#what have we learned of Yusaku's past since episode 1?

[shidoukanae]

It’s probably pretty obvious at this point but my interest in VRAINS has wavered. I’m not as enthusiastic about it as I used to be and that sucks, honestly. The latest episodes, namely Akira vs. Yusaku and episodes 21 and 22, have failed to capture my attention. Recently, however, I rewatched episode 7 - Blue Angel’s duel against Playmaker - and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time grinning like an idiot even if I knew the results of the battle. 

With the current episodes, however, I can’t react like that. I don’t hold any excitement to the upcoming episodes - it doesn’t feel like we’re getting anywhere with the plot. And, sure, we’ve learned a bit about Yusaku’s past but it’s honestly not much past what we already knew or had speculated about beforehand. The only thing that leapt out to me personally was the weird eye-like being that appeared and, even then, the knowledge that it won’t get addressed for quite some time weighs down on me. The whole Akira vs. Yusaku fight had potential to push the show somewhere new - to start talking about the six lost kids or to start thinking about real life Revolver or even Kusanagi’s brother some more. Instead, we’re still going over the whole “I must find answers” spiel that’s been started since episode 1 and…I honestly don’t feel like we’ve progressed any further.

There are still five children left to identify. There are still five AIs trapped in a world. There are still mysteries the show has left to touch upon if only briefly instead of bringing them up for one second and then dropping them like an anchor into a sea. It feels like, since episode 1, we have this giant wall of a gazillion horizontal layers looming over us. And, as it stands now, out of those gazillion layers maybe only a handful or so have been taken off. That leaves a whole gazillion minus five layers to delve through. We’re at episode 22. There should be more layers destroyed at this point - not a handful. 

Not only that, but I’m losing my attachment to our protagonist. I can’t place it into words, exactly, but someone on my dash once pointed out something about him that caught my eye: the show worships Yusaku. He’s made out to be an eternal hero, the savior of Link VRAINS and the only threat that matters in the world to Hanoi or otherwise. And, while there’s a basis to this - Yusaku holds a creation of eternal value - the show seems to focus less on the fact that every one and their cousin wants Ai and more on that Yusaku is a “hero” who needs to be taught a lesson by the bad guys because he’s that good guy that everyone needs to love. 

What makes the show’s hero worship of Yusaku/Playmaker the most annoying thing to me is that everyone seems to agree that the guy is respectable and “awe-inspiring”. Revolver respects him, Blue Angel respects him, Go Onizuka respects him, Aoi Zaizen respects him, Akira Zaizen respects him, Ema Bessho respects him, Shoichi Kusanagi - do you see where I’m going here? The only characters who don’t seem to respect Yusaku (Specter, Dr. Kogami, virtually everyone who’s never seen him or met him yet) are inspired by him. He touches the lives of every single damn person he meets. Every. Single. One. And, lemme tell you, that’s almost characteristic of the Gary Stu trait - to have everyone think of the protagonist in a favorable light just because he’s cool/good at dueling/a savior/mysterious and so on and so forth. 

There has to be someone who could care less about Playmaker - whose life doesn’t consist of either chasing after him (Blue Angel, Revolver, etc.) or fawning over him (Naoki, Ema to some extent), someone who sits in the shadows and lets Playmaker play distraction while a greater plot unfolds behind the scenes. At the very least - can’t we have someone who genuinely hates Playmaker and refuses to change their views of him even after one little duel (and, no, Revolver doesn’t count. This latest episode has proven that Revolver thinks highly enough of Playmaker to at least want to duel him one more time - if not out of fun than out of a craving for dominance over someone who “bested” him and thus who he respects). 

Part of what I love about all the adults so far (sans, obviously, Shoichi) is that their lives don’t necessarily revolve around Yusaku. Go’s manager seeks to tend to Go and encourage him to do what Go believes is best. Akira thinks always of his sister and when he’s not chasing after a lost AI (and *grumbles* Playmaker himself) he’s working hard for his sister’s sake to make her happy. Dr. Kogami is working to destroy one of his own creations to right a wrong. Ema Bessho, though heavily involved with Playmaker in her duel against him, very much walks her own path. She’s more involved with Akira than she is anyone else and, when she’s not working with Akira she’s off trying to make a profit. 

Both Ema and Dr. Kogami seem to have the least “worship” to Playmaker as a whole and act almost independent of what Playmaker wants (although, with Ema, I’m hoping she won’t become the type to bend to Playmaker’s will just because of her current “crush” on him). They’re also the two remaining characters I’m interested in (with my initial infatuation with Aoi falling the longer we see her either by Playmaker’s side or off-screen entirely without a chance to shine) specifically because they have a focus that doesn’t center solely on him - Ema wants a profit (for reasons unknown or because she really likes money even though she doesn’t really live too luxuriously) and Dr. Kogami wants to destroy his creations even if he was to destroy Link VRAINS (and maybe even himself) to do so. 

…So, in summary, I dunno. I’m hoping if I wait this current arc out that I’ll get rewarded but, having slogged through the last Hanoi arc (which did little to pique my interest, honestly, aside from Ghost Girl’s bits), I’m not sure about that. Ema’s honestly one of the few reasons why I keep watching - if only to see bits and pieces of her here and there. Aoi’s also another reason but considering how rarely we see Aoi (and, I’m not including her online persona bc her online persona has kind of become a bit saturated in the plot rn) she’s not really a doable reason to keep watching. I’m also hoping that maybe we get somewhere - that maybe we try another route, something that doesn’t involve fighting Hanoi or claiming a need to “seek for the truth of the past”. Both of those rhetorics are getting real old now and, I feel like, if the show doesn’t step on a new path soon enough, it’ll get pretty stale to me quickly…

Put another way - I’m guess you can say I am infatuated with the beginning of VRAINS but I am also losing interest in the modern era of VRAINS.

[3w-writer-with-wings]

Next Yu-Gi-Oh! anime - new series or a crossover?

Now that VRAINS is over, it is time for Yusaku to pass the torch to the next protagonist and start a new story from the start. Knowing Yu-Gi-Oh! Series, the next protagonist and their story will likely be a brand new one... or we might get something different. Considering all that we know from the news so far, a new spin-off could go two ways:

1)      A continuation of ZEXAL, ARC V and VRAINS

2)      A brand new series with a new protagonist

Now how could a continuation of the last three series even be possible? Well, it is just a speculation for now, but here is the thing – all three of them have relatively very open endings. The first series ended with Dark Side of Dimensions movie, with Atem finally be able to return to the afterlife and Yugi graduating and on the way to create his own game. GX ended with all main characters graduating and Judai finding fun in duelling again. 5Ds probably had the most conclusive ending since it nicely showed the futures of all Signers. Not to mention Bonds Beyond Time movie really nicely connected their stories together.

Compared to those three series, ZEXAL, ARC V and VRAINS had far more open endings. Yuma might’ve obtained Numeron Code and rewrote the future in the best way possible, but the adventure itself is not over yet since the series end with Yuma and his friends on the way to the new mission. 

ARC V probably had the worst ending since the last arc went downhill and failed to deliver a proper ending. Still with Yuto, Yugo and Yuri now inside Yuya, this adventure could still continue as Yuya would likely try to find a way for other Yu boys to exist now that all dimensions have merged. Who knows maybe there is another Numeron code hiding somewhere that will save the day.

This brings us to the most tragic ending in the series VRAINS. There was no Numeron Code this time nor was the protagonist still hopeful in the end. Yusaku’s story has been a tragedy from the start and ended up even more tragic. Still, there was a tiny bit of hope in the end that may hint this is not over yet:

First, Akira states that VRAINS not only connects to Cyberse, but to many worlds. He doesn’t specifically state what kind of worlds, though considering how much of a role multiverses played in series so far, it could be anything. First three series mostly focused on duel monster worlds with many characters having abilities to travel there and communicating with duel monster spirits. 

