, I had long suspected her identity. And even when I saw her unmasked in this match, my belief remained the same.
Also, I love when Yusuke beats down Itchagaki. Such a satisfying moment.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 08, 2015, 08:30:22 PM
It's the next match that is the best part of the arc, in my opinion.
That's a hard choice for me. If you are to look at the matches and compare the individual fights, I think the Dark Tournament finals could easily be considered the best overall for the fact that most of its matches are so great (along with the fact that it has the fight that the entire tournament is building up to). But when looking at the overall whole package, there's something special about the match that starts next week. It's the perfect part to just binge watch from start to finish.
To be clear I think all the rounds in this tournament are great. This current round is easily the weakest, but it is a great set up for the next one.
I honestly can't think of one part of the next match which isn't great. Also, if you pay attention, it says a lot (positively) about Kuwabara's power level that we weren't aware of before.
I can't think of any part of the next match that isn't great, either. It almost feels more like a single, big fight consisting of multiple people, rather than a series of individual, disconnected match ups. It's all great stuff, but the second, fourth, and fifth fights in it are my favorites.
Sorry guys. I was REALLY swamped with stuff that I just needed to get done this week, so I really had no time to post anything. Even now I'm rather busy, so I'm going to do shorter entries than usual, but still want to do them all the same because I love discussing this show and don't want to miss a single week. That said, I'm glad that it's with more forgettable episodes like this pair that I don't have as much to say about.
35. Glimpse Beneath the Mask
So, the 3-on-3 fight continues, and it's pretty decent action, for the most part. That said, the real weakness here is that none of the opposing characters are particularly interesting. This whole plot with Dr. Ichigaki and his mind control nonsense would make for something more dramatic if it was dealing with characters that we knew more about, but we just met these guys and they have as basic of a backstory as you can get. Thus, as an audience, we don't really buy into anything and just don't care whether Yusuke and company decide to either put them out of their misery for good or find a way to free them from their mental prison.
We do however, finally get a glimpse under the mask. And yes, obviously it was Genkai the whole time, but in Togashi's tradition of playing around with tropes, it's not quite the Genkai that we expect to see. For whatever reason she appears decades younger than we know her, and this raises our curiosity as an audience in a good way, so in that respect the whole concept of the mask on her up until now was not wasted. We'll of course learn more about all of this in later episodes, but it was a pretty neat little reveal that stands out in this episode, which aside from that is just pretty standard shonen-fare.
36. Ambition Destroyed: A Trial of Light
This concludes the admittedly drawn out fight with Team Ichigaki. However, one highlight here is that we once again see some more growth for Yusuke. On a spiritual level, he is becoming far more adept at using his powers as well as sensing other people's powers, as evidenced by him now being able to see the attacks that were previously invisible to him. On a metaphorical level, however, I believe that Togashi is using this to show us how Yusuke is developing a better sense of compassion and understanding for other people. Much like with how he realized that he wanted to protect his friends and family during the pivotal moment of his fight with Suzaku a couple of arcs back, in this case he is developing the ability to empathize with people who are strangers to him, by having an understanding for their plight and struggles. Of course, we also get to see Kuwabara's ever-increasing spiritual awareness help Yusuke get to that point as his struggle to try and calm the other fighters down without violence really manages to get a hold of Yusuke's attention, and after informing him of his vision of their past, Yusuke is able to see his opponents as other, non-evil people who he can help in some way, rather than just as 1-dimensional lackeys to beat up.
Once again, though, this would all work far better if his opponents were actually interesting characters, but as it stands, it's still an interesting development for Yusuke. The rest of the battle and its conclusion is alright, for what it is, but as Desensitized stated earlier, this is easily the weakest portion of the Dark Tournament arc.
Luckily, next week will REALLY pick things up, and the whole Team Urameshi vs. Team Masho fight is not only the best fight of the Dark Tournament, but also one of the best and most memorable of battle shonen in general. It was ingenious from a writing standpoint to back Team Urameshi into a corner by forcing them into another match with five fresh opponents when all of Team Urameshi have just finished their own fights, and not a single member among them is completely fresh for battle. Kurama didn't really take any damage, himself, so he's the most fit to fight, obviously, but he can't possibly last against all five opponents, and you can really already feel the desperation and intensity of the situation at hand. This is the kind of stuff that I absolutely love to see in shonen manga/anime which keeps me hooked and makes me want to come back for more, but something which modern writers rarely seem to do at this point. That said, I look forward to enjoying this whole ordeal yet again in this classic series.
Man, what a great set of episodes for Kurama this week. I just love it when clever characters are backed into a corner like that.
He has two matches in a row and has to fight the second one while dealing with a severe handicap, and yet he STILL comes out on top. If you weren't already convinced that he's a complete bad-ass before this point, then you would be now.
Kurama, Yusuke, and a third character I don't want to mention yet, really show their mettle in these matches. Not to mention, these guys are no pushovers. Other than the finals, I think this is the outright toughest team they fought as a whole.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 13, 2015, 03:36:35 PM
Kurama, Yusuke, and a third character I don't want to mention yet, really show their mettle in these matches. Not to mention, these guys are no pushovers. Other than the finals, I think this is the outright toughest team they fought as a whole.
That's true. The team only has one weak link.
Also, I think the Itchagaki match is better than you guys are giving it credit for. It's the weakest round of the tournament for sure but I like how it's a three on three match. It's fun seeing them all working together and it changes things up. And I really enjoy the Masked Fighter's unmasking, and Kuwabara getting knocked out trying to save them as well as everything that comes after that. I don't care much about the human opponents but I do care about what it means to the main characters. The match is also only about three episodes which makes it the shortest by far.
Hey Spark, feel free to edit this post with your screencaps. I still can't right-click anything on my Mac.
But holy shit, these were great! Weakening Kurama was a great addition for tension, and it has paid off well.
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Done!
Kurama took down both Gama and Touya at the near cost of his life. And he's their current most powerful member in this fight. Given that neither are the strongest in Team Masho, things are looking really grim for our heroes.
37. Master of Disguise
So, Team Urameshi is already in a pickle as soon as this round of the tournament begins. We learn that Team Masho's sponsor has bribed the tournament committee to fix the fight so that Team Urameshi has every disadvantage against them. That includes locking up two of their best fighters under the guise of a medical examination (albeit they weren't in great shape, anyways). Meanwhile Kuwabara can't even stand properly in his condition, Yusuke is half-beaten up himself, and Kurama is the only relatively fresh fighters that the team has. I fucking love these kinds of situations in comics and animation. When I was first watching this arc back on Toonami, I remember this being the point that truly hooked me on the show, as it just kept me guessing as to what would happen next, and how the heroes would find themselves making it out of these kinds of situations in one piece.
Luckily, Kurama is probably the best member of the team to be the one with the least damage, as his combination of skill and wit can clearly make him the superior opponent to arguably tougher fighters. In this case his first opponent is Gama, who has the ability to inflict curses on his opponents by splashing them with make-up made out of his own blood. Not only does this make for an interesting fight, but it also showcases Togashi's talent for coming up with unique and creative abilities for his characters, no matter how minor they may be. Seeing Kurama get all of his limbs tied down with a curse and then still prevailing by using his freaking hair to unleash his
Rose Whip on an unsuspecting Gama to catch him off-guard is a really surprising maneuver, but one that you can totally buy in a series of this nature. Togashi could have just ended the match there and it would've been fine, but he added in the brilliant moment of Gama sacrificing his life and using up the last of his strength to paint a spirit seal on Kurama.
So, by the end of this very episode, Team Urameshi may have one victory under their belt, but it comes at the cost of Kurama now barely being able to move, and on top of that he can't even use his own Spirit Energy anymore. That is truly exciting stuff.
38. Kurama's Stand
This episode picks up right away with the next match against Toya. And with Kurama in a seemingly impossible situation, it's even better than the first match. Toya uses his ice powers to not only attack Kurama from a distance so that he can't get to him and counter-attack, but also uses an attack that's incredibly hard to dodge, forcing Kurama to use his own body to protect the more vital parts of his body. It's simultaneously hardcore and completely ingenious. And I love how, unlike a lesser writer, Togashi doesn't make Toya lose by making him an idiot who falls for obvious schemes, but rather he makes Kurama intelligent and actually has him use a strategy that works BASED ON THINGS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN ESTABLISHED ABOUT HIS ABILITIES. This is something that so many other shonen mangaka don't get when they try to portray clever strategies in a fight. But with Kurama, we already know about his Seed of the Death Plant and how it works thanks to his previous fight with Roto, so when he uses his strategy of growing it out of a cut that he purposely took from Toya in his own arm, we can be thoroughly satisfied with Kurama's victory as an audience because he turned his major disadvantage around by using a clever strategy that makes perfect sense to us once it's revealed.
And once again, this in and of itself would have already been great had Togashi just left it at that, but there are two other things that make Kurama's stand against these two opponents so memorable. One is how his second opponent, Toya, is yet another example of an opponent who isn't necessarily evil, as he reveals that he and his team have their own personal motivation for wanting to fight. Kurama's respect for his opponents in these fights thus adds an emotional weight to the character and his struggle. And, of course, the second thing that makes this all so memorable is that, after having gone through so much in these two short but incredibly intense battles, the third fighter of Team Masho, Bakken, rubs salt in the wound of Kurama's struggle by beating up on a now unconscious Kurama. This of course is possible due to Team Masho's sponsor using a loophole in the rules to force the committee to count Kurama as an active fighter for the third match based on him still being alive (albeit completely unconscious at this point) and standing on his feet in the middle of the ring. It really actively gets you to hate this guy and Bakken and wish for their comeuppance, while simultaneously feeling a ton of respect for Kurama and how much he put into struggling through those two victories of his, which feel all the sweeter because of how hard-fought they were. And what's even better is that you see that even Sakyo and Toguro are ticked off at all of his meddling, yet don't directly say it. I love when he asks why Sakyo is sitting with the demons in the standard seats of the stadium, and Sakyo responds with a great line about how it's because he prefers to sit with an audience that doesn't pretend to know the outcome of the match. It's a great sarcastic little comeback, and I just love it when a smart villain insults a much lesser villain right to his face.
And, of course, this episode ends yet again in a way that leaves you pumped for the next one. You see, when Yu Yu Hakusho is at its best, I feel that there aren't really many other battle shonen (at least as far as anime goes) that can even come close to its level of quality.
I also took two more shots, since they are official fights that I didn't screengrab:
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Kurama Vs. Touya
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Kurama Vs. Bakken
I also liked that "Kurama's Stand" was not just in reference to the tournament, but where Kurama is as a character in trying to move on from being just Yoko Kurama and empathizing with what Team Masho is trying to do in becoming more than warriors bathed in darkness. We've already seen the darkness Kurama is capable of when pushed too hard, but it isn't something he enjoys being, and strives for much more. That's why he took the fights so personally even putting aside how bad off his team was.
Great set of episodes. But the fight isn't close to over yet.
This week, our hero, Yusuke Uremeshi faces incredible odds for his team against Team Masho. Not only is he outnumbered three to one, but he's the only member of his team not half dead or out of energy, and the Tournament Committee is out to get him! This week, the battle heads uphill as not only does Yusuke have three opponents, the final two are the strongest on the team by far.
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In our first episode this week, Bakken has taken down an unconscious Kurama in an incredibly cowardly move that more or less succeeded in getting Yusuke to pissed off levels. Needless to say, this match proved how much of a bad idea that was as Yusuke wiped the floor with him proving that not only was Bakken all talk, he was the weakest member of Team Masho by far and was easily dispatched. Unfortunately, Yusuke still has two more opponents to go and as was stated before, they are the strongest members of Team Masho. Hard matches for Yusuke, indeed.
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Up next Yusuke faces Jin the Wind Master, the second strongest member of Team Masho who once again easily proves Team Masho is no joke. Not only can Jin fly, but also control the wind around his body to great fists of pure tornadoes. What Yusuke doesn't expect, however, is not only is Jin really strong, but he's a lot like him and the first person he's ever met that he had so much in common with. That said, it doesn't mean they'll go easy on each other, which ends in an explosive face off between the two the sets the way to the final match. How will Team Uremeshi make it out of this one?
So those are our episodes this week. Any thoughts?
Oh man, I can't wait to talk about these. My parents came to visit me today, so I took some time off and am a bit backed-up on my workload for the evening, but I'll definitely get to this discussion later on in the week.
What I will say for now is that these are just really entertaing episodes based solely on how good the fighting, quipping, and personal stakes are. Yusuke comes off as a legitimate bad-ass, and it's a quality that feels earned rather than coming off as a hack writer just trying too hard to make his characters seem cool (I'm looking at you, Kubo).
Both of these are great episodes, and they show different shades of why Yusuke is such a great protagonist.
His battle with Bakken is reflective of Yusuke's emotive side, how he can empathize with the helpless so easily, especially as it's one of his friends that is in need of support. As tough as Bakken is, Yusuke gives it everything he has in the fight to do Kurama justice, and it proves to work. Seeing someone who was mercilessly beating the shit out of an unconscious person one moment cower in fear from getting his just desserts the next is so very rewarding.
And as enjoyable as Yusuke's fight with Jin has been thus far, I particularly like seeing the two calm down and have a nice laugh together in between. Of all the members of Team Masho, Jin seems like the coolest guy, but that doesn't mean that he's a push over. This isn't an easy fight for Yusuke either, and there's plenty to keep the episode exciting throughout.
Good stuff for an increasingly great arc. This is why I'm enjoying our group watch, since it's been too long since I've seen the series in full.
So, I'm getting my points on the episodes up at the last minute before tomorrow. Also, they'll be pretty brief due to a lack of time. I've just been really busy this week.
39. Crushing Revenge
This was just a really satisfying episode. As I already elaborated on last week, the show really did a good job of getting you to despise the enemy and after all of the shit that Yusuke and his team have been through so far, it's satisfying for Togashi to throw us a bone and, as the episode title suggests, let Yusuke pay back Bakken in spades.
However, just as that fight concludes, we get thrown a curve-ball and are introduced to Jin, who for all intents and purposes is like the opposite of anyone else on his team. What's more is that he seems almost like a kindred spirit to Yusuke, and it shows when he's pretty much instantly able to get Yusuke to snap out of his rage and the two can laugh about it. And as the fight starts around the end of this episode, we immediately know that we're in for a really special brawl.
40. Jin, the Wind Master
This episode continues the fight that was just started between Yusuke and Jin, and it really is one of the highlights of not just this arc, but the entire series in general. It's one of those iconic moments that pops into my memory whenever I think about this show. What makes this fight so good is how evenly matched it is. It's not just the hero at a huge disadvantage to their opponent, who can only manage to win by some last effort despite taking way too much damage and only dealing out a single blow of his own. Instead, this is an intense yet really fun battle between two guys who clearly have a lot of respect for each others' abilities as fighters, and who are clever enough to keep adjusting their strategies in regard to their respective opponent's clear strengths and weaknesses. Whereas Jin can Fly, Yusuke can use projectile attacks. While Jin is hard to hit in the air, Yusuke has the speed advantage on the ground. It keeps the whole conflict going back and forth in a way that seems even, but leaves in just enough tension so that you really can't tell who's going to win based on how the fight is going at any given moment.
Additionally, we also learn that Hiei is slowly recovering, perhaps just enough to make an escape, and Team Urameshi still holds a huge advantage over Team Masho in terms of their win-to-loss ratio, so just like that one of the most dire situations the team has faced so far has slowly been turning around for them as they work their way towards coming out on top. And what's best of all is that none of it feels like forced or contrived writing. Rather, it feels earned by the characters themselves.
Man, the Jin fight takes me back. I remember back when the show was on Tonami, I must have been 11 or 12 years old at the time, and I adored this fight. I'd say it was probably my favorite part of the whole show at that point (note that Tonami took a really long time before they finally started showing the Dark Tournament finals episodes). I still consider it one of the best fights in the whole series. Like E-K said, the way they are evenly matched is perfectly handled. And like Avaitor said, it's a lot of fun how they interact with each other.
Also, I always got the feeling that Jin was the strongest member of the team. It's never stated, but it just seemed that way. The team leader is leader because he's probably more suited to that job, whereas Jin doesn't strike me as the type who's interested in being the authority of the group.
Actually, Kurama states specifically that Jin and Risho are by far the strongest on the team. What that does is put a certain main character's strength at a higher level then we've previously thought, especially in regards to where Yusuke currently is.
E-K, did you give grades and final thoughts to the first two rounds of the Dark Tournament, similar to how you did with all the earlier storylines? If not, what would you give them?
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 27, 2015, 12:46:22 PM
Actually, Kurama states specifically that Jin and Risho are by far the strongest on the team. What that does is put a certain main character's strength at a higher level then we've previously thought, especially in regards to where Yusuke currently is.
I know that. What I was saying is, of those two, I always got the impression that Jin is the stronger one. He gave such a tough fight to Yusuke who, lets face it, is a total and utter powerhouse at this point compared to practically every fighter in the tournament aside from the Masked Fighter and Team Toguro. Risho also didn't seem to have as much recognition in the audience, whereas Jin was a huge fan favorite going into this match.
Jin could very well be the strongest, especially since it took Yusuke to really hammer him, but I don't think Risho is as much of a pushover either. He's probably the leader both because of his strength and because he is clearly the craftiest among Team Masho. But I don't want to quite spoil that yet.
Spoiler
The team owner also seemed to doubt Risho after Jin proved unable to beat Yusuke.
I think this is how I'd rank all the opponents in the first and third rounds of the tournament based on strength. I'm leaving out Itchagaki's team because I have no idea how they compare.
Jin
Chu
Zeru
Risho
Touya
Gamma
Rinku
Bakken
Roto
Roto strikes me as completely useless without his cheap tricks. And Bakken was established to be fairly weak.
I might update this list as we get to later rounds and meet new fighters.
Spoiler
Alright, I'll try my opinion:
Zeru
Jin
Risho
Chu
Touya
Gama
Rinku
Bakken
Roto
I think the next round will put a bit of a monkey wrench into the whole scheme. Mostly because we don't get a good grasp on the strength of the actual combatants.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 27, 2015, 03:39:35 PM
Spoiler
Alright, I'll try my opinion:
Zeru
Jin
Risho
Chu
Touya
Gama
Rinku
Bakken
Roto
I think the next round will put a bit of a monkey wrench into the whole scheme. Mostly because we don't get a good grasp on the strength of the actual combatants.
Spoiler
Looks like our lists are about the same other than the placements of Zeru and Risho. I had a bit of a hard time fitting Zeru in because we don't see a whole lot of him, other than the fact that he would have destroyed Hiei if Hiei didn't resort to using the dragon. But I do remember Kurama speculating that Chu could be even stronger than Zeru. It was never confirmed, but it seems possible. Having Yusuke and Chu even slightly above Zeru does seem to imply that Yusuke is much better than Hiei now, but if you think about it, at this point in the series, that actually makes sense and seems probable.
As for the fighters in the next round, yeah, I really don't know how I'll fit them in. But other than Shishi, I can't imagine any of them being high on the list.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on July 27, 2015, 03:52:19 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 27, 2015, 03:39:35 PM
Spoiler
Alright, I'll try my opinion:
Zeru
Jin
Risho
Chu
Touya
Gama
Rinku
Bakken
Roto
I think the next round will put a bit of a monkey wrench into the whole scheme. Mostly because we don't get a good grasp on the strength of the actual combatants.
Spoiler
Looks like our lists are about the same other than the placements of Zeru and Risho. I had a bit of a hard time fitting Zeru in because we don't see a whole lot of him, other than the fact that he would have destroyed Hiei if Hiei didn't resort to using the dragon. But I do remember Kurama speculating that Chu could be even stronger than Zeru. It was never confirmed, but it seems possible. Having Yusuke and Chu even slightly above Zeru does seem to imply that Yusuke is much better than Hiei now, but if you think about it, at this point in the series, that actually makes sense and seems probable.
As for the fighters in the next round, yeah, I really don't know how I'll fit them in. But other than Shishi, I can't imagine any of them being high on the list.
Spoiler
Zeru's placement is merely my own impression of him. I'm convinced that he is the strongest combatant outside of the finals being that he is the only one where the Dragon of the Darkness Flame was absolutely needed to win and that Hiei couldn't beat even at his best. Every other fight outside of the finals was him working at near half power and he still came out on top.
Shishiwakamaru is the only member of the team with incredible strength outside of his weapon, but I do think Suzuka is probably the best tactician of all of them and the one who has more spirit energy than he does muscle which drags him down. The other three rely entirely on their gimmicks and are otherwise at the bottom of the list. Though there is no way to really know that.
Spoiler
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 27, 2015, 04:02:00 PMZeru's placement is merely my own impression of him. I'm convinced that he is the strongest combatant outside of the finals being that he is the only one where the Dragon of the Darkness Flame was absolutely needed to win and that Hiei couldn't beat even at his best. Every other fight outside of the finals was him working at near half power and he still came out on top.
At the same time, what strong fighters did Hiei face between Zeru and the finals? I mean, in the Itchagaki round, all he faced was those two demons lackeys, one of which went down so easily that Hiei and Kurama actually joked about it. He didn't participate in the Masho round. Then, in the semi-finals, he first fought a joke, and then Kuro who crutched on his weapons to get him through the fight. Hiei's main story arc throughout the tournament was his wounds from his Zeru fight, but he actually didn't face many tough opponents. I'm not denying that Zeru might be the strongest, but I don't think it's too impressive that Hiei got by at half strength.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 27, 2015, 04:02:00 PM
Shishiwakamaru is the only member of the team with incredible strength outside of his weapon, but I do think Suzuka is probably the best tactician of all of them and the one who has more spirit energy than he does muscle which drags him down. The other three rely entirely on their gimmicks and are otherwise at the bottom of the list. Though there is no way to really know that.
Well, Makintaro wasn't shown to use a weapon. It's possible that his axe blade fist was given to him by Suzuka, or that he did have a weapon but died so quickly that he didn't get to use it. If neither of those are true, then he, who was considered by Kuro the weakest member of the team, was at least enough to survive till the semi-finals. Then again, I can't imagine Suzuka not giving him a weapon, so maybe his team just got lucky and fought against weak teams (I wouldn't be surprised if the tournament committee rigged it so that Team Urameshi faced the toughest teams), but still, I wouldn't be surprised if he, Kuro, and Ura Urishima are stronger than Roto, if nothing else.
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In this week's set, Yusuke and Jin's exciting match comes to a close with an applicable end. Yusuke comes out on top, but things aren't completely in Team Urameshi's favor, as Yusuke is disqualified for the rest of their fight against Team Masho for a technicality. With Kurama still unconscious and Hiei and the masked fighter still trapped, it all seems over, until Kuwabara does the unthinkable and gives his all to face the team's leader, Risho.
