Since airing on Cartoon Network, Yu Yu Hakusho has gathered quite a following. However, if there is one complaint, it's that fans cannot get enough. That's where Poltergeist Report comes in: the film offers another hit of Yu Yu goodness that fans have come to know and love.

The movie itself begins on a dire note. An unusual storm is rocking the Spirit World, and the River Styx is overflowing. The surging waters are steadily swallowing the world at a quickening rate. It isn't too long before even the Gates of Judgment are flooded in this catastrophe. Before the building is consumed, however, Lord Koenma, master of the Gates, summons Botan and takes refuge in the Great Vault. Within minutes, Botan catches up with Koenma in the Vault, and is told to deliver a mysterious object to Yusuke. Meanwhile, in the mortal realm, Yusuke is greeted as a seriously injured Botan falls off the school's roof and into his arms. With her last ounce of strength, Botan instructs the worried Yusuke to go to Kasane Shrine to find someone named "Hinageshi". After entrusting Botan into Keiko's care, he hurries off to find the mysterious shrine as Kuwahara follows. At the shrine, the not-so-dynamic duo find a young girl being pursued by a group of demons. These demons aren't like the normal nasties the two have dealt with in the past, however. They have a strange crest burned into their foreheads. After defeating the demons and sending them back to where they came from, Yusuke and Kuwahara learn that the girl that was being pursued is in fact Hinageshi: a guide to the Spirit World. The three hurry back to Genkai's temple to find Botan in even worse shape than before. Kurama enters the scene with the disturbing news that the Spirit World is totally flooded and deserted, save for a few phantoms that bore the mark of the cross on their foreheads. Hinageshi chimes in, exclaiming that the group must have been from the "Netherworld". The Netherworld, which is still unknown to the Reporters, is revealed to be a world that was aligned and in balance with the Demon World just as the Spirit World is aligned with the mortal realm. It seems that the lord of the Netherworld is looking to find the object that is key to his kingdom's revival. Shortly after the Reporters leave the temple, Lord Yakumo of the Netherworld attacks the temple and takes Botan hostage. Hinageshi immediately begins to devise a plan to revive the Spirit World and vanquish the Netherworld at the same time. The Reporters need to restore five elemental sites, which are "storage tanks" for spiritual energy. Unfortunately, the Netherworld's residents are after the same five sites. Sadly, the five Reporters are overpowered and the Netherworld begins to become a reality again, only this time on the mortal realm's turf. Now it is up to Yusuke and the other Reporters to defeat Yokumo and the other residents of the Netherworld to save the mortal world.

Kefka, eat your heart out. There's a new gender-confused boy in town.	In a fleeting moment, Botan remembers she left the oven on.

Playing like an extended television episode, the movie does a decent job of conveying the plot. The situation is made apparent at the beginning, and works from the points that are established. The entire story is fairly straightforward, although there are a few interesting plot twists that will throw the viewer off guard. All of the characters get their moment in the spotlight, with each having to overcome a personal obstacle, or face an "undefeatable" opponent. Everything eventually builds up the the expected climactic battle between Yusuke and the demon lord, which results in a pretty predictable finish. While there are no real surprises, Yu Yu Hakusho still does not fail to entertain.

Though the animation didn't have the highest budget or the biggest names in animation, Studio Pierrot managed to do an excellent job in presenting the film. The animation is much cleaner and more fluid than that of its televised counterpart. The film itself has a very "complete" and polished look to it overall. The video is equally strong, with a mostly clean transfer to DVD. The only noticeable defect was a small film splotch at the beginning of the film, but this is easily overlooked. Aliasing and cross-coloring are non-existant, as is macroblocking.

On the character designs, there really cannot be much to be said, although what can be is all good. The Reporters haven't changed much, save for a requisite jump in detail. Hinageshi carries the traditional robes just as well as Botan, who takes the back seat in this feature. The demon lords are all quite unique, and have their own distinct features that fit the already unusual nature of the series.

On the musical front, the film is quite strong with excellent scoring by Yusuke Homa. The film uses an array of orchestral pieces to help set the mood. From fast-paced, urgent moments to a more electronica-based tune for action scenes, the music is arranged and performed well. Sadly, most of the music is just background music that would not be the most interesting to listen to on its own. However, it performs its job, and performs it well.

The acting for the series shows considerable variance in quality between the American and Japanese dubbing. Central Park Media, who handled the translation, chose a few less-than adequate actors for this production. While a few parts have stellar performances, several are either grating or just wrong for the character. The Japanese acting fares much better, with the original cast returning to play their parts, as well as the inclusion of a few new voices, such as Chisa Yokoyama's casting for Hinageshi. Overall, the original Japanese audio is many leagues above the dub, which seems to fall just short of being good.

The DVD release is currently available through Central Park Media. The packaging features a picture of the Reporters in front of the Netherworld King. The back is a collage of screen shots from the show with a description of the film, as well as a listing of the DVD features. On the other side of the cover is a chapter list, the production credits, and a casting list. All of these are set in front of a piece of black and white artwork of Hiei.

In terms of extras, Central Park has given a small, but interesting selection. The Art Gallery is a collection of artwork and screens from the show. The Trailer is Central Park's own trailer produced for the film. The "Meet The Reporters" section is a small set of character biographies for each of the Reporters. On the DVD-ROM is the same art gallery, as well as casting and production credits. However, the script, which usually appears on Central Park DVDs, is notably missing.

Fans looking for their next Yu Yu fix should be pleased to hear that Poltergeist Report delivers everything they have been looking for and more. The nonstop action combines with the traditional Togashi flair to create an excellent addition to the fighting anime genre.

Distributor: CPM
Creator: Yoshihiro Togashi/Shueisha Fuji TV Studio Pierrot
Released: 1994

Plot: B+
Character Design: A-
Animation Quality: A
Music: B+
Overall: B+