Cardfight!! Vanguard: overDress

Shy and timid in nature, 15-year-old Yu-yu Kondou is constantly pressured by his wacky sisters to fulfill their unreasonable requests. One day, they force their brother to crossdress for the sake of their own entertainment, prompting him to run away from home. Following a series of unexpected events, Yu-yu encounters Megumi Ookura, a friendly girl who introduces him to Team Blackout—a group of individuals deeply involved in a card game called Cardfight Vanguard.

As he increasingly connects with the members of Team Blackout—Danji Momoyama, Zakusa Ishigame, Tomari Seto, and Megumi herself—Yu-yu discovers a whole new and exciting world, one he could have never imagined without the help of his newfound friends.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kondou, Yu-yu Main

Aoi, Shouta Japanese

Momoyama, Danji Main

Ono, Yuuki Japanese

Ebata, Touya Main

Uchida, Yuuma Japanese

Ookura, Megumi Main

Shindou, Amane Japanese

Minae, Mirei Supporting

Nakashima, Yuki Japanese

Seto, Tomari Supporting

Tono, Hikaru Japanese

Iseki, Masanori Supporting

Morishima, Shuuta Japanese

Ishigame, Zakusa Supporting

Itou, Masahiro Japanese

Ookura, Takami Supporting

Oosaka, Ryouta Japanese

Kondou, Akiko Supporting

Sasaki, Mikoi Japanese

Nishi, Kousuke Producer

Taketsugu, Akane Producer

Ogasawara, Muneki Producer

Mori, Satoshi Director, Series Composition

Reviews

Sep 13, 2023

Ghrln

Recommended

Section 1: Which audience is this show for?
It is a great show if you do not care about Vanguard the card game. As someone who does not know a single thing about Vanguard and has a very small diminishing interest in card games in general, I found the show to be amazing at times and standard in some of the weaker episodes.

It is not a show about Vanguard but about the people who play Vanguard. There's a huge distinction there and the show appropriately structures around that. In the first episode, there is simply 0 explanation about the card game itself. Though slightly ... confusing, I later realized it does not matter at all. The card game is just a dressing for some conflict and the real heart of the show is the relationships between people. This becomes even more apparent in season 2 but let's save this for the review for season 2.

Now, does understanding the mechanics of the game enhance the narrative? Yes, I would say so. However, anyone who knows and likes Vanguard probably expects the show to be more focused on the games and its not. So its a null point.

Section 2: Positive Portrayals of Femininity in Male Characters
There's something distinctly different about this show versus other card games and just shounen genre in general.

The show isn't afraid to show femininity in its male characters and I mean this in the utmost positive way. First, Yuuyu (the protagnoist) crossdresses in multiple episodes and no one acts like that's weird. Sure, his friends might tease him but no one says anything like "he shouldn't do that" or "that's weird" etc. This is a breath of fresh air. Yuuyu seems very secure in his gender and in the later seasons he doesn't really mind the cross dressing as much. There's another character that has to cross dress because plot (lol) and he doesn't even mind it that much either.

(NOTE: Some animes nowadays have something similar but the crossdressing is sort of only justified because you/characters are attracted to them and not because crossdressing itself is okay.)

Another thing that I want to note is that affection between male characters (especially between the protagonist and other male characters) is extremely heart-warming. Usually, in any media, affection between men is relegated to sort of semi-competitive, too cool to express their true feelings type of way. I quite frankly find it disturbing that we see this trope over again over again. Not being able to express affection in a direct, caring way is bad. Many find this to be masculine but I think it's very sad. The show is very direct with affection and love between all characters, regardless of gender. I adore that.

Now if this doesn't immediately convince you to watch the show, I would say skip Vanguard: overDress.


Section 3: Story
There's nothing too complicated and nothing too offensive (with the exception of the creeper that sorta touches Yuuyu inappropriately). I would say the story is majorly incomprehensible most of the time. I find it hard to follow why things are happening in the way it is but at the end of the day it does not matter. You sorta just have to go along with it. I started doing that in the first few minutes of the first episode and it has drastically improved my enjoyed of the show. Think about it like it is a slice of life show with disconnected stories all happening in an episode format. Despite not making sense most of the time, the characters really drive the show forward and you care when the emotional highs hit.

Section 4: Characters
I find this to be the best part of the show. A lot of them are really likeable and quirky in their own ways. I'm fairly bad with names but i was able to remember most of the cast by a few episodes in. Danji's the unpredictable leader with a heart of gold. Really love him and when his backstory gets told in season 2 I really started feeling for the guy.



Conclusion:
Overall, i would recommend it to people but I hope I made it clear which audience this show is for. If you fall into this demographic you will definitely love it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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May 11, 2021

QuantumCyberse

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (5/12 eps)

I like the characters and I think the setting of the fights is interesting.
It’s good to see for change it’s not another card shop.