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Thankfully, Kuwabara, even at his most vulnerable, is only becoming stronger, as he takes Risho with all of his might, even after how tough things are seeming. It becomes even tougher on his part when Risho finds a way to eliminate Kuwabara's trade mark Spirit Sword. The resulting match doesn't become easier for Kuwabara, but he gives his all to win. A little bit of tenderness doesn't hurt, either.
And there we go. These past few episodes have been some of the series most exciting to date, giving us a well balanced set of opponents and promisingly challenging obstacles for each of them to face. Last week gave Yusuke some great material, while this set is some of Kuwbara's best in a little bit. Definitely great stuff.
I'm running a little behind again, but I'll try to have something up by tomorrow.
But, yeah, these were all awesome matches. Years later, this is still just as exhilirating as it ever was.
Reverse Decisions is one of my favorite episodes in the entire series. And the reason for that is because this feels like the episode where all of that tension and desperation that has been flowing ever since the round began just explodes. The odds were stacked against them so much, and in the end, defeating Team Masho with two fighters alone was just too much to hope for, particularly in a tournament where the committee is against you. Kurama was eliminated, and now, Yusuke has been disqualified. And the anger that comes about can make it so easy to find yourself on the edge of your seat when Yusuke and Hiei blow up and prepare themselves to literally go on a killing spree. There is no other moment in the entire series like this, where the main characters actually lose, realize that they are going to die, and thus are overcome with so much anger that they prepare to take other people down with them (well, at least Yusuke and Hiei do that last part). And I love seeing Toguro's reaction to Botajiri's (not sure about spelling there) plan. He's utterly disgusted. I can't help but think he wouldn't get in the way of Yusuke and Hiei's rampage if that were to happen.
But we we see, that doesn't happen. Kuwabara so bravely steps up to face Risho with what little strength he has left in him. As far as I'm concerned, this is one of Kuwabara's crowning moments in the series. We've seen his bravery before, but never to this extent. He's going into a fight he has little chance of winning and almost no chance of coming out of alive, but he's going in anyway because that's just the kind of guy he is. The rest of the team believes so firmly that this is hopeless, that their time in the Dark Tournament is finally coming to an end, as Koto begins the match and Risho prepares for the kill while Kuwabara can't even keep himself up straight.
And we see in the next episode that, in the end, the only way to get his team their win is to sacrifice his life, as Yusuke did against Suzaku so long ago. As he says, Yusuke and Kurama gave it their all to make it this far and now he's ready to bring it home for them, even if he won't be there to celebrate with them in the end. Speaking of which, I love Kuwabara's dialogue whenever he is acting heroic (I'll be praising that dialogue of his non-stop once we get to Kuwabara: Awakening in Chapter Black). Just makes it all the more powerful when he charges into Risho's finishing blow, fearlessly and head on.
Of course, as we see, something unexpected happens. Yukina arrives and Kuwabara, in a comedic way, feels a new surge of energy and then destroys Risho. Surprisingly, this doesn't feel out of place. In fact, I think it feels rather earned. Because, like I said, there is so much desperation and stress in this match ever since it began. So there's something nice and satisfying about the fact that it can end in such a light way. Then we get to see the team outside the ring and in other places on the island. After spending two matches straight in the ring, I do think it's a relief to see them back on the beach and in the forest getting to take a breather and just talk.
Just as a side note, where is CX in all of these discussions, now that it's the Summer? I guess he thinks that he's too cool to be talking about old-school shonen with the likes of us, the snob. :unimpressed: :humhumhum:
41. Reverse Decisions
Oh, Hell yeah! This is the show that I truly know and love. Literally everything worked in this episode. The conclusion to Yusuke and Jin's fight is suitably bad-ass and climactic, and also a notable improvement from the manga with the animation adding in Yusuke blocking Jin's second punch with his foot. The animation in this episode in general was really good by this show's usual standards, with lots of fluid motions in terms of both fighting and regular character actions. In general, it was just super satisfying to see Yusuke finally come face to face with an opponent that he could actually respect, and vice versa, which in and of itself is a good part of his character arc in realizing how much he has come to love and accept who he really is as a person.
As the episode title suggests, though, the corruption of Butajiri and the "Tournament Committee" causes a ruling in Team Masho's favor by disqualifying Yusuke on a very questionable technicality (which really reminds me of a classic WWE heel-type scenario....perhaps Togashi is a fan of professional wrestling). At this point, you are just as outraged as the characters, and most of us would probably feel glad to see Yusuke and Hiei indulge themselves by taking down as many ass-holes in the stadium as they could with them. Also, as Talon already pointed out, it's great to see how even Toguro, our main villain of this arc, is disgusted by such underhanded tactics. It's also worth mentioning that I love how even Koto is annoyed by this ruling and how the dub adds in the running gag of her subtly mocking the committee's comment on her "taking too long to count." In the next episode, she has a great line along the lines of "OK everyone, I'm going to count to 10 now! Make sure to let me know how I'm doing it wrong!" I just love well-written sarcasm like that.
Finally, we end the episode with Kuwabara being a man among men and heaving his brutally injured body into the ring in order to finish off the fight with Team Masho the right way, despite all of the odds being stacked against him. I just love how part of the reason that he does it is also because he doesn't want to see Yusuke be as bad as the guys who are putting them down. Rather than have him go on a massacre, Kuwabara is willing to stake his very fragile life on competing with Risho himself, man to man (or demon, in this case).
42. A Matter of Love and Death
Now, admittedly this fight in an of itself isn't that spectacular, but what makes it so memorable is the amount of heart that Kuwabara puts into the struggle. He goes balls-out and does everything in his power just to be able to stand up before being counted out. This is the type of stuff that really gives you the feels when you are watching a well-done battle shonen, and it's one of the reasons why I hate when other people put down the genre as a whole, because the best of these series are more about heart than straight-up logic, and YYH is a series with a ton of great passion behind its characters and best moments.
Having Yukina be the one to spur him onto success might seem a little corny, but I genuinely like moments like that, and it really fits with his character. This is also yet another moment that the anime does much better than the manga. In the manga, the part where he first swats Risho away as an afterthought to seeing Yukina is literally the end of the fight, which I found to be humorous, but ultimately disappointing to end it all on a joke given how hard Team Urameshi had struggled up to this point. The anime adds in a scene where Risho comes at Kuwabara with full power, and Kuwabara gives it his all to take him out once and for all. That, to me, is about as satisfying of a conclusion as you could have to this match. Also, I just love how it's Kuwabara who ends up saving the day, in general, despite clearly being the weakest and least experienced fighter on the team.
And then there's the scene with Toguro managing to off Butajiri with literally just the flick of his wrist. The exaggerated way in which his head just explodes at that is one of those FOTNS or JoJo-esque moments that's a real blast to see, especially to such an underhanded bastard like that guy. I also just love it when the bigger, badder villain offs one of the lesser, really annoying villains, despite the fact that it works in the interests of the protagonists (or in this case, especially because of that). I also like how they establish that Risho and Bakken are the odd ones out in Team Masho, with Jin clearly hating their tactics, and Touya coming in to explain how Gama's sacrifice was genuine, and how Risho is "going too far" by using the committee to give the team such an unfair advantage over Team Urameshi. It's just another example of how Togashi excels at writing characters who may oppose the heroes, but are far from bad people, themselves.
And just on a smaller note, I really like how we got a bit more of the filler sub-plot between Sakyo and Shizuru. I can't really explain why, but it's just a really nice touch to the arc, and I enjoy seeing it.
Kuwabara is a lot stronger than we thought he was. Even half dead he proves his mettle in the ring. Though they all did, being that Team Masho was no joke. Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara, made it through the ringer and all came out in one piece.
All in all, this was my favorite round in the tournament even if Hiei and the Masked Fighter didn't get to do all that much. But, hey, there's still time for them to make up for it in the next round! ;)
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 28, 2015, 03:15:36 PM
Just as a side note, where is CX in all of these discussions, now that it's the Summer? I guess he thinks that he's too cool to be talking about old-school shonen with the likes of us, the snob. :unimpressed: :humhumhum:
I honestly just keep forgetting about it. :P I'll try to start with the next set of episodes.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 28, 2015, 03:15:36 PMI also like how they establish that Risho and Bakken are the odd ones out in Team Masho, with Jin clearly hating their tactics, and Touya coming in to explain how Gama's sacrifice was genuine, and how Risho is "going too far" by using the committee to give the team such an unfair advantage over Team Urameshi. It's just another example of how Togashi excels at writing characters who may oppose the heroes, but are far from bad people, themselves.
I think one might even be able to make the argument that Bakken isn't quite the jerk he seemed to be... well, he is a jerk. And he's dishonorable for sure, but at the same time, when he beat up Kurama so much, it almost seemed like he was lashing out over the lose of Touya and the death of Gamma. So he uses cheap tactics, but if nothing else, I do think he cared about his companions. Risho doesn't show any signs of compassion, so ultimately, he might just view the others as teammates and nothing more. But I like that there seems to be some sort of bond in Team Masho, with Jin and Touya clearly being friends, Gamma giving up his own life so they could fulfill their dreams, and even Bakken possibly being a bit more of a softy than he appears. Even Jin referring to Bakken as a jerk suggests a more human relationship between them than what we see out of most other teams.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 28, 2015, 03:38:01 PM
All in all, this was my favorite round in the tournament even if Hiei and the Masked Fighter didn't get to do all that much. But, hey, there's still time for them to make up for it in the next round! ;)
Spoiler
It almost seems intentional that, after Hiei and the Masked Fighter were not involved in this match, they pretty much dominate the semi-finals which both getting multiple fights.
Bakken was a jerk, but it did seem like he cared somewhat for his allies as he wasn't pounding on Kurama only for kicks-- he said it was for what he did to Gama and Touya. So I don't dislike him as much as I probably could. I don't like him, but I get him.
Risho was far more concerned with winning over if any of his allies survived. His confrontation with Touya pretty much proved that. He would rather win by disqualification than earn his prize with his own strength. In my opinion, Kuwabara didn't hit him near hard enough.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on July 28, 2015, 10:20:05 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 28, 2015, 03:38:01 PM
All in all, this was my favorite round in the tournament even if Hiei and the Masked Fighter didn't get to do all that much. But, hey, there's still time for them to make up for it in the next round! ;)
Spoiler
It almost seems intentional that, after Hiei and the Masked Fighter were not involved in this match, they pretty much dominate the semi-finals which both getting multiple fights.
Spoiler
Hiei and Genkai are responsible for 4 wins out of the 5 total wins in the match. It's even arguable if Kurama gets the credit for Uraurashima since it was Shishiwakamaru that killed him. I'd say they made up for not helping during the Team Masho match.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 28, 2015, 10:29:19 PM
Risho was far more concerned with winning over if any of his allies survived. His confrontation with Touya pretty much proved that. He would rather win by disqualification than earn his prize with his own strength. In my opinion, Kuwabara didn't hit him near hard enough.
Which always made me wonder, did Risho survive this match? It seems like he did, since he, in a rather comedic way, fell unconscious after Kuwabara's final attack. And what about Bakken?
I think Risho is a good villain because you're supposed to hate him a lot, and you end up doing just that. A lot.
I think it's implied that Risho and Bakken are alive, since their defeats were very comedic and not serious at all, but Touya and Jin go their separate ways from them after the match since they clearly don't get along with them.
The only characters I consider dead are the ones shown dead or are stated to be dead. Neither of them were.
EDIT: Besides, Togashi would NEVER miss a chance to give an over the top bloody end to any character he could. He wouldn't have characters die in such a mild way.
Yu Yu Hakusho Togashi and Hunter X Hunter Togashi don't share the same mentality, dummy. :bleh:
Also, the way that Togashi handles the next set of fights given how Hiei and Genkai were restrained for this round is just a testament to how good he is at balancing his characters in the story. I love how whenever you bring up Togashi's name, it's literally always attached to something negative, rather than any of the good stuff that he does as a writer (which is almost everything else). You must really despise the guy, lol. :lol:
Nah, just enjoy picking on him. :D
For what it's worth, I do actually agree with you on all of his problems as a writer....or lack thereof, given how little writing he actually seems to do these days. :P
Jokes aside, though, while not the most consistent in terms if quality, when his writing is at its best, its outstanding on a level that few other peers of his in the shonen genre can reach, and I'd argue that he's legitimately one of the five best contemporary shonen writers around. I feel like he's really managed to push the boundaries of battle shonen writing in remarkable ways with his best story arcs.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 28, 2015, 03:15:36 PMIt's also worth mentioning that I love how even Koto is annoyed by this ruling and how the dub adds in the running gag of her subtly mocking the committee's comment on her "taking too long to count." In the next episode, she has a great line along the lines of "OK everyone, I'm going to count to 10 now! Make sure to let me know how I'm doing it wrong!" I just love well-written sarcasm like that.
I love Koto. She is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated side characters in the series. Just a really fun addition to the Dark Tournament. Also, I've always liked to believe that the cold and brutal side of her, the side that craves blood and death, is basically an act. This is never proven anywhere, but it just makes sense to me that it would be a part of her job, to act like she's totally into it more than she really is. And some of the reasons I think this are the few moments where she drops this "act", as I'm calling it now, and shows a much more human side. She's disgusted by how far Bakken beats up Kurama when he can't defend himself. Also, she acts completely neutral toward the fighters and life in general, but whenever the committee wrongs Team Urameshi, she seems ready to defend them, such as when she refused to declare Team Masho the winner after Yusuke's disqualification. Also...
Spoiler
In the Demon World Tournament, this side of her was very toned down, and she even seemed a little saddened when Shigure died.
That's just how I tend to think about her.
Koto acts like more of an in-ring character to hype up the fans, but she very visibly shows signs of discomfort over some of the more brutal deaths. Obviously she wouldn't be doing it if she didn't enjoy it on some level, but I'm pretty sure a lot of what she says is playing to the crowd.
Yeah, as many demons do, I wouldn't be surprised if she gets some enjoyment out of it. Unlike a certain other character in the series, though, where it it seems to be just a job to her.
So far, what would you guys say is the best fight we've seen in the series?
So far? Yusuke Vs. Jin. It had pretty much everything. Crazy moves, good tactics, humor, and one awesome finale.
Second would be Yusuke Vs. Chu.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on July 29, 2015, 09:56:29 PM
So far? Yusuke Vs. Jin. It had pretty much everything. Crazy moves, good tactics, humor, and one awesome finale.
Second would be Yusuke Vs. Chu.
I agree. But I do think the Knife Edge Death Match makes the Chu fight a very close second.
Best single fight is Yusuke vs. Jin, so far.
However, as I've stated before, I tend to think of Team Urameshi vs. Team Masho as one long, extended battle.
So, of the episodes that have aired thus far, I'd call Reverse Decisions the best one yet. I really can't weird for the semi-finals to begin.
Can I just say, I really like when we see other parts of Hanging Neck Island beyond the stadium. They did a good job of making the island just look nice and tranquil outside of the stadium (which, obviously, is not tranquil). We saw a lot of it in A Day in Waiting, and some of it in the episodes this week. Next week, we'll see a whole lot of it again.
I like how this arc has a lot of breathing room in-between fights despite being a tournament arc. The stuff that happens outside of the ring has just as much weight and importance to it as what goes down inside of the ring, and it's just as interesting. That's why this is the best tournament arc of all time, IMO.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on July 30, 2015, 02:15:02 PM
I like how this arc has a lot of breathing room in-between fights despite being a tournament arc. The stuff that happens outside of the ring has just as much weight and importance to it as what goes down inside of the ring, and it's just as interesting. That's why this is the best tournament arc of all time, IMO.
And that breathing room is one of the things that makes it special when there is no breathing room before the fight against Team Masho.
This week we move into more interesting back story.
The fight against Team Masho might be over, but they're still a ways from the goal line. Not only that, but Yusuke still has more to learn and the Masked Fighter is going to teach him what it is he's missing.
Not only that, but Koenma shows up with a surprise!
First, not only does Yusuke's spirit egg (remember that?) finally have enough energy to hatch, but it is also the true test of Yusuke's character. Will he be devoured and left for dead once gain, or will he hatch a valiant beast that shows just what a dynamic hero he is? Well, what he gets is not quite what anyone expects.
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And that is apparently the true form of Yusuke Uremeshi.
But that is not everything. As Team Uremeshi rests, the Masked Fighter (now officially revealed as Genkai) shows that his training still needs one final step to complete. He must take in her spirit orb-- a concentration of power that will allow him to reach his peak potential. If he survives, that is.
See, though Genkai is master of the Spirit Wave, it's an incredibly dangerous technique that can kill the user of used improperly. Not to mention that there's no guarantee that Yusuke will survive taking the orb into his body. There's a chance he might be able to figure out a way to beat Toguro without it, but he can't risk his life on that. So he instantly jumps at the chance to become more powerful. Otherwise they are all dead.
Yusuke takes in the spirit orb without a second thought and, well, it doesn't go too well for him.
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Not only that, but Team Uremeshi is readying for the semi-finals, and two of their members are off training instead of getting ready for the match. Can Hiei, Kurama, and Kuwabara, take on the semi-finals by themselves? Or are they up a creek?
The Dark Tournament arc rages on in our weekly discussion, so what do you all think of this pair of episodes?
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on August 03, 2015, 01:51:44 PMThere's a chance he might be able to figure out a way to beat Toguro without it
Spoiler
Well, considering that he still almost died against Toguro until Kuwabara's faked death even with all of her energy, I'd say he would have lost quickly without it. He wasn't even able to scratch Toguro with a full powered spirit blast, and considering that probably, like, 90% of his power was Genkai's, I can only imagine how ineffective his attacks would be without it.
I know the Team Masho match is widely considered on this board as one of the best matches in the tournament, if not the best. That said, I do think the show doesn't necessarily go downhill with the semi-finals. But more like, so much of the Dark Tournament happens to be fantastic, and the semi-finals just happens to come after a match that is slightly more fantastic. So basically, I see these matches as different levels of awesome as opposed to different levels of quality, if that makes sense.
I really do love all of the moments where the good guys get some downtime in this series to just be themselves. It makes them feel more human and more relatable.
And I fucking love the match between Hiei and Makintaro. That was literally the perfect way to start off this round of the tournament, and it's absolutely hilarious in a very dark/morbid way. It's one of the few times that Togashi gets violent with a scene in a way that actually makes it feel like it benefits from doing so.
43. The Masked Fighter Revealed
So, let's address the elephant in the room. Yes, Genkai being the masked fighter was absolutely no surprise to anybody. But, that mystery (or lack thereof) was hardly a focusing point of the character. Rather, I think that Togashi knew that it was obvious to readers/viewers that Genkai was disguising herself to be in the tournament, but the real question that's presented to us now is just WHY did she feel the need to disguise herself in the first place. Between this and Toguro seeming to know what's going on with Yusuke and his training, we get a big hint of a relationship between Genkai and Toguro that we were previously unaware of.
On another note, remember that Macguffin Spirit Egg that was introduced way back in the first arc of this story? Well, it's finally back, and as I've stated before it makes a great metaphor for Yusuke's character arc. Whereas it was introduced as a means to restore Yusuke back to life in the first arc, Togashi has thus turned it into a physical representation of Yusuke's soul. The egg having grown bigger since he last saw it represents how he has grown as a person since the beginning of the series, but more so than that, Puu finally emerging from the egg to me represents Yusuke having truly completed his rebirth as a Spirit Detective. After all of his experiences, he is now a far cry from the hopeless street punk that he once was.
The rest of the episode is just great for giving the characters some downtime to just be themselves. Sure, some plot progression still occurs, but it's the little moments between characters, such as the group playfully mocking Yusuke to his annoyance, that really injects a healthy dose of humanity and relatability into a series as outlandish as this one. It's what sets this apart from certain other series that are so scared of slowing down the pace with a bit relief to all of the tension. Most people would consider that filler, but in that regard, filler is not inherently a bad thing. However, I wouldn't call this filler myself, in the sense that it still does feel relevant. Not so much in terms of the plot, but in terms of reminding us what these characters are really like when their lives and well-being aren't being threatened, and in essence it's what they are really trying to protect, in the end.
44. Yusuke's Final Test
I love the whole mentor-to-student relationship between Genkai and Yusuke. Furthemore, I love how this feels sort of like a classic martial arts story or something of that like, where the wise master asks the student to perform a difficult test, but it's really a disguise of a test within a test, and by refusing to partake in the initially proposed test of killing Genkai, Yusuke has unwittingly passed the real first test of whether he is of the right character to inherit her power. However, putting that cute little bit aside, his real test is just about as rigorous and agonizing as you would expect it to be.
And back at the tournament, we now have Team Urameshi in the semi-finals in another disadvantaged situation with two of their key members missing, but what's brilliant about it is that it gives Hiei a chance to shine right away since he didn't have much to do in the last two rounds. And boy, what an awesome match it is when it reaffirms for all of us and the characters on screen what a bad-ass he is and how you should never take him lightly. In a matter of seconds the first match is already done, when he slices Makintaro's arm off so fast that he doesn't even feel what happened until he realizes that he's missing an arm by seeing it with is own eyes. It's like a classic FOTNS or JoJo-esque moment of over-the-top martial arts ability triumphing over a much bigger but far more slow-witted opponent. It's probably one of the most genuinely bad-ass moments in any shonen manga or anime that I've ever seen.
Also, next week, we finally get to see my namesake on screen! :D
Hey guys, I'm in one of these episodes! Hiei summons me and then forces me to penetrate some hairy guy, with his wet hot juices spilling off of my pointy end. This is clearly the best cameo ever! :happytime:
Also, you find out here that my first name is Jao. I would later go on to earn a PharmD degree and refer to myself as doctor. :humhumhum:
It's funny how Kuro Momataro puts up such a fight when, in reality, he's probably nothing. The only reason the match lasted more than a single minute is because he had those Steaming Spears to boost him up, and because Hiei was fighting at half strength.
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This week's pair continues Team Urameshi's match against Team Uraotogi. The lion's share of these episodes involves Hiei's second battle, where he faces Kuro Momotaro, who is able to transform his abilities to mess with Hiei's. It makes for a good stream of combat. Both trade off a few new (to us) moves, which results in an exciting match throughout.
Hiei holds his own throughout, eventually winning, as the next match brings Kurama into the field as he takes on Ura Urashima, a seemingly average, but conceptually worthy opponent that uses Kurama's compassion to his advantage. It results in one a big reveal for Kurama, which is bound to make next week's episodes even more exciting.
Meanwhile, Yusuke is still giving it his all, as he and Genkai continue their training. Will they be MIA for the entire match?
I was always unclear how the Sword of the Darkness Flame works. Like, it's the dragon taking on the form of a sword, right? Always seemed a bit weird since the dragon is supposedly a living creature.
