Search - Yu Yu Hakusho: Season Two Set on DVD

Fight or die

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 07/15/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Yu Yu Hakusho's" first season ended with Yusuke and his buddies coming to the Dark Tournament, determined to fight their way to the finals, and defeat Toguro's team.

So it's pretty clear what the second season consists of -- a string of one-on-one fights, with Yusuke and his buddies fighting a series of increasingly dangerous enemies. There's not a great deal of central plot beyond this, but the evolving powers of Team Urameshi -- as well as some cloak-and-dagger machinations -- keep things interesting.

After Kuwabara barely survives his opening bout with the creepy child Rinku, his teammates square off against other members of Team Rokuyukai -- Kurama is blackmailed during his bout and must use his wits to survive, Yusuke dukes it out with a drunken warrior, and Hiei unleashes a devastating fire attack called Dragon of the Darkness Flame.

But things take a nasty turn when they fight Team Ichigaki, a group of human martial artists being controlled by a malignant scientist. The kindhearted Kuwabara can't bring himself to hurt three innocents even if they are out to kill him -- and the mysterious Masked Fighter may be their only hope. But Team Urameshi aren't done yet -- first they must fight a lethal gang of ninja demons, then a bunch of "fairy tale" figures with lethal talents. But one of those talents causes an unexpected change in Kurama.

Meanwhile, the Masked Fighter reveals her true identity, and puts Yusuke through his final test, which will give him enough power to go head-to-head with Toguro... if it doesn't kill him first. But then Toguro commits a shocking murder, and Yusuke becomes determined to fight and kill him -- now out of revenge, rather than fear. But does Team Urameshi really have a chance to defeat Team Toguro?

The first season of "Yu Yu Hakusho" basically consisted of a string of smaller adventure arcs, with Yusuke working to vanquish the villain of the week. But the second series takes a very different format -- instead we get a series of one-on-one fights. It sounds a bit monotonous, but the various superpowers -- and some interesting side subplots -- keep it from being so.

The fights themselves are pretty colorful -- killer plants, ice, blood, magic capes, fire dragons, tiny tornados, killer robots, and a box that deages its victim. So needless to say, the battles are fairly interesting and there's really no way of telling how some of them will turn out. The whole subplot about Dr. Ichigaki and his helpless guinea pigs is pretty wrenching, although the ending is a bit limp.

But equally interesting are the stories outside the ring -- Toguro and his equally villainous partner Sakyo are doing some behind-the-scenes scheming, and cause a little bloodbath of their own. It adds a bit of spice to Team Urameshi's forthcoming battles with Team Toguro, because a lot more than their lives are now riding on their victory.

Yusuke has a lot of growth in this particular season -- not only is he a top-notch fighter, but he also struggles to absorb a new source of power from an old friend. And he gets his Spirit Beast, which turns out to be... a blue penguin with spaniel ears. But when someone close to him dies, Yusuke's rage and anger are pretty palpable.

His friends also have some power-ups -- Hiei trains himself to exhaustion, so he can master his new technique. And though he usually uses wits and plants alone, Kurama briefly turns back into a cold-blooded, silver-haired demon fox. Kuwabara is the only one who doesn't change much, but he serves as the kind heart of the team -- and some comic relief, such as when he sees his beloved Yukina watching his fight.

The second season of "Yu Yu Hakusho" is basically an escalating string of supernatural fights, but it's colorful enough to not be monotonous -- and the grand finale promises to be even more so."

So AWESOME!

Amy Liz | 02/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The perfect ending for a great and classic show! As always, there's no limit to the fighting and funny comments and expressions of each character. Yu Yu Hakusho remains one of the best anime EVER! Totally worth the money and I recommend it to any true anime fan."

A Little Disappointment

Keo Hall | Sioux Falls, SD USA | 09/04/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I love this series, and was bummed like any other fan to see it canceled. So I bought the box sets to enjoy. I got to this particular one and found out that the third disc was completely defective.

Video files were missing altogether.

I went through the process of returning and exchanging this item four times before I gave up.

Hopefully this issue has been resolved, but it definitely still exists as a problem a buyer could encounter."

A sad ending

Dr. Lillian Wallace | Santa Monica CA | 01/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was sad to hear that they were canceling one of the greatest anime tv shows ever in my opinion. It's well worth it to buy this box set and hopefully Yu Yu Hakusho will be continued one day.

*Ending* Okay guys."