News

More than two decades later, Yu-Gi-Oh! remains an anime classic and a staple of many fans childhoods. First airing back in 2000, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters would go on to introduce the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, three movies, and several spin-off series into modern culture. Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters was so beloved that YouTuber Little Kuriboh created Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series, the flagship of the pop culture phenomenon in which fans shorten and re-dub anime for parody.

In both the anime and the trading card game, there are three types of cards: Monster, Magic, now known as Spell, and Trap. Thousands of cards have featured in the many incarnations of Yu-Gi-Oh!, but, much like first generation Pokmon, none stand out quite like those from Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters. Among the countless cards seen in seasons 1-5, a select few outshine the rest.

Kuriboh A Little Furball with Lots of Potential

Kuriboh may be one...

Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged, the Internet-Changing Spoof, Is Now 18-Years-Old - Main Image

One of the key pillars of early YouTube, LittleKuribo’s Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged, is now 18 years old. Skyrocketed into stardom alongside Charlie Bit My Finger and Grape Lady Falls, the hilarious dub of the Yu-Gi-Oh anime was once an inseparable part of the internet for millions of monthly viewers.

Originally uploaded on July 14, 2006, and later removed for copyright violations, Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series quickly garnered millions of views. The original episode’s re-upload in April 2009 currently has over 12 million views.

18 Years of Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged

Following the web series’ 18th anniversary, creator LittleKuriboh took to Twitter to celebrate the series’ coming of age. “Hey it's the 18th anniversary of the first episode of Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged!” they said to fans on Twitter. “The show is finally old enough to play a children's card game.”

In the years since Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged’s debut,...

AnimeNEXT is an annual three-day convention that has been held in the New Jersey / New York metropolitan area for the past eight years, Reigning as the ninth largest convention in the United States. Opening it’s doors for the first time on October 11th 2002 to a meager one-thousand in attendance, the convention has grown exponentially since then, now hoping to boast over 10,000 in attendance this year. Hosted and organized by Universal Animation Incorporated, a non-profit organization for the promotion of Anime and Manga appreciation in the United States of America, the convention offers manga Libraries, cosplay competitions, karaoke, video game competitions, artist kiosks and last but not least, panels and workshops held by leaders in the field.

Every year AnimeNEXT invites the most prominent people in the business to attend the convention’s many panels and workshops. This years lineup is no exception, Guests of Honor include:

Kenji Kamiyama, Director,...