spoke

Yugioh: Duelist 1 & 2

There is one thing that I've realized from watching the dubs of Yugioh and reading the manga. Some writers have a very tight, compact style where everything ties in to the main story. Some have a more relaxed style, wherein some characters and things you meet are just props and/or passersby.

And then there's Kazuki Takahashi, creator of Yugioh. Bwahahaha!

I quote, from an opening note in the first manga, as translated into English. : Although at first I wanted to create a story that centered around "the mysterious" in everyday life, before I realized it, I ended up incorporating this and that - so many different things.

At first, I just thought it was interesting? ...and then. We get the one where the story is spent following the brief life of Yugi's virtual pet. >> The random oddballs and psycho teachers. The ventriloquist with a dummy playing the part of Seto's soul in Duelist Kingdom in order to screw with Yugi's head.

Oh yes. I typed that right. >:D I now feel so utterly vindicated in my refusal to register an opinion on the show's version of that game, it isn't even funny - it's gloating. Oh yeah. 8-)

Because, you see, it hit me that not only does he mean that bit about incorporating many things, the things he means are all the little wtf?! mysteries of life. Things like those that end up becoming urban legends, talk show subjects and exhibits in Ripley's Believe It Or Not. And when you're used to a more compact form of story telling, where everything that is of mid-to-high-level importance or interest has to relate to the underlying plot, this series can become very confusing.
The big lessons for being able to enjoy Yugioh, therefore, are twofold.

1. Let it go. If it doesn't make sense, let it go. If it's important to the underlying plot, he'll bring it back up eventually.
2. There is an underlying plot. However. He really was discovering such a thing was hidden in this story while writing it, and it shows. Wait for it, and make special note of Egyptian Things.
3. Wait, no, I thought of a 3rd one. Relax! Persons who have to have everything compactly tied together will be driven to distraction by the man's little excursions into wtf?!ville

^_^ I love this series.

I shall now present a list of squeeing points and little details that were left out/changed. ^^

1. Major squee point. I can so completely hear Pegasus' voice while reading his lines. It is hilarious and creepy and :D
"You just must come to the tournament my company is sponsoring." Pegasus, to Haga

2. While the duel between Jou and Anzu is pretty much the same, the conversation with Yugi afterwards happens in the classroom. Also, Yugi is the one who agrees to teach Jounouchi, and says it's perfect timing because he can come over and watch the tournament finals at Yugi's house, too! ...of course this also means Honda and Anzu coming? Yay sleepovers! :P

3. Pegasus' tape to Yugi was a combination of subliminal messages hidden in the tape telling Yugi what cards to play, and Shadow Magic - and everyone was right there in the living room with him, watching it happen! Commentary chiefly came from Sugoroku. ^^ (It should perhaps concern me that I no longer need to think to type that name)

4. Silver Fang, no Zombie 'cause Pegasus wants me to, blah blah timer running out and killing Pharaoh dead because he lost - check! Grandpa's soul being sucked out and - sealed into the tape Pegasus sent?! Houston, we have wtf?! Repeat, we have wtf here! XD

Although, you must admit it's much easier for Yugi-tachi to believe what's happened to the man when he can talk to them from his new home - a tiny handheld tv set Yugi now carries with him! XD I couldn't breathe for so long!

5. During the explaining the next day to Ryou, he meets Televised!Grandpa, we learn that if Yugi meditates he can hear what Pharaoh is feeling and his current mood is Angsty Depression 'cause he lost to Pegasus, and - Ryou returns the utter freakout of seeing Sugoroku by pulling the Ring out of his backpack! But it's okay, because it's only jewelry as long as he doesn't wear it! Ryou: ^_^

And admits to an utter fascination with mysterious and possibly curse-ed artifacts! I mean, he's all : Oooh, Pegasus has one of these, does he? Perhaps if we get to him, we can learn secrets! :D Can I come with? Pretty please? << In that ever-so-sweet/calm way of his. I have this urge to give the rest of Yugi-tachi tasers or something. XD *is now being glared at, shall :x *

6. That wasn't Yugi up on the roof angsting about Grandpa, that was Pharaoh up on the roof angsting about getting his butt kicked. And losing Grandpa. And Jou never shows up. >>

7. Jounouchi is an idiot. This cannot be mentioned enough. He thought Shizuka's tape was from Pegasus, who wanted to sic him against Yugi, and so they all gathered around to watch the freaky tape. << And learned for the first time that Jou has a sister! Ahhh the horror!

Soo, sissy, brother-angst, check. One week to get Jounouchi up to tournament level skillz? XD At least this explains why he had a little trouble with anything past telling one type of card from another?

8. No trouble for anyone getting on the boat. Cheerleaders, including Ryou, just walked on with everyone else. ...I cannot help but note that Anzu is wearing a skirt 1/4th the size of her shirt. >> *whistles*

9. Damn, Mai! Standing in the sea of duelists, they hear a voice commenting. They turn.

They see a gorgeously boobtastic woman whom you can tell has perfect makeup to go with that hair and the corset that has got to be there solely for the purpose of making sure they don't bounce when she walks.