Though I think the story at this point really focus on the card game itself.
The fact that they didn’t visualize the fights like previous shows really makes it hard to understand the fight itself.

Instead they are throwing us at end of the battle animation battle. Suddenly it’s a physical fight. Why change something that was not broken ?

In the end, it makes really bad introduction to new players.

I think there is potential to this Vanguard ... but they need to make Cardfight battles that we can actually be excited and understand.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Feb 3, 2025

SevensDran

Not Recommended

It is honestly baffling that Cardfight Vanguard returned seemingly as a "Vanguard for everyone" and generally audience appealing by being short 13 ep seasons. To shock the audience with a crossdressing main character voiced by a well love voice actor. A setting about outcasts, having fun at an abandoned amusement part playing card games.

And then proceed to be just not a good show at all.

Cardfight Vanguard Overdress season 1 does not know what it wants to be or what it wants to do. Its wants to put on a air of acceptance, yet mcs Yu-yu Kondo's crossdressing quirk is just a joke. Yu-yus crossdressing ... is a result of being his sisters doll for dressing because he simply can't refuse to help when asked, and yet we don't really have a moment with his family for him to assert his will by the end of this, or really much interaction with his family at all beyond the first ep, which is strange because Vanguard animes have some pretty nice family involvement in its history.

And then we come to the group he joins, Blackout, the cardfighting group who hang at the abandoned amusement park.

There's Megumi whos quirk is just being jealous of Yu-yu because she wants Danji's attention.

Zakusa and Tomari who seemed to be almost like a cool couple but then they just start doing odd behavior thats not endearing. Tomari has a cool announcer voice though.

The best characters in all this are Danji, who's just the aloof team leader of Blackout, and in some ways similar to Yu-yu because hes willing to do anything when asked, and Tohya, the med student who just wants to dedicate his life to card games. And yet, this is Yu-yu's story. Its cool and all he was attracted to one of Danjis cards, and the interactions fun with him learning from Danji. But the story, oh the story.............

The point of the story is that Yu-yu is supposed to get confidence from discovering and playing Vanguard form this community. Danji sees potential in him, maybe even take over his group because Danji is feeling like retiring. Blackout also has to protect their turf both from cardfighters and because theyre on abandoned property. Its such a simple and good story on paper.

However, the season spends time senselessly even though on paper it all sounds good. Misadventures with Blackout, theres some inkling from Danji he doesn't talk about, Yu-yu being under Danjis wing. Megumi being jealous of the newbie, and Tomari and Zakusa being voices of reason. And how Tohya works into that story being a rival.

However what actually happens is fluctuating quality slice of life eps until some conflict and then boom, wait for season 2.

And this is something I will say in all my D series reviews when needed. Complaints about eras seasons being a 13 eps are dumb, this stuff is preplanned for more than that so they have to be good by itself while wanting you to ask for more. If Kinema Citrus can't use their time wisely like every other anime that airs in a season, then the problem isn't the episode count. Yugioh despite being ongoing still, has been structuring arcs that last 12 eps each since the studio change and theyre all well structured and tell good stories.

At least Roselia does the OP, Zeal of the Proud is a banger.

Now for last, the cardfights, and honestly, theyre fine. I am not a worshipper of how Vanguard used to do fights, as cool as it was to see full fights play out. I mean, I guess its a double burn if the fights are shortened but also the writing outside of it fluctuates, but I'll take it over anything from Aichis first era past the first season. However, even though Vanguard is now nice clean CLAMP artstyle, its pretty clear the directions made for the fights are both to look fancy, but also cost cutting measures. The new sakuga bursts are cool, much better than Vanguard not being known for sakuga before outside of the OPs.

And uh, what DOES Overdress mean? Well, onto season 2...........

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: Cardfight!! Vanguard: overDress Episode 7 Discussion SheyCroix - May 21, 2021	8 replies	by Ittan_Momen »» Jul 15, 2023 6:16 PM
	Poll: Cardfight!! Vanguard: overDress Episode 4 Discussion SheyCroix - Apr 30, 2021	10 replies	by sumanta_singha »» Mar 17, 2023 8:33 AM
	Poll: Cardfight!! Vanguard: overDress Episode 6 Discussion Marinate1016 - May 14, 2021	9 replies	by GodBeelze »» Dec 17, 2022 7:23 AM
	Poll: Cardfight!! Vanguard: overDress Episode 12 Discussion SheyCroix - Jun 25, 2021	12 replies	by P2PSelfPuppet »» Sep 10, 2022 4:47 AM
	Poll: Cardfight!! Vanguard: overDress Episode 5 Discussion SheyCroix - May 7, 2021	13 replies	by MrNegr0 »» Mar 30, 2022 11:56 AM