Yu☆Gi☆Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions

To put this simply - This film is not for people that play the game, because you won't be finding much of that here. Instead this is a film of pure nostalgia and progression. The story is nothing much to speak of, a slotted in bad guy with the wrong intentions and then another "bigger" villain. The heroes then all come together to save the day. But like I said, this film is about character and that's where it shines - Because this film is for Kaiba. They knew perfectly what people love about Kaiba, his sass and utter fire that he talks. His personality is betterthan it's ever been, it was all tuned up to 11 for this film as Kaiba does everything WAY over the top, and it's beautiful. ((( WARNING FOR SPOILERS AHEAD))) But Kaiba's comedic ways aren't the only thing shown from him, we get to his his acceptance of the past. He refers to Yugi as Yugi and Atem as, Pharaoh. Kaiba isn't in denial anymore and we get to see this, but what's more is that we see him missing his greatest rival. His passion to defeat his rival is so great that he invents the worlds most advanced holographic systems and then even later on, breaks the barrier between dimensions. Kaiba is having a struggle, because while everyone else accepts their loss, Kaiba for once is the one character that has completely refused to give up on someone. He is the driving force for this movie, he sets up all of the plot and shows he's more than capable of crushing anyone in his path even if they possess magic. On the other end we have Yugi. Having parted with the Pharaoh and grown up a bit, he feels as if a bit of him is missing but has chosen to move on. There's really not much else to say for this, Yugi is simply here within this film. He's here for Atem to have a single second of spotlight. Speaking of which, Atem does show up and in the most glorious of fashions. A golden light suiting of his majesty, a draw of a single card that allows him to win, to prove his might. It was something that got the cinema cheering in a situation that should be silent. Buuuut then everyone's spirits were crushed because in the three instances Atem has, he says NOTHING. I'm not sure what they were thinking with all this because it pissed a lot of people off, there wasn't a single "It's time do duel" or "You've grown" Or ANYTHING - But anyway. Visually the film is stunning, probably the best YuGiOh has ever looked, they perfectly evolved the style whilst keeping it nostalgic. And the masterful use of CG models (Which doesn't have a frame lock) were perfect for a lot of the mechanical designs. Duels are swift and don't give the intense nature or dramatic effect of the series duels, or Pyramid of Light. Because this isn't a dueling film, this is a presentation of character - And as I said before Kaiba is that driving force. So if you're wanting a nostalgic duel, you'll get the monsters, but not the feeling tactics or display. Because most of the film is taken up by showing where the characters are now and what they're up to. (But mostly Kaiba) For villains and side characters it can literally be summed up with. (( Friendship powers go - Random bad guy that comes out of nowhere, and is completely slotted in - Sad backstory for those villainous agenda's - loads of cliche crap )) But Téa's new design is hot asf. Overall I came out of this very upset with the ending, villains, plot, even some of the new monsters (Mainly those damn cubic things). But there are some characters in this film, that simply carry it all and put a smile on your face. Also it's nice to see Takahiro Kagami's name as character designer, he was the best animator on the original series and his style has become a staple for YuGiOh to this very day.

