#YGO Devack

[frost-felon]

Feel free to make your case in the replies and reblogs. "Wasted" is here in the most general sense, so be as general or specific in your answer as you'd like; this can apply for more than just how they were used in the Dark Signer Arc itself.

[overobsessedfanboy23]

5Ds is an enigma that has utterly fried my brain

Okay, okay, get this. 5Ds is not only the only YGO that I believe is better in dub (I’ve warmed up to the dubs recently but I still think the subs are better), it’s also the only Yugioh series that has a better first half than second half. Yes, that includes Arc V. I thought Arc V was pretty consistently enjoyable. I always see people say Arc V had a great first half but the second half/ending completely dropped the ball and ruined everything. Guess what? To me, that statement applies to 5Ds.

Disclaimer: I haven’t seen the slew of undubbed episodes in the middle of the WRGP or the final arc, Arc Cradle, because they’re sub exclusive and the 5Ds sub is a terribly boring thing that I have no interest in returning to if it’s not Jack/Carly or Aki related. Still, I’m gonna do an “overview” of... basically the 5Ds dub.

(Rest of the overview under the cut)

Okay, so first of all, I take back… some of what I said in my initial overview of part one. Not everything. My critique of the Aki’s parents plotline and everything that happened in Akiza vs Misty still stands. Also, I don’t know if I mentioned these things in my overview or not but I’ll say them here: the Devack duel and spirit world nonsense are really boring and honestly, anytime Yugioh does a prison plotline it’s boring as shit, I don’t know what it is but both the prison arcs in 5Ds and Arc V really bore me. I have nearly all the same narrative problems with that first half that I did back then. HOWEVER. What I do take back is everything I said about the story and characters not grabbing me.

Even in the sub I found the Fortune Cup to be entertaining. Leo and Luna are entertaining if somewhat annoying kids and Aki was a fascinating badass. And Dark Signers. Holy shit this arc is where 5Ds absolutely soars. This story is a fucking epic. I didn’t realise it in the sub because despite liking some of the characters and knowing there was good stuff in front of me, I couldn’t connect with the characters. I found most of them to be boring mouthpieces to a generic overly serious story. It just felt like we were going through the YGO motions without any of the personality. The dub doesn’t have this problem at all. 4Kids’ habit of making the characters and dialogue sillier actually did wonders for 5Ds. The dub is just… fun. Because it adds moments of levity that weren’t there in the sub. They allow us to see the characters just… being people which makes it so much easier to connect with them. They talk like real people, Leo and Luna argue and pick on each other like real siblings, the goddamn villains have moments where they feel like people, even if only for a few moments. Also, I genuinely really love many of the voices. Crow and Yusei have really fitting raspy voices, I love the way Carly’s voice sounds very awkward normally but becomes full of confidence when she’s a Dark Signer. 

Kalin’s actor is having the time of his life and it makes me have so much fun watching him, oh my god I’ll get to how much I love this man.

And many of the other characters have voices that I just enjoy listening to and add so much more personality to previously dry characters. Lazar is hilarious in the dub, Sayer’s voice has no right being that cool but my god he completely nails the soft calming voice, I can completely see how he was able to manipulate people and oddly enough? The thing that got me invested in the Dark Signers arc when I watched the dub (because I originally only intended to have this on in the background while I was working) wasn’t any of the duels. It was the scene where Goodwin was explaining the backstory of the Crimson Dragon and how it defeated the Earthbound Immortals:

I remember getting randomly sucked into it and to this day I’m not sure why. I think on a basic level I just liked the dub actor’s voice but also the way it’s explained in the dub just… really grabbed me. I had seen the arc in sub but I truly experienced it in dub. And what an experience it was.

