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Nexus Reviews, Imus (2026)

15/04/2025

“The first rule is: you do not talk about Fight Club.”

Fight Club is a 1999 American film directed by David Fincher based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film starred Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter. The film centers around the unnamed Narrator (Norton), who struggles with his bleak life until he meets Tyler Durden (Pitt), whom he befriends. The Narrator finds himself in constant awe as he gets to know Tyler further and eventually creates the titular Fight Club with him, leading to unimaginable consequences.

The story is structured in a first-person point of view, with the narrator constantly telling the audience of his thoughts. It was effective in establishing the character of the Narrator as well as limiting the perspective available to the audience, which served a greater purpose later on in the film. What the audiences and the film’s fans would agree upon that the film executed well was how it handled its plot twist. Because what seemed to be a man vs. man type of conflict evolved unexpectedly (or expectedly) to man vs. himself. The film transformed from an action thriller to a psychological thriller, an approach uncommon in movies.

Some might argue that the seeds for the plot twist were planted and foreshadowed early in the film, but those were only observable if: one, the audience is really immersed in the film, and two, it is a rewatch. First-time audiences would not be too keen on the blink-and-miss-it details, and therefore they would really be scratching their heads trying to make sense of the plot and how it went from the start to a certain point.

What draws the audience is not the story alone, but the complexity of the characters, which the actors justified in their performances. Norton is a well-known actor for his perfectionist approach to his roles, and this one, where he played the Narrator, was no exception. Arguably, one could say that he carried a lot of weight in the film. Pitt, on the other hand, delivered a performance worthy of praise. He had matched the energy Norton had, and it is no joke that he brought Tyler Durden to life only as he can. Bonham Carter was not to be dismissed either. She has exuded a different kind of aura in her role in the film that wouldn’t work if it was played by a different actress.

The cinematography did the film a lot of favors because it set up the tone for it. The color grading fit the dry and sometimes bleak atmosphere of the film. The camera angle and editing also served the film well. Had they not been executed that well, the film would no doubt fall in on itself because it was important that tiny details be kept hidden until they are ripe for presentation.

As for its detriments, the film has a considerable number of detractors that question the aim of the story. And these are also valid talking points. As much as the plot twist was great, this also came with the question of how it was possible for the Narrator to be a person both capable and incapable of acting the way he did in the film. And most importantly, was there really a sense in the ending? What happens next?

In any case, Fight Club is a film fit for those who want to watch something unique. Even by today’s standards, not many were as good as Fight Club. Like it or hate it, it is one of the films made that left a huge mark in Hollywood because even now, even when it is against the rules, many people, including you, are talking about Fight Club.

Final Rating 8/10

15/04/2025

Celebrating my 4th year on Facebook. Thank you for your continuing support. I could never have made it without you. 🙏🤗🎉

14/09/2024

Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions is a 2016 animated film directed by Satoshi Kuwabara and written by Kazuki Takahashi, the author of the original manga. The film has been billed as the epilogue to the manga, and to promote it, a short manga was made by Kazuki Takahashi titled Yu-Gi-Oh! Transcend Game, which bridges the original manga to the film. The voice actors from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters animated series reprised their roles for the film, making it considerably also a sequel to the said animé series.

The film takes place six months after the events of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga wherein Atem, otherwise known as Yami Yugi, has proceeded to the afterlife for his hard-earned rest. Yugi and his friends prepare for their high school graduation and plan for the next part of their lives. Kaiba, on the other hand, is still determined to have his victory against Atem by recovering the Millennium Puzzle. Another character by the name of Aigami (Diva) arrives at Domini City to stop the resurrection of Atem’s soul and to get his revenge against Yami Bakura. These characters ultimately face each other in a chaotic three-way duel with the souls of everyone on Earth at stake.

