Yugo the Negotiator Vol. 1: Departure 2004 ADV Films Official Japanese Website Buy It Now

Anime takes on many faces and many different forms. Most fans are very accustomed to seeing series' and the like that deal with reluctant heroes who have been put into a position where they have to save the world from some menace that the rest of the human race knows nothing about. Then there are the magic girls, giant robots, and just about anything else that goes beyond reality to capture the imagination. However, there are times when anime can be timely, just like it's been ripped from the headlines of today's newspaper, and Yugo the Negotiator would be the anime equal to one of those bits of news.

Since George W. decided to march into Iraq in hopes for finding alleged weapons of mass destruction (and I still think it was just a mission to secure oil fields) there have been many problems in the Middle East as well as all across the globe. We have reports every day of religious fanatics bombing innocent civilians and military personnel, occasional videos make it onto television warning of an impending holy war against the West, and there have been many people taken hostage to later meet their demise after the military forces refuse to pull out of Iraq. The policy here in the United States, and in fact in just about every country, is simply that we don't negotiate with terrorists, probably not a bad idea, but in this anime, there are in fact those that do.

Yugo Beppu, just as the title would suggest, is a negotiator who excels in the safe release of those held captive by terrorists and any other rogue faction that would do harm to the rest of the world. In Pakistan, a high-ranking member of a Japanese company has been taken hostage and the local military has tried to negotiate his safe release, but that's not what the captors want. His daughter, Mayuko, has turned to the only person that might possible be able to free her father, Yugo. He's more than willing to take on the assignment, but as he soon discovers, this may not be quite as simple as he had planned.

This is an anime that certainly could try and present itself as an over the top action series, filled with Yugo performing heroic deeds, escaping by the skin of his teeth, and showing what he's learned from watching every episode of MacGuyver, but luckily that doesn't end up being the formula here. Instead, Yugo the Negotiator turns out to be a very human drama where heroics are the last thing that is presented. Yugo isn't Indiana Jones, and this isn't something that is geared up to be some outrageous martial arts saga, but instead simply a man on a mission that deals with things the only way that he can.

More importantly though, the backdrop of Pakistan is presented in a way where it really wouldn't be considered offensive, though I would also think that people living there might disagree with that. The climate that Yugo encounters isn't exactly a pleasant one. The military takes to beating down people, especially tourists that seem to be poking their nose into business that isn't theirs, and since Yugo is hunting for a man considered to be a murderer by the military and a hero to the locals, Yusuf Ali Mesa, he fits quite nicely into the category of a "busy body." We also get to see fanatical religion, and Mesa's followers would be more or less the equal to Al Quaida, but in order to balance things out, we see the other side of religion as well, those willing to help and that would like to bring about some sort of piece. Though the anime doesn't necessarily label them as being Muslim, it does seem obvious that this would be the case.

Yugo also isn't a series that is aiming to reach a happy resolution within a single episode. The three episodes contained on the first volume only get him to his destination, and things ultimately look quite bleak for our negotiator. He has done some good though, and not just by taking on the job. Early on, Yugo meets with a young woman named Leila who has been forced to live her life as a prostitute in order to earn her keep. We don't actually learn that's her name due to the fact that she's had her tongue cut out at a young age, but that's where credits come into play. Leila has now been following Yugo no matter where he goes, even though he's been insistent on her making it to a safer destination, and by the end of the first volume, we see that she really should have followed his advise after the pair unintentionally crosses paths with Mesa's men. To turn the heat up even more, Yugo is unaware that the local military is planning on sending in yet another negotiator, not necessarily to free the hostage, but to get closer to Mesa in hopes to eliminating him permanently.

Another element that works very well is that Yugo tries to give us a good amount of details on everything. At times it can be a little long winded, but the reason behind that is to simply fill in the background for various elements of the series. Many of us here, and I'm sure in Japan as well, only know about the culture of the Middle East from what we see on the news or have read in books. This might very well be the case with the series, but other things are addressed about religions and such that really do need to have a bit of further explanation, and that is handled quite well most of the time.