To preface this "review" some pointers: - There will be SPOILERS. If you haven't seen the movie yet, don't read this review if you don't want to be spoiled. Definitely do come back after to share your opinions. I would love to hear what you guys thought of the movie. Am I in the minority? - I am perfectly fine with nostalgia bait. The problem is when producers think that a show can succeed based on nostalgia alone. - I am aware that this is a sequel to the manga and not the anime, accounting for some of the discrepancies. Yet, some of the characters actionswere just bizarre, in my opinion. - Finally, please do not let my opinion of the film ruin your experience with it. This is my personal opinion and my opinion alone. Alright... Here we go. I do apologize for the stream-of-consciousness ranting. It's like my mind is actively trying to erase the movie from my memories. First off, it started off well enough, with the reintroduction of the characters and what they were up to after all the time. I particularly liked how they framed the story with Anzu's dream of going to New York. However, that's when things started to go South. Essentially, to sum all of the problems up into one word, it was contrived... and rushed. Sorry, that was two words. In my opinion, everything that happened in this movie happened because they needed it to happen. They needed new monsters - insert a hundred different variations of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that had no build-up, reason for existing or proper differentiation (more on this later). They needed a new enemy that had to be related to the cast somehow to make him relevant - shoehorn in some subplot was never hinted at or talked about in the original series so it felt like it came out of nowhere. They needed Atem to appear again and appear he did EVEN THOUGH IT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE! Urgh... the plot. Don't even get me started. I've already talked about the shoehorned-in villain, but boy does it get better. The plot was unnecessarily convoluted and yet still managed to be contrived and seem like it came out of nowhere. What in the world was with this collective consciousness nonsense? Why is it important and how does it relate to anything? Why was Kaiba's Duel Disk perfectly equipped to combat his powers? Seriously, it could have been anything else and have been much better explained and understandable. How could Kaiba pull out a God Card from the ground and play it with his virtual system? Speaking of Kaiba, that subplot with his obsession was really at odds with Aigami's plot. There was hardly any correlation. Not to mention, sure he was obsessed with Yugi, but they really pushed his obsession a little too far in this one. Though, I have to admit, that would have been a compelling enough story in and of itself if they had taken their time to expand on it. At the end of the movie, people were actually LAUGHING at his hyperbolic obsession with Atem. Going back in time to duel Atem? Yeah, that's not obsessive at all. Seriously, Javert he is not. Also, Kaiba removing the Millennium Puzzle from the crypt and actually solving it with technology was kinda cool, but it completely ruined the mystique of the items. Wouldn't it have been even cooler if his high-tech machines failed to solve the puzzle? That climax... Oh God. Remember how I was talking about them introducing new monsters for the sake of it? Well, screw duel tactics and anything of the sort, the ending was just a monster spam that got boring after the 100th "HERE'S A MORE POWERFUL MONSTER THAN YOURS". Seriously, if I have to sit though another Cubic monster and Blue-Eyes iteration that has zero differentiation from one another... This was obviously because they were rushed for time. They had a quota of monsters to push and there was no way they could dedicate 30 minutes to build up a single monster. Also, the GOD DAMN CG. Why are some monsters like the Black Magician and the Black Magician Girl in normal 2D, simulated-cel animation while many of the other monsters were rendered in 3DCG? Seriously, STICK TO ONE. It's horrendous enough that they used CG, but if they had made ALL the monsters CG, there would have been at least a point! You know, creating a disconnect between the real and the virtual? But no, we can't have our Black Magician Girl be polygons, can we? This is a perfect example of an unnecessary sequel that was made for the sake of being made. Regardless of what the creator said, I felt zero passion from this project and everything was paint-by-numbers and forced. For a fan, I really don't think I would have missed out if I hadn't seen it. Personally speaking, the ONLY good thing that came out of this was seeing Anzu actually fulfilling her dream. Anzu is adorable. Oh, and the bonus card and goodybag as well. That was pretty good. Maybe I'm exaggerating. Maybe I just need to calm down and watch it again. And watch it again I will, because as a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan, I'm willing to give it another chance. But at this moment, while I'm a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan, I am not a fan of this movie.

