Yu Yu Hakusho Stage Play to Return in December

At this point, the amount of anime that exist and the amount of anime that get a stage play might as well be a circle. It’s almost a fact of life in Japan. Once an anime becomes popular, stage plays, drama CD’s, and all other sorts of supplemental material spring forth to extend fans’ enjoyment of their favorite anime and snag new fans through another form of media.

Case in point, everyone’s favorite Spirit World Detective, Yusuke Urameshi, has his own stage play. Titled Butai Yu Yu Hakusho: Sono Ni (Stage Play: Yu Yu Hakusho: Chapter 2), the show originally premiered late last summer in Toyko, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Aichi and managed to sell out all 26 of its shows. While the second chapter of the stage play was delayed considerably thanks to current events, it has been announced that the play will make its return exclusively in December.

The show will spend around two weeks each in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, respectively. All original members of the cast will return to reprise their original roles. The stage play’s official website has also outlined the precautions and procedures both venues and showgoers will need to abide by in order to watch the show safely.

The plot of the stage play deals with a condensed beginning of the series, and YouTube channel Maidigi TV uploaded a dress rehearsal from last year’s show, showing exactly how the play manages to blend the show’s grittier supernatural elements with the character’s brand of comedy. Notable moments include Kurama and Hiei fighting each other, Yusuke obtaining the spirit gun, and Yusuke and Kuwabara being their own special form of comic relief.

The stage play continues to be its own brand of anime-related fun, and it’s nice to again have something to look forward to. It’s also nice to see a nostalgic series like Yu Yu Hakusho get a little more love. Hopefully, when the show returns in December, it’ll be everything fans were hoping for.