4.0 out of 5 stars
Up the ante, May 1, 2010
This review is from: Yu Yu Hakusho - Team of Four (Two-Disc Special Uncut Edition) (Episodes 43-56) (DVD)
The Dark Tournament is STILL going on (how many months has it been?), and Team Urameshi is facing both the semifinals AND the finals. While "Yu Yu Hakusho - Team of Four" spends most of its time focusing on the gang's increasingly brutal fight scenes, the real focus is on the culmination of Yusuke's martial arts training -- and there's a shocking twist near the end that, while a bit predictable, is pretty wrenching.
Team Urameshi is presented with two surprises -- the masked fighter reveals his/her true identity, and Yusuke's Spirit Beast hatches at last. But the gang doesn't have long to make fun of Yusuke's magic animal, because they have the semifinals to fight out
Then Genkai pulls Yusuke out of the tournament for his final test as her apprentice, which might actually give him enough power to defeat Toguro. In the meantime, the rest of his friend has to fight team Uraotogi -- Hiei is forced to fight the transforming Kuromomotaro, Kuwabara gets thrown through a dimension-warping cape, and a magic smoke has a shocking effect on Kurama's body.
However, the real challenge is in the forthcoming finals against (obviously) Team Toguro. While Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara all enhance their strength in preparation, Toguro makes a deadly strike against one member of their team -- leaving the group devastated and grimly determined to win. Unfortunately, Kurama's fight against the sadistic Karasu doesn't go so well...
The Dark Tournament is the longest arc in the entire "Yu Yu Hakusho" series, and it's seriously beginning to feel like the longest arc in anime history (excluding the current "Bleach" one). But it's definitely getting more exciting now that Yusuke and Co. are in the big leagues -- and to keep the whole fight-after-fight-after-fight thing from getting boring, there are actually some plot twists thrown into the mix.
Not that the fights aren't interesting, which they are -- we've got magic bombs, shapeshifting, dimension-warps, screeching swords and magic smoke that de-ages you. And despite the grimness of the whole situation, there's some hilariously humorous moments (everyone's response to Yusuke's head-penguin). But the most powerful part of the story involves the loss of a major character, and the long-running feud between Toguro and Genkai.
Kurama and Yusuke get the most attention in this chunk of the arc -- our punky anti-hero undergoes some torturous training that might actually kill him, and is forced to stand on his own for the first time. And Kurama is given an opportunity to get back some of his old power... which he desperately needs, because otherwise that creepy perverted sadist is going to have WAY too much fun killing him.
It gets pretty dark in the last laps of the Dark Tournament, and "Yu Yu Hakusho - Team of Four" leaves you wanting to see the tournament's end.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This anime has it all and more., September 15, 2007
This review is from: Yu Yu Hakusho - Team of Four (Two-Disc Special Uncut Edition) (Episodes 43-56) (DVD)
Yu Yu Hakusho may not be the most popular anime above dragonball z, naruto, evangelion, etc. But it does have everything they all have and more. To be honest the english dubs for all the other animes just sound like the voice actors are reading instead of putting true emotions into their voices to make it sound real. That's the what yu yu hakusho has over almost all the animes I have ever seen. The voice overs are outstanding and I think that's one thing that everyone should know separates a good english dubbed anime to a bad one.
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