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Yu Yu
Hakusho Movie One
Poltergeist
Report
The Spirit
World...has vanished!
It's now up to Yusuke and his friends to figure out why...and to
put things back in their rightful places.
Plot
Here's the basic
premise of the Yu Yu Hakusho world, for those of you who are
strangers to the series. Basically, there are three realms....the
Human World, the Demon World (kind of a Hell), and the Spirit
World (a Heaven, of sorts). The Human and Spirit world are in
constant check with each other...meaning that when a human dies,
he goes to the Spirit World. Once, there was a wolrd that was in
check with the Demon World....the Nether World. Their
relationship was a lot like the Human and Spirit World's.
However, the ruler of the Nether World, Yakumo, attempted to
start a war with Lord Enma of the Spirit World. The Nether World
was destroyed and Yakumo was banished into space.
The movie starts with the Spirit World being flooded with water. Emperor Coenma, Lord Enma's son, summons a guide to the Spirit World named Botan before the Spirit World is completely submerged, and sends her to find Yusuke, an investigator of the Spirit World and the main character of the Yu Yu Hakusho series. Botan goes to Yusuke, but it injured. Then Yusuke and his friends, Kuwahara, Hiei, and Kurama, meet Hinageshi, who tells them all about Yakumo and the Nether World.
Soon, Yakumo's intentions become clear to them. In the Human World, there are five Elemental sites....sort of storage tanks for Spiritual Energy. If the heroes can unlock these, they can free the Spirit World...however, if Yakumo and his three demon gods unlock them and then acquire the Power Sphere, they can rebuild the Nether World...right on top of the Human World. It's a race between the two opposing forces....and the Human race, as well as the afterlife, hangs in the balance.
Characters
The characters in
this movie are great...unfortunately, you probably wouldn't be
able to get that from just watching the movie alone. Since its
based on a popular, long running series in Japan, you kind of
have to know where everyone's coming from to be able to
appreciate it. I'll do my best here. First, there's Yusuke, the
main character. He was once an ordinary kid, when he was struck
by a car and killed. In the Spirit World, he met Botan, who told
him he wasn't ready to die yet. To make up for this, Yusuke
became an investigator for the Spirit World and was sent back to
the Human World. Yusuke's signature move is the "Spirit
Gun." By making a finger gun with his hands, he can
manipulate spiritual energy and fire an immensely powerful blast
from his fingertips. Next is Kasuma Kuwahara. He's big, dumb,
ugly, vulgar, and loud, but he's got a good heart. He and Yusuke
have always been rivals, and he's in love with Hiei's sister,
Yukina. Kuwahara's signature move is the "Spirit
Sword," which is basically a sword he creates out of pure
spiritual energy. Then there's Kurama. 
Kurama was once a
fox demon in the Demon World. Once, when attempting to steal an
artifact from a fortress in the Demon world, his friend Kuronue
was killed and he was injured and forced to escape to the Human
World, where he was reborn as the current Kurama, a quiet,
artistic young man. Kurama's specialty is manipulating plants. He
can take a bamboo leave and turn it into a lethal sword just as
easily as he can take a rose pedal and morph it into a deadly,
lashing whip. Finally, there's Hiei. Hiei too was once a demon.
Hiei's ultimate goal was once to find his long lost sister,
Yukina. Once he found her, however, he didn't have the heart to
tell her he was her brother, and wrestles constantly with himself
over whether or not he should tell her. He had an operation done,
giving himself a third eye that can see for miles away. Hiei's
specialty is speed and agility. He's also a master swordsman and
can unleash an almost unholy attack known as the Black Dragon
Wave. This attack can demolish almost anything...the only problem
is that it exhausts and can even kill the user. There's also
HInageshi....God, I hate her. She's very very annoying. She's
basically just a guide to the Spirit World and knows a bunch of
stuff. Luckily, she's a movie-only character (I think...I hope).
And there's, of course, Yakumo and his three demon gods. Yakumo
himself a is one bad dude....just look at him (he's depicted
below). He's powerful and daunting, and he's apparently on one
hell of a power trip. Overall, he's a pretty good villain. His
three demon gods are Majari, who can copy his opponent's skills,
Reiko, who can draw wickedness from his opponents' heart and make
them evil, and another nameless demon who can read anyone's past.
There are other minor characters in the movie, but they aren't
really worth explaining here, since they don't have too terribly
much importance in the movie.
Sound
The sound in this movie is
wonderful. Not only is it great music, period, it fits the scenes
that they pair the music with perfectly. When there should be
silence, there's silence. When there should be music, they pick
the perfect piece to go with it. It's amazing and riveting and I,
frankly, love it. Definitely a high point.
Animation
The animation in this film is wondorous. The artists attempt some
really challenging scenes in here, and they work perfectly. Like
this one scene where Kurama is enveloped in a thick fog. The
camera pans in a 360 degree turn around Kurama as he himself
turns around, panning his surroundings, AND the
fog swirls in an OPPOSITE direction around him. It's simply
amazing to watch. And, Jesus, the whole last battle all
together....magnificent. However, there are some ugly blemishes
to the animation...but it mainly has to do with still drawings of
the characters. The artists seem to have gotten the moving scenes
down pat, but sometimes a character will look really deformed
when its just standing around.
Other Aspects
Well, for one, the Yu Yu Hakusho series sounds just great,
period. I would love to read the manga or see the series for
myself. Actually, I have been seriously considering ordering some
fansubs of the series. Also, the dubbing of the movie is
exceptionally good. I was pretty impressed, especially on a 
few certain parts.
But I guess that's what comes with experience...this movie is
produced by U.S. Manga Corps after all, and they've been in the
dubbing business for God knows how long.
Overall
Overall, this movie
was wonderful. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this film to
anyone. The only thing I have to say, however, is that you should
probably do a little research on the Yu Yu Hakusho topic
sometime, either before or after you watch it. It'll make the
movie a whole lot more enjoyable, and you'll probably appreciate
it a lot more. Unfortunately, I can't give it a perfect grade.
There are simply too many times when the still drawing
deformations caught my eye....and I CAN'T STAND HINAGESHI. If
you're looking for an all around good anime film to buy, or some
awesome animation sequences, or if you're a fan of the series, I
absolutely recommend checking Yu Yu Hakusho Movie 1: Poltergeist
Report out.
98%
Other media
from the movie...
Other
media from Yu Yu Hakusho Movie 1: Poltergeist Report coming
soon...