'Yu Yu Hakusho' to get a Netflix live-action adaptation
The classic anime series of Yu Yu Hakusho is the latest to join the Netflix live-action bandwagon. The streaming giant has been bullish on anime, and the smash-hit manga by Yoshihiro Togashi seems to have spurred Netflix's interest to experiment with anime live-action adaptation again. The only Netflix live-action adaptation that has received praises from anime lovers is the Bleach movie. Let's know more.
Netflix, in its announcement, gave gist of the anime
The streaming giant had tweeted this on December 16
The development was announced by Netflix on December 16 on Twitter that showed an image from the manga carrying a Jump Comics imprint, with an excerpt about the story. "When Yusuke dies saving another's life, he'll embark on a journey across the world of humans, spirits, and demons to return to the land of the living," read the post.
'Yu Yu Hakusho' is about a teenage troublemaker named Yusuke
Basically, it's a story about a teenage troublemaker, Yusuke, who gets into street fights almost inadvertently. He dies in an accident while trying to save a kid. The Death Lord then twisted his fate and gave him a chance to live again in an alternate world where magic and superpowers rule. Yusuke, now termed the underworld detective, gets the support of fellow magical beings.
Anime aired in Japan in 1990s, much later in US
The manga was serialized from December 1990 to July 1994. The anime originally aired in Japan from October 1992 to December 1994. The English dubbed version of the anime was later popularized in the US first and globally throughout, thanks to Cartoon Network and Toonami years later. This is surely a big responsibility for the streaming platform, which has delivered mixed results with adaptations.
Is 'Yu Yu Hakusho' in safe hands? Netflix's questionable anime-reputation
For example, Death Note, an extremely popular manga-turned-anime was given a drab American spin by Netflix, and the show nosedived. Let's pray that Netflix does justice to Yu Yu Hakusho. It's also working on a live-action adaptation of the Cowboy Bebop anime and has cast Geoff Stults, Tamara Tunie, Mason Alexander Park, Rachel House, Ann Truong, and Hoa Xuande as lead characters.
