Summary
While streaming may have become the dominant way most of us consume our entertainment (orcontentas some say), that doesn’t mean that physical media doesn’t have a place in most peoples homes. From fancy packaging, to higher quality sound, to simply having something on the shelf to show off to friends, physical media is still an attractive (if not more expensive) alternative to having a login name and password. That said, the demand for the products to be of high quality has risen since the buyers have become more niche. In the case ofCrunchyroll, they have largely been doing great work on their physical media releases, but one release would disappoint fans with a major omission for one of their major anniversary releases.
What is Yu Yu Hakusho?
Yu Yu Hakushois a Japanese manga serieswritten and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. It was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from December 1990 to July 1994, with the chapters collected into 19 tankōbon volumes. The series was later adapted into a 112-episode anime television series produced by Studio Pierrot and aired on Fuji TV from October 1992 to January 1995 (which is the subject of this article).
The story follows Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is hit by a car and killed while attempting to save a child. After his death, Yusuke is given the chance to return to life as a “Spirit Detective,” tasked with investigating supernatural occurrences in the human world. Throughout the series, he is joined by his friends Kazuma Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei as they battle demons and other supernatural threats.
How Popular is the Series?
Yu Yu Hakushois a highly popularand influential series in the world of manga and anime. It won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga in 1993. Furthermore, the manga has sold over 50 million copies in Japan alone (more if you throw in other countries). Ever since premiering on Cartoon Networks Adult Swim block the anime series has been very popular in America, with DVD’s of the series never going out of print due to the consistent demand. It is this success that Crunchyroll decided to celebrate the 30th anniversary with an elaborate BluRay box set.
The 30th Anniversary BluRay Set
In 2022, Crunchyroll announced that a new BluRay box set of the series would be released in 2023. Known asYu Yu Hakusho - 30th Anniversary Box Set, the release was advertised as a celebration of thefranchise as a whole, and would contain the complete anime series and OVA’s along with a slew of special features. To be released in a new box set to commemorate the franchise’s 30th anniversary, for those who had missed out on buying previous releases, this would likely be the best way to experience the anime. That being said, there was one major omission that ensured the set wasn’t as complete as Crunchyroll led fans on to believe.
Minor OVAs Missing
It should be noted that there were several OVA’s thatnever made their way over to Americain the first place. These OVA’s included a special that was made for animation film festivals as well as several short bits of original animated shorts (most with a running time of six to eight minutes) that were made for VHS tapes promoting new episodes of the anime. Due to the promotional nature of these animations, no attempt to bring them over was made, and most fans never expected them to be part of this BluRay set. There was one piece of animation thatwasexpected to make it onto the set though.
The Movie You Won’t Find in this “Complete” Set
Yu Yu Hakusho the Movie: Poltergeist Report(known in Japan asYū Yū Hakusho: Meikai Shitō Hen - Honō no Kizuna) is a feature-length movie in theYu Yu Hakushofranchise. The film is roughly 95 minutes long and features crisper animation due to a higher budget than the TV series had. Thefilm is non-canonicaland isn’t required viewing for viewers of the series. However, it does give fans of the show a theatrical quality experience that is not found in the regular TV series. This is why - despite not beingrequired viewing- many fans would expect the film to be part of the anniversary set. The thing is, the movie finds itself in a weird legal situation that prevented Crunchyroll from including the film on the set.
While Funimation may have been the company that brought the TV series over to America and has held the license since (which was transfered over to Crunchyroll when theymerged with the company), however, several years before that a company called Central Park Media made an attempt to bring the franchise to America. It is this company that would acquire the rights toYu Yu Hakusho the Movie: Poltergeist Report, and they would dub the movie with a cast different from the TV series and release it on DVD. While fans ofYu Yu Hakushowere likely to appreciate the film, since the show was unknown to Americans when CPM (as they were known in the industry) released the movie viewers who purchased the disc were watching the movie out of context.
As a result, sales were poor and reviews were terrible. CPM never attempted to bring more over, and no one would be able to appreciate the film until Funimation released the show. That being said, CPM picking upYu Yu Hakusho the Movie: Poltergeist Reportmeant that licensing it in the future was going to be tricky. While the company filed for bankruptcy in 2009, they still maintain some of their licenses. It is assumed thatYu Yu Hakusho the Movie: Poltergeist Reportis one of those movies. Whatever the availability status of the film is though, it apparently was either unavailable or too costly to rescue, which is why the 30th anniversary BluRay isn’t as “complete” as fans hoped it would be.
Yu Yu Hakusho
An anime classic, Yuu Yuu Hakusho is presented here in its 30th anniversary box set collection, which is chock full of extra features. The classic supernatural action follows Yusuke Urameshi, a teenager who unexpectedly dies while saving a child. He is given a second chance at life as a “Spirit Detective” and embarks on missions to protect the living world from supernatural threats.