ZEXAL went a step further and made it more believable with a use of science fiction: Earth, Astral World and Barian World are all considered worlds at different places in universe, accessible only by alien beings like Astrals and Barians. ARC V went into details about dimensions and nicely incorporated an idea that all four dimensions used to be one and Yu-boys used to be the same person that split in four. Due to the merge at the end, the world of ARC V is considered as a single world but there were also hints of other worlds still being present. Back in Original dimension, that's exactly what Leo Akaba has been researching and he even half-confirmed it when he found out that duel monsters created by solid vision project body heat. Duel monsters were in fact alive and solid vision connected them with an actual world they came from and that's why Zarc became so unstoppable. He's been using solid vision to the point where his dragons materialized completely and in the end even En's couldn't destroy him – they simply split him in four in order to weaken him.

Now VRAINS doesn’t actually include any other worlds, but it deals with another important plot point – a creation of artificial life. Dr.  Kogami used Lost Incident to create six different AIs with free will for which he believed will create an even better world. He was so obsessed with it that he didn't even consider it will go wrong and once it did, he was even ready to literally nuke network system and people in it. Ignis did create their own world, but they didn’t want to share it as it rightfully belonged to them and they would likely continue with their lives there (in case Lightning didn’t go on with his plan). And what's more – they also created life in that world – Cyberse Monsters. If Ignis and Cyberse Monsters were indeed alive is up to debate, but one thing is real for sure – Ignis acknowledged their existence as to being alive and that's why their deaths were so sad.

It is not clear if that little eyeball at the end of VRAINS was really Ai, but if it was (https://3w-writer-with-wings.tumblr.com/post/188222599160/yu-gi-oh-ending-theory-spoilers here is my theory that supports this) then Yusaku has one more mission up ahead – reunite with Ai.

And this is where the new Yu-Gi-Oh series will likely begin – with Yuma, Yuya and Yusaku about to begin a new adventure. Reunions played a major part in not only last three series but in all YuGiOh series so far: in Waking the Dragons arc Atem was separated from Yugi and had to save him from Dartz, Judai literally fused with Yubel, Yusei defeated Z-ONE with a power of all Signer dragons combined, Astral and Yuma were kept getting separated and then reunited, Yuya was reunited with his counterparts and even Yusaku and Ai nearly became fused. Bonds Beyond Time already had Yugi, Judai and Yusei together, so there is a great chance new series will connect Yuma, Yuya and Yusaku. The commercials known as Duel Hour even included a few moments where Yuma, Yuya and Yusaku appear together. I know there is one with Yusei and Yusaku as well, but just think - maybe those were the early teasers for the next Yu-Gi-Oh series!

While the first three protagonists were connected by time (Yusei's Crimson Dragon who can travel through time), I believe the other three protagonists will be connected by space. While the first three series are confirmed to be connected, the other three are left to our own interpretation. Zexal is confirmed to be connected to the first two series but not 5ds. The proof was shown in the episode where Yuma visits Duel Lodge and finds the statues of legendary monsters from first series and GX like Dark Magician, Blue Eyes White Dragon, Neos and Cyber End Dragon, but there is no sign of Signer Dragons or other significant monsters from 5Ds.

ARC V went overboard and literally based four dimensions on four previous series and even included an actual Heartland from Zexal plus several alternative versions of characters who appeared in previous series. While VRAINS doesn’t include any connections to previous series, it still includes all summoning methods except for pendulum which means pendulum really is exclusive to ARC V only.

So how could those three protagonists connect? In Bonds Beyond Time it is Yusei who travels to different times, so it will likely be Yusaku and it would make sense since VRAINS ended with him travelling to unknown part of network. Maybe he will be reunited with Ai, but to get to him he will find himself in completely different dimension that VRAINS connected him to. Let's say he ends up in ARC V dimension and while he tries to find way back, he runs into Yuya. Other Yu-boys sense something in Yusaku like his Link sense or something, and Yuya being Yuya offers to help him out. Maybe they even end up in a tag duel or something, and Yuya learns about Link summon and Yusaku learns about Pendulum summon. I would love to see Yusaku having fun duelling for once by participating in an action duel and maybe he even remembers Ai's words to not be afraid to make friends, and recognizes Yuya as his friend. Maybe they even have a moment when they talk about their past experiences and see they have more in common than they think.

From that point on their main goal would be to find Ai and maybe even a way to get Yu-boys to exist. There could also be a new threat, serious enough for Yuya and Yusaku to team up. Maybe they visit Heartland again and it is still not completely restored and Yuya tells Yusaku about the war of dimensions and how he lost his counterparts and he understands Yusaku's pain. Maybe that's when they are attacked by a new threat and that's when Yuma enters the picture. Maybe that new threat is the same one Yuma was about to face at the end of ZEXAL and Yuma merged with Astral follows it to alternative version of Heartland that is now a part of ARC V. With the trio complete, they have a new mission now: take care of the new threat, find Ai and find a way to bring other Yu- boys back.

This is more than enough material for new series and would surely love to see these three interact. With a new threat there is tons of ways this could go, either by them trying to bring back Yuya's counterparts and finding Ai or dealing with other missions that are connected to new threat.

Another hint that ZEXAL, ARC V and VRAINS will continue is the fact that we currently (as of December 12th 2019) have absolutely no other info other than the series will come out in 2020 and will celebrate 20th anniversary. When 5Ds was still ongoing, we already got shots of Yuma and Astral at the end of the episodes, same went for ARC V shots at the end of ZEXAL and even VRAINS scenes were already popping up towards the end of ARC V. It's been more than two months since VRAINS ended and we still don't have anything and we likely won't until 20th December. This might suggest that producers wanted to make this crossover a surprise and won't reveal it until the time is right.

While this new crossover could be possible considering it has been done in the past with ARC V and Bonds Beyond Time, there is always a chance that the second option will be done instead – brand new Yu-Gi-Oh! series with a new Yu-tagonist, rival, best  friend and so on. It is also possible that there will be a combination of both – with a new protagonist joining the Yuma, Yuya and Yusaku on their quests. But for a stand-alone YuGiOh series what can we expect? Well, one thing is for sure – the protagonist's name will start with Yu- and will have an impossible anime hairstyle. I checked several videos, blogs, ideas and other posts about what other fans wish to see and I tried my best to gather up all info in order to structure my idea for new YuGiOh series.

 What yugioh fandom wants? :

Back to magic, ancient cultures and mysterious artefacts concept (possibly another culture – we had ancient Egypt, Nazca culture and references to ancient Rome and Greece, maybe medieval Japan, China or ancient Mesopotamia or the culture of Native America)

Ability to talk with Duel Spirits

Female protagonist (or better treatment of female characters)

Two main protagonists who are siblings

Back to the tournaments

Isekai style aka. transported to the Duel Monster world

Adorkable protagonist

Well-developed antagonists (like Dark Signers and Barian Emperors) or multiple unpredictable antagonists (like in VRAINS)

Something new

Connected to the past series (like ARC V)

Missions/quests (like Number cards collecting in Zexal)

So here is my idea that hopefully incorporates the majority of before mentioned tropes.

I would love to see a female protagonist who is a mixture of Yuma and Jaden/Judai aka. loves trying out new things, is very energetic and friendly and is fascinated by a card game. Insert the protagonist who is kinda like Astral and Yusaku aka. someone who used to love the game but no longer sees it as fun (he was a duelling prodigy and participated in tournaments since a young age, but the pressure and demands for being the best broke him down mentally) though he still likes the card game itself. I imagine that he would design cards or work in a card game shop like Yugi and would be a shy and quiet type of a character, kinda like a mixture of Yugi, Yusaku and Astral. He would basically be like a male version of Luna/Ruka from 5Ds (from what I remember she was a duelling prodigy too, defeating tough opponents since she was three and would probably continue participating in duels if she hadn’t fallen in a coma and became afraid of duelling in tournaments ever since). Just like Ruka, he would maybe also have an ability to communicate with duel spirits (please bring this troupe back, I absolutely loved the connection between Judai, Johan and Ruka with their duel monster spirits!).