Still a cool move. And I love how Hiei doesn't like it since it's similar to Kuwabara's Spirit Sword.
These were great episodes focused on giving Hiei his first real trouble of the tournament since he sacrificed his arm and half his power to beat Zeru in the first round. We also see the extent of Kuro-Momotaro's power which is quite amazing despite him being an otherwise average fighter. Also dig the jab at Kuwabara when Hiei uses the Ensatsu-ken to win the match. It's such an uncouth technique!
As for the tournament, it's not going well for Team Uraotogi who have already suffered two losses. If this weren't the semi-finals, they'd really be up a creek. And seeing that Kurama is up next to fight, it's not looking good for them either. Or is it? They seem to have some sort of plan going.
Next week we should finally see what Kurama's potential is truly capable of.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on August 10, 2015, 05:02:16 PM
I was always unclear how the Sword of the Darkness Flame works. Like, it's the dragon taking on the form of a sword, right? Always seemed a bit weird since the dragon is supposedly a living creature.
He channeled the dragon's energy into his broken sword (like Kuwabara did with his own energy way back in the Genkai Tournament) instead of his arm. It's not as strong as the normal Darkness Flame, but seeing that it only needed to kill on the first attack, it was his best option without killing himself or losing his other arm.
So basically, the sword is a portion of the dragon's energy, and not necessarily the actual living dragon itself?
That's pretty much it. He just needed enough to cut through Kuro-Momotaro's skin since he wasn't protected against it, which the dragon's energy gave him.
It was a busy week, and still is, but here are my thoughts on the previous two episodes:
45. Hiei Battles On
This was a fairly standard episode, but definitely a good watch if you're a fan of the character. I like how we finally get to see Hiei struggle through a fight in which there is no quick solution. He can't overcome his opponent with speed like he did with Seiryuu, nor can he rely on his trump card the Dragon of the Darkness Flame like he did against Zeru. He has to get by on his wit and skill alone, and Kuro Momotaro really pushes him to the extreme in that regard.
That said, Kuro himself is a pretty lackluster opponent in terms of personality, and while his ability is cool and imaginative, he doesn't seem to do too much else besides rely on his beast armor and throw an occasional attack or two. We do get to see some new abilities from Hiei, but obviously nothing as grand are awe-inspiring as his ultimate attack which we've already seen.
On another side of the Island, Yusuke is going through complete hell in trying to properly absorb Genkai's energy. There is an excellent moment here in which we see a side of Genkai that we haven't previously seen before. Despite being very harsh as a master and seemingly having no emotions beyond her stern and serious demeanor, she looks on at Yusuke with so much pity, as if he were her own son, and contemplates ending the test and taking back the Spirit Orb to end his pain and suffering and allow him to live. But as soon as she tries to do that, Yusuke stops her in rage and frustration. He really wants to push himself to the next level, and will endure this incredible pain for as long as he has to in order to achieve that. It really shows you how committed he is, which is something that he probably never would have done earlier in the series.
46. Many Faces, Many Forms
We get the conclusion to the match between Hiei and Kuro. It's a fittingly bloody and violent finish, and yes, my user-name is named after the attack that Hiei uses to deal the killing blow. Now, to be honest I wanted my username to reference the Dragon of the Darkness Flame, or the Ensatsu-kokuryuuha in Japanese, but since the latter part of that name was too long, I just settled on ken. Having said that, It's a terrible unimaginative username that I quickly came to regret having chosen (though, mind you, I was a teenager back when I came up with this, so naturally I didn't put much thought into things like that), but at the same time, I've grown so used to it that I don't feel like changing it, plus I'm too lazy.
Anyways, putting the Hiei fight aside, we also have Yusuke enduring some more suffering, but not too much progress is made there besides the aforementioned moment between him and Genkai. More interestingly, though, we get into Kurama's fight with Ura Urashima. As a fun fact, he is being voiced in the English dub by Vic Mignogna in one of his earliest roles with FUNimation. I really love how the character uses Kurama's kind and compassionate nature against him, and Vic's performance makes it come off in a very humorous manner too, seeing as how it mocks that old shonen trope of the hero taking pity on a seemingly helpless soul. He gets so sickeningly kind-hearted in his speech that is just so full of cliches that you know it has to be an act.
Of course, the real beauty and irony of all of this is that it is going to be what leads to his downfall. In an admittedly very forced twist, Ura uses an item that will turn his opponent younger. Now, I get that despite having trapped Kurama in the ring and also having destroyed his Rose Whip, he still needs some sort of advantage to win seeing as how Kurama has another lethal plant-based weapon, as well as how Ura is probably aware from his previous matches that Kurama is a brilliant strategist and can still find a way to take him out even in that kind of situation, so he doesn't want to take a chance with the guy. But why specifically an item that can cause his downfall is beyond me. It's a bit too much of a stretch, but if you can get past that, then the payoff is absolutely brilliant. We as viewers know that before he took on a human form, Kurama was the legendary, villainous bandit Yoko Kurama, who was also several times stronger than he was in his human form. I just love Ura's reaction when he realizes that by turning back the time on Kurama's biological clock, he has unwittingly signed his own death sentence by having him revert to even before his human infancy and into his prime demonic form. It's the kind of awesome twist that just leaves you pumped for the next episode.
Anyways, this was a good set of episodes, and I can't wait for tomorrow's batch!
Yeah, it's very obviously Togashi's "bring back Yoko" item and not much else. But since Yoko is welcomed back, I can accept it.
I would think it too convenient if not for his opponent. It was made clear several times that Onji specifically chose certain items to deal with the troublemakers in the tournament. That's why they used the orbs against Hiei and the thing this week against another member of the group. He knew Kurama was extremely dangerous when cornered, so he probably decided to use the one item that wouldn't allow him any tricks. The easiest way to make him defenseless would be to make him a baby.
Of course it backfired badly, but it was never really too much for me to swallow.
Makintaro's part of the plan always struck me as forced.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on August 17, 2015, 11:29:10 AM
Makintaro's part of the plan always struck me as forced.
What part?
Makintaro had the best role in the tournament. :bleh:
O0
Quote from: talonmalon333 on August 17, 2015, 11:47:37 AM
Makintaro had the best role in the tournament. :bleh:
To be used as a pincushion for Hiei. :D
I feel bad that I can't post my full discussions on here on Mondays like I'm supposed to since I'm extremely busy, but suffice it to say that this week we had another great round of episodes. Yoko Kurama is a great side of the character that we haven't seen before, and Yusuke really shows how much heart he has in struggling through his suffering.
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Holy shit. Kurama is a badass.
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Holy shit, Kuwavbara is a dumbass. But Genkai kicks ass.
I have pics for the other fights in this round, but I decided to save them for when this round is over. I wanted to keep the pics for the episodes as general to the events as possible. That said, this is another great set of episodes focused on Kurama's transformation, and Shishiwakamaru's official debut against Team Uremeshi. Small spoiler, but Genkai's fight against Shishi is pretty awesome: next week's pic for that fight is really cool.
And I gotta say, this round is not Kuwabara's best moment.
Nice Avatar, Avaitor! ;)
As for Kuwabara losing, I think it was a fair way to make Team Uraotogi not seem like such pushovers, since they lost three matches in a row, and had Makintaro suffer an even more humiliating defeat to Hiei. This is the semi-finals, after all.
Late as usual, but here are my brief thoughts on these episodes:
47. Legendary Bandit: Yoko Kurama
Yoko Kurama is a bad-ass. That's no surprise, but it's great to finally see him live up to the hype ever since we learned of Kurma's true origins way earlier in the series. It's also suitable that his first appearance is brief, giving you just a taste of his power, but leaving you wanting to see more in the Dark Tournament finals.
Meanwhile, Yusuke had a really terrific character moment here when Puu is trying to help keep him alive and ease his suffering, but almost dies himself from a partial cave-in, which forces Yusuke to finally act out. The animation in this scene is both appropriately simplistic yet effectively stellar, and the use of music just sends a chill down my spine every time I watch it. It's one of my all-time favorite moments in the entire show.
48. The Cape of No Return
I love how this episode is really the first time we get the reveal that Genkai and Toguro both know each other and have some history between one another. Sure, it was hinted at before, but this is the first real confirmation. I also love how the situation that brings this up is an instance in which Toguro has to help Team Urameashi by explaining how Genkai has been the masked fighter all along, and that Team Urameshi is not using a substitute.
As for Genkai, it's great to showcase how experienced she is. Despite having been significantly weakened by having passed on most of her Spirit Energy to Yusuke, she still knows how to use what little power that she has effectively, and thus is able to stand toe-to-to with Shishiwakamaru despite her handicap.
The only downside to all of this is how Kuwabara is basically treated like a joke in his match, but it doesn't bother me too much as the defeat is more superficial and a consequence of his arrogance, rather than making him out to be weak. He charged full force at Shishi without knowing anything about his abilities or even trying to gauge his opponent's strength, and that ended up in him getting transported to another arena far off on another part of the island. If he had concentrated and not underestimated his opponent, he could have taken on Shishi for sure, though, IMO.
And that's pretty much the extent of what I have to say about these episodes. Normally I'd be far more elaborate and in detail on my thoughts, but I just don't have the time this week. Of course, I love doing these discussions, which is why I don't want to miss a single week, even if I have to keep it short, but hopefully I'll have the opportunity to say more next time.
It's that time of the week!
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As you can tell, this set is all about Genkai proving her worth. It's important to show, as we're discovering a little more about her past, and seeing that she's got it. Good stuff.
It's another good set of episodes, and once again may I remind you that Genkai is fighting under a handicap since she passed on most of her Spirit Energy to Yusuke. This effectively means that she's succeeding in these matches by utilizing skill and experience over power.
Other matches from this round:
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Hiei Vs. Makintaro
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Kurama Vs. Uraurashima
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Kuwabara Vs. Shishiwakamaru
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Kuwabara Vs. Anji
This was a great set of matches, and what a great finale for the round! Genkai and Hiei make up for their absence in the previous match by cleaning house here. Team Uremeshi didn't even need Yusuke. Up next, the finals. But before then, we have a bit of reflection and a few more moments left before Team Uremeshi steps foot in the ring for the last time.
On the other hand, we're over 50 episodes into the series and there are still no signs of the show slacking yet. Next week hopes to be even better!
Man, I've just been so busy lately. Here are my very brief thoughts on these episodes:
49. Genkai's Strength
This was a pretty standard episode, but I really liked seeing Genkai manage to dominate the match with skill alone. Since she didn't have a lot of Spirit Energy to spare, using the energy from Shishi's own attack against him was ingenious.
50. Suzuka's Challenge
I wasn't a fan of seeing Kuwabara being humiliated twice in a row. This was certainly Genkai's best match so far, though. She makes an utter fool out of Ura Urashima's team captain, and secures the victory for Team Urameshi. It's brilliant of Togashi to put Genkai at the forefront of the story by giving her so much focus for now, considering what's about to happen. It's also great to not have Yusuke fight at all this round, in order to leave his newfound power as a surprise for his final match against Toguro.
I also liked the scene where Team Urameshi's former opponents save Keiko out of respect for Yusuke. It establishes a friendship between them and further showcases that not every person who ever opposes Yusuke is necessarily evil.
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Everything Genkai's material in the past few episodes has been leading toward culminates in these episodes. When younger Toguro skips his team's match, we find that he runs into Genkai, as their history is further explored.
Genkai gets to say her goodbyes throughout, as the episode shows her demise against Toguro, as her fate is decided. It's a bittersweet end for a great character, but we're far from over here!
Man, these episodes remind me of why Yu Yu Hakusho is easily among the best of its genre. There is such heart and an underlying emotional current going on with these characters that you aren't fully aware of until moments like these episodes, especially the latter of them. I'll get to doing my full write-ups for these later on this week, but suffice it to say that I was really heartbroken when I first watched these episodes on Toonami as a kid. Of course, I didn't know back then that Genkai could be brought back to life (and Yusuke's revival at the beginning of the series were under different circumstances), but even so, it doesn't ruin the weight of these episodes at all, in retrospect.
These episodes essentially complete Genkai's character arc as a tired old woman who thought she had nothing left to give. But she ends up with something of a son in Yusuke and will do anything to help him. At the same time we see who Toguro was once upon a time, and how he slowly moved away from her with the years until they are where we see here.
The question, at this point, is how will Yusuke get past this in time for the finals?
Man, I really wish I weren't so busy lately. There's a ton that I want to say about these episodes, but I just don't have the time. I'll have to keep it short, for now.
51. Arch-Rivals
I love the whole atmosphere of this episode. Even without anything being said, they do such a good job of establishing an ominous and foreboding mood just through the animation and music alone. Shizuru having a vague premonition of Genkai's passing was an especially great touch, as were Genkai's unusually kind parting words to members of the group, showing us that she knew her time was near.
The exchange between her and Toguro is excellent. You immediately get how these characters had a history together and in some ways still respect each other. But, deep down they also resent the path that each other chose to follow. The whole scene is expertly directed, and full of tension.
52. The Death of Genkai
Yusuke desperately rushing to reach Genkai in time always gets to me. It's just really heartbreaking how futile his efforts to save her are, despite how much he cares, which is also compounded by the scene where Toguro pulverizes him with ease. He points out how his heart wasn't in that attack, symbolizing that he still has a ways to go to complete his character arc, which is in tandem with the ability to tap into his full power.
The scene where Genkai accepts her fate as Toguro charges her down really cements in a feeling of hopelessness. Her tear-jerking speech to Yusuke about never letting himself become the person that Toguro became is one of my favorite moments in any piece of fiction that I've ever seen. It's infused with meaning, and will come back in a big way towards the end of this arc, and in general is a significant aspect of Yusuke's overall character arc.
I ranked this as my third favorite episode in the series a few years ago, and I still stand by that decision. Shonen anime in general rarely ever touch this level of quality, IMO, and I say that as a fan of many series in the genre.
This week we have an episode that's focused on the aftermath of the previous one, and another episode that's merely just building up to the finals.
In almost any other series, this would come off as boring filler. In YYH, it is incredibly emotionally resonant with Yusuke and the rest of his team dealing with the grief of Genkai's death, while the latter episode does an excellent job of raising the stakes even higher than they already were, effectively increasing the tension going into these battles.
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Last week's episodes were pretty rough, but we're not really over yet. This episode is titled "Overcoming Grief" in English, after all. And that's what Yusuke is trying to do before he makes it over to the finals. Koenma, who is heading in to replace Genkai for the team, does his best to help Yusuke, but this is something that only he can do himself, and it allows for a great cooling piece before that last rise of action begins.
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Although this episode is a little more relaxed than usual, as well. What's even more surprising than seeing Koenma step in for the tournament is seeing Sakyo do the same, but we're not going to see either fight just yet. First, we're getting ready for what's going to be an explosive batch of episodes, which I can't wait to delve into next week!
And while I'm at it, I do find the scene where the girls outsmart the scalper to be a fun little bit of comic relief. Also, I've noticed this early, but am I the only one who thinks that he's modeled after Brian Johnson from AC/DC?
Could be. It wouldn't be the first reference to American music in this show; Kuwabara has an Oingo Boingo poster in his room, and then there's "Megallica"....
He probably is. It wouldn't surprise me.
It was a great pair of episodes this week, mostly all build up to the finals. Though Sakyo and Koenma stepping in for their teams is a bit of a surprise (Kuwabara's "What's wrong with you?" line always gets me) the real surprises are still to come. These matches are some of the most famous in the shonen genre, and for a very good reason. The first match should highlight that almost as well as any other.
And with this week's episodes we have officially reached the halfway point of the series. So in commemoration, here is a nice pic of the Dark Tournament arc that neatly sums up the whole battle our heroes will be going through.
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Not to say it'll be easy of course, this week begins the battle they were all training for in the first place. The toughest team in the human realm awaits them.
I had some free time this week, so I thought I'd post early.
Haven't commented on here much lately, but the last two weeks have been four phenomenal episodes. The Death of Genkai in particular is one of my favorites, and Overcoming Grief has a wonderful, somber ending.
The finals are great. This is what the tournament's all about.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on September 13, 2015, 08:15:54 AMThe toughest team in the human realm awaits them.
Spoiler
Well, I'm not sure about that... there's still the seven psychics in the next story arc.
Hey, you're online on a Sunday. :o
This really has been a good experience. The show still holds up mighty well, and it's going to be a lot of fun to see how things evolve from here.
Damnit! I'm falling behind. I still need to comment on the previous episodes and re-watch these two. I'll get to that later today.
My thoughts on the previous two episodes:
53. Overcoming Grief
This was a truly beautiful episode. There's no epic struggle, no huge moment of tension, and no real plot progression. Instead, as the title suggests, it is just a time for Yusuke and others to come to terms with Genkai's fate and learn to accept it, while keeping her spirit and teachings close at heart, and move on. This to me is akin to great moments like The Fall of Joe Yabuki arc from Ashita no Joe, or "The Body" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's what separates this show from an average shonen. It knows when to give the characters time to breathe, to be themselves as well as to further develop. It makes them feel all the more human and relatable for that reason.
54. The Beginning of the End
I don't really have too much to add here. Like I said before, it's just a great build-up of tension before the finals actually commence. I like how a former opponent, Suzuka, actually decides to help Team Urameshi by gifting them with some useful items, showing us that there are actually a lot of people pulling for Team Urameshi to take down Team Toguro. It helps add a bit more weight to an already high-stakes final round. Koenma and Sakyo stepping out onto the field for the sake of their teams was also a great moment. And I love the scene where Sakyo explains his insane plans to the rest of the Black Black Club before killing them off. It's a great portrayal of Togashi's more morbid sense of humor.
As for this week's two episodes, I'll comment on them later, after I re-watch them.
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Awesome!
That fight was a lot better than I remembered it. And I remembered it being pretty good.
Kurama not only found his match in skill and strength, but found himself on the knife's edge throughout the back and forth of the match. That ending was incredible. But, something tells me this won't end exactly how we think it will...
This has to the goriest match in the series. Funny enough, however, the match itself is less about gore and more about wits and strategy, Kurama and Karasu have a a bit of a rivalry going into it, which I think helps.
Also, Yoko appears. It had to happen after his reveal in the semi-finals. But I like how, unlike the semi-finals where Yoko's opponent coward away and begged for mercy, Karasu doesn't back down. He realizes the stakes are now higher, but he still thinks he can pull it off.
I absolutely love this match. It's a heated battle between two masters, and it relies on strategy more than raw power, despite both being relatively powerful compared to weaker fighters in the tournament. The way it ends so intensely and unexpectedly is also a major element of what makes it so good and memorable.
55. The Beast Within
The start of this fight was great. Kurama needed to buy time for himself until he could unleash his Yoko form. It made for an intense struggle to stay alive, and it felt all the more rewarding when he finally got to let loose with all of his power. I also like the attention payed to continuity, in which Yusuke wasn't there to see Yoko the first time that he appeared, and is rightfully surprised by him in this match.
56. Yoko's Magic
This concludes the fight, and it manages to do so in a way that doesn't disappoint after the excellent first half. Yoko has the upper hand at first, but Kurama soon reverts back to his human form, while Karasu is now more powerful than ever. In that regard, it's great to see this match conclude on a note of desperation, in which Kurama appropriately must rely on strategy combined with self-sacrifice to take out Karasu. And, given how close to death he came in just the first match of the finals, it only goes to show you how tough these matches will be for the members of Team Urameshi.
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Kurama vs Karasu made for a great opening match, with both fighters giving everything they've got. While you'd expect Team Urameshi to obtain the first win after Karasu's death, a technicality puts it in his favor, shaking all the rules as a result.
But if you thought that was an intense fight, this pair of episodes gets really bloody and insane. Bui is a strong opponent for Hiei, who shows no restraints in holding his own. It's great stuff.
I remember GSF saying that this was his favorite fight in the series. It's not quite that for me, but it IS definitely a bad-ass battle, all the same.
Also, Kurama winning the deathmatch but losing the fight on a technicality was genius. It is satisfying to see him triumph, but both unexpected and shocking to see it count as a loss, putting Team Urameshi at a very early disadvantage.
On another note, I sort of see Bui vs. Hiei as a super-powered shonen version of The Mountain And The Viper (in terms of big and powerful vs. small and fast), but with a much better outcome that doesn't make me think of watermelons bursting.
This was an intense fight, probably the closest YYH gets to DBZ in power matches, but it never failed being interesting even for a second. It's nice seeing Hiei really cut loose and seeing Bui as a much more intense fighter than we thought possible before. The stadium was nearly entirely leveled by the two of them, it's hard to imagine that this wasn't the finals.
But now, only the Toguro Bros. and Yusuke and Kuwabara are left. Something tells me we're only getting started!
I have to be honest and say that this is my least favorite fight in the finals. Now, it's still very good, and a total spectacle watching the dragon drag Hiei around. That being said, of all the matches in the finals, Hiei and Bui are the two opponents with the least of a personal relationship. With Kurama and Karasu there's their rivalry, and with Elder Toguro and Kuwabara there's Toguro playing mind games on him before and during the match. Compared to those, Bui just feels like an opponent to Hiei. Which leads to my next point.
I'm not a fan of Bui. Well, I do like him when he's wearing his armor. He just works as a powerful force of nature, who uses no words and carries around a massively and delightfully oversize axe. When he takes off the armor, he honestly feels like a completely different character, and not a particularly inspired one. He starts talking fairly typical villain boasting, reveals his true power to be just... a lot of demon energy. His design isn't bad but something about it just feels a bit jarring when put next to other characters, as if he looks like he was taken from another show. They did try to give him a sympathetic backstory, which was fine, but it didn't feel developed enough. I think Karasu worked better as basically just a creepy, psychotic monster.
That being said, Bui did successfully overpower the dragon, which was very cool. And this lead to the awesome ending of Hiei becoming one with the dragon and annihilating Bui. And the first episode is also very enjoyable. So overall, it's a very good fight, one of the best in the tournament. But easily my least favorite of the four final matches. Just my opinion.
57. Beneath Bui's Armor
This is a fairly standard episode, but well done for what it is. As I've already said, the decision to have Kurama lose on a technicality was brilliant, as it put Team Urameshi at a huge disadvantage from the start. It also makes for a suitable bad-ass moment when Hiei steps into the ring, ready to dismantle anyone who stands in his way. While we don't get to see too much of his brawl with Bui in this episode, what we do see is sufficient warm-up for the rest of the fight.
58. Wielder of the Dragon
And then we have this episode. It's very fun and has a bad-ass sort of appeal to it, but in all honesty I don't have much more to add than that. It's rather shallow, but to be fair, every action series could benefit from an episode like this from time to time. They do try an interesting animation style for this fight, though. It seems like they were going for a very surreal and distortion-heavy effect with the dragon technique. It doesn't quite work out so perfectly, but it definitely has a strange sort of charm and appeal to it.
