In the time honoured tradition of Japanese fighting series, Yu Yu Hakusho #3 throws the viewer head first into a typical martial arts tournament; a perfect showcase for everything there is to love about shows like Yu Yu Hakusho- inventive, exciting action and simplistic but rousing characterization. There is nothing like watching your favourite characters being beaten to a pulp, only to see them fight back moments later with every ounce of brave determination they have left; muscles torn, bones broken but pride intact. Results often vary from the tragic to the compelling- so rarely does the tournament format let you down.

These four episodes were a breeze to watch; so fast moving was the thread-bare plot that my undivided attention was firmly on Yusuke and Kuwabara’s stuttering progress through Old lady Genkai’s brutal tournament. The winner will receive her legendary spiritual combat teachings and despite her age, Genkai is not afraid to put the lives of our young heroes on the line! If they aren’t dodging hungry bat monsters, Yusuke and Co. will be fighting off some of the most deadly warriors in the world!
Addictive is the word I’m searching for; Yu Yu Hakusho has a knack for the perfectly timed cliff-hanger, often leaving me pressing the skip chapter button to get through to the next episode - desperate to discover the outcome of Yusuke’s latest and greatest match-up. Yusuke’s opponents are always his strongest yet, it just wouldn’t be as nail biting any other way.

That said nothing boils this viewer’s blood more than seeing our hero’s best buddy badly beaten by an unsympathetic psychopath. Yusuke and Kuwabara have such a familiar connection- greatest rivals who are lost without each other.
A man galvanised by the massacre of his closest friend is nothing new, but it’s never less than an emotional experience provided you are feeling the characters and I have to say, I already find myself admiring Yusuke for his thick-headed gritty determination and Kuwabara for his pent up feelings and out spoken personality.

If only the animation wasn’t so dated, Yu Yu Hakusho would be fast becoming a real favourite of mine. Disappointingly, the action suffers as a result of its low budget appearance, often lacking the fast moving, fluidic combat that rubber stamps contemporary series of a similar ilk. Similarly, the musical soundtrack has that cheap artificial aesthetic that dogs a lot of vintage anime when just a simple drum beat would suffice to get the heart pounding.
It’s these little problems that drag down Yu Yu Hakusho into the realms of action genre fodder, the story has so far been endearing but nothing new and while the numerous fights are bound to hook you into the story faster than you imagine, I still have that nagging feeling that Yu Yu Hakusho has yet to become essential. But it remains a fun, exciting and action-packed series and fans of Dragonball, Naruto and even Bleach could do far worse than taking a look at this attention-consuming slice of adrenaline.

In Summary

Yusuke and Kuwabara enter a competitive fighting tournament and face off against opponents with bizarre supernatural powers. It’s a simple formula, but one that works so well for light watching.

Yu Yu Hakusho may not be the most sophisticated or pretty series, but it has the soul of a warrior and anyone looking for a quick and easy injection of action-packed anime won’t be left disappointed.