The film sequel no one asked for but delivered on every single level. Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions does something I've rarely seen in anime: it caps off a 20 year old franchise with a movie that fits perfectly in the original series canon. It was announced out of the blue with characters from the original series that haven't been on a television screen in over a dozen years, yet never seems out-of-date or as just a simple cash-grab. Story: 9/10 The setting takes place one year after the Ceremonial Duel that sent the Pharaoh spirit within the Millennium Puzzle to the afterlife. Yugi, Tea (Anzu),Joey (Junouchi), Tristan (Honda), and Bakura are all ready to finish off high school and become something in the world. But before that, they're met with an unprecedented foe with the power to erase both people's memories and the physical world as we know it. All the while Seto Kaiba has gone out and put the Millennium Puzzle back together in order to finally get his rematch with the Pharaoh. Both these plot lines meet and the end results have twists and turns that anyone can enjoy! Art: 10/10 I'd give this score a 15/10 if I could. The visuals and animation throughout the entirety of this movie are such eye-candy and an absolute treat. Updated character models of both people and duel monsters are a feast for the eyes, especially during duel action sequences. The combination of regular 2D animation and CG animation for the monsters don't hamper the viewing experience in any way, but instead give it a sense of wonder and awe. Sound: 10/10 The voice acting, oh how I've missed the voices of these characters. Every original series voice actor is back to give life to their characters from the Duel Monsters series. I watched this in English, so to hear Dan Green and Eric Stuart return as Yugi and Kaiba respectively is an absolute nostalgia bomb. The sound effects for the duel sequences are top notch and the music is superb, blending a mix of orchestral tunes with the music from the original series that I never knew I needed. Character: 8/10 Everyone is back and it feels so good to see them grown up a bit. Yugi has matured from a timid child to a competent and mature gentleman. Joey is still a goofball. Tristan has become a more dependable young man around his friends. Tea is more outgoing and is ready to study abroad to become the dancer she always wanted to be. Kaiba is as awesome and egotistical as ever (and it's amazing). Bakura is shy and heartwarming (especially without the Millennium Ring around his neck). Characters from the TV show such as Mai Valentine or Rebecca Hawkins don't make an appearance, but instead are replaced with the villain and his compatriots that have quite a bit of depth and a surprising connection to the original series. Enjoyment: 10/10 Maybe is just nostalgic value, but I enjoyed every moment of this film, especially the final act and the closing minutes. The animation, the music, the characters, it was all a treat that I personally missed seeing on my screen. So much so that I was never bored at all during all 2 hours of this movie. Grab a seat and grab your favorite Yu-Gi-Oh! cards because it's time to duel! Overall: 10/10 You almost never come across a sequel movie that caps off a series as good as this one does, especially one that comes out 12 years after the original series ends. This is one of those rare occasions that does so with interest. If you're a fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise in any way, this is a must-see. Though, it might be best if you watched Seasons 1, 2, latter half of 3, and 5 of Duel Monsters before watching this.

Before starting this review, I must first say I'm not being able to judge this movie properly. But I don't think it can be judged as any other movie, because it's, just like Digimon Tri, a movie about nostalgia, unable to be understood by people who didn't watch the original TV series. That is why it's impossible not to compare it with the Duel Monsters TV show. Yes, this might have more to do with the manga than the TV show, but still as an animation it has obvious ties to the old series, also, obviously, an animation. With that out of the way, I mustsay I was disappointed with this movie. But I'll start with the good. The characters and their interactions are spot-on, they are the same characters we know from before, and act accordingly. Though they are a little older now and, with the many advancements in storytelling that anime has suffered from then to now, this is definitely better written than the original show. It feels more mature whilst maintaining the original's edginess, necessary silliness and dark undertones. Another nice thing is the pace of the duels, they are fast and furious, but there's where we find the first mistake. It's too fast so they can't explain exactly what's happening and the duels use slightly different rules than before. Yes, it's a movie, so it can't waste time, but still it is a mistake. Okay, now that I have nothing good more to say, to the bad we go. The visuals, although definitely boasting bigger budget than the TV shows, are uglier! They use a lot of extremely ugly and excessive 3D animation for the monsters, and a excessive color filters that leave everything lifeless. I don't know how could they fail so big. Another misdeed is the story, which, although touching on interesting subject matters, still fails to make sense and is devoid of explanations in all of the key moments. It's like it wasn't even meant to make sense, to begin with! Last but not least, Yami Yugi, the main character of the show and the manga, appears only at the last moments of the movie and, after all the hype for his appearance throughout the whole 2-hour duration of the film, he doesn't even have dialogue! It's super underwhelming and disappointing. For all of this I'd say this movie was a waste of time and is totally unnecessary.

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