Yu-Gi-Oh! (The TV Show)

Just recently me and my wife finished watching through the 2 seasons of  the animated "Yu-Gi-Oh" show on Netflix. While I am a minor fan of strategy-based cardgames (hell, I could practically be considered a Magic: The Gathering Grand Master), but I am usually kinda picky about my animated shows. Yu-Gi-Oh as a tv show has its issues, as do all tv shows, but I must say I dislike it much less than some others I have seen (can anyone say "Spongebob" or "Yo-Kai"?)

The TV show was based after the Japanese anime by Kazuki Takahashi that ran in "Weekly Shonen Jump" magazine from 1996 to 2004. From the widely popular series the even more popular strategy card game "Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters" was released in 1998, and the American version of the show was released in 2001 and ran until 2006. There are other spin-offs and a few Asian variations of the show that came before, during, and after the US airing, but I'm going to bypass all that confusing history and the legal controversy between the card game's Asian creator Kunami and its US distributor Upper Deck to potentially cover in a later post.

The TV show is, as I said earlier, a remarkably good show. Though it lacks the seriousness of its Asian counterparts, it manages to maintain some mature elements cleverly buried in the story line. The show follows young Yugi Moto and his rise to becoming the ultimate Duel Master. Yugi manages to complete an ancient inverted-pyramid-shaped puzzle and frees the consciousness of an even more ancient Pharaoh who can take control of Yugi's body in order to win duels and solve problems. He discovers that the puzzle is just part of a set of ancient items known as the Millennium Items, each of them seemingly possessed by their own supernatural spirits. Throughout the course of the show he encounters these items and takes possession of them, while of course saving first his family, friends, and of course the world in the process.

Character development for this show is surprisingly well done and sometimes remarkably subtle. Yugi's best friend, Joey Wheeler, grows before your eyes both as a person and a duelist. He is motivated by his friendship with Yugi and to help his sister who needs a special surgery to save her sight, and the first season he spends battling in a tournament trying to win the prize money to pay for her surgery.

Another character and initial bad-girl, Mai Valentine, goes from being a protagonist to Yugi and Joey's friend and strong ally. One of the more subtle subplots is the never realized but heavily implied romance between Mai and Joey. Its so obvious its almost touchable, and yet none of the characters ever actually seem to recognize or act on the obvious chemistry between the Mr. Wheeler and Miss Valentine.

The one complaint I do have about this show, which even though its kind of a major issue is only a minor complaint on my part, is the way the show treats the game of Duel Monsters. I mean, the concept of the cards and how they function (either by using holo-projectors or by actually summoning monsters when inside the mystical Shadow Realm). Even the idea that the cards and the monsters are derived from ancient Egyptian mages and their monsters is fully realized over the course of the first two seasons, but the rules and parameters of the actual game itself as it is played by the miscellaneous characters is chaotic and undefined. The duelists seem to activate abilities of their monsters at will and at random, and even the rules for the number of monsters they are allowed to play during each turn and the number of magic and trap cards they can play is there, but never actually explained in even slight detail. The only things they really explain is the attack and defense of the monsters and how they relate to their positions on the field and how they can hurt or defend the participants of the duel, along with the added rules in the second season involving the sacrifice of smaller creatures to summon larger ones. The duels are remarkably well thought out and the strategy is intriguing and captivating. The characters, though sometimes ridiculous in their appearance and actions, are interesting and possess a depth uncommon in most American-based cartoons. But the game itself, once you get past the flash and smoke, makes little to no sense in its logistical function.

All-in-all, the overall plot and its complexity, along with the in-depth characters and the visually impressive monsters and graphics, the show is a great watch for both young and not-so-young audiences, especially anyone who is into either the Yu-Gi-Oh or Magic: The Gathering card games. I enjoyed the show, so did my wife and 3-year-old daughter. I highly recommend this to parents and kids of any age.

Like I said, I may cover some of the intriguing legal battle between the Japanese and US developers of the Yu-Gi-Oh card game at a later date, but for now I think I will sign off.

To quote Yugi Moto, "Its Time to Duel!!!"

~Josh Shipman