Netflix seems to be caught between two maxims regarding their live-action anime adaptations. On the one hand, they keep producing shows and movies based on classic animes that are universally panned by fans of the source material. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." On the other hand, Netflix also adheres to the classic adage, "if at first, you don't succeed, try and try again." I'm not sure which one will win in the end, but judging from the first posters the streaming giant released for its upcoming Yu Yu Hakusho live-action adaptation, the former quote might have it locked.
Netflix, via its official Twitter, has started to reveal the cast for their Yu Yu Hakusho show. Even though it's not nearly as popular as its contemporaries in Sailor Moon and Dragonball, Yu Yu Hakusho is still one of the most respected and legendary animes of all time. If Netflix drops the ball again, you can rest assured the internet will meme the show into oblivion.
Stepping into the lead role of Yusuke Urameshi will be Takumi Kitamura. In the manga, Yusuke dies while saving a kid from being hit by a car. Instead of just passing on, the act of heroism is enough for Botan, a ferry for the Spirit World, offers him to chance to return to his body and become a Spirit Detective to investigate demon activity in the human world. More importantly, he eventually gains the power to shoot a Spirit Gun from his pointer finger, something that never stops looking cool.
Kitamura is an actor/singer/model who's no stranger to live action anime adaptations, most recently having played Takemichi Hanagaki in the Tokyo Revengers movie. His previous credits include adaptations of manga such as Love & Lies, I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, and Suzuki Sensei. He's even lent his voice to anime such as Hello World and Seven Days War.
Unlike the recent Cowboy Bebop adaptation and the incoming One Piece series, Yu Yu Hakusho is being developed over at Netflix Japan. Netflix's anime to live action track record can be hit or miss, but with any luck, Yu Yu Hakusho will wind up going in the "win" column. If they're going to keep doing these, it wouldn't hurt for them to last longer than a single season.
