Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions

Note: This review contains unmarked spoilers relating to the events of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime/manga.

In celebration of the 20^th anniversary of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, a new movie, The Dark Side of Dimensions, was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2016, set to take place after the original Yu-Gi-Oh! series. I happened to attend the panel at which this was announced, which featured a special appearance by Yu-Gi-Oh! creator/mangaka Kazuki Takahashi, who would have heavy involvement in story and designs for the movie (he even did a special live drawing of Yugi just for that panel). In anticipation of this, Takahashi also created two special Yu-Gi-Oh! chapters called TRANSCEND GAME, bridging the gap between the original series and the new movie; these chapters have since been translated to English by Viz Media, distributed in the English version of Weekly Shonen Jump (the December 19^th, 2016 and January 2^nd, 2017 issues in particular, for those who are curious).

Though the movie was released in Japan in time for the 20^th anniversary, it was not until recently that the movie began a limited theatrical run in the US; due to circumstance, I had to view this movie at the rather luxurious iPic theater, though this did not affect my thoughts on the movie itself. There was also a special card handed out to movie-goers, a (tournament-legal) Gold Rare Obelisk the Tormentor. Overall, I thought the movie was a good expansion on the original story and a worthy celebration of the franchise.

One year after the events of the original anime (six months after the original manga in the Japanese version), Seto Kaiba (Eric Stuart) is working on a new design for the Duel Disk, while at the same time looking for a way to once again duel Atem. Meanwhile, Yugi Muto (Dan Green), Joey Wheeler (Wayne Grayson), Tristan Taylor (Greg Abbey), Téa Gardner (Amy Birnbaum) and Bakura Ryou (Ted Lewis) are contemplating their plans after graduating High School. At school, they meet a boy named Aigami (Daniel J. Edwards), whom they simultaneously do and do not remember meeting before. It isn’t long before Aigami begins using the power of a mysterious artifact to further his desire to reshape the world and prevent the re-awakening of Atem.

L-R: Téa Gardner (Amy Birnbaum), Yugi Muto (Dan Green), Bakura Ryou (Ted Lewis),
Joey Wheeler (Wayne Grayson), Tristan Taylor (Greg Abbey) discuss their graduation.

For what it is, the story is actually pretty easy to follow, though it generally assumes you are already a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan who is familiar with the original story. Seto Kaiba seems to be the one actually taking central focus this time, rather than Yugi Muto, although Yugi’s contributions to the story show that he is certainly not forgotten. Those who are fans may need to explain the story for uninitiated viewers, though the 10-minute extra included with the Bonds Beyond Time Blu-ray does an effective job of explaining some of the major canon events prior to the Millennium World Arc.

The new character and main antagonist Aigami gets more of a fleshed-out backstory than some prior movie-exclusive villains, a result of his increased screen time in the 2-hour feature, which also includes back-stories of a handful of other new characters. Some other new characters only exist in the movie as a form of cannon fodder for Aigami’s abilities, and so we do not really get to know that much about them aside from some very basic information. In spite of any shortcomings, the movie can get really funny in places, both in dialogue and in some visual aspects, and it can also get a little emotional at some points for longtime fans of the series.

Though the movie is stated on the official Yu-Gi-Oh! website to take place after the anime by Studio Gallop, fans of the manga can get a bonus out of being able to spot some minor cameos from characters who never appeared in said anime, which is evidence of the original intention of taking place after the manga. A running element is Joey’s attachment to his Duel Disk, which seems to take more after the design of the Duel Disk in the manga, where it was one solid piece, although this is muddied a little by an appearance from the anime-style Duel Disk, which had the ability to fold into a more compact shape. This, however, is only a minor tidbit in the grand scheme of things.

Seto Kaiba (Eric Stuart) will go to great lengths to get another
chance to Duel Atem.

The Duels in the movie are presented spectacularly, especially since the cards are actually translated into English, similarly to the Yu-Gi-Oh! movie Pyramid of Light, except with card text closer to that of the wording style in the real-world Trading Card Game as of the movie’s release. The only way to get a good look at the card text, though, would be to be able to pause the movie in any future home video release, though this I felt was a nice touch, as was the fact that Duelists start off with 8000 Life Points (LP) like in the real-world game, as opposed to the 2000 or 4000 LP rule used in most iterations of Yu-Gi-Oh! fiction. While the normal style of Dueling is still present, a new style of Dueling is introduced known as Dimension Dueling, which is used exclusively in Duels involving Aigami. While the concept is interesting, the pacing of a Dimension Duel admittedly gets a little muddy at times, especially on Aigami’s part.

The animation is some of the best ever seen in Yu-Gi-Oh!, making the Duels themselves a true spectacle. The CG used for some monsters is also improved over what can be seen in the anime or Bonds Beyond Time, blending in better with the traditionally-animated elements. A highlight is also Kaiba’s new Duel Disks, at times seeming influenced by and improving upon the designs seen in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal spin-off series. Kaiba’s new Duel Disk in particular, featuring virtual cards, is animated amazingly well, standing out against all other Duel Disks seen in the series thus far (as of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V spin-off).

The sound design is really good, particularly with the sounds made during Duels. Returning characters share the same voice actors they had in the 4Kids dub of the original anime, which works well for consistency, and they put out great performances that display a refined experience with their characters, especially Dan Green and Eric Stuart as Yugi and Kaiba respectively. Daniel J. Edwards does a good job voicing antagonist Aigami, displaying a good range with the character and capturing his emotions throughout the course of the feature. The background music is also good, although a highlight would be the new mix of the English Yu-Gi-Oh! Theme that plays during the credits.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dark Side of Dimensions is a well-executed continuation of the original story, though it was definitely made with Yu-Gi-Oh! fans in mind. The film has one of the best examples of Yu-Gi-Oh! animation to date, and the plot and action are relatively straight-forward, with the exception of the Dimension Duel concept. The callbacks to the original manga provide an interesting touch, plus the returning voice actors do a good job in reflecting how much their characters have changed in the intervening period of time in-universe. Those who are uninitiated may get lost, especially during the actual Duels, and so may need a short explanation of preceding (original series) Yu-Gi-Oh! lore before going in. Those who are longtime fans of the series should definitely check out the two TRANSCEND GAME chapters as well, as they provide some insight into the exploits of Seto Kaiba preceding the events of the movie proper.

