Netflix Confirms Controversial Live-Action Anime Adaptation Will Return

Netflix’s One Piece is set to see the Straw Hat Pirates land in the live-action Alabasta for the adaptation’s third season. While the streaming service is also bringing back Aang and his fellow benders in the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, many thought that these were the heaviest hitters in the live-action anime department. In a shocking twist, it has been confirmed that the platform is returning to an unexpected live-action world, as not only will they make a second season of Yu Yu Hakusho, but Netflix is planning to kick off filming on the project sooner than one might think.

In a new report, the streaming service spilled the beans that a second season for the live-action Yu Yu Hakusho isn’t just confirmed, but it will begin filming this October. While we still don’t have a release date for the live-action anime adaptation’s return, the reveal teased what fans can expect. In the source material from creator Yoshihiro Togashi, the next arc following the Dark Tournament, which Netflix covered in the first season, was Chapter Black. With season one smashing together two major arcs from the shonen series, the report confirms that the “Demon Plane Unification Tournament” is next up, leaving fans to wonder if Chapter Black might not make it to the adaptation.

The Controversies of Season One

While the first season did stick true to the source material in several ways, especially when it came to the look of many of its characters, there were still some major problems that fans had with this new take on Yu Yu Hakusho. One of the biggest was the decision to fuse together countless storylines into a smaller window than the anime had allowed. Instead of the Dark Tournament, which is routinely thought of as the shonen franchise’s best arc, the live-action anime adaptation cut out quite a bit to almost place it entirely into one episode. Considering the response to season one, many fans aren’t chomping at the bit to see the series return.

As for the future of Yu Yu Hakusho itself, the shonen series released its final chapter all the way back in 1994. Togashi has since moved on to work on the world of hunters, as the manga artist continues to work on new chapters of Hunter x Hunter. Despite his health issues, the manga artist is still working hard to bring Gon and Killua’s story to life, with no end in sight. Luckily, thanks to Togashi still holding a flame for the story of Yusuke Urameshi, he will routinely bring back the Yu Yu Hakusho franchise in interesting ways, such as creating crossover art. Fingers crossed that the upcoming live-action adaptation will manage to overcome the issues from season one.

Via Tokyo Sports

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