Yu Yu Hakusho’s Live-Action adaptation has been in talks within the circles for a while now, circles being the Anime industry. With the Western iteration of One Piece as a live-action already making rounds in scaping off some of the bad will that audience gives to live-action adaptations, the Yu Yu Hakusho Live-Action trailer which lasts for almost 2 minutes seems to pave a lubricated way for the show’s good success.
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30 years later, the supernatural returns! The live-action adaptation of the legendary manga, "YU YU HAKUSHO", premieres December 14 🔥. An epic showdown awaits. #GeekedWeek pic.twitter.com/axTOA3Jqtf
— Netflix (@netflix) November 10, 2023
Key takeaways from the Trailer worth mentioning on the get-go
- Yu Yu Hakusho Live-Action is produced by Netflix, set to release on December 14th
- The trailer featured a great deal of the origin story, from Yusuke’s car accident death scene followed by glimpses of Kurama, Kazuma Kuwabara, and even the most iconic -Elder Toguro himself.
- The appearance of the Toguro brothers indicates that the live-action shall be adapting till the Spirit Detective Saga from the source.
- If you’re concerned about more factual information like who’s being cast, who’s the director, etc, rather than opinion, then head down to the bottom of this article.
A small comparison with the recent One Piece live-action
The trailer itself seems phenomenal – for someone vested in Anime so much we at Spiel Anime do take careful notice of whether the live actions seem to be doing a good job replicating the characters or not. To better explain this, for example, when the One Piece Live-Action was announced, one of my key fears was how they were going to do the wig job properly.
Well, One Piece did do the job well, despite the fact that the entire production was partly non-Japanese. (Excluding the fact that Oda personally oversaw the series’ development.) Also, the Japanese angle reminds me, Is One Piece Live Action Cast’s race story accurate? Shouldn’t they all be Japanese?
Spectacular character casting makes the characters not feel like mere ‘cosplay’ but actual living beings
One of the things one can easily do wrong in live actions is to make the characters seem inflatable and more like cosplays than actual characters. A wrong wig here, and a bad costume there is all it takes.
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Following a similar Suit to One Piece, however, the Live Action Yu Yu Hakusho also seems to have not failed. Although I would add that seeing native Japanese faces on Japanese characters does help blend things in better.
- Somehow the Kurama and Hiei appearance looks spot on – to a degree I did not feel that it was a mere cosplay – but like they were actual characters themselves.
The Spirit Gun as a testimony to a good Yu Yu Hakusho Live-Action adaptation?
The Spirit Gun that Yosuke projects at the end of the trailer disappears into a cut before the December 14 release date is unveiled on the screen. But I will let you know that his Spirit Gun did not disappear into thin air, it penetrated deep into my soul as I felt goosebumps rise straight up from my arms.
The SFX, Character markup and the action sequence for some reason feel impeccably good. It is easier than you think to mess up the action sequence – but well for an industry that has done Crow Zero, action shouldn’t be that difficult to get a good grip on.
One of the most notable characters being brought to life, other than Yosuke, has to be Toguro. Well, both the younger and the older.
Why the Yu Yu Hakusho Live-Action must do a good job of adapting a legendary source material
Yu Yu Hakusho is notably considered one of the first proper Shonens of the early generations – easily equating with the rather popular Dragon Ball Z. As Studio Pierrot carved the Anime adaptation of Yoshihiro Togashi’s beautiful Manga of the same name, western distributors were also quick on distributing this on the typical American home via Cartoon Network.
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A similar case was conducted obviously for Dragonball Z as well, which by a larger stretch of the margin overshadowed the beauty of Yu Yu Hakusho back at that time.
TRIVIA: It is also worth noting that Studio Pierrot, the one behind 90s Yu Yu Hakusho, was the most famous get-to studio for major Shonen adaptations back in the old era. From Naruto Shippuden to Bleach, Studio Pierrot has done it all.
Does this indicate that Yu Yu Hakusho’s original 90s Anime was anything lesser? Hardly. Notable Anime fans of the current age seem to rank Hunter x Hunter quite high up on the ‘Best Anime’ list hierarchy. HxH is another creation by the same author as Yu Yu Hakusho, Yoshihiro Togashi.
Why is this worth stating? Simply out of the sheer fact that anything made by the creator of the Hunter x Hunter can hardly ever be ‘bad’ on the critical evaluation state.
Sure, Dragonball Z may have been the blockbuster show of the audience, greening in all the money, but Yu Yu Hakusho was a Rotten Tomato 100% – to compare it with today’s cultural standards. Also, here’s our bet on Top 5 Mangakas Who could continue Hunter X Hunter given Yoshihiro is having severe health issues.
Concluding
Well, that’s mostly what we had to say about the trailer. Now for those who are new to Yu Yu Hakusho, the section below will probably help you.
PLOT PREMISE: Yusuke Urameshi, a troubled Japanese teenager grappling with delinquency and a tumultuous home life marked by an absent father and an indifferent mother, frequently finds himself embroiled in fights, contributing to his unfavourable reputation and reinforcing his belief that no one cares about him. However, his life takes an unexpected turn when he sacrifices himself in a car accident to save an innocent child.
Upon his demise, Yusuke is transported to the Spirit World, where Koenma, the realm’s leader, selects him to assume the role of Spirit Detective. The condition for his return to life is that he must confront supernatural threats and maintain the balance between the spirit and human worlds.
As Yusuke navigates his newfound responsibilities, he discovers that contrary to his earlier beliefs, there are people who genuinely care about him. Fueled by this revelation and the opportunity for a second chance at life, he endeavors to make a positive impact. Along the way, he encounters a diverse cast of characters, including Hiei, Kurama, Toguro, and others, each adding depth to his journey of self-discovery and redemption.
The following information was retrieved from the official Netflix source, please do pertain to this if you need more factual information.
Manga Source: Adapted from Yoshihiro Togashi’s “Yu Yu Hakusho” (Shueisha Jump Comics).
Film Director: Sho Tsukikawa.
Main Cast: Takumi Kitamura, Jun Shison, Kanata Hongo, Shuhei Uesugi, Sei Shiraishi, Kotone Furukawa, Ai Mikami, Hiroya Shimizu, Keita Machida, Meiko Kaji, Kenichi Takito, Goro Inagaki, Go Ayano.
Screenplay Writer: Tatsuro Mishima.
Visual Effects Supervisor: Ryo Sakaguchi from Scanline VFX.
Executive Producer: Kaata Sakamoto (Netflix).
Producer: Akira Morii.
In Association with: THE SEVEN.
Production Company: ROBOT.
Produced by: Netflix.
Proper casting information
- Sei Shiraishi as Keiko Yukimura, Yusuke’s childhood friend.
- Kotone Furukawa as Botan, the guide who leads Yusuke to the spirit world after his accidental death;
- Ai Mikami as Yukina, a “Korime” (Ice Apparition) who searches for her estranged brother;
- Hiroya Shimizu as Karasu, the dominant “yokai” (spirit) who poses a formidable obstacle to Team Yusuke;
- Keita Machida as Koenma, the spirit world detective who commands Yusuke
- Meiko Kaji as Genkai, mentor to Yusuke and Kuwabara;
- Kenichi Takito as Elder Toguro, a human turned yokai;
- Goro Inagaki as Sakyo, a mysterious figure who employs the Toguro Brothers and controls the underworld;
- Go Ayano as Younger Toguro, the most powerful adversary standing in Team Yusuke’s path.
SOURCES: Netflix