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Link to original post: [drupal=1407]Anime Review: Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters GX (Season 1)[/drupal]
I remember back when Yu-Gi-Oh was just something I considered to be a crappy tie-in to a CCG. But then I read the manga, which bound raw unaltered awesome to my retinas and caused me to have several nerdasms. Don't think too much about that, I didn't. Then I saw the Toei series Yu-Gi-Oh (which was a series that didn't reach the US) and while I liked it, was somewhat disappointed because it was less dark than manga. After that I watched Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters, while a fairly interesting series, was a huge letdown for fans of the original manga. But it wasn't until recently that I bothered to watch Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters GX.
When I first heard the concept of GX, I just thought that they were over doing it. A school to teach the youth about how to play Duel Monsters just sounded like a really stupid idea. When I started the series I really missed how back in the last two Yu-Gi-Oh series, Duel Monsters was just a popular CCG, not the core of the world. Another problem I have with GX was the Duel Monsters spirits that were added. In the last series, the cards were just that, cards. The only ones that held any power at all were the three gods. But in GX every card has a spirit inside it or some crap like that. Back in the last series, it was the Games of Darkness that gave the cards power, which made sense because the power of the Dark Games could be applied to any game. But now the Games of Darkness don't feel as powerful or as menacing as before. And the series also just lost the dark feeling that was hanging overhead and present in the last two series. The series is just far to whimsical and doesn't hold that feeling that the previous Yu-Gi-Ohs had. It's almost like a step back. And the first story arc in the series is pathetic. The real main villain just kind of comes out of nowhere and expects you to consider him menacing, even though his motives are stupid. Plus the three demon cards, which are a plot device in the first story arc, all look like a lazy redesign of the three gods from Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters. And here's another problem. Most of the first season is filler after filler after filler. It wasn't until about half-way through season one that the main plot actually developed. What am I watching here, Naruto?
Now for what I did like. I would like to say that all of the main characters are very likable, even Manjome, who starts out a douche ends up being a rather likable character. I would also like to say that the series is great fun if you just don't take it seriously. And the not-so-main main villain of the first story arc was awesome. I have to say that I really liked his character, even though he schizophrenically jumps between evil guy trying to use the power of the demons to a nice guy who's trying to help the heroes.
Despite all of the bad that I've said about GX, I obviously liked it enough to make one of the characters my avatar and to finish the first season. I'll probably stick with it until the end, I just hope that the dark and violent storyline that I love the Yu-Gi-Oh series for makes a return in the next season, and that the next story arc isn't a load of mediocrity.
I remember back when Yu-Gi-Oh was just something I considered to be a crappy tie-in to a CCG. But then I read the manga, which bound raw unaltered awesome to my retinas and caused me to have several nerdasms. Don't think too much about that, I didn't. Then I saw the Toei series Yu-Gi-Oh (which was a series that didn't reach the US) and while I liked it, was somewhat disappointed because it was less dark than manga. After that I watched Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters, while a fairly interesting series, was a huge letdown for fans of the original manga. But it wasn't until recently that I bothered to watch Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters GX.
When I first heard the concept of GX, I just thought that they were over doing it. A school to teach the youth about how to play Duel Monsters just sounded like a really stupid idea. When I started the series I really missed how back in the last two Yu-Gi-Oh series, Duel Monsters was just a popular CCG, not the core of the world. Another problem I have with GX was the Duel Monsters spirits that were added. In the last series, the cards were just that, cards. The only ones that held any power at all were the three gods. But in GX every card has a spirit inside it or some crap like that. Back in the last series, it was the Games of Darkness that gave the cards power, which made sense because the power of the Dark Games could be applied to any game. But now the Games of Darkness don't feel as powerful or as menacing as before. And the series also just lost the dark feeling that was hanging overhead and present in the last two series. The series is just far to whimsical and doesn't hold that feeling that the previous Yu-Gi-Ohs had. It's almost like a step back. And the first story arc in the series is pathetic. The real main villain just kind of comes out of nowhere and expects you to consider him menacing, even though his motives are stupid. Plus the three demon cards, which are a plot device in the first story arc, all look like a lazy redesign of the three gods from Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters. And here's another problem. Most of the first season is filler after filler after filler. It wasn't until about half-way through season one that the main plot actually developed. What am I watching here, Naruto?
Now for what I did like. I would like to say that all of the main characters are very likable, even Manjome, who starts out a douche ends up being a rather likable character. I would also like to say that the series is great fun if you just don't take it seriously. And the not-so-main main villain of the first story arc was awesome. I have to say that I really liked his character, even though he schizophrenically jumps between evil guy trying to use the power of the demons to a nice guy who's trying to help the heroes.
Despite all of the bad that I've said about GX, I obviously liked it enough to make one of the characters my avatar and to finish the first season. I'll probably stick with it until the end, I just hope that the dark and violent storyline that I love the Yu-Gi-Oh series for makes a return in the next season, and that the next story arc isn't a load of mediocrity.