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Isn't this frame just awesome?
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In this episode, Kuwabara takes on the Elder Toguro brother in an intense, clever battle that admittedly feels like an afterthought, just like the character does. But that's okay, since it's done well enough to fit story purposes, and leads into what this whole arc has been culminating to- Yusuke and Younger Toguro's rematch.
Because much is tackled here, from Kuwabara finally learning about Genkai's fate, to an insane proposal from Sakyo and Konema, before the big fight starts.
Quote from: Avaitor on September 28, 2015, 11:00:47 PMfeels like an afterthought, just like the character does
Why do you say that?
This is actually my second favorite match in the finals. Not a lot of action, but the characters make it work well.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on September 28, 2015, 11:27:35 PM
Quote from: Avaitor on September 28, 2015, 11:00:47 PMfeels like an afterthought, just like the character does
Why do you say that?
Because Elder Toguro is nowhere near as important or remembered as his younger brother.
I don't think that I can agree with you on the fight being an afterthought, Avaitor. For one thing, the whole scene where he mocks Genkai's memory right in front of Kuwabara is just brilliant. It shows how different he is from his brother, and I love how Younger Toguro shows a hint of disgust at this farce of his. Furthermore, it's a great character moment for Kuwabara. For once he is able to express rage, get serious, and let out his frustration, not just on Elder Toguro, but on his own team as well for what he perceives as lying to him because they think less if him.
The fight is also well done given how seemingly unbeatable Elder Toguro's powers were made out to be, making it all the more satisfying that Kuwabara, the one guy that he doesn't take seriously as an opponent, is the one to do him in. It's actually a highlight of Kuwabara's character arc, IMO.
Additionally, calling Elder Toguro an afterthought character doesn't seem quite right when you consider that....
Spoiler
....he still has a role to play in the next arc.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on September 28, 2015, 11:54:41 PM
Spoiler
....he still has a role to play in the next arc.
Spoiler
Okay, now this, I forgot about, but you're right.
And calling this fight an after thought is indeed a mistake, in hindsight. It wrapped up faster than the previous couple, but you're right, this is an important character piece for Kuwabara. Every fight in this final match has been solid for character, so far. Which is why I can't wait to get to next week's episodes.
I forgot to mention one thing about last week's episodes. I don't like the moment Hiei says that he was planning on fighting the younger Toguro, but will now leave him to Yusuke as vengeance for Genkai. To me, it just seems dumb for Hiei to assume that either Yusuke or Toguro would have allowed him that opportunity.
He was being Hiei. In other words, he was covering up what he really meant and was feeling. He knew he would never be fighting Younger Toguro, but didn't want them to think less of him for taking on a "lesser" opponent. Of course Bui turned out to be much more than a lesser opponent, but no one knew that at the time.
As for these episodes, yes the fight is not as flashy or explosive as the last two, but it's a lot more personal and a lot more visceral as a result. In case you forgot, Kuwabara's spirit sword couldn't even pierce Elder Toguro's flesh back in Rescue Yukina, and here he ends up not only slicing through him with ease multiple times, but crushing him into dust. Kuwabara, like the other three, has come a long way since series start. Kuwabara completely outclassed him, the only thing that saved the creep was that his body always reattached itself.
But up next, we have the main event and the longest fight in the series. This should be a real good one.
Spoiler
I would believe that. But the only problem is that, when Yusuke and Toguro are talking to each other instead of fighting, Hiei thinks to himself "I should have known better than to hand this fight over to Yusuke". The fact that he merely thought that, making it audible to only himself, makes me think otherwise.
He also planned on taking all the Saint Beasts down himself as well as
Spoiler
Sensui and all his psychics
later on. It's just what Hiei does.
I know. I just think this is the one scenario where Hiei should have known better than to think that. :P
Also, the next match isn't quite the longest in the series...
Spoiler
I think the fight against Sensui lasts up to ten episodes.
Spoiler
The Sensui fight isn't really the same as a typical one on one fight, but sure.
59. The Shadow of Elder Toguro
As I discussed before, this is really a great character development moment for Kuwabara. Elder Toguro really is the perfect opponent for him, with his cynical and warped outlook on life, in direct contrast to Kuwabara's compassion and optimism. The speech that he gives to Kuwabara in this episode really gets you to detest him, and despite having the upper hand, we as the viewers are all hoping for Kuwabara to finally get serious and kick his ass.
60. Sakyo's Proposal
In this episode we get our wish, and aside from winning his fight, Kuwabara also grows as a character. His exchange with Yusuke is a great heated and heartfelt moment between two friends. Then we go to an intermission as Sakyo wagers his life on the next match. You see, when people ask what's so great about YYH, my response is that what goes on in-between all of the fights happens to be just as interesting as the action itself. That backstory that Sakyo tells Toguro may not have been essential to the plot, but it really helps to flesh him out as a fully realized person as opposed to just a 2D villain.
Likewise, Younger Toguro absolutely pulverizing Elder Toguro for his disrespect of Genkai once again shows how Togashi is a master of writing villains who aren't just mere black and white.
It kind of confuses me that regular, pre-powered up Toguro was able to annihilate Elder Toguro so badly, especially considering Elder Toguro's abilities should mean he was at peak health when it happened.
Still, point of it is perfect. Really, the whole thing is great. I love Kuwabara's attack that he uses to ultimately beat Elder Toguro, and I think these are the two best episodes of the finals... At least, so far.
So, this week takes us through the first half of the Yusuke vs. Toguro fight, the longest in the entire series.
It really is effective at showcasing just what a powerhouse Toguro is, as well as how much of a barrier Yusuke has to overcome, but it's the second half next week that really digs into the emotional core of this whole conflict and makes this fight so memorable, IMO.
Spark, can you make this week's post? I'm not up for it right now.
Although I am watching the episodes.
This week we begin the final match of the Dark Tournament! And this match is Yusuke Vs. Toguro!
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Yusuke finds himself against the wall as Toguro relentlessly goes at him until Yusuke reveals that he has been using limiters! Genkai used them to help him learn control, but he no longer needs them. Yusuke cuts loose and immediately demolishes Toguro in a massive beatdown. So now, for the first time since achieving his body, Toguro is in trouble. Or is he?
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Toguro wastes no more time using 100% of his power to meet Yusuke head on. Now there will be no more playing around and no more games. No more threats or fake-outs. The final battle begins for real!
They really manage to get through a lot in this fight.
The first episode does a good job in basically having Yusuke and Toguro feel each other's powers out. In the second episode, I particularly love how overwhelming Toguro's strength is. I really believe that his 100% strength surpasses the expectations for most viewers, or at least it did for me. Yusuke has bulked up so much throughout his journey, and he then received Genkai's power (which we all know far outclassed his own)... and yet he still can't lay even the faintest scratch on Toguro. How overwhelming is that? We've seen Yusuke fight opponents tougher than himself, but never to this degree did we see him so incredibly at a disadvantage.
61. Yusuke vs. Toguro
The match starts off without wasting any time. Yusuke and Toguro go at it. However, the beginning of the fight ends with Yusuke seemingly taking Toguro out with a well-placed Spirit Gun, only to be shocked at how it barely left a scratch on him. This is an important thematic element for the first stage of this fight in how it is starting to bring Yusuke's character arc full circle. Remember how way back before DT, Genkai gave Yusuke that speech about doing everything half-assed and not putting all of his heart and energy into it for fear of failure? It came up in his fight with Suzaku, and he seemed to overcome it when he had to fight to save Keiko's life. However, he didn't really change from that experience since he ended up succeeding. This match differs in that the stakes are even greater, being that if Yusuke fails, all of his friends and family are dead.
62. Toguro's Full Power
We find out that Yusuke was previously limiting himself with the spirit cuffs, which once again plays into his character arc theme of always holding something back, though this time it was intentionally. Breaking out of the cuffs symbolizes Yusuke finally attempting to break past his limits and achieve something greater. The key word here is "trying." While he is now fighting at "full power," he is still not fighting with "all of his heart and energy" as Genkai had put it. He is still subconsciously holding himself back, though at least for now he managed to push Toguro to bring out the further extents of his power.
Another interesting thing that we learn about Yusuke is his fasnication with his opponent. He is intrigued by the prospect of bringing out what he thinks is Toguro's best, and as we will learn, sort of likes to put himself in the other guy's shoes from a mental standpoint. I'll elaborate more on this later, but it's a very clever little seed planted by Togashi that will be a big part of the theme of Yusuke's future character arc, after this one resolves.
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The fight is only getting more intense and exciting in this set of episodes. And sad, holy shit.
Great pair.
This is an outstanding pair of episodes. Like usual, though, I'm very busy tonight, so I'll post about them in-depth later on this week.
You know, that fight was a lot briefer than I remember it being. But every second counted.
I like that the whole problem of Yusuke walling himself off from the world was finally broken through and allowed him to grow up a little. Now he no longer hides being a tough exterior, but can be fully open with dealing with the world around him. Of course, he isn't finished growing yet, there is more story to tell, but I'm glad that that particular flaw of his won't be getting in the way so much anymore. As for what's next, well, that's next. I'll bring that up later.
For now, I'll just mention that it was one of the best final villain fights in any shonen. Every movement counted, and no move was wasted. No fake outs, just everyone laying it on the line. I don't think the arc could have had a better ending to the main conflict.
The first episode of this week, the third episode of Yusuke and Toguro's battle, is one of my absolute favorites in the series. Really, all four of these episodes are absolute top notch. But if I had to separate them, I'd say the first episode is Yusuke and Toguro feeling out each other's strengths, the second episode is them powering up to their best, and the fourth episode is the wrap up. The third episode, to me, feels like the peak of the match because the emotions are so high. As I talked about the other day, they do such a good job establishing how powerless Yusuke is to Toguro, despite coming so far and despite now having Genkai's spirit energy. Genkai was built up to be something special, so how is it watching the strength of her and Yusuke combined do absolutely nothing to this mammoth? This was established well last week, but we see much more of it in this episode.
And it's not just a slaughter. The fight means so much to the characters, and I think I speak for all of us when I say it matters to us, too. We desperately want to see Yusuke get up and defeat him... but now, it just seems so impossible. And Toguro, who is typically comes off as professional and, in Sakyo's words, "so businesslike", it's something seeing how monstrous he is here. He just comes off as so despicable. Particularly when Yusuke's on the ground remembering Kayko. I also love the idea of the audience turning on Toguro and siding with Yusuke. When I was first watching the Dark Tournament, I remember thinking that, after whenever Yusuke beats Toguro, it would seem wrong for the audience to be booing him still. I think it was important to get them on Yusuke's side and let them cheer once Yusuke came out on top. I also love how Toguro's energy starts draining the life from the audience. Just makes the situation seem all the more terrible when, not only is Team Urameshi at risk of dying, but the whole stadium is.
Speaking of which, that leads me to another reason I love the third episode of this match so much. It no longer feels like an official Dark Tournament match. Gone is the ring. Gone is the referee. Even the announcer is fading. The audience is slowly dying. Of course, to Yusuke and Toguro, this was always something personal. But, beyond that, this is no longer just a match to put points on the scoreboard and decide a winner. It's just two warriors fighting in the ruins of a stadium, and whoever wins decides the fate of everyone. And I think this is pushed by how ready the rest of the team is to fight Toguro. Normally, that would be illegal and would forfeit Team Urameshi, but now, it would have been perfectly okay for the rest of the the team to intervene. As Toguro approached them, Hiei and Kurama were ready and strategizing to fight Toguro in order to protect their teammate, and Kuwabara literally charged into battle. Just little things like that make the match feel stronger.
And that leads me to the final point. Kuwabara's death. Seriously, this is one of the crowning moments of the entire series. First, there's the scene where Genkai possesses Pu, which is great. But Kuwabara's speech, and his charge into battle, ending with his death and last words, really work so well. It really feels like this is it. We lost Genkai, and now, we lost Kuwabara, and Yusuke is ready to bring out his best and defeat Toguro once and for all.
I also want to give a mention to the sad melody that closes out the episode. It's used throughout the whole series in sad and dramatic moments and it always works very well. But, I think this might be the best usage of it. Or, at least...
Spoiler
The second best usage of it, beaten only by the ending of Attempting Revenge in Chapter Black
The next episode is also top notch. I just wanted to talk about this episode because it, in particular, is one of my favorites.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on July 27, 2015, 03:20:30 PM
Spoiler
The team owner also seemed to doubt Risho after Jin proved unable to beat Yusuke.
I think this is how I'd rank all the opponents in the first and third rounds of the tournament based on strength. I'm leaving out Itchagaki's team because I have no idea how they compare.
Jin
Chu
Zeru
Risho
Touya
Gamma
Rinku
Bakken
Roto
Roto strikes me as completely useless without his cheap tricks. And Bakken was established to be fairly weak.
I might update this list as we get to later rounds and meet new fighters.
Now that the tournament is over, I'll update this. It's a bit hard getting the characters from the semi-finals in there, though I feel like most of them are weak.
Toguro
Elder Toguro
Bui
Karasu
Jin
Chu
Zeru
Risho
Shishiwakamaru
Touya
Gamma
Suzuka
Rinku
Bakken
Kuro Momataro
Ura Urishima
Makintaro
Roto
63. Yusuke's Despair
This penultimate episode of the fight was fantastic. The emotional outburst of Keiko and Yusuke's memories of their childhood were just beautiful. Yusuke realizing more and more how much his friends mean to him, and that he's going to lose them all if he can't defeat Toguro had a strong emotional resonance. Finally, Genkai using Puu to tell Toguro how to bring out Yusuke's full power was really heart-wrenching to watch.
64. Toguro's Desire
And this conclusion was nothing short of amazing. Yusuke's reaction to Kuwabara's death, his speech about how he at one time admired Toguro's power before realizing what he had thrown away to achieve it, and the fact that he finally understood what it meant to put everything he has into his fight signifies the full development of his character arc since the beginnibg of the series. By the end of this battle, Yusuke has grown immensely, not just in terms of raw power, but as a human being as well.
Speaking of being human, I love the imagery of Toguro's defeat. His demon body is cracked and shatters around him, leaving his pale, withered interior that represents the last of his diminished humanity, but also symbolizing that even he had a shred of humanity left after all. It's a great example of how even many of Togashi's baddest villains aren't 1-dimensionally evil at their core.
Overall, this is my favorite single fight in the series (though, the fight with Team Masho is my favorite overall fight). It's the perfect climax to the best shonen tournament arc ever written.
Soon I'll have to do my summarized thoughts of the overall arc, but we still aren't done yet! There are just two more episodes left, and shit's still going to go down!
And these two episodes deal with the aftermath of the tournament and close out the arc. I'll post my thoughts later, but I love the send-off that Toguro gets, and I don't see Genkai's revival as a total cop-out if only because her apparent death served its purpose of Yusuke learning to not use her as a crutch, any longer.
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It seems hard to believe that Yusuke has come out victorious from Toguro so soon, huh? Well, we're not done just yet, as his deserved victory is being sidelined by the destruction of the tournament area, as the gang races for their lives to come out unharmed.
And that's only the first episode. The next gives Toguro his justified end, as he accepts his fate and gets the goodbye he's long been looking forward to. Just as the tournament arc ends with a more than welcomed return.
What a finish! Not every fight was as fascinating to watch as the best, but this has the series at its best, a great beast that is unbelievably entertaining and endearing to watch. But we're not done yet!
It's hard to believe we're halfway done the series. Feels like we only started a couple of weeks ago.
I always liked that after the battle with Toguro, we spent two episodes dealing with the aftershocks including Sakyo's plans falling apart with Toguro's death and Genkai and Toguro seeing each other one last time before Toguro meets his fate. It's funny that even at the end he refused to let anyone see him for who he really was even though Genkai was clearly able to see who he really was underneath all his posturing. Gotta say, it's a strong end to one of the best arcs in shonen.
And next week we start something . . . a little different.
The Dark Tournament couldn't have possibly ended with two better episode.
Out With A Bang opens with recapping the ending of the fight. I suppose this is my only problem with the episode. We really shouldn't have had to have seen this again.
The rest is perfect. Yusuke's monologue when he's blaming himself for Kuwabara is a great way to setup the comedic gold that is Kuwabara's return. I just love that moment when Yusuke is shouting that it's all his fault, while Kuwabara rises up with a big, stupid grin. "'Captain Faker'! That's me!". It's especially funny seeing Yusuke beating him up when you remember that this is all happening right after that huge, emotional fight.
Then we get to the main stuff. Sakyo setting up the countdown to the stadium's explosion, to allow himself to go down with it. Somehow, they managed to find a way to keep up with the fast paced momentum even after all the fighting is over. The scene of Sakyo's death is well done, as is Shizuru's reaction. I like the way they approached the bond between those two.
Then we get to the ending. I like how all of the team is on the same page here, even Hiei. They all had one wish, the same wish, that they wanted for winning the tournament: bringing back Genkai. And yet, they knew they wouldn't be able to get it. And then, we see Yusuke's moment shouting "It's done. We finished it, Genkai!". Just a perfect way to end the Dark Tournament.
Then, we get to the last episode, which is basically an epilogue. Did anyone ever notice how much cleaner the animation is in this episode? Part of it might be the fact that the character's are all cleaned up now, but the look of this episode is a lot shinier and cleaner to me. But anyway, this episode does a good job of showing the team wrapping things up on the island, and showing us that final scene with Toguro and Genkai. I like that, despite everything they went through together, they were able to get closure and go out on fairly good terms.
I think Genkai's revival seems like a bit of a copout at first, but very quickly, you realize that it works. Like E-K said, Yusuke no longer needs to use her as a crutch, but I also like that this was Toguro's plan all along. He's a complicated guy. He disrespected everything Genkai stood for, but wanted to be proven wrong. He wanted a fight to the death with Yusuke, but also seemed to want Yusuke to avoid the path that he took. And for both of these things, he felt Genkai had reason to come back. He even said "Maybe he'll actually listen to you, the way I could not".
And you know, despite everything that happened, in the end, I legitimately wish that Toguro could have gotten a lesser punishment after his death. But it's what he wanted, and that's all that matters.
The story of Toguro and Genkai ended on a bittersweet note. And as for the crew? They got to go out on a happier note. After saying goodbye to Hanging Neck Island (which you have to imagine that, despite the dangers of the tournament, became like a second home to them), Genkai comes back, and they all get to go home together. I do wish that the narrator didn't give that ominous speech at the end, of something along the lines of "Unbeknownst to them, a new threat lurks beneath the rubble of the stadium determined to keep Sakyo's plan alive". I might have misquoted that, but you get the idea. I think it would have been better to just end it on a lighter note and leave those plot threads for later.
But anyway, overall, a perfect end to the arc. If this was the end of the series, then the show would basically be perfect. But we aren't even close to reaching the end of the greatness...
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 19, 2015, 10:01:54 PM
It's hard to believe we're halfway done the series. Feels like we only started a couple of weeks ago.
More than halfway done, actually. We're 66 episodes into a 112 episode series.
Episode count-wise, yes, but arc-wise we've hit the halfway point. Unfortunately, this is the part where most people tune out of the series when up next is arguably the best part of it.
It's kind of hard to pick, but I do think that, in the end, I'll always say the next arc is my favorite. The Dark Tournament is an extremely close second, though.
It still baffles me to this day how so many fans can honestly claim that the series goes downhill with the Chapter Black arc. I mean, I love Dark Tournament through and through, but it's like all that some people care about is a set-up good enough to have lots of fighting in it. There's a whole other brilliant aspect of this series that at least half of its fan-base seems to be completely oblivious to.
65. Out with a Bang
The highlight of this episode for me was Sakyo going out with some dignity, paying off his promise for losing his gamble. It was nice to see Shizuru's sub-plot with him get some resolution, as well.
Kuwabara being alive didn't feel like a cop-out to me since it was in-character for Toguro to spare his life out of respect, and because all he needed to do was to give Yusuke a push in the first place.
66. Toguro's Wish
First of all, I want to point out how superb and beautiful the animation and art direction in this episode is. One of the best looking episodes in the entire show, by far. But what really makes this episode so great is it's conclusion to Toguro's character arc. That's right, how many other shonen are written so well as to give their antagonists a complete character arc of their own with such a satisfying conclusion? Despite once having noble ambitions for seeking more power, "Toguro's Desire" ended up turning him into the very thing that he hated. It's fitting, then, that with his humanity restored, he makes the personal choice to undergo severe punishment for his crimes, which also fits with the episode title and imbues it with a double-meaning. Easily one of the greatest and most unique villains in any battle shonen.
You might call Genkai coming back to life a cop-out, but her "death" achieved the outcome that it was meant to, however as Yusuke's character arc is not entirely complete and about to begin a new stage, he still requires a mentor to guide him through his future struggles, and let's just say that he'll be struggling a lot in the Chapter Black arc, which I'm super excited to revisit.
Dark Tournament; Overall Rating: A+
Summary of Thoughts: While only my second favorite arc in the series, re-watching it really makes it easy to see why it's so well-regarded as the best tournament arc of all time. On the one hand, it has numerous excellent fights as any tournament should, but it goes above and beyond expectations by giving each main character a personal struggle to overcome, having them grow through their individual character arcs, while simultaneously strengthening their bonds as a team. But even beyond that is a morally complex and interesting main antagonist at the heart of this story, which makes the ultimate goal of facing and defeating him all the more high-stakes and compelling.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 22, 2015, 03:50:38 PM
It still baffles me to this day how so many fans can honestly claim that the series goes downhill with the Chapter Black arc. I mean, I love Dark Tournament through and through, but it's like all that some people care about is a set-up good enough to have lots of fighting in it. There's a whole other brilliant aspect of this series that at least half of its fan-base seems to be completely oblivious to.
Kind of reminds me of the people who love Scarface and then talk about "because it has cool action scenes!" It's like, really? That's what the movie's all about?
God, the Dark Tournament arc is just so good. It's great to see how the core 4 characters have grown since they started working together, and we get to learn so much about Kurama, Hiei, and Genkai in what feels like a seamless fashion. And this doesn't drag at all, which is especially crazy. People who skip the show when they hear about the tournament arc are really missing out.
Tonight's post may come out a little late, btw. I have plans after class tonight. If I don't come around by midnight, could you do it for me, Spark?
Sure I'll do it if you can't.
The Dark Tournament is the best tournament arc in any manga or anime. About the only ones that come close are the ones in Dragon Ball, for obvious reasons. I think it's because it so closely ties the character development with the matches and opponents that by the end they haven't just grown as fighters but as individuals.
Other tournament arcs worth mentioning:
The Urabutou Satsujin in Flame of Recca
The Inter-High in Slam Dunk
The Mamodo Tournament in Zatch Bell (Yes, this is the whole series, but it is a very good take on the tournament idea)
I'm not a big fan of this trope, but it has been done well a few times.