The film acts as an added epilogue to the manga, where it shows what happened to the characters after the ceremonial battle between Atem and Yugi. Since this film was released more than a decade after the manga and the Duel Monsters anime ended, it felt like meeting old friends back and catching up with them. There were changes that are noticeable with the characters, from some of their hairstyles, mature-looking faces, and their behavior. But one thing that did not change was the bond they have, and in Kaiba’s case, he was still the aloof and arrogant person who can do it all with money. It’s nice that many things changed while some still remained the same.

The film had good pacing because it basically covered an entire arc on its own. It was able to pull up callbacks from the previous arcs while also pushing up its own storyline. The introduction of the new characters was serviceable to the story. There was intrigue involved, especially in the powers exhibited by the villain Aigami using the Quantum Cube and Plana Dimension, which added depth to the plot.

There was also a new rule of dueling introduced called Dimension Summoning, which affects the power of the monster summoned based on the user’s spiritual power. It was a little confusing at first, though, because it bypasses the familiar way of summoning monsters in a duel. But that in itself is quite a callback to how games go in the original manga.

The main story revolves around Yugi, Kaiba, and Aigami as they clash over whether to summon back Atem in the modern world. Each of them had their reasons for wanting and not wanting Atem back. The buildup to it was good for Kaiba and Yugi, but not for Aigami. As the main antagonist in the movie, Aigami was quite a weak one, literally and figuratively. He was like Yami Marik in that he has these threatening powers, but his dueling skills were actually subpar, as made evident by his first duel against Kaiba. His goals, while understandable, were also similar to Marik’s. It can actually be argued that the true antagonist in the film was the Millennium Ring, which still contains Yami Bakura’s influence, hence making Yami Bakura another pain in the ass that they have to deal with even after his defeat in the manga.

But for all the flaws in the antagonist, the protagonists made it up. Yugi and Kaiba were the heart of this film. They carried the emotional conflict in the film, that having almost none of Atem in it worked (Atem only had a brief appearance in the film: a simulation and a “fan service,” if you will). Yugi’s character growth in the manga was given justice in this film, whereas Kaiba’s lack of growth in the manga actually served him well.

The film’s ending, seeing where they all went, was nothing short of satisfying. There were no more plot threads hanging... well, except for that head-scraping ending where Kaiba went to the afterlife using his seemingly unlimited money and technology to finally have his duel against Atem.

The movie is the best-looking Yu-Gi-Oh! animated production ever. Obviously, because it is a movie, by default it would look good. But compared to other Yu-Gi-Oh! films from before, it was a feast for the eyes. The use of CGI in the film was done well; it did not look awkward compared to other animated features mixing traditional 2D and 3D in the same scene. The animation itself was smooth. And most importantly, it still has the same exaggerated moves of the duelist as they play the card game, giving the impression that they were in an actual high-stakes battle. The artwork also retained the classic Kazuki Takahashi feel.

The music had this sense of grandiosity. It was just a missed opportunity to feature Passionate Duelist more; it would have been great if it was also in the climax, but the original music score gave a sense of epic scope to the film.

The voice acting was also on point. Yugi’s voice actor, Shunsuke Kazama, made Yugi mature not just on his looks but also on his demeanor. Yugi had indeed grown into a man, far from the shy and timid kid he started out as. But definitely the best voice actor should go to Kenjiro Tsuda. He delivered Kaiba’s lines with energy and emphasis. His “BURU AIS WAYTO DURAGON!!!” It was perfect! It was perfect! Down to the last minute detail.

This film is a love letter of the author to the fans who supported the manga and anime through the years that have gone by. It may not be the best sequel film to an animé, but it was certainly a way for the fans to relive much of their childhood. They have grown, just as Yugi and his friends have. And even if Kazuki Takahashi is no longer with us, he left behind a legacy that would forever go on as long as people are still playing games.

Final Rating 8/10

13/09/2024

The Ceremonial Battle is the final arc of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga written and illustrated by Kazuki Takahashi. This arc was covered in chapters 337 to 343, which completes the entire series. The arc was also released in the West as part of the Millenium World subseries.

