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Yu Yu Hakusho First Battles Episodes 1-14 with Keychain

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Life is hard, and then you die. If you're unlucky, like Yusuke Urameshi, then life gets harder AFTER you die.

In fact, death is only the beginning of his troubles in "Yu Yu Hakusho: First Battles," which collects the first fourteen episodes of this classic anime. While it lags during the first few episodes (seriously, a whole episode about Kuwabara's schoolwork?), it picks up considerably once Yusuke starts spending his time working as a spirit detective.

Despite a reputation as a hardened rebel, Yusuke was killed knocking a toddler from the path of a moving car. Turns out the afterlife, aka Spirit World, didn't expect such a selfless act -- so Spirit World's toddler ruler Koenma offers him a second chance at life, with the help of the sprightly Grim Reaper Botan, an oar-riding girl who tries to keep Yusuke on the straight and narrow.

Initially, Yusuke refuses. But after seeing how the people around him are responding to his death -- including his rival Kuwabara and semi-girlfriend Keiko -- he agrees. But that's a lot easier said than done, and only another selfless act (and a necessary kiss) keeps Yusuke from being permanently dead. As in, all the way-dead, to quote Miracle Max.

And his return is conditional -- now he's working for Koenma as Spirit Detective, a sort of supernatural gofer. And his first case is a nasty one: three powerful artifacts have been stolen from Koenma by a demon trio, including the mysterious youth Kurama and the ruthless three-eyed Hiei. But the case turns out to be more complex than Yusuke expected when he learns Kurama's complicated motives for stealing his artifact -- and that Hiei has a nasty fate in store for Keiko.

Then on Koenma's orders, Yusuke signs up for an aging martial-artist's Pick-A-Student competition, to hunt down a lethal demon -- and his psychic rival Kuwabara may be in danger. And when rage-inducing insects start swarming his town, Yusuke and Kuwabara are sent to stop the malevolent demon band responsible for it. What's more they have some reluctant new allies -- the paroled Hiei and Kurama.

"Yu Yu Hakusho: First Battles" is really all about introducing the characters, and easing Yusuke into his new role as Spirit Detective. It starts off rather slowly, since the first half is essentially all about Yusuke floating around yelling at people, occasionally possessing Kuwabara and helping the big friendly lug with his homework. For an action series, the non-comedic action is sparse.

But things start picking up when Yusuke is made Spirit Detective. Then we're treated to grotesque demonic opponents, superpowers, nasty spells, and lots of action-packed sequences involving fists, tree trunks, swords and fingers that can fire energy blasts. Yusuke mainly gets lucky in these fights, but his training with Genki promises to make future fights more about skill than luck.

It's not all action, though. There's some romantic stuff between the bickering Yusuke and Keiko. And there's a pretty hefty dose of humor as well -- the pacifier-sucking Koenma and his overworked office ogres, Kuwabara's kitten, or Genkai's torturous training. Fairly amusing dialogue too ("Well lucky me, I won," Kuwabara and Yusuke gripe in unison).

Yusuke makes a solid anti-hero, with his alcoholic mother and a mile-wide rebellious streak. While he's a bit obnoxious at first, his increasing strength and responsibility make him more likable. And his thuggish-looking classmate Kuwabara makes an unexpected ally, since he turns out to be a lot more powerful and sweet-natured than you'd expect.

The crabby, lethal Hiei doesn't really get to show much personality in this volume, and he seems pretty malevolent at first. But Kurama more than makes up for that -- he's graceful, elegant, and has a very peculiar past as a foxy thief. We've also got a number of interesting supporting characters, such as Botan the perky Grim Reaper, Genkai the crusty martial-artist, and the feisty Keiko who proves to be Yusuke's only weak spot.

The first collection of "Yu Yu Hakusho" is there to warm up the storyline, and introduce the main characters. While the beginning is a bit slow, it's a solid beginning to a good anime.