Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Toon is more sophisticated than previous series.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this show is a bit more sophisticated than previous Yu-Gi-Oh series. The characters seem older and have become societal superstars in a futuristic, Blade Runner-esque world. Parents new to the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! should also know that young fans of the franchise must hold a series of dueling/card game rules in their head that makes chess look like Go Fish. Point tallies quickly head into the thousands. It's a silly game and a sillier show, but it's not for the faint of brain, and that's its redeeming factor.

  • Kids are sure to learn something about playing the associated card game, but it's arguable whether that's truly "educational."
  • The series revolves around fighting -- it's the go-to option for dealing with conflicts (and almost everything else). A main character is motivated by revenge.
  • Characters are divided into two classes, satellite and city. The
    higher-caste city dwellers persecute the "satellites" who work together
    to stand up for themselves and believe in each other -- but also break
    rules and act arrogantly.
  • Most violence takes place between creatures created by spells cast by playing the signature title game.

What's the story?

YU-GI-OH! 5D'S takes the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! further into the future than previous series have. Episodes still revolve around duels fought between characters and their decks of magical cards -- which create or bring forth monsters and dragons to fight one another in complex ways -- but the duels are now fought in stadiums and on motorcycle-like vehicles called Duel Runners. This time around, lead character Yusei seeks revenge against his former best friend, Jack Atlas, who stole his Duel Runner and prize dragon and has used both to become the "Duel King."


Is it any good?

 

The animation here is stylish and the action smooth -- although the voice dubbing creates an odd effect for viewers who aren't used to it (the series is produced and originally aired in Japan). The duels remain laughable for adult viewers, mostly because, as they fling their cards out with panache and produce their monsters, the characters are forced to narrate their actions and the effects (as in "Ha! Your move is foolish, because I shall produce this card, which makes your card upside-down and useless and calls back my hydra-dog from the grave! Fool!").

This brand extension loses some of the charm of earlier versions by raising the stakes -- these characters, while not adults, are fighting for adult things like fame and fortune, whereas in the earlier series, the kids were younger, dueling for their schools or their honor.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the relationship between entertainment and products. Would having and playing the related video or card games make watching this series more fun? Why or why not?

  • What do you think the show's primary goal is -- to entertain kids or encourage them to buy more stuff?


This review was written by KJ Dell Antonia
Adult
January 20, 2009
 
The 4Kids English dub (CW program) is a complete joke
This is a review of the Original Japanese anime, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. The English version dub doesn't deserve to be called an anime. The English version takes this series and cuts it in half. The series is originally a dark series. The story's protagonist is Yusei Fudo. He is a young, 18-year-old orphan who has no parents and lives with his friends in an underground hideout. His only hope is his D-Wheel and his ace monster, Stardust Dragon. His once-best friend, King of Duelists Jack Atlus, abandoned the life of a poor Satellite resident and his friends for a chance to become king two years prior to the beginning of the series. The story is about Yusei rising from the bottom of the social class and regaining his friend back. The series is much darker than its international counterpart. The English dub turns it into a Saturday morning cartoon. In its unedited form, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's would easily be placed in late Adult Swim-esque airing blocks. This misleads a lot of kids and parents into thinking that it is nothing worth quality. That is not the case. Many things which made this series great in Japan was removed from the dub. This series is targeted at late teens in Japan and is comparible to similar series such as Code Geass and Death Note. Before judging this series to be a kid's cartoon after watching the American ripoff, watch the Japanese version and I guarantee that one to two episodes is enough to change your mind.

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Teen, 18 years old
June 5, 2010
 
Why?
4kids turned this into another "kid's show". Sorry everyone for saying this: but anime is not for little kids. The Japanese version is much better, but also more violent. I don't like Yu-Gi-Oh! very much, but 5D's is very good. So, ignore 4kids, otherwise they will grow to hate anime for seeing it suck so much.

