Genre: action, fighting
Target Age: Teen
Content: violence, fantasy fighting, some language, some scary scenes and supernatural elements
Episodes/Volumes: 112 episodes, 19 volumes
Story: Yu Yu Hakusho tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a high school delinquent. Though he has a reputation as a troublemaker, the single act of pushing a child out of traffic gets him run over by a car. On the verge of death, he meets Botan, the young and beautiful Grim Reaper who rides a broomstick. She tells him that Koenma, the son of the king of the underworld, has given Yusuke the opportunity for survival; if Yusuke becomes a "spirit detective" he can eventually be returned to life. Yusuke obviously takes the offer.
After his revival, Yusuke continues working for Koenma. In the process he befriends his rival Kuwabara, another delinquent at his school. After being sent on missions to capture them, he later befriends the demon criminals Kurama and Hiei, who join him to earn a pardon from Koenma. Despite the circumstances of their meeting and the underlying animosity, the four quickly develop what the Japanese call "nakama" (a deep sense of camaraderie beyond friendship, a good Western equivalent being The Three Musketeers). They express disgust and shock whenever enemies betray each other. The character dynamics and rivalry can lead to some comedic moments, particularly between Kuwabara and Hiei. Hiei often implies that he would betray the team if it were in his best interests, but when the opportunity arrives, it seems the "power of friendship" gets the better of him. (I know that sounds goofy, but it makes sense in context.)
The anime and manga follow several story lines, but they are all just excuses for fighting. Three of them feature tournaments, two on Earth and one in the Demon Realm. The battles are flashy, with very little actual hand to hand combat. Most of it utilizes energy manipulation, similar to the Dragonball series. Typical of the genre in the 1990s, it may take several episodes to complete a single battle, and there is much dialogue during the actual fight. The animation and artwork may seem goofy at times, especially during the comedic moments.
Voice: The Japanese voice acting is good. Opinions are mixed on the English dub. Some fans like the English dub, others don't. The English dialogue has many discrepancies with the English subtitles, often showing completely different lines of dialogue. However, one reason the English dub is so popular is because it is often more entertaining than the Japanese dialogue and tends to evoke more laughs. Viewers should sample both the subtitled and dubbed versions before deciding which one they prefer.
On a humorous side note, the Portuguese dub featured the character Kurama as a girl. Granted, he does have a bishie look that is easy to confuse for female, and some girls in the story even confuse him for another character's girlfriend. He is a demonic horticulturist, so his weapons of choice are plant based. His favorite weapon is a rose whip. However, a scene where Kurama had no shirt on revealed he was a boy, and the studio had to redo all his lines.
Music:
opening: "Smile Bomb" by Matsuko Mawatari
ending: "Homework never Ends" by Matsuko Mawatari
ending: "Sayanora Bye Bye" by Matsuko Mawatari
ending: "Daydream Generation" by Matsuko Mawatari
ending: "Kissing the Unbalanced" by Hiro Takahashi
ending: "The Sun Is Shining Again" by Hiro Takahashi
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