If you don’t know me very well then you might be surprised to learn that I’m an avid anime buff.  And with anime gaining popularity in the U.S. (with people who wouldn’t normally watch it) I’ve compiled a list of the Top 10 Must-See Anime Series for those of you looking to pop your anime cherry.  Now while there are alot more (and better) ones out there, I decided to stick with the more popular and completed ones that you can actually buy in this country without having to look that hard.

6. Yu Yu Hakusho

 

 

What Wikipedia Says:

Yusuke Urameshi is a street-brawling delinquent with a tough guy approach to everything. Yusuke’s mother Atsuko, an alcoholic, had him at the age of 15 and took a backseat in raising her son. He has a reserved seat in the guidance counselor’s office, and numerous other delinquents in the city are trying to take him on. Yusuke is pretty fed up with life.

However, no one expects a sudden act of heroism on his part: he dies trying to save a little boy from a speeding car. In fact, when he arrives in the afterlife, he is informed that the child would’ve miraculously survived, had it not been for him the child would have one less scratch on his right shoulder. Yusuke’s premature death was unexpected and unnecessary, and the afterlife was not prepared for his arrival.

After numerous tests to gauge his worth, Yusuke is eventually revived, and is assigned to work for the Spirit World as a detective investigating demon cases in the human world. He comes into spiritual abilities of his own, and enlists the help of numerous friends from Reikai (spirit world), Makai (demon world, translated in the English manga as the Demon Plane) and Ningenkai (human world) to aid him in his cases as they fight off demons and humans seeking to rule over all three worlds.

 

Why it made the list:

Yu Yu Hakusho is a witty fighting anime series with the usual band of characters.  What sets it apart from other in its genere and got it on this list is its characters and how they grow and learn throughout the series.  Just when you think you have Yusuke (the main character) figured out, he does or says something that completely redefines his character.  Yu Yu Hakusho is just a great anime to watch and the fact that its a fighting anime that stays a fighting anime is another huge feat.  Thats not to say this its just mindless violence, on the contrary, the main fights are smart, well thought out, and fit perfectly in the overall story.  Yu Yu Hakusho blends comedy, action, and wit into an adventure with characters you actually care about.

OCBENJI One Line Review:

“Fifteen year old, foul-mouth, violent spirit detective for hire, have spirit gun, will travel. “