I figured I needed to reread Yu-Gi-Oh! from the start. So from reading the early chapters again, I still was shocked by how different it was from the standard Duel Monsters anime. The early chapters focused entirely on shadow games and each chapter or arc dealt with different games. Think Kaiji but with magic! The early artwork was a bit rough but after a couple chapters Takahashi-san's artwork improved especially around Death-T and Duelist Kingdom.
One of my favorite things about Yu-Gi-Oh is how well some of these characters complement each other. I think Yugi's friendship with Jounouchi and the Pharaoh are great, his rivalry with Kaiba is also one of my favorites in general. I'd also argue that the hair designs and clothing are some of the most appealing and iconic in manga/anime.
I can understand why some people were disappointed in how Yu-Gi-Oh! went from a shadow game survival manga to just a card game manga but since I was fond of the card game, I did not mind the change. I actually managed to appreciate some of the characters a bit more after reading this as I did not really like Jounouchi/Joey at first but seeing their friendship grow over the storyline made me enjoy the friendship Yugi and Jounouchi have. One moment in particular was the duel between the two in Battle City. The writing done during that moment was very emotional and you could tell that these two characters valued their friendship. It made me want a friendship that was as strong as Yugi's.
One of the few gripes I have with this manga is how forgiving Yugi is with some of his adversaries. I know Kaiba is one of the most popular characters in the franchise but I felt his change was quite rapid and how quick Yugi was able to forgive him. This was a guy who had spent millions of dollars just to create a theme park with the goal of killing Yugi and his friends. At least Jounouchi was the reasonable voice and exclaimed to Yugi in how he wasn't able to forgive him for the misdeeds he had done in the past. There's also Ryuji/Devlin's dad who almost killed Yugi and burned his entire business down just to exact revenge on his grandfather, yet in the canon DSOD movie we see Jounouchi working for his new business. Where's the police? Shouldn't these people even be in jail for attempted murder? At least with Kaiba he had his penalty game set to recover his lost heart but with the creepy clown he basically got off the hook from attempted murder. I get that it’s fictional with shadow games but this detail irked me alot.
I think Yu-Gi-Oh's weakest quality is with some of its characters and sappy dialogue but I really do enjoy how Takahashi-san is able to give some of his characters charm and chemistry with one another. I especially enjoy Kaiba's rivalry with Yugi, and Yugi's friendship with Jounouchi and the Pharaoh. That’s also probably a good reason why there’s so much doujins involving these characters cause the characters really are in sync with each other and complement one another. I think this is why DSoD felt a bit off since Yugi no longer had the Pharaoh to guide him and Kaiba viewed him more as a rival than Yugi which eventually led to Yami having to step in and save the day.
I think that Yu-Gi-Oh! Is a great manga overall and I would highly recommend it for those who did grow up with the card game and never got past the anime. There’s a lot of cuts and changes made from both anime adaptations and it’s really a shame since the manga is much darker as other reviewers have pointed out even during the Duel Monsters focused arcs and its reputation as kids anime has outshined it’s darker origins. You can tell that Takahashi-san was very influenced by Araki and JoJo with some of the art and horror aspects. Other than that, it’s a great Shonen Jump classic and Its cultural impact is still felt to this day with the new spinoffs and daily references to it in modern anime like No Game No Life to even western shows like Family Guy as it’s still one of Shonen Jump’s most popular and beloved titles alongside titles like One Piece, JoJo and Death Note.
Overall, Yu-Gi-Oh! Has certainly taken its rightful place as King of Games.
