When the teaser trailer came out I mentioned how this show’s source material – the manga of the same name by Yoshiro Togashi – was something I grew up hearing about. I don’t remember an episode of the anime but I can still recognize its iconic theme song. This live-action adaptation is a great way for me to reconnect, well basically rediscover the story of the anime.

None of the cast and crew are remotely familiar to me from the director Shô Tsukikawa, the writer Tatsuro Mishima – who is also writing City Hunter, which I’m far more familiar with -, to the stars Takumi Kitamura as Yusuke Urameshi, Shuhei Uesugi as Kazuma Kuwabara, Jun Shison as Kurama, Kanata Hongō as Hiei and Sei Shiraishi as Keiko Yukimura. They are pretty much all unknowns except for Hongō whom I’ve apparently seen in the live-action adaptation of Attack on Titan Part 1 (2015) and Fullmetal Alchemist.

Premise: The story revolves around Yusuke Urameshi, a delinquent junior high school student who spends his days getting into fights. He dies after saving a child in a car accident and gets resurrected to serve as an investigator of the supernatural.

Review: The trailer for this show already sold me on it but the pilot cemented that 5 episodes binge. The show very well introduced Yusuke as the seemingly irascible thuggish guy with a hidden heart of gold. in fact, all of the main characters had nice introductions, even some of the villains. The demon world and Yokai made sense and were explained nicely. The story was so effectively told that it was very easy to get into it, with no homework required. I love the recaps at the beginning of each episode keeping us on top of the current case, to me it gave credence to that detective aspect of the show.

The acting was on point, they all had the right tone because the performances could have been cartoonish or pantomime-like at times but they got it right and skillfully played the emotionally charged storylines. I love their performances, even Kuwabara who I was afraid was going to be too much, some of them acted their butt off despite a cheap-looking wig and made their costume work – I’m looking at you Kurama. Speaking of clothes, the 1980s-looking jackets and pants on Yusuke and Kuzama looked great.

As for the action, it’s amazing, a nice blend of VFX and stunts. The fights are nicely choreographed, and each of these unlikely allies has a specific enough style that the fights do not feel repetitive or look the same. There are stunning visuals and vivid colors, and it’s fun.

YuYu Hakusho delivers for me, but for the more seasoned fans, I was told that this show covers about 60 episodes of the anime in 5 hours, it’s less humourous and arcs are merged but the heart is there.

Now streaming on Netflix

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