Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V is the fifth installment in the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, following Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal, and notably stands out to me as being the first time since GX Konami have actually done it right. This isn't a review of 5Ds or ZeXal, so I'll keep it brief, but I feel that unlike 5Ds, the characters are actually interesting and human, and unlike ZeXal, more than five of them actually stand out. Also, Arc-V has finally stopped with the hyper-promoting of new game mechanics. Yes, Pendulum summoning, which is very cool, is emphasised, but Synchros, Xyz and Fusion all make a return to the stage. Yes, it is
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a tool to sell more cards, but they're really catering to the anime fans this time around.
Story: 7 - Now, the plot is in its infancy, but from what I've seen of it, it's very interesting. There have already been a few twists at this early point, and I'm enjoying the build-up to what I'm guessing will be the final battle. There isn't much to comment on here, but the mystery of Yusho Sakaki's disappearance is definitely a nice hook for the series, and brings us in to view a cast who seem to be gettong embroiled in a battle without them even realising it. One gripe, however, is that it seems to be unravelling into a standard shonen battle plot, as opposed to the rollercoaster it looked like it would be earlier on.
Art: 8 - The art in this series definitely upholds the standards set by ZeXal, as is to be expected for a show with the budget of Arc-V. The animation is almost seamless, transitioning between frames smoothly. The characters are well designed, I think, especially in the case of Yuya and Yuzu, with the characters emotions portrayed perfectly through their facial expressions and body language. This brings me onto another point, which is in the body language of characters. It's always drawn on point. Now, the art and animation aren't outstanding, but they are very good. They're exactly what I would expect from a Yu-Gi-Oh! series.
Sound: 9 - I adore the duel sounds and the action music, they are absolutely perfect for building suspense and showing off a flashy move or something similar. Next up is the voice acting. Personally, I think Yuya's seiyuu is absolutely perfect for the role, the way his cry of "ladies and gentlemen!" rings out is entirely unforgettable, as well as the words "tamashi no pendulum!", shouted every time he pendulum summons. Sora is another character whose seiyuu stood out to me: the way he talks is just indifferent enough to portray him, but he's certainly capable of the moments of excitement. The first OP and ED weren't really my thing, I'd skip the OP more often than not, but the second OP is definitely worth sitting through every time, it's a wonderful piece of composition that fits well with the premise of the show.
Character: 9 - This is where the show really stands out to me. Obviously, content is a lot more important than style, I mean, you can have the best art in the world but if you're content sucks you've got a crappy anime. Compare and contrast with something like Kill la Kill, which has a sketchy art style and clunky animation, but a fantastic plot and wonderful characters. The characters in Arc-V are probably the best set of main and supporting characters I've seen in a Yu-Gi-Oh! series. Let's start with Yuya, who is inherently flawed, obviously not the best duelist in the world, and hiding his sadness behind a mask. This is the kind of character archetype that appeals to me, and a lot of the tropes used are hard to pull off, and unlike with Yuma, it's done flawlessly. He's interesting, and has already gone through blue screens of death several times as a matter of course; his early character development is refreshing and entertaining. Then we have Yuzu, who is the supportive best friend, but her archetype goes much deeper than that. She starts off as kind of a mothering type, a Kotori 2.0, but she actually has more interesting flaws. Her character development, however, is top-notch, and has made her probably my favourite main character in the series bar Reiji. Now, in her character development this series loses having a strong female lead, but that can be forgiven because of the narrative necessity of Yuzu's development, and the fact that it led to her being such an interesting character. Then we have a character like Reiji, who looks like a hipster Kaiba, but is written so extraordinarily well it takes a hell of a long time before we know whether or not he's a good guy or a bad guy. Hell, right now I still have my doubts. Finally, Kurosaki Shun and Yuuto. They are both mysterious, and interesting, but Shun is definitely the one I prefer of the two. I won't say much to avoid spoiler, but he's finally the well-written pragmatic hero that Yu-Gi-Oh! series have been sorely lacking. All previous characters falling into this archetype haven't been written right, in my opinion, and I write a lot of pragmatic heroes. I get a lot more of an anti-hero vibe from several characters than I ever expected, and that's a damn good thing in my book. As far as rivalries go, Sawatari starts off as a jerk-ass and continues fulfilling that trope until character development hits him hard and fast.
Enjoyment: 9 - So far, I haven't disliked an episode, and that's saying something, especially with the annoying Yuya cheer squad comprised of the one-dimensional children, the only character mistake made in this show. Every episode and every duel has served a narrative purpose, for once there have been no pointless filler duels, and for that I am glad and I give a 9 for enjoyment.
Overall: 8 - Critically and objectively, I thing the fact that the plot is beginning to stagnate into something altogether predictable brings the series down somewhat, as well as the annoying cheer squad that just take up character space for no reason. However, this show is worth watching just for the characters, and even a cliched plot would be interesting with this character set. Hopefully, like ZeXal, we get a rip-roaring second season with a fantastic plot, but only time will tell. I still recommend a watch.
Nov 24, 2014
Yu☆Gi☆Oh! Arc-V
(Anime)
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Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V is the fifth installment in the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, following Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal, and notably stands out to me as being the first time since GX Konami have actually done it right. This isn't a review of 5Ds or ZeXal, so I'll keep it brief, but I feel that unlike 5Ds, the characters are actually interesting and human, and unlike ZeXal, more than five of them actually stand out. Also, Arc-V has finally stopped with the hyper-promoting of new game mechanics. Yes, Pendulum summoning, which is very cool, is emphasised, but Synchros, Xyz and Fusion all make a return to the stage. Yes, it is
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