Yu Yu Hakusho #1-12

Yu Yu Hakusho #1-12

Originally released in 1990

Written by Yoshihiro Togashi

Art by Yoshihiro Togashi

Yu Yu Hakusho is something of a classic of the shonen manga genre, but outside of the Dark Tournament arc (which was being covered by the English version of the magazine when I was subscribed to it, back when there was a physical English Shonen Jump magazine) and the arc leading up to it, it's not a series that I was overly familiar with.  To my surprise, the early chapters were surprisingly heartwarming, with a focus on death, loss, and grief.

That's not to say that these chapters are gloomy all the way through - while the series hasn't reached Dragon Ball-style action just yet, Yusuke is still aggressive and quick to throw a punch, along with being someone who doesn't really take things seriously. (he takes pride in the fact that he got a better score on a science test than his rival Kuwabara - Kuwabara got a 7%, while Yusuke got a whopping 12%!)  However, some chapters tugged at my heartstrings, dealing with topics like an old dog passing away or an old man with only days to live mourning the death of his grandson.

The premise of the series is that Yusuke Urameshi, a 14 year old delinquent (the type who smokes, disrespects authority, gets in fights on a regular basis, steals, etc.), is dead in a pointless sacrifice - he threw himself in front of a moving vehicle to save a little kid, who would have lived anyway.  This act gives him a second chance at life (with his body being upgraded to comatose so he doesn't return to life buried underground or cremated), though he needs to help people as much as he can to earn the right to return to his body.  Helping him along the way is Botan, a guide to the afterlife who keeps him informed about what's going on. (I'd say she's like the Grim Reaper, except she's a peppy young girl, so she's neither grim or a reaper)

Along the way, Yusuke's adventures become entangled with the lives of Kazuma Kuwabara, his aforementioned rival, and Keiko Yukimura, his childhood friend.  Yusuke and Keiko clearly have feelings for each other, but neither one seems capable of admitting it, and Yusuke's flippant and perverted attitude definitely doesn't help.  Still, they share some tender moments in these chapters; all in all, it's got a surprising amount of heart compared to what I've seen from Togashi.

It's interesting to see what this series started out as, before making the transition to super-powered fisticuffs.  It was different from what I expected, but it was nice, heartwarming at times and heart-rending at others.  It had more of a slice-of-life feel than something like Dragon Ball (ironic, given the subject matter of the series), though that's likely because this is the introductory arc; once Yusuke returns to his body, I'm guessing the series will start to shift focus towards longer storylines rather than plots that are resolved in one chapter, or two chapters at the most.