Yu Yu Hakusho is STILL the Best.

yuu-yuu hakusho is the story of a teenage boy named Hughes ke Ramesh II Yakuza like punk a street thug delinquent with a shoddy home life and chip on his shoulder and then he dies instead of this being the end of the series it's the first episode and instead of being whisked away to an alternate reality where he gets a harem and superpowers Yusuke is left to think about its life and we're left to think about his death in the midst of cursing out of little boy's ignorance about traffic safety use Kade jumped in front of a speeding car in order to save that boy's life sacrificing his own a move nobody saw coming from a good-for-nothing street brawler nobody including bureaucracy of the afterlife leaving use k to roam as a ghost with boat on the guide of the river styxx it isn't until his own funeral that Yusuke learns a valuable lesson about life about what it means to have made connections and how humans feel when those connections are severed prematurely his neglectful mother mourns his passing by drinking herself into catatonia his greatest enemy Kuwabara is inconsolable at the loss of his arch-nemesis and favorite rival a childhood friend Keiko whom you skate sexually harasses on a daily basis is devastated even the principal of the school Urim as she hated so much is pained by the loss of potential that was use k the takeaway is no matter how much you may hate yourself in the world around you you have irrevocably touched people you never expected and if you disappeared you would leave behind a hole that simply can't be filled if I was to encapsulate everything I enjoy about the medium of anime it would just turn in to YuYu Hakusho if anime is truly punk rock cartoons YuYu Hakusho stands as a shining example of what anime is unlike so many shown in battle stories the series takes time to delve into its casts creating a troupe of complex characters to guide you through its narrative their relationships with each other the world around them and their place in it are put on display for the audience to fully engage with until the final episode for myself yuu-yuu hakusho was a life-changing experience viewed through the perspective of use kay you're a mess to date it is still my favorite anime of all time so without further ado let's just get into it [Music] on Saturday February 23rd 2002 at 11 p.m. I was sitting in my grandmother's living room watching TV that night 18 years ago a brand-new show was premiering on Adult Swim not that I knew her cared but when it came on I was glued instantly it was yuu-yuu hakusho and I was 10 there is something immediately visceral about the attitude of the show there was mild cursing blood panties demons death superpowers I had already seen ninja scroll and heavy metal 2000 but to catch something like this on TV at the time was new it felt kind of naughty but it was accessible to a young kid forming his personality eventually an edited version of the show made it onto the standard Toonami block and by that time I had picked up a guitar and started my first punk band with some friends for middle school looking back now I understand exactly why use K in this anime in general stuck out to me as much as it did and why I continued to rewatch it as much as I do during my formative years when I was airing its themes resonated with what I was going through I was a dissenting arrogant young male with a chip on his shoulder and a lot to prove I felt poor in my middle class white bread town and I didn't really fit in with the kids in school I was getting heavily involved in the political punk scene I was angsty and pissed off at her government and the war at our country at pretty much every use K like most young men is polarized a fierce hardened toll on the outside and a bleeding heart on the inside duality is woven into this entire show with such natural and eloquent methods that it's easy to forget that you're watching an animation instead of a real person growing up the same goes for Kuwabara and the rest even though cynical he a has shrekt like layers that are continually peeled back as the narrative travels along its path it's best to watch her from a disc is that why you got that faker I put in nonsense I felt a certain kinship with these characters that is rare and special while I wanted to create loud fast aggressive music I only did it with the intention of getting across a point there's injustice in this world and justice for people that bled like everyone else but didn't fit the mold society carved out for them I wanted to entertain but more importantly to educate guided by the ironic in nature Grim Reaper Bo Tong Yusuke eventually regains his life and becomes an agent of the spirit world spirit detective finally cementing the idea of the show's titled Yu Yu Hakusho literally poltergeist report it becomes his job to investigate supernatural activity in the human world caused by the demon because of its very specific style YuYu Hakusho stands as a period piece as well as an action show it has that 90s anime appeal but more than that the characters dressed realistically didn't change clothes regularly hairstyles vehicles the high-waisted pants all work together to paint a realistic picture of the human world our hero occupies this also works to solidify an emotional attachment to the series cast dualistic nature's