Looking back on it, I honestly can’t believe I ever dissed the Yusei vs Kalin stuff because honestly? It’s just as good and emotionally investing as the Jack/Carly plot. Kalin is insanely entertaining in the dub. His over the top cackling and silly lines delivered in this delightfully gleeful crazy voice got me attached to him pretty much the moment I saw him. I absolutely love crazy sadistic villains when they’re done right and they really knocked it out of the park with this guy. He is hilarious and a good threat and my god the backstory with him and Yusei and the Enforcers is fantastic. I did not give enough credit to them for tackling the idea of extremism and showing how extremist views/actions can result from what was originally a good cause. Also, I just genuinely see where Kalin is coming from at times. Why the FUCK would you run when you’re public enemy number 1 on an island you can’t leave that’s controlled by the very people you’re running from?! No shit that didn’t work! Also, while it was completely in Yusei’s right to, he did still abandon Kalin so I totally get how Kalin believed that Yusei turned him in. Yusei betrayed his own core value of never leaving a friend which makes the moment where he does reach out to save Kalin during their duel all the more powerful. It’s honestly just as fantastic a duel/narrative as Jack/Carly (which I’ve praised excessively in the past so I won’t repeat myself here) and I’m sorry I didn’t see that sooner.

Crow vs Greiger is also fantastic, I love that both of their motivations are wanting to get revenge on behalf of their families and how this duel helped both of them overcome that desire that had consumed them- and oh my god, Dark Signers has issues for sure but the good stuff is downright fantastic.

So this first part of 5Ds is pretty good overall. It has some damming issues that hold it back from being truly amazing but the parts I loved I really really loved.

And now for part 2…

Not gonna lie, I was actually really enjoying part 2 for a good chunk of it. Yes, I hate the Carly thing. Her involvement was cut back and her and Jack’s confessions were undone not because of any real life drama like a certain rumour may have you believe but because of bad writing. Because why have two people in a healthy loving relationship when Jack can instead be oblivious to having a harem of mindless women instead?

Uuuuuuugh.

Okay, but that aside, I really enjoyed the parts leading up to the WRGP. Yes it’s much lighter and there’s a lot of filler but like the early portions of GX, the characters here are likeable enough to make the filler episodes fun and charming. I love Yusei, Jack, and Crow quipping with each other like brothers, I love the kids turbo duelling on rollerskates, I love Yusei instantly becoming attached to Bruno, I love the fact that Lazar gets distracted from important heists by the wonders of noodles. And AKIZA MY BELOVED.

I made a whole post about how much I adore the episode where she learns to turbo duel. I love how we see every step of her growth into a turbo duelist and that they allow her to make mistakes during that journey. And her friends are so supportive of her the whole way and it’s incredibly wholesome…

If only they’d done literally anything substantial with her learning to turbo duel in the next arc.

Okay, sorry, I gotta talk about negatives now. Because while I really enjoyed the stuff leading up to the WRGP, the nosedive this thing took the moment the tournament began is so sharp it astounds me. Because my one big problem with that pre-WRGP arc is Accel Synchro. Because quite frankly it makes no sense. The villains have an ability to steal Synchro monsters so you’d think the solution would be to use something other than to Synchro summon. But no. They decided the best solution to this cool roadblock would just be to synchro summon synchro monsters together, which is just a harder synchro summon that could still get your monsters stolen if you don’t do it all in one turn. But I handwaved this at first. Because I figured they just didn’t want another summoning mechanic to overshadow the one this show was made for-

OH GOD FUCKING DAMMIT.

Nope, that god awful boring put me to sleep Team Unicorn arc that was an insult to Aki’s character and women in YGO in general had the AUDACITY to have Yusei easily and with no explanation summon a fusion monster, something that wouldn’t be targeted by the Synchro stealing effect of the main villains and proceeds to NEVER USE IT AGAIN. When he’s in a situation where he needs to counter the synchro stealing, I was SCREAMING at the screen for him to use the Fusion monster he easily summoned quite literally a few episodes ago but he proceeds to do the much harder Accel synchro bullshit that even fails him once because of how stupid it is and all my investment in this plotline died. Just like that.

This plothole, and Aki’s honestly insulting treatment, completely took me out of the story and honestly, it made me feel like I was watching those subbed episodes again. I was just… so bored and uninterested. The characters still have their moments in the following episodes but it wasn’t enough to grab me or make me feel anything toward the WRGP arc apart from feeling like I was wasting my time. To be completely fair though… The final duel isn't bad.

