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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Too short, August 1, 2010
This review is from: Devil Hunter Yohko Complete Collection (DVD)
I love this series. It spawned the "pretty soldier" genre (Sailor Moon), and then it came back to make fun of its spinoffs.
My only real complaint is that after removing the music video collection, it's only 5 episodes long.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The guilty pleasures of Duckman, part 3. 62%, December 17, 2009
This review is from: Devil Hunter Yohko Complete Collection (DVD)
I stumbled upon Devil Hunter Yokho last fall when I bought this online after getting really drunk. When it arrived at my house about a week later, I just put it behind the rest of my anime DVDs and forgot all about it until a few days ago. After finding this, I got really skeptical of Yokho' due to its combination of violence, nudity, magical girl theme, and teen comedy since the former two are geared towards male audiences while the latter two are geared towards female audiences (like mixing oil and water if moderation isn't used for any of them). Due to my past experiences with awful anime like Steel Angel Kurumi and Elfen Lied (these two desperately tried to mix ideas that simply didn't go together), I was expecting Yokho' to be a disaster but boy was I surprised.
A lot of people have compared Devil Hunter Yokho to Buffy the Vampire Slayer; I'm sure most of them are talking about the TV series but since I haven't seen the show, I actually think of the campy 1992 film of the same name since both aren't meant to be taken seriously and are fun to watch. Officially, there's six episodes in this OVA, but I say there's five since "Devil Hunter Yokho 4Ever" is a compilation of j-pop music videos using footage from the first three DHY episodes (except for one that has chibi versions of Yokho and Azusa).
Each episode in DHY is a stand alone, so that means each episode has its own plot. This opens the door for repetition and depending on who you are and how you choose to see Yokho', can be a good or bad thing. Basically, the plot of each episode is that demons find a way to break into the human world and Yokho (and later, her apprentice Azusa) have to kill them; the main difference is the demons being slain and sometimes, the settings. I can see why some people wouldn't like this, but since this OVA wasn't meant to be on the same level of anime masterpieces like Grave of the Fireflies and Perfect Blue (and doesn't try to be), I don't really mind this since overall, seeing Yokho and Azusa killing demons is fun. The only episode in this OVA I didn't care for was the last one since it was tremendously mediocre and not a good way to end it. Fortunately, since there aren't any overarching plots in this OVA, it's not necessary to get the whole DHY experience.
I'm not going to bother describing each episode because as stated before, many of them are interchangeable with the plot sequences. However, I will describe some of the characters.
The characters aren't exactly works of art, but they fit in perfectly for this type of anime. Yokho Mano is a good lead character since she does act like a teenage girl and as a heroine, isn't perfect (any decent character has flaws). Yeah, she's obsessed with winning a pretty boy's heart, but fortunately this isn't overdone (except for the sixth episode). I also like how despite being a really tough fighter, she isn't an unstoppable fighting machine; she takes considerable amounts of pain in several episodes. She can be a hoot at times like in DHY episode three, when she's transported into an alternate reality and meets a prince in that dimension, she explodes with joy and says something like "I can finally kiss this cursed virginity goodbye!!" (not quoted verbatim) which got me cracking up a bit. Azusa Kanzaki is Yokho's apprentice in devil hunting and is one of my favorite characters in DHY (along with Yokho) since she's as cute as a lamb and has an admirable spirit to be an expert at her desired trade. Chikako Ogawa (Chi for short) is pretty funny as Yokho's best friend as she feeds Yokho information about the "hot boys" in school and of demons for her to kill.
The animation and artwork is good for a lower budget anime from the early 90's, and since the whole OVA spans about five years (1990-95, I believe), the animation tends to improve as each installment progresses.
At the end of the day, watching Devil Hunter Yokho is like eating a funnel cake or deep fried Snickers bar. It doesn't contain any nutritional value, and it's not supposed to. If you want to see two sexy teen girls kill demons, then DHY will be your cup of tea.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best early animes, October 2, 2011
This review is from: Devil Hunter Yohko Complete Collection (DVD)
Unlike most, I was introduced to Devil Hunter Yohko at a young age. My mom mistakenly got us the VHS of this in my early teens, and we were surprised at the graphic nature of the anime. Of course, this was 16 years ago. We loved the nature of the anime and began memorizing the ending song, which was our first taste of j-pop. My parents, being rather open to concepts such as this, allowed us to continue watching the anime. Rather than having collections such as this one, we then had to seek out each new VHS as it came out, which took a good sum of years. But for us, it was worth it. Many complain that the series is too long. I think what many don't understand is that it was never meant to be a series. It was a stand-alone anime, and the other "episodes" were sequels. Each was an individual "movie." And like any fan, it was a treat when the next one came out. If you think of it that way, a "movie" series that had so many sequels back in the day was almost unheard of. We didn't have Harry Potter, which was 8 movies long. Some don't like the 4th "episode," which was a series of music videos, but it was a release for j-pop fans. Finally, a collection of the songs. And we loved it! For us, it was the early days of being otaku (and yes, I do mean it in the negative light as well, because we were obsessed). This was the first anime ever released for ADV, and there was actually a desperate drive to find a better distributor. When that didn't happen, ADV was given a chance. This really kick-started them and got them on their way. It was that fabulous! This was also one of the first "magical girl" anime out there. It really set the stage for a full future of them. You cannot compare this anime to others of its "type," because it was a first, and a huge one at that. It was a much-beloved anime that spawned several sequels and brought a love of both anime and j-pop to early adopters such as us. It was the start of something new and wonderful, and got us into a new mindset of what "cartoons" could be, and what anime really was. It wasn't DBZ. It wasn't Sailor Moon. And it certainly wasn't for children. For many who are just experiencing this series now, most already have that concept locked into their heads, and this was just another anime. A good one, yes; but still one to add to a collection of good anime. For those of us who had this as our first real experience, it was the start to a road of a lifetime. And so this series also brings to mind a sense of nostalgia. A look into a future that was to come. Strong young girls who had a destiny before them. A story that wasn't your typical "cartoon." And music that was unlike anything we had heard before. And this was such an experience, that it was re-released for a new generation to enjoy. And despite the beginning being such an old anime, it can still be enjoyed by mature audiences today. Devil Hunter Yohko is more than an anime to be compared to what is released today. It is a legacy that has been handed down since 1990. Over 20 years old. And still kicking. Enjoy it, for it is worth the enjoyment.
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