and a constant struggle against injustice while still working to retain optimism and finding time to laugh are qualities not often fleshed out and fight - while Dragon Ball Z will always have a place in my heart there's only one filler episode I can recall that I enjoyed that of course is the episode where piccolo and Goku learned to drive but other than that I was waiting for the fight even still some of the fights would get boring after five episodes of yelling and exposition I never had that issue with YuYu Hakusho because the characters seemed more like real people like real friends and watching them interact is just fun because they have the depth to be fun and carry a moment by themselves no there is consistency to their personalities that allow them to stand out in a conversation as well as a battle for example in the saint's beast our ki a goes from completely hating his team to developing an actual relationship with his group it's a complete turnaround from wanting to kill the use k to finding a semblance of respect for that's not to say he doesn't continue to be in a toll but there's a glimmer of hope for him under all that cynicism while character and world development are very well handled in this anime it doesn't take away from the battles which are not only talked here but above and beyond together Team Europe as she rounds out a Dragon Quest like party you have SK the monk who is extraordinary fighting ability coupled with the iconic awesomeness of spirit gun I mean seriously like it doesn't get any better than that it's simply a stroke of genius and Kuwabara is the warrior character a tank type who often gets the worst beatings but comes through in the end with a sword Kurama is a whip-wielding mage capable of healing and killing with fluid ease and then there's he a the thief who can also summon a dragon from halide ion it's an incredibly well-balanced team along with their supporters and foils together they take off against a rainbow of enemies who look like they were ripped from my favorite Arcade Fire of all time Darkstalkers use K is employed by the son of the Buddhist ruler of the Dead King Yemma the son co n ma is a multi millennia old toddler who also plays the role of grizzled police chief couloirs sister is tougher than he is but more comfortable with her softer side as well and botan as a sister type use K never had and his teacher genkai as a parental figure Yusuke was denied by his own mother a key theme when all the puzzle pieces are put in place is that family is what you make it a broken home isn't necessarily broken world it's just a crummy piece of it and together this ragtag group occasionally joined by keiko and kena forms a family unit you can't help but enjoy watching interact with its world and plot defences which then leads us to arguably the pinnacle of the series the dark tournament when use K comes face to face with the younger two Goro for the first time in his life he hits a wall to Goro is something seemingly impossible to overcome a strength so superior it's staggering after his utter is psychological defeat use K and his friends are forced into the dark tournament a brutal fighting competition hosted by corrupt despicable humans the irony in the scenario is exactly what YuYu Hakusho is all about up until this point it's use K versus the supernatural demons and the poltergeist but as the show progresses so does the intricacy in its writing no longer is everything so cut and dry and for the first time the lines between humans and demons begin to blur the dark tournament is run by greedy corrupt businessmen wishing to gamble on life and death it draws some of the nastiest demons looking for the ultimate prize which is a wish for anything they want being special guests T Mira mashi has no option but to fight lest they and their loved ones be assassinated and naturally the audience is mostly demons who want nothing more than to see the bastard spirit detective gruesomely killed in a brawl the entire spectacle is set up against Yusuke and friends so once again Yusuke is the underdog however instead of corrupt teachers out to ruin his social standing it's corrupt powerful men out to stop him from interfering with their criminal dealings with demons the entire event being rigged makes each and every accomplishment that much more satisfying in each and every loss that much more devastating the arc is less about fighting the big bad but once again about overcoming injustice and dealing with corruption the latter of those themes is far more applicable to the average person it's very rare to have a singular horrible enemy it's far more likely to be muddled by faceless organizations with power over and just when it seems like things can't get any worse - Goro kills gang Chi while still covered up by his usual brashness used Ches relationship with Geng Chi is extremely intimate and important to him okay you're a great lawnmower does this have a point are you just bragging she is truly the only adult role model he ever had and the only teacher he ever respected before her death she gives you skate one last gift and passes on her power to him and accepting this part of her into himself is agonizing it almost kills uske during this trial his spirit beast Pooh is also wracked with pain who's a reflection of use-case in her soul at this time