Yu-Gi-Oh!

It took me a while, but I finally got my hands on originals! All that was cut out; all the unanswered questions, all the cute sight gags and jokes! Why?! Okay, maybe a little mature for the American standard of what a cartoon is supposed to be, but... all they did to it here is turn it into a 20 minute commercial for the game! Come on people! There is so much more to the story! How Yugi met Joun... (cringe) Joey, and Hon... (double cringe) Tristan. How he got the puzzle. How Joey got the Red Eyes in the first place. Where Mai really comes from, why she _really_ duels... I'm not going to answer any of these for you, you just have to find it yourself. I don't know the policy for leaving urls here, otherwise I would tell you >

Yu-Gi-Oh has to be one of my favorite cartoons since Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's about a boy, Yugi Moto, who must save his kidnapped Grandfather from an evil millionaire. How is he to do it? By playing Duel Cards on an island tournament, thats how. Each person he duels has their own motive for winning, whether it's to save a loved one (like his friend Joey), a personal vendetta (like Kaiba or Bandit Keith), or if they just want to buy more 'accessories' (Mia). I think seeing each character's personality, and how it reflects on their card playing, is one of the best aspects of this show. (especially Joey, he's so damn funny!)

This ain't no Pokemon folks, It's time to duel!

OK, I'll admit it...I am a sucker for the "30 min. commercials". I have been ever since I was a kid back in the, uh, 80's. I would go out and buy all the brand-new cool Transformers featured in the cartoon. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?...I was there. I am every toy manufacturers' ... dream. Yu-Gi-Oh is the continuation of my bizarre fascination with cartoons.

What's so great about this cartoon. Honestly, I can't say what it is I like. OK, I lied. I absolutely love the duels! I'm not a huge Anime fan, so that really does nothing for me. The constant babbling about "friendship" and "love" I can certainly do without. Not that those are bad things, and it's good that kids are taught these values while being brainwashed into buying the game, but it can be *awfully* sugary-sweet, especially when you're, um, <mumble> twenty-eight </mumble>. But I really enjoy the duels and it makes me want to go out and buy the cards and play with other people. Unfortunately, I have no friends, and my wife doesn't have any interest in dueling me. Fortunately, there's Game Boy Advance. I was given Dark Duel Stories for Christmas and recently bought Eternal Duelist Soul...both great games, though EDS is definitely closer to the original game than DDS. The point being, this tv show is really nothing more than an avenue for advertising their games...and I love it!

Now, what I'd like to see is how well Yugi fairs against someone who has some really nasty cards in their deck....how would he handle having Raigeki and Dark Hole being smacked down on his Dark Magician and Summoned Skull????

...I have some nagging thoughts I just have to write down for the whole world to see! Okay, so lately the whole Kidnapped-Grandfather plot has been ditched in favor of a story with this mind-absorbing villain who wants three Egyptian God Cards. These cards are supposedly unstoppable, although according to this show the hero can't lose so that statement is up for debate. And it's become increasingly noticeable that the show spends 50% of its running time explaining things THAT'S IT ALREADY DISCUSSED AT LENGTH. For example:

Villain: With this card, I'll be able to add 1000 Attack Points to my dragon with every turn! My monster will soon become invincible, as its Attack Points will eventually surpass those of your puny magician!

(commercial break)

Villain: Why don't you give up, Yu-Gi? There is no way you can beat my dragon, as with each turn it gains an additional 1000 Attack Points, making it utterly unbeatable! Bwa ha ha! You might as well turn in your (insert name of mystical object here) right now and save yourself the embarrasment! HOW CAN YOUR MINISCULE MAGICIAN POSSIBLE CONTEND WITH THE MIGHT OF MY MIGHTY DRAGON, SINCE MY CREATURE BECOMES MORE AND MORE POWERFUL WITH EACH PROGRESSIVE TURN? It's madness to pursue this battle! Bwa ha ha!

Hero: (looks perplexed)

Villain: Make your move, fool! For this battle will soon be over!!!

(commercial break)

And it goes on like that until someone actually does do something. I love how the villains just KNOW they can win, but Yu-Gi always manages to yank the right card out of his deck by believing in "the heart of the cards." Yeah, you know what? I call it luck, Yu-Gi m'boy. Seriously, if it weren't for the cool character designs and my morbid sense of curiosity, I would have given up on this show a while back. But darn me if I don't tune in every blasted afternoon!!!

Sigh...pray for me, my friends.

Yu-Gi-Oh! can be confusing to those with slower mind-speeds. The duels like all plot devises, are used to progress the plot and even develop the characters, and in an effort to do so, may annoy, frustrate, or even confuse some members of the audience unfamiliar with the game strategy and cards(effects). However, the these duels are essentially not difficult to follow.

The overall plot of the series is complex and very entertaining. Of the main characters, and aside from Yami Yugi, the villains are often the most compelling. The most interesting, and charismatic of these "villainous" characters being Seto Kaiba(thanks to the paragon voice-work of Eric Stuart), with Ryu Bakura, Maximillion Pegasus, and Marik Ishtar following close behind.

This series, unlike many others, requires the audience to possess functioning memories in order to recall the mythology. The plot is intriguing for those who enjoy mysteries and suspense(although watching YU-GI-OH! one need never fear the hero will be anything other than victorious).

Yu-Gi-Oh! is an excellent choice for children in order to instill morals and values; most importantly honor, courage, loyalty, and confidence in oneself.

Grade: A