Jou, Yugi and Honda skip past Go, collect their hundred bucks, stuff them in Mai's corset gratis and go on to become ecstatic invertebrates.

Anzu fumes as they watch her wave cheery goodbye and comment stupidly on how good she smells.

Ryou stands behind the other guys and blinks, for all that we can see of his reaction. <.<

10. Mai, in meeting Ryukazi (Rex) flirts with him like mad, hearts and tee-hees in her speech. He remains amazingly cool and calm for a 15 year old - right up until she implies that if he wins, she'll have sex with him.

At this point I actually wanted to slap her, because the boy is 15 for crying out loud! Low blow. x.x

11. Yugi handing over teh Rarest Cards in the Universe omg!! check, Jou diving into save them, check - Ryou yelling to Honda to get rescue equipment, while Yugi yells after him but does not dive in! :D Thatta boy! Rational thinking, and no one has to suffer through long angsting sequences that should've resulted in them being left behind by the ship that hello! Did not suddenly stop for two guys overboard!!

12. I'm not sure if this was mentioned in the show? 48 hour limit to the dueling, and if you don't have the 10 chips to get in you're off the island.

13. The dueling arenas were Kaiba Corp's dueling boxes, which were developed in cooperation with Industrial Illusions - Pegasus' company. The island was part Pegasus' sense of grandeur, I'm sure? But also the box shows the terrain around itself on the playing field to provide the field type/power bonus setup.

14. Duel against Weevil, check. Cheerleaders ~~below the arena~~ outside the box, check + Ryou. Mai showing up and distracting all, XD Same reactions as before, only now Pharaoh is dueling, thus depriving Yugi of some serious drooling time! Poor thing.

15. After some important expositiony wandering and the note that we're now 2 hours into dueling, they find Mai again! :D There is the whole duel between her and Jou, and Pharaoh cruelly gloats about what a blow it was to lose her Harpies' beauty by way of Time Wizard. << Dude, you'd almost think he was jealous or something. >:)

16. Nobody bringing any food, check. Honda with the Guide Book of Nutty Survivalism, check! Lunatic. Anzu calling Pegasus a 'long-haired foreigner? <<; Jou's nose leading them to fish, check! But Honda compares him to a dog. XD

17. The biggest thing with Mako? His Dad is not dead, and he just wants a new kickass boat. ...okay I have to mention he seems to be a bit of an environmentalist too. Like, with the potential to lean towards eco-terrorism. There was a very cute moment where he rendered them speechless.

18. Jounouchi. omg. That duelist they tried to 'save' from getting kicked off the island? Jou told him he'd be taking half his star chips as payment. o.o;; Honda remarks, several times, that Jou is no good at this altruism shtick. <<

19. Nobody knows it's Mokuba because he doesn't talk! Pharaoh, however, recognizes him anyway which is why he agrees to the duel. Mokuba loses, there is angsting over the fact that Seto is still in a coma! ;_; And Mokuba disses them all but especially Yugi by way of explaining why he wanted to duel him. Will be covering these conversations in much greater detail in a later post, but some of it belongs in this list.

20. KaibaCorp's stock plummeted after Seto's defeat by Yugi - therefore, Yugi's defeat by Pegasus and Pegasus becoming the CEO is meant to restore investor confidence and save the company. Mokuba, however, means to go down fighting. And I must remind myself that I love my boys and that is why I will be covering this later. Fully. And must stop now.

21. It was not. I repeat, Not! Anything to do with the Shadow Realm. It was a lunatic ventriloquist with a Seto-puppet and Seto's deck, which Mokuba's former bodyguard had stolen, being that the man was a spy for Pegasus. x.x

Ventriloquist. With a Seto-puppet. And it gets to Pharaoh's head!!! O.o;; wtf is wrong with him?!?!

22. The Blue Eyes White Dragon. First and third taken out through Pharaoh's desperate-playing-like-mad skillz. The second? Omg. So much love ^___^ It vanished. Just like the one Seto stole from Grandpa.
At the moment.
When Seto.
Came out of his coma.

<3 <3 <3 And Pharaoh and Mokuba knew. <3 <3 <3 *_* Am so happy, would have whooped and hollered except I was at work! Stupid job. Stupid co-workers who would stare at me for cheering a comic. >:ppp

23. While the duel plays, Seto gets up, discovers what's happened to Mokuba, and Horrifies the Servants in his bellowing rage that they Lost His BROTHER!! >:O There is demanding of helicopter, and Seto is on his way :D

24. In the duel with Rex and Jou. it's Jou who asks not to be helped. Anzu guilts Yugi into helping anyway - whereupon Pharaoh for the first time steps in and argues him back out of it! >:D

And of course, we are left with a tbc. x.x *waves* See you next time, on So They Totally Screwed This Up! Or Not But It's Fun To Say!