So here's how I imagine the first episode: the female character just lost a duel to one of her classmates and his friends are taunting her for being stupid, inexperienced and that she generally sucks at cardgames aka. "Oh, girls can't play this." She either brushes it off with a smile or goes berserk saying that she will get better and that they will be sorry when she wins in some sort of tournament. Then she looks at her cards and realizes she should change it a bit since she keeps getting lost what to use. So she goes to the very same shop where the protagonist is and stares at different cards for hours until the protagonist steps to her and says the closing hours will be soon. Maybe that's when her more vulnerable side is revealed and she admits that she indeed doesn't have much idea how to improve herself and that she will never be able to even participate in a tournament. The protagonist asks her why she wants to play the game so badly if she is not even close to average and she admits some personal connection to it (maybe a person close to her played the game with her when she was little but is now no longer there and she remembers that person whenever she plays OR she simply loves the concept of the game and wishes to learn more).  That makes the protagonist remember of days when he was playing the game for pure enjoyment and he didn't care who loses or wins and decides to help her build a deck and walk her through basics. He sets the sign of the shop to CLOSED and takes his time going through different cards until it is very late and she has to go home. He gives her some cards that might fit her duelling style and gives her a few tips. She thanks him and promises to stop by the next day for more lessons. But the next day she encounters the same group of classmates who again mock her until she agrees to duel, even though she wanted to practise more. This time, using the boy's advice she really pays attention to what he taught her and is doing great until her opponent deals a great amount of damage and she is close to giving up. Then - the protagonist appears next to her, who has been watching the entire duel (he visits her school in order to give her more cards) and simply encourages her to not give out hope, take a deep breath and see what she can do. He basically becomes her duelling partner and leads her through the game. The girl so claims her first victory and the boy tells her he was only a guide and she overall beat her opponent herself (similar to how Yugi helped Joey during his first few duels), though she still needs to learn. Her opponent can't believe he just lost and to very (consideringly weak) cards (she had more powerful ones before adding the new cards) and continues to mock her, but then the boy (either removes his hood or fixes his hair) steps before her and says that every duelist has to start from zero just like he did and the guy recognizes him as a champion that's when episode ends. The preview hints that the boy was a duelling prodigy and in the next episode he teaches her some valuable lessons about duelling while she tries to encourage him to duel again. He could also show how cards are made, like how he makes a design, comes up with stats and other info and has it printed. The card-making was briefly shown in first two series, how Pegasus made Egyptian God Cards, how Chumley/Hayato went to work for Pegasus and young Jaden/Judai designed his own custom cards as a child (that were actually made and sent to space).

From this point on it could go many different ways: maybe it starts with the protagonist helping the girl train for a tournament while someone from his past blackmails him into participating as well, threatening to expose his secret, maybe the duel monster spirits start appearing whenever he makes a new card (they didn't before, meaning the girl in a way awakens his ability to talk with spirits), maybe someone wants to kidnap him for his abilities, maybe the girl has secrets as well.... there are many possibilities and I would watch the hell out of this spinoff XD I'm currently writing a similar yugioh OC insert fanfic since I really wanted to explore the concept of card making since anime didn't really do much with it since GX. We need to know where cards come from!

What do you think the next Yu-Gi-Oh! series will be about?

[darkzorua100]

First off, I want to make an formal apology to Ai. I am so sorry for calling you annoying when Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains first started. I regret ever saying that so much right now. Secondly, Jesus Christ, how many times did you freaking get hit by that god damn puberty semi?! 0-0 That voice drop though. Like I figured it was going to happen but it is still shocking when you remember that his true form is a tiny gremlin that once in a while turns into a tentacle monster.

I also like to say this. During this whole episode, I was trying to figure out who Ai was reminding me of and it was driving me up a wall until it finally occurred to me that oh my god, they turned him into freaking Lelouch from Code Geass (the irony in that statement). For those that don’t know, Lelouch is my all time favorite anime character and somehow, in just one episode, Human!Ai just became my new favorite Vrains character. Please tell me this is going to be the whole tone of season 3 because if so this is going to be amazing.

Ai seriously was just the MVP of this episode. Seriously I love what they are doing with his character. He’s serious now and is almost like a season 1 Yusaku where he is being driven by revenge almost but at the same time he still has that wit and exaggeration about him that makes him the Ai we know and love from seasons 1 and 2.  For example, his whole archetype emphasize this. His Field Spell and Main Deck Monsters show his more playful side while his Extra Deck Monsters are the things that are going to kill you when you least expect it (kinda like Sora’s archetype from ARC-V). Even before his duel against Queen, you got to see more of his quirky side from his go big or go home attitude in the casino (which btw I feel like we missed out on a chance to see Ai and Roboppy go nuts in a casino (also was I the only one hearing Poker Face by Lady Gaga being played in the background or is that just me?) and when he actually made the battlefield a freaking stage. I feel like Human!Ai is what Zarc was like before he went mad because of how theatrical he is. And it is just fun, especially the dialogue between Ai and Roboppy.

I also like what they are doing with Roboppy as well this season. She/He (I don’t even know anymore after that one piece of dialogue (it is the whole Reira situation all over again) has their own free-will now officially as a side effect of Ai’s backup. They are like a curious child trying to figure out the world with Ai as the parent or as the big brother figure and it is just adorable. The banter and the shenanigans these two got into this episode really does feel like two siblings playing off each other. Like Ai took their younger sibling to the freaking casino while Roboppy keeps Ai’s ego in check now in Yusaku’s place (the best example was seen when Ai was just going over the top with his Link Summon chants and Roboppy had to get him to stop). It is heartwarming that even after all that Ai has lost, he still has someone like Roboppy to be there for him as a fellow A.I. with free-will and has someone there to really keep him from really going off the deep end.

That being said, Human!Ai is still terrifying. Even with him keeping a good amount of his personality, I like how they can still make him threatening. He still has his Ignis powers in human form, meaning he can hack just about anything, but he is also a good duelist (no surprise there since he was based on Yusaku and has been there with him all this time to learn even more from him.) Not only does he have Link Summon but also Synchro and Xyz and I like how they are doing his Extra Deck with his Extra Deck Monsters being based on one of the Ignis/Attribute and a different form of Summoning. Dark Templar @Ignister is Ai/Dark (Link), Wind Pegasus @Ignister is Windy/Wind (Synchro), and Light Dragon @Ignister being Lightning/Light (Xyz). We are just missing Flame (Fire), Aqua (Water), and Earth (Earth) which should collate with Ritual, Fusion and even Pendulum from the looks of things (unless we are going with a Tribute route but honestly Pendulum makes more sense). They are also making Ai threatening by how they are deciding to do duels this season from the looks of things. Link Vrains seems to have been shut down after the battle against Bohman so Ai is literally mind f*cking people and dueling them inside their heads. Guess we know how Playmaker and Ai are dueling in space now. We know Queen lost but we haven’t seen her actual condition from the lose. We know she isn’t in good shape but who knows if the lose actually fries your brain or just puts you into a coma like usual. That could just be for Queen though since we know Ai was trying to get revenge for Earth so lets say if Playmaker loses to Ai when they eventually duel, I don’t think Ai will intentionally try and give him brain damage. 

So some other things to note in this episode. Queen is a cheating bitch (I do like the nice throw back with her using the Allure Queen archetype (also freaking Drowning Mirror Force was great) but I seriously am so tried of people using Skills during Master Duels. Akira has been promoted to Executive Director of SOL and is probably the big boss of SOL now that Queen is out of commission (btw did they just completely forget about the other Chess Pieces or something?). Oh and because of that little cheating that Lightning did to keep him from not technically losing to Revolver during their duel by using some of Jin’s consciousness data and turning it into a Life Point, Jin now has forgotten some of if not all of the Hanoi Project (oh that’s convenient) and is getting even better because of it. I don’t know how to feel about this but hey if that means Jin can finally do something as his own person, I’m all for it. All we need now is to know what’s up with Windy’s Origin and maybe then we can finally get some action with our final three Lost Children (since we know Miyu is currently in recovery). 

