Yu-Gi-Oh! "Season 0" as it's called by some fans boasts quite a few differences from the trading card anime we're all familiar with. For those of you unfamiliar with this version of the show, it features one extra member of the gang who was apparently too moe for the later series, is often much more gruesome than its successor, and sticking more closely to the manga, features all manner of games, including but not limited to an extremely early, extremely simple version of Duel Monsters. Also Kaiba has green hair.

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Writing: As mentioned prior, this series sticks to the manga more closely than Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters does. That said, things are still toned down from the manga version at least somewhat, so this series falls somewhere inbetween in terms of content. For example, where a villain might be set on fire in the manga, here they're presented a traumatic illusion that makes them think and feel as if they were set on fire. Things like that. Yami Yugi is still Game Batman, though, dishing out cold and brutal street justice to those who are asking for it.

There's a certain charm to seeing the Pharaoh as Chief Badass, rather than the more romantic and human version we see trying to learn about the mysteries of his past in Duel Monsters. While this series does more deeply explore a lot of the early arcs before the start of Duel Monsters, such as the origin of Joey and Yugi's friendship, make no mistake, it is not in the same canon, as the presence of the extra character and punk-phase Kaiba's interactions with Yugi prove. Oh, right, I was critiquing the writing, wasn't I? Overall it's fairly average for a shonen series, but some of the solutions to the games are quite clever and will keep you guessing.

Animation: Not stellar, not abysmal. It's the 90's, what're you gonna do? Yugi's still hoarding the world supply of hairspray, though.

Sound: This series was never dubbed, so expect no Dan Green. The Japanese actors do a fine job of capturing the characters, though, even if Yami Yugi's voice is a bit on the stereotypical side as far as angsty young badasses speaking Japanese go. The music, I dare say, is a strong point of the series, much more unique than that present in Duel Monsters, and with a transformation theme that would have been iconic had this show made it to the west. It's an earworm, that.

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If you've ever wanted to see a bishonen Two-Face take on the role of Batman and dish out street justice with gambling, you're looking at the right series. The series is as bipolar as can be, from its cute and saccharin school scenes to the dark and gritty dealings with injustice. I recommend it as a fun watch for anyone interested in this kind of dichotomy, as well as (obviously) for fans of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise who want to see the origins of the series in animated form.