Oh man. I didnt think I could get triggered by an internet opinion ever again but here I am ; feeling the indignation I used to feel back in my 10s, when people criticized Digimon and I just HAD to write a rant about how much the americanized version ruined it...
Which is ironic, given that I've been following your writings ever since your quite negative review of Chrono Cross - a game I readily considered my favorite.
I wasnt triggered back then, but you taught me about nuance and I've been a fan of yours ever since.
Anyway.
I'm not going to pretend Yu-gi-oh! is some amazing manga but it is true that 4Kids! and the tiresome irony of LittleKuriboh (children card games xD) cemeted the anime as some commercial slop to sell cards for at least 20years. I've seen that opinion changing lately though, because the reality is that it's a manga made by a game nerd with some deep appreciation for the craft.
It's evident, when one loves Magic the Gathering or DnD, that the battles in Yu-gi-oh! completely channel the kind of excitement one feels playing games.
The story is stupid? Most of pop culture stories are stupid taken as face value! Do super heroes need these flashy costumes to fight crime??
At least the morals in that manga was earnest considering how the author met his demise 3 years ago!
Nah honestly. I readily admit it's kinda silly but so is a lot of stuff. What triggered me was some unwillingness of culture to engage with YGO in earnest. I had that phase in my teens, when I watched the abridged version, but as a late 20s adult, it is that ironic detachment I find stupid.
I wonder it's because I yearn to view these trite, evanescent (games, anime) as serious things or I am trying to unite the best of childhood - sincere enjoyment in play and silly things - with the best of adulthood - emotional and philosophical maturity.
Sorry for the rant. Like I said, you triggered a deep, sealed, nerd instinct because you are my favorite essayist and this will give me many things to ponder. I recommend you to all my intellectual-minded friends.
Read the manga ( :^) ) and keep up the good work!
PS : Now that I think about it. I think you and your wife could /REALLY/ love Kaiji. It's on Netflix right now. It's also about card games but much less silly. It inspired squid games, not the other way around.
Might have something to do with the initial impression of Yu-Gi-Oh. I think the kid main character puts off people above a certain age. I know it did me and (I suspect) maybe Patrick R. as well. By contrast, MTG's initial impression is more "broad". The impression is of a very colorful and pretty game for nerds without any target demographic in terms of age.
However, I think it is possible that I underestimate Yu-Gi-Oh. Manga/anime likes to mix its thematic language (including both PG13 and adult themes) in very dizzying and extreme ways. I think of e.g. Hunter x Hunter, which also has a kid main character, but many relatively macabre and adult story elements. Or since you mentioned Digimon, the same is true for Digimon Tamers (though less than HXH) and many Shonen. Or Evangelion, especially. Initial impressions with manga/anime can thus be deceiving.
As an avid Yu-Gi-Oh! fan and player since kindergarden, this was a treat to read. My 10 year-old self would've impudently raged at this column for daring to malign his beloved pastime, but - thankfully - as that boy aged, he came to recognize his hobby as the "as-seen-on-TV" commercial extension of a 90's-era shonen media suite. My feelings about the game, animanga, and its spinoffs hardly differ from yours toward Magic (with respect to that specifically, the game alone). Incidentally, I first encountered this attitude in yet another child of the 80's, a casual acquaintance in a Discord server that I've hung out in for several years: mocking the ostentatious nature of Yu-Gi-Oh! while extolling MTG's virtues as a deep, thought-intensive game.
To complement this piece with some emic insight on the card game's nitty-gritty: you may know that unlike MTG and Pokemon, YGO lacks a fundamental resource system. This resulted in powercreep becoming progressively severe with age, as new card design was forced to adapt to ever more powerful competition, and...you get the idea. Coupled with the fact that much of the entire franchise's popularity is permanently anchored to a cartoon which finished airing in '04 ('06 in the U.S.). YGO was simultaneously forced to adopt a "Universes Beyond" approach in adapting its aesthetic to match its contemporaries (https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Lovely_Labrynth_of_the_Silver_Castle) while ruthlessly pandering to nostalgia for the original series (https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Dark_Magician_the_Magician_of_Black_Magic) to survive. While I wouldn't say that it's on life support, persistent mismanagement by its developers and extremely heavy association with a specific generation of (currently) young men likely means that it's fated to die by the end of the century. Curiously - and despite being roughly as old - Neon Genesis Evangelion, for one, doesn't seem to have the same issue, as its original purpose was not to hawk merchandise...though this later became so prolific that the degree thereof turned into a meme.
The increasingly absurd power-level of the "modern" game resulted in (former) players thereof congregating around eternal formats and creating fanmade communities dedicated to reviving them, which became so monumentally popular that Konami was more or less forced to officially support them, which it now does. "Yugiboomers" such as myself, as they're sometimes derisively called in the community, have found their favorite flavor of the game in these snapshots of its history: a static card pool and rules which existed at a particular point in time deemed especially great by their players, forever frozen, never to receive a new card or update. This is an even more complex - or possibly just advanced - form of nostalgia.
