Customer Reviews

Yu Yu Hakusho, Vol. 1-14: First Battles

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yu Yu Hakusho: First Battles will do two things: the first, it will give all those people who enjoyed the series but never collected it an opportunity to buy it from the start, and second, it will anger a lot of the fans who bought every separate DVD release or box set over the past couple years. I happen to be in the first category, and I think this was a brilliant release of a series that I got into because of the excellent action and strangely interweaving story.

Yu Yu Hakusho has probably the strangest beginning for an action anime ever created. It starts out somewhat dramatic, with a punk kid, Yusuke, getting hit by a car. From there, he must attempt to earn back his life from the gods of death. He must perform a series of tasks and the like in order to achieve this. The subtitle for Yu Yu Hakusho, Ghost Files, made a lot of sense when you consider the beginning. But after Yusuke goes about getting his life back, he becomes a spirit detective and fights in a series of battles in order to either a) stop a demon criminal or, b) gain more power. It doesn't fit, and that is the only reason why I gave this series a four rather than a five, for the incongruous start.

Still, the heaping of Yu Yu episodes in this DVD set makes up for that, as it quickly gets past the early part to the spirit detective part. This DVD contains the first fourteen episodes, and go as listed:

1. Surprised To Be Dead
2. Koenma Appears
3. Kuwabara: A Promise Between Men
4. Requirements for Lovers
5. Yusuke's Back
6. Three Monsters
7. Gouki and Kurama
8. The Three Eyes of Hiei
9. The Search Begins
10. Kuwabara's Spirit Sword
11. Hard Fights for Yusuke
12. Rando Rises, Kuwabara Falls
13. Yusuke vs. Rando: 99 Attacks
14. The Beasts of Maze Castle

FUNimation knows how to please it fans--for the most part; the insane amount of episodes for the cheap price is definitely proof of that. With maybe a few odd moments of voice-acting (such as Botan's continually shifting accent), this series was surprisingly well-done. If you haven't already started collecting the set and you're a fan of Yu Yu's days on Cartoon Network, then now is the perfect time to get this set.

I'll agree that this will make those that already have the older individual DVDs hate it, but this serves as another purpose other than for those who began to collect the Yu Yu Hakusho episodes. If you missed out on buying all 32 DVDs and still want to have the complete series, these sets are worth it.

In Yu Yu Hakusho: First Battles, you'll get the first fourteen episodes of the show in both English and Japanese with subtitles. This show is a terrific anime full of interesting characters and entertaining stories. Specifically, this first volume focuses on setting up the story. You'll see how the main character, Yusuke Urameshi, becomes a Spirit Detective and how he does in his first two cases.

The show is about the main character, Yusuke Urameshi, a 14 year old young man with a lack of ambition and hatred for authority figures. He is seen by most as a trouble maker known for loving to fight and skipping school. A classmate and future friend of his, Kuwabara, constantly challenges him to fights and has yet to win. Only a girl named Kaeko sees some good in Yusuke whom she has known since they were children. Yusuke's mother is a bit of a slush, but truly cares about him. With a personality and background such as this, Yusuke doesn't fit the bill of your typical hero...until strangely enough, he dies.

Saving a child from a car crash, Yusuke unexpectedly gives up his life. He meets Botan, the Grim Reaper and Koenma, prince of the Spirit Realm. In honor of his noble deed, Yusuke is allowed to attempt a test to come back to life. At first he thinks he and everyone else would be better off with him dead, but when he sees the pain his family and friends experience with him gone, he takes the test. Eventually, Yusuke succeeds, but the adventure is just beginning. Having experienced death, Yusuke comes back to life with an unusualy high awareness of the supernatural. He can see things others can't and Koenma recruites him to be Spirit Detective of Earth, but can Yusuke do his job without dieing...again?

Like a said, a pretty interesting story! The characters are fascinating with some sweet, others hilarious, and others disturbing. 14 episodes for this price is a great deal too. If you like DBZ or Inuyasha, you'll love Yu Yu Hakusho. The extras are lacking, but I bought this show for the episodes themselves so I don't really mind this, but others might. To be honest, a review can't do the show justice, so just get it and watch it yourself. It shouldn't take long for you to see why it deserves 5 stars.

Yu Yu Hakusho is one of my favorite animes, trust me you will not be disappointed with this product and the price is nearly a steal!

Yu Yu Hakusho is one of those animes that is better enjoyed when you have time to sit down and watch the episodes in succession. It is very good, and has a very well-developed plot in my opinion. I would recommend this series for anyone who enjoys animes such as 'Inuyasha' or 'One Piece' (just to name a couple). It's very light-hearted, the fights are not too violent, and the teens in this series actually act like teens. I love it.

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.

this series rocks!
these are episodes 1-14.
the dubbing was good.

It is not easy to create a series that has as broad an appeal as this one, since it caters to teenagers but also has many elements that make it a great choice for adults. There is quite a bit of action and a story that walks along the lines of good vs. evil, but that also shows the inner struggles of the main character and his awakening to a world that is different than he previously thought. The exploration of the meaning of life and of how the existence of each of us affects many people, even if we are not aware of it, is presented in an easy to digest way, and therefore, is way more effective.

This DVD, which includes a whooping fourteen episodes, starts with the death of the main character. Yes, you read right! Yusuke Urameshi is a high school student that has no regard for authority and can easily be described as a punk. But one day, he surprised the spirits in heaven by giving his life in order to save a kid that was going to be run over by a car. This alteration of the natural order creates a problem, and the Grim Reaper and her boss, King Koenma, decide to give Yusuke a chance to come back to the living world. As you can imagine, it is not that simple, and there is a test involved in doing so. From that point forward, this fantastic story captures our attention and does not let go, not even for a second.

The change we see in the main character, even in these first episodes, is truly amazing, and the fact that this is connected to the reactions of other characters to his death, makes us reflect on our own existence. The creators did a great job with the secondary characters too, since these provide romance, challenge, and unconditional friendship. As Yusuke's journey progresses, we also get to see some pretty tough bad guys!

The fact that appearances are not important is central to the story, and we are going to meet an unlikely Grim Reaper and an even more unlikely King Koenma, who in the absence of his father is in charge of ruling the spirit world.

It is not common to see a series that uses fantasy in such a proficient way, has a very creative and enthralling plot, and a high level of action that does not get boring. I highly recommend you to try it!

This series is the best, after watching these first 14 episodes, i went right out and bought the complete collections. A classic and must buy.

Just to let everyone know this dvd is and other Yu Yu Hakusho dvds are rated TVPG if that helps any one. Great dvds! You shoud pick it up!!!