Yu☆Gi☆Oh!

First of all, this series is a LOT different from "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters". While the card game was certainly present in this series, it wasn't nearly as important.

There are a lot of changes from this to Duel Monsters. Mokuba's character is 100% different, Kaiba is somehow more of a jerk, Yugi is tinier and he gets beat up one per episode. And Yami challenges people to shadow games, which end in insanity or death.

The episodes are really predictable, for the most part. One of the main characters is picked on, Yami challenges them to a shadow game and wins, the episode ends. Even so, ... it's fun to watch, because the bad guys always get what they deserve. And you get to see some real action as opposed to half an hour of children's card games. Also Joey crossdresses.

I would recommend this show to both fans and haters of Duel Monsters. If you liked the other series, you'll really like this one because it fills in a lot of missing information. If you hate the other series, then you'll probably like this because of the action and actual plot.

The art is okay and the sound track is nothing special (except for the song that plays when Yami is being awesome). I gave it a ten for enjoyment because...I LOVED this show. I'm such a geek, I know, but really, I had a lot of fun watching this. Hopefully you will too.

Heck, I've been a big player of Yu-Gi-Oh! since the game came out. I never wanted to get hooked on it but I did anyways. Basically, Yu-Gi-Oh is one of those many animes that big named companies makes money off of with collectable cards, toys, and what nots. But before we all came to know the Yu-Gi-Oh! that 4Kids TV showed us on the WB channel every morning, there was a series that started it all way before the Cards were the all so important factor of the show. This was the Original Yu-Gi-Oh thread, to many it's known as the Zero Season.

In Yu-Gi-Oh! we ... meet young little Yugi Moto. Like in the show here he was introduced as a kind and loving friend to Tea (Anzu), Joey (Jonouchi), and Tristan (Honda). There is also another character that was forgotten to be shown as well, Miho Nosaka. Miho is another of Yugi's friends that usually hangs around Tristan or Tea.

Yugi finds the Millennium Puzzle in his families Game Store and decides to build it. The box says "who ever is able to complete this Puzzle will gain the powers of the Dark and one wish will come true". Yugi finishes the Puzzle and wishes for Friendship. Then the dark spirit, Yami, grants him this wish and protects Yugi's friends from dangerous Bullies, Gansters, Rich Snobs, and demented Criminals.

Unlike the Yu-Gi-Oh! you see on TV, this is way different then what I expected. Yami, which we all see as the super good guy is a crazy psycopathic killer in this series. Always playing mind games and then killing his opponent. He is some King of Games. This is one to check out.

Overview: That other Yugioh series, the one you probably didn't see.

First a little background,

If you grew up in the 1990s, you probably saw at least a few episodes of Yugioh, the anime about children playing a poor man's version of Magic the Gathering featuring holographic monsters and rules that seem to change every episode. Yugioh was localized in the US by the infamous and now thankfully defuct company 4kids. All dark plot points involving death and people getting sent to hell were removed, and replaced with references to the "shadow realm". This is similar to early US dubs of Dragonball Z where in every god ... damned episode someone was getting sent to "another dimension". 4kids even made awkward edits where guns were photoshopped out and guards simply pointed at characters, although obviously they were supposed to be holding something.

Finally, the part where I actually review season zero:

