YuYu Hakusho, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Yoshihiro Togashi (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Yuyu Hakusho (Graphic Novels) | Publication Date: May 2003

In this first volume in one of Japan's most popular graphic novels, it was a typical day for Yusuke - go to school at noon, get kicked out by the teacher, fight with his rival Kuwabara, and head for home in time to wake his mom from her drunken stupor. But when he throws himself in front of a car to save a little kid's life, he becomes Tokyo's toughest teenage ghost! While his childhood friend Keiko grieves over his comatose body, Yusuke has one chance to return to life: raise a "spirit egg" at the behest of the comely Botan (aka Death) and her boss Koenma, lord of the infernal bureaucracy. But the creature that hatches from the spirit egg will be determined by the good or evil in Yusuke's soul - if he's not careful, he could create a monster!

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (May 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569319049
• ISBN-13: 978-1569319048
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #361,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ghost Files Rocks, March 14, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: YuYu Hakusho, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

YuYu Hakusho is an awesome manga. It is about a kid named Yusuke. Yusuke starts out his day normally. He goes to school, gets kicked out, goes home, gets lectured by his drunken mother, beats up Kuwabara (his rival), and that's just a normal day.
Then Yusuke meets this kid who is playing in the street. Yusuke does one selfless act by saving the kid from a car that would have hit him. Yusuke dies and meets Botan, or death in english.
Yusuke learns that if he wants to live again, then he has to raise an egg. But he needs to do good deeds or the egg will eat him when it hatches. So Yusuke, with the help of Botan, goes around doing selfless acts.
Yusuke encounters a spirit dog and his over-attached owner, Kuwabara his rival, and a "temporary resurection." YuYu Hakusho (ghost files in english) is truly a great manga. Read it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the better Japanese comics I've read., May 22, 2010

By 

Armando N. Roman (Hillsboro, OR) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: YuYu Hakusho, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

I first read Yu Yu Hakusho about 10 years ago when I was translating Japanese books and comics as a way of understanding the language better. This volume right here came out of nowhere, not just in how cool the story was, but because the damn thing made me cry twice. TWICE, in the same book! I recently found the version this page is for (volume 1 in English) when going through my closet, and sure enough, those two parts STILL get tears out of me. That's not to make it sound like Yu Yu Hakusho is a depressing or constantly emotional comic, but very rarely do comics get that much out of me. Aside from that, this is an excellent start to the series, and anyone who might've seen the animated series first will love the comics as well.

Yusuke is a ruffian, plain and simple. He skips school a lot, lives at home with his mom who isn't really there for him, and is always getting into fights. One day, he sees a kid chase his ball into the street as a car's coming right at him. For once, Yusuke does a noble thing and runs over and pushes the kid out of the way, dying as a result. He's suddenly seeing the situation from the sky now that he's a spirit in limbo, and he meets Botan, a kind of grim reaper, though she's actually pretty cheerful. This volume covers Yusuke looking down on other people about to die and doing good by helping with the situations, and later covers him dealing with the few people close to him. It's pretty cool, and off the top of my head, I can't think of any other series like this at the time it came out, and even today.

I'm not easily impressed or moved, but like I said earlier, when something moves me to tears, it's gotta be something really good. When Yusuke watches over a little boy who gets bullied by other kids that make fun of his dying dog, that was pretty bad right there, but how it all turns out wasn't sad, but done in a neat way that made me cry because of how sweet it was, and because I was happy. You'll just have to see it for yourself. The art style in these books is great too, and Yoshihiro Togashi does a good job of drawing facial expressions without going all goofy like a lot of other artists would do.

There's only so much I can say about a single volume of Yu Yu Hakusho without ruining everything, so just go ahead and give this volume a shot. These books are cheap, and are something you'll want to read again soon after. This is only the first volume, and it gets even better later on.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yu Yu Hakusho, March 2, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: YuYu Hakusho, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Yu Yu Hakusho was a very well-planned, well-drawn, and well-figured manga. It was my second manga I've read, and got me really interested in the artwork of Japan. Reading Yu Yu Hakusho caused me to become interested in other mangas, such as Rurouni Kenshin (READ IT), Naruto, and others...the author did very well with it. Read it! Honestly, I'm not joking. You'll like it. Yusuke, the main character, is a work of art and someone you can't help but laugh at...his misfortune and stupid bad luck make the book worth the while reading!