And some last things to note about Ai is that it is interesting how in his own words he chose to take a human form as a way to “throw away his past self” yet he still calls himself “Ai”, same with Roboppy keeping their name. My guess is that they still want to feel connected to Yusaku in a way (oh their reunion is going to be amazing). Ai is also using an old fashion duel disk as well, one with a blade just like Yusaku and Takeru’s. Guess old habits truly die hard. Ai and Roboppy are indeed using SOL androids for their human forms in the real world but seemed to have also changed their forms (well in Ai’s case) to their human ones in the network as well. We still don’t know exactly what he’s planning but he indeed is going to try and use SOL to complete his goal (I swear, if he says anything about files, I’m going to freak). Oh and Ai took back his pet (Linkuriboh) from Yusaku and made it not as friendly. 

But yeah, over all, an amazing freaking episode. Season 3 really is just starting out with bang and I very much hope it can continue like this. As for the preview, I guess Akira is taking Ai’s warning very seriously and is getting the whole gang together to become his bodyguards, even freaking Kusanagi is there. It looks like they are still on the ship but everyone is in their Link Vrains’ forms. Looks like Akira might have set something up to keep everyone’s identities a secret (I’m interested to see how that works in combination with Ai’s mind tricks). The only ones that look to be missing are Revolver and Spectre (which is kinda understandable since they’re still technically cyber-terrorists) but we know they going to be apart of this, Revolver mostly though since his point has kinda been proven once he hears about this from his mole. It looks like Yusaku is conflicted about the whole thing, as he should be, and it looks like he might need some time to decide on what he needs to do or some time to try and talk Ai out of whatever it is he’s trying to do. We see Yusaku sitting at Stardust Road, the place where he and Ai said goodbye to each other at the end of season 1, so we might get a flashback to that moment as Yusaku monologues to himself. I’m kinda expecting Ryoken to show up as well, since you know this is his place after all, and I’m curious to know what kind of dialogue we could get from those two about this whole situation if that does happen. Maybe discuss some grief counseling for your child? Clearly he needs some. Then again, it is not like you two have done much better. 

[scratchface]

Episode 82!

I knew there had to be something more to Neo Storm Access, because otherwise it wasn’t much of an upgrade at all. The XYZ summoning was really cool, though it didn’t feel quite as cohesive as the other summoning animations. 

Yusaku got to be the first to XYZ summon, which opens the way for either Rev or Takeru to do the same in their oncoming duel. I think it also increases the likelihood of the next duel being a speed duel (unless I missed something and we already know what kind of duel is coming next?) since there’s a good chance Ryoken has upgraded his skill as well. 

This episode was filled with lots of great character moments.

Ryoken bragging to the KoH about how hard it is to beat Playmaker will never not be funny to me. I would have liked to see a bit more of Spectre’s perspective in regards to Earth, but that’s probably going to come in time, since SOL got away with Earth’s data. 

Look at this face. Ryoken, please. 

Go reaching out to Playmaker as he fell, tears in his eyes, as he remembers their earlier meetings and the kids of the orphanage...it was a really heart-wrenching moment. He’s thinking about what’s really important to him as he falls. What Go wants most of all, I think this scene made clear, is not to necessarily beat Playmaker, but stand with him as an equal. Which shows just how well he understands Yusaku and the difference between Playmaker and everyone else, more than Takeru and Aoi. It’s not enough to be on the same side as Playmaker, Go learned from the Tower of Hanoi. Right now, the only “equal” Yusaku has is Revolver (and maybe Bohman, with the way things are going), which makes me wonder how carefully Go watched the recording of the final duel of the Tower and what impressions he took from it; did it make him think that the only way to be truly acknowledged by Playmaker is by being his enemy?

Yusaku didn’t reach back, which I think really nails in what I said previously about Yusaku holding the others at even more of a distance than before. He’s concerned about Go, but he doesn’t show it clearly or act on it at all. This entire scene really brings home just how much Yusaku took Akira’s words about prioritizing bringing the threat to an end over the safety of individuals.

Yusaku is focused on bring this all to an end, before things get worse, over the smaller problems at hand. He really has become quite Utilitarian. That will no doubt play a role in his response to Ryoken next episode, as joining forces with Hanoi despite the others’ protests is without a doubt the most practical judgement he can make. 

These past two episodes for Go have been a pretty clear parallel to Aoi’s defeat in season 1, but this time Akira actually managed to pull the person in trouble out, eventually. He’s going to be in deep shit for it with Queen too. I wonder if this will be the final straw?

If SOL does do something to Akira is response to this... well, we could officially say this season is about brothers in peril. Pity Yusaku seems to be an only child!

Frog and Pigeon are coming back next episode! Makes me wonder if, for some reason, the Rev vs SB match will be streamed? Or will they just be commentating on some recent events in Link Vrains?

That just about wraps things up. i’m seriously looking forward to the next episode. 

[authoratmidnight]

I think this has to be the longest we’ve gone without knowing a single thing about a protagonist’s parents since GX.

In GX we didn’t learn anything about Judai’s family and home life until well into season 3, around episode 131. Which, given the context of the show kinda made sense, it took place at what’s basically a boarding school and there wasn’t really anything to suggest his home life was particularly noteworthy so there was no reason to really bring it up until then(plus to be honest, Judai seems like the sort to just sort of, hand wave away the question anyways).

But for every protagonist since, we’ve at least learned *something* about their family within the first 50 episodes, hell the first 35- We learned about Yusei’s father and his involvement with Zero reverse during the Dark Signer arc(ep 32), and we learn about Yuma and Yuya’s families right in the first episode of their respective series. Even in Duel Monsters we know that Yugi has a grandfather (and in the sub we see his mom at least once).

But Yusaku? We’re 77 episodes and nothing. Literally nothing.

Which is very surprising given the fact that 1) we have seen where he lives 2) we’ve seen a fair amount of his life, at least from 6 years old to the present 3) we know the home lives and families of many other characters in the show, including those even more minor than him (like heck, we know that Naoki has a mom). So you would think that his family would be something that would have been brought up by now. But it hasn’t. Not once.

We don’t know if they’re dead, if they abandoned him, if they legitimately went missing, if Yusaku even *knows* who his family is or not. Did Yusaku just spawn into existence ala Yuya? Was anyone looking for him during the events of the Lost Incident? Is someone paying for the house he lives in?

Also the fact that, according to Yusaku, he can’t remember his past. I’m just not sure if he meant that literally, as in, he can’t remember anything from before the Lost Incident, or in a more metaphorical sense as in ‘this impacted my life so much that I can’t remember what like was like before it happened’.

So uh, I hope that gets touched on at some point too.

[pendulumprince]

Playmaker asking Ai what the Cyberse is like is so goddamn important. Whether you’re aiballshipping trash like me or just interested in their partnership, that was a key moment.

Not three episodes ago he was talking about how there’s “no friendship between [them]” and now he wants to know about Ai’s past. And we know how important the past is to Yusaku, he knows firsthand how much it can effect the present (to the point that it feels like certain events have never ended). In asking about that, he was obviously looking for inspiration to keep fighting. But on a subtler note, he was also showing intetest in learning why Ai is the way he is.

Because even though it hasn’t been spelled out, Ai is still effected by his past. Out of all the ignises, he’s the baby who did the least amount of work—so he’s used to relying on others. And they were the people he was closest to, so he’s gone to great lengths to ensure they won’t be hurt—because like his name has always implied, that’s what love does. And they all lived in a place he describes as paradise only for the Knights of Hanoi to rip it away for no concrete reason ar all—so he’s desperate to get it back.

Does this make sense? He’s silly and self absorbed because the first few years of his life were carefree, but he’s also cunning because his life since then has been anything but. And that’s comparable to Yusaku, because... well, Specter was probably right when he said Yusaku’s life before The Lost Incident had to be a good one. And because that life was taken in a particulatly brutal way, he eventually developed into a vengeful anti-hero.