However, even the "uncut" version without the overzealous editing of 4kids wasn't that dark. The Yugioh that was popular in the US was intentionally a kid friendly show. This could NEVER be said about the first Yugioh series, also known as season zero. Comparing season zero to the later Yugioh series would be almost like comparing Berserk to Pokemon. Season zero is deliciously dark and morbid, with the main character callously murdering people in nearly every episode. Even if you disliked Yugioh as a kid, season zero will make you chuckle. Card games aren't nearly as important in season zero, and Yami is portrayed as the king of all games in general, not just card games. Almost every episode he challenges some poor soul to a new twisted survival challenge and ends up killing them like fucking Jigsaw. This show is pretty dark and twisted for a shonen genre, but I personally find it hilarious. Watching it is like learning that there was an original version of Disney's Recess that was R rated and dark as hell. Wouldn't you want to at least watch a few episodes for a laugh? The art is mediocre and lacks the polish of the later series, but who doesn't love Kaiba's green hair? No seriously, he has fucking green hair! The soundtrack is actually quite good with an absolutely amazing opening theme by Field of View. The characters and plot are obviously a bit different, but I actually like this version a lot better. If you vaguely remember Yugioh, but won't watch it because, "that's just a baby show", I think season zero might have you laughing and applauding in no time!

The original Yugioh.

The original stays true to its name YUGIOH= King of Games, Game King. It’s not only about duel monsters but about games.
The main problem is that I didn't understand the games at all.
It was basically advertisement to sell games.

Each episode is basically the same. Yugi or his friends get into trouble and it's up to Yami Yugi to save the day with a shadow game, not necessarily duel monsters, there's a wide variety of games.

All the characters are basically the same as YGO Duel Monsters, however Yugi is more timid, Yami is darker, there's a girl named Miho who is part ... of the group (they decided not to include her in YGO DM), Mokuba is completely different, he's a jerk just like his brother.


To be honest I think the main reason I watched and liked this anime is because I enjoyed YGO DM and I wanted to experience the original. Both the original and the remake can learn from eachother.

Yu-Gi-Oh is yet another anime that follows the same trend of Pokemon and Digimon. A boy uses fantasy monsters to fight evil and save the world. You know, the usual stuff. Of course, this series has a lot to other for those who are interested in TV shows similar to this.

PROS

The art style is a bit better than other anime shows from the 90's, but you can only do so much with the visuals until the flaws are seen. I think, though, despite this, that the show should be applauded for having as good of visuals as there are.

One thing I always look ... for in anime like this is the uniqueness of the Yu-Gi-Oh creatures themselves. I would say 70% of them look different from one another. Every now and then, though, you will see a Digimon who looks too similar to another Yu-Gi-Oh. Since the majority of the Yu-Gi-Oh creatures look different, I give the uniqueness of the series of monsters a pass.

CONS

The characters in Yu-Gi-Oh are interesting, in some ways. Unfortunately, many of the characters act like others at times, which can be very annoying. I would say that it didn't bother me as a kid because, at the time, I wasn't aware of how stories worked and whatnot. But after a re-watch, it is clear that the writing in this series is not the greatest. Don't be surprised to see villains come up, one after another, who all seem to have one goal and talk in a similar manner to the previous. With that said, this only occurs within some episodes and should not be a goal of catching when it occurs.

The dialogue in the show is a bit of a mess too. It can get really annoying whenever you see a close up of a character's face and they describe what move they think will occur next. To be honest, it can be quite funny, although I know it is supposed to be taken seriously. Obvious events that the viewer knows about will be repeated over and over again. This is a problem with other shows as well, but that doesn't give Yu-Gi-Oh a pass.

OVERALL

Yu-Gi-Oh isn't anything special. I give it a 9, but part of my rating is due to the fact that I loved it as a kid, so obviously that's going to influence my judgment in some form or another. It's not a show you need to seek out, nor is it a show that will have any emotional impact on you (unless for nostalgic reasons). It's an okay show for new viewers and a great show for those coming back to watch it again.

Although, Yu-Gi-Oh! (1998) was never released anywhere except Japan, I consider it to be the best Yu-Gi-Oh! series, and I am a fan of all the series. There aren't any overly drawn out action sequences, lasting only 1-3 episodes at most (and only on 1 or 2 occasions). Whereas, the other series of Yu-Gi-Oh! have very drawn out fights that can become slightly boring if you are not completely enjoying the main plot itself. Plus, it gives that wonderful nostalgic feeling that 90's kids get, when watching a show from that era, even if you had never seen it until now. Not to mention, that ... this show does have more mature undertones, which acts as a good source of comedy for teenagers and young adults. Overall, it is a very good series, and if you do not want to watch Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, which has over 200 episodes, this show of 27 episodes should interest you.

