John Doe
This is the 'real' Yu Yu Hakusho Movie: Poltergeist Report (in Japan it is called 'Yu Yu Hakusho: Meikai Shito Hen - Hono no Kizuna' which translates to 'Yu Yu Hakusho: Fight for the Netherworld' or 'Yu Yu Hakusho: Bonds of Fire') that was dubbed into English by Central Park Media before FUNimation got the license to the television series.Central Park Media originally released this on VHS in 1998 and FUNimation licensed the the television series in 2001 so I see how people thought that Central Park Media dubbed it after the television series but oh well.Anyway, for the story, a giant flood invades the River Styx and Koenma puts the Power Sphere into Botan's hands but Yakumo from the Netherworld wants it so It's up to Yusuke and his gang of friends to protect the Elemental sites and save the world from Yakumo.Many people hate the English dub for the film saying that Yusuke sounds too old and that the rest of the English dub voice actors are terrible but it grows on you as the film goes along. The animation is wonderful and was quite expensive.I give 'Yu Yu Hakusho: Fight for the Netherworld' a 9/10.
Wayori
Yu-Yu Hakusho is in my top five list of favorite anime shows, so naturally I got excited when I discovered Poltergeist Report. I was very disappointed when the characters started speaking, however. The dubbed cast for the movie is awful compared to the English cast for the show, which is awesome. I know the movie came to America long before the show (you really don't need to know jack about the show to have some understanding of what's going on in the movie), but I really wish that FUNimation would re-release it with the TRUE English cast. Another flaw with the movie is the same flaw the show has: the animation, well, let's just say it's not offensively horrible, like what one would expect from an episode of Scooby Doo, but it could be better. The story is typical of movies based on action anime (an hour-and-a-half-long episode), but it is still an entertaining plot, so no harm done there. Overall, Poltergeist Report is something worth watching, it just depends on how you tolerate partially-formulaic approaches to movies.
iwatcheverything
This was not a very bad movie. It kept me somewhat interested with the story line. The dialogue was okay but there was very little comedy relief in the film. It also was not as graphic violently as I had expected. The fight scenes in the film were great. Although it may seem that I am downing this movie I am not. I own the film and recommend it to any anime movie lover. If you do not know what anime is then do not try to watch this film before learning.
SSJAniFan
Yu Yu Hakusho is quite possibly the best anime series ever. With action, comedy, drama, and... more action, a diverse cast of characters, and Kurama, quite possibly the coolest anime character in existence, you have one obvious hit.SPOILERS IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPHThe 2nd movie features one good plot. In it, Spirit World, or Rei Ki, is mysteriously destroyed by an oncoming flood. Back on Earth, or Nigenkai, Yusuke discovers the only person to escape the flood-- an extremely injured Botan. Before falling into a coma, she tells him to go and find the guide to Rei Ki, Hinageshi. With Kuwabara's help, Yusuke is able to locate her, but she's being attacked by demons! The two easily defeat the monsters and save Hinageshi, who then is able to tell them how to restore Rei Ki. Soon, the YYH heroes(Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei) are off to unseal five elemental sites and use their power to bring back Rei Ki....... but something goes horribly wrong. Each of them is ambushed by the movie's villain, Yakumo, and his goons, who then DESTROY the elemental sites as part of the plan to restore their own world, the Netherworld. But Yakumo's plan is not complete without one object.. something called the power sphere. And it ties in with Botan's current condition.END SPOILERS.Of course, the movie has each of the YYH heroes having their own dramatic 1-on-1 fight with each of the villains in the film. One nice thing is it also ties in a bit with Kurama's past, showing a bit more of his past life before the series begins. I won't spoil it, but it's pretty neat. Also, the animation and music of the film are superb. They take everything from the TV show and amplify it. It really does feel like a big budget version of the TV series.Now for the bad...... the horrible English dubbed voices. Handled by Central Park Media and U.S. Manga Corps., the people behind this decided to use the worst voices from the English versions of Poke'mon and Slayers to do the voices in this. It is BAD! Yusuke sounds like some comic book super hero, Hiei ridiculous, and Kuwabara is so awful I shut the mute button anytime he starts speaking. In fact, the dubbing company even renamed Kuwabara! Avoid this horrible translation! The DVD has Japanese and English... don't play the English one!On an end note, the film ends with an excellent piece, titled "Never Say Goodbye."(I think that's the song's title, at least.) Luckily, no horrible English version of the song has been made, unlike FUNimation's constant trend of dubbing the TV show theme songs.BOTTOM LINE: An excellent tie-in for those who want to see more YYH.