I'll admit I take a guilty pleasure from watching long-running action anime series and Yu Yu Hakusho appears to fit the bill perfectly; sporting 112 episodes, I can already taste the bitter teenage angst, the dramatic character deaths and the tense, face to face supernatural martial arts. It's easy to predict the direction in which Yu Yu Hakusho will head, but this doesn't make it any less fun or exciting.
These kinds of shows often have a great, varied cast of characters and Yu Yu Hakusho is no exception; Yusuke is a very untypical hero; a knuckle head and arrogant street punk with a good heart, his lack of school smarts make for an interesting, if not dumb take on the moralistic lynchpin. Likewise, his arch-rival Kuwabara is essentially a hooligan with too much time on his hands; slicking back his bright ginger hair serves only to supplement his highly strung, violent nature. These are characters that made an instant impression on me and while they may not be the most complex of personalities, their honourable, play-by-the-'street-rules' attitude appeals to the man's man within us all. That's the trick of these broad appeal action adventures; hook us with the characters and then carry us along for the never-ending, death defying, white-knuckle rollercoaster.

For a show I had pegged as formulaic before even sitting down to watch it, Yu Yu Hakusho pulls the interesting trick of killing the main character within the first five minutes of the first episode; as good a way as any to kick us out of the comfort zone and introduce us to the unbreakable supernatural allures of Yusuke’s universe! And sure, while death in Yusuke's world doesn't necessarily mean the end of the line, such blunt inventiveness so early in the story was enough to make me sit up and take notice.

The death of a young kid is never a happy thing, but the tone of these early episodes isn't overly dark or depressing. Indeed, it just illustrates that even in death; Yusuke retains his endearing sense of humour and bare-faced cheek. These moments, especially during Yusuke's funeral wake, also provide us with an early opportunity to understand the feelings of those close acquaintances shocked by Yusuke's early demise. The seeds of cliché romance between our hero and life-long chum Keiko are set nice and early, but the most interesting reaction comes from the previously villanized Kuwabara; who rather than revelling in Yusuke's demise, is amongst the most vocal of mourners- devastated to have lost his greatest rival.

While all this is going on, Yusuke also discovers the after life and it's overly cute inhabitants; take for example, the supposed authority- a wise, 700-year-old toddler with the power of resurrection! And then we have Botan, a pink robed, high pitched teenage girl tasked with introducing Yusuke to his strange new powers. Again, there is nothing particularly complex about these quirky characters but the ways in which they are presented makes' them stand out none the less.

However, other characters don't fair as well and I suppose in an attempt to give the show a little more direction in these early stages, many of Yusuke's school teachers are played up to be immoral, bad people. So bad in fact that they joke loudly at a student's funeral and stand ideally by as another is being beaten to a pulp. Disturbing and sadistic immediately jumps to mind and despite the fact we're supposed to dislike them anyway, I found myself despising their very presence in several episodes.
Like-wise, Yusuke's mother is wholly unlikable. A lay-about drunk, she treats her son as if he constantly owes her more than he can ever give. Indeed, with such fantastic role models around him, it's no wonder that Yusuke is developing into an anti-social thug.
I should add it's unusual and rather refreshing to find a show like Yu Yu Hakusho that tackles characters, and especially adults, with such realistic problems.

Looking at the animation, it's obvious that this is a rather old show. Dating back to 1992, Yu Yu Hakusho is not a particularly aesthetically pleasing anime production. And while it's certainly not something that will ruin your interest in the show, the lack of flashy animation perhaps deprives Yu Yu Hakusho of that vital 'ummppff!' factor that will immediately make you sit up and take notice.

That last sentence is my real problem with these four early episodes; as solid as these characters are and this story appears to be, I must admit that Yu Yu Hakusho failed to really ignite my interest. There is nothing particularly ground breaking or exciting about this show, it's just good solid fun. The likes of Yusuke are fun to watch, but at this point in time, he lacks any real complexity and emotional depth. Similarly, the story has yet to find its feet and comes across as meandering; I haven't got a clue where the plot will go next; and I'm hoping that it won't slip into a school-days drama.

On the other hand, there are several genuinely funny moments, especially those involving a presumed dead Yusuke being dragged around some sleepy town in Japan!

In Summary

Yu Yu Hakusho #1 turned out to be solid, if slightly mediocre fun. I found nothing particularly exciting here, but characters like Yusuke and Kuwabara managed to hold my attention none the less. So far, it certainly isn’t as action packed as I presumed and while the dated animation isn't exactly flattering, the enthusiastic approach and fast moving plot made sure that I never felt particularly bored.

Only god knows where Yu Yu Hakusho will go next, but the fact I'm still curious about this show is no doubt a good omen that it is doing something right.