This is the last part of a 5-part series review that discusses the entirety of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga. As such, this review will not focus on the details surrounding the animé series, although it may mention some important differences.

STORY
The arc focused on Yami Yugi’s final journey as he had finally recovered his memories and his lost true name, Atem. With that goal achieved, he must then travel to the Pharaoh’s tomb in Egypt so his spirit can be finally laid to rest. But it was not a simple matter. Atem must be defeated in a duel first before he can proceed to the afterlife.

And no one else was fit to play the role of Atem’s final opponent than Yugi himself.

The two characters shared the same body for almost the entire series, and they have made an immense bond with each other. Yugi was conflicted, as were his friends, if they could let Atem go to the afterlife instead of spending the rest of their lives together. But knowing the right thing to do, Yugi resolved to do his part for himself.

Then the final duel commenced.

Atem and Yugi dueled using their own built decks. It was one of the best duels in the entire series. The back and forth between the two trying to counter the combos and traps that they prepared against each other was nothing short of ecstatic. They knew what the potential moves were the other would do, and timed reversals tipped the game in favor of the other.

At this point in the manga, Atem was virtually undefeated. And Yugi must step up beyond his own limits and confines if he is to defeat Atem. The final turn of the duel was utterly mind-blowing. The victor of the match won thematically, which was both fitting and emotional.

The arc only revolved around the buildup and that singular duel. It was short, but it was so concise that prolonging it was unnecessary. The anime added a few turns and scenes. One such great addition was how Yugi faced all the Egyptian God Cards on a single turn and bested them almost all at once. Kaiba was also present in the animé as witness to the duel he wished he could have. The manga also ended with not much of an epilogue, while the anime added more scenes via the credits scene showing other minor characters and post-credits showing the fate of the main characters.

ART
Still, what can be said that was not said before regarding the art of the manga? It was great, and it was the perfect art to close out this series.

OVERALL
Yu-Gi-Oh! showed that games are fun when played together with friends. Yu-Gi-Oh! also showed the dangers of playing with darkness and an evil heart, as it could bring harm to others. It was the author’s intent that through his work, people would be able to enjoy gaming, especially Duel Monsters.

Kazuki Takahashi’s legacy lives on through the multitude of anime and manga sequels to Yu-Gi-Oh!. The card game may be what introduced the series to many audiences. And some could really believe in the power of cards to change what is seemingly a bad draw to a better destiny.

Yu-Gi-Oh! still remains popular today. And while it can be argued which Yu-Gi-Oh! series is the best; none of it will come to be without the original walking so that the rest could run.

Final Rating: 9/10

12/09/2024

Millenium World (or sometimes called the Memory World) is the penultimate story arc in the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga series written and illustrated by Kazuki Takahashi. This was covered in chapters 279 to 336 of the manga. It was released in Western countries under Yu-Gi-Oh! Millennium World, which was completed in seven volumes.

This arc followed the events of Battle City, wherein Yugi/Yami Yugi won and obtained all the Egyptian God Cards, which are the key to unlocking the Nameless Pharaoh’s memories. However, the other soul inhabiting the Millennium Puzzle finally revealed itself to finish the battle it had with the Nameless Pharaoh 3,000 years ago. Both the past and present swirl into chaos as the battle for the Nameless Pharaoh’s name and memories commence.

This review (which is divided into 5 parts) will focus on the original source material, which was the manga. And as such, it will not focus on the details surrounding the animé series, although it may mention some important differences.

A side note: there is a spin-off manga called Yu-Gi-Oh! R written and illustrated by Akira Ito. The story in this manga took place after Battle City, but before Millennium World. The manga was collected in 44 chapters, which saw Yugi and his friends deal with Yako Tenma, Pegasus’ successor, who sought to resurrect him using Anzu’s body. And expectedly, Yugi and his friends must duel their way to Yako in order to save Anzu.