In case you haven't lost all respect for me through this revelation: I recently became interested in Magic's Pauper format, as its notorious Mono Blue Terror deck caught my eye and siphoned a modicum of funds from my wallet. ...Come to think of it though, declaring myself to be a blue player might be an even greater cause for disdain.
I am no longer a Magic Person and should not have strong feelings about you running monoblue, but . . . well, you're a sociopath and my saying that you should be ashamed of yourself would be a waste of breath because you clearly lack the capacity for shame.
(I'm a monoblack enthusiast, which I guess makes me a self-immolating misanthrope who weaponizes his own ressentiment.)
But yeah, all I know about Yu-Gi-Oh (the game) are some passing whispers I've heard about unmitigated power creep making it unplayable. The idea of a "time capsule" format is really kind of interesting, though—putting a CCG (supposed to *need* routine injections of new game "pieces" to survive) on the same footing as a static affair like chess. Or—old fighting games like SF3 or UMK3 might be the better comparison, insofar as younger generations' interest in them (renewing their player bases to some extent) depends on the march of sequels acting as gateways to the "classic" iterations.
What I know about later Yu-Gi-Oh (the anime) is that there were multiple sequels, which were apparently even more obnoxious and dumb. I understand one was all about teenagers playing a children's card game while riding around on motorcycles...?
My wife tells me that the school-aged nerds in her orbit who played Yu-Gi-Oh earnestly tried to bring the drama they recognized from the show to their tabletop sessions. If that really was a thing, my god, I wish Magic players did that. "I DECLARE MY ATTACKERS!" *thrusts out palm* "STORM CROW ATTACKS YOUR LIFE POINTS DIRECTLY! MY VICTORY IS ASSURED!"
I feel compelled to note that the canonical, Wizards-approved way of rendering the name "Magic: the Gathering" is not in italics, but in BOLDFACE! (See https://scryfall.com/card/unh/28/bursting-beebles or any given article on the official website.)
I remember this because I'm old enough to have bought a few packs of Unglued for kicks. I regret to observe that they're somehow less silly than Magic: The Gathering meets Wacky Races.
Been awhile since I played M:tG. I transferred my addiction to Stardew Valley modding. Much cheaper. But it is fun to look up silly engines now and then. And to check the lore whenever Ravnica or Mirrodin are updated. Guess I can't quit completely either. And I probably won't be able to quit Stardew in the same way. But I enjoy it.
Oh man. I didnt think I could get triggered by an internet opinion ever again but here I am ; feeling the indignation I used to feel back in my 10s, when people criticized Digimon and I just HAD to write a rant about how much the americanized version ruined it...
Which is ironic, given that I've been following your writings ever since your quite negative review of Chrono Cross - a game I readily considered my favorite.
I wasnt triggered back then, but you taught me about nuance and I've been a fan of yours ever since.
Anyway.
I'm not going to pretend Yu-gi-oh! is some amazing manga but it is true that 4Kids! and the tiresome irony of LittleKuriboh (children card games xD) cemeted the anime as some commercial slop to sell cards for at least 20years. I've seen that opinion changing lately though, because the reality is that it's a manga made by a game nerd with some deep appreciation for the craft.
It's evident, when one loves Magic the Gathering or DnD, that the battles in Yu-gi-oh! completely channel the kind of excitement one feels playing games.
The story is stupid? Most of pop culture stories are stupid taken as face value! Do super heroes need these flashy costumes to fight crime??
At least the morals in that manga was earnest considering how the author met his demise 3 years ago!
Nah honestly. I readily admit it's kinda silly but so is a lot of stuff. What triggered me was some unwillingness of culture to engage with YGO in earnest. I had that phase in my teens, when I watched the abridged version, but as a late 20s adult, it is that ironic detachment I find stupid.
I wonder it's because I yearn to view these trite, evanescent (games, anime) as serious things or I am trying to unite the best of childhood - sincere enjoyment in play and silly things - with the best of adulthood - emotional and philosophical maturity.
Sorry for the rant. Like I said, you triggered a deep, sealed, nerd instinct because you are my favorite essayist and this will give me many things to ponder. I recommend you to all my intellectual-minded friends.
Read the manga ( :^) ) and keep up the good work!
PS : Now that I think about it. I think you and your wife could /REALLY/ love Kaiji. It's on Netflix right now. It's also about card games but much less silly. It inspired squid games, not the other way around.
Might have something to do with the initial impression of Yu-Gi-Oh. I think the kid main character puts off people above a certain age. I know it did me and (I suspect) maybe Patrick R. as well. By contrast, MTG's initial impression is more "broad". The impression is of a very colorful and pretty game for nerds without any target demographic in terms of age.
However, I think it is possible that I underestimate Yu-Gi-Oh. Manga/anime likes to mix its thematic language (including both PG13 and adult themes) in very dizzying and extreme ways. I think of e.g. Hunter x Hunter, which also has a kid main character, but many relatively macabre and adult story elements. Or since you mentioned Digimon, the same is true for Digimon Tamers (though less than HXH) and many Shonen. Or Evangelion, especially. Initial impressions with manga/anime can thus be deceiving.
