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

This movie is meh. It introduces some new characters but it was kind of boring. I was a fan of the series and the first movie was really great. This one had me falling asleep all the time. It is not what I expected at all. I would never rewatch it (like I did with the first movie) but it is not terrible. It is ok I guess..

This movie was amazing; especially, when compared to the series. In length it is the equivalent to a 7-part episode, and they would be 7 of the best episodes of the series. It has a very similar feeling to watching the duel with Pegasus or the Egyptian God card duels of the series.

The animation is superb, and though a little bit of CGI/2.5D is used, it is very mild, looks good, and much more clean than is often seen in Pokemon movies.

The beginning is a little slow at times, but the rest of the movie is very well paced with plenty of dueling and plenty of lore. It is a wondrous follow-up to the Duel Monsters series. In a period when many long-awaited sequels and remakes of well-known franchises are failing, this one brings back all the nostalgia and joy of Duel Monsters.

Without a doubt my favorite thing about this Movie is it brought all the previous voice actors back together to what I consider a wonderful conclusion to the Original Yugioh Franchise. Was it absolutely astonishing? No, not by a mile. But I must admit this movie had a ton of fan-service that always makes me happy to see. Of course this movie isn't for everyone but that doesn't mean it's a fun experience. It's actually much more mature than I actually expected which in my ideal that is pretty nice, especially for long time fans. It's very nicely animated as well, and always a treat is that I think they did a immensely wonderful performance with all the Characters. Sure some fall apart but I think Dan Green did a wonderful job as Yugi Moto again. Of course all speculating of how I think they did a great job, I would say the only flop of this film is it's more directed to the fans, though that doesn't mean you can't get into it. It's plentiful with wonderful characters, unique backstories, and amazing performances. This is defiantly a watch for anybody interested!

A triumphant, big-screen return for Yugi and friends.

This film is fun and exciting for those of us who grew up with the original anime, but new viewers won't be disappointed, either.

The duels themselves are very fun and exciting, and the wonderfully composed music strengthens them even further.

My only complaint is that the film felt a bit too long. For example, there were a couple of scenes that really didn't add anything to the film which could've easily been cut out.

Wonderful animation, a surprisingly good story and the usual rhetoric about the power of friendship make this one a winner. Even if you think you've outgrown this franchise, I still suggest seeing this one. I left the theater feeling energized and joyful.

Recommended.

8/10

Yeah, don't read too much into the story. At least they tried to somewhat tie into the original series which makes it a lot more bearable than for example Pyramid of Light. They bothered to get all the original voice actors (I watched the Japanese Version with English subtitles) and pretty much nailed the atmosphere of the show (ignoring the new art style). It's also very friendly towards people that didn't bother with the spin-offs, leaving out any gimmicks that came out after 2004 (Synchro, XYZ and so on). And of course the plot rides a lot on nostalgia and fan service, bringing back most of the original cast and connecting directly to some side characters of the original show, which is, in my opinion, not a bad thing.

But honestly, they tried to let the plot sound way more complicated than it actually is. It's not deep, there are plot holes, characters know things they shouldn't, I felt no connection to the newly introduced characters and once you understand what drives the main villain, you get annoyed how complicated he explains his reasons. The movie drags a bit in parts of the first to second act, but the rest is really dynamic and never once I felt bored.

The animations are on point, duels never felt so fluent and honestly were one of the biggest plus points of the movie. But even those are sometimes overshadowed by a new kind of duel that has a gimmick that literally had no impact at all.

All in all I subjectively had a very fun time in an objectively mediocre movie, but for fans of the original show I can definitly recommend it!