So you can see, then, why Playmaker took inspiration from Ai’s story. They both have friends they want to protect; they both want to recover things that were stolen from them; they both have lives that were destroyed by the actions of one man. Playmaker has to win to save everyone, but he isn’t alone. His partner is still by his side, and understands his plight better than anyone would’ve guessed.

The evolution of their relationship since episode 1 has been so subtle and so Good that... the climactic drama of episode 42 aside, they didn’t need any huge moments to mark that development. It’s been happening the entire time and still has a way to go, but goddamn. I love these two together.

[skittymon]

So after some encouragement from twitter, I’ve decided to write down my feelings about the Yusaku/Revolver rivalry, since their second duel is coming up, and I don’t have the highest exceptions in it, except that were bound to learn more about the Lost Incident, and Ignis.

Also to keep it fair I’ll be analyzing the past rivals only up to their second duel, with the exception of GX. That being said let’s dive in.

I’ll be basing rivals and their rivalries based off three points:

1. Their motivation to win.

2. Their effect on the protagonist, or vise versa.

3. Their threat as a rival.

Off the bat Revolver does hold for point three: he’s the leader of a terrorist group, however as a rival Revolver lost most of his treat, at least to me, after losing to Yusaku. Of course other rivals have as well, but I respect them more as a rival and character than Revolver. Let’s go over previous rivals.

To get the easy ones out of the way: Reiji and Kaito. 

While both of their first duels against their protagonists ended inclusive, it’s very clear Reiji and Kaito would have both won their duel. Which is amazing considering protagonists is ygo are usually unbeatable. So their threat as a rival stands.

Not only that, their motivation which we learn well before their second duel against the protagonists is phenomenal: Reiji’s discover his father started an interdimensional war and wants to stop it, he’s a rival to Yuya to push him further to evolve him and his dueling so Yuya can become a powerful Lancer. Kaito wants to save his little brother who is suffering and gets off on pain now. He antagonizes Yuma and Astral because they hold the number cards that can save Haruto.

Finally, their effect on the protagonists. After Yuma and Astral’s duel the two are afraid, of losing and disappearing and I’m pretty sure after that Yuma goes to the Duel Temple, I may be mistaken. Yuya, learning other people can use Pendulum Summoning, shuts down once again and it takes a duel with Shuzo to pull out of it.

So both Kaito and Reiji are phenomenal rivals, the best if I might say. 

And while both did win their duel against Yuma and Yuya the second time, those duels happen at later points (ep 72 (i think) and ep 51 of Zxl and A5 respectively) which is later than the presumably ep 34-36 range that the second duel of Yusaku and Revolver will take place, so these points were ignored will giving Kaito and Reiji their checks.

Next, Jack, since his first (on screen) duel with Yusei ended inclusive as well. However, according to Jack, Yusei would have won their duel had it continued. 

So instead of effecting Yusei, the inclusive duel effects Jack and causes him to struggle and wonder if he is worthy of being King. So their rivalry passes the second check.

Now motivation, Jack’s motivation prior to their first is to find a better life than the shitty one he had in the satellite. He achieves this goal and vows to never look back. But when Yusei, his past, comes after him he strives to beat to prove that he’s better than Yusei, the satellite, that he’s better than garbage. So point one checks.

Point three for all the rivals from now one is gonna be iffy because they lose against the protagonist, and that to me, makes them not a threat. But for Jack, he didn’t technically lose, and as the final boss for the fortune cup and seeing his resolve to beat Yusei makes it hard to willingly want him to lose.

Next we have the interesting case of Manjoume, who sadly has never beaten Judai. Revolver has a good chance of being on this boat too considering than chances of Yusaku losing the duel with everything at stake is slim to none. But what makes Manjoume such a good rival in my book?

Let’s take a look at point two first: effect on protagonist or vise versa. Honestly, to me, Manjoume doesn’t make a difference on Judai, the only ones to do so are Ryou and Edo, but ho boy does Judai make an impact on him.

After losing his credibility from being defeated by a Osiris Red, Manjoume loses practically everything, favor from his teachers, his ‘friends’ and I’m pretty its at this point he loses respect from his brothers. So what does he do? He builds himself back up.

That episode where Manjoume is outside South Academy, looking for cards and climbing to the top has to be my favorite in season 1. Hell Judai was my favorite protag before Yuya came along and damn did I want him to lose so Manjoume’s efforts could pay off - point one checks out.

A well written ‘loser’ who may have never beaten his rival but damn do I want him to. 2/3 points to him, I understand why people would claim Ryou or Edo are Judai’s true rivals.

Finally we have Kaiba and Shark the two who lost their first duel against their rival, but won the rematch.

Now, only Shark actually won out of skill (granted season ones rules are bullshit), but I’m 80% sure Yuma was over confident in that match, I don’t remember. But lets look at the lead up to those duels since that’s where we are in Vr.

I’m gonna be honest and say I hated Kaiba for the longest time. He’s an asshole and at like six years old destroying someones property is the worst thing someone can do. But once Mokuba was introduced? I felt bad for the guy. HELL, he had to see Mokuba’s unmoving body - HIS ONLY FAMILY THAT LIKES AND HE GIVES A FLYING FUCK ABOUT. 

Sadly I have to leave out the AMAZING second duel of their and what Kaiba does to be fair but I will say that point two checks out with Yugi after that duel.

But what about point three? Kaiba lost to Yugi before. HOWEVER, that won was practically bs as Yugi had managed to summon the one monster that legally causes automatic win, which was now lost. That win had nothing to do with either of their skills, just luck and what cards they happen to have. Without Exodia, Kaiba has a solid chance to defeat Yugi and with the title of World Champion (at least in the dub) Kaiba is very much a real threat. 2/3 points.

Now Shark. Shark is interesting in the fact he doesn’t have a point one at this moment in zxl, thats his entire arc. He doesn’t know what to do with himself so he turns to the thug life. This downward spiral started because he lost to Yuma. And Yuma was able to his journey to becoming a better duelist because of his first duel with Shark. Both influence each other greatly - just in opposite ways. Point two stays.

Now point three is very meh because with Astral’s help, Yuma can win probably easily but at this time in zxl Yuma and Astral relationship is...rocky with Yuma blatantly refusing Astral’s help. But seeing how Shark is even worse off than Yuma his threat as a rival doesn’t stick that well. 

1/3 points however that’s intended in the story and Shark turns this around after their second duel.

Now how does Revolver stack up against the previous rivals? 

I already stated he doesn’t have a threat as a rival and I mean it. ‘He has a powerful new card!’ Yea okay but....look what happens if Yusaku loses:

-Ema stays dead forever

-A bunch of other people will die

-Yusaku would have failed to protect the LINK VRAINS thus breaking his promise to that little boy and god forbid if a protag can’t keep a promise

-No more speed duels which is the series gimmick

-The actual end of the digital age thus no more duel besides table duels and no will watch episode of that

so I hardly doubt Yusaku will lose with all that’s at stake. At most Yusaku wins and Revolver somehow manages to take Ignis from his somehow.

So...no threat. In verse yes, but people watching? lmao hell no.

Point two, effects on the protagonist or vise versa.

....

I got nothing.

Besides getting information from one another (Yusaku learning more about the Lost Incident and Revolver discovering his one of the six kids) from their first duel to know they haven’t effected each other.

Yusaku didn’t stop the KoH, in fact more hooligans apparently joined based on the Another Incidents. No one in the KoH questioned Revolver’s authority despite losing to the guy who causing them the most problems. 

The only thing that might pass is that Yusaku and Ignis’ relationship deepened but consider there’s a good chance Ignis is going to betray him I guess not. Oh and Firewall Dragon showed up, yea (not counting that as influencing since Yusaku could have potentially grab Firewall from any data storm).

So no point two.

Finally point one, what is Revolver’s reason for wanting to beat Yusaku?

Well that’s easy, he wants Ignis!

Why?

Because he’ll destroy the world as we know it!

How?

Uhhhh...

It is really worth putting society back to an era without technology?

Maybe...?

