Man, this show was a pain to get through. It's funny to think that such a creative and complex card game would have such generic fluff attached to its name. And I was already in a bad mood after learning that several episodes of Five Dragons were never dubbed. And that included the finale.
In the fourth installment of this franchise, set in a futuristic world with advanced hologram technology, a young boy known as Yuma Tsukumo awakens a mystical spirit known as Astral, within an ancient artifact, and has to help Astral reclaim his missing memories by collecting rare Xyz Monsters. And yeah, this set up is almost completely identical to the first series when you think about it. The only difference is, their's practically no charm.
Yuma is one of the annoying main protagonists I've ever seen. He's bratty, reckless, and incredibly idiotic. He doesn't possess any of the traits of a future King of Games. Who in their right mind is going to look up to this character? Yuma's friends are pretty obnoxious too. When they're not spouting generic dialogue, they're being used as hostages by the villains. At least all of Jaiden's friends were decent duelists. These chumps make Tristian look like a competent duelist.
The characters I can get behind though are the rivals and the villains. Shark's cruel demeanor combined with his no nonsense strategies, helps me keep invested in the action. He's like a gang leader who puts well balanced technique over brute force. He also has this really heartbreaking backstory that leads him and his sister into joining this group of powerful aliens known as the Barians who are at war with Astral.
Though when the twist is revealed, I really wish it was kept under wraps for a little longer. Like when Shark realizes he has to join the Barians he could first return to Earth and tell Yuma his terrifying secret. A scene like that could lead to a lot of heartbreaking reactions and make the final battle between the forces of Earth and the Barians a lot more interesting. Similar to the events of "The Fox and Hound's" climax.
Because I remember my friends telling me about this crazy plot twist a few years back and I really wish it would let the drama sink in. Instead of the Barian Emperors just appearing all together, Yuma getting knocked out temporarily by plot convenience lighting, and his friends being defeated in off screen duels, it makes the final battle feel more like a check list than a grand escapade.
I also wish the main rival, Kite Tenjo was utilized better. Christopher Kromer gives him this unique chilling and charismatic voice that pairs well with crazy powerful Photon Warrior Deck. I love seeing him terrify Yuma with his well honed tactics. There are moments where I wish he was the main protagonist of the show, because he has this deep connection with his robotic brother Hart.
He didn't even want to become a master duelist, but he was forced to in order to hunt for Number Xyz Monsters, by the command of his brainwashed father. Which makes me really frustrated, that he was just treated like a plot device in the final season.
Yeah, he gets struck by more of that plot convenience lightning and gets killed off on the moon. Only to be brought back to life alongside the other characters by the Numeron Code. Creating one of the cheesiest endings I have ever seen.
The sad thing is this show has interesting set pieces, but thanks to poor writing, the annoying moments overshadow the enjoyable moments. To the point I was rooting for the villains to win. My favorite moment in the show is when Yuma discovers his good friend Ray Shadows was actually a Barian known as Vector the entire time.
I love how he completely takes advantage of Yuma's trustful nature and uses it against him. Billy Bob Thompson gives him this completely goofy, yet demonic voice that pairs really well with his over top and creepy expressions. Other than that though, I don't really recommend this show.
Most of the cards being advertised are either incorrectly explained or don't even exist. Their's a ton of annoying filler in the first season, that almost drove me insane. And the Yuma barely goes through any character development. Its really easy to despise this show, so if you're hoping to avoid any headaches, give it a skip.
In the fourth installment of this franchise, set in a futuristic world with advanced hologram technology, a young boy known as Yuma Tsukumo awakens a mystical spirit known as Astral, within an ancient artifact, and has to help Astral reclaim his missing memories by collecting rare Xyz Monsters. And yeah, this set up is almost completely identical to the first series when you think about it. The only difference is, their's practically no charm.
Yuma is one of the annoying main protagonists I've ever seen. He's bratty, reckless, and incredibly idiotic. He doesn't possess any of the traits of a future King of Games. Who in their right mind is going to look up to this character? Yuma's friends are pretty obnoxious too. When they're not spouting generic dialogue, they're being used as hostages by the villains. At least all of Jaiden's friends were decent duelists. These chumps make Tristian look like a competent duelist.
The characters I can get behind though are the rivals and the villains. Shark's cruel demeanor combined with his no nonsense strategies, helps me keep invested in the action. He's like a gang leader who puts well balanced technique over brute force. He also has this really heartbreaking backstory that leads him and his sister into joining this group of powerful aliens known as the Barians who are at war with Astral.
Though when the twist is revealed, I really wish it was kept under wraps for a little longer. Like when Shark realizes he has to join the Barians he could first return to Earth and tell Yuma his terrifying secret. A scene like that could lead to a lot of heartbreaking reactions and make the final battle between the forces of Earth and the Barians a lot more interesting. Similar to the events of "The Fox and Hound's" climax.
Because I remember my friends telling me about this crazy plot twist a few years back and I really wish it would let the drama sink in. Instead of the Barian Emperors just appearing all together, Yuma getting knocked out temporarily by plot convenience lighting, and his friends being defeated in off screen duels, it makes the final battle feel more like a check list than a grand escapade.
I also wish the main rival, Kite Tenjo was utilized better. Christopher Kromer gives him this unique chilling and charismatic voice that pairs well with crazy powerful Photon Warrior Deck. I love seeing him terrify Yuma with his well honed tactics. There are moments where I wish he was the main protagonist of the show, because he has this deep connection with his robotic brother Hart.
He didn't even want to become a master duelist, but he was forced to in order to hunt for Number Xyz Monsters, by the command of his brainwashed father. Which makes me really frustrated, that he was just treated like a plot device in the final season.
Yeah, he gets struck by more of that plot convenience lightning and gets killed off on the moon. Only to be brought back to life alongside the other characters by the Numeron Code. Creating one of the cheesiest endings I have ever seen.
The sad thing is this show has interesting set pieces, but thanks to poor writing, the annoying moments overshadow the enjoyable moments. To the point I was rooting for the villains to win. My favorite moment in the show is when Yuma discovers his good friend Ray Shadows was actually a Barian known as Vector the entire time.
I love how he completely takes advantage of Yuma's trustful nature and uses it against him. Billy Bob Thompson gives him this completely goofy, yet demonic voice that pairs really well with his over top and creepy expressions. Other than that though, I don't really recommend this show.
Most of the cards being advertised are either incorrectly explained or don't even exist. Their's a ton of annoying filler in the first season, that almost drove me insane. And the Yuma barely goes through any character development. Its really easy to despise this show, so if you're hoping to avoid any headaches, give it a skip.