he's still a cute little kirby looking character who was extremely attached to cake while use-case suffers who comes to him and attempt to help but collapses watching Pooh struggle Yusuke comes to his senses in these two sides of the same coin come together to pull themselves through it's a metaphor of self-acceptance while this could be the final takeaway in a less rounded anime yuu-yuu hakusho moves right on through to grief while self-acceptance is important even mandatory for a healthy person it's not the only struggle we go through in life the death of geng kai is incredibly hard on Yusuke in particular neglect is sometimes worse than physical or mental abuse it can leave a person resentful bitter closed off and the barrier they create is to protect that suffer from allowing themselves to be neglected again because neglect comes from care and attachment while genkai represented things that used to hate like power and authority and responsibility she never gave up on him and spoke to him on his level did you come all the way here just to get me more of your crap I promise I'll push as hard as I can she became an adoptive mother figure she showed him how to care for another person how to accept himself and then she dies now Yusuke must learn how to move on alone again but alone for a whole new reason he has to learn what true strength is alongside his friends instead of being taught by a mentor he has to learn the difference between abandonment and death and how to move forward and connect with people despite the risk of both but then again that's what Yusuke has been moving towards all along his death was the first brutal reminder of what can happen if you're connected to people around you even ones you barely know the characters and all their depths show the consequences and benefits of attachment while attachment can bring suffering the benefits of intimacy can be life-changing in a good way beneath use Ches hard outer shell as a heart of gold that must come out but is tested by the cruel reality that nothing lasts forever besides conflict to learn fact that human nature and the nature of demons are not so far apart in the continuing escalation of dire circumstances leaves Yusuke to wonder about the purpose of existence while simultaneously giving that existence purpose by connecting it with others and it doesn't even stop there as the show continues to progress use Kay continually comes up against philosophical disturbances regarding the nature of humanity duty and more new power is a new door to tests of will and character wrapped up in a battle shown on what the serious attitude is a roadmap to adulthood behind the vicious battles and extreme twisting warped animation of these conflicts lies a story about a 14-year old and his friends learning what it means to be alive what it means to care about something and feel responsible without letting that responsibility to power you it's important to remember that you can't take on the world alone that there are issues that you can't solve by yourself even YuYu Hakusho as creator you know she hero Takashi himself had to throw in the towel at the end admitting that the stress and pressure was too much to continue publication of his manga sometimes there are challenges we can't completely overcome but the fight the effort is what defines us the greatest challenge for a boy whose story begins with self-sacrifice is learning that his life is just as precious as the others around him that the strands of death connect all of us it's clear that this street Punk feels that life is precious but it's accepting that his own is equally so which allows him to find the strain to continue to fight you can't only live for others and you can't only live for yourself it's finding the balance between the two that leads to a brighter future obviously we barely even scratched the surface of YuYu Hakusho I mean there's just so much that we could cover every single one of the characters could have their own episode so make sure you subscribe and you hit that belt because we will definitely be doing more in the future like I said this anime is still to date my favorite of all time I don't know what it is but there's something that keeps me coming back to it over and over again so I'd like to be able to share as much of that with you guys as possible keep your eyes open because next week we have a very important video that is coming out midweek I know that's strange for us don't worry we will still have another regular full Banzai pop video for you on Saturday with everything out of the way it's time to congratulate our newest super saiyan god calamity cookie my dude thank you so much for joining up to patreon and just like just coming in like a frickin hurricane man and your message to me was extremely extremely kind and really made my day so thank you so much that is calamity cookie I'm like this is Banzai pop thank you so much for watching make it until the end next time we're covering Hunter hunter check out our social media it's down there Twitter bonsai underscore pop Instagram bonsai underscore pop check those out and I'll see you next week thanks guys

Channel: Bonsai Pop

Views: 610,963

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Id: FVnVCSwCkoQ

Length: 15min 12sec (912 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 23 2019