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Teen, 17 years old
November 28, 2011
 
Problems with the official review...
Alright. The official review of this show shown above isn't exactly accurate. Here's the show coming from the eyes of an appreciative fan, not a by-standing adult who assumes this is just another stupid anime motivated by consumerism. Positive Messages: "The series revolves around fighting..." What? There is little to no actual on-screen fighting in this show. If anything, parents should be happy that children are watching something where the main "go-to option for dealing with conflicts" is CARD GAMES. That's right. Not violence. CARD GAMES. All of the fighting is a holographic CARD GAME. (Unless we're talking about the Japanese version here, but I'm assuming this was a review for the 4Kids dub.) Positive Role Models: "...break the rules and act arrogantly." Excuse me? The characters who supposedly do this are being oppressed by the ones who make the "rules". Yusei and a few other Satellites are the only ones willing to stand up for the rights that should belong to them. They're saying, "Screw the rules, this is wrong!" This show could teach kids a thing or two about standing up for themselves and when it is acceptable to "break the rules and act arrogantly."

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Teen, 15 years old
February 27, 2011
 
Good for older kids, not little ones
This show is pretty good. I have been watching it on Saterdays for about 4 weeks. It can be violent sometimes. The cards are sometimes a bit bothersome for me(a Christian) because some have names like "Ruler of the Dark Magic" or something like that. If litle kids want to see this they should try Pokemon-It is similar(a bit) and not as violent. Also,the creatures on Pokemon are usually cute-Yu-Gi-Oh card are very often creepy and rarely cute. The characters help each other. They are usually nice-even to bad guys. On what I've seen, there is no blood, etc. The cards are pretty creepy sometimes, even for me.

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Educator
May 30, 2009
 
Best series of YGO to date
I've watched all the series of Yugioh, to the original, to the GX, and now, to the 5Ds. I have to say, 5Ds are the most exciting up to date. Unlike the previous where they stood and battled, the motorcycle theme has added an extra dramatic "punch" to the series. The series is more intense, I believe, and geared toward the older viewers of the Yugioh fans. There is still a lot of the "friendship" theme going on, but there is also blood, violence, and romance in it as well (as far as I have seen in the Japanese version), and more intense than the previous Yugioh series. Although...if you don't like Yugioh in the first place, I wouldn't recommend it, but if you are a Yugioh fan, then I definitely do recommend it, and don't let the motorcycle fool you because they are actually really fascinating.

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Parent
June 29, 2011
 
Good show
I'm talking about the English dub since I haven't seen anyone writing their review in Japanese. As a fan of the original Yu-gi-oh!, I was always confused at what there was not to like about it and/or it's associated game. The game promotes critical thinking in a variety of ways including (depending on the speed of the game) quick mathematical calculations, deductive reasoning, etc., as well as "outside of the box" thinking. Plus it's better that your child learns a game where rules need to be adhered to instead of out on the streets acting like deliquents, but I digress. The show is indeed in fact darker and more complex than its' predecessors, the main hero has not had the best life and is not put in the best of situations but what is admirable is that he keeps to his convictions which are positive ones like standing by his friends and trying to save people. This show is a bit more realistic than the previous two series in that when I say it's more "darker and complex" I mean that it's more closer to reality than most people would like to admit as there are societal issues, connotationally ethnical issues, betrayal, etc. that has a bearing on the story rather than just clear cut black and white, good versus bad kind of plot. My overall recommendation is that this show is a good one for teenagers. Now does this mean every teenager should watch it? No, but what it does mean is that if your child is going to watch it, then I would suggest talking to him/her about what they have seen and hear out their interpretation of things.

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Kid, 12 years old
February 3, 2011
 
Yes, as always, skimpy clothing for girls and ''pronounced'' chests for all girls. KInd of violent, and when they duel Dark Signers, the damage is real. If you lose, you turn into dust. And the Dark Signers are so scary. the whites of their eyes turn black. Completely black. and their clothes are really scary. But, overall a nice show.

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Teen, 17 years old
January 26, 2011
 
4kids makes it dumb. . .
Don't pay attention to 4kids. I watch this anime subbed on Youtube and the story is much better. The show really talks about friendship and how it can give you strength under hardships. The main character is a wonderful role model just because he isn't perfect. Yusei had a rough life but he still has faith in his friends.

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Parent of 18 year old
January 2, 2011
 
I play yu gi oh cards with friends at school and home. I love it. I watch yu gi oh on my birthday july 12,1989. I buy yu gi oh cake from publix so we can eat it.

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Parent
August 10, 2011
 
THE BEST AROUND
My kids speak Danish. Sadly, they can't use English. The phuck?

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This review was written by KJ Dell Antonia
This review was written by KJ Dell Antonia
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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