Posted in: Netflix, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: netflix, preview, Yoshihiro Togashi, yu yu hakusho

Yu Yu Hakusho: Takumi Kitamura Joins Netflix Series as Yusuke Urameshi

Published Sat, 16 Jul 2022 14:33:12 -0500

If you're wondering why "Cowboy Bebop" is trending this weekend, it has to do with fans of Yoshihiro Togashi's legendary Japanese manga Yu Yu Hakusho wondering if Netflix's December 2023-debuting live-action series adaptation will prove a success or end up a one-and-done like the John Cho-starrer. That's because the streaming service released new key art to announce that casting news will roll out over the next several days. And with that, we learned that Takumi Kitamura (Let Me Eat Your Pancreas, Tokyo Revengers) is set for the lead role of Yusuke, a teen who dies and becomes an "underworld detective" to investigate cases involving demons. Directed by Sho Tsukikawa with a screenplay by Tatsuro Mishima, the Netflix and ROBOT production is executive produced by Netflix's Kaata Sakamoto (Netflix) and produced by Akira Morii (ROBOT).

Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump (published by Shueisha as Jump Comics) beginning in 1990, selling over 50 million copies in Japan alone, the manga revolves around Yusuke Urameshi (Kitamura), a junior high school student who spends his days getting into fights and dies in an accident while trying to protect a young child. As he grapples with the fact that he is looking down on his dead body, a woman named Botan, who calls herself a guide to the spirit world, relays to him the shocking truth: no one expected a delinquent like Yusuke to die performing an act of goodness, and there was no place for him in either heaven or hell. Thus, Yusuke is given a chance to be revived, and after passing his trial, he becomes an Underworld Detective. From there, Yusuke becomes entwined in a mystery enveloping the human, demon & spirit worlds. "When I first heard about Yu Yu Hakusho receiving a live-action adaptation, I honestly wondered if it would even be possible – but after being presented with the producer's vision and possibilities with Netflix, my expectations grew, and I found myself burning with passion to make this project come to life", Tsukikawa shared.

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