Devil Hunter Yohko

I picked up Devil Hunter Yohko as part of my DVD haul at the local Suncoast that was going out of business. DHY was actually one of the first anime I was exposed to when starting to get into anime, having read a couple of articles on it when I used to pick up Animerica.

The only reason why I didn’t get into DHY back then was because I was only in 4th grade at the time and if my parents caught me wanting to get an anime VHS with a mature rating, it’d be questionable. Plus, I don’t think I would’ve been able to appreciate the series seeing at it was intended for a more mature audience and being in the 4th grade, my mind wasn’t cut out for it just yet.

After rummaging through Suncoast, I found a copy of the complete 6-episode collection and went ahead and bought it. I was only able to appreciate DHY through Animerica reviews, seeing the volumes available at Suncoast, and scans on the Internet. Now that I finally had it in my hands, I sat down and blazed through all 6 episodes. Spoilers, summaries, and reactions are abundant, so you’ve been warned!

Episode 1
Yohko Mano, a boy-crazed 16-year old high schooler, finds out from her grandmother that her family line has a long lineage of being devil hunters. The demons have a plan to make a come back and sabotage Yohko before she can do anything by possessing a boy that likes her, Osamu, and trying to take away her virginity. If a devil hunter-to-be loses her virginity, she cannot become a devil hunter, which is why her grandmother was the 107th and Yohko was to be the 108th since her mother lost her virginity before she was 16.

After a failed attempt, the demons take a boy she likes, Hideki, and uses him as a sacrifice to open up the demon plane with Reiko, the beautiful girl on campus, as the Demon Queen. Finally realizing that something has to be done, Yohko accepts the fact that she is the next devil hunter. She transforms, and, after an epic battle and strategic slashings, manages to pierce through the Demon Queen and end the merge of the demon plane with the human world.

Yohko actually reminded me a lot of Usagi of Sailormoon fame, klutz-like personality and boy-crazy to the boot. However, what definitely sets this apart from Sailormoon is the jabs at losing one’s virginity and fanservice. Heck, there was a rape scene! Definitely not in line with Sailormoon.

This episode is actually more sexually graphic than the other 5 episodes, but it does give the OAV series a set direction of where it’s going.

Episode 2
This is where Azusa Kanzaki comes in. She arrives at the Mano residence while Yohko’s mother and grandmother are out of town and insists on becoming her apprentice as a devil hunter-in-training with a demon ring of her own. At a nearby forest, construction is going on and the spirits are angered. The spirits end up harassing the the construction workers and cause even more trouble for Asuza, since her dog ran off into the forest.

Azusa finds herself in the forest and being attacked by the spirits themselves. Yohko comes in to help her and brings her demon ring to her. After seeing Yohko getting beaten badly by the spirits, Azusa finally musters up the courage to help her and, with the help of her demon ring, transforms into a devil hunter herself. With both of their powers combined, they defeat the spirits and work in tandem as master and apprentice.

The animators seemed to have drawn her in a more mature fashion. I like it

Episode 3
Yohko dreams about a beautiful man named Master Biryu in an alternate world that she fell in love with getting captured. She wakes up from the dream only to find out that she’s back in reality. However, she is transported to the alternate world and, by the request of Master Biryu’s servant, she is to save him by freeing him from the demons that enslave him.

This episode was cute, especially after seeing Yohko’s determination in getting back a man she crushed on, only to realize it was a ploy to get Master Biryu and his lover back together. Although she was saddened at first, after hearing that they had been held back from one another for over 1000 years, she was glad that she was able to reunite them. This episode actually made me shed a tear ;_;

Episode 4
This wasn’t really an episode More like a compilation of music videos with DHY imagery. 戦えファイトファイト愛ある限り！

Episode 5
Yohko’s grandmother, Madoka, senses that Tokima, the demon that has since terrorized their family since their 1st ancestor, is coming back. Tokima comes into the residence by possessing Ryuichi, a boy that Yohko is crushing on, and using him to try and take the clock that holds the seal where his true powers are sealed in the Mano’s secret room. However, his attempt failed after being repelled by special talismans that Madoka set up.

The next day, Azusa is sent back to the secret room to clean up the mess. Unaware that Tokima still lingered in the room, she is possessed by him and runs off with the clock and is told to destroy it. Yohko and a youthful-looking Madoka go downstairs to check up on Azusa only to find both her and the clock gone. They run after her and catch up to her and Tokima, where Yohko is forced to fight against Azusa. Yohko finally thinks she got her back into her senses only to be tricked by Tokima and is killed. She is then sucked up by a void created by Tokima’s powers coming back to him.

However, Yohko ends up traveling back in time and lands in the time of her 1st ancestor, Haruka. Haruka sees that Yohko has the demon ring and uses her demon ring to bring her back to life. After sharing with one another that Tokima is still plaguing the line of demon hunters, they both travel to the present and, with the help of all of the past demon hunters, put an end to Tokima once and for all.

This episode was my most favorite of them all, seeing as it was the most suspenseful and action-packed. I nearly choked up when Yohko was pierced because the attack was so sudden. The summoning of all of the demon hunters was, indeed, pretty epic.

Episode 6
Ayako Mano and an Azusa look-alike (oddly enough, named Azusa 2 since her real name is never mentioned) have been training for their whole lives in order to defeat Yohko and gain the title of devil hunter of the Mano family. Meanwhile, Yohko goes on with life, crushing on guys and being a regular high school girl. However, all the guys that she ends up crushing on end up being taken by another girl. Rumors fly that the girl that is going out with their student teacher is Yohko herself even though she hasn’t been out at all. Determined to find out who this mystery girl is, she stalks him and finds Ayako, who vows to take everything that Yohko wants away from her.

They encounter one another again after chasing after the Azusa look-alike that was looming over her bathroom window. Ayako and Azusa 2 fight against a vulnerable Yohko in nothing but a towel and eventually stop with Ayako vowing to finish their fight the next time they meet. Madoka reveals that the reason for this confrontation was because she had a twin sister named Chiaki and they were fighting for the title of the 107th devil hunter. Madoka won, but Chiaki left the household, stealing the Whip of Destruction in the process (which is Ayako’s main weapon).

They meet once again at the top of a mountain shrine, using the student teacher as bait for Yohko to come out. During the fight, a demon arises from the mountain, thanking Ayako for awakening him. Unknowingly, Ayako and Azusa 2′s training was actually helping the demon become free from the mountain since they were often destroying everything around them. In order to defeat the demon, Yohko, Ayako, and Azusa 2 had to work in tandem to defeat him.

The animation quality went up a lot with this one! Then again, this one is the final installment. If you thought Yohko’s transformation sequence was naughty, then you should check out Ayako’s. Thorns coming up from her crotch and bouncing oppai! It was also nice hearing Aya Hisakawa’s voice in two different personalities.

All in all, it was enjoyable and nostalgic, especially since I’ve been so used to watching digitally-animated anime. DHY had that 90′s feel and comedic hijinks that kept me interested. What’s there not to love about a boy-crazed high schooler who has to fight demons that are taking away from her time that she could be using to be crushing on boys? ;D

Images from Animegalleries.net.

Tags: Anime, devil hunter yohko