Webtoon Spotlight

Respect spotlight#05: Yu Yu Hakusho

    In November 1990, a young and desperate manga artist called Yoshihiro Togashi decided to try and compete with other popular manga at the time. While he did this as a way to gain further popularity to explore other projects, he still decided to give his all in constructing a story that he would like to write about. After taking inspiration from previous projects (Occult Tanteidan and Ten de Shōwaru Cupid), his love for occult and horror films, and popular shonen series, he created the Poltergeist Report. But you guys probably know it by a different name, and that is Yu Yu Hakusho: an anime that would define a generation (Bleach and naruto fans included) in 1992. I hope you pull up a seat because today I'm going to be shining a spotlight on this famous anime for all to see (Note: any bashing that I do make about this show is purely comedic and surface-level. Togashi suffered from overwork and depression while in the production of the manga, and even with the results, we still got something special, so please stay calm. I will be using the anime purely and not the ova's, movies, or manga for simplicity's sake.).

How I got in

@XzaviorWilliamsand some of my friends were the guys that got me into the anime a couple of minutes back, and I loved it.

    Summary

    In a nameless town, there always seemed to be a single name running in the crowd, and that just happened to be Yusuke Urameshi. With no one to ever set him straight, the guy was treated as nothing more than a hopeless delinquent. So, of course, no one expected it in a million years where he saved a child about to be hit by a car at the cost of his own. The action was so unexpected that the supernatural beings of the Spirit world (a place where heavenly spirits guard over the spirits of the freshly departed) decided to give him a second chance. So by opening himself to something new, he stops slacking around and grows up a bit. And grow he certainly did as Yusuke was eventually put back into is a body under the title of Spirit Detective as he fights evil in whatever form it comes.

    Characters

    Going in, I will admit that my expectations for the anime were hit or miss. And in many ways, this anime could have disappointed me. It was not in the cast. It was small enough to really get a focus of the characters but also big enough to show diversity and sense of progression. Yu Yu Hakusho also has arguably one of the best dubs I ever heard on an anime, every actor plays their roles like a freaking book and sells their scenes. But overall, I will be focusing on my thoughts about the main 4.

Yusuke: Played masterfully by Justin Cook Yusuke in my eyes is the perfect combination of the shonen underdog and fighting genius. With virtually no parental figure to guide him, Yusuke is a kid with the temperament of one. It was only a matter of time before everyone who considered him a monster made him one. After his post revival and being assigned spirit detective, he realized the importance of life and the effect it has on others and that while yes, he never had anyone give a chance on him. He also never applied himself to anything in his life.  Life is unfair and cruel showing doubt in any decision you make will only end in regret and stagnation. In many ways, Yusuke fights with various demons, and weirdos are, in many ways, reflects a journey of maturity we often experience as well.

Hiei: Originally meant to be a one-off villain, Hiei was probably my least favorite out of the main four but still a blast nonetheless. His almost self aware nature on his cruelty and edginess was always funny as all hell. Like Yusuke, Hiei also had a hard knock life that made him into a monster. However, unlike Yusuke, It could be said that his subsequent arc proves that if you give someone a chance and show them a little kindness, they can surprise you. Plus, some of his fights and moves are genuinely killer.

Kuwabara: A mulberry is a tree, and Kuwabara is a beautiful man. While not necessarily being the smartest or strongest of the team, Kuwabara was certainly the most moral out of the 4. His humanity throughout the series, in many ways, keeps the team grounded through his closer ties with school and family. And while he is shown as the oaf of the team, Kuwabara proves that endless determination can have its benefits and drawbacks. He never needed to risk his life for the others but he did it because it's the right thing to do.