Yugioh (also known as Yugioh Season 0) is pretty much a prequel to Yugioh Duel Monsters. It's about a shy little boy named Yugi who finds a mysterious Egyptian artifact, which is possessed by a Pharaoh spirit. He is kind of a geek and obsessed with games and toys. Eventually, he and his friends will encounter many bad guys and the Pharaoh always takes over Yugi's body to challenge them to deadly games. Unlike later seasons of Yugioh (which concentrate 100% on the card game) the very first story arc has only very few card duels, but a lot of other interesting methods of battling ... instead (that usually consist of asspulls though).
The story is pretty basic, but I always thought that the whole Egypt thing in Yugioh is kind of unique. The atmosphere is very different from the rest of the series, probably because it's from a different animation studio than Duel Monsters, so the characters look and sound different. Also, the last duel in this anime and the first episode of Duel Monsters kinda overlap, so the transition from Season 0 to DM might be awkward.

TL;DR:
If you never watched Yugioh, you should start with this one and continue with Duel Monsters. If you already know Yugioh, it might be cool for you to see how the plot actually begins or just to see Yugioh in a different style.

Yu Gi Oh

Story/
Let's clear up some confusion. This wasn't the version dubbed by 4kids that you look back on with nostalgic fondness. No, this was the anime BEFORE that. The one that was actually more concerned with adapting the manga source material than selling trading cards.
This Yu-Gi-Oh anime (often called Season 0 because it starts from the beginning) followed the sweet, often bullied Yugi Muto. However, after he solved the millennium puzzle against all odds, and became possessed by a dark entity. This more serious, more confident "Yami Yugi" surfaced whenever normal Yugi came into contact with a cruel human ... being. Yami Yugi would then challenge the evil person to a game. And here's the kicker: rarely did he suggest a game of cards.

Nope, I got to see a whole sundry of games. And not just any games. The games Yami preferred were enchanted shadow games in which the loser was excruciatingly punished. Pretty dark, huh? I found myself really enjoying this aspect of the show. Egypt is known for its many games and "YuGiOh" itself is a pun that translates as "The King of Games" so dealing with activities besides cards really rounds out the story and gives it a bit of spice.

As a brief warning, the story did run out of funding before reaching a satisfying end.

Art/
I'll try not to judge too harshly since this anime was released some time ago. The art, frankly, left much to be desired, but at the same time didn't leave me wanting to gouge my own eyeballs out. The coloring was bright and gave the whole show an extremely cartoonish feel. The style itself was simple, but was decent all the same.

Sound/
I don't mean to this compare too much to Yu-gi-oh: Duel Monsters, but the soundtrack in this didn't hold a candle to the epic soundtrack of the Duel Monsters localization. The opening was entirely average, a happy number that was catchy, but failed to be anything special. The music used for Yami's entrance was upbeat which hardly suited his harsh character. I may be biased in my sound ratings since the English soundtrack used for Duel Monsters was so good (4kid's one glowing achievement) but who can blame me? I was simply disappointed by this Yu-Gi-Oh's music. Deserves a 4-5 rating. Guess I'll be generous. 5 it is.

Characters/
The anime's main protagonists were, of course, Yugi and Yami. The other main characters were Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu who you may know as Joey, Tristian, and Tea. There was also another character by the name of Miho who was a non-reoccurring character in the manga, but still added to the main group in the anime in an attempt to balance the male/female. The characters made for a fairly well-rounded group. With Yugi as the innocent main character, Anzu as the voice of reason and love interest, and Jounouchi and Honda as the tougher, yet comedic friends, I didn't feel like there was much missing. I even felt that Miho was unnecessary, but she didn't ruin the show for me. There were many silly moments concerning both her and Honda which got annoying but not too badly. Finally, I really enjoyed Yami's character. He was sly and harsh, but also caring and gentle when it came to his friends which was a mix of traits that made him so interesting to watch. He was a character who definitely helped hold my attention in watching this show.

Enjoyment/
I think back very positively on this anime. It ended pre-maturely, but it had a great thing going. I could rant forever about how this anime and the original manga were completely better in terms of story than the commonly known Yu-Gi-Oh. Rather than giving up a large part of the story for toy sales, this anime stuck true to what "King of Games" actually means; it was original. The potential of this story was so much greater than what the franchise has become. I won't bore you with a few ranty paragraphs. Perhaps, that's a video or blog for another time.

Overall/
Very nice for an anime released 1998. It gets a 8/10 rating from me and we'll let it go at that.

I remember watching this in high school and having fond memories of it, one night just binging it with a buddy who'd stayed the night.

It's rough around the edges and it's a bit different than the rest of the Yugioh series: being the OG it's a lot darker in tone which adds to the appeal. The focus in general is less on the card game itself and more on the Millennium Puzzle and everything else having to do with it. In addition, the characters are slightly different than if one has come into this from having watched any of the others in terms of ... their personalities and character design.

The opening "A Yell of Thirst" (渇いた叫び, Kawaita Sakebi) by FIELD OF VIEW also exists as a nice contrast between itself and the tone of Yu-Gi-Oh "Season Zero". Overall it's an enjoyable show. It's not perfect by any means and I'm not sure how much it holds up on re-watches but I recall it just being a fun vibe and it has this surrealness to it that's enjoyable. It's darker. Going into it as an easy-to-consume anime will reap the most enjoyment.

I just finished rewatching it after 2-3 years and its actually pretty solid.Changed my score from 6 to 8.

As much as I enjoyed duel monsters becuase it is literally my childhood,I gotta say I liked the idea of unique games in each episode.It made the show exciting although there wasn't an actual plot.It's more like bad guy shows up Yami defeats him and gives him hell.

Also it is much much darker than Duel Monsters(especially the 4kids dub version)as this season includes scenes such as Yami burning a criminal or leaving Kaiba paralysed and in a freakin comma.

To end my review as for the music and ... the art:
The art was the same as Duel Monsters and I can say that I enjoyed the OP song and the ED song as well

Yugioh season 0 is a wonderful anime to watch even if you never cared about the modern card games. Season 0 is a fun pace show with various degrees of engagement that will quench that thirst of wanting something interesting to watch.

The main cast is very lovable, and the situations that unfold around them are just as interesting in this anime depicting the contrast of good and evil ethics.

By using an element of a game, this show is able to tackle the two together in a surprisingly good philosophical digest, food for thought.

Season 0, by itself, is a fun 20+ series where you often see ... various situational dramas, sometimes depicting real life scenarios, and the punchline of the ethically brave characters triumphing over counter evils, whether its in a societal topic, a personal topic, or a natural conundrum.

The flaws, is that it's still aimed towards young adults, so this anime won't stretch into absolute realism for the sake of its plot. Which isn't bad, but don't expect a serious blood story. Expect a situation where the hero's always win. It's a classic saturday morning cartoon, and I wish the later Yugioh series carried over much of this season, especially the missing friend in the main cast. They need to bring her back.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 0 was indeed an anime that surprised me, I loved the duel monsters edition to the series, and so I thought that this original adaption might dissapoint me, guess If I was wrong. I litterately struggled to keep myself from finishing this anime in one go. I will be writing a spoilerless review.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 0 is the very first original anime in the following Yu-Gi-Oh! series. This anime was the first one made, however due to this anime containing several elements not to appropriate for children it was never aired outside of japan. I can also see why, many of these elements were far from ... for something you should show in a G rated series, However this is an anime you wouldn't want to miss out on.

Indeed, This anime was nothing like I had expected it to be. When you see the other versions you mostly see the series as a anime mostly revolving about cardgames, however here in this version you really get to see why Yugi turns out to be the king of games in the end. That's right, in this season it isn't just the duel monsters game in which they play in this version of the series..

Yugi is your average boy, In most of his life he has been struggling feeling that he isn't enough appreciated in the field of friendship. There is nothing he longs for anymore than for some true friends that he can lean on, Upon being given a uncompleted millenium puzzle and being convinced that upon finishing it he will be able to get one wish fulfilled. As he finished the puzzle after eight years of struggle he'll find his friends, However unknowingly that they were there by his side all along. However as he completed the puzzle, he seem to begin having these wierd gaps in him memory of which he can't remember anything. Follow Yugi and his friends, when they battle people who does unfair deeds. What is truly the true power of friendship?..

I was also positively surprised to find that this edition to the series actually had some romance in it. However, what surprised me the most about this anime, was its OST. I loved every song in the series and I constantly wanted to listen to the songs.

This is an anime you wouldn't want to miss out on, Trust me. This anime, also the darkest edition to the Yu-Gi-Oh! series, will keep you watching all the way through. You will not regret watching this anime.

Well what can i say about this series is that was very good.
The series has little to no changes based on the manga only the inclusion of one character (Miho) besides that not many changes ocurred
Is practically the Yugi Oh that we knew and loved my recomendation for people is that first read the manga after that you will notices that there isn't much of a change and wasn't boring since everything changed with each episode it wasn't like duel monsters that was duel and duel and duel and duel to the point it became boring while duel monster had better animation it wasn't ... nearly as entertaining as this one.

This series deserves a remake with the animation style shown on Dark Side of Dimensions specially with anzu since she got changed for duel monster same as Yugi grandpa

(Breakdown of my ratings below)

Colloquially known as Yu-Gi-Oh! Season 0, this show loosely follows the plot of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, which was actually a horror series that focused on villain-of-the-week stories and all manner of games, not just Duel Monsters. Yami Yugi is a dark, imposing figure here, who doles out punishment games to anyone who wrongs him, shattering their psyche and leaving them a shadow of their former selves.

Your enjoyment of this show will almost entirely hinge on your feelings towards the rest of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. If you love Yu-Gi-Oh!, there's probably at least some entertainment to be gained from this ... show for you. To someone like me, who's been a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan their whole life, it's incredibly charming. If you hate Yu-Gi-Oh!, you probably won't enjoy this. The tone is different, there's less focus on The Power Of Friendship, but it's still very clearly a Kazuki Takahashi production, so if you simply can't stomach the way he writes, then this show isn't for you. Still, if you like darker shows and games of all kinds(from cards to puzzles, all the way to laser tag) and don't mind watching something that's a little rough around the edges, Season 0 is a little hidden gem that stands on its own two feet just fine without any propping up form the later seasons.

STORY: 7
Not much cohesion from episode to episode, mostly content to tell standalone stories that can frequently venture into the realm of the ridiculous, it's hardly a masterpiece of modern storytelling, but I find myself interested and intrigued by each new game, the motivations of the antagonists, and how Yami will defeat them. Kazuki Takahashi's passion for all games shows, and it makes for a show that manages(to me, at least) to be somehow endearing and dark all at once.

If you're a person that loves dark media, though, be warned that it isn't really that dark to a seasoned veteran. Despite more adult themes and horror-esque elements, it still manages to be mostly kid-friendly, even though it's not made for children.

ART: 5
It's okay. It serves the purpose. You probably won't be confused by what's happening on screen, so it manages to convey that much. It very much looks like a cheap anime from the era. I like the color choices they make and it can definitely have nostalgic appeal to you stylistically, which bumped it up from a 4 to a 5 for me, but I'd be lying if I tried to claim any more than that.

SOUND: 6
I never noticed anything explicitly bad about the sound design of the show. I think it's a solid 5 in that it wasn't bad and didn't detract from the show at all, but I really like the opening theme so I decided to be generous and bump this score up as well.

CHARACTER: 7
This and the enjoyment section are probably my strongest biases. The characters, if you're looking at this as a standalone product, probably aren't that great. But I love, love, LOVE season 0's Katsuya Jounouchi. I love how he's a shitty little delinquent punk, I love the decision to make his father an abusive drunk(not a spoiler, revealed fairly early on and mostly only mentioned in passing. It serves its purpose of explaining how Jou-kun became who he is, though). I also love this series's darker Yami, how tough Anzu is, and Honda is just a little better fleshed out to me. If you've never watched Yu-Gi-Oh! and decide to watch season 0 and nothing else, the characters would maybe be a 5. Possibly even 4, since the focus being on VOTW doesn't always leave time for the characters to grow all that much. Returning fans, though, will most likely find these takes on beloved characters refreshing and interesting.

ENJOYMENT: 9
It's just fun! It doesn't actually take itself all that seriously, the villains can actually get pretty out-of-the-box, Kazuki Takahashi managed to find obscure games that I've still yet to see gain any exposure, making their involvement in the show really shine, and it doesn't drag on and on like other seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh!. If you dislike Yu-Gi-Oh! because of its length, this is sort of like a darker, more condensed version with a slightly different focus. If you just don't like Yu-Gi-Oh! at all, you'll probably get a lot less enjoyment out of it than I did, but I loved it from start to finish.

OVERALL: 7
All around a fairly appealing and fun little romp through the darker side of the meadow. Well, slightly darker. Shaded, maybe. Like, under a tree or something. Still, it's appealing and short and worth your time if you're interested in it.

So you think you know YuGiOh? Likely, you started out watching the YGO Duel Monsters dub on TV, then watched the Japanese version and saw how much stuff had been left out in order to make the series more kid friendly for the US. Having done that, you might think you have the whole story.

What if I told you that there was another series, totally different from DM, even though it's set in Domino and has the exact same characters? You'd say I'm either lying or crazy! I don't blame you.

However, this series does in fact exist! In 1998, two years before DM was adapted ... into an anime, the studio Toei adapted the first set of YGO manga into an anime, known simply as YuGiOh, sometimes called Season Zero or Shadow/Dark Games by avid watchers.

Everyone is there: Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu, Kaiba, etc. But they are SO DIFFERENT! Little Yugi is this wussy little kid with a high pitched voice who can't get through an episode without being beaten up. Jounouchi actually starts out as something of a bully to Yugi! Honda is a neat freak who's part of the Beautification Squad because he wasn't elected class president, and Anzu's pretty much the same!

The biggest difference though is Yami Yugi. I won't spoil anything, but I will say he is totally off the chain! You mess with Yugi and friends, you incur Yami Yugi's wrath and risk your life and sanity!

So if you think you know, YuGiOh, I challenge you to check this series out. Deemed too dark for younger viewers, it was never dubbed or licensed in the USA, but can be seen on YouTube and many other anime streaming sites.

Give it a try!

So entertaining! Yugioh Season 0 was really entertaining! Lets get into the story, apart from the beginning episodes to form the story: the premise is just each episode Yami Yugi has to kick some poor fucker's ass (probably due to them beating up regular Yugi or Jounchi) in the Shadow Games, it's obviously the typical monster of the week format, but each episode is real entertaining, with Yami Yugi playing unique games with an opponent each episode that varies from a card game, a game of plucking roses, or even being transferred into D&D, and much more. In later episodes, there's even a mini-arc called ... "Duelest Kingdom" playing against Kaiba and his company, following after that is battling against Bakura which, again, is really entertaining. But, there's an unresolved plot point with an Egyptian guy that I find disappointing, but it's still fine since the rest of the season delivers.

The art was mostly neon bright colors to contrast the dark tone, which I find very unique (not much to say here). The sound was alright, and the Opening and Ending themes are superb.

The characters were a mixed bag, with great characters such as Yami Yugi, Anzu, Yugi's grandpa, Jounchi, Kaiba, and Bakura colliding with meh characters such as regular Yugi (who is really whiny), Honda, Miho (who was just there), and basically all of the villains who weren't the main ones. I can easily forgive the bland characters though Yugioh season 0 was mainly focused on the games and the execution to them rather then the actual story.

Like I said before, I really enjoyed Yugioh season 0, it was so fun watching Yami Yugi kick some asshole's ass!

Overall, I through its ups and downs, I give Yugioh season 0 a 7, simply good.

*This Anime is 22 years of as of 2020, there should be no issue with spoilers due to its age alone. I do talk about the changes from the Manga and Anime that I did not agree with. I also briefly talk about the D-Tower Arch and the change I did not agree with (basically, my reasoning for the scores I gave it). Read at your risk for spoilers.*

Yu-Gi-Oh!, other wised known as Season 0, is a unique product of its time. I came across this series while surfing the young YouTube and fell in love with it's darker setting, story telling and style. ... Even though I love it, it's not perfect and has a few flaws as a series.

It takes a huge departure from the original Manga (which I have read prior to the Anime and it is to be expected with any adaptation) by changing and adding to the stories and characters. Miho is in fact a added character to the group, even though had focus in a few episodes and shows she can be strong, doesn't truly add anything. Honda changed from a delinquent lacky to Jounouchi to a guy who's both obsessed with his club and Miho. Honda didn't have much of a character at first in the Manga but he came around and becomes part of the group. In the Anime, it is implied that he'll do anything to have Miho notice him. This hinders his relativity as a character and can get really annoying.

Another issue is the D-Tower Arch. The part that really gets on my nerve is the Rock'em Sock'em Robot fight. This never happened in the Manga and is added for the changes. In the Anime, Jounouchi and Miho split off to find Gramps and Honda (Gramps in the Manga was rushed to the hospital) and find both of them in a container with water slowly filling in. Then, Fuha and Aileen return to fight them. One, Aileen has no story reason to be there since she and Kiaba parted ways after her defeat. Two, in the Manga, Mokuba goes to free Honda as a gesture of thanks due to Yugi saving him from the Punishment that Kiaba forced him threw. This change in the Anime kills the positive relationship growth between Mokuba, and his ability to grow as a character, and the friend group. This addition made no character or story sense and makes Mokuba seem just as evil as his brother who is drowned in envy and revenge, clouding any love and light in his heart - including his love for his little brother. It shows that Mokuba has changed since the last time he and Yugi faced off.

What would I consider to be well done is the setting, music, and the characterization of Yami. Hands down, you watch for Yami and see what crazy game or challenge he'll face or create. The music is creepy, ominous, and can be also cheery, calming and funny. The music serves very well.

The art style mimics Kazuki Takahashi's style very well and fits with the type of story its telling. It's definitely not for every one and we all know its it very strange and fun to meme once it a while. It shows more when the monsters come to life. Such wonderful designs for them and Blue-Eyes White Dragon always looks fantastic.

These episodes do keep "in spirit" of the original Manga by having different games in each episode, though, "game" is used lightly since many are more like challenges than games that one can't really replicate (one gimmick of the Manga is that you can play some of the same games that the characters play, though, it's not recommended to play ones that involve tasers and knifes).

If you have seen or read Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist, then go ahead and check these out! I do not recommend Season 0 as a Gateway Anime or a intro to Yu-Gi-Oh! due to its different nature to it's successors. If you are a long time Anime watcher and never heard of this and the idea of using games as a basis of battle and you're not turned off from the character designs and the 90s look, check a few episodes out.