Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL Season 1 (Episodes 1-49) Review

Yuma Tsukumo – a cheerful, outward-going thirteen-year-old who loves playing Duel Monsters – has been left a golden ‘key’ by his absent dad which he always wears as a pendant. No one is more surprised than Yuma when, losing a duel to blue-haired Shark, the key sets free Astral, a mysterious ghostly being, who helps him turn the duel around. Astral has been imprisoned and has lost his memories; it seems that these memories have been transformed into Xyz Monster cards called Numbers which have been scattered far and wide. Yuma joins forces with Astral to try to find the Numbers (helped by his school friends Tori and Bronk)  – but other, more sinister forces, are also after them. Yuma enters the World Duel Carnival tournament and is soon up against Vetrix and his minions and Dr Faker who also are collecting the Numbers. Can Yuma and Astral combine to harness the power of ZEXAL and win against such difficult odds?

In this third spin-off of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! the lively protagonist whose name has a ‘Yu’ in it is maybe the youngest so far at thirteen. A cynical way of looking at these shows is that they’ve been brought out to sell more cards and games – and yet, in spite of the merchandising behind them, they’re entertainingly put together. So, standard fare for Kix or Pop (still airing on Pop in the small hours) but, at least here the viewer can watch the episodes in the right order and follow the story through as it was meant to be seen.

Although the story and characters are ostensibly the same, there’s no means of knowing from the US version – with new music and songs (as in all the other Yu-Gi-Oh! adaptations) how close this is to the original Japanese series. Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL was adapted to be shown on 4Kids TV and we all know (don’t we, children?) what that means in terms of localization etc. : a new high octane US soundtrack and a new US OP (“Take a Chance” by Michael Brady) which doubles as ED. I’m really disappointed that we haven’t yet been given the chance to see – and hear – the original Japanese version; a missed opportunity. That said, this is still very obviously a true shounen anime TV series, demonstrating all the best values of a children’s show: loyalty to friends and family, courage in adversity, the importance of having a sense of humour that – given its protagonist is  thirteen years old – can safely be shared with your own children.

The US dub is what it is and though I find Eli Jay’s bratty voice grates as Yuma, veteran VA Sean Schemmel plays Bronk and Marc Thompson is persuasively mysterious as Astral.

I’m no games player and it’s always seemed to me (this may be heresy!) when watching the US versions of the Yu-Gi-Oh! spin-offs that the skill of the opponents in playing the right cards to win and the points scoring system is nothing more than hocus pocus or smoke and mirrors; it sounds impressive but doesn’t stand up to analysis. I’m very happy to be proved wrong…but, watching these shows, I have to suspend my disbelief! However, Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL’s heart is in the right place as Yuma staunchly defends his friends; he makes plenty of mistakes (relatable) but we see him learn from them. Family values (looking out for your younger siblings) are also a recurrent theme. It’s not very original in terms of plot and not very deep in characterization but the episodes are decently crafted from a dramatic point of view, with several ongoing back stories: what’s become of Yuma’s parents? why has Astral lost his memories?

It’s worth pointing out that, in plot terms, this set ends with Episode 49 ‘Crestfallen’ which, although concluding a major plot arc, is not the end, leaving many strands dangling and unfinished. Wikipedia lists Season 1 ‘Number Hunters’ as comprising Episodes 1-25 and Season 2 ‘World Duel Carnival’ Episodes 26-49 with Season 3 ‘World Duel Carnival Finals’ still to come in Manga’s next box set, followed, we assume, by Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II…

In Summary

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal – in spite of its Saturday morning kids’ show vibe in this 4Kids dubbed version – is, nevertheless, decent entertainment and makes a good entry show into anime as it’s a series you can watch with younger siblings or your own children. Sure it’s brash and brightly coloured, but it’s a lot less formulaic than many of the US home-grown titles for younger audiences.