I saw this on YouTube.
It's from a guy named Prodigal Wolf.
He needs to have more subscribers.
Anyway...
He touched on many subjects that I hated from the live version.
Here's mine.
IT'S NOT THE SAME AS GHOST FIGHTER!
If you think that I need to be happy that they gave the anime a live version, then you are gravely mistaken. I was never a fan of Yu Yu Hakusho. I was a fan of Ghost Fighter - its Tagalized version. One of the reasons why I loved the Tagalized anime is because the Tagalog dub gave the series a distinct edge. Eugene is brattier in that version with Alfred funnier, Vincent ruder, and Dennis a bit more sensitive. Forget the fact that they thought Jeremiah was a more serious version of Happosai, but the characters had a distinct style and feel. Taguro is also more badass in the Tagalog version. I don't like the Sensui arc in the English version, as compared to the Tagalog version because of the dub.
WHERE IS THE TOURNAMENT?
The other thing that I liked about Ghost Fighter is the tournament. The Demon World Tournament is the best part of the series. Yes, Dragon Ball had tournaments, but the situation isn't as grave as in Yu Yu Hakusho. In some ways, the only tourney that rivals this for me is Flame of Recca's Urabutuo Satsujin. This is not just about the action, it's how the spectators are fair game from the moves. It's also about the arena scalpers. It's also about the fox-like announcer and the fish-like courtside reporter.
I wanted hecklers.
TAPUSIN, TAPUSIN!!!
THE SPEEDRUN PROBLEM
I have seen a lot of YouTube reviews about this. Cowboy Bebop was a bad copy-paste of the anime version. One Piece was a good copy-paste and more in the sense that even with the speedrun characters, the series did something awesome. Whether you like or loathe the two adaptations, they were given ten episodes to strut their wares. I believe Yu Yu Hakusho should have been given a ten-episode arc, as this would solve all the rushed characters in the series. Yeah, some characters aren't as cool as their anime counterparts, but this is the product the creative team had for the show, and we have to respect it. With that said, I thought the tournament and the rush characters would have been better if they were given five more episodes. I know COVID did something with the production but whether you saw the anime, or just a person checking out the hype, you can't help but feel that the story is a bit too fast. Episode 1 was awesome because it felt like the whole episode tackled the first five episodes of the anime.
Wait.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
NETFLIX EPI | DESCRIPTION | ANIME EPISODES |
1 | YUSUKE'S DEATH AND RESURRECTION | EPI 1 - 5 |
2 | INTRODUCTION OF GOUKI, KURAMA, HIEH, YUKINA, AND THE TOGURO BROTHERS | EPI 6 - 22 |
3 | GENKAI TRAINING AND DEATH, SAVING YUKINA AT THE MAZE CASTLE | EPI 9 - 52 |
4 | TOURNEY AT THE MAZE CASTLE - KURAMA VS KARASU AND HIEH VS BUI | EPI 14 - 57 |
5 | TOURNEY AT THE MAZE CASTLE - KUWABARA VS ELDER TOGURO AND YUSUKE VS YOUNGER TOGURO | EPI 14 - 66 |
I get why the producers congested the battles, but again, this felt rushed.