Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains

Do you remember those Virtual World specials from the Duel Monsters anime that put the heroes into unpredictable situations and expanded upon Kaiba's character? This is the AI generated clone of that creativity.

I'll be honest, I thought I'd seen the worst of this franchise after watching final season of Arc V, but I was sorely mistaken. Because this show was so forgettable that I sweared most people wouldn't be aware of its existence without the Duel Links mobile game.

In the far future, which is a setting I'm starting to get really sick of seeing in this franchise, a boy known as Yusaku, is on a mission to discover the secrets of his past. Exploring the depths of the virtual world as his alter ego "Playmaker", in order to learn about the mysteries surrounding the Lost Incident. An illegal experiment that forced kidnapped children to train every minute to become master duelists.

And while the set up for the show is very interesting, the poor pacing of the first season combined with incredibly predictable fight scenes turns the show into a snooze fest, that has more padding than an overstuffed pillow. I kid you not, I found at least seven clip show episodes solely dedicated to re-explaining the plot. Watching this show on streaming services isn't too bad since I can just skip these episodes, but on cable they must have been a nightmare.

With that being said, there were a handful of additions I did enjoy. Link Summoning is incredibly beneficial ability. Allowing players a lot more freedom with deck customization, because now there were ultimate monsters like Decode Talker that could be summoned with Effect Monsters alone. And while the new Cyberse Monsters are clearly the favorites in this practice, it's very convenient for those who are looking to learn the basics of Extra Deck Summoning.

Although, as beneficial as these monsters are, they're the only ones being advertised in season one alongside a small handful of new archetypes. So I started to get sick of seeing them around the time Varis had his first duel with Yusaku.

This is an age where experienced players have an understanding of all the best summoning methods, so by putting off the rest of the new Extra Deck monsters until season two, it leads to a lot of viewers giving up on the show early, not that the cookie cutter storytelling was helping keep them interested.

Playmaker might be one of the worst written characters I've seen in this series. With little to no personality and very few weaknesses, there is never a sense of passion to his dueling. One of the golden rules of character writing is to avoid making your main character invincible, and while I won't go into spoilers into Playmaker's winning streak, it usually ruins the show for people.

Personally I think even if you were a fan of the Duel Links video game and wanted to learn how that game's story tied in with this show's lore, you might find a smidge of enjoyment seeing the characters moving and talking to each other. But searching for the strengths of this show is like searching for a needle in a hay stack.

The more you watch this show, the more faith you lose in the franchise. I used to be a big fan of the Duel Links video game, but after I learned how MacGuffin like the Skill System was, I began to hate online play more and more. Who needs strategy when you have plot convenience to win your duels.

Barely anything seems to improve in the long run, even when more interesting monsters are introduced. The side characters are practically useless, apparently if your name is Playmaker you're not allowed to defeat the main villain or even the side villains occasionally. I already thought Blue Angel and the Gore were pretty useless characters, but somehow they became even more useless in the final season. All of their dialogue amounted to defeating Playmaker or gaining more power. Which could be interesting, but it's never explored in an interesting manner.

It's pretty damn boring. If you watched the past Yu-Gi-Oh shows you can probably predict what's going to happen. The human race has a war with the another race leading to friendship, betrayal, and sacrifice. They did with aliens in Zexal, people from other dimensions in Arc V, and now they're doing it with sentient artificial intelligence.

I will say though that the ending is a lot better than disastrous conclusion of Arc V. I won't go into spoilers, but the final duel is legitimately entertaining. Not enough to save the show, but it brought some much needed tension to show with a really predictable set-up. With that being said, I don't really recommend this show unless your looking to kill time or learn about Link Summoing.

I know there are a lot of critiques about this show, and it may be because it's not like the original or like GX. However, I have to say that Yu-Gi-Oh Vrains is one of the all-time best animes I have had the pleasure to watch. I've also been a fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise since its beginning and what sets this series apart from the others is its character. It has elements of friendship and humor from the original while also taking some darker elements from the series like 5D's.

Viewers who don't like a darker more complex feel for a show like Yu-Gi-Oh probably won't like it. Others like me, however, have been waiting to have a protagonist like Yusaku who has a more believable personality and a backstory that makes you feel and care about him. His duel style is something very reminiscent of what you can expect to see in the real-life game, while also having that anime spin with the Storm Access. Also, his relationship with the rival Revolver/Varis is very enjoyable to watch and gives some nostalgia to the Yugi and Kaiba days. The theme of the show deals with virtual reality and the concept of AI programs with free will. This is an interesting concept which as the show developed started to make fans reflect on the real world. This concept really attracts those who are interested in a show that reflects the modern world but may not to those who prefer the more magical elements of previous shows like Duel Monsters and Zexal.

