Yu Yu Hakusho

First of all, I'm a fan of the YYH anime, so was hard for me to not compare this mini-series to the anime. The story changes made was understandable to me. Especially, when it was obvious that Netflix wasn't going into the Dark Tournament saga.

There are some things this mini-series fail to deliver. I believe it was due to it being 5 episodes. One of YYH anime's highlights was the resonating backstory and motivations of the main antagonists, which the anime builds up as the story moves forward. But this mini-series failed to do that. They tried to do a quick retelling of younger Toguro's backstory with just few minutes of dialogue during the last episode. But that's weak. I think younger Toguro's backstory itself deserves one whole flashback episode. It might've made the climax battle and ending more emotionally impacting. In other words, in order for me to care about the deliverance of a tortured soul, I need to get to know the tortured soul first. If not, I won't care and don't know how to care about the deliverance. And again, this mini-series was just 5 episodes, maybe that's why they're forced to only use dialogue.

I wondered if this series was meant to be a one off and season 2 was never considered. It seemed to wrap up so nicely. Hopefully, it performs decent enough for a season 2. I want to see how Netflix would do Sensui (this antagonist is so emotionally scarred that he 7 personalities inside him). Please make at least 8-10 episodes if there's season 2, like One Piece or other Netflix original series.

I was waiting for this live action with fear, although Netflix seems to be hitting the same lately, it is not easy to adapt a shonen like this and with so little visibility beforehand.

It was a pleasant surprise to see that it has the soul and spirit of one of my favorite series.

The casting is excellent, the effects surprise at times due to their level, it is not easy to make CGI during the day and here it really looks very good. The plot goes straight to the punches, it is understandable by the fact that it is only 5 chapters but I think it is quite good.

Of course I would have liked a greater character development, Genkai for example is null in this adaptation but once again, it is understandable given the little time that was had in terms of chapters.

I sincerely hope it is renewed for a new season, if not I think it ends quite well.

A good live action for fans.

The Netflix adaptation of "Yu Yu Hakusho" wasn't perfect but wasn't bad. Those new to the anime might find it a bit confusing initially, but overall, it should still be entertaining. On the other hand, fans of the anime and manga might feel that it rushes through the storyline and doesn't stay entirely true to the source material, by cramming nearly 70 episodes of the anime into five live-action episodes, creating a feature length experience if seen in one sitting. And though it keeps out many aspects from the original. It manages to retain the fundamental essence of "Yu Yu Hakusho."

The decision to exclude certain elements was interesting as animes often involve lengthy story arcs and characters that don't easily transition to live action and instead of prolonging fights across many episodes, the series combines different story elements into one cohesive storyline, which works effectively, but feels rushed. But, with only 5 episodes there's isn't much room for more.

Visually the show is quite good, although there's a moment where the CGI reminded me of the fight scene between Neo and Agent Smith in "The Matrix," giving off a video game cutscene vibe. But, it still manages to be really cool. The "One Piece" live-action adaptation was a significant improvement in bringing some eccentric anime characters and fights into live action and "Yu Yu Hakusho" is no different. The characters, especially the villains, are well-designed, and the fight sequences are very well executed and choreographed. But, like many anime adaptations, it still carries a certain cringe factor that seems to be inevitable.

Overall, despite deviating from the source material, the live-action adaptation of "Yu Yu Hakusho" offers a pretty enjoyable experience for both newcomers and fans seeking a nostalgic journey. However, it's possible that more hardcore fans might not fully embrace the adaptation due to its differences. Either way, it's a step forward for anime adaptations!

In this live-action interpretation of the Yu Yu Hakusho story, we follow the tale of up-to-no-good Yusuke and unlikely allies, who secretly has a good heart, and needs to come back from the spirit world to save the day from demons. That's the gist, and it's good.

So far, so manga slash anime. It becomes more interesting however, when our anti-hero needs to make ambigious choices that are neither good nor evil, and suit our newly-found spirit detective. And most of the time, he will need to make those choices mid-fight.

As usual I will refrain from comparing it to original source matter and give it a judgement based on what this mini-series give us in the now. In short, it's both cool and alive. The fighting scenes are special because of the demon element and our cast has great comedic timing. It's on the sugary side though, just so you know.

It all really plays for fun, laughs and spectacle, and as such, it succeeds with flying colors. Plotwise it's best not to expect the world. Lots of clichés, melodrama, gushing violins and pumping horns... this is the pop-version of Japanese stories.

Also, the added CGI is on the simplistic side. And the music... You know, there's plenty of niggles to give, especially in comparison to original source material. Yet overall, you can feel the fun factor in this production, and I just had a good time gobbling this up with glee.

The plot may be thin and felt so rushed up but the fights to me is just a fun ride. Great watch just for those action sequences. Kudos to the choreographer and the camera angles because they produced something so fluid and I can actually see how they "danced".

As for the story. When I heard that it would just be 5 episodes I didn't think it could do any good but I did try to keep hope up and well the plot line needs more work but I'm pleasantly surprised to find the whole thing watchable. They don't dig in deep but it's still easy to keep up. I do lament the lack of time to get to know more of some of the leads though.

The VFX bordering on uncanny is doable. I like the color gradient they chose. There wasn't any point where I went "TOO DARK" because I can actually see. They didn't hide the VFX under darkness and you know what. Kudos.

Warning: Bright flashing lights sequence in ep 1. Also had plenty of blood if you're queasy on that.