Let's Talk About... Yu Yu Hakusho

[LumRanmaYasha]

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.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

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.

[Spark Of Spirit]

The next two episodes have tons of screen cappable (is that a word?) moments.

You'll have to be specific. 

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, episode 5 has two big heartfelt moments. There's the "romance" moment, and then there's the "bromance" moment. Take your pick.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

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.

[Spark Of Spirit]

The Three Artifacts arc has a surprising amount of character moments. Of course, it mostly all comes from one new character.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I can't wait until next week when my favorite protagonist of the series gets properly introduced.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Spoiler

Gouki

[close]

is pretty memorable.

[Avaitor]

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)!



"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.



"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!

[Spark Of Spirit]

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

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.

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.

[Spark Of Spirit]

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:

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

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.

[Spark Of Spirit]

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.

[talonmalon333]

Gouki was good for a first obstacle for Yusuke. No more.

Togashi 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.