Yu Yu Hakusho
Director
Nobuyuki Abe
Production
Fuji TV, Studio Pierrot
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
112 episodes
Year
1992
Yu Yu Hakusho Volume 4: The Gate Of Betrayal
By otaku_kei
12th Feb 06  Yusuke's new life is still fraught with danger! Having left the last volume with Yusuke facing off against the notorious demon Rando! This killer has so far defeated over 100 other spirit users - times are looking rather bleak for the world's newest Spirit Detective! But his problems are not going to stop there as Yusuke still needs to prove himself worthy to be apprenticed to Genkai, and then still have to face off against the latest challenge to the Spirit World when some of the greater demons from hell launch an invasion on Earth! But Yusuke is not alone in his struggle - in the finest tradition of fighting anime shows our hero has his wide supporting cast of Kuwabara, Hiei, Kurama, Botan and many others! The Gates of Betrayal is the next instalment in the epic journey that Yusuke must make in the Spirit World! Starting off this disc is the conclusion to the last volume's main plot - Rando has finally been revealed as the merciless killer that had already murdered over 100 other spirit warriors and absorbed their techniques before coming to Genkai's tournament! Yusuke has already battled Rando with all his might and succeeded in forcing Rando to reveal his true form! But with Yusuke now exhausted by his trials and Rando seemingly not slowed at all, it looks like Yusuke's time as the Spirit Detective is going to be over rather quickly. But as with all long-running fighting anime shows no matter how exhausted and battered the hero is, the dauntless courage and steely resolve that he possesses in the face of oblivion will allow the hero to overcome the threat! As with all of these shows it seems impossible for the hero to just have the upper hand and be able to defeat the villain, we need to get the improbable turn around in the fight so that it all works out for the best. I call this the Rocky syndrome! Yes, it may be contrived, but it is also exhilarating to watch Yusuke come back from near defeat and overcome the evil that he faces! The following episodes kick off a new story arc for Yusuke as demons from the Spirit City start to invade the human world! With the invasion corridor widening and the whole world under threat Yusuke must band together with Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama to bring an end to the danger! Of course with a shonen series like Yu YU Hakusho this will be just the first battle in a series of encounters that will eventually lead Yusuke and his friends to the source of the invasion! This should take a few episodes at least. My ambivalence to shows such as the Dragonball franchise, with their interminably drawn out fights does not yet seem to have effected my enjoyment of this show. Perhaps it is just at this early stage of the show their is still some creative drive to resolve the fights relatively quickly, or just the fact that the characters in Yu Yu Hakusho are easier to relate with. But whatever the reason I find that even when a battle is being drawn out across several episodes I actually care about the outcome of the fight. And as I said it looks like this demon plot could be around for a while, so just what are Yusuke and his allies going to have to sacrifice to survive? This show continues to grip the audience with its tales of plucky young teenagers overcoming the insurmountable odds ranged against them. Having finally resolved the issue with Rando and moving on to this invasion threat it looks like we are going to get some explosive action in the next volume. Of course though I am sure that the battles will also increase in length as this show goes on. At this point though the balance between characters, plot and fights is just about perfect! Just got to hope that this formula will hold for the rest of this show!
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English Language 2.0; Japanese Language 2.0; English Language Subtitles; Textless Opening & Closing; Character Profiles; Name Translations
Release information: OUT NOW
Notes: Yet another example of the quality that has become the standard for MVM released series. Even with the age of this show the best has been done with the a/v quality. Quite simply this is another great release from MVM.
-- otaku_kei 12th Feb 06
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