As an avid Yu-Gi-Oh! fan and player since kindergarden, this was a treat to read. My 10 year-old self would've impudently raged at this column for daring to malign his beloved pastime, but - thankfully - as that boy aged, he came to recognize his hobby as the "as-seen-on-TV" commercial extension of a 90's-era shonen media suite. My feelings about the game, animanga, and its spinoffs hardly differ from yours toward Magic (with respect to that specifically, the game alone). Incidentally, I first encountered this attitude in yet another child of the 80's, a casual acquaintance in a Discord server that I've hung out in for several years: mocking the ostentatious nature of Yu-Gi-Oh! while extolling MTG's virtues as a deep, thought-intensive game.
To complement this piece with some emic insight on the card game's nitty-gritty: you may know that unlike MTG and Pokemon, YGO lacks a fundamental resource system. This resulted in powercreep becoming progressively severe with age, as new card design was forced to adapt to ever more powerful competition, and...you get the idea. Coupled with the fact that much of the entire franchise's popularity is permanently anchored to a cartoon which finished airing in '04 ('06 in the U.S.). YGO was simultaneously forced to adopt a "Universes Beyond" approach in adapting its aesthetic to match its contemporaries (https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Lovely_Labrynth_of_the_Silver_Castle) while ruthlessly pandering to nostalgia for the original series (https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Dark_Magician_the_Magician_of_Black_Magic) to survive. While I wouldn't say that it's on life support, persistent mismanagement by its developers and extremely heavy association with a specific generation of (currently) young men likely means that it's fated to die by the end of the century. Curiously - and despite being roughly as old - Neon Genesis Evangelion, for one, doesn't seem to have the same issue, as its original purpose was not to hawk merchandise...though this later became so prolific that the degree thereof turned into a meme.
The increasingly absurd power-level of the "modern" game resulted in (former) players thereof congregating around eternal formats and creating fanmade communities dedicated to reviving them, which became so monumentally popular that Konami was more or less forced to officially support them, which it now does. "Yugiboomers" such as myself, as they're sometimes derisively called in the community, have found their favorite flavor of the game in these snapshots of its history: a static card pool and rules which existed at a particular point in time deemed especially great by their players, forever frozen, never to receive a new card or update. This is an even more complex - or possibly just advanced - form of nostalgia.
In case you haven't lost all respect for me through this revelation: I recently became interested in Magic's Pauper format, as its notorious Mono Blue Terror deck caught my eye and siphoned a modicum of funds from my wallet. ...Come to think of it though, declaring myself to be a blue player might be an even greater cause for disdain.
I am no longer a Magic Person and should not have strong feelings about you running monoblue, but . . . well, you're a sociopath and my saying that you should be ashamed of yourself would be a waste of breath because you clearly lack the capacity for shame.
(I'm a monoblack enthusiast, which I guess makes me a self-immolating misanthrope who weaponizes his own ressentiment.)
But yeah, all I know about Yu-Gi-Oh (the game) are some passing whispers I've heard about unmitigated power creep making it unplayable. The idea of a "time capsule" format is really kind of interesting, though—putting a CCG (supposed to *need* routine injections of new game "pieces" to survive) on the same footing as a static affair like chess. Or—old fighting games like SF3 or UMK3 might be the better comparison, insofar as younger generations' interest in them (renewing their player bases to some extent) depends on the march of sequels acting as gateways to the "classic" iterations.
What I know about later Yu-Gi-Oh (the anime) is that there were multiple sequels, which were apparently even more obnoxious and dumb. I understand one was all about teenagers playing a children's card game while riding around on motorcycles...?
My wife tells me that the school-aged nerds in her orbit who played Yu-Gi-Oh earnestly tried to bring the drama they recognized from the show to their tabletop sessions. If that really was a thing, my god, I wish Magic players did that. "I DECLARE MY ATTACKERS!" *thrusts out palm* "STORM CROW ATTACKS YOUR LIFE POINTS DIRECTLY! MY VICTORY IS ASSURED!"
Related to your point, MTG isn't just a game, it is a mythos. Maybe that is why people who "get it" write it in italics.
I feel compelled to note that the canonical, Wizards-approved way of rendering the name "Magic: the Gathering" is not in italics, but in BOLDFACE! (See https://scryfall.com/card/unh/28/bursting-beebles or any given article on the official website.)
I remember this because I'm old enough to have bought a few packs of Unglued for kicks. I regret to observe that they're somehow less silly than Magic: The Gathering meets Wacky Races.
Been awhile since I played M:tG. I transferred my addiction to Stardew Valley modding. Much cheaper. But it is fun to look up silly engines now and then. And to check the lore whenever Ravnica or Mirrodin are updated. Guess I can't quit completely either. And I probably won't be able to quit Stardew in the same way. But I enjoy it.