Why Y?

[Sailor Kenshin]

Why YYH? Why is Yuu Yuu Hakusho the one series I keep coming back to, watching over and over?



I like a lot of classic anime: Rurouni Kenshin, DBZ, Inu Yasha, Maison Ikkoku, Card Captor Sakura, Hikaru no Go, FMA (the ORIGINAL REAL ONE).



So why Y? (And in all following points, I mean the Japanese language or sub):



For one, it represents the classic battle of good versus evil, portrayed in a clear, concise manner, and has some of the all-time epic fights. When Yuusuke fights Toguro the Younger, onlookers actually make remarks that reveal character and battle strategy, rather than standing around sweatdropping (this means you, DBZ). And unlike DBZ, no one is all that dumb. And yes, I definitely mean Kuwabara, who, in spite of his brash and noisy character, can see straight through to the heart of a problem.



For another, its opening/closing theme music seems carefully chosen, and actually relates to the storyline.... as opposed to say, RK, which has YYH beat in terms of background design and 'beauty shots.' It's as though they put some thought into the music and didn't merely say, "Here, this song is loud, let's go for it!"



It actually ENDS. In a timely fashion. (Though I have my quibbles with the last story arc). As opposed to Inu Yasha or DBZ.



Again, as opposed to RK, the YYH protagonists are younger and therefore seem more vulnerable, which makes their heroics an even bigger payoff.



Much character growth takes place across the board, as the battles heat up.



(You might say all of the above about FMA, too. And it would be true. Yet YYH is the only anime which ever inspired me to write fanfic. I still can't explain that one.)



Thoughts?

[Atria35]

I hate Yu Yu Hakusho. I started reading the manga, and at first I was like, 'Hey, this kid died and has to figure out a way to redeem his soul? Cool.' Then I hit chapter 30 or so.... and it turned into DBZ-style fighting. And I was furious. Apparently the mangaka had a 100+ chapter dry spell of actual creativity and could only think of this to fill the pages. (okay, maybe not the case, but how it feels to me.)

It could have gone a completely different way- with the ghost investigators catching onto a mystery that could lead to the world's destruction, having to save the friends and family because they were targeted by evil minions. But no.

I hate monster-of-the-day, and that's exactly how it chose to go. One of the most inane ways EVER. I didn't like it in DBZ, I didn't like it Sailor Moon. I really didn't like it in YYH. Sure hey may throw strategy in there, but why go the intergalactic tournament route in the first place? It made no sense.

But I have a friend who adores it to no end. While I don't get it, if you like it, then that's fine.

[Juliannesan]

Yeah, I couldn't really get into it either.
I could never watch any of those animes just for the sake of the repetitiveness and just lack of creativity towards the middle-end of the story.

I felt kind of sad that Kenshin took the turn it did too, but at least it wasn't quite as bad as YYH or DBZ in fighting styles.

No offense to you, Sailor Kenshin. It's just not a fave. =/

[Roy Mustang]

Just wasn't a fan of this series. I could go on more, but it would be very blunt and I think that I will stop right now.


[font="Book Antiqua"][color="Red"]Col. Roy Mustang[/color][/font]

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

FMA (the ORIGINAL REAL ONE).

This makes me sad. At least get it right that the manga(of which Brotherhood is based) is the original, so don't go calling this THE REAL ONE or anything.

On topic, I read about 5-6 chapters of Yu Yu Hakusho, which I liked, but that's when I stopped reading things online, and I didn't like it enough to go buy it when I could get 20th Century Boys or FMA.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I wasn't referring to the YYH manga at all. The anime is in all ways superior, which lends itself to analysis for interesting Christian content if you care to mine it.

[steenajack]

Actually, I was considering maybe trying out an episode of this. It looked interesting. :3!

[TheSubtleDoctor]

In view of the fact that only people drinking [SIZE="4"][color="Red"]Hater-aide[/color][/SIZE] have responded to this thread, I thought I, someone who actually enjoys the series, might make a contribution. I will say upfront that, while I am a YYH fan, I do think that folks who dislike the show have some valid points. Plus the creator annoys me (PUBLISH HUNTER X HUNTER REGULARLY, MAN!).

First, some good points about the show. It knows what it is, who it's appealing to and how to appeal to those people effectively. YYH is a genre show; it is not meant to be something that defies the conventions of shonen fighting series to draw in a broader audience (like, say, Kenshin did). It's fanservice for those of us who enjoy people with super powers beating the holy heck out of each other. For anyone who digs that sort of thing, YYH is a shining example of the genre done well.