The show also does a good job of targeting more mature audiences. Even though the targeted audience may have been younger, the themes and concepts explored throughout have definitely been ones that all ages can use to reflect on their lives. The following behind the show and those in the Yu-Gi-Oh Community has been amazing. Also, for those trying to compare Vrains to other shows like 5D's do to the mature and darker nature, I ask that you consider each as their own. Even though the show-runner is the same both shows have been able to tell vastly different stories and develop interesting characters that will have fans for a long time.

There may be reviews out there that are negative and that's fine, cause like I said it's not for everyone. However, I do think that Yu-Gi-Oh Vrains is truly special and a show that is worth watching, even if it takes a few episodes to get into. Anything truly worth watching usually is.

Personally, I place this title 2nd after the original. I can get over a few hilarious designs, the Data-Storm-Access skill during the duels wich doesn't make much sense and a few other minor details, because what i find the most interesting is the sory. There is a good balance between duels and plot progression with an interesting turn of events and for the first time some support characters have a back-story behind them and are quite interesting.

I personally prefer a good story with interesting characters rather than perfect attention to every detail of the game. I say you should give it a chance

Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains is a lackluster addition to the long-running Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise, failing to capture the excitement and appeal of its predecessors. With its convoluted plot, uninteresting characters, and lack of strategic depth, this series disappoints on multiple fronts.

One of the major issues with Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains is its confusing and poorly executed storytelling. The plot is convoluted and difficult to follow, with an overreliance on technobabble and nonsensical explanations. The attempts at creating a virtual reality setting feel forced and lack the immersive world-building that made previous iterations of the franchise captivating. The narrative lacks coherence, leaving viewers frustrated and disengaged.

The characters in Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains are uninteresting and poorly developed. The protagonist, Yusaku Fujiki, lacks the charisma and relatability of past Yu-Gi-Oh! Protagonists. The supporting cast fares no better, with shallow personalities and unremarkable character arcs. The lack of compelling characters hampers any emotional investment in the series, leaving viewers indifferent to their fates.

The duels in Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains lack the strategic depth and excitement that the franchise is known for. The card battles feel repetitive and uninspired, relying on predictable strategies and lackluster card effects. The animation during duels is lackluster, lacking the dynamic and visually engaging style that fans have come to expect. The duels lack intensity and fail to generate the excitement that made previous Yu-Gi-Oh! Series so captivating.

Furthermore, the dialogue and writing in Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains are subpar. The dialogue often feels stilted and unnatural, lacking the wit and cleverness that characterized earlier iterations of the franchise. The attempts at humor fall flat, relying on tired jokes and uninspired banter. The writing fails to deliver engaging and memorable lines, further diminishing the overall impact of the series.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains also suffers from a lack of meaningful themes or messages. The series fails to explore deeper themes beyond the surface level conflict of good versus evil. The missed opportunity to address complex moral dilemmas or delve into the consequences of actions leaves the narrative shallow and uninteresting.

In conclusion, Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains is a dull and confusing addition to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise. Its convoluted plot, uninteresting characters, lackluster duels, and subpar writing make for an underwhelming viewing experience. The series lacks the strategic depth, engaging storytelling, and memorable characters that defined the franchise's earlier iterations. Fans of Yu-Gi-Oh! Would be better off revisiting the classic series rather than wasting their time on this lackluster entry.

So after the failure of yu-gi-oh Zexal and after the horrible yu-gi-oh Arc-v and we have now arrived at this yu-gi-oh vrains and I tell you this that finally after all these years a much better chapter than the original anime in fact because I really liked this onemore than the other previous series and it was about time because I liked this anime you then Let's start with Yuusaku who for me was truly the best main character of yu-gi-oh for all this time because Yugi had been the best character but now Yuusaku has become himbest character because his story is so much better and the things that happen are so much better Because the limbs left me with a lot of love in my mouth jaden could have been the best ever got trimmed in season 4 yusei He could have been better too never been the problemof the slap then Yuma was really a clumsy Yuya for me he was truly the worst of all or a character who really takes it badly but now this Yuusaku has arrived and now he together with Yugi have been the best good main characters in all the series ofyu-gi-oh So this time this anime was a mix between yu-gi-oh and Matrix because the place where the two Monsters meet is a Matrix style world and I tell you that this time this style of a duel is much more nice obscured one thing and I'll tell you why Yuusaku managed to save himselfthis time there were no female characters who gave him a slap and this was really very nice for me and I advise you if you are a fan of yu-gi-oh Mabi Alberto one thing this time I won't do a review of Yu-Gi -Oh! Sevens because I really followed that series and I really don't think I'll see it since it doesn't attract me and is receiving too many negative things but for the moment I'll stop here on yu-gi-oh for me the very beautiful chairs of yu-gi-oh I'm the original and this series is true to conclude with a rating of 9.