BODYMAKER x Yu Yu Hakusho

Just when you think you've seen all kind of Yu Yu Hakusho merch, the japanese sports brand BODYMAKER is releasing a balance ball. The blue ball is like a reproduction of Yusuke's spirit gun, and it comes with the "Yu Yu Hakusho" and "BODYMAKER" logos printed on it. I wonder if they'll also release the other characters with other colors.

Scheduled to arrive in early January, you can pre-order it on the official site. It is also available for international shipping.

■ Price: 1,980 yen

■ Size: About φ65cm ■ Color: Blue ■ Material: PVC

■ Withstand load: 120kg

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, a review

(Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit unprofessional blog post written by an unprofessional blog poster. All purported facts and statement are little more than the subjective, biased opinion of said blog poster. In other words, don’t take anything I say too seriously.) Just the facts 'Cause you're in a Hurry! Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP): 50 USD Digital Copy (MSRP): 17.99 USD for 12 episodes How much I paid: 83.98 USD for Physical copy and an Amazon Video digital copy. Animation Studio: J.C. Staff Licensed and Localized by: Funimation Entertainment Audio: Japanese Audio with Subtitles and English Dub available.   English Cast: Jerry Jewell as Saiki Kusuo, David Weld as Nendo, Chuck Huber as Kuniharu Kusuo, Tia Ballard as Teruhashi, Megan Shipman as Chisato Mera, Morgan Garrett as Kurumi Saiki, Micah Solusod as Shun Kaido Number of Episodes: 24 Episodes Length per Episode: 25 Minutes on average. 21 Without Intro and Ending song. Number of Discs: 4 Blu-ray Discs in total Episodes per Disc: Episodes 1-9 on the first Blu-ray disc with Episodes 10-12 on the second Blu-ray disc along with the special features. Episodes 13-21 on 3rd Blu-ray disc and Episodes 22-24 on 4th. Bundle also includes: Digital Copy that can be redeemed on Funimation Now. Also on: Netflix, Google Play, Amazon Video, Funimation Now, Funimation’s streaming service that requires a subscription. Bonus Features: Textless Openings, Textless Ending and Trailers for other Funimation Licensed Shows. Episode 1 Commentary. Episode 24 commentary. Notable Localization Changes: Because of the nature of the dub, the voice performers are considerably slower than their Japanese counterparts and may annoy viewers. The English script uses multiple puns and other wordplay to add humor. (i.e. when Saiki addresses his father dressed up in a Santa outfit, he replies “You’re a lost Claus”. When Saiki takes off his transparent gloves to psychically read an object, he goes “But now the gloves are off!”) In Episode 24, Chiyo’s dialogue changes to “You jerk-ass writers! You couldn’t come up with any clever ideas so you had to dig through a bin of tired tropes?” My Personal Biases: I never heard of Saiki K until I saw an advertisement in a My-Hime blu-ray and seeing him featured on the roster of J-Stars Victory Vs. My Verdict: Saiki K manages to spin multiple plates at once by delivering a memorable character, establishing his powers and giving the audience gut busting dialogue masterfully executed. If you can forgive J.C. staff’s lackluster animation, you’ll have a good time. Check it out when you get the chance! The Disastrous Life of Saiki K, a review 

During the summer of 2016, 2 shows about psychics premiered. One was the hit juggernaut, Mob Psycho 100, praised for its beautiful animation, interesting characters and take on psychic characters. The other show was J.C. Staff’s The Disastrous life of Saiki K, an anime adaptation of a gag manga found in Weekly Shounen Jump. Saiki Kusuo is a 16 year old psychic with all the powers known. He possess telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, psychokinesis and other traits not even mentioned. He’s seemingly the luckiest boy in the world… or it would seem. In reality, Saiki is, in his own words, the most miserable boy in the world. The show opts to answer of a character having an overpowered skill-set by giving said character new problems. Having telepathy means being spoiled on movies and video games. Having super strength and super intelligence means having to balance the skills just so he appears mediocre in school. Having telekenisis means having an unreliable father who constantly begs for help. The trick is that Saiki’s narration is always constant and we’re allowed to hear the other character’s internal thoughts, while Saiki himself provides commentary. It should also be noted that we never ‘see’ Saiki’s mouth move, implying he’s communicating via telepathy. (It also helps that Saiki’s powers come with a number of limitations. For example, he can restore something back to its original state but it takes a day to recharge). As Saiki explains his powers to us, we’re also allowed to hear the other characters and why they’re doing what they’re doing and how Saiki wants nothing to do with them… or does he?