The animation for the series doesn't tend to go for anything flashy. Instead it is subtle, but the characters take a more realistic approach. There isn't any spiked hair or any that's some unnatural color. Yugo is presented simply in some ways, but the animation is still very breathtaking. The backgrounds have a great amount of detail in them making them more lifelike, not bland or forgettable. I can't say that it makes you feel like you're right there since, after all, this is anime, but for being animated, it's the next best thing.

If you want even more information on the setting of the series however, you needn't look any farther than the extra features on the disc. ADV has included a number of bonus features for this release. To being with, you will find, as always, the clean versions of the opening and closing animations, and I do have to say that while I really enjoyed this introduction to Yugo the Negotiator, I'm not terribly impressed with either of these. Aside from these however, Yugo has plenty more to offer. You will get an explanation of what Yugo the Negotiator is, though I would hope my explanation has been thorough enough. There are interviews Shinji Makari, who came up with the story of Yugo along with the character and mechanical designer for the series, Shu Akana. There is a separate interview with directors Seiji Kishi and Shinya Hanai, and yet another with the voice of Yugo himself, Takashi Hagino. Note that these are not text interviews and are actual video, something that I know many fans are always pleased to see. It's great to put a face with a name.

You fans of dubbed anime aren't going to be left out, though you aren't going to find anything involving the dub cast. Instead, ADV has included an extra with both the cultural advisor for the American release, Nawaz Charania, and the director of the ADR sessions, Scott McClennen. This will give you some more insight into the series. If you're still looking for more, there are character bios, but that's still not the end of things. The insert that comes with the DVD has a glossary of terms used in the series, as well as plenty of other things relating to the series including yet another interview with Makari and a map of Pakistan. ADV has gone above and beyond what is normally found in the way of extra material with this disc, and I have to applaud them a great deal for that.

Yugo the Negotiator would be the end result if you were to cross a series like Master Keaton with the world news found on CNN. The approach is definitely more dramatic and isn't set to being some action driven series, but it's intriguing to say the least. Probably one of the best things here however is that while we know what Yugo does for a living, we haven't even seen him negotiate anything with the terrorists that he's seeking, and that's one of many reasons to grab the next volume. The negotiations are over, and you're next stop should be your local retailer to add this gem into your collection.

Episode 1 - Negotiator

When the negotiations to free her father from guerillas fail, Mayuko only has one person to turn to; Yugo Beppu. Said to be one of the best negotiators in the business, Yugo is willing to take on the job, but first he needs to prepare himself for what may be the most dangerous assignment he's ever taken on.

Episode 2 - Resolve

Yugo has made his way to Pakistan, but one of the first things that he's going to need to do is find out more information on the man that he's looking for. Luckily he finds just the right individuals, and Yugo manages to prove himself worthy of their assistance.

Episode 3 - Contact

As Yugo gets closer to his destination, he finds himself abandoned by the man who promised to get him there safely. Lost in the desert with Leila following close behind, he soon finds himself at the mercy of the men he is looking for.

-mike-
 

Genre: Drama / Adventure   Series Director: Seiji Kishi   Written by: Kazuharu Sato   Based Upon the Manga by: Shinji Makari & Shuu Akana   Voice Cast: Takashi Hagino (Yugo Beppu) Susumu Chiba (Reiichi Kogure) Yumi Kakzau (Mayuko/Laila) Banjo Ginga (Yusuf Ali Mesa)

DVD Features: Dual Language Japanese/English English Subtitles Clean opening & closing animation What is Yugo the Negotiator Interview with Shinkji Makari & Shu Akana Interview with Directors Kishi & Hanai The Japanese Depiction of Pakistan Comments on Yugo by Cultural Advisor, Nawaz Charania & ADR Director Scott McClennen, Personnel Dossiers Contains Episodes 1 - 3