You know how the characters talk about how they'll miss Hanging Neck Island and how they actually got used to this life style? I think I tend to feel the same way watching it. I like that island as a setting, and over the course of forty episodes, I do think you really get comfortable it and the stadium itself as a main setting. Feels weird knowing they'll be heading back to Yusuke's town soon.
But, of course, the Spirit Detective's job ain't done yet, is it?
So this week we deal with the epilogue as out main heroes bid farewell to each other and get on with their lives. That's Yu Yu Hakusho, folks! Hope you had a good time!
...
But in all seriousness, this episode shows that not only is Yusuke the strongest human being around, he's teetering dangerously close to becoming what Toguro was. Looking forward to bullying other kids (Kuwabara's nursing home comment was dead on) and gloating about how bored he is while being so strong, our hero is not flying right. So while he adjusts to his old life, while still acting superior to it, something happens. Yusuke never returns from his fight with those punks and Puu informs Botan and Kuwabara that something is wrong.
That's right, Yusuke has been kidnapped.
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The toughest teenager in the world was beaten without even throwing a single punch. And now it's up to the rest of Team Uremeshi to rescue him.
Or is it?
See, Kurama is game, but Hiei? Hiei is not so eager to join in despite his curiosity. After finally convincing him to join them in finding Yusuke, we learn a little bit more about these strange teenagers. Whatever they are, they're not normal. They're not super strong like those in the Dark Tournament were, but they're just as dangerous. Maybe even more so. And strength alone will not be enough to help our heroes out here.
We begin with a cat and mouse game in some strange old house called the "House of Five Dimensions" . . .
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Now this is a strong open to the next arc. Lots of mystery, like wondering who that guy was meeting the nearly destroyed Elder Toguro at the scene of the Dark Tournament, and what these kids want with Yusuke. And a brand new power system is introduced that pretty much makes the strength of our heroes more of a tool in their own arsenal instead of a clear advantage like it would be in other shonen anime.
Buckle yourselves in, kids. You're in for a ride.
Fun fact; the chapter that begins this arc was the very first YYH chapter I ever read (and I think I read it before I ever watched the anime to boot, iirc).
I've always loved the way this arc opens. Most shonen series would follow it up just by introducing antagonists whose weakest members are somehow even stronger than the last villain, which ultimately leads to ridiculous levels of power escalation and extremely repetitive beat-em up brawls. But YYH not only doesn't introduce any new demons stronger than Toguro, but instead has the new villains be humans, far weaker than Toguro in terms of combat strength, but still incredibly deadly and dangerous to the protagonists because of their abilities and how they use them. And Togashi demonstrates this by having Yusuke, who's coming off Toguro thinking he's beaten the best of the best and nothing else can faze, utterly lose to three teens his age before he can even begin to fight, requiring the rest of the gang, who by all accounts are weaker than him in terms of strength, to try and rescue him. It's such a brilliant hook and way to begin a new arc, and an angle I haven't seen many shonen, old or new, ever do. I might very well say these two and the next compose my favorite section of the arc as a whole, but of course we've only just started and it's been a while since I've been through this so we'll see how I feel by the end. I will say though that next week's episodes will include my all time favorite from the series, and one of my all time favorite episodes from any anime ever, and I'm really looking forward to revisiting and discussing that.
Special attention is made in these episodes that Team Uremeshi completely outclass these kids. You see it in their first encounter when Yusuke downs one of them with a single punch.
What Togashi does is especially clever here, because he doesn't make the opponents stronger to raise the threat which was common in Jump series at the time before finally reaching and fracturing its head on the ceiling with Bleach. Instead he makes the opponents different. He changes the rules. Heck, Team Uremeshi's first opponent is a bookworm nerd who never throws a single punch... and he's by far the biggest threat they've come across so far.
And we've still got a ways to go, and much to see.
This really is cool stuff, a great way to start this side-arc off.
Jeez, I thought y'all were through with this show.
It' great to see you in on one of these discussions again, CX. :P
Anyways, it's no secret that this is my all-time favorite battle-shonen arc in anime. And man, right from the start, it NEVER ceases to amaze me.
Quote from: Cartoon X on October 26, 2015, 11:40:12 PMI've always loved the way this arc opens. Most shonen series would follow it up just by introducing antagonists whose weakest members are somehow even stronger than the last villain, which ultimately leads to ridiculous levels of power escalation and extremely repetitive beat-em up brawls. But YYH not only doesn't introduce any new demons stronger than Toguro, but instead has the new villains be humans, far weaker than Toguro in terms of combat strength, but still incredibly deadly and dangerous to the protagonists because of their abilities and how they use them. And Togashi demonstrates this by having Yusuke, who's coming off Toguro thinking he's beaten the best of the best and nothing else can faze, utterly lose to three teens his age before he can even begin to fight, requiring the rest of the gang, who by all accounts are weaker than him in terms of strength, to try and rescue him. It's such a brilliant hook and way to begin a new arc, and an angle I haven't seen many shonen, old or new, ever do.
To further add to that point, let's not forget that this entire arc is filled with villains that are SIGNIFICANTLY weaker than any members of Team Urameshi, excluding Sensui himself (though except for his Shinobu persona, he is actually weaker than Yusuke, by his own admission). Togashi effectively takes an expected genre convention and throws it right out the window from the very beginning.
Yusuke and company are already facing a threat much greater than Toguro....and yet their enemies aren't really even fighters. So how are they so dangerous? Because they are smarter than Team Urameshi. They have a plan, strong leadership, superior team coordination, and a unique set of abilities put to clever use. They level the playing field by essentially changing the game. Yusuke may be more powerful than everyone else combined, yet brute force is rendered completely irrelevant among these sorts of opponents.
In fact, you can even test this sentiment. See just how many episodes go by before an actual traditional brawl/fist-fight breaks out. There aren't any to be found here, and certainly not in the next set of episodes, or the set after that, or for the entire first third of this arc.
The fact that so many casual fans dismiss this arc as boring and the downturn in quality of this series simply just boggles my mind. This arc is genius. This arc is brilliant. This arc is a masterpiece.
Also, I gotta say I like the usage of colors in this arc, especially so far. The sunset tint and the illumination of the House of Five Dimensions really makes it look otherworldly. As if they're entering a whole new creepy world.
I love Chapter Black.
I always felt like the first episode of this week, despite being portrayed as a single day, probably takes place over a series of weeks (whatever the gap is between the Dark Tournament and Chapter Black). I think they even call the episode "Return to Living World". This episode makes it really feel like they only just left Hanging Neck Island a few days ago, with Yusuke saying things about how he's wanted to do nothing but watch television since returning home, and just how dull things are. Then you have Kuwabara thinking about Yukina, and Botan flat out saying "Apparitions are too tired to cause trouble". However, a few episodes later...
Spoiler
They firmly state that it's been weeks (maybe even months) since the tournament.
So, I think this episode doesn't necessarily portray a single day, and is more like a "summary" of their lives since returning home, catching us up on what they've been up to before Yusuke's next case starts at the end of the episode.
Something that always sticks out to me in the second episode of this week is that, after Hiei falls out of that tree and is complaining, you can hear a dog barking in the background. I don't know why, but I've always remembered that moment. It just feels like a nice touch of reality.
But anyway, great episodes to start this arc. It's nice getting reacquainted with the school because, as I was getting at before, it's really been a long time. The last time we saw it was probably episode 25 or 26. We're now on episode 67, I think. That's a huge amount of time passed. I like that they are back home, though.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 27, 2015, 09:20:16 AM
Also, I gotta say I like the usage of colors in this arc, especially so far. The sunset tint and the illumination of the House of Five Dimensions really makes it look otherworldly. As if they're entering a whole new creepy world.
I also love the design of the house. It fits that feel.
Also, I just want to say that I love the updated soundtrack the series uses from this point onward. Pretty much all of the background tracks the series always used are still there, but now there are new ones. Some are so eerie and fit so well with the atmosphere of this story arc.
67. Return to Living World
First off, I really love the new animation for the opening theme. This is my personal favorite version of it. I also love (as Spark already mentioned) how the color scheme of this arc has changed to show a lot of darker colors in the background, setting an ominous tone for this story-line, and subtly letting you know that you're in for something completely different.
The theme of this first episode starting the new arc is great. While we get a brief glimpse of the new villain, the episode is really about Yusuke and starting his new character arc. Before it was about taking his responsibility more seriously and learning to fight with all of his heart and energy. But now we see that the aftermath of achieving this power has given him an odd sort of superiority complex, in that he feels that there is nothing left to challenge him.
And that's where the brilliance of this arc kicks in. It'd be SO easy to just introduce a stronger villain from the get-go, and most shonen would do that. Not Togashi, though. He throws us all a curve ball and introduces opponents who are physically and spiritually far weaker than Yusuke, but possess unique new abilities, not related to spirit energy, which ultimately render raw power completely useless. Territories are clearly a prototype for Nen, and just the concept alone is incredibly interesting. It basically presents you with all of Yusuke's power, and says: So what? There are plenty of situations in which raw power solves nothing, and it's hardly the only way to fight.
Additionally, this episode very cleverly sets up two other things. One is how Kuwabara is unable to tap into his spirit energy, giving us a hint that his powers will be important later on by taking the time to note the lack of them in the first place. The second is the demonic insect that Kurama spots, similar to those which were used by the Saint Beasts, which both hints at the expanding breech between the human world and the demon world, as well as to Doctor, who has control over these insects.
68. Setting the Trap
This episode is essentially the rest of the group coming together to save Yusuke. Everyone else already touched on how this is yet another ingenious way to bend a tired genre trope. I mostly like this episode for its great use of humor, though, and bringing us into The House of Four Dimensions, which leads to an interesting set of episodes that really effectively changes the game for this arc.
Hell, the second half of this episode clearly spells out the message with violence being rendered obsolete in this scenario, and clever wit being the only possible way to solve the problem and progress. Once again, while rehashing the plot of an earlier arc would have been easy enough, Togashi gave us something completely different from before, but made it so well-written and engaging in order to keep you hooked.
I must emphasize this point: The people claiming that this series went downhill after the Dark Tournament arc are fucking idiots. They just want the shonen equivalent of a Michael Bay movie. They completely miss the point of what makes YYH such a great series to begin with.
I really like the tone of the House of Four Dimensions episodes. Like, it's dark in the literal sense, in that its has dark colors. But in terms of stakes, it's far from the most extreme thing we've seen. I mean, kidnapping Yusuke is bad, but we don't see any indications of widespread damage. The mission is, in a sense, light.
Spoiler
This is heightened when we realize that it was all a test Genkai set up, and we realize that they were never in any harm. Had they failed, Genkai probably would have just slapped them all silly and then explained their faults.
But, in the midst of this, we just get these tiny signs of something more foreboding (demon insects, etc.). Distant, but sinister.
Episode 69 is probably one of the best in the series. The following episode is good set-up for the rest of the arc.
I also adore episode 71. So much atmosphere in that one. But that's not until next week.
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This is another pretty great set of episodes. I do think that if you mostly like YYH for its action sequences, you might be disappointed here, but bah! The first episode is a smartly-paced game of wits, which is as exciting as any fight in my eyes. The second, meanwhile, has its own clever moments as Yusuke does his best to figure out which of the 4 are imposters, resulting in great character moments for everybody.
It all results into a further revelation that there is more going on than appears. And things only get more interesting from here.
So, what did you guys suspect was first going on when these episodes aired? I don't mean the Genkai revelation, I mean the whole "strength alone will not save you" aspect that they ride hard throughout the rest of this arc until the final battle.
Personally, I was riveted throughout this whole arc always guessing what would happen next and I think these episodes are a good preview for what we'll be seeing next. The whole word game battle followed by the guessing game at the end were not something I was expecting to see from this series, especially not in this way. But this is really only the tip of the iceberg of what's coming next.
Have I mentioned how much I love "The Power of Taboo"? Because I fucking love "The Power of Taboo."
I said it before, but as a kid, I wasn't really into action shows. People beating up each other wasn't very interesting to me. But as I grew a little older, I started to get into stuff like Batman Beyond and Justice League because I enjoyed the character drama and mature tone, and later Dragon Ball because I loved the humor, adventure, and world of the series, and my love for DB also got me to appreciate fights more. But what I really always wanted to see was a show that would have intense life-or-death stakes that didn't depend on strength or just punching the other guy into submission. I wanted to see the kind of tension from an intense fight translated in a real and pure battle of wits.
Yu Yu Hakusho was the first show that delivered that to me, and it did so in this episode. Within the first 7 minutes of the episode, all of the characters save Kurama have lost their souls or are otherwise incapacitated. He has them by the balls and their lives are in his hands - literally. And it is all because of his power. He didn't do anything, really; they played his game, and they lost because they didn't properly play by his rules. So only Kurama is left, against an opponent who's about equal in intelligence to him and stated to be superior to him in language arts, and obviously violence is a no go. So everyone's fate rests on Kurama beating him at an increasingly difficult word game, and the tension, the suspense, the paranoia as the clock ticks down, letters after letters become unspeakable, and you are left wondering just how Kurama can possibly win, and the way he does so is not just clever, but it's unexpected and humorous to boot.
To speak of the presentation of all of this in the episode, man oh man, is it incredible. Episodes like this are why a modern YYH anime reboot wouldn't compare to the original. There is so much effort to make this episode both look and feel claustrophobic, ominous, and suspenseful. The incredible color palette, both dark and bright at the same time, renders a surreal wonderland-ish quality to the room, especially after Kurama grows a veritable forest of plants engulfing it. But the perspective, holy shit, the way the episode plays with perspective in the backgrounds and character angles to add tension and eerieness, to give a sense that something is not right, to keep the viewer guessing about what they are seeing on the screen and feel as on edge as the characters, is just so engrossing, and adds so much to the experience and what makes this episode fly by and feel as intense as any fight in the series would. And I can't neglect to mention the acting in this episode, especially the dubbed performances. Jakie Cabe nails Kaito's smug, over-confident yet intelligent personality and deliciously hams up his over the top moments while still maintaining a threatening, dangerous vibe from him in his quieter, darker moments. John Burgmeier plays it cool with Kurama in the episode, carrying across his calculating mind and especially nailing the scene where Kurama warns Kaito not to damage his friends' souls. Both of these performances add so much to the episode for me, and are as essential an aspect of what sells it so well as any other component I can praise about it.
This episode is just fantastic in both concept and execution. I was floored by it as a kid. Re-watching it, I still am. This is the kind of stuff I had always wanted to see, and the kind of stuff I still love and prefer to see. That's why I enjoy Hunter X Hunter so much, and why JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is my favorite battle manga of all time. The best fights in those series are so often not physical, but a matter of wits, mystery, and how one uses his skillset to get the edge over an equally skilled or dangerous opponent. Nowadays we are seeing more battle series start to lean towards wits over pure strength, like in MHA and WT, but material on this level is still so rare and few. What else can I say? I know I'm alone on this, but this is and always has been my favorite episode of the entire show, and one of my all-time favorite anime episodes ever to boot. Almost 8 years after I first saw it, and it still never fails to captivate me.
Episode 70 is another great episode, again, for the clever guessing game that takes up the episode's second half. Even though who the imposter is was sorta obvious from a viewer standpoint, it was fun to see the team banter and debate who it could be, even making jokes and dicking around at times. I definitely remember not guessing Genkai was behind it all when I first watched these eps as a kid, but I didn't think Kaito and co. were going to be the real bad guys of the arc either (the copies of the episodes I first watched didn't change the opening to the second version, and I didn't look up much about shows back then except for anything and everything Dragon Ball), so I was expecting the motives behind the kidnapping and the ending in that respect. Anyways, obviously I thought this was another damn fine set of episodes, and am very excited to get into the arc proper with the official introduction of our new big bad, his team, and his plan in next week's set.
I'll say more about these episodes later, but I really don't like the title "Genkai's Ruse". There's no revelation if the title states what happens. So, when I saw that she was behind the ordeal, I didn't feel any surprise.
69. The Power of Taboo
As I said earlier, this is a brilliant episode. Within mere minutes, three out of our four heroes are rendered immobile to the mercy of Kaito's whim, and the situation can only be solved through Kurama's wit and strategy.
CX already covered why this episode is so good, so I don't really have anything to add. The important takeaway point is that this episode sets up the idea of raw power being meaningless against certain opponents, meaning that Team Urameshi (yes, I'm still calling them that even though the DT is over) have to be ready for any kind of threat, and that even people far weaker than them can be dangerous.
70. Genkai's Ruse
Genkai being behind all of this was pretty much spoiled by the English version of the title, as Talon pointed out, but it doesn't make this ordeal any less impactful, in my eyes. Team Urameshi, and especially Yusuke himself, have now learned an incredibly important lesson about not taking anything for granted. Simply having power doesn't mean that they can keep their guard down, and with the current situation at hand, it's a lesson that they absolutely need to know about in order to take on these mysterious psychics. The next several episodes will really demonstrate that.
Even though it actually started two weeks ago, we're now in Chapter Black territory:
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We've started with a bang, and it only goes up from here.
Spoiler
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on November 09, 2015, 02:36:45 PM
71. The Tunnel
And thus, with the introduction of classes as a concept, a slew of nerdy power-level debates were born, with roughly 95% of them being between Talon and Cableguy, on one of TV.com's nearly dead sub-forums. This was truly a productive use of one's time and thinking capacity. :humhumhum:
I swear, we were so close to having it all figured out. Just one more thread dedicated to power rankings, and we would have gotten it right. :srs:
And it wasn't just me and him. 40% of the posts in those threads were me, 40% were CableGuy15, 15% were deckzone3000, 4.99% were other people... and .01% was you asking how many times we are going to discussing the same things over and over. :D
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See that? You know that means shit is about to go down.
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We're learning about what's going on in Spirit World now, and things are starting to get really intense. I mean, there are invisible killer bugs on earth, for crying out loud! This is a great continuation of an increasingly building arc.
These episodes are great tension builders. Being slowly introduced to the villains' plans is one thing, but the art style, the music, and voice acting really sell the desperation as something of another level from the other crisis-es they've dealt with before. In particular, the Sensui reveal in the middle of a public park (with that ominous sky) is even creepier than the episode where Toguro revealed Yusuke and Kuwabara didn't really kill him. That moment of Sensui's took place in only a handful of mere seconds.
And he didn't even do anything.
But it looks like it was all a part of his plan as he sends one of our groups of heroes off to the hospital where one of his men is lying in wait. Ending it on a cliffhanger after that mess is just too mean.
Oh, and up next week we have my two favorite episodes in the entire run of the show. Which is only fair since CX just got his favorite last week.
71. The Tunnel
And thus, with the introduction of classes as a concept, a slew of nerdy power-level debates were born, with roughly 95% of them being between Talon and Cableguy, on one of TV.com's nearly dead sub-forums. This was truly a productive use of one's time and thinking capacity. :humhumhum:
Anyways, we get our first proper introduction to Sensui in this episode, and right away we can see that there's something very different about him than what we've seen before from previous villains. And while this was mostly another exposition-heavy episode, we got some great character dialogue, as well as a reinforcement of this arc's theme when Genkai scolds Yusuke for missing the point of her elaborate lesson plan by wanting to rush into things without understanding his enemies and how they operate.
"How about learning from your mistakes for a change!" is a concept that tons of other series should really apply to their protagonists.
72. The Reader
BEST HERO MEETS VILLAIN SCENE EVER! I just love that moment. They see Sensui amongst the crowd only to immediately have Murota sniped in the head as soon as he looks at them. "We'll call that my introduction, Yusuke," says Sensui, and what an introduction it is.
This episode also contains some ingeneous foreshadowing. I won't post exactly what it is until it happens, but Yusuke's comment about being scared of what he didn't sense in Sensui, as if he wasn't seeing the REAL Sensui but just a mere shell or immitation of him, and the line about digging seven graves will come back in a big way later on.
Overall, another great set of episodes, but next week, guys....let's just say that the best is yet to come. ;)
Have I gone on enough yet about how awesome the Chapter Black arc is? Would someone care to explain to me why so many fans call this arc a disappointment following Dark Tournament, and why so many anime snobs critics just write this series off as yet another mindless, uninspired shonen? Because fuck if I'll ever understand any of that.
The Tunnel is an episode that's mainly dedicated to exposition. But I think it works because the material is interesting. Also, it's so strong in atmosphere. The way they build up the S class demons really makes them seem so scary and dangerous. I especially like that moment where Koenma says "If just one S class demon were to cross into the living world...", and instead of him saying anything, we just see these hypothetical scenarios of S class demons wrecking havoc. Just the way these scenes are presented is perfect. Everything is a reddish color, and the demons are just these giant, overwhelming monsters. And regular people have such a minor role in this series, so it hits hard thinking about the idea of regular human populations encountering S class demons. It does such a good job of capturing the feeling of how the barrier between worlds can never be opened, because if it is, all is lost.
This week's episodes are not only among the best in the series, but also of any anime adaptation of a manga.
73. The Doctor's Disease
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It's brilliant how this builds off of the conclusion to the last episode. Sniping Murota without killing him was specifically done so that they would take him to the hospital, and thus trap them in Doctor's territory. By forcing Yusuke to confront Doctor, Sensui can test Yusuke to see if he's willing to kill another human. If not, then he has a fatal weakness that Sensui can exploit. It really gives you the impression that these villains have a grand plan and know how to out-think their opponents. It's also just great story-telling from Togashi, which is something that few other battle shonen series can match, IMO.
I absolutely love that scene where the nurse questions why Dr. Kamiya is there on his day off, and that instant of horror and realization on Kido's face, combined with that sinister grin on Doctor's face right before he paralyzes him, incapacitates the nurse, and then slits Kido's wrist to make it look like an assault followed by a suicide. Even better is the scene when Yusuke arrives and Kido uses his ability to keep Yusuke in the room, and then spells out Kamiya's name with his own shadow and blood like something out of a horror movie, before passing out himself. It's such a brilliantly directed scene, and a great episode in general.
74. Sleep, Doctor, Sleep
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I've always loved the unique and fluid style of animation in this episode, combined with the brilliant use of lighting. It's unconventional, but really works to help make this particular conflict stand out even more in a good way.
This time we get a more in-depth moral struggle of whether or not Yusuke can kill another human. He has of course killed demons without a second thought, but this particular dilemma brings up a great issue within the series and Yusuke's character arc. Why is it OK to kill one type of living being but not another, even if they are a villain and putting countless innocent lives at stake? Of course Yusuke ultimately rules in favor of treating Kamiya like any other villain and doesn't hold back in order to do his job and save lives. It's the self-realization of this on his part that makes this particular fight so special in my book, and although Yusuke doesn't know it yet, this is essentially what sets him apart from Sensui as a better fit for the role of Spirit Detective. He doesn't see the world as black and white, and can make tough personal decisions even if he doesn't like them.