The spin-off was decent at best because it mostly resembled the art of Kazuki Takahashi; however, the story didn’t evoke the same feeling as the original manga did, and some duels were quick or short.

STORY
Millenium World begins with a backstory of how Sugoroku Muto (or Grandpa) obtained the Millennium Puzzle in the past. This gave a huge layer of story to the characters of Grandpa, who were mostly on the sidelines, and the Nameless Pharaoh. Moving back to the present, Yami Yugi presented the three Egyptian God Cards to the stone slab in the museum, which took him back to what seemed to be ancient Egypt. Yugi, Anzu, Jonouchi, and Honda followed Yami Yugi in the Millennium World to help him find his name and thus fully uncover his memories.

The beginning stages of this arc were pretty straightforward; Yami Yugi basically relived his memories as the Nameless Pharaoh, surrounded by priests who held Millennium Items to keep peace and prosperity in Egypt. However, peace won’t last as a grave robber with the name of Thief King Bakura invades the palace and wreaks havoc. Yami Yugi and his priests battled Thief King Bakura to stop his rampage, but it proved to be difficult because of his Ba, or spirit monster, Diabound which gradually evolved into a terrifying monster.

And yes, Thief King Bakura was the past incarnation of Yami Bakura, whom Yugi fought many times before. And when it seemed that the flow of this arc was straightforward, Kazuki Takahashi pulled an uno reverse card by revealing that the Millennium World was a Shadow Game dressed up as a tabletop role-playing game with Yami Bakura and Yami Yugi playing their own characters having a portion of their souls within it.

This made the arc more intense because it focused on several fronts. Yami Yugi’s battle against Yami Bakura, Yami Yugi’s battle against Thief King Bakura in the Millennium World, and Yugi and his friends’ quest to get the Nameless Pharaoh’s name.

In this regard, it cements Bakura as the series’ best villain. For the most part of the manga, Bakura was on the sidelines scheming. Even when he appeared in full to oppose the protagonists, he always ended up getting defeated. Which was probably why some readers look at him as weak and not worthy as an adversary. But this arc showed how fearsome and sinister he truly was. He basically manipulated everything in order to get to his goal of beating the pharaoh.

Although one notably absent was Kaiba, he was not present in this arc at all. However, his past incarnation named Priest Seto was there and was essentially Kaiba. He was also involved in a subplot with a girl who can summon a legendary white dragon with blue eyes, which was said to rival the gods. There was also another character, Priest Akhenaden, who has ties to both Priest Seto and Thief King Bakura.

The arc culminates in a climactic struggle between the Nameless Pharaoh: Atem, who finally recovered his name thanks to Yugi and the others, and the true dark persona of Bakura: Zorc Necrophades.

There were some confusing aspects to the story, though, especially with Bakura and his different incarnations throughout. Like there are too many versions of him, even claiming that he is Zorc, which was also claimed by another character.

The interesting aspect of the duels in this arc was how it was different yet the same concept as the Duel Monsters card game. But instead of using cards, the duelists use stone slabs carrying monsters born from their own souls. And instead of life points, the duelist himself or herself is the one physically and spiritually hurt. It was another layer to the battle element. The return of the tabletop RPG that Yami Bakura designed was a nice callback to the Monster World arc from before.

The animé adaptation of this arc was... there. Despite adding any details and Seto Kaiba present, the animé was still inferior to the manga. This was very true, especially in the animation aspect, which was unfortunate because the animation studio could have made this more epic if things looked well. Some episodes just looked bad. Maybe it was because of budget or studio issues since different studios adapted the manga, but again, it could have been way better.

ART
Because this arc was among the last ones, this was definitely Kazuki Takahashi at his peak. He made the Egyptian characters look cool, fitting for a shonen demographic. The background and character design were well done. Yami Yugi as Atem was the best-looking character here. One could say Kazuki Takahashi gave it his all to make sure Atem embodied a powerful pharaoh.