Yes, most likely we’ll learn the answers during the duel but that why I brought ulp the previous rivals. At this point, before any of the other rivals second duel against the protag we have learned:

Kaiba is dueling to save his little brother who’s soul was taken and has seen his lifeless body

Manjoume is dueling to get his respect back after we have seen him fall to the pits and valiantly brought himself back up

Jack is dueling to prove he is King, it’s his destiny, and that he’s more than satellite trash and he won’t go back there.

Shark doesn’t have purpose and Yuma has to throw himself out there to save Shark from ruining his own life.

Kaito is dueling to save his little brother who screams in terror and helps destroy an entire world.

Reiji is dueling to stop his father’s plan and to help bring peace back to the dimensions.

So while Revolver’s motives are noble, there’s not a lot of backbone to them. Does he feel guilty that his father’s project caused this? I know those professor people Faust and Ava did but does he? 

I feel like I don’t know Revolver at all. I know about him, but I don’t know any of his emotions and that just makes him feel like a level boss for Yusaku to defeat, not his rival for the show.

So dude, for me of course, gets a soft 1/3.

So year here you go. I hope after this hyped up duel I’ll learn to like Revolver more cause haha he’s kinda disappointing to me atm.

[chromsai]

rurifrenchfries

replied to your post

“pxiao replied to your post “blueeyeswhitegarden replied to your post ...”

I feel like I'm interrupting this rant (? i don't know what this is tbh) but I'd like to say something. While all your evidence supports what you're praising of Arc V. All of it seems to be beyond Season 1 (which is like ep 50) (and pixao mentioned Yuya vs Kachidoki which was a mid 30 ep i think). Yet Vrains only has 17 or 18 episodes.

So I think your 'rant' has somewhat of an unfair argument considering that Arc V is finished and Vrains barely started (not sure if best wording).

sorry this is a late af reply since i was busy the past 2 days but 

well i wasn’t technically ranting, i just went off on a tangent about Arc V, but anyway,

considering your point that we shouldn’t be comparing arc v which is finished and vr//ains which is still on going, that’s fair. and i personally don’t wanna do that either, i think it’s unfair to both shows to do that.

but, let’s imagine for a second that both shows were running concurrently, meaning comparing the first 17 episodes of BOTH shows, in comparison to arc v’s first 17 episodes, my gripe with vr//ains is this:

the first 17 episodes of arc v gave us a list of things were just far more interesting (imo, of course) compared to the first 17 episodes of vr//ains, such as:

(long reply under read more...)

-giving us CLEAR character backstories and describing character motivations as stemming from the consequences of those backstories. vr//ains has given us pretty vague backstories to their characters, yusaku in particular, along with vague explanations of their motivations (barring aoi and go) and just proposes that, if we stick along with the story long enough, we’ll eventually get to see those backstories. there’s a difference between building a foundation from character backstories for plot & character development and motivations vs. setting it up so that the character backstories are our goal for watching. it’s anticlimatic and artificial anticipation. and just plain. lazy imo. because there’s nothing innovative about it.

-world building: 17 eps into arc v we knew pretty much everything we needed to know about the Standard dimension, how it operates, who runs it, who’s important from it, some slight history behind it, and, most importantly, why we should care about it (as in there were “dark duelists” attacking random innocent civilians/duelists and since we know by now that Standard dimension focuses on the entertainment aspect of dueling, it’s implied that their attacks are not cool.) vr//ains on the other hand... *sighs* ignis’ backstory is so vague... heck all of the most important characters’ backstories are so vague, i don’t really know why i should be caring about Link Vr/a/ins. and then those characters shown as chess pieces?? we don’t even have a face to them and yet they’re the most important people (or the people who operate) this world... why should i care? and besides, yusaku only seems concerned about Link Vra//ins since it’s somehow connected to his memories? hell... if it weren’t for that, i don’t think he’d care? i’m beginning to wonder if what revolver’s right and Link Vra//ins should just be deleted since it’s got very little going for it anyway.

-character relationships: look, i get it, yusaku’s not very social... so then... why not just keep the cast at just him? (i’m jk that would be super boring...) but seriously tho... besides kusanagi, he has no close relationships. the only thing that drives him are getting his memories back... no one seems to have much of an influence on him (besides whoever he’s looking for that gave him that “threes” habit). he seems to just do whatever he likes and disregards everyone around him. i’m hoping (actually, i’m sure he will) that he opens up and actually makes some friends but so far... why is half the cast even there? the majority of them play no direct role in yusaku’s daily life so again... why should i care about them? why am i wondering this still 17 eps in when arc v clearly had already established relationships between characters and displayed how well they all know each other and how they all influence each other on the regular, which leads me to

-character development: 17 eps in... yusaku has had absolutely no growth as a character. and he doesn’t even seem to be in the process of character development either. i dont even think aoi learned anything from dueling against yusaku & being used by the KOH and being in a coma. i dont see any active internal struggle within the characters.  17 eps into arc v & yuya was already dealing with the internal struggle of 1) being called a “coward” once more especially since he was the one who presumably only had Pendulum cards, 2) shocked that anyone besides him actually could use Pendulum cards, 3) shocked that other Pendulum cards beside his own actually existed and had to learn to accept the fact that he won’t be the only Pendulum user anymore 4) struggling day in and day out between the challenge of mastering Pendulum summoning AND finding “what lies beyond the Pendulum” as reiji had hinted. and that’s just yuya. both yuzu and gongenzaka had already begun their own journeys to become stronger to stand on-par with yuya. what the... 17 eps in...

-summoning methods/duels: listen i know that they announced before the Vr//ains began airing that they would feature more than just Link Summoning and they still haven’t done that at all. okay fine, maybe they’ll do it later, but... 17 eps into arc v and they had already explained Pendulum summoning pretty thoroughly... not even just Pendulum tho... the other summoning methods were all already shown and explained. why is it taking Vra//ins this long to explain its own Summoning method?? i don’t... understand... what’s so hard about that... and the duels... well they may as well be just standing duels because there’s nothing that different to them from regular standing duels. it’s not like they actually move much. and the Storm Access thing or the individual skills per character thing? i understand that every yugioh show has a gimmick to it but this one... has already gotten old 17 eps in. Action Cards were dynamic and each character created their own individual strategies throughout the show, plus they were equally available to all duelists and carried benefits and consequences to them. and just... in general were more creatively used, even just 17 eps in.

lastly, 17 episodes should be more than enough to determine whether you enjoy a show or not. i know this is a long-running anime format so it shouldn’t necessarily be compared to other anime that usually run for 25 eps or so, but... 17 eps in is more than enough time for me to be invested in a show, any show. and... i’m not. i honestly... don’t care about these characters or what happens to them and by now i dont even care about their backstories or what draws them together.

now this WAS a rant, somewhat. i didn’t mean to go into detail like this. i’m just. frustrated at how lackluster this show has been SO FAR in comparison to how much i was already invested into arc v at the same point in time that vra//ins is by now. i just... don’t know the excuse.

and yes i only watch this show because it’s yugioh and i’m yugioh trash + i watch it with my buddy and i can find some enjoyment from it, but ultimately my point is that thus far, it’s just not as good. 

[rebelsofshield]

Panels Far, Far Away: A Week in Star Wars Comics 9/5/19

Star Wars prepares for its big finale. Lost Stars releases its second collection of manga. Some Jedi prep to go spelunking in a spooky temple. Star Wars comics! Good ones too!

Star Wars #71 written by Greg Pak and art by Phil Noto

C-3PO rock translator is some of the best stuff in Star Wars right now. I know. I’m as shocked as you are. Greg Pak has tapped into something really unique and strange in Threepio’s philosophical bond with the sentient rock creatures of K43. It makes for some of the most bizarre Star Wars material we’ve gotten in quite a while, but also brings a delightful sense of high fantasy to the space opera. The fact that Pak also uses this plot to touch upon a genuine feeling of uselessness and maybe even resentment within the protocol droid creates for a surprising emotional gut punch. To close it all off with the tease of our poor droid having to serve as a mediator between the rock folks and the Dark Lord himself is great stuff and is enough to sell me on the rest of this arc alone.