This episode also manages to hold up on a plot and surface level, as well. Having Yusuke's friends and Keiko poisoned by the Makai insects with only a limited amount of time to live unless Yusuke takes out Doctor adds tension to the conflict. The utilization of help from the new characters is also great. In the previous episode, Kido used his shadow ability to reveal Kamiya's identity despite being paralyzed. This time, Yana uses his copy ability to pose as a nurse to stop Yusuke from initially killing Doctor without first making sure that it's his only option available. The reveal moment is genuinely clever and it's great to see him get a shot in on the guy while he's still stuck in a shocked reaction. Murota reading Doctor's mind to warn Yusuke of his lethal trick is another great assist from a minor character. If this same scenario was written by someone like Tite Kubo or Syun Matsuena, you can bet your ass that these characters would have been long forgotten about and that Yusuke would have found a way to beat Doctor with a generic attack that magically solved the problem without killing him.
While Yusuke did get off the hook at the end by Genkai restarting Kamiya's heartbeat, the important thing is that Yusuke resolved to kill Doctor in order to save lives. It still progressed his character arc, and the rare bit of praise that he got from Genkai for it is very indicative of that. A lesser writer would miss that and just have him win while looking like a complete saint and learning nothing from his experience.
Finally, there's Doctor's speech at the end, which I've always loved. "Officer, have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror; I mean, REALLY looked at yourself? If you knew what was good for you, you'd take your gun out of its holster and do yourself a favor." That's paraphrasing part of it, but it's just so well done, IMO.
Overall, both of these episodes are absolute classics in my eyes. They are especially good example pieces of how to actually adapt a manga. Rather than just copy and paste everything panel for panel from the comic, they instead take already great material and convey it in an even more interesting way by utilizing and taking full advantage of the medium of animation, and they each use terrific directing techniques to get their specific themes across in a more pronounced way than what was already present in the source material to begin with. So few studios producing and animating modern shonen manga adaptations seem to get this, anymore.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on November 16, 2015, 04:41:30 PM
Finally, there's Doctor's speech at the end, which I've always loved. "Officer, have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror; I mean, REALLY looked at yourself? If you knew what was good for you, you'd take your gun out of its holster and do yourself a favor." That's paraphrasing part of it, but it's just so well done, IMO.
One of the best endings to any episode in the series. Really, these are just two of the best episodes of the series in general.
I'd also like to mention how much I love how Doctor's design seems to change through this whole battle. When he first appears to Kido and the nurse, he looks like a regular doctor. Completely unintimidating, and up until the nurse asked why he was at the hospital, he seemed normal enough that I didn't suspect him when I first saw these episodes. However, as time goes on, he just looks more psychotic and terrible. Part of that might have to do with the fact that the second episode features unique animation, but I found it to even be present in the first episode, to an extent.
These are the best episodes in the series to me. I'll get into them later.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on November 16, 2015, 04:41:30 PMThey are especially good example pieces of how to actually adapt a manga. Rather than just copy and paste everything panel for panel from the comic, they instead take already great material and convey it in an even more interesting way by utilizing and taking full advantage of the medium of animation, and they each use terrific directing techniques to get their specific themes across in a more pronounced way than what was already present in the source material to begin with. So few studios producing and animating modern shonen manga adaptations seem to get this, anymore.
Blood Blockade Battlefront does this, too. It takes the original source material and manages to add to it without taking away any of the better parts of the source material. I'm hoping Bones can do it again with My Hero Academia.
It's such a shame Pierrot essentially lost its touch after YYH.
There are several reasons why these episodes are the best in the series, and I hope I can explain why.
The first is the set up. As Ensatsu-ken mentioned, the Doctor literally takes both Kido and the audience by surprise. The atmosphere, the tension from entering the hospital when we KNOW what these guys can do just from what they did to Murota, is palpable. Then these disease-filled bugs show up out of nowhere and everything begins falling to pieces.
Not only does he easily take down the character that easily defeated Yusuke, but he makes it so that he has to watch helpless as the scumbag gets away with it. These guys are crazy, but who knew they were this unhinged? Then when Kido finally spells it out for Yusuke, everything just hits the fan. All that set-up is vintage Togashi and the best writing he's ever done.
Then there's the Doctor himself. Watch how he starts as a perfectly rational individual with a mind like a trap and devolve as the fight goes on losing all his humanity and becoming little more than a demon himself. The animation, voice acting and directing all match is decent perfectly, culminating in his final scene in the police station where Yusuke might have broken him but he didn't destroy him.
But Pierrot deserves an incredible amount of kudos here, especially in the second episode. Not only did the added material enhance the tension and the stakes, but the animation and direction are at their peak here. This is an incredibly well directed fight with great facial expressions and movements that you don't see too often in TV anime. They pulled out all the stops here.
The dub actors, though, really hit it out of the park. The Doctor's one-liners fit his devolving fervor greatly as well as the performance sliding into madness. Justin Cook sells Yusuke's moral dilemma as well as his growing aggravation with humor and a lot of hot air.
Speaking of, Yusuke's dilemma is a tough one. Were he older and more experienced like Sensui he might have been able to come to a decision quicker, but being that the only demons he's killed were those where he got lucky and overwhelmed them and almost killed himself in the process. Here he's fighting someone he could crush like a bug, just like Toguro could, and to solve his problem all he would have to do is kill him and everything would be fine. But it's not that easy to take a life like that. Yusuke is not a murderer. But at the end he does come to the right decision and kills the Doctor in order to prevent people from dying. As Genkai said, he did the right thing.
Now, I know some would complain about Genkai saving the Doctor after all that, but here's the thing: Yusuke still killed him. He still went there. He did what he had to when it counted. Genkai reviving him was the smart idea both as she said to make sure Yusuke kept his conscience steady (he's still a teenager, they couldn't rely on his emotional stability to hold if he carried something like this) and because they would have to explain who killed him and how. This way nobody dies and they move on to finding the next psychic.
All told, that's why I like these episodes so much. Every character is used very effectively and every moment is perfectly paced and executed. Togashi never got better than this.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on November 16, 2015, 05:03:44 PMIt's such a shame Pierrot essentially lost its touch after YYH.
To be fair, Level E was also a really great anime adaptation of Togashi's manga that somewhat improves on the source material. It was really well-animated, too, and that came out just a few years ago. So they can still do a good anime adaptation when they actually assign it to a staff that cares.
Granted, that type of series isn't for everyone. I've personally come to appreciate it a lot more than I used to, though.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on November 16, 2015, 09:28:11 PMThere are several reasons why these episodes are the best in the series, and I hope I can explain why.
The first is the set up. As Ensatsu-ken mentioned, the Doctor literally takes both Kido and the audience by surprise. The atmosphere, the tension from entering the hospital when we KNOW what these guys can do just from what they did to Murota, is palpable. Then these disease-filled bugs show up out of nowhere and everything begins falling to pieces.
Not only does he easily take down the character that easily defeated Yusuke, but he makes it so that he has to watch helpless as the scumbag gets away with it. These guys are crazy, but who knew they were this unhinged? Then when Kido finally spells it out for Yusuke, everything just hits the fan. All that set-up is vintage Togashi and the best writing he's ever done.
Then there's the Doctor himself. Watch how he starts as a perfectly rational individual with a mind like a trap and devolve as the fight goes on losing all his humanity and becoming little more than a demon himself. The animation, voice acting and directing all match is decent perfectly, culminating in his final scene in the police station where Yusuke might have broken him but he didn't destroy him.
But Pierrot deserves an incredible amount of kudos here, especially in the second episode. Not only did the added material enhance the tension and the stakes, but the animation and direction are at their peak here. This is an incredibly well directed fight with great facial expressions and movements that you don't see too often in TV anime. They pulled out all the stops here.
The dub actors, though, really hit it out of the park. The Doctor's one-liners fit his devolving fervor greatly as well as the performance sliding into madness. Justin Cook sells Yusuke's moral dilemma as well as his growing aggravation with humor and a lot of hot air.
Speaking of, Yusuke's dilemma is a tough one. Were he older and more experienced like Sensui he might have been able to come to a decision quicker, but being that the only demons he's killed were those where he got lucky and overwhelmed them and almost killed himself in the process. Here he's fighting someone he could crush like a bug, just like Toguro could, and to solve his problem all he would have to do is kill him and everything would be fine. But it's not that easy to take a life like that. Yusuke is not a murderer. But at the end he does come to the right decision and kills the Doctor in order to prevent people from dying. As Genkai said, he did the right thing.
Now, I know some would complain about Genkai saving the Doctor after all that, but here's the thing: Yusuke still killed him. He still went there. He did what he had to when it counted. Genkai reviving him was the smart idea both as she said to make sure Yusuke kept his conscience steady (he's still a teenager, they couldn't rely on his emotional stability to hold if he carried something like this) and because they would have to explain who killed him and how. This way nobody dies and they move on to finding the next psychic.
All told, that's why I like these episodes so much. Every character is used very effectively and every moment is perfectly paced and executed. Togashi never got better than this.
The key thing that Togashi nails here is a sense of dealing with an unknown entity. What I mean is that as viewers, on your first time through this series, you are presented with a high stakes situation, yet unlike before Yusuke could overcome this easily....but at what cost? His own conscience and moral center? Togashi essentially scraps the traditional battle scenario and gets both Yusuke as a character as well as us as viewers to think about things in a way that we don't normally think when it comes to either this series or any battle shonen in general. That is ultimately what keeps the story feeling so fresh and interesting.
Like I said, lesser writers would completely miss the point and have Yusuke win without making any hard decisions for himself. They would let him take the easy way out. Even if Genkai revives Kamiya at the end, the fact of the matter is that Yusuke made the decision to cross the line and definitively kill another human for the greater good. That means that if he has to do it again and they can't be revived, then he will still do it without hesitation.
The value of life, not just human, but in general, is a big theme in this arc, and you can bet that it will be coming up again numerous times throughout the remainder of this story.
The arc continues down this path and still manages to maintain it's high quality but I don't think anything will quite top the way it was done in these episodes. This is one of the best fights in any shonen, I don't care what anyone says. The first time I saw these episodes I knew YYH would definitely be one of my favorite shows, and it still is.
Well, you guys did a better job of digging into these episodes than I could.
The series took a welcome detour into horror here, and it's not done in a filler manner at all. This only continues to add to the story, and Yusuke's character in particular, just as it's a brilliantly done piece of action-horror, while still maintaining YYH's general charm. And yeah, this is some of the show's best animation, bar none.
Missed out on talking about last week's eps before now, but "The Tunnel" was an excellent mood-setter for the arc and did a heck of a job building up the ominousness and trepidation of the new threat. The scenes where Yusuke imagines the destruction that could be caused by demons as strong as Toguro and Sensui and Elder Toguro's chat are especially atmospheric and make great use of visuals. "The Reader" shows that Yusuke has grown from his experiences and I've always loved how he beats Murota exactly the way he said he would, which further hammers home the point that it's not just enough to have powers, but it's how you use those powers that decides the outcome, and that you should never underestimate the skill your enemies, which Murota very foolishly made the mistake of doing. And of course, Sensui's reveal is one of the all-time greatest villain introduction scenes ever. It still sends chills down my spine watching it, and the set-up that there is a lot more to him and his motivations than meets the eye is great foreshadowing.
I'm not sure what I can say about these eps that hasn't already been said. YYH was already incredibly well-directed in previous arcs, but the Chapter Black arc has taken it to new heights, and these episodes are probably it's zenith in terms of visual quality. The pacing, compositions, color design, use of perspectives, close-ups, coupled with the score and phenomenal performances make for an absolutely riveting and nearly flawless experience. There probably hasn't been a battle shonen anime adaption with episodes these inspired before or since. Every visual and audio facet of the episodes compliment the themes, character drama, and emotional intensity of the episodes. E
Especially in the case of "Sleep, Doctor, Sleep." Yusuke's struggle with the fact he has to kill Doctor, who despite his sick mind and insanity is still another human being, is brilliantly and subtly shown through the use, composition, and editing of the animation and art direction, none of which is explicitly betrayed by his tough-act dialogue, which adds so much more depth to the proceedings and character than if he were to monologue about his decision for the entire episode. Doctor's descent from a genuinely smart and methodical villain into a true mad man is similarly shown just through the increasingly wild and crazed expressions on his face and his progressively fast-paced, wildly-intonated, and witless dialogue.
The ending is great too. Yusuke might be spared the crime, but the guilt and his uncertainity about his morality and humanity has been set in, as Sensui intended. Doctor's speech is an incredible and creepy closer to it all too, and really characterizes how Sensui and his cronies truly hate themselves as they do humanity, which is why they are so eager to purge it with a demon invasion, and why most of them are so willing to give their own lives to that cause, at least in principle (since Doctor himself ultimately showed cowardice at the prospect of his own death, as do the lot of them down the line). The way Sensui uses the psychics as disposable pawns and a means of testing Yusuke's morality and resolve is very akin to Knives and Legato's use of the Gung-Ho Guns in Trigun. He probably wasn't, but I do wonder if Nightow had seen this arc and drew some inspiration from it for that plot thread. But back on subject, every scene in these episodes plays a valuable part in building up the tension to the climax, and setting up that payoff making full use of every plot thread and character involved.
I also have a renewed appreciation of it as a "fight." I never really considered it one before, but like the word game with Kaito, revisiting it again, it really is one in practice and definition, and in terms of the emotional and moral conflict at it's core, and the direction and choreography of the animation, it's easily one of the best there's ever been. My love for "The Power of Taboo" can't be topped, but "Sleep, Doctor, Sleep" is still easily one of my all-time favorites. All said and done, these are two of the best episodes of the entire show, and one of the greatest fights and sequences in any anime battle shonen series ever.
Very hard to fight the urge to watch ahead now. Chapter Black is even better than I'd remembered.
You guys have made excellent points. I wouldn't necessarily call these two episodes the absolute best in the series, but they are definitely among the best. Maybe top 10 or possibly even top 5.
Chapter Black does such a good job setting up atmosphere.
Quote from: Cartoon X on November 16, 2015, 11:21:32 PMI also have a renewed appreciation of it as a "fight." I never really considered it one before, but like the word game with Kaito, revisiting it again, it really is one in practice and definition, and in terms of the emotional and moral conflict at it's core, and the direction and choreography of the animation, it's easily one of the best there's ever been. My love for "The Power of Taboo" can't be topped, but "Sleep, Doctor, Sleep" is still easily one of my all-time favorites. All said and done, these are two of the best episodes of the entire show, and one of the greatest fights and sequences in any anime battle shonen series ever.
When a lot of people think fight scenes in manga and anime they think of things like Frieza against Goku with big power battles and lots of explosions, but I find most of my favorite fights are usually lower key but no less important in the grand scheme of things. Even the Stain fight in MHA, as big as it got, succeeded because there was a lot on the line and the best part of the Invasion arc in World Trigger was Mikumo scrambling for his life just to get into a building.
Chapter Black is full of these types of encounters and that's what makes it so good.
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This week's pair of episodes is nearly as excellent as the previous, which is hard to believe!
Despite being told that Koenma's original prediction of the spirit world's breach being off, Kuwabara isn't willing to stand by and help Yusuke and the gang stay where they need to be, since HE HAS MEGALLICA TICKETS!!!! After a night out with his buddies at their favorite pop metal's act, they run into Seaman, the next of Sensui's team.
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While this is initially a problem, given Seaman's aquatic powers and Kuwabara's spirit energy being pushed away, as you can tell by the image, Kuwabara's power is still there. It just took a little recharging for him to reignite it, and wins in a tasteful manner. Seaman gets to live, and, along with Koenma, tells Yusuke and the gang about what has caused Sensui's quest- a former spirit detective himself, a viewing of this tape showed a highlight reel of humanity's greatest evils and broke him.
The atomic bomb reference especially stings from Seaman's confession. This is something that the Japanese are still reeling from, and feels especially poignant on top of all of the atrocities the tape contains.
The first episode is solid enough, but the latter is where things are really starting to pick up. Both also given us more of a view of Sensui, who is increasingly becoming a great threat and fascinating character in his own right. Add on the return of Elder Toguro, and we've got some tight stuff here.
These are two great episodes, and they contain such a great character moment for Kuwabara. We also get the addition of Sea Man, who unlike Doctor is actually a very sympathetic character. He also serves to make Sensui all that more interesting as a villain despite him barely being seen yet. We come to understand how he has managed to use Chapter Black in order to warp the mind of an impressionable lonely youth to his cult-like beliefs. As we'll later find out, Sea Man is not the only example of this. The point being that some of the most interesting villains can convince otherwise good-hearted people to do their bidding for them, while making it seem like they are doing the right thing. It's a really warped, twisted way of antagonizing his opposition, but it makes the fight that much tougher for them.
I like the contrast between Seaman and Doctor who are both indoctrinated in the same Sensui cult, yet they came at it from different angles. While we haven't officially met the last two members, it is devious how Sensui appealed to their weaknesses in order to use them as assets in his plan. Seaman was an ignorant kid dealt a bad hand and the Doctor was a jaded physician at the end of his rope, and he told them exactly what he needed to get them on his side and waste their lives to further his own goals.
The whole encounter in the rain was pretty cool. Also gotta love Yusuke being a complete idiot about Kuwabara. Genkai's lessons still haven't sunk in on him.
Oh yeah, and that guy ate Elder Toguro. Yuck.
These are another strong set of episodes that provide a real highlight for Kuwabara's growth and character. Of course Kuwabara suddenly losing his powers would be set up for him getting them back better than ever, and was foreshadowed in these eps, they play a major role in how the arc progresses. Kuwabara really shows the honor and humanity that really make his character so great in these episodes, first fearlessly defending his friends from an enemy he has no chance against, then empathizing with and saving Seaman's life. The line that really struck me in these eps was when Yusuke told Seaman what Kuwabara told him about why he saved him. It's such a simple, yet profound observation from him, and I think it encapsulates just what Kuwabara brings to the series. He embodies it's heart like no other character does.
While I enjoyed his character a lot when I was younger, I find Seaman far less sympathetic in of himself nowadays, but conceptually he is very interesting, and he hammers in that Sensui is praying on the psychics' emotional weaknesses and disillusionment to make them into his willing, disposable pawns to service his grand scheme. Seaman was just a normal kid who got bullied a lot; he was miserable and resented people stronger than him because of it, and when Sensui showed him Chapter Black, that resentment turned to blind hate. The most interesting aspect about Seaman to me is how he justifies his almost sadistic bullying of Kuwabara and crew, despite having never known them and having no grudge against them personally, on the grounds that they are just like other thugs at his own school. He's basically typecasting them based on his prejudices, and gleefully wants to kill them out of discrimination and revenge against those who mistreated him. But for someone who claims to hate those who pick on the weak, in this situation, he's the strong guy and they're the weak ones. Kuwabara's crew did nothing to provoke him, nothing to show that they were bad people in any way, or even bullies, and they pose no direct threat to Sensui and his scheme. They're innocent. So essentially, by picking a fight with Kuwabara's crew Seaman became what he hated the most, a bully himself, and he justifies doing so because he's a human, and he doesn't think humans can be anything but selfish and destructive, so why not he just embrace that and get some gratification out of it? Well, from this fight and his encounter with Kuwabara he realizes that his actions and way of thinking are wrong. Kuwabara is not like other people he's met, nor are the other members of Team Urameshi. There are good people in the world, and you can make the choice to do what is right and what is wrong. For the rest of the arc, we see Seaman try to emulate Kuwabara's example; to try and be as good a person he can be, no matter how hard it is to do so.
Oh, and another cool aspect about these episodes is that we learn what Chapter Black itself is, and Sensui's possession of it hints at what his impetus was in his planned genocide of the human race, as does the line about him waiting for Koenma to pick his successor as Spirit Detective before he initiated it. As an aside, I really enjoy the exchange where Kurama mentions that he was interested in watching it a long time ago and Yusuke glares at him. Superfluous, but a funny moment nonetheless. I'm looking forward to revisiting Sensui's backstory in next week's pair of episodes, as it's easily one of the most clever and interesting ones for a villain in the battle shonen genre.
Due to a lack of time and everyone having already covered these episodes very well, I'll keep these brief.
75. Caught in the Rain
First off, I love the little attention to detail here where Kuwabara can't see or hear Koenma on the monitor since he's temporarily lost access to his spirit powers. It's both a great reminder that he still doesn't have them back, and clever foreshadowing for events soon to unfold. A lesser writer would miss the opportunity to capitalize on that, or even completely forget about Kuwabara's current status, thus creating a plot-hole.
What I really take away from this episode in particular is what I mentioned earlier about how smart and coordinated Sensui's team is. Despite Seaman being physically weak, Sensui has him take advantage of Kuwabara splitting off from the group and attempts to take him out. But upon further analysis, it's very likely that Sensui had a suspicion that Kuwabara might be the one that they need to slice open the Kekai Barrier, and utilizing Seaman's interdimensional water monsters was a great way to test that theory.
76. Kuwabara: Awakening
And as we've all already elaborated, this is a great moment for Kuwabara's character. Seaman also proves to be little more than a susceptible bullied victim who was easily impressionable by someone like Sensui. The speech about how the video brainwashed him really sells the cult-leader persona of Sensui, and learning that he's Yusuke's predecessor is a genuinely shocking reveal. It's just a great episode for plot and characters.
And we've still got a slew to of great episodes to come. This arc is amazing.
Little tidbit for this week's episode that plays into the arc's themes:
Spoiler
Notice the color of shirt Yusuke wears and the color Sensui wears, and note the color of their energy when they fight. It's simple color coding, but for this arc it is a great touch.
I always love the bit about Sensui's past, and I especially appreciate the warped and surreal way in which it's presented, sort of as if it's giving you a taste of Sensui's own psyche or mental state during his youth.
I also love how damn smart and strategic he is in these episodes. If you notice, he's never really overpowering Yusuke at any point. Just bating him into making rash moves that eventually work to Sensui's advantage. Rarely do you ever see such coordinated teamwork from villains in a battle shonen series (not counting sports manga).
Can someone take the helms tonight? I'm not up for it.
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This week is a bit of a rush. Not only do we delve in Sensui's past, but we also get one heck of a knock-down drag-out fight in the streets! Sensui turns out to be one freaky creep of a Black Angel, and it looks like his old demon partner is now one of the seven psychics looking to open the portal! And while Seaman, Botan, and Shizuru, are cornered in Yusuke's apartment, Yusuke and the gang take on Sensui himself and he is no joke at all.
He turns Yusuke's attacks against him, outfoxes Kurama, and slips by both Koenma's notice and Genkai's spirit awareness. It looks like he might be able to win all on his own.
