Netflix's Yu Yu Hakusho

The Netflix adaptations of beloved series, whether they be anime, Jane Austen or otherwise, have been met with varying degrees of critical and audience success.

The internet at large seemed to have more fun trouncing Persuasion than actually watching it. Death Note either pulled forth gasps of horrified disgust or bellowing laughter. One Piece was a shocking win for the streaming giant by not only being competent but good even. The Fear Street series experienced a mixed bag but was overall well received.

Now with Yu Yu Hakusho we have a series that is firmly middlingly. Neither amazing nor disastrous. The 5 episode series that adapts - or really speedruns - about three arcs of the original series. Skipping two arcs altogether and only picking at their pieces like meat off demonic bone.

What’s left is the marrow, a skeleton of the beloved story, stripped of flesh, blood, and it's beating heart.

That’s not to say there isn’t talent here. Shō Tsukikawa is a talented director, he and the stunt team should be proud of their work here. As should actors Takumi Kitamura, who plays protagonist Yusuke Urameshi, and Kenichi Takitō, who plays Elder Toguro. Both showcase some brilliant stunts, Kitamura especially seems aware of his body and how to move it. He has a brilliant physicality to him, even when just walking down the street as Yusuke.

Take Kitamura’s tendency to have Yusuke squat at seemingly random times. Whilst waiting for others, or simply taking in the scenery around him, Kitamura through these small tics gives his live action Yusuke a distinct silhouette to the Yusuke fans of the anime and manga know and love. While still feeling similar enough to not appear as an entirely new character.

Out of the other would-be core four characters of Kuwabara, Hiei, and Kurama, only Shuhei Uesugi who plays Kuwabara proves to be on Kitamura’s level. Uesugi perhaps even surpasses at times the leading man, stealing scenes with quiet introspection or delivering some of the only moments of needed levity to the series breakneck pacing.

It helps as well that Uesugi and Kitamura have genuinely good chemistry together, so much so you wish and wait for the series to simply slow down, allowing for the story to breath, rest, and recover. You want more from them, to see Yusuke and Kuwabara come together so that the moment of Kuwabara’s “death” in the final episode actually matters.

Even more unfortunate is how thoroughly the script leaves Kanata Hongō, who plays Hiei, out to dry. With almost nothing of substance to do even though the final two episodes' subplot revolve around rescuing Yukina (Ai Mikami), Hiei’s sister. So empty is the character Hongo has little to do, especially a couple stunts here and there.

Worse off still is Jun Shison, who plays fox-demon-turned-half-human, Kurama. Kurama’s character suffers less than Hiei’s in regards to the script, but Shison simply isn’t up to the task. His acting is stilted, at times seemingly even blank. His stunts are lackluster, as though director Tsukikawa wasn’t confident in how to frame Kurama’s fights at all. Shison also starred in High & Low The Worst so stunt work isn’t new to him, but it is striking how similarly he plays both roles. There’s nothing new in his performance nor anything memorable.

What the series needed was a jolt of energy. The anime was spirited from the first notes of Hohoemi no Bakudan or Smile Bomb by Japanese singer and songwriter Matsuko Mawatari blasting out before the title card hit screens. Yu Yu Hakusho is a very funny series, yet strangely screenwriter Tatsuro Mishima has decided to play the series almost entirely straight. Every character is much more serious, dour, and lacking in humor.

Stranger still because Mishima’s other adapted screenplay, Zom 100, had incredible energy and much better pacing to boot. While Zom 100 wasn’t a perfect movie, it embraced it’s premise, was both accessible for those who hadn’t read the original manga, while still being engaging, sincere and quite fun. Sure the multi legged shark comes a bit out of nowhere in the third act, but hey, you have to applaud the film's commitment to the bit.

It is unfortunate then that Mishima’s screenplay is truly the weak link of the show. Aside from the general lack of energy, the show simply moves too quickly. The skipping of some arcs from the original series is to be expected. Serialized comics and tv series that operate on a week-to-week basis of release tend to be slightly more drawn out. American superhero comics operate in a similar manner.

Each issue having a big “moment” to keep readers latched onto the story and returning for the next. It’s a tried and true method of storytelling, one that Weekly Shounen Jump has perfected to insane amounts of notoriety and profit. So there isn’t a need to include every single one-on-one battle from the original series into the live action. One Piece (2023) managed to avoid this pitfall to much success.

Yet, One Piece understood if you were going to take away from the original you had to replace it with other aspects. Sure there’s still plenty of really great action in Yu Yu Hakusho (2023), but there is nothing replacing the moments of character development, individually or collectively.

Genkai, who acts as Yusuke’s cranky and blunt mentor, has much more runtime to simply BE Yusuke’s mentor in the original series. Whereas in this adaptation they know each other, maybe a week at most before she is killed by Elder Toguro. This fast and furious pacing where we jump from major plot point to major plot point leaves us not only breathless but distant from the characters at hand.

Visually, the series looks amazing, save for a couple strange editing choices, and two lackluster wigs. The performers are certainly all likable, and the various changes aren’t so egregious they would upset longtime fans.

But you want more time, you want the series to stop and breathe. You simply want better for it.

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