Yuugo: Koushounin

Generally I fall into the range who is to lazy to write a review, however after stumbling upon this series I am compelled to write one.

Yugo the Negotiator is simply amazing. It will keep you at the edge of your seat from start to finish. The series can be broken down into two arcs. Each are is different however the feel is similar (in that they both rock). What I found very interesting was at the beginning (prior to starting the series) I worried that it being only 13 episodes it wouldn't be sufficient time to build a solid story however this anime feels very complete. Each arc has a solid finish. I would recommend this series to anyone who is eager to watch a series that has a great plot, great characters, will leave you feeling very glad you invested the time into the series, and for those ready to have a good time.

This series does have some blood, but the cheer enjoyment is "How is Yugo going to get himself out of this one?" And the best part is, you as the viewers are left dumbfounded till it actually happens. Unlike some series where you can tell how the climax is going to un-fold this series leaves you in suspense till the very last minute.

I highly recommend you go out and download the series, as I am positive you will not regret it.

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Overview:

Yugo the Negotiator is an obscure series. I mean a REALLY obscure series! The only reason I had even heard of it was that it was the favorite anime of an old youtube reviewer named Jaded Otaku, who had a show called "What's Wrong with Anime?" This guy was a troll LEGEND! His videos are gone because butthurt fanboys flagged all of his videos hundreds of times until Youtube removed them. However, there are still hilarious "response videos" of weaboos foaming at the mouth with rage and cursing his name that are still floating around Youtube! For a time he was the king of the "Elitist" anime reviewers, kind of like Roriconfan/thatanimesnob except he was funnier and more charismatic. Now for the question: Did this series that was so highly praised by an elite reviewer turn out to be any good? The answer.... not really.

Plot and characters: 5/10

The plot revolves around a man named Yugo that acts as a high stakes negotiator. This guy can talk his way out of any situation and use his wits, charisma, and psychology to overcome any foe. The premise is extremely interesting and rather unique for an anime. Unfortunately, the execution is rather lacking. The problems with this series are further compounded by the fact that it is divided into 2 arcs with 2 completely different staffs. The first half takes place in Pakistan and is well written, actually did some research, and shows respect for the culture and people of Pakistan. The second half though... sweet buttery JESUS does it suck! Yugo heads to Russia and it becomes the most cliche', poorly researched, most hilarious portrayals of Russia I have ever seen. The Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons had a FAR more accurate portrayal of Russia and Russians. Let me just tell you a few of the things I found funny. Yugo prepares to journey to Russia by locking himself in a meat locker at 40 degrees below zero, to visit Vladivostok. Judging by the weather in the Japan scenes, this is during the summer or spring. The average temperature during spring/summer in Vladivostok is roughly 20 degrees Celcius or 70 degrees F. Whoops! The plot is that Yugo must stop some evil Russian army guys from recovering the Tsar's long lost gold, worth in today's value ( read in Dr Evil Voice) 100 BILLION DOLLARS! This would more than double the size of Russia's economy in the Yugo world, and allow them to rebuild the Soviet Union! The writers of Yugo season 2 should have spent a little less time sleeping in Economics class. Russia's economy is over 2 trillion dollars in nominal GDP and roughly 3.5 trillion by GDP PPP. Russia brings in over 500 billion dollars each year from exports alone, so 100 billion dollars would be a drop in the bucket and nowhere NEAR enough money to rebuild the USSR. The US economy alone is 17 trillion dollars and all of NATO together has an economy of well over 30 trillion. To take back Eastern Europe and rebuild the USSR, Russia would have to defeat NATO, which would require a wee bit more than 100 billion dollars, which is less than the GDP of Angola, a small impoverished African nation. To defeat the Russian Army, Yugo must enlist the help of Russia's greatest academic, who is a prostitute because she is too poor to eat without selling her body. Judging from how serious the tone of this series is, the writer of Yugo actually seems to think that Russia's top academics are crack whores. Many educated Russians during the 1990s did have to take lower paying jobs or flee the country, but this is just comically absurd! These 3 examples are only the beginning of a HUGE list of unintentionally hilarious bullshit in Yugo. Imagine a writer that used even more crude ethnic stereotypes than Hetalia, but unlike Hetalia was DEAD FUCKING SERIOUS about it! That is what the second half of Yugo is like. It is too bad Jason Douglas is a good voice actor, otherwise Yugo could have become a cult classic from the level of unintentional comedy gold!

Art: 5/10

The art is also divided between the first half and the 2nd half. The Pakistan Arc had a much higher budget and looks pretty good. The Russia Arc...not so much.

Entertainment: 6/10

The first half is actually pretty good. It isn't spectacular, but certainly not bad. The second half is only entertaining due to the quality of the writing.

