When discussing series that change over time, it's fairly common to hear about series that improve significantly in spite of a weak start, or series that have a promising beginning, but gradually degrade in quality. Yu Yu Hakusho is an odd mix of both, as it takes a while for it to hit its stride- and it does so successfully- but it stumbles before reaching the finish line.
The plot involves a delinquent with a good heart named Yusuke Urameshi being killed in a car accident but being brought back to be a Spirit Detective and deal with underworld-related crimes. The "Detective" part is significantly more present in the early series, in which the focus is less on the fighting and more on Yusuke solving crimes and helping people as a ghost. Thankfully, the anime cuts this down and only animates the chapters that are actually important.
The fighting-based part of the series is the most enjoyable. The protagonists' powers are relatively simple but effective, and they tend to match nicely with those of their opponnts, making for entertaining battles. Many of the villains, especially the secondary ones from earlier on, don't have much in the way of personality or Character Development, but some of them prove quite interesting and memorable in spite of that. The plot is well done enough to provide real stakes and inspire viewers to hope that the heroes prevail.
Unfortunately, the series ends on a fairly weak note, introducing some interesting characters and concepts in the final arc but failing to develop them sufficiently, as well as a somewhat contrived ending to the penultimate arc. Again, the anime does help with this somewhat by showing the final battle and cutting down some of the later chapters (which, admittedly, do have their moments), but the ending's still lackluster.
All in all, Yu Yu Hakusho is worth your time as long as you're willing to give it a few episodes to truly get going, and don't mind or are willing to skip the disappointing ending.
Well done, but with a weak start and finish
When discussing series that change over time, it's fairly common to hear about series that improve significantly in spite of a weak start, or series that have a promising beginning, but gradually degrade in quality. Yu Yu Hakusho is an odd mix of both, as it takes a while for it to hit its stride- and it does so successfully- but it stumbles before reaching the finish line.
The plot involves a delinquent with a good heart named Yusuke Urameshi being killed in a car accident but being brought back to be a Spirit Detective and deal with underworld-related crimes. The "Detective" part is significantly more present in the early series, in which the focus is less on the fighting and more on Yusuke solving crimes and helping people as a ghost. Thankfully, the anime cuts this down and only animates the chapters that are actually important.
The fighting-based part of the series is the most enjoyable. The protagonists' powers are relatively simple but effective, and they tend to match nicely with those of their opponnts, making for entertaining battles. Many of the villains, especially the secondary ones from earlier on, don't have much in the way of personality or Character Development, but some of them prove quite interesting and memorable in spite of that. The plot is well done enough to provide real stakes and inspire viewers to hope that the heroes prevail.
Unfortunately, the series ends on a fairly weak note, introducing some interesting characters and concepts in the final arc but failing to develop them sufficiently, as well as a somewhat contrived ending to the penultimate arc. Again, the anime does help with this somewhat by showing the final battle and cutting down some of the later chapters (which, admittedly, do have their moments), but the ending's still lackluster.
All in all, Yu Yu Hakusho is worth your time as long as you're willing to give it a few episodes to truly get going, and don't mind or are willing to skip the disappointing ending.