Funimation is the company well known for the dubbing of the Dragonball series, which was not as good as it was several years ago during the peak of its popularity. However, they soon got hold of another anime to put out on our television screens. Bad, right? Wrong.
YYH is the story of a street kid named Yusuke with unnatural and extreme fighting skills who becomes a Spirit Detective, a special official who battles demons who pose a threat to our Earth, after he surprises his boss for saving a child's life, something not expected because of his brash manner and horrible social life. From there, Yusuke is involved in many cases, ranging from returning artifacts to their rightful place to an Underworld fighting tournament, aided closely by his loyal friends and his girlfriend, who has a good hand on her as well.
The best thing about this series is that the only real edit is the voicing (as far as the uncut version goes). Everything else is the same: the names of the people, about 90% of the dialog, and more importantly the music. It's the closest thing to the original version I've seen in a long time, which is a very good call in my opinion to a well dubbed anime. And the voice actors are phenomenal. Everyone fits their roles perfectly and knows how to execute a joke, verbal and slapstick, so well that I found myself rewinding the recorded episodes I have just to see them again. Nicely done.
And the battles in the show themselves are very attention-grabbing and at times unpredictable. Yusuke may be winning a fight one minute and the next he can barely fight back because of his opponent's hidden technique they had all along. The fighters in this show can pull some unexpected tricks from up their sleeves and they are extremely intelligent and calculating in their each of their actions. They'll make you go "Wow. I never saw that one coming". Another good thing about the fighting is that long battles last no more than 5 or 6 episodes, unlike a 20 episode long battle in Dragonball Z. They get to the point quickly, with fireworks galore. These gripping moments never cease to let you go.
And the characters themselves are outstanding. Their personalities are so well brought out and so diverse. Yusuke's reckless and free-spirited, while Hiei (pronounced Hee-ay for those who don't know) is a dark loner who is only interested in number one most of the time. They are so developed and life-like you can't help but imagine someone close who resembles of few characters to the letter. And as perfect as this all sounds, it has one major downfall. Because of the similarities of the basic storyline to DBZ, people tend to look at it as just a DBZ rip-off and skip it. If the likeness is forgotten, it can become a well loved anime by most people who see it is a bad show.
In conclusion, YYH is a well done dub, as far as the uncut version goes. Wonderful voices, good humor, and battles that will have you hooked, all done without leaving out too much of the show's Japanese feel. Good job, Funimation, you've mastered the art of professional anime dubbing. Hey 4Kids, if you're reading this, maybe you'll learn something.