If Battle City looked animated in manga form, Millennium World looked more so. Every panel and page were indeed turners. There was a lot of attention given to even minor details that would actually come later to be important. Therefore, the readers must keep an eye on those said details and not simply go through the pages. It would be a waste after all not to bask in the great art of the author.

OVERALL
Millennium World is actually a much better arc than Battle City. Yes, there it is. While Battle City was iconic for many reasons, mostly related to the Duel Monsters card aspect, Millennium World featured a tight and focused storyline. There were more characters introduced, while some were notably absent. However, many of these new characters contributed to the story. Many of them were also part of highly emotional scenes.

There were revelations as well in this arc that finally shed light as to the origins of the Millennium Puzzle, the back stories of many characters, and the satisfying buildup and conclusion to the Nameless Pharaoh’s past.

Yugi also became more of his own person in this arc, finally showing him why he was the only one worthy to solve and hold the Millennium Puzzle. It also showed his true strength when it came to dueling on his own.

The next and final arc is where all the duels lead up to...

Final Rating: 10/10

11/09/2024

Battle City Arc is the third major saga in the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga series written and illustrated by Kazuki Takahashi. This arc is commonly separated into two sub-arcs: Battle City Preliminaries and Battle City Finals. The entirety of this arc was covered in chapters 146 to 278. In the Western release, this completes the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist manga.

A quick mention: the Battle City arc was preceded by a short arc called Dungeon Dice Monsters, which introduced Ryuji Otogi and the titular game. It was covered in chapters 134 to 145 of the manga, wherein, following Duelist Kingdom, Ryuji, at the behest of his father, sought revenge against Yugi and planned to take away the Millennium Puzzle from him. Ryuji and Yugi battled through the game Dungeon Dice Monsters. This is important to mention because this is a game that also had its own spin-off in real life.

This review (which is divided into 5 parts) will focus on the original source material, which was the manga. And as such, it will not focus on the details surrounding the animé series, although it may mention some important differences.

STORY
Following Yugi’s victory over Pegasus during the events of the Duelist Kingdom, life has returned to normal. Yami Yugi, on the other hand, discovered a stone tablet displayed at a museum depicting what looked like him and Kaiba in ancient Egyptian appearance. Ishizu Ishtar, the one who brought the stone tablet, revealed to him that he may be the Nameless Pharaoh and that they were waiting for 3,000 years; however, to fully serve his purpose, he must recover his lost memories by gathering the three Egyptian God Cards and present them to the stone tablet.

At the time, Kaiba has been granted by Ishizu one of the legendary god cards as was "destined." Kaiba set his eyes on taking all of the God cards and defeating Yugi once and for all. He organized the Battle City Tournament with his goals in mind.

Inevitably, both Yugi and Jonouchi enter the tournament once again with personal goals, respectively, while their friends cheer them on.

The tournament also saw the return of many characters from Duelist Kingdom who participated in very good duels, such as Insector Haga and Mai Kujaku. There were also a lot of many new characters that were introduced who also dueled the protagonists, such as Pandora, and the Rare Card Hunters, who collectively were the antagonists. Speaking of the antagonist, Ryo Bakura makes a strong comeback, looking ever more sinister than before.

The arc’s main antagonist was Marik Ishtar, the brother of Ishizu, who sought revenge against the pharaoh (which was Yami Yugi) for bringing misfortune into their lives. Marik and Ishizu belong to a clan of tomb guardians that guard the pharaoh’s resting place. However, their lives were practically filled with tragedy, leading Marik to harbor such hate against the pharaoh. Marik is also the owner of the millenium rod, while Ishizu held the millenium necklace; both are ancient artifacts similar to the millenium puzzle Yugi held.

