User:Okamoto Takeo/Journal2

My take on the anime
I've watched almost all the episodes in the first two runs and most of the 5D's run. (I only watch the English version for humor -- on that front, the duel against Belowski is actually better than the Japanese.) However, I haven't watched any episodes past the one where Placido got busted in half. I'm more than content to read the summaries; the writers have so many freaking subplots going that I've essentially given up on them getting back to resolving the subplots from earlier. (They could have ended 5D's at the end of the Dark Signer arc, and apart from the "fifth dragon" question, I would have been perfectly content.)

There are two parts to any Yugioh episode -- the dialogue, and the card games. To be a really great episode, it has to get a high score on both factors. I've resigned myself to the fact that the card games involve tactics that would never fly in real life, but there's also an abundance of topdecking cards that have never been seen before. (Cyncical translation: the writers invented the cards in order to unravel that particular enemy's strategy.) This wouldn't be so bad, except for the fact that these cards are never seen again, which makes it really hard to admire them. Say what you will about the Legendary Dragons -- at least they were open about the fact that they made up the rules as they went along.

As for the dialogue, that's where the potential is for filling out the characters and driving the plot. My favorite type of dueling dialogue is where the opponents find an understanding between them, **especially** if they were at each other's throats at the start. That's why, contrary to popular opinion, I happen to like the Orichalcos arc! We got to see that Atem isn't invincible, Kaiba is actually capable of understanding a fellow human being, and Joey isn't just some insecure street punk. Ditto for the Dark Signers arc... but oddly enough, the final boss battles didn't contain as much redemption as the earlier ones because the sympathy (if any) was one-way. So no, I didn't like the duels against Dartz, or Rudger, or Rex Godwin -- not nearly as much as those against Valon, Amelda, Carly, Bommer and Kiryu. (For that matter, Rafael's "harness the darkness within" is a bit too depressing to watch more than once, though his redemption was touching.)

Edo seeking justice for his father's murder, the Johann/Judai/Yusuke triangle duel, the Orichalcos swordsman/Dark Signer minion duels mentioned above -- all of them show at least *some* grasp of believable tactics and progression in the characters' hearts. What I am *not* interested in is progress of the plot that does not involve the characters changing. This is why the entire friggin' preliminary half of the WRGP tournament doesn't count as good episodes. (Nor does the second half, from what I've read in the summaries.) The protagonists just keep playing cards and inevitably winning duels, and the closest things to character development we got were Ship Teasing with Aki and some simple backstory between Jack and Dragan. Sorry, Yusei -- protecting your favorite playing card from a giant robot does not count as development. (And as for the "card games" factor, I believe Team Unicorn and Sleeping Giant Thud got shamelessly robbed. As for Harald losing when he had Odin and the gang, I'm pretty sure summoning two giant monsters to Yusei's field was where it started going wrong. Not like Harald did much with those extra cards in his hand, anyway.)

Summary: I heard that 5D's is to be the last Yugioh run. That may be for the best -- there's only so far further that it can go.