Yes, the formula of ‘jerk suddenly wants to do the right thing’ is easy, but Saiki K makes it work. See, Saiki constantly doesn’t want to draw attention towards himself for fear of things such as experimentation and paparazzi, and the path of least resistance is usually the best and easiest for him. But, seeing each of the side character’s constant struggles and dedication moves him. At the same time, allowing us to be with Saiki also lets us see the hypocrisy of his own actions and how the seemingly all knowing psychic can’t see past his own weaknesses or nonsense. At one point, Saiki is set to swindle a salesman out of an expensive television, but Saiki’s weakness for coffee jelly damns the effort. Granted, I’m an easy target for the ‘jerk with a heart of gold’ trope and Saiki’s sarcasm is on the level of Justin Cook’s interpretation of Yusuke Urameshi, but it all looks easy. Each episode contains 5 segments detailing a certain obstacle in Saiki’s life (though certain segments such as a trip to Okinawa can last over multiple segments and episodes). We usually go into problem of the segment issues, but Saiki’s powers shows us how it affects him differently. It’s a Slice of Life for superpowered teens. Things like a noisy neighbor or a cute girl are usually pains in the ass for Saiki. The supporting cast also impressed me a great deal. For example, anyone that’s followed me online knows popular girls such as Sachiko from Maria watches over us or Chikane Himemiya from Kannazuki no Miko tend to annoy me, but Teruhashi isn’t just popular and pretty, but so dedicated to the part of keeping appearances, she’s willing to debase herself and eat disgusting ramen. At the same time, Saiki, because of his powers is so off-put by Teruhashi’s uncanny ability to get what she wants that he’s willing to alienate her, but he’s slowly won over by her commitment. It works. The rest of the cast also compliment Saiki in interesting ways. Nendo, despite being so dumb that not even Saiki can read his mind, has a genuine good heart and tries to help his single mother. Kaido, despite being a weakling and possessing no powers of his own, shows genuine courage in the face of danger. Hairo, despite being an overly excited jock who’s super competitive, is dedicated to the point of being an actual leader. Toritsuka, a spirit medium who can see ghosts but would rather see girls’ underwear, feels like a side character meant to become a lead in a spin-off. If the show has a weak spot, it’s definitely the animation. Don’t go into this show expecting the animation to be the same quality as Mob Psycho 100. Still shots, panning movements and lazy animation make it clear that animating the show was not a priority. I give this a pass because action is clearly not the emphasis of the show, humor is. And there’s just enough there in the editing, the music and the voice acting (both the original Japanese and the dubbed) to make it work. Funimation Entertainment did the localization of the show. For the most part, the English script stays as close to the original Japanese as much as possible. The English script uses multiple puns and other wordplay to add humor or change jokes that wouldn’t work in English. (i.e. when Saiki addresses his father dressed up in a Santa outfit, he replies “You’re a lost Claus”. When Saiki takes off his transparent gloves to psychically read an object, he goes “But now the gloves are off!”) Jerry Jewell as Saiki is noticeably slower in his delivery than the Japanese Seiyuu but Jewell’s use of deadpan as well as adding the appropriate amount of emotion at the right time more than makes up for it. (Fans may recognize Jewell from other Funimation roles such as Jimmy Kudo in Case Closed and Licht in Black Clover) Mainstays such as David Wald as Nindo, Kyle Phillips as Hairo, Megan Shipman as Mera and Chuck Huber as Kuniharu all add to the work. Tia Ballard (who plays Marron in Dragon Ball Super) is especially good in playing Teruhashi. THE ORIGINAL JAPANESE AUDIO WITH SUBTITLES IS AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WHO PREFER IT. CAVEAT: I don’t know if Saiki K is anything revolutionary in terms of comedy in the age of Nichijou, Lucky Star, and K-on! It’s a cheaply produced anime based off a gag manga. But, I’d be lying if I didn’t have a hell of a time watching it. It takes skill to balance exposition, character motivation and humor into 24 episodes, but Saiki K makes all look effortless. 50 USD for 24 episodes is steep, but I loved every moment of it. Plus, the bundle also includes a Funimation Digital copy that can be redeemed on Funimation Now, the company’s streaming service. Verdict: If you’re not sure, try checking it out for free on Crunchyroll or if you already have a Netflix subscription, check it out there. 

