Created by Studio Madhouse with directing from Akiyuki Shimbo, and produced by Toho, Devil Hunter Yohko was eventually released in the US (with subtitles) by ADV Films in 1992, a dubbing in 1995, and a DVD release in 2002 to celebrate 10 years of operation (There was also a 2005 & 2008 re-release, complete with the bonuses from the earlier releases). The story of this show couldn't be cheesier, and counts as the show's first positive. For many centuries, the Mano family has been keeping the world safe from demons. Yohko Mano, the 108th devil hunter of the family. Her mother, Sayoko, was originally going to be the 108th devil hunter, but as Yohko's grandmother Madoka put it: "She couldn't control her hormones, and she gave birth to you!". You see, in order to be a devil hunter, one must be pure and virginal in order for her mind to remain clear. This is a bit of a problem, as Yohko is a 16-year old in high school, is crazy for a number of guys, and her mother is constantly trying to push her into having sex, and thus losing her virginity. Even if she had her hormones in check, she’s got to deal with some of the most vile entities on the planet, from a demon that controls time, to an identical twin that wants to replace her.
As you can see, this story sets up a lot of comedic moments, and they all hit the mark...at least for me, anyway. We got fanservice jokes, sex jokes, age jokes, and all other sorts of jokes. There was nothing I didn't watch that wasn't funny, and even the rare moment that something wasn't funny, I was at least chuckling for a second or two.
However, comedy isn't the only thing that Devil Hunter Yohko has going for it. The show's second positive is it's other genres, and how they mix with the comedic moments. In addition to comedy (and to an extension, the ecchi and fanservice moments), we also have a show that contains horror and magical girl moments. An anime fan in this age wouldn't believe that this combination of genres would work, yet it somehow does. Hell, the first few moments has ecchi, comedy, and horror all working together at once to create a hilarious opening. Not a lot of modern shows in this day & age can claim this feat (Though older shows & OVAs, like Call me Tonight, can do this surprisingly well).
Up next for positives is the voice acting...for the primary characters. Although they all do a great job, the two voice actors that stand out the most are Amanda Winn Lee and Tiffany Grant. Amanda does an incredible job of bringing out Yohko's youthfulness, her craziness for boys, and just connecting with her strange form of naive nature. Tiffany Grant, who was a relatively established actor at the time of Devil Hunter Yohko's dubbing, performs well as Yohko's best friend Chi, who's both caring yet tricky at the same time.
Unfortunately, Devil Hunter Yohko has some blemishes on it's otherwise nice face. For starters, we have one story element that irks me. Throughout the first episode, the viewer is told that there can only be one devil hunter at a time, and Yohko is the current devil hunter. However, when episode 2 rolls around, we're given a new main character by the name of Azusa (who's voiced by Kimberly Yates, and actually does a good job. Should have put that in the good voice acting section.), who's come to Yohko to train as a devil hunter. Wait, what!? If she's supposed to be a new devil hunter, then was all that was explained in the first episode just nonsense!? Don't get me wrong, the character is likable, but with her coming in as a devil hunter in training, it just throws off the rest of the story.
This all leads into the second negative of the show. This one is actually more of an annoyance than a actual negative, but I believe it needs to be addressed. In the first episode, we're treated to a nice looking show, complete with some surprisingly good visuals. When we reach the 2nd & 3rd episode, the visuals change slightly, and actually look a little better. This also happens in the 5th & 6th episodes as well, with the last one looking the best out of the others. It’s not the animation quality that I have a problem, but rather the fact that each of the episodes have a slightly different look & feel to them, and thus ruins any visual consistency.
However, the next negative for Devil Hunter Yohko is a little more damning. As I said above, there's some great voice work for the primary characters, but there isn't quite so hard work put into the secondary characters. They do an okay job, but they really don't feel like they're putting their all into their respective role. To make matters worse, none of the side characters are really memorable, regardless of voice or because of themselves.
This next negative is perhaps the strangest I’ve ever come across so far in any of my reviews. The fourth episode isn’t actually an episode, but instead is a collection of music videos. Titled “4-Ever”, this episode is nothing more than music from the show put to scenes and artwork from the production and final edition of, you guessed it, the show. It’s nice and all, but I found that it actually broke up the pace that the episodes had setup. I wanted to see more Yohko, not music videos!
Speaking of episodes, the 3rd episode is the next negative. Compared to the rest of the show, this episode is the weakest in terms of plot. To simplify things, Yohko has a dream one night about an otherworldly man (That she develops a crush on), and through some weird process I can’t remember at the moments, she gets transported to this man’s world. She eventually learns that he’s imprisoned somewhere in the dimension, and the rest of the episode (Well, most of it anyway) basically devolves into a series of fight scenes, with only a scene or two devoted to Yohko’s friends in the real world. I will give this episode one thing, and that’s the twist ending. I can’t actually reveal what it is, but I guarantee that you won’t see it coming in the slightest.
The final negative of Devil Hunter Yohko is perhaps the hardest to cope with: there aren't many copies of the show left around. Amazon has a few copies, both on tape and on the DVD release, but they're a bit on the pricey side. You're best bet is to simply buy them used, as the used prices are far more easier on the wallet. If you're hardcore however, then dive on in! Either way, you're making a smart purchase.
Devil Hunter Yohko gets a 5 to 6.9 (To maybe a 7) out of 10.
See you all next week, when we’ll enter some draconian times. Until then, stay Otaku!
* If you’d rather look at the two separate reviews instead of this one, then click on the links below.
Part 1
Part 2
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