But yes, there are still two other stories and yes the fragmented nature of Pak’s arc long plotting still continues to be an issue. Compared to the Threepio stuff, the minor developments in Han, Leia, and Luke’s stories all can’t quite muster the same excitement, wonder, or emotion. Sure, the plan on Lanz Carpo takes a fun turn, but the pacing on this particular story has hit a rut over the last several issues. Luke channeling his inner Chirrut Imwe is also a fun moment and Phil Noto’s visual storytelling here is particularly strong, but it’s a fun set piece and not much more.

In short, status as usual. Greg Pak and Phil Noto’s arc on Star Wars, which we are now learning will be the comic’s last, continues to be a fun, beautiful time with awkward execution. What I’m saying though is that we should be all rock people all the time. I want a love triangle with Threepio, Artoo, and a rock man. I want Threepio becoming a rock Jedi. I want rock people lightsabers. Rock people.

Score: B+

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order- Dark Temple #1 written by Matthew Rosenberg and art by Paolo Villanelli

We get a single player, story driven Star Wars game this fall. That’s still more than a little shocking to think about, especially considering that there hasn’t been one since the not so great sequel to The Force Unleashed back in 2010. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order looks to tell the story of a Jedi fugitive unlocking the secrets of the Force during the height of the Empire. Before we get to step into this world in November, Marvel is introducing us to the past of its supporting cast through a five issue miniseries entitled Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order- Dark Temple, which is more than a mouthful.

Matthew Rosenberg introduces us to a dual narrative. One taking place closer to the game’s present which sees the malevolent Inquisitor, Second Sister, leading a planetary invasion that happens upon a Jedi survivor. Meanwhile, in the past, we follow Padawan Cere Junda as she joins her master Eno Cordova on a mission to observe a newly unearthed temple from the galaxy’s ancient times. While it’s not immediately clear after the first issue how both narratives connect, Dark Temple does a strong job of setting up both stories as entertaining chapters in their own right.

The “cold open” of the Second Sister’s charge towards victory is great spectacle. Paolo Villanelli brings a violent energy to the pages that is both exciting and intimidating. Colorist Arif Prianto creates a dark and foreboding atmosphere that makes the scarlet whir of the Inquisitor’s saber all the more striking. The Second Sister is an imposing and impressive force from the first panel and it is almost a disappointment when we leave these pages behind, the action is just that fun and impressive.

The art never proves quite as strong as is it does in these opening pages, but Cere and her master’s dynamic proves interesting in its own right. Cere’s practical and erratic approach to being a Jedi feels like a familiar trope, but Rosenberg writes her in a way that feels empathetic and relatable. Similarly, the set up for Master Cordova’s archaeological trip is densely plotted and intriguing. Rosenberg manages to fill a great deal of plot into this opening issue and it sets up what could be a fun series to follow.

Score: B

Star Wars: Lost Stars Manga Adaptation Volume 2 written and drawn by Yusaku Komiyama and adapted from the novel by Claudia Gray

With each passing year, Claudia Gray’s debut Star Wars novel, Lost Stars, grows closer and closer to being a classic for the franchise. With its saga spanning narrative and tragic central couple, Gray’s story of two warring lovers has quickly become classic Star Wars. While completely capturing the emotion and scale of Gray’s book is a difficult task, Yusaku Komiyama continues to bring this book to life with its own sense of identity and style.

Komiyama excels at staging and depicting Lost Stars’s story as it heads into its dark second act. As the war heats up and both sides experience incredible losses, the central duo of Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell along with their supporting cast are forced to confront the true nature of the Empire that they have come to serve. Komiyama’s art is best at selling these huge moments of emotional shock and realization. Whether it’s Nash’s horror at seeing his homeworld of Alderaan destroyed, the desolate void of space where the Death Star used to be, or Ciena’s feeling of entrapment by the Empire manifesting itself in metaphorical chains, Komiyama’s creative way of visualizing Gray’s original novel is some of the best comic storytelling you’ll see in a Star Wars book.

There are some rough spots, however. One of Lost Star’s selling points was its Forrest Gump like quality of having its dual protagonists stumble their way through various points in Star Wars history. While it still remains thrilling to see Ciena meet Darth Vader face to face or watchThane fly in the Battle of Hoth, the transitions from these moments feel more than a little clunky and overly episodic in nature. Komiyama struggles in helping the narrative transition from beat to beat and it can lead to a clunky reading experience. Yen Press’s translation is also a bit stilted at times. Not all phrases of dialogue feel natural in their execution here and it’s hard to deny that this likely read much stronger in its original language.

Overall, manga fans, Star Wars fans, and especially those of Claudia Gray’s books are sure to find much to love here and it is definitely worth picking up. Let’s hope that the third and final volume arrives much quicker than this one.

Score: B+

[the-yugioh-theorist]

Will Aoi learn Playmaker’s identity in episode 7?

OK, I’m going to do something I’ve never done before: a poll! I’ll probably end up doing these every once in a while, and when I do, it’ll be because I want to know everyone’s opinions on the subject. All you have to do is repost this poll and add your answer, either in text or a tag. Even if you don’t have an answer, repost this anyway and spread it around! If you have theories and/or evidence to support your ideas, share them! This is your chance to be a theorist! Anytime you see a poll like this, I’ll add some supporting and countering arguments under a cut, so you can either just answer right away or inform yourself a bit more first.

The topic: Will Aoi Zaizen learn about Playmaker’s true identity during next Wednesday’s episode?

Why she WILL:

In episode 6, she was the first to notice that Yusaku’s Duel Disk looks similar to Playmaker’s. While Naoki Shima did previously notice that Yusaku had an old-style, card-loading Disk in episode 1, his comments about Playmaker during that same episode were separate and apart from that. By contrast, Aoi’s observation thereto led her to inquire about Yusaku’s Deck, presumably out of curiosity. She actually would have found out right then and there had Yusaku not handed her a red herring.

Besides already being closer than anyone else, Aoi and Yusaku both have something to gain if Aoi learns Playmaker’s identity. Aoi, of course, wants to gain favour with her brother(-in-law?) Akira, and her attempt to do so is by becoming Blue Angel, but that’s not working. But if she knew that Yusaku was Playmaker, that would be the perfect way to earn Akira’s trust, especially since Akira is after Playmaker’s captured AI, Ignis. Meanwhile, Yusaku approached Aoi because he wanted to gain an audience with Akira anyway. Everybody wins here.

In episode 6, Aoi and Yusaku both entered LINK VRAINS at school (Aoi on the rooftop, Yusaku on what appears to be a balcony outside the Duel Club, where vocal exercises can be heard). Aoi also went down the same hallway where the Duel Club is located on her way to the roof. All of this means that Yusaku is very susceptible to discovery, especially by her.

After next Wednesday’s episode, we have a break the following week before episode 8 airs on July 5. From a writing perspective, this is the perfect place for a heavy plot point/cliffhanger such as this.

Why she WILL NOT:

It’s only episode 7. Sure, we have had a lot of plot over the previous six episodes, but Akira finding out who Yusaku is this soon might qualify as rushing. Seeing as how these arcs have all been around 25 episodes long, we still have a long way to go, and there’s no need to keep the plot moving this fast. Maybe sometime around episode 20 would be more appropriate.

Let’s suppose Aoi does find out, and ends up telling her brother. What happens then? Akira is only interested in Playmaker because he has Ignis hostage. Since Akira is the head of SOL Technologies and Ignis’s legal owner, it’s reasonable to assume he has some kind of extraction program to force Ignis out. Once Akira reacquires Ignis, he will have no further need for Yusaku, and Yusaku will be out one AI partner. Keeping Ignis and Playmaker together serves the story much better.

