So one morning, at around seven or so, on a random Saturday, I decided to check out Cartoon Network, see what was going on. And to my surprise...
CARD GAMES ON MOTORCYCLES.
(I promise not to use that joke again in this review).
Really, though, I was confused. "Why's he on a motorcycle?" "Who is this guy?" "What time period is this. "SYNCHRO WHAT?"
Needless to say, I was intrigued. And thus began my fascination into what would become one of my favorite shows, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds.
First of all, I really liked the opening. The animation was fast-paced and showcased a heck of a lot of new monsters. Plus it wasn't as silly as the original opening or as light-hearted as the GX one. Nah, it was just a rock tune that showed Yusei being super cool, which is good because Yusei is a super cool dude.
This show was also probably the most different out of all the Yu-Gi-Oh! shows in that it was a very serious show and dealt with some pretty serious stuff if you think about it. Symbolically, it was a show about a nuclear fallout dividing a city into two and dealing with segregation.
For kids.
Yeah, the premise of the show (or at least, the first season) is that in the future, Ener-D--the energy acquired when Duelists, well, Duel--became overwhelming. So sometime in the future, a gang of scientists, including Yusei Fudo's father, as well as big characters Rex and Roman Goodwin, created an Ener-D reactor. However, the Ener-D became even too great for the reactor, causing an explosion that wiped out pretty much half of the city, so Rex Goodwin decided to split the city in two: the Satellite--where the reactor was that destroyed most of the city--and Neo Domino City, pretty much where the privileged live.
Our hero, Yusei Fudo, comes from the Satellite, but seeks revenge against an old friend, Jack Atlas, who betrayed his trust, stole his favorite card (OH NO!) and basically ripped all his hard work out of his hands, so he must journey into Satellite to find Jack and reclaim his former glory. Along the way, we are given more and more hints about these "Signers," and the "Crimson Dragon," a mystical beast that appeared 10,000 years ago--so actually before the Leviathan that Dartz wanted to summon, I believe--and how it was beginning to reappear. Yusei, Jack, and many others are chosen as Signers and must find a way to stop an approaching darkness.
So, from that, you can see how the gimmicky Yu-Gi-Oh! situations play out but also how the show's serious background can lend itself to a really interesting story. The show is not devoid of several Yu-Gi-Oh! tropes, such as long Duels between characters, often lasting more than a couple of episodes, and the rival being a total jerk until his help is needed and then he's super cool...Jack is basically Kaiba with an Australian accent, there, I said it, let's move on.
Luckily, though, characters don't fall into the silly tropes the previous series had. Sure, Yusei is the stoic hero guy but he's also very caring about everyone, wanting the best for even his enemies. The female characters on the show are also some of the strongest ones. Luna, twin sister of Leo, is a young girl who can contact Duel Spirits not unlike Jaden did, but she doesn't just interact with then, instead she develops a strong relationship to them and their world and learns from them, sort of having them become her teacher.
Akiza is one of my favorite female characters. She's got a very hot temper shielded by a rather quiet interior, and her character development throughout the series is something very worth watching. Sadly in the second season her skills get underplayed, as in the first season she seemed to be just as good a Duelist as Yusei was. Still, her pretty tragic back-story is great, as it is akin to something of Scarlet Witch from Marvel comics, or even Jean Grey, in how her powers can get the best of her sometimes and put loved ones in danger.
I do have some gripes with the show, though not with the show itself. Rather, with it's English release. We only saw up through the battle with Aporia during the Grand Prix, but in the Japanese version, it carries on way past that, as we get to see what becomes of Bruno--whose mystery in the show is played up but has no resolution--and who is really pulling the strings. The final two duels involving Yusei are actually really freaking epic, particularly given what we learn in the final Duel against Zero.
As far as action and duels go, the second season has more, but if you're not a fan of Turbo Duels (where they ride the motorcyles), you may want to stray away, since they're on the bike most of the time. The first season has a lot more ground duels and exposition, but also character development, which appears most in the battles against the Dark Signers. In every duel against them, our heroes learn more about themselves and their motivations, which really lets us care about them and the outcomes of the Duel a lot more. Plus the final 3-on-1 battle is a really cool Turbo Duel. The villain in the first season is a bit of a twist, but, if you pay enough attention you can probably spot who it is from the get-go.
I also feel that this show was one of the closest to the card game yet, as it taught everyone the brand new mechanic of Synchro-summoning at the time. For someone new, or returning, to the game, knowing what the heck that new white card was would have been almost impossible if not for the show.
5Ds also introduced some of the coolest archetypes in Yu-Gi-Oh!, such as Infernity, the Nordic Gods, Earthbound Immortals, Meklords, Blackwings, and many more. Each Singer Dragon looked really cool and the animation for the show was also not bad, if I do say so myself.
I loved all the characters, the story was excellent, and the energy never really stopped on Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds. In my opinion, it's the best out of all the shows (I mean, it's not tough to beat Zexal, and I haven't seen much of Arc V yet), and was one of the best Saturday morning cartoons on until it got yanked for...Yuma...ugh. Still, definitely worth checking out if you haven't already! And if you play the card game, Legendary Collection 5Ds just came out with a bunch of cards from the era.
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