Bleach: Memories of Nobody

Every year, there is a tradition that three of this blog's contributors share, myself included, which we refer to as "Movie Day." Every year on December 26, the day after Christmas, we do nothing but watch movies in our collection that we have yet to see on home video. These usually come from the ones that we got at Christmas, but we sometimes do manage to see at least one acquired from another time. This year, along with several Pixar shorts, we watched six films: Bleach: Memories of Nobody; Labyrinth; Magical Mystery Tour; The Artist; Finding Nemo; and Hugo. This review will cover the first of these films, Bleach: Memories of Nobody.

In case you didn't read my review of Bleach: Soul Resurrección, I am a fan of Bleach, the anime/manga franchise created by Tite Kubo about a high school student who becomes a substitute Soul Reaper who has to send souls to Soul Society as well as cleanse Hollows (evil spirits) so that they may be sent there as normal spirits. I personally have a love/hate relationship with Bleach, since there is a roller coaster of quality in Kubo's writing and there is so much that's both good and bad about it (ex. Interesting characters and ideas are introduced only to go nowhere or be taken too far). Regardless, I'm catching up with everything from before the Arrancar Arc and reading the Thousand Year Blood War Arc in Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha. More recently, I received some Bleach stuff for Christmas thanks to my interest in the series, and becoming more serious about it, including this movie, which was first released in 2006 and then brought stateside in 2008. As the first movie ever created for the series, Memories of Nobody is surprisingly self-sufficient.

After Ichigo (Johnny Yong Bosch) and Rukia (Michelle Ruff) eliminate a Hollow in a park, and the former escapes from paramedics, mysterious beings known as Blanks appear in Karakura Town. Before the two of them can do anything about it, a mysterious Soul Reaper named Senna (G.K. Bowes) arrives on the scene and eliminates them. However, another mysterious figure named Ganryu (Troy Baker) arrives on the scene, but disappears as quickly as he came. Ichigo later learns that the Blanks are souls without memories that have been detached from the normal cycle of souls, and that they are naturally attracted to one another, creating something called a Shinenju in the process. With no other leads, Ichigo decides to try and work with the unknown Senna to find the Shinenju and prevent a mysterious clan known as the Dark Ones from getting their hands on it and destroying both Soul Society and the World of the Living.

With the movie lasting a mere 93 minutes, its plot is a little simple, which actually works in its favor for the most part. It uses that hour and a half to its advantage by introducing newer as well as existing elements and expanding on them as much as it really needs to to create a surprisingly good story. For example, the Blanks aren't explained very well, but in the context of the movie and going by the fact that we never see them again, they really didn't need to be, since there is a reasonable amount of exposition that discuses what they are, where they are from and what they do. The plot also takes advantage of a theme of protection, which, while one of the more basic themes of movies, is expanded upon to apply to Ichigo, Senna and even Ganryu, which helps with understanding their motives. It can also get pretty emotional at times, especially as we learn more about Senna. I ended up getting pretty attached to her and feeling pretty sad about her, and her emotional range got me to like the character.

If anything though, the only real problems I actually have with the plot are both the fight with and a lack of expansion on Ganryu. Beginning with the latter, I was able to understand why he was trying to manipulate the Shinenju to his advantage, but after the credits had rolled, I realized that I still didn't know that much about the character, including how his clan ended up the way it did or why he became the man he is. As for the fighting, which ties into this, I actually felt that the fight between Ganryu and Ichigo was a little too short, since I never really got to know just how powerful the former is, which took a little of the edge from the climax away. While the interactions between Ichigo and Senna help to balance it out, I still feel like there could have been just a little more with Ganryu.

As for its animation, this film has a really good quality that looks like the show but with a much higher budget. By that, I mean that it looks better than the parts of the show that aired before it and certain things look beautifully done. The designs of the new characters also seem like ones that would actually come from Bleach and everyone looks consistent with how they are in the source media.

The score is also pretty good, with a combination of existing music from the anime and new music created for the movie. Every piece is used appropriately, enhancing and complementing each scene well. I also liked the voice acting, which is consistent with the show, allowing the new characters to have voices that match who they are. I don't really have any complaints here.

What I was most surprised by however was the movie's ability to make sense even to non-Bleach fans, hence my "self-sufficient" comment earlier. Among those in my immediate family watching the movie with me, one is getting more familiar with the series, one knew a little about it, and one knew absolutely nothing outside of me explaining who each character on the DVD menu was. The movie was able to explain characters and basic concepts in a way that even someone who knew nothing about the series was able to follow along and keep track of what was going on in the story. This I appreciated, since it allows the movie to stand up more as a separate entity than a film that is dependent on familiarity with the original source.

Bleach: Memories of Nobody is a surprisingly good movie. While not perfect, its plot and characters help to make it really enjoyable and worth watching. Fans of Bleach will like this film the most, but even outsiders might consider giving this one a try if they're looking for an animated feature with a good sense of what it is and what it's trying to accomplish. I'm glad I watched this feature, as it shows that a film based on a franchise can be written so even an outsider can get into it. If you're going to watch this but are unsure how much you'd need to know, fear not, for there is a handy theatrical program included with the DVD that will tell you all you need to know; be sure to read it before or after your viewing.