However, the antagonist in the arc shifted during the second portion of the arc when Yami Marik (Marik’s dark side) took over. Honestly, Marik is the more interesting and threatening villain because he at least had a motivation brought by his suffering in the past. Yami Marik’s motivation is quite one-dimensional, almost cartoonish, as he only wants to take the entire world into darkness.

One aspect that kept Marik atop was his God card. It was presented with mysterious abilities, which kept the tension in the plot high. Yugi and Kaiba thought of many ways to defeat it. But as much as it carried the tension, it did not elevate Marik, or more specifically, Yami Marik, because there was this duel in the finals that would have seen him beaten not by Yugi, if not only for Jonouchi being able to continue dueling in their shadow game. As cool as Yami Marik looked, he wasn’t that much of a villain, which was unfortunate. The original Marik being sidelined was also a misstep.

As duels in this arc featured a revamped ruleset that closely resembled that of the real-life card game rules, save for some card effects and the life points. The expert rules that this arc had are what the real-life players are mostly familiar with, so it brought more relativity to the game.

The sheer number of characters and duels present made this arc the longest in the series, and mostly it used the same format as Duelist Kingdom in making a buildup towards the climax. The story alternated between the duels Yugi and Jonouchi, and in some cases Kaiba, participated in. It was impressive that the author managed to keep up the pace even though the story followed multiple characters.

There was still an issue in this arc being Yugi’s so-called luck or his “Destiny Draw." It always happens that whenever he was about to lose, he would draw the exact card that he needed to win. It was what some fans called plot armor because in the manga, Yugi technically didn’t lose a duel.

The main focus of the arc was the gathering of the Egyptian God Cards. Yami Yugi had to work his way toward obtaining one of them; essentially, his card was the least formidable in terms of superficial strength. Kaiba’s and especially Marik’s God Cards were presented as something grand with their special abilities. The battles for the God cards made the arc hyped up to the level that exceeded all other games featured in the series.

ART
The artwork in this arc was solid throughout. Kazuki Takahashi handled the presentation so well, especially when he used double-page spreads to show an epic scene. The artwork was animated in its own way. The appearances of Yugi, Kaiba, and the other characters were way better. Their looks were how they were remembered by many fans.

There is also a lot more detail put into the artwork, which made reading the manga more exciting to look at.

OVERALL
Battle City Arc is deemed by many to be the best arc in the whole series because of its scope. It was grand, it was epic, and it was longer than anything else. All the duels were good, some more than others. Kazuki Takahashi managed to elevate the plot every time a duel took place. There were many intense duels that would undoubtedly keep the readers excited for the next chapter.

There was just a questionable choice for the final villain of the arc and how it was resolved at the end. Perhaps if the story stuck with the original villain, then this arc could have cohesion until the end.

Nevertheless, Battle City Arc didn’t skip a beat in showing character development for all the characters, main or supporting. And most importantly, this is the arc that showed the true form of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters that fans and players know today.

Final Rating 9/10

10/09/2024

Duelist Kingdom Arc is the second major saga in the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga. The arc was covered from chapters 60 to 133 published in Weekly Shonen Jump. In the Western release, this started the shift of the series to be under the title of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist.

This review (which is divided into 5 parts) will focus on the original source material, which was the manga. And as such, it will not focus on the details surrounding the animé series, although it may mention some important differences.

From this point in the manga, the main focus shifted from various games to Duel Monsters, a card game wherein players called duelists use a deck of cards to battle. This particular card game was featured in the earlier chapters of the manga, which, according to the author, Kazuki Takahashi, was received well by the readers, prompting him to feature the card game again.

In this arc, Yugi has become a well-known individual in the Duel Monsters community with his victory over Kaiba. Maximillion J. Pegasus organizes a tournament to decide the Duelist King, the best card duelist of all time. He forces Yugi to participate in the tournament by trapping his grandfather’s soul in a camcorder. Kaiba sneaks into participating as well to ensure the stability of his company, KaibaCorp, and save his brother Mokuba from Pegasus. Jonouchi also participates in the tournament to win the cash prize and get his sister Shizuka’s eyes treated.

