Netflix is famous for its hit-and-miss live-action adaptations of anime. For example, it really pulled through with its One Piece adaptation despite the public’s qualms about it. The pacing of the show was well-done and it stayed true to the source material, leaving fans raving about it for days. On the other hand, it had a huge miss when it released Death Note’s live-action film — other than William Defoe’s Ryuk, there was nothing about that movie that was redeemable.
So, naturally, fans had their concerns when Netflix announced a live-action adaptation of Yu Yu Hakusho. Surprisingly though, the show ended up doing quite well in terms of reception. However, there were major expectations set by its source materials and Netflix arguably fell short in filling those big shoes. Here’s why Netflix’s adaptation of Yu Yu Hakusho missed the mark.
Some Characters Are Aged up
While aging characters up is not always bad, what Netflix did with Yusuke Urameshi may feel ‘rushed’ to some fans (like most of this show). In the anime, Yusuke is a 14-year-old high school kid with the mannerisms and decision-making abilities of a 14-year-old. In the live-action adaptation, however, Yusuke is 17 years old and is a way more mature and subdued version of his anime counterpart. That’s not to say that the actor who played Yusuke (Takumi Kitamura) did a bad job. In fact, his version of Yusuke translated quite well to the character’s new age.
Another example is King Enma Jr. more commonly known as Koenma (played by Keita Machida), the ruler of the Spirit World. In the anime, he’s depicted as a toddler with a pacifier until the Dark Tournament arc, where he reveals his adult form. In the show, however, Koenma is introduced in his adult form right from the start, completely removing his toddler character trait, which was crucial.
The Pacing is Rushed and Several Key Moments Are Removed
In a broader context, aging characters up did not significantly change the overall essence of the show. But the one thing that did change it was its insanely rushed pacing. Yu Yu Hakusho anime had 112 episodes, and Netflix had to condense half of them into a 4-hour timeframe. Which ultimately led to very important scenes being removed.
The Genkai Tournament arc, probably one of the most popular arcs from the anime, was completely skipped over. In the show, instead of choosing her successor through a tournament (like in the anime), Genkai (Meiko Kaji) simply handpicks Yusuke out as her student and agrees to train him without him having to prove himself to her. Similarly, The Beasts of Maze Castle Arc, in which the infamous Spirit Beasts appear, is completely overlooked with no signs of said Spirit Beasts showing up throughout the entirety of the show’s run.
Now, here’s where Netflix really messes up the pacing. Genkai Tournament and Maze Castle may be really popular arcs in the anime, sure, but the true fan-favorite was the Dark Tournament arc and Netflix skipped over most of it. It accounted for almost 30 episodes of the anime, yet the only thing that was remotely adapted in the live-action was a couple of one-on-one fights with essentially no backstory. The show makes no mention of the “Demon Tournament”, and Yusuke straight-up finishes off Toguro in their first encounter, giving the latter’s character absolutely no emotional depth.
There Is Barely Any Character Building
The rushed pacing of the show and the skipping over of most of the Dark tournament ultimately translates to very 2-dimensional characters with minimal development. Like most anime in the industry, Yu Yu Hakusho focused largely on creating really profound and ‘humanizing’ character stories for its characters. The show fell short in achieving this, resulting in fans having little to no emotional connection with their favorite characters.
For example, skipping over the Genkai Tournament Arc reduced Genkai to nothing but a side character with no background. Her death at the hands of Toguro (which in itself is another inconsistency in the timeline of the show) essentially had no consequences and seemed to happen just for the sake of it. Similarly, the most friendly bonding and teamwork among the main characters happened in the Maze Castle arc in the anime. Yet, it happened way too late in the show and unfolded during Yukino’s kidnapping (most of which was blended in with bits and pieces of the Dark Tournament).
The Costume Design Isn’t as Good
The color scheme and the basic outlining of the outfits in the Yu Yu Hakusho live action adaptation looked as true and authentic to the anime as possible. However, the costumes fell a bit flat, the wigs looked over the top, and the overall character look felt like something one would see out of a low-budget cosplay. With that being said though, the action sequences, CGI, and the cast’s performances in the show were nothing short of extraordinary. Despite how it turned out and ended, the cast and the production team did a good job but admittedly, it could have been better.