For the sake of argument, let’s suppose Yusaku’s smart enough to implement counter-measures against extraction programs like that. OK, so that would give him some bargaining power: Akira can help Yusaku recover his lost past and help save Shoichi Kusanagi’s brother, and in exchange, Ignis will be returned. But what happens next? More Knights of Hanoi? Or does Revolver finally step in? Do Aoi and Yusaku join forces? Does Go Onizuka join in as well? Again, it’s only episode 7. Maybe we’re better off slowing things down a bit.

[entamewitchlulu]

episode 1 of vrains was fucking hype

so okay I’m gonna see if I can do quick reviews of each episode when they come out just to keep myself ensconced in Yu-Gi-Oh

episode 1!  an amazing start!!

Yusaku is so cool and he’s pretty much exactly the kind of person I thought he was.  I liked his little listing three things you’re bad at and three things you’re good at thing, i hope he does shit like that to other people throughout the series until he slowly starts to soften up

I!!! LOVE!!! IGNIS!!!!!  he seems like such a little shit?????  apparently he was disliked by the other AIs so he’s probably just a bouncy little piece of shit who likes to goof off but he has a good heart in the end since he ending up rescuing everyone and going on the run for 5 years to protect them.

Revolver looks like a cool ass antagonist so far and i want to see him fight Yusaku.  Also, damn, I did not realize that Akira was related to one of the big organizations that would be clashing with Yusaku, I wonder if that will make for any interesting moral conflict on Aoi’s side later if she ends up befriending/siding with Yusaku.

I’m already a die hard fan of Blue Angel/Aoi and I cannot wait to see more of her.  Also, I ship Yusaku/Aoi and i will not be stopped

THE ANIMATION HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, THE ANIMATION, I’m SALIVATING it was SO GOOD, Yusaku is so fucking beautiful and I love every single expression he makes, he looks so pure and good.  And we already got to see smol Yusaku??? what a good first episode.  The cinematography was great, too, and the 3d cgi animation has certainly been polished up since the first we ever saw it in Yu-Gi-Oh, I think it’s even a little nicer done than it was in Arc V but we’ll see what happens to my opinion if we ever see a 3d model of Yusaku lol

I absolutely cannot wait to learn more about Shoichi’s little brother and what happened to him and Yusaku.  What is this past that was taken from him?  It looks like Yusaku doesn’t have any parents so far as I can tell; does he live with Shoichi?  How are he and Shoichi related?

Anyway it was a fantastic start and I’m really excited to go in deeper with this, it’s SOOOO nice being able to start off the series knowing little to nothing about what’s coming next like i was doing with previous yugioh series

[shidoukanae]

Okay, so I see a lot of people suggesting that VRAINS episode 29 is gonna be our third recap. And I sure as hell hope not.

 For one, didn’t the director of the show already apologize for the last recap we had a while back? Why would he suddenly have another recap know if it’s only going to put people in distress? Fans were already upset at the last recap - why would the show repeat yet another one? Unless they’re ignoring their fanbase on purpose, this recap will get a negative reaction for sure from viewers of the show.

But, maybe, it can also be an opportunity.

Having first read the summary, I actually wondered if what Kusanagi is doing is not for recap purposes but more for deep plot purposes. For example, we know there are things Kusanagi has mentioned that haven’t been explained. The people of the data storm mentioned in episode 1 and the fact that he even knew what a data storm was when no one else did was something the show has never touched upon since. It might be possible that episode 29 somehow connects with this.

Take this line: “Sensing the impending danger, Kusanagi decides to leave behind a record about the truth behind the recent incidents.”

Most people read this as something that screams “recap”. But, maybe, it’s a ploy. The director has apologized for episode 21′s recap and to do another just eight episodes later is something that seems either painfully ignorant of the audience’s wants and needs or a way to disguise what may be occurring. And, in a way, this line leaves me with questions that may or may not be me overspeculating but let me just get it off my chest.

When I read that line, I actually wondered if, maybe, Kusanagi’s going to hide away certain data that pertains to something completely outside what we know of the story and about him so far. We’ve had hints that there may be more to Kusanagi in episode 1, this might be the episode that kind of kickstarts learning more about Kusanagi and his past. 

The fact that Yusaku is not included in this summary makes me think that Kusanagi is going to be doing this without Yusaku’s knowledge. That either means that Yusaku disapproved of Kusanagi sharing information that could potentially leak when they aren’t in any danger and Kusanagi went behind Yusaku’s back anyways or, maybe, Kusanagi is doing this without Yusaku’s knowing. If it is a recap, maybe this time they can actually thread plot in there and not make it so much filler as it is filler AND plot. If you want an example of how this can work, take a look at Future Card Buddyfight episode 21.

Not getting into much details, what seems as an initial filler episode actually leads as a segway into the next arc. While most of the main characters are off narrating about the previous events of the prior arc, another main character is forced to “face the repercussions” for using a special power and has his rights as a “police officer” taken away. Not only that, but we’re introduced to the main villain within that space of time and the stakes are risen for the main characters who are unknowing of the disaster (*coughs at that pun*) that’s about to come down upon them.

If we’re unlucky and this IS a recap episode, I hope it takes the same route as Future Card Buddyfight episode 21 takes. With Kusanagi maybe kickstarting the next part of the plot in some way and with the recap intertwining (or acting as a sideshow distraction) from the events that are going on somewhere else. If Kusanagi isn’t the target of focus for anything but the report, than perhaps we will focus in on the Knights of Hanoi or Revolver as the activities of Hanoi seep into the real world. This would give an interesting contrast between Kusanagi - who is trying to give the people of the future hope by leaving behind a record if he or Yusaku somehow goes missing (which prompts even MORE questions as to why he’s doing this) - and the Knights of Hanoi, who are terrorizing the real world as the recap goes on and thus proving the need for the evidence Kusanagi is going to keep for the public’s eye. 

[3w-writer-with-wings]

The end of VRAINS season 2, why was Lightning a failure and future predictions.

To those of you who follow my theories and predictions for future VRAINS episodes and are wondering why I haven’t posted anything lately - there are two reasons:

1) This show is continuing to surprise me, by throwing the most insane plotlines on me that I simply don’t even know what to think anymore. Shin Yoshida is truly a talented scriptwriter and I’m both terrified and excited about what he’ll think of next. Barian Arc and ARC V manga were just a warm-up - VRAINS is the real deal.

2) I still haven’t got over how both Bowman’s duels that were completely underwhelming and made to win. I mean I get it, he is supposed to be an AI that can learn and had to win, but not like that! I was sort of okay with Blue Maiden’s defeat, but Takeru? It was downright disgusting to watch him pull the exact cards he needed and got rid of damage or direct attacks with complete luck. If you want to show off his duelling skills, then do so - not make him overpowered just because he has to be. You basically made him cheat and sure if he was an episodic villain, that’s okay but for a major boss opponent that’s a bit no-no for me. It felt like Pegasus duel (who mind read every one and practically killed off Yugi in order to win) and Don Thousand duel (who actually had a card that makes you LOSE the duel automatically if you didn’t do something), so that was one of the major flaws in the otherwise a really intense round of episodes.

 Okay, now that I have this out of my system, I can finally focus on the main topic - what will happen next. So I am one of those people who checks the cast lists and episode summaries every Tuesday, so if you don’t want any spoilers to stop reading at this point. I apologize, but my thoughts will be heavily centred around the info that came with the summaries for what appears to be the final episodes of season 2.

So where are we right now? Team Playmaker has been massively reduced to only Yusaku, Ai, Ryoken and Ryoken’s loyal generals aka. Faust, Vyra and Dr. Genome. Bowman has absorbed four Ignis, including Earth. I was a bit confused about how he got Earth when I remembered back in episode 79 during the conversation between Windy and Lightning, it was mentioned that Bowman was on a “special mission” and that mission was probably to hack in SOL and take Earth’s data. Ryoken brought it up many times that SOL is not even close to as experienced as he is, so it was most likely really easy for Bowman to get Earth.

Then there’s Yusaku who has just been through another traumatizing experience. The duel between him and Kusanagi has shown just how little Yusaku actually knows about himself as it was clear that he knew something like this would happen, but when it actