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TLDR: This is the most criminally under-rated show on MAL. I've never written a review on MAL before but in this case, I felt compelled to as this show deserves a much higher score.

When I saw the (as of writing) 5.84 rating that this show was given by MAL users, I was ready to write it off as I had made the assumption that anything less than a 7 would be a waste of my time. But on a whim, I decided to check out the first episode as I grew up watching and playing Yu Gi Oh (we took our duels VERY seriously...) ... and I occasionally miss it so I like to see what's new.

As per the MAL rating, I came into the first episode with low expectations but in the end, I was utterly blown away. Long story short, this show is FUN. It has my favourite OP this side of Bloody Stream and the cast is incredibly likable (especially Rook who is 50% edgy, 50% extremely goofy. He's the best). This is easily the funniest Yu Gi Oh series and I've found myself laughing in every episode so far. The main character Yuga is also very likable and is my favourite Yu Gi Oh protagonist since Yusei from 5Ds. I'm so happy to be able to say all this because I had thought that the Yu Gi Oh series would be all down hill from 5Ds.

But the main thing I want to discuss in this review isn't why this show is so good but why, in spite of its quality, its MAL rating is so low. I think it ultimately comes down to the changes this show makes from Yu Gi Oh series prior. There are new rules, there's a new art style and the main cast are younger than ever. Changes like this are bound to evoke ire from long term fans of the series who don't want to see major changes to their beloved franchise and so associate the changes with a decline in quality. The new rules are really fun and take the game back to basics (without feeling overly simple like Duel Links). As you can now draw cards until you have 5 during your draw phase, comebacks feel way more plausible and less like an asspull. I think the art still looks nice and the character designs are great. The only problem is the CGI monsters but this has quickly grown on me and doesn't bother me anymore. Though the main cast are around 11 years old, the show is not at all alienating to an older audience, and the age of the characters doesn't really matter as the show could have been set in High School and still be the same.

To conclude, this is my favourite show at the moment and I hope that the low MAL rating doesn't dissuade you from giving it a go like it almost did to me. The creators are clearly very passionate and their passion is infectious. As soon as the new cards are released, I will say goodbye to my family and make my return to duelling. What could be higher praise for a Yu Gi Oh show than that?