RECS: Check Out These 11 Shonen Series Now On Crunchyroll!

  You may have noticed recently that the Crunchyroll catalog, a collection that’s like the Library of Congress but for people with really passionate opinions about One Piece, has gotten a bit bigger with the addition of some awesome Funimation titles. Particularly when it comes to the Shonen genre. Now, these titles have been released in waves, so it might be a little hard to keep up with all the major series you need to check out, so here are a few of the important ones that should keep your blood pumping and your friendships strong. 

  First off, we have Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT. Without them, the entire shonen genre likely wouldn't look the same, and to this day, Goku’s constant quest to get stronger remains an exciting journey. Start from the beginning if you want to watch the aims of a franchise evolve, or just jump to Z to recapture the Toonami glory that had everyone in your middle school losing their minds back in 2000. Or, if you’re feeling daring, roll the dice on GT. It’s a fun time! 

    If you’ve had your fill of the Z Fighters and are looking for something a bit more emotionally complicated, check out my favorite anime Yu Yu Hakusho. Not only will you be introduced to anime's BEST OF ALL TIME boy Kuwabara, but you’ll be thrilled by Yusuke Urameshi’s struggle to balance his inner drive for violence with his humanity. Everyone who’s told you that the Dark Tournament is one of the best anime tournament arcs ever is a good friend. 

    If you liked Yu Yu Hakusho’s empathetic approach to warriors but want something more modern, we have MEGALOBOX 2: NOMAD. It provides a treatise on age and loss that might be a bit surprising for those expecting something more like the first season, but there’s a reason it was one of the most acclaimed shows of 2021. Another series that earned rave reviews from around the same time was SSSS.DYNAZENON, Studio Trigger’s follow-up to the fantastic SSSS.GRIDMAN. Once again a love letter to tokusatsu, there’s enough Robot vs Kaiju action to keep you satisfied with a helping of the intrigue that you’d expect based on the prior series. Get in on the GRIDMAN universe, before the movie comes out!

    Then we have Assassination Classroom, a series that contains all the action you’d expect from such an eye-catching title mixed with an array of science fiction reveals. If you want something a bit more down-to-earth but with characters still aiming to be the best, check out The Prince of Tennis. You get to watch arrogant prodigy Ryoma emotionally grow and re-learn exactly why he loves his chosen sport, which is pretty pleasant.

    Speaking of growing as a person, or as a blend between a demon and a person, there’s Kemono Jihen. It’s a fairly underrated series with some lovely bits of animation and a nice “found family” theme. If you like the paranormal, then why not Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation. Crunchyroll recently got Season 2, so if you devoured the first season, get ready for even more laying down of the most integral kind of law: Ghost law.

  Finally, there is The World Ends With You: The Animation. Based on the now cult classic Nintendo DS game, if you miss the feeling of having a copy in a 2007 GameStop and knowing you were about to buy a way better game than anyone else in the store, check out the adaptation. 

  So, what are you waiting for? Go watch upstart people try to be the greatest at, well, whatever they like doing. And if shonen anime is not your thing for some bizarre reason, check out 8 Of The Best Fantasy Anime Brought Over From Funimation. There’s also sports anime and just good anime in general. The point is, we have a lot of new and classic anime for you to check out and you’re wasting time getting to the end of this sentence instead of just clicking on that Yu Yu Hakusho link already.

      Daniel Dockery is a Senior Staff Writer for Crunchyroll. Follow him on Twitter!

  By: Daniel Dockery