So I’ve been rereading the original series (bought the first three of these 3-in-1 volumes so far) and thought I’d start a discussion around it. There’s so much that could be talked about and I don’t even know where to begin.
I don’t think it’s any surprise that the two chapters that introduced Seto Kaiba and Duel Monsters (Magic & Wizards as it’s actually referred to at this point in the series) were so popular with readers at the time. “The Cards With Teeth (Part 1)” was the ninth chapter of the series and it has three major things going for it that I think helped really set it apart from what came before.
-It’s the first chapter of the series to actually revolve around a game. All the other chapters up to this point featured Shadow Games that were loosely tied into whatever was happening, but those Shadow Games were always set up by Yami Yugi as a response to circumstances. The games were befitting of the people he was playing against, but they didn’t exist outside the context of being Shadow Games. This chapter first introduces a game that’s considered an established property and widely-played (at least in America at this time) game, shows off a bit of how the game is played, and then flips that game on its head by turning it into a Shadow Game at the very end and for all of Part 2.
-Talk about an evolution of art style. Probably the most detailed piece of art up to this point in the series for any non-human thing was the scorpion seen in chapter 8, “The Poison Man.” But when the monsters come to life in this particular Shadow Game, they’re so detailed compared to everything else that they stand out visually and feel otherworldly.
-Seto Kaiba was probably the most interesting one-off antagonist up to that point in the series because he already had the potential to be a great foil to Yami Yugi. Both are master game players in their own right, but Seto’s arrogance and his willingness to cheat to stay on top plays perfectly opposite to the calm, cool confidence of Yami Yugi and his ability to work through a situation without resorting to cheating (even if some of the Shadow Games before this point are probably aren’t fair to the other person, like Ms. Chono from chapter 7 “The Face of Truth” who isn’t even aware she’s playing a Shadow Game).
I’ll be back for more manga discussion as I continue through the series. What are your thoughts? If you love the OG series but haven’t read the manga… what are you doing, bud? Go out and read it, you’re missing out.
I might be one of the few people out there who prefer the manga to the anime. Boy, do I love/hate it. For various reasons. Sometimes even the same reasons.
The card game was also popular because at the time Magic the Gathering was getting big. It’s what inspired Takahashi in the first place. People were getting hungry for trading card games. I’m positive if Kaiba was introduced with another game and someone less interesting was around for the introduction of Duel Monsters Kaiba would have ended up as a one-shot villain regardless. Readers really liked the card game. Eventually the publishers only wanted Takahashi to write about the card game. I know there were plans for more tabletop type games in the story, but Takahashi was overruled.
Which is a shame. Part of the reason I like the early manga so much was because of the variety of games in it. Some of the games Atem came up with were stupid or not much of a game at all, but it was a lot more creative to me than “everything a card game”. Even if events during the later card game arcs were great(and the art of the monsters were always a delight, the constant (and inconsistent) card game aspect got to be old. For me. I know it’s why most people like the series.
When I first read the manga, I was actually more invested in the two chapters which came after Kaiba. Learning about Jonouchi’s past and seeing what Yugi/Atem would do for a friend was a lot more interesting to me than what he would do for a card. Even if Kaiba was a more nuanced villain.
Kaiba wasn’t even very nuanced. It was just that every other villain was so black and white the little bit of “something else” Kaiba had elevated him above the rest. More of his depth came later, not in his introduction.
I probably have a binder full of all my interests and nitpicks about the manga, but I’ll stop. Thanks for bringing up this topic! It happens to be a part of my current obsession. XD
Another one who prefers the manga here! Though it has been a while since I read it.
Takahashi was amazingly more open and honest about how restrictive JUMP was than most other artists (before and after Duel Monsters ended!). Other artists under that juggernaut of a publishing company usually wouldn’t say a thing or polity word how their editors nudge them in a different direction. Every time I remember reading those interviews I weep for what YuGiOh could of been.