Not only that, but he destroys Yusuke's apartment in the process, nearly killing Shizuru in the process and potentially obliterating both Seaman and Botan. Then he leads Team Uremeshi around like a dog on a leash and allows Sniper to distract the team further by nearly killing Keiko, who is thankfully saved by Puu. Sensui is on his A-game here and completely fools them all.
In fact, he even captures Kuwabara!
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Whew! Now that was a week of hot-blooded shonen! But we're not done yet, as Yusuke tears off in pursuit of Sensui to save Kuwabara and the rest of the team is left confused and picking up the pieces. And we still don't know where Hiei is!
Next week should be quite the pair of episodes. Especially after this!
Well, my laptop has ceased allowing me to play DVDs, so unfortunately I won't be able to post any more screens.
Sorry, guys.
Aww, it's okay. I'll try to see what I can do.
I'm so frustrated that I haven't had much time to write. Here's my brief make-up for last week:
77. Sensui's Fall
I already talked about this in-depth on my favorite episodes list, but I just love the way that Sensui's backstory is handled. He is bar none my favorite Shonen Jump villain by far.
78. Divide and Conquer
This plays into my love for this arc's use of wit over power. The coordinated efforts of Sensui's team easily renders the completely unprepared Team Urameshi at a disadvantage despite them being physically stronger. This is precisely what makes these opponents so interesting in the first place.
Sorry, but I just have so little time to write. This week's entries will be late as well, but needless to say, this set of episodes dealing with Sniper don't let up on the momentum of this arc one bit.
My laptop's DVD player isn't great, so I'm going to have to go without screencaps for right now. I'll try to change that soon, though.
After last week's exciting car chase start, tonight's duo continues it, as Yusuke gets into his fight with Sniper. We also get to find out what happened to Hiei, as he comes at just the right time during the latter match.
We're continuing to learn more about why Sensui went rogue, and get some great action in the process. This is only the continuation of a great arc that's occurring.
Late again. Sorry. Will have to keep it brief.
79. The Human Race
The moment where Seaman finally makes a decision to change sides is a great redemption moment for him. I also like how Elder Toguro comes back into play, and it almost feels like Togashi really planned this arc out in the way that all of the little pieces fit together.
80. Moving Target
This was a great fight between Yusuke and Sniper, and it's a great use of a creative power. Once again, Yusuke is being outwitted by an opponent which he could easily kill. I especially love when Sniper sends a fuel truck after him.
And of course, as Yusuke predicted, Hiei comes back to save the day at the last minute.
Would either of you guys be willing to take the helms this week? I have plans tonight that I need to keep.
I haven't gotten around to watching this week's or last week's episodes yet. Without my DVD player, it's a lot harder to get a chance to watch.
I'll try my best to do today's entries later tonight. No promises, though.
Aww man, well this week's set of episodes was pretty fun.
These were great episodes, and almost serve as a prototype for the outlandish sorts of conflicts that are found ever present in Hunter X Hunter. The next two episodes will be an excellent character piece for Kurama.
Also, if you noticed, this battle with Game Master was foreshadowed earlier when Yusuke was playing the game of the same name in the arcade.
81. Let the Games Begin
I fucking love Game Master's territory ability. It's very creative, and I also like how it's foreshadowed in an earlier episode back when Yusuke is playing Goblin City in an arcade. I also like the banter between Game Master and Seaman, with the former clearly thinking that he's above the latter, especially after what he considers to be Seman's betrayal. He says that people picked on him because he stood out, not because he was weak like Mitarai.
Now, if you're perceptive here, you can catch on to the fact that this is once again brilliant manipulation on Sensui's part. Both characters were victims of similar circumstances. However Sensui told them different things based on what he knew that they "wanted" to hear. In Miatarai's case, it was that he was bullied because humans are inherently evil and he can be above that by helping to bring an end to his own evil race. Game Master was a much younger victim, though, so Sensui didn't bother sparing him the entire details of his master plan. Rather he knew just how to entice the kid into thinking that he would be using his powers in a fun way while helping out a good cause (one that the kid clearly doesn't fully comprehend). Really, though, Sensui is just using Game Master for his own ambitions, and in this case is merely having him stall the heroes to buy him some much needed time. That may not seem so bad right now, but it'll become apparent why it is so despicable by tomorrow's set of episodes.
82. If You Could Play Forever
Plot-wise, this episode just continues on with the set-up of the Goblin City game in Game Master's territory. However we have an interesting development when Kaito catches on to the fact that there's something off about Amanuma after he starts acting chummy with him despite being an enemy. Clearly the kid is oblivious to the circumstances of not only Sensui's plans, but also what will happen to him if he loses by the rules of his own territory. And as we've seen with Kaito before, even the master of the territory is not exempt from the rules that he sets.
What's great about this character is that you can totally buy into him being set-up like this. Sure, he's an annoying little shit, but he's intentionally written as one since most kids are at that age. What works so well about his character, though, is that just like any other kid his age he's clearly not evil. Rather, he's just being misguided and taken advantage of by a bad role-model. In the next episode, we'll learn of the harsh consequences that are in store for a kid who really doesn't deserve what's happening to him, despite working for the enemy under false pretenses, when the series delves into one of its darker moments.
As always, this arc never fails to engage me.
Well, the theme of this week is to not fuck with Kurama.
Damn, dude.
Playing catch-up from last week.
83. Game Over
This is why Kurama is my favorite YYH character. Almost everything that he says or does has purpose. I love the scene where he clenches his fist until it bleeds to show how much he hates what he has to do, but still uses a cold and calculated strategy to defeat Game Master even though he knows that means it'll cause his death. It really does stray the lines of moral ambiguity. Killing off an innocent life (remember, he was just an ordinary kid manipulated into doing something wrong by Sensui), and justifying it in that he would save many more lives in the process.
84. Kurama's Anger, Gourmet's Guest
I already talked about this episode extensively in my favorite episodes list, so go check that out if you want my full analysis on it. But to briefly reiterate, this is just such an amazing episode for Kurama's character. It also brings Elder Toguro back in a sensible way, and the way that Kurama ultimately defeats him is nothing short of bad-ass; essentially sentencing him to eternal damnation rather than just going for an easy kill. It's a reminder to us that, despite his outward appearance and general kind demeanor, Kurama has a history as a violent, cold-blooded demon, and if you really try to fuck with him, you'll bring that side of him out once more and learn to regret it.
This week's episodes will commence the direct confrontation between Yusuke and Sensui, so they should be a real blast to revisit.
And now Yusuke and Sensui are together at last, and are able to get a great wollop at each other. Yusuke gets some great hits in so far, but Sensui more than holds his own as a great threat.
We learn a good deal in between the action, primarily that 1) Sensui is probably gay, but most importantly 2) he has created 7 alternate personalties to help ease the stress from hiding in his mind, and we meet one of them tonight. Great stuff.
I'm sorry that I missed yesterday's post. I passed out after work, and didn't really get up afterwords.
But man, this is a great set of episodes. Just when it looks like Kazuya, the personality that has inhabited Sensui's body, is about to kill Yusuke, Koenma comes to intervene between his two prodigies. Koenma's disappointment towards Sensui's development is displayed, but that doesn't match the anger that he feels for Sensui's betrayal, all of which he laughs off. There's some good action here, but this is more of a personal episode for the three characters, primarily a strong one for Koenma.
The characters have more to offer in the following episode, as Sensui's next personality, Shinobu, comes around. He is fully cognizant of Sensui's actions, but finds there is nothing for him to feel bad about. This makes the ongoing battle remain exciting, as Yusuke and Koenma take turns trying to decide who should stop Sensui.
I hope that I'm not the only one still watching along, since man, is Chapter Black great. There's rich material all over this arc, and the best has yet to come.
Damn, I'm way behind. I'll do my write-ups for last week's episodes and this week's tomorrow.
Really great episodes despite being stuck in one location the whole time.
85. Spirit Detective Showdown
Not much plot is covered in this episode, but we do learn about Itsuki's unique power, and it's interesting to see Sensui overwhelm Yusuke with his years of experience despite being physically weaker.
86. The Difference Maker
It's really great to see Yusuke overcome Sensui in a fight in his own unique style by proving that he can be really unpredictable while still utilizing strategy. Additionally, this episode is notable for revealing the twist that Sensui has multiple personalities, and we finally see a new one, Kazuya, with a mounted arm gun to match.
87. The Power Between the Teeth
What I particularly love about this episode is how it sells the history between Koenma and Sensui. I love how we see a different side of Koenma as he shows regret for failing to keep Sensui on the right path, and not spotting the signs of his mental decline before he disappeared for several years. You also get a sense of Sensui's animosity towards Koenma. Of course Yusuke appropriately breaks up this dark reunion only to bring out Sensui's best and worst side, Shinobu.
88. The True Face of Sensui
Shinobu really lives up to all of the build-up and as an S-Class level fighter, proves to be more than what Yusuke can handle at his level. This leaves our Spirit Detective with no other options than to sacrifice himself to give his friends a chance to fight back. I really love how this shows us how high the stakes are, as well as how much Yusuke has grown in maturity as a character throughout the course of the series.
Yup, this arc is still Togashi'so best by miles. Sadly, though, it is quickly approaching its inevitable climax and conclusion.
I wish I had more to add, but I don't. The final fight with Sensui sure is insane, though.
I have a lot more that I could add. Each episode of this arc is so packed with substance. Unfortunately it's a lack of time which constrains me.
This week, Yusuke makes a bold sacrifice and we finally get to see his closest friends unleash their rage. You really get a sense of how close this unlikely group of heroes have grown with each other throughout the course of the series. It's really heartfelt stuff at moments like this.
"Please, this is why I came back? More pain?"
That says it all.
Late as usual.
89. Death of a Spirit Detective
An very heartfelt and emotional episode. We see how much Yusuke has grown as a character throughout the series. In the beginning, he never would have been willing to sacrifice himself so willingly for anyone other than Keiko. We also see how much everyone has come to love, admire, and respect Yusuke for how he's grown, and you can really feel the pain and heartbreak that the characters go through at his apparent death.
90. Attempting Revenge
It's great to see Yusuke's friends unleash everything that they have to try and avenge him. I particularly love the part where Kurama notes that Hiei is willing to die in trying to take out Sensui to gain justice for Yusuke's defeat at his hands, essentially fighting for someone other than himself or Yukina. It's also great to finally see King Yama, and after being built up as a force to be reckoned with for 90 episodes, he definitely comes off as an imposing overlord of sorts.
This set of episodes was great, and this week's episodes only continue the thrilling conclusion. I'll post about them later on.
Yep, this week's set is great shit.
Still behind on my entries, but this week's episodes bring the Chapter Black arc to a close. I especially love the aftermath showing the rest of Sensui's crew regaining and cherishing their everyday lives and humanity.
Overall, this is still one of my favorite story arcs of all time.
I like how everyone gets a send-off, including epilogues for characters who don't come back later in the story. Looks like he already knew at the time what he'd be doing next in the story.
Don't mistake my tired introductions for apathy. I still think that the show is great, but I've just ran out of things to say. But really, I'm just not much into writing anymore.
Still, we got a great end to Sensui's arc, as well as an epilogue that helps to give the Chapter Black story some necessary closure. But we're not done yet!
Last week's episodes:
91. Waking the Lost
We learn about Yusuke's origin as a Mazoku. Admittedly it's a plot point that comes out of left field, but it fits his character, is explained well, and doesn't feel out of place in the context of the series. Also, his rebirth signifies the culmination of his character arc from this story-line, and Puu's Phoenix form is clearly symbolic of Yusuke having matured.
92. The Proof
Not too much to this episode aside from a pretty cool fight. I did genuinely get chills down my spine the first time that I watched it, though, when Raizen overtakes Yusuke's body and completes his demonic transformation.
Overall, a great pair of episodes. I'll cover the ones from this week later on.
93. Sensui's End
This concludes the battle between Yusuke and Sensui. What stands out here is Sensui's poignant speech at the end. It really cements in what an interesting and morally complex character he is, which makes him one of the best Shonen Jump villains of all time in my book. We also learn the important plot point that Yusuke's ancestor is still alive, which is something that will be dealt with in the following story arc. Overall, a great climax.
94. Topside
This episodes winds things down and closes out the arc. It's great to see all of the supporting cast, both heroes and villains, get their own personal moments to leave off on, and it really shows you the humanity in all of them. A lesser writer would ignore something like this, but Togashi captures it all beautifully.
We also get a new plot point leading into the next arc, showing that the consequences of Koenma acting out against his father's orders has now made him an enemy of Spirit World. Additionally, we get to see Yusuke start up his next and final character arc of the series.
This is a great closing episode to cap off one of the greatest story arcs in a Shonen Jump series.
Chapter Black
Overall Grade: A+
Summary of Thoughts: Honestly, I've already gushed about this arc at length numerous times before. Desensitized/Spark did a great write-up for it for our top story arcs list. At this point, I don't really have too much to add. It might not be as iconic as something like Namek, Kyoto, Enies Lobby, Stardust Crusaders, or various other popular story arcs from either Jump Comics or manga and anime in general, but it's easily on par with the best of the best, and remains to be some of Togashi's finest writing. This re-watch pretty much proved to me how well it holds up.
This week we start up the show's final story arc! It'll definitely be fascinating to revisit after all of these years.
I'm pretty distracted by the caucus, so I have even less to add tonight than usual.
But these eps are a good start to the final arc of the series. Spark, EK, have anything more to add for now?
Only thing I'm not a fan of is how Kuwabara is so quickly pushed out of focus. I still think he should have had something to do during this arc.
95. Yusuke's Destiny
I like this episode for its calm, mellowed-out tone as everyone has been adjusting back to their normal lives. That is, everyone except for Yusuke. For one thing, Koenma is still hiding out from his father, now being considered a rogue from Spirit World, and Yusuke has to keep an eye out for anyone trying to assassinate him. But beyond that, we can see that Yusuke has grown so accustomed to fighting strong opponents, and when combined with the discovery of his true heritage, he is having trouble adjusting back to any state of "normalcy" whatsoever.
96. Three Strangers, Three Kings
This episode is another interesting one, despite being all set-up. For one thing, it's fascinating to meet the original Spirit Detective, and it's a good experience for Yusuke to talk with her and see that she was able to settle down to her own style of life after retiring. Genkai probably sent him there to show him that he could adjust to a peaceful life even after all he had been through, but neither her nor Yusuke were prepared for being visited directly by men of his own ancestor's order. Now they have offered Yusuke an intriguing proposition to return to Demon World and inherit his ancestor's role as one of the Three Kings.
You know, for as unfortunately rushed and lopsided as this arc turns out to be, I always felt that it had a great set-up with the potential to surpass even the Chapter Black arc in terms of quality. While it ultimately doesn't quite capitalize on that, the great character development and moments are what make it still hold up well enough, despite some glaring flaws.
The anime staff has to be praised how they saved the arc from itself. In the manga it was obviously building to something that abruptly got cut off for an epilogue out of nowhere that might be the worst written (and drawn) material Togashi has ever done. In the anime, they were well aware of how the arc ended up, so they changed it slightly by altering little things and fleshing others out so that you can feel it's the last arc all the way through, and when the epilogue comes it's actually a really good transition that ties together the themes from the previous arcs as well as the first episode. It's still not a perfect arc, but it is now quite enjoyable compared to what it could have been.
Yeah, I can see where you're coming from. I'm still not very well-versed with the manga, but from what I can tell, this is an improvement from that, even though it's still not perfect.
I'll try to have more to say tonight.
The set up for Yuuske's return to the Demon World is pretty good. Considering how important his relationships with Keiko and Kuwabara are, it's fair that he gets plenty of time to say goodbye to them, and they're both strong enough to warrant such a reaction.
And then this set of episodes ends with Yusuke's father. This is going to get interesting.
As per usual, I'm behind on my write-ups from last week and this week, which I'll get to eventually, but I'm not behind on my viewings, and this week's pair of episodes are a great character-piece for Hiei. These are especially rewarding to see for a Hiei fan, as you finally get full insight into his backstory, and it does not disappoint.
Not a bad way to hit 100 episodes, and the final stretch. A new intro, and a great pair of origin episodes for Hiei.
97. Departing Living World
Yusuke making the decision to accept Raizen's offer and involve himself with the Demon World conflict may seem selfish, but we can see that he actually put a lot of weight behind that decision. Him proposing to Keiko is a really cute scene, and it does feel like he just wants to close out his character arc for good at this point, so that he can move on with his life. In fact, being able to move on from the past seems to be the general theme of this arc.
98. Return to Demon World
Not too much to add here other than how much I like the slice-of-life elements of these episodes. While I would have loved to see Kuwabara involved in the final arc, it does make sense that Kuwabara would not be involved in this conflict which doesn't concern him. And his character arc is already complete, so taking his sister's advice to study and focus on his life is what best fits his character. He's already moving on with his life, and I love how Togashi subverts the typical delinquent stereotype, here.
99. Haunted by the Past
This is about the time when you can tell that this arc was being rushed to its conclusion, and that Togashi was just ready to be done with writing this series. Since he lost his motivation by this point, most good things to say from now until the end will have to go to the production staff behind the series rather than Togashi himself. Anyways, I do find Hiei's past to be fascinating, despite being an obvious retcon. I'm not too happy about having a roughly six-month time-skip out of nowhere, though.
100. The Secret of the Jagan
Having a vendetta and being denied revenge in some way is once again a great subversion of a common shonen trope. In this case I give the anime staff the credit for fleshing it out (though, Togashi does it even better with Kurapika's character arc in HXH). I also like how Hiei realizes that it was really finding Yukina that filled the void of emptiness which he felt, as opposed to finding his lost birthright. And Mukuro saving Hiei's life by healing him after his fight with Shigure, and revealing that she has experienced similar pain is a great set-up for their dual/parallel character-arcs....which unfortunately is never fulfilled because of how rushed this arc is, but it does show us that the potential was always there. I also like Hiei's backstory with Shigure, giving us a lot of insight into his character, but like before, it's inconsistent with how he's portrayed in his earlier appearances in the series, making it clear that this wasn't planned from beforehand. Overall, though, it's a strong episode.
And now I'm finally caught back up, and we're finally past the 100-episode mark! Despite being the weakest arc in the series, there's still more good stuff to come in these final few weeks, so stay tuned!
Hey guys, I'm on time for a change!
101. Reunion of the Bandits
We follow up Hiei from last week with Kurama's side of the story. Despite coming out of seemingly nowhere, I really like his backstory with Yomi, and how Yomi used to be his righthand man, but now their roles have reversed. What's particularly poetic is how everything that Yomi uses to make Kurama submit to his side are ironically thanks to Kurama trying to have him killed hundreds of years ago back when he was Yoko Kurama. On top of that I love how the theme of his kingdom is progression, order, and politics. It's represented as a very high-tech society and he even has a counsel. This is in stark contrast to the chaotic nature of Mukuro's rule, or the traditional ways of Raizen's monarchy, and of course Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama are all perfect fits for who they chose to back. This is what I mean when I say that this arc has brilliant concepts, but unfortunately never carries them out past their initial set-up.
102. Torn Between Identities
This time Kurama puts his skills to use through some straight-up Game of Thrones-style plotting. I like how he manages to use Sachi's own minion against him, and how he actually does give him the chance to live, as is within character for him, but ruthlessly takes Sachi out without a second thought when he still tries to oppose him. This is why I love Kurama as a character so much. He is as cold and calculating as he is genuinely kind, and this is why you do not ever want to fuck with him and end up on his bad side. On top of that, it was also a treat to see some of the supporting characters from the Dark Tournament arc make their return, here.
Overall, this was yet another strong set of episodes despite being part of the weakest arc in the series. Now that we've gotten time to spend with Hiei and Kurama, next week will be Yusuke's turn.
This week's episodes were also pretty good. We get more info about Yusuke's origin, and also set up for the final tournament, with a welcome reunion between Yusuke and some favorite Dark Tournament members.
It must be stressed that, despite the exposition and rushed nature of these episodes, it's still surprisingly engaging stuff in the anime. Perhaps below this show's usual standards, but easily better than most other shonen by an average show's standards.
Yeah, the pacing has been a little off in the past few episodes. I haven't especially disliked anything yet, though.
I'm watching this week's episodes, and while they're entertaining enough, I think the difference between the Dark Tournament and this arc is that DT took time to make many of the characters Team Urameshi fought against worth caring about in their own rights. There was plenty of love for character, which kept the episodes fresh, and justifies why some of these opponents come back to help Yusuke out here. That isn't really present with these episodes, as even the attempt at a story in the second episode doesn't do much.
I do like how Koenma dressed up as Tuxedo Mask, though.
Togashi was in fact dating Naoko Takeuchi during YYH's run, so the references to Sailor Moon in the manga and anime are not surprising. They even come off as rather cute, in a way. Though, I do wonder if Sailor Moon had any YYH references.
Anyways, I'm behind again as ususal, but the good news is that I got a big bulk load of work off of my shoulders now, so I'll get to be more on-time with the rest of these.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on March 08, 2016, 06:33:35 AM
Togashi was in fact dating Naoko Takeuchi during YYH's run, so the references to Sailor Moon in the manga and anime are not surprising. They even come off as rather cute, in a way. Though, I do wonder if Sailor Moon had any YYH references.
Oh yeah, I forgot if they were together at this point or not, but it definitely makes sense that they were.
103. Inheritance
I like how this episode delves a bit into the history of demons in general, and highlights how Raizen discovered the beauty of humanity. I also like how politics come into play here as Raizen instructs Yusuke to side with Mukuro once he dies, since her traditional segregation from humans will at least keep them safe. Lots of interesting concepts are here. It's just a shame that they didn't have more time to develop and be fully realized.
104. Every Demon For Himself
This is where the arc starts going downhill for me. It was rushed before, but still conceptually intriguing. Yusuke suggesting a tournament to decide the next ruler of Demon World is nonsensical and stupid, and kills the clever political theme that this arc had going for it.
105. The Preliminaries
This is a pretty boring episode, doing nothing more than living up to its title. It just showcases some early fights. And....that's it.
106. The Battle of Father and Son
This is an episode that could have been great if we actually saw some development between Yomi and Shura's relationship beforehand. This is where the rushed nature of this arc really hurts it. We have no investment in this match because we barely know one character and only just met the other.
Overall, those weren't terrible episodes by any means, but painfully below average by this show's standards. Thankfully, there are still better episodes to come, and tonight's episodes should at least be a bit more entertaining, but it really is plain to see that Togashi just gave up by the second half of the Three Kings arc, to the point where even the anime staff could barely salvage it.
These are both decent episodes, but not as good as they could have been. The pacing is all over the place, and kill the promise and momentum that they try to deliver, even with some strong stuff for Kurama in the latter episode.
