Yu-Gi-Oh!

Yu-Gi-Oh! (1998) is the first anime adaptation of the popular manga by Kazuki Takahashi. Many fans call this series "season zero" even though it actually has nothing to do with the second series anime (the one 4Kids dubbed) other than sharing the same name and characters. This series essentially adapts the first 7 volumes of the Yu-Gi-Oh manga, before it became only card game oriented. Manga readers be warned, this is not a 100% faithful adaptation, there are quite a lot of differences such as Miho being a primary character and Kaiba having green hair. Story elements are changed and some chapters from the manga don't make it into the anime. However, despite these flaws, this is still a very enjoyable and fun adaptation. It keeps the soul of the manga intact and has fun with the changes. For one, Honda (Tristan) is a much more funnier character in the anime than he is in the manga. Anyway, I don't know if this really counts as a review, it's more a random assortment of my thoughts of the anime vs the manga, the manga is better overall but there's a lot of welcomed changes in the anime, making it a superb adaptation. 9/10.

While this show can be very "monster of the week" it's formula is satisfying, and its characters and plotlines are quite charming. I don't think traditional Yu-Gi-Oh fans will get a lot out of it, but for people who found the other series dull or two repetitive, it can be quite fun.

The Yu-Gi-Oh anime adaptation from 1998 that isn't well known is way different then what people know about Yu-Gi-Oh. This series has a way darker tone and instead of being only a card anime it actually has different games that Yami make (even though it also has the famous duel monster) that are made from the victim's sin. The lore is decent, but the way it was executed made it look cliche and stupid (like the really irritating power of friendship thing that we are tired to see). The characters are so so, Miho is just a girl who is too innocent made for fan service and comic relief, Anzu is the girl that is cold but friendly and has some lore involving her atleast, Honda is the second comic relief in love with Miho who just see him as a friend, Kaiba is the main villain who has a past story to not make him just a villain, Yumi is the typical innocent boy who is 100% good but has a dark side which is Yami (the best character by far) and Jonouchi which is comic relief with some completely forgotten lore.

The only thing that makes me want to rewatch it is Yami to be honest, his games are all so cool and explore the personalities of each victim.

And the reason for the comparison is simple: by watching this series it becomes clear-as-day that the original manga work that this series adapted was, like the comic runs I'm referring to in the title of the review, something that the original mangaka had not fully grasped in its entirety so he made stuff on the spot, stuff that is more or less entertaining to a certain degree (something that the Larry Lieber era of Thor and the Siver Age run of Silver Surfer by Stan Lee weren't, not even by an inch) but it's not particularly interesting except for showcasing the incredible talents involved, meaning the talents of the 100% certified Dramaturge and Shoujo/Sukeban girl lover Toshiki Inoue (the main writer of this series) and the amazing voice actress Megumi Ogata, the one behind the voice of the main protagonist (there are other people like Kaneto Shiozawa involved in here, but they last very few episodes). The problem is, no matter how much these people are EXTREMELY talented to begin with (which they absolutely and totally are), they can't elevate the failing source material, hence this series unfortunately has no real value whatsoever outside the showcasing of said talents and some glimpses at their previous/future work (I'm referring to the previous and future work of Toshiki Inoue in the likes of Ranma 1/2, Changerion, Cutie Honey the live and Death Note), utterly wasted for no reason whatsoever. I just hope for both Inoue and Ogata-Sensei (whose A M A Z I N G musical albums I would suggest you to listen to instead of watching this series tout court) that Toei gave them a good compensation for their work in due time, otherwise unless you're a Die-Hard Yu-Gi-Oh fan that must watch every single Yu-Gi-Oh series ever produced I wouldn't bother.

This is the uncensored japan only, prequel to the main series but also a more shortened version of it. The dark tone and the style are weird but great. One thing I like is that this version has more tea and yugi moments. This is a yugi that starts shadow games. I honestly don't understand why this never was released outside japan, it's not that much violent (except just 1-2 episodes about death)