yu-gi-oh, as i interpret it, is more of a ghost story than it is anything else. most people who come across it see it as simply a vehicle for konami to sell trading cards (which is true, that's what it has become over time and across the many different incarnations of the anime) but my experiences with the franchise have always been centered on what it originally was - a horror franchise about games of skill and chance set in the mid 1990s. i feel like the manga is the best incarnation of the original vision.
i originally fell in love with yu-gi-oh when i was 17 (2014) and watched the 1998 anime series. it's a short, low-budget hand-drawn anime with a darker aesthetic and overtones, but it's toned down quite a bit compared to the original manga. the primary focus is on a boy who, for lack of a better term, becomes posessed by the spirit of an ancient pharaoh who protects the boy and his friends, enacting punishment on those who wish to do harm by use of making them play "shadow games", which his opponents typically end up cheating at and get punished for. it doesn't explore a whole ton of the overarching ghost story/mystery the manga revolves around, unfortunately. the following 2000 anime (duel monsters) is even more watered down, but it's okay.
there are several series that follow the original: GX, 5Ds, zexal, arc-v, vrains, sevens, and go rush.
didn't like gx but i absolutely adore 5ds and i think it may be my favourite of all the series. the characters are fun and i love the darker tones and setting.
zexal... i wanted zexal to be good but it wasn't. zexal was like spam email i just somehow managed to find meaning in (the meaning being forgiveness and reconnection with my inner child). i watched 73 episodes in 8 days and the following 73 episodes over 2 weeks.
arc-v has not managed to hold my interest but i love the protagonist's design and personality and i will finish it regardless. after that i will watch vrains and report back here...
Byron "Tron" Arclight
