Prior to this year, you couldn’t hear enough from the critics who didn’t enjoy Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop, and so it’s been a hell of a run with the streamer’s latest redemption in the eyes of anime and manga fans with its successful live-action adaptation of One Piece. Alas, the latest trials are yet to commence with director Sho Tsukikawa’s treatment of Yoshihiro Togashi’s longstanding manga classic, Yu Yu Hakusho, with a premiere date set for December 14.
Takumi Kitamura of Tokyo Revengers trilogy fame stars in the lead role from a script by Tatsuro Mishima, based on the 1990 hit manga, as delinquent teenager Yusuke Urameshi, whose latest afterlife experience finds him employed as a newly appointed “spirit detective,” with powers he must learn to wield in order to protect his loved ones. The series also stars Jun Shison as Kurama, Kanata Hongo as Hiei, and Shuhei Uesugi as Yusuke’s school rival, Kazuma Kawabura.
More on the show’s production:
Utilizing a unique global one-team production strategy that spanned both Japan and the United States—the same approach to adapt the acclaimed “ONE PIECE” manga—Netflix took the same level of commitment to quality and authenticity in the live-action ONE PIECE to the production of Yu Yu Hakusho.
An international dream team was also assembled to bring the epic tale to the screen, tapping into the most advanced CG and VFX technologies from around the world. Known as “the most innovative VFX studio in the world” and lauded for their work on major Hollywood productions, Scanline VFX was instrumental in giving life to all the characters, both human and yokai (spirits), while delivering realistic battle action sequences.
Taking five years to complete the production of Yu Yu Hakusho, the team painstakingly ensured that the subtleties of every character’s emotions were accurately depicted in the adaptation. The fusion of state-of-the-art technology and a passion for staying true to the source material promises to make this adaptation a standout in the world of live-action anime.
I guess this is the part where we stay tuned for an official teaser with actual series footage. Excite!
