Poltergeist Report: Yuyu Hakusho (1994)

Yusuke and the gang are back in a full-length movie. In Poltergeist Report, Yakumo, the King of The Netherworld has escaped his prison and has set his sights on earth once again. In his mission for conquest, he is searching for a mysterious orb called the Power Sphere which -spoiler - is the key to his power.  It is up to Yusuke and the gang to stop Yakumo and his minions from gaining control of the Power Sphere and wiping out humanity. The plot is standard fare for fans of Yuyu Hakusho. Demons show up to threaten the world, the Spirit Detectives have to stop them. With that said the movie plays out as you would expect from a typical episode of the show, only longer. If you've seen any arc of the series you know what to expect from the movie.

There is a greater focus on the plot and less attention given to the action scenes which is an unusual choice as the plot really isn't that deep. If Poltergeist Report were released on television one could quite easily wrap this together in two episodes. The villains are all flat characters who have little depth to speak of and only serve as a boss rush for the gang. So although the plot is the major focus, it isn't more interesting than the first arc of the series.

The quality of the animation is good for a title from 1994. While the characters do have canned running animation in certain scenes, they are animated quite smoothly when in dialogue and even during intense action sequences. Crumbling stones, running water, and swaying trees are all animated realistically and for the most part the anime looks very good even though it's showing its age.

The score isn't bad but apart from the classic Yuyu Hakusho battle theme the movie doesn't have any tracks that really stand out. It's not bad but none of it is exactly memorable.

While I enjoyed Poltergeist Report: Yuyu Hakusho it's hard for me to recommend it. There are episodes of the anime series that are much better than the movie and while it is entertaining to see how much stronger the characters have grown, the movie is hard to place within the series canon thus casting doubt if the events herein are of any actual consequence. If you're a big fan of Yuyu Hakusho then by all means check it out. If you were curious about the series and never had any exposure to it then this would be a good place to start. However, if you don't have any interest in the series at all then this movie isn't going to change your mind.

- Jetstream Rev