I can see why the last arc isn't as well regarded.
Is it wrong that I wish a sequel series or a remake of this came to be?
I'm running behind again, but this week we get a decent but very rushed final battle for Hiei, and Yusuke finally starts his fight with Yomi, kicking off the final battle of the series. And next week will be the final two episodes! I'll give my overall thoughts about the series at that point.
I do wish I could have kept up until the end. But I'm still glad this feature was done anyway.
I'm sadly just not finding too much to say right now, though. And I watched the episodes!
But it really is a shame that these last few episodes barely go above "good" status, if that. There's some important material for the 3 members of the core 4 who are still around, but the pacing is just meh.
I can see the manga be inferior to the anime, but it's sad all around that such a great show may not live up to its best.
The manga was far worse at this point. For a hint at how bad it is, the final episode (which is great) is not in the manga at all.
While we're on the subject of YYH's rushed ending, here is a translation of an old article of an interview with Togashi in which he clearly explains why he stopped. Working on Yu Yu Hakusho so abruptly: https://www.reddit.com/r/HunterXHunter/comments/2ga6as/togashis_long_written_piece_found_in_the_yyh/
In particular, this piece of information explains it the best:
QuoteIt saddens me to say this, but I had explored every possible direction for the YYH characters that I could in the context of a professional publication. All I could do at this point was to start deconstructing the characters, or go on repeating the same storylines over and over until the readers got bored. My attempts to deconstruct the characters were, of course, turned down by Jump. I didn't have the strength, physically and mentally, to keep doing the same thing over and over.
So I went ahead and did what I had always wanted to do: "If I ever manage to have a long serialization in Jump, I will end it on my own terms." I knew that Jump dropped a manga after 10 weeks if the readers' surveys proved it to be unpopular, and I knew this when I started working for them. This system proved encouraging for me, and I learned a lot by being aware of readers reactions. But I ended up wanting to draw manga for myself, without thinking about anyone's reactions. I don't believe that anything I came up with on this premise will live up to Jump's standards, so I will not try.
In conclusion: I ended YYH because of my own selfishness. I'm sorry.
Regardless of whether you agree with his mentality or not, it clearly shows Togashi's talent and skill as a writer to understand when his story and characters are at risk of becoming stale, and I for one would have loved to see his deconstruction of the main characters had the editorial staff accepted his pitch.
Unfortunately, they turned it down, and Togashi decided that he'd rather have the series end abruptly (and horribly, in terms of a lack of care and quality), than drag it out for several more years of bland material. I kind of think it's cool that someone would be willing to do that for a successful manga in a weekly serialization as high-selling and hard to get into as Jump Comics. Essentially, Togashi cared less about making money and more about writing a story with characters that he was invested in. However, since he lost interest in the YYH cast as they were, and wasn't given the freedom of creativity to explore them in unique and different ways, he said "fuck it" and basically told the editorial staff to go eat a dick by not even trying anymore. If he's not allowed to write a story with the best of his ability, then he won't even try at all. It's either writing with all of your passion, or not giving two shits. There's no room for half-heartedness, which is how I interpret what he said.
The interview also explains why he is prone to taking so many breaks, and this was long before Hunter X Hunter was ever even conceptualized in his head. Basically, he says that he wants to have a life, and this was before he even had a family, but now that he has a wife and two kids, you can probably understand even more that he doesn't want to devote all of his time to drawing.
While I disagree with his methods of taking long breaks (I mean, he could at least try and publish one chapter a month if he wanted more time for himself and his family), it's honestly kind of bad-ass for him to have been the only mangaka in history to have stood up to the most notoriously ferocious editorial staff for a manga publication magazine in Japan (at the height of its popularity, too!!!! This was during Jump's Golden Age, after all)....and come out the winner of the conflict.
I relly recommend reading that whole statement in the link. It's a very interesting piece to get into Togashi's head.
He could at least move HxH to a monthly magazine. Berserk takes breaks, but the chapters are long when it comes back.
As for the ending, it is strange that Jump never tried to capitalize on the success of the YYH anime and HxH in general by having Togashi redraw the final arc in a way that would satisfy fans and himself. Jump did it (to an extent, I'll admit) with Shaman King and Sunday is currently doing it with Arata. I'm not saying he would do it, (though it would probably be easier than figuring out where HxH is going) just that I'm surprised it was never a thing that came up since YYH is still a popular Golden Age series for them.
Personally, I think he ended the story in the right place. Four arcs is a solid place to end it and I'm not a big fan of deconstruction, so I understand why he did it even if I hate manga Three Kings so very much. Thankfully as we learned in Bakuman and seen in real life with Assasination Classroom, Jump no longer seems to mandate series going on endlessly beyond their expiry date anymore. Bleach, Gintama, Nisekoi, and Toriko, coming to an end within the year all seem to reconfirm it.
I never write fanfiction, I find it too hard to get into another writer's head, but if I ever did I think I would write a final YYH arc that brings everything together from the rest of the story and end it with a big bang. Just something to kick around.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on March 23, 2016, 12:08:30 AMPersonally, I think he ended the story in the right place. Four arcs is a solid place to end it and I'm not a big fan of deconstruction, so I understand why he did it even if I hate manga Three Kings so very much.
I believe that you're thinking of deconstruction as just dark, gritty tripe to please pre-adolescent kids who think that anything dark is mature. To be fair, certainly a lot of it falls into that category, but deconstruction can be excellent when handled by a good writer, and Togashi is an excellent writer when he tries. In fact, you've already seen good deconstruction from him before. He does it to some extent in the Chapter Black arc with Sensui, by using him to deconstruct and criticize the idealistic, black-and-white nature of traditional shonen protagonists, and in Sensui's case, not being able to come to terms with how reality truly works mentally shattered his mind. And Hunter X Hunter does an outstanding job of deconstructing multiple shonen tropes, especially in the York New City and Chimera Ant arcs. A deconstruction of the YYH characters could have been great if handled by Togashi WHILE he was still on his A game, IMO.
QuoteThankfully as we learned in Bakuman and seen in real life with Assasination Classroom, Jump no longer seems to mandate series going on endlessly beyond their expiry date anymore. Bleach, Gintama, Nisekoi, and Toriko, coming to an end within the year all seem to reconfirm it.
Honestly, I tend to think of it as the opposite. If anything, they are just as prone to milking popular series as ever. The fact that something as bland and unimaginative as Nisekoi has been in publication for as long as it has, despite the mangaka clearly being capable of writing more interesting stuff, is kind of proof of that. And while I enjoy both MHA and Food Wars, the former series honestly hasn't done anything incredibly original (it's good because of its execution rather than a great story), and the latter is honestly as formulaic as they come, despite being entertaining even though it's usually pretty predictable. Personally, I feel like Jump, while better than it was in the previous decade, is still playing it pretty safe with most of its series, with a few stand-outs here and there. And those big series ending is more of a coincidence that they happen to be in the same year, rather than Jump wanting them to end. There's no way that they'd just allow them to go out of their own accord with such brand recognizability. The fact that Bleach even went on for as long as it did kind of reconfirms that Jump is STILL very willing to mandate a series going on endlessly beyond its expiry date. I feel that these manga ending is more of a combination of a push from the creators, as well as sales for those series not necessarily growing anymore from when they were at their peak of popularity. They also still have One Piece to bank on, so they definitely aren't letting all of their long-runners go if they can help it, though to be fair, One Piece is one of the few currently long-running series of its kind that still has a point to continuing its story.
Read the interview. Thanks for the link, Dr. Ensatsu-ken.
One interesting part of the interview is how he felt intimidated by Hagiwara of Bastard!!. I can see why he felt that way because the artwork in that manga was obsessively detailed and vivid. However, I feel YYH had more likeable characters. Not to mention, YYH finished while Bastard!! hasn't had any updates since 2010, making Hagiwara the real lazy bastard (no pun intended).
Here's a fun line from the full version of the interview:
QuoteQ: Your comment on receiving the Shogakukan Manga Award?
Togashi: Slam Dunk should have gotten it.
:lol:
You can criticize Togashi for a lot of things, but at the very least it's nice to have a creator that clearly isn't full of himself. Just like with Hagiwara, he has no shame in admitting when he feels that someone's work is superior to his own (and as far as the manga goes, I do agree with him about Slam Dunk).
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on March 23, 2016, 12:08:30 AM
As for the ending, it is strange that Jump never tried to capitalize on the success of the YYH anime and HxH in general by having Togashi redraw the final arc in a way that would satisfy fans and himself. Jump did it (to an extent, I'll admit) with Shaman King and Sunday is currently doing it with Arata. I'm not saying he would do it, (though it would probably be easier than figuring out where HxH is going) just that I'm surprised it was never a thing that came up since YYH is still a popular Golden Age series for them.
From what I understand, Hiroyuki Takei finally making a final arc for Shaman King was due him seeing the mass fan demand for it rather than Jump wanting to. Jump seems to have been fairly indifferent to the series since they didn't hesitate to let Takei originally end the series prematurely and almost didn't release the final volume of the manga. In terms of re-doing manga, Jump has certainly allowed it with a few series like Jumbor and Zetman, which initially failed in WSJ but were remade into full-fledged series in Ultra Jump and Young Jump years later.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on March 23, 2016, 12:44:06 AM
Honestly, I tend to think of it as the opposite. If anything, they are just as prone to milking popular series as ever. The fact that something as bland and unimaginative as Nisekoi has been in publication for as long as it has, despite the mangaka clearly being capable of writing more interesting stuff, is kind of proof of that. And while I enjoy both MHA and Food Wars, the former series honestly hasn't done anything incredibly original (it's good because of its execution rather than a great story), and the latter is honestly as formulaic as they come, despite being entertaining even though it's usually pretty predictable. Personally, I feel like Jump, while better than it was in the previous decade, is still playing it pretty safe with most of its series, with a few stand-outs here and there. And those big series ending is more of a coincidence that they happen to be in the same year, rather than Jump wanting them to end. There's no way that they'd just allow them to go out of their own accord with such brand recognizability. The fact that Bleach even went on for as long as it did kind of reconfirms that Jump is STILL very willing to mandate a series going on endlessly beyond its expiry date. I feel that these manga ending is more of a combination of a push from the creators, as well as sales for those series not necessarily growing anymore from when they were at their peak of popularity. They also still have One Piece to bank on, so they definitely aren't letting all of their long-runners go if they can help it, though to be fair, One Piece is one of the few currently long-running series of its kind that still has a point to continuing its story.
I think nowadays Jump more inclined to let the creators to choose when to end their manga as long as their series are doing at least moderately well. In Bleach's case, I think it's more likely Kubo dragging out the series rather than Jump, and Jump is just allowing him to do so simply because the series is still one of Jump's best selling manga. Toriko is certainly ending due to low popularity and sales, but it doesn't seem Jump ever was dragging it out (if anything it looks like Shimabukuro had a lot more planned out and Jump is forcing him to cut/rush through it). Considering that Assasination Classroom (which was the most popular series currently running in Jump besides OP), Nisekoi, and Gintama are all ending while they are still popular, I feel that Jump's Golden Age practices have at least been changed to an extent.
Quote from: VLordGTZ on March 23, 2016, 05:45:27 PMI think nowadays Jump more inclined to let the creators to choose when to end their manga as long as their series are doing at least moderately well. In Bleach's case, I think it's more likely Kubo dragging out the series rather than Jump, and Jump is just allowing him to do so simply because the series is still one of Jump's best selling manga. Toriko is certainly ending due to low popularity and sales, but it doesn't seem Jump ever was dragging it out (if anything it looks like Shimabukuro had a lot more planned out and Jump is forcing him to cut/rush through it). Considering that Assasination Classroom (which was the most popular series currently running in Jump besides OP), Nisekoi, and Gintama are all ending while they are still popular, I feel that Jump's Golden Age practices have at least been changed to an extent.
Bleach still sells and Jump is not going to end a money-maker just because it isn't that great. Besides, it only hit rock bottom in the rankings during the previous arc which lead into this one which was advertised as being the final arc. Bleach is on the way out, made its money for Jump and Kubo, and that's all there is to say about it.
Toriko actually does prove my point because it is obviously being rushed to its ending after its sales dropped. Nisekoi is a high seller, but it still is nearing its end when Komi could easily drag it out for another few years if he wanted to and he clearly isn't being forced to string it out any longer. Assassination Classroom also ran shorter than Yu Yu Hakusho and he didn't have to bomb it in the rankings in order to end it.
Personally, I also feel Jump has learned a bit in recent years. The only change I'd wish for would be for them to not be so ruthless in cutting series early on. It's hard to get into a series if you can't be sure it'll even run over 20 chapters.
107. The Demon World Tournament Begins
This episode was a bore. While, it's nice to see the Dark Tournament characters again, having them just haphazardly crammed into one episode leaves us no time to get invested in their fights, and really they have little to no purpose in this arc.
108. Farewell, Kurama
This episode could have been more interesting if there were actually some time devoted earlier on to establishing an identity crisis with Kurama upon coming back to the world of his origin. Instead, it feels like it comes out of nowhere, and it's merely a passable episode at best. Though, at least we do get to see a final fight for Kurama, here. In the manga, we didn't even get to see him fight in this arc.
109. Love and War
Once again, it feels like there was a lot of potential for something really interesting to happen between Hiei and Mukuro. If that article that I linked to earlier was any indication, Togashi had the seeds of some ideas as to what to do with Hiei and these other characters. But instead of coming to fruition, we just got a forced final battle for Hiei, and a resolution to a character arc for Mukuro which never even got off the ground in the first place.
110. A Reason to Fight
And yet again, we have Yusuke finally starting to realize the ultimate conclusion of his final character arc. In this case it's that he doesn't want to stay in Demon World after all, and instead wants to give up fighting in general to live out the rest of his life with Keiko. However, it's so poorly handled in this arc because of its rushed nature. As viewers we should feel a deep emotional satisfaction from both witnessing this fight and getting to see the completion of Yusuke's character growth. Instead it's merely entertaining action, but pales in comparison to what came before it.
And that makes up for the last two weeks. My thoughts on the final two episodes will be up shortly!
And now, after over a year of keeping up with these weekly viewings, we shall finally tackle the final two episodes of this show:
111. Closure
This episode always entertained me a lot when I was younger. I liked the dramatic music and climactic fight scene (of which, once again, was non-existent in the manga). However, as an adult, and especially through this re-watch where I picked up a lot more flaws in this series that I was blind to before (which in no way puts any detriment on how much I still love it on the whole), it just doesn't work that well aside from having some decent action for its time. Yusuke realizes his reason to fight and his battle with Yomi comes to a head....except his reason to fight is something that he already came to terms with WAY back during his fight with Suzaku in the Saint Beasts arc, and it's abundantly clear that whatever his character arc initially was at the start of this arc was pretty much dropped half-way in once the tournament started. My point being that this final battle should have been a strong emotional moment for us viewers, but instead it just feels more like an over-dramatized version of any other ordinary fight in a typical shonen series, not even really living up to the usual standards of this particular series.
The second half of the episode, which deals with the rest of the characters wrapping up their own character-arcs and saying their goodbyes fairs considerably better, though, IMO. I like how Kurama and Yomi end on good terms, and how Yomi shows respect for Kurama's choice to completely leave his dark past behind him, even if that was a really rushed character sub-arc for him. It still feels like the right place for the character to end the series on. I also like that final exchange between Kurama and Hiei, where Kurama says that no matter what, he won't close up the path between Hiei and Yukina eventually reuniting as siblings, and that it's up to Hiei to take his time and one day come to tell Yukina that he is her brother. Yusuke's exchange with Koenma is equally satisfying. Really, I'm just bummed out at the lack of Kuwabara getting to interact with anyone, here, but we have the final episode for that. Speaking of which....
112. To the Future
Despite all of my problems with this final arc, I really do like this as the last episode. In and of itself, it does what a final episode should, and it's really just the arc preceding it which had all of the problems. My only gripe is once again the lack of a certain character's presence in this episode outside of just one small scene and then a brief cameo at the end, though this time it's Hiei instead of Kuwabara, but it does at least make sense in terms of the plot why he wouldn't be residing in the Human World anymore. Overall, though, I just loved seeing Kuwabara, Kurama, Keiko, Genkai, and all of the other characters that we have come to love over the course of this series interact with each other. I loved Kuwabara reminiscing about his early adventures with Yusuke and the gang, and really do a good job of summing up all that they have been through together since the start of the show. And then we have Yusuke finally showing up at the end. While, much like Togashi, I was never a big fan of Keiko as a character, I do genuinely enjoy the moment between her and Yusuke, here at the end, and with the group standing together looking out at the ocean, with the full version of one of my favorite opening theme songs playing in the background, this series really does manage to leave off on a bittersweet note that has me remembering it fondly. I love how none of the characters are the exact same people that they were at the beginning of the series. They have all developed, grown, and evolved over time, and this is especially true for Yusuke, which is why he is one of my all-time favorite shonen protagonists.
Now, for my rating of the arc itself:
Three Kings
Overall Grade: C+
Summary of Thoughts: This was an arc which started out with potential, and the first half of it was actually starting to deliver on that promise, but it quickly falls to pieces when the tournament comes into play, and it's clear to see that Togashi just stopped caring and trying by that point in time (as supported by the interview which I linked to). That said, it does leave things off on a good note with the final episode, and while part of me wishes that Togashi got to have his chance to deconstruct the characters and tell unique and interesting new stories as he had originally intended to do before the WSJ editors turned him down on that pitch, the other part of me is actually really glad that we got three great arcs before it, and that the only weak link in the entire series was relatively short for what it was. Thanks to that, Yu Yu Hakusho is one of the few long-running shonen series that is consistently great throughout almost all of its run, and ends quickly after it drops in quality, rather than still being dragged out for years and generally making its fans lose any sense of respect for it that they had to begin with (Naruto and Bleach being some of the most notorious examples of this trend).
And to close out this "Let's Watch" series, here are my final thoughts:
It was a blast to do this, and I really mean that. It does bum me out a little bit that pretty much everyone else besides myself and Avaitor dropped out of these weekly discussions just over half-way into the run, but at the same time, I can understand why. Even a huge fan like myself had trouble keeping up with this weekly schedule at times, especially for a long-running series like this, as evidenced by how frequently off-schedule I was. Even so, I was always determined to catch up again and keep going, because I just love this show that much.
Truthfully, with my nostalgia-goggles completely off, I am no longer blind to all of the flaws which this show has always harbored. In fact, probably the most interesting thing about this particular run through it was finding some of its faults which I would have stubbornly denied before. But, in the same regard, re-watching it also reaffirmed my love for it, as I got to revisit all of the strong aspects of this series that drew me into loving it in the first place. So in that way, it's still one of my all time favorite series of all time. It's one of my favorite shonen manga, one of my favorite WSJ manga in particular, one of my favorite shonen anime, and one of my favorite anime in general. It's one of my favorite animated series of all time, one of my favorite shows of all time, and one of my favorite works of fiction of all time. I'll fully admit that this is a combination of a lot of qualities, including nostalgia, but those sorts of personal biases are what separate something from being subjectively a favorite and objectively the best. Is Yu Yu Hakusho objectively a great series? Of course not. But that doesn't matter, because what truly matters is what it means to me, individually, as a person, and as evidenced by how much I've had to say about it over the course of the entire past year, it means quite a lot.
Yu Yu Hakusho may not be as iconic or influential as Dragon Ball, or as uniquely compelling as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure or Hunter X Hunter, or as popular and grandiose as One Piece. It may not be the most well-loved Golden Age WSJ series, and there are probably dozens of other series, both classic and contemporary, which come to the minds of other people first when they think of great shonen series, before YYH even registers. However, I always loved how it took the tropes of battle shonen manga and executed them to such perfection that it made them seem fresh again. I always loved how the anime took smart liberties in adapting the source material in a way that enhanced the experience rather than hindering it. And above all, I've always loved the characters. This is my favorite cast of characters in any shonen series, even when considering manga that rank higher for me like Rurouni Kenshin and Ashita no Joe. And as far as anime goes, this has always been, and still is to this day my favorite shonen anime, and this re-watch has strongly reaffirmed that for me.
It was a pleasure re-watching this show with everyone, for as long as everyone else managed to stick around, and even when it was just me and Avaitor and there wasn't much left to be said, I still enjoyed my time with even the most minor of discussions that we had. So thanks a bunch, Avaitor, for running this thread for over a year! I had a really fun time! :joy:
It's a great action show, truly.
Even if I couldn't keep up, I sure enjoyed covering what I did. Next time we should definitely choose something shorter.
I've been pretty busy over the past day or so, to the point that I didn't even get to watch the episodes last night. I just got around to them, and I'm on the same page as you are, EK. "Closure"'s first half is sadly underwhelming, but when the battle is over, the resolution does start to build into something special, which the finale delivers on.
I think that it was a good call to save Yusuke for the end, and to focus on Kurama, Keiko, and Genkai more than other characters, since the last handful of episodes gave us much more time for Kurama, Hiei, and Koenma. They deserve a little bit of closure and screentime themselves. And Yusuke's turn at the end allows for a great final moment, a bit of peace and fun that he and his friends deserve through everything.
I haven't seen the last arc in years. It's definitely not the series' strongest, you can say that for sure. Even bringing back most of the best Dark Tournament characters didn't make this tournament any more exciting- if anything, the return of Jin, Chu, and others shows just how formulaic and tired this arc was. Which is a damn shame, considering how fresh Dark Tournament was. At least the Three Kings arc is brief, and has a nice conclusion, otherwise the show's legacy could have been more tarnished. At the end of the day, it's just a quick, disappointing final chapter in an otherwise tight shonen series.
And not just any shonen series. As far as I'm concerned, Yu Yu Hakusho is THE shonen anime. While it's not without its faults, there is such a great attention to character and plot at its best, that it can possibly stand up among the finest seinen series. While I would prefer an overhaul of Three Kings, or possibly a different take on the finale to fit just after Chapter Black, I actually feel compelled to watch it all over again.
Yeah, it was definitely really fun to revisit the series again. It's something that I'd personally recommend to anyone who wanted to get into battle shonen. If they were new to the genre, this anime would highlight many of the tropes found in these sorts of works, but executed to their absolute best, and it'd then pretty much be the measuring stick of quality for all similar types of series from then on out.
I do wish more people would give this series a chance, though. While it was popular in its day, and was always a favorite for many people who grew up with Toonami in the early 2000's, it has slowly become less and less relevant among modern anime fans as time goes on, which I find to be rather sad.
Shame I didn't notice this earlier.
Funi is now finally streaming YYH. (http://www.funimation.com/shows/yu-yu-hakusho/videos/episodes) Not the whole series yet, but they're getting there.
Had I known I would have watched it there. :sweat: