VIDEO VERSION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEUDbhw2fyM
Dozens and dozens of new anime come out each year, so understandably, it will be hard for anime fans to remember every single one. Shows will inevitably get forgotten, and most of the time, understandably so. The series is usually too cookie cutter to be remembered by most individuals. Sometimes, however, there are shows that get forgotten that actually deserve more recognition. I'd consider Winter 2004's Yugo the Negotiator to be one of those titles.
The series follows Yugo, a negotiator who is tasked with travelling across the world and using his own words to solve problems. The show can be divided into two story arcs or missions: The Pakistan arc and the Russia arc. Both of which have two entirely different staffs. The Pakistan arc was done by G&G Direction, while the Russia arc was done by Artland. One may think that because Artland is the more well known studio, the show would look a lot better in the episodes done by them. This is actually not the case. The G&G Direction episodes have a nice darker color pallet that works really well with the lighter scenes, as if to convey that beyond a bright exterior, there is a darker side to this Pakistani culture. The Russia arc looks way too bright, almost blindly so, that it is very difficult to get used to. Particularly with blond haired characters, as the brightness of the yellow just feels far too exaggerated. The character models in both look fine, both can make some strange looking faces at times, but for the most part they suffice. It also helps that the G&G episodes have a more competent director. Looking at the staff for the series, the G&G episodes were directed by Seiji Kishi, who is known for works such as Persona 4, Danganronpa, and Ranpo Kitan. Regardless if one loves those shows or not, compared to Artland's director, Shinya Hanai, who has not directed another TV series, and has only done episode directing for shows such as Hellsing and Tenchi Muyo GXP, it's very easy to understand why G&G's episodes are superior. Kishi was competent enough in Yugo to continue his career, while Hanai just was not.
The story of the first arc feels very much in tune with the culture of Pakistan, as the focus is mostly on Yugo attempting to save a businessman from individuals rebelling against the Pakistani government. The attention to detail is very much there regarding poverish areas of Pakistan. The series also focuses on a lot of the harsh realities people there have to face each day through its characters. Laila's character is that of a mute dancer who knows nothing but being owned by people, so when she sees someone like Yugo who is comparatively a lot kinder than that of her previous owner, she feels as if she must accompany him. Through characters such as Laila, the series brings to light the harsh realities that people in the Middle East face, and educate other audiences on these hardships. There's also Haji Ramani, one of my favorite characters from the show, who had gotten brutally wounded by Ali, leader of the Pakistani rebel force Yugo was sent out to negotiate with. Instead of letting himself be killed and saving his reputation, he lives, leaving himself viewed as a coward. This shows how far some people will go to stay alive, even if it means sacrificing their own honor. The conclusion to Ramani's character arc is extremely fitting, and it worked really well. I also really liked the portrayal of the rebel group. They were evil, bad people, but not in a one-dimensional sense. They kill and torture others, but from their own perspective, they just see it as them protecting themselves from what they believe to be a restrictive government.
There are a few flaws regarding the first arc, mostly with its lack of plausibility. There's one scene in which Yugo is left out in the sun for his skin to be burned, for hours on end, and it is highly unlikely what with the amount of pain he would have faced that he could survive it. The scene right after when he does stab himself without screaming could be explained by his nerve endings being burned off, but I would have preferred had they not made the torture scene so drawn out in general, since the series presents itself as one grounded in reality.
While I do find the first arc of Yugo to be both great and a breath of fresh air, I cannot quite say the same thing for the second arc of the series. There were some cool aspects to it, such as the contrast between facing the blistering heat of Pakistan to the bone-chilling cold of Russia; however, as a whole it lacked the care and research the first arc had. There are plenty of inaccuries with plot points in the Russia arc, such as the fact that the antagonists are trying to rebuild the Soviet Union using what would be the Russian equivalent of 100 billion dollars, less than what Russia makes annually from exports alone. I also found the characters to be less memorable and interesting, as the villains feel more like Russian stereotypes rather than actual people. A couple of more interesting characters were present, such as the scholar who was forced into prostitution due to a lack of funds, but even most interesting characters of this arc pale in comparison to the characters in the Pakistan arc. There were still some tense moments that made the second half enjoyable, such as the fact that Yugo may not be able to trust the client who gave him the job in the first place. Unfortunately, though, due to the lack of memorable characters and huge inaccuaries, it cannot scrape above average. It also doesn't help that the conclusion to the second half feels as if the entire arc was almost pointless in the first place.
Yugo, as a protagonist, is cool, slick, and relies mostly on peaceful methods rather than violent ones. The audience does not get to learn too much about his character; however, that's far less of the show's fault, and more of the fact that it was an adaptation of a long-running manga, only taking two arcs from it. Yugo was a compelling enough protagonist, and he wasn't one that was overpowered, as he constantly gets into situations where others are put at risk and he is unable to save them from danger. He is still, however, competent enough to get the job done in rough situations. I also wished the series was able to give more time to learn about Yugo's backstory, since all we really learn throughout the series is that he screwed up one time. Even with those problems, Yugo is not at all a bad character, and not one that lowered the quality of the series.
The sound is mostly forgettable but fitting with the tone of the series. The opening theme, while lyrically not fitting too well with the show, the instrumentation gave off a World vibe that really worked well with what the series was going for. Though I don't understand why the second version of the opening had 80s drums, considering the series came out in 2004, so by then, that sound was already dated. The ending is equally catchy and gives off a similar vibe that I'm quite fond of. As a whole, the sound works well enough to serve the show, but it certainly isn't going to be something one will listen to regularly.
While I may have quite a few gripes with Yugo the Negotiator, I think the series is something worth checking out. It has a unique premise and the first arc has mostly solid execution. While the second arc is less than stellar, I still don't think the series deserved to get as forgotten as it did.