With many individuals participating in the tournament for their own reasons and goals, Pegasus’ island becomes a battlefield wherein duelists stake their pride and dreams to become the Duelist King. Yugi must overcome the seemingly unbeatable Pegasus, who holds the Millennium Eye, an ancient artifact capable of seeing through the opponents cards, to save his grandfather. But before Yugi can do so, he must defeat the duelists standing in his way to Pegasus.

STORY
Duelist Kingdom is inarguably an iconic arc, thanks largely to the second animé series that adapted it. The second anime skipped the first saga of the series and proceeded to Duelist Kingdom (except in the first episode, where it basically featured a special run of the Death-T arc with Yugi and Kaoba’s duel). However, in any case, the second animé series added a lot of story details and episodes not present in the manga. On the other hand, it also featured less violence than the manga did. There were many scenes that either completely omitted the graphic scenes or tweaked them so that certain story pieces were different in the two versions.

One thing that cannot be denied though was that the manga was superior in many ways.

First, the story was not only well paced in the manga; it was also on point with the goal of the story reflected by the goals of the characters. As the story arc progressed, many characters were also introduced through the duels Yugi and Jonouchi went through. But despite the heavy battle flow, the progress was noticeable, especially since they have an objective of gathering ten star chips to have the right to participate in the finals. The animé added duels that both give additional context and details to the story; however, it also sometimes appeared to be padding the episodes, resulting in a lesser pacing quality.

The duels in the manga were about 3-4 chapters only and focused heavily on Yugi’s and Jonouchi’s duels. The author was able to craft the plot alternating between the two duelists so that the readers will not find monotony in following a sole character. Yugi or Yami Yugi’s duels were serious and tense, while Jonouchi’s duels were more comic yet full of wit.

The duels themselves were like building blocks building towards a much-awaited final. There were many moments in this series that were full of action and emotion, notably the duel between Yugi and Kaiba and the battle between Yugi/Yami Yugi and Pegasus.

However, one aspect of this arc was how some duels were presented as if it were a tabletop role-playing game instead. The author admitted that sometimes the effects of the cards do not reflect the effects in the real-life card game in order to create tension in the story. One of the most popular examples of this was when Yugi destroyed the moon on the field because it caused high tide, enabling the opponent’s monsters to hide in the sea. Yet in the actual game, that scenario would be impossible.

It would be okay if the series did not focus on the card effects, but the way they play the cards sometimes was head scratching because they looked like they were making their own game rules.

Another instance of the story not making sense was how convenient it is for Yugi to win unwinnable duels. This started the actual trend of Yugi doing what fans refer to as “Destiny Draw." This was explained to be one of the abilities of the Millennium Puzzle that Yugi would be able to draw a card at the exact moment he would need it when he is backed to a corner and about to lose. It was one heck of a plot armor, making Yugi technically unbeatable.

ART
Kazuki Takahashi’s artwork from this point on was the look that many fans would be familiar with. The drawing was definitely and significantly better than how it looked before. It would seem that the author at this point in time found his signature art style that would be carried moving forward.

OVERALL
Duelist Kingdom is a must read for Yu-Gi-Oh! fans. While some rules and effects of the cards vary from the real-life card effects, the entirety of the arc is very entertaining. The character complexities, especially on the opponents, set them from those one-dimensional characters. Maximillion J. Pegasus also did a lot of carrying in the story. His backstory was not only nuanced but also emotional.

If only the duels went through a better ruleset than some seemingly made-up card effects, then Duelist Kingdom could have been much more epic in scope.

Final Rating: 7.5/10

Nexus Reviews

15/04/2025

15/04/2025

14/09/2024

13/09/2024

12/09/2024

11/09/2024

10/09/2024

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