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YU YU HAKUSHO - GHOST FILES: TEAM OF FOUR (TWO-DISC SPECIAL EDITION) |
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Wednesday, 21 March 2007 |
 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 4:3 FULL FRAME | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH DD 5.1 & 2.0 AND JAPANESE DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 300 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | TV PG | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 03/20/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 03/22/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD | | |
SYNOPSIS:
It’s been nearly a year since Yusuke lost his life, and every day brings a surprise in his new role as Spirit Detective. The latest shock arrives when the identity of a mysterious Masked Fighter is revealed at the Dark Tournament! Hiei faces off against an opponent made of the stuff of nightmares. Then, after fifteen years in his borrowed human form, the demon Yoko Kurama has returned. What could this mean for Team Urameshi? Plus, Kuwabara is cast through a dimensional portal. What will he find on the other side? After a surprise entrance into the Tournament, a weakened Genkai must rely on her wits to survive. As she faces her former ally, Toguro, their history is finally revealed! Genkai is at the mercy of her former friend, and it might not end well for the old warrior. Team Toguro might be the most lethal crew to ever get in the ring!
The Tournament Finals are set to begin. With each team short a member, two competitors step up to even the odds. Who are the two new fighters and what could they possibly bring to the team? The Finals will surely prove to be the most ruthless battles the dimensions have ever seen. Team Urameshi has to pull together… or perish!
Contains episodes 43 to 56 on two discs.
REVIEW:
The re-release of this cult classic shonen series sees FUNimation offering an impressive 14 uncut episodes on only 2 discs. These latest episodes span the last battles of the semi-finals and build to the first round of the finals in the Dark Tournament. It won’t come without a cost dire and dear to our band of heroes however.
The popular anime is based on the equally favored manga series by the same name. Created by Yoshihiro Togashi, this talented mangaka also created such popular titles as Level E and Hunter x Hunter. Yu Yu Hakusho is a supernatural adventure with a group of heroes banding together to use their spectral powers for good against the evil forces from the underworld and other realms sent to create havoc on the Earth and other realms. It is a series filled with adventure, otherworldly creatures and martial art battles using supernatural abilities.
The semi-finals are a showdown with Genkai meeting her final fate and Team Toguro earning its place in the finals against the courageous Team Urameshi. Genkai didn’t leave without a parting gift to her student Yusuke however, and as he prepares along with his friends for the finals, he must struggle against his grief and trying to master his new level of abilities.
Although there are pivotal moments with Genkai’s death, Yusuke’s new abilities and a multi-episode arc involving Hiei’s semi-final bout with his opponent, the bulk of these episodes focus on Kurama as his demon fox self is awakened –Yoko. There is the revealing battle early on and then the episodes on this disc end with Kurama being the first to fight in the finals of the Dark Tournament. He fights against the vampiric and handsome Karasu and it will be a punishing match with a surprising amount of blood spilled. Once Yoko awakens, will Kurama be able to control his demon self?
It is an engaging set of dramatic fights with emotions running high and lives on the line. The anime is an earlier series and does show the hallmarks of that decade with vital colors and some mild strobe effects. At a time when Dragon Ball Z was the ruling shonen anime on the air, Yu Yu Hakusho was arguably its main rival during that period. There are great action sequences during the matches and Kurama’s transformations are exciting to watch. The anime is also quite a bit bloodier and more violent in these uncut episodes, giving the anime added edge.
Curiously there is large difference between the English translated subtitle stream and the English dubbed language track. They say very different things, but overall the emotional gist is the same. In this uncut version, the shonen ai subtext of the series (yaoi subtext) involving Kurama is left intact. In this latest set of episodes, Karasu makes it clear that he desires Kurama and will have him by killing him in the tournament. His psychosis aside, the subtly evolving relationship between Kurama and Hiei is a favorite of many fans. Seeing them both showcased in this stunning set of episodes will not doubt delight Kurama and Hiei fans across the board.
EXTRAS:
Bonus features include clean opening and closing animation, FUNimation trailers, and character profiles.
IN SUMMARY:
Yu Yu Hakusho, a supernatural action adventure series, is an anime cult classic. The latest volumes see a main character die and the other heroes lay their lives on the line to defeat their enemies in the upcoming finals of the Dark Tournament. |