I enjoy the concept of Aporia and I admire the attempt 4Kids made to make this feel final since, for reasons I don’t fully understand, they weren’t able to dub the final arc. I do feel like I got an ending, unlike the GX dub ending which didn’t even try to be conclusive. There are still loose ends to the dub but that’s just kind of inevitable. I don’t feel any desire to sacrifice anymore of my life points to this show when I don’t feel like it will yield anything positive for me. 5Ds for me ended with Carly taking pictures of everyone in celebration after the floating temple in the sky disappeared.

Or better yet, it ended right here:

Yeah, I’ll admit, I just wanted to end this overview on a positive note by talking about pretty much the only part of 5Ds I’d recommend people watch after Dark Signers last. Okay, besides the Akiza motorcycle episode. But anyways, Crash Town. I love this arc. Yes, it’s out of nowhere as fuck and the wild west theme is jarring at first. But you know what? I don’t give a fuck because this arc gave us MORE KALIN. I love Kalin’s arc in these episodes. The dub barely pulls any punches here. Apparently he’s explicitly suicidal in the sub but honestly, dub!Kalin is so self deprecating and obsessed with punishing himself for everything he did that I was already getting a suicidal vibe from him so this change doesn’t bother me at all. It’s clear he feels like he has nothing to live for and just wants to be punished for how he hurt Yusei and it’s heart-wrenching. But he finds new purpose in life through essentially being like an adopted older brother to those kids and that’s wholesome.

Like I said, this is how 5Ds ended for me. Akiza learned to turbo duel, Yusei finally got closure with Kalin, who has begun to heal and become a better person, and the characters I love have found happiness in their new home in Domino City.

Overall, I’m torn. 5Ds has some of the highest highs of any Yugioh yet simultaneously the lowest lows of any Yugioh. I do think I enjoyed more episodes than I didn’t but despite initially enjoying the first part of season 2, they’re not quite good enough for me to want to go back and rewatch them. Again, aside from Crashtown and Akiza turbo duelling. So… I don’t think I can give a definitive statement on 5Ds as a whole. I really loved some parts and really hated other parts. The first half I can say is overall good, heck Dark Signers I’d go as far as to call great but the second half… fuck everything in it besides the funny moments, Akiza turbo duelling, and Crashtown.

[stellartrishula]

Time for Pondering

Day 2 - A Well-Loved Story @ygo5dsmonth2019

Summary: After Carly becomes a Dark Signer, she ponders why she is there. Among people who seek revenge as justice, she has no place. However, Aslla Piscu offers her something better than justice.

Word Count: 500

Carly’s footsteps echoed as she walked around the Old Moment. She felt like a prisoner, even though she could actually leave at any time. Ever since she became a Dark Signer, she felt trapped. The Earthbound Immortal that latched onto her dying soul kept her there. It yearned to be near the negative Moment energy that hung in the air, thick and heavy.

She found the situation all too baffling for her, even though she knew the details. The Earthbound Immortals resurrected all of them to carry out their problems of destroying the world and creating a new, simple enough in concept. She spent hours crying alone in her room at the thought, but the tears had long dried up. The world was fine as it is, she thought.

The Earthbound Immortals offered something in return to their hosts. Which, from talking to the other Dark Signers, just seemed to be revenge. Revenge they thought was justice.

Kiryu wanted to kill Yusei for betraying him and letting him get arrested. Yusei didn’t seem the type.

Misty wanted to kill Aki because she supposedly killed her brother. Carly didn’t believe that, even though she would never say it to her face. Divine was evil enough to kill her, surely he could kill a small child too.

Carly wasn’t even sure what Demak wanted. He said he was part of a cult that hated duel spirits and yearned to destroy them. She didn’t understand any of it, and didn’t care enough to learn more.

Rudger was another kettle of fish entirely. His reasoning for being a Dark Signer never seemed concrete. Hating the Fudo bloodline, hating the City, wanting to create a new world in his image. It made no sense to Carly, nor anyone else in the Old Moment.

Rudger had been a Dark Signer for seventeen years. Carly wondered if his Earthbound Immortal had completely warped his mind. Would hers do the same?

Carly herself? She didn’t even know the answer to that question. Divine had murdered her in cold blood. So, she did the same to him. But now what? She asked herself again and again.