I do sympathize with people who thought, based on the first part of the first arc, that the series was going to be something other than what it is. Still, though the core structure/formula is what you'd expect of a shonen fighting series, various elements of the story and the way they are executed show YYH to be anything but rote.

Unlike the writers of Dragonball, the YYH writers know how to craft a rule-governed universe in which the characters aren't broken but the limits also make sense.

I think it is harsh to call YYH a monster of the week show. Even the minor villains require several episodes to showcase, and the major ones are present for dozens of episodes (thus they do get their share of character development).

To the series' credit, while the fights themselves receive a good build-up, they are not overlong. Even shonen fighting fans' patience can wear thin =). Luckily, the longest fight in YYH is like 5 or 6 episodes (nothing compared to other shows in the genre).

So, now for some points against the show: I completely disagree that it ended in a timely manner. I mean, it is 112 episodes long, after all. Granted, the ending tied things up nicely (a bit too nicely perhaps), but there is no question that YYH qualifies as a long show.

The last story arc...it had so much potential...then it was squandered. Ugh. Little effort was put into making the quick climax a believable one. The first three arcs are magic, though!

[Atria35]

Unlike the writers of Dragonball, the YYH writers know how to craft a rule-governed universe in which the characters aren't broken but the limits also make sense.

I think it is harsh to call YYH a monster of the week show. Even the minor villains require several episodes to showcase, and the major ones are present for dozens of episodes (thus they do get their share of character development).

Okay, I'll concede to those. There weren't rediculous power-ups, and their skills were well-earned. And I do like well-developed characters, so giving the minor villians a bit of showcasing isn't terrible.

But I still fully believe that the story was a bait-and-switch. I can't forgive it for that.

And in the manga, I do not think that everything was brought to a proper ending- I recall several story threads that were left hanging... several of my favorite story threads, in fact, the ones that drew me into the story in the first place, and they were completely forgotten. I didn't appreciate that either.

Christian content should not preclude having a well-developed story, which is where I feel that this lacked a certain something.

But if you're into shounen fighting-action shows/manga, I actually can't think of a better one to send people to. It's considered a classic for a reason, and still has so very many, many fans.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

In view of the fact that only people drinking [SIZE="4"][color="Red"]Hater-aide[/color][/SIZE] have responded to this thread, I thought I, someone who actually enjoys the series, might make a contribution.

I never said I didn't like it. In fact, I did enjoy it. I just didn't find the first 5-6 chapters were good enough to warrant buying it. If you only read the first 5-6 chapters of Kenshin, would you immediately go buy it in favor of something you know is excellent?

[Juliannesan]

I never said I didn't like it. In fact, I did enjoy it. I just didn't find the first 5-6 chapters were good enough to warrant buying it. If you only read the first 5-6 chapters of Kenshin, would you immediately go buy it in favor of something you know is excellent?

The HaterAide thing just made me laugh. Hahaha.
I didn't totally despise it either, I've definitely seen worse.
But it wasn't a favorite and it's like as Aria said, except that I didn't watch the show nearly as much as she did. I gave up early on.
I'm not really into lots of fighting shows either.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

I chuckled too, I was just pointing out his mistake.

I should check this out one day, I actually am into really shonen stuff, which, when well-written, is really fun.

[Juliannesan]

I chuckled too, I was just pointing out his mistake.

I should check this out one day, I actually am into really shonen stuff, which, when well-written, is really fun.

Yeah, well it's certainly up to you.
If you like Shonen, you'll probably end up liking it. ^_^

For me it depends on the Shonen content and plot, but that's how it goes for everything for me. I definitely don't love everything of one certain genre, I'm pretty picky.

[ChristianKitsune]

I tried to get into this series when I was younger...but it always annoyed me...although I love that Kurama is a fox. x3

I only really ever watched it while I was waiting for Rurouni Kenshin to come on...honestly.

[Juliannesan]

I tried to get into this series when I was younger...but it always annoyed me...although I love that Kurama is a fox. x3

I only really ever watched it while I was waiting for Rurouni Kenshin to come on...honestly.

Me too! Oh gosh. I still want to own the whole RK series. I only have the first season...

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I only have the first season...

:wow!: This is criminal and must be addressed immediately.

[ChristianKitsune]

Me too! Oh gosh. I still want to own the whole RK series. I only have the first season...

You are fine shelling out the money only on the Second season. The third, while semi-entertaining, is very filler... and you are better off reading the Manga, and getting the OVA that covers the end of the manga.