Yuyu Hakusho, Vol. 15

Yoshihiro Togashi, Yuyu Hakusho: Standoff at the Eleventh Hour (ViZ, 1993) The Demon Rift is almost open, but Yusuke and the gang are hot on the heels of the demons trying to open it. Problem is, their guide hasn't been to the hideout in a while, and there's something new waiting there... I've been away from Yuyu Hakusho for a while (my library had to replace a couple of missing books), and it's always great to get back to this series. Lots of action, memorable characters, and strong plotting make this a good read every time. *** ½

The climax of Yusuke Urameshi's battle against the malignant Sensui is finally coming somewhere vaguely close to an ending. And it involves video games. And there's plenty of nasty action -- and even nastier psychics -- in the fifteenth volume of "Yu Yu Hakusho," which also sees the return of one old friend and one old foe. Though Yoshihiro Togashi sprinkles a little humor in the story (Yusuke's kitty face!), the focus is on some pretty creative action scenes, a tinge of gory horror, and Kurama fighting a pretty horrible duel where no one can win. As Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama duke it out with Sensui, the ex-detective's lackeys rush by and kidnap Kuwabara, leaving Yusuke to frantically follow them on a bicycle. But one of the psychics is waiting for him -- the Sniper, who can use his chi to propel any object towards his target without fail. As Yusuke is assaulted with anything Sniper can find, the only person who can help him is, of all people, Hiei. Despite this, he keeps insisting that he won't help unless it supports his own goals, so Yusuke has to find something to interest him. As Koenma prepares to do something he's never done before (and which readers have probably wanted to do since the series' start), Yusuke's little gang gathers outside Sensui's cave -- only to encounter ANOTHER psychic sent to stall them. This kid can turn any video game into a real-life battle. The various good guys pit their fists and wits against the Gamemaster, but it falls to Kurama to defeat the precocious boy -- by any means necessary. And as the tunnel grows to a critical point, an old enemy reappears... There are a lot of sudden changes in the fifteenth "Yu Yu Hakusho" -- the tunnel to the Demon Plane is just hours away from completion, one of the good guys has been abducted, some of the villains expire, and one of them turns out to be harboring an old enemy (who is even grosser than he was the first time). It's a lot to pack into just a few chapters, but Togashi manages to make it all work. It's a bit frustrating that Yusuke hasn't yet fought anybody, but it's clearly coming. This volume is also packed with action -- bloody impalements, punchouts, sliced heads, and Yusuke almost getting run over by a fire truck. Togashi seems to be a bit anxious to get to this arc's climax, because it takes relatively little time for our heroes to tackle the assorted challenges presented by Gamemaster. But when they get down to the cavern, he injects a bit of gory horror as well, as Kurama faces off against a mind-reading cannibal and shows just how nasty he can be. Actually, Kurama gets the most character development in these chapters, showing that he can be cold and brutal in a crisis, putting humanity's welfare above his own morals. At the same time, we get a glimpse of his pain and revulsion at what he does. Yusuke's completely dropped the tough-guy image, and Hiei returns a slightly calmer and more contemplative person, albeit one who prefers to slice'n'dice his