She thought about Jack, and how she loves- no, loved him. Now, that she was dead they could never be together. She knew he loved her back, despite how he had tried to convince her otherwise.

Her Earthbound Immortal invaded her mind when the Old Moment was silent, which was most of the time. It told her that they could be together, if she just cooperated with it. That new world it promised, they could rule it together as king and queen. No one could ever tear them apart again.

Oh, how that sounded good. The longer she sat in silence, listening to the creaking of the Old Moment, the better it sounded. She could feel a smile growing on her face. That would do quite nicely. She thanked Aslla Piscu silently. It would serve her well, and she would do the same.

[overobsessedfanboy23]

I finished 5Ds. For real this time.

This is my third overview of this fucking show, my constant switching between loving it and hating it has been exhausting for me, I can’t imagine what it’s been like for the people reading my posts. This show actually drives me crazy, I’m convinced it hates me. But now, I’ve finally finished it and there will be no more deliberation. 5Ds is a show of incredible highs and excruciating lows. The stuff that’s really good is Yugioh at its best and the stuff that’s really bad is some of the worst shit I’ve ever seen in my life. And there’s a slew of stuff that’s in between those points. So instead of giving a definitive statement on the show overall, I'm just gonna rank its wildly ranging in quality story arcs from best to worst.

6 WRGP

*Anguished screaming* Fuck this arc. Fuck how it treated Aki, fuck how long these stupid filler duels are, fuck you for somehow making a robot apocalypse boring, fuck you for having yet another tournament arc, and most of all, fuck the dependency on accel synchro when Yusei has a fusion summon monster he could easily summon that he just doesn’t bother with after that stupid filler duel that ended on a bullshit anti climax and single-handedly killed all my good will for 5Ds with this distracting as shit plothole that didn’t need to be there at all.

5 Pre WRGP

Basically a slew of filler that for the most part, which I didn’t mind. It’s very unfocused and all over the place but the characters are fun enough to make most of the episodes enjoyable, though there are definitely some skippable clunkers in there. This arc is also oddly enough home to my favourite single episode in 5Ds: Akiza learning to Turbo duel. That had me squealing like the Aki fanboy I am. So overall it's okay.

4 Fortune Cup

Love everything that’s Aki related, Jack is fun but not quite likeable yet, and the twins are good if basic characters. The actual Fortune Cup tournament itself was when this show got good honestly. Nearly everything before that, especially the prison arc, was pretty boring. But it has a more consistent story and a good flow to it so that puts it above all that WRGP crap.

3 Ark Cradle

Yeah… There's a lot of tension to this story now that the looming threat of the destruction of the entire city is far more close to fruition and given a time limit. Plus the duels are actually really good again. They don’t go on forever and there’s like focus on the emotional bonds of the characters again??? And also the ending is really sweet and feels very conclusive for the major characters and I’m really glad I saw it despite the missteps along the way?? This arc was so refreshing.

2 Crashtown

Yes I’m counting this. It’s a mini arc all about Kalin post Dark Signers full of gay energy and healing through the power of found family! Hell yes I’m gonna eat that up like it’s candy! The Wild West aesthetic is really jarring but once you get used to it, it’s really fun and as I said, I love Kalin so getting closure on him was really nice. The harmonica is really silly though, I made fun of the harmonica a lot.

1 Dark Signers

This arc SLAPS and 5Ds peaked here The lore is super interesting, Crow, Carly, and Kalin, three of my favourite characters are all introduced here and their stories and duels are all amazing, we get Jack’s character arc and he becomes likeable. Such good stuff. My two problems with this story arc are… unfortunately big ones. The Aki’s parents two parter (full rant here: https://at.tumblr.com/overobsessedfanboy13/i-have-some-concerns-about-akis-arc/gomscjgqwg86 ) needs to burn in hell and the Devack duel is really long and really boring. Honestly though, if those two things were surgically removed (or at least rewritten), we would have a masterpiece of an arc on our hands.

-

So overall I’m just gonna say I enjoyed at least 70% of 5Ds but it’s nowhere near the best YGO series, I have no idea why it’s the fan favourite. It’s an absolutely inconsistent mess of a show that has some really excellent shit every now and then.