Overall: 5/10

If it had ended with the Pakistan arc, I would have given Yugo a generous 7/10. Yugo did at least have the guts to try a unique premise and go where few anime had gone before. Then act 2 started and everything went to hell! Despite the laughably bad second half, I will still give Yugo a 5/10 to honor both the decent first half and the courage to try such a unique premise.

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DiamondInTime's Yugo the Negotiator review

Yugo the Negotiator is a hidden masterpiece that will leave your eyes wide open from portraying:

1. The distraught reality in the Middle East that you may have seen on TV or heard rumors about.
2. The various acts of inhumanity.
3. The current ominous form of the world.
4. The chain of power in Russian army.
5. The dynamic display of Russian ruthlessness.

The story follows a man called Yugo, a successful negotiator, that works for hire even in life threatening situations. In the first story, Yugo must go to Pakistan to negotiate back a hostage from Muslim rebels. Prepare to witness a genuinely thought out and accurate account of the Middle East. Through Yugo, you enter the mindset of the people there and fully view the beliefs of the Muslim rebels. The army wants to blow the rebels up, but Yugo has to save the hostage. On this epic ride, Yugo ventures alone through unknown land to communicate with the rebels. To negotiate, Yugo must first gain their trust, but being the kind of people they are, Yugo must stand up to their terror and become one with their way of belief. It is a truly fascinating and brilliant negotiation that is the pinnacle of anime maturity.

In the second story, Yugo is hired to negotiate rights to bring a young girl of Russian royalty from Russian soil to Japan. However that’s not about to happen because she is the owner of 1 of 2 rings, the key to unlocking the Russian royalty family’s treasure which the Russian army wants to take for themselves. The other ring, the client gave to Yugo. Within Yugo’s calculations, Yugo knows the Russian army will be after him for the ring. He has to get past the Russian army's ambitious desires if he wants a chance of negotiating her the rights. Truly a splendid display of Russian military ruthlessness as they dictate their power to get the 2nd ring from Yugo and a splendid display of the severity of loyalty among all ranks to the Russian army and flag. The ending was really beautiful, as expected from the royal Russian girl of Russia.

For sound, one sentence, watch it dubbed. The dub was an extremely fitting dub, from the voices of Yugo to the Muslim rebels to the Russian army.

Overall this anime is a masterpiece with 100% maturity based on real world, real life settings. It is full of hope, strength to live, and human nature themes. An excellent watch well worth the admiration and praise received.

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A solid mystery/ suspense series, Yugo the Negotiator features the titular character of the series taking two different cases where he is trying to work out the release of a hostage from hostile foreign groups set in Pakistan and Russia. This series does quite a bit to stand out from many conventional anime titles. First off, Yugo comes off as a crafty and intelligent man who does enough at researching the mentalities and cultural significance that individuals within both countries would have in regards to their personal beliefs. This is essential as his very profession is quite the dangerous one where he puts his life at risk at investigating the activity of some shady figures within these hostile countries and working out a release for the hostage he is hired to rescue. In addition, the guy knows enough about whatever terrain he enters and prepares thoroughly for it from Pakistan's hot deserts to the frigid cold temperatures of Siberian tundras. Yugo is about on par with Master Keaton in terms of exploration of hostile environments and having a protagonist who is all-around knowledgeable in moving around said countries.

Another area that Yugo excels in is its realistic details in covering the culture and beliefs of the countries that the man visits. The show isn't afraid to tackle just how harsh the real-life hardships are for people living in oppressed conditions within Pakistan and Russia, as well as the deeply-engrained beliefs that the people Yugo deals with have. This applies to both the Muslim jihadists in the Pakistan arc and the shady Siberian military branch in the Russia arc. Touchy things such as prostitution, torture, poverty and oppression are the norm in these countries which Yugo is well aware of and often comes to odds with during his jobs. The characters within both arcs are fleshed out enough where you get the sense of how strongly they feel in regards to either their religious beliefs and/ or nationalism.

Oddly enough, both arcs to this series were animated by different studios and it does show in regards to color shading and detail. The Pakistan arc had subdued color shading and better polished details in regards to character designs and scenery. This went well with the subdued and tense mood that Yugo gave off while trekking in the country. The Russia arc made use of brighter color shading and noticeably had rougher details in animating characters and scenery.

The show isn't without its faults. The resolution to the Russia arc did feel rather contrived considering it went against how complex and well laid-out otherwise that developments within it and the Pakistan arc were. In addition, this is a slow-paced series that takes its time with laying out the developments that Yugo has with prominent characters with a good amount of it being conversation-driven. If you are used to anime with faster pacing and being more action-oriented, then you might not get much enjoyment out of the show.

But if you are someone that craves realistic and intelligence-focused titles within your anime, then Yugo the Negotiator is well worth the time to look into. With believable depictions of settings and cultural beliefs within the countries visited by Yugo and the guy knowing well enough to adjust to his surroundings and talk his way into earning the trust of some pretty dangerous characters, this proved to be quite the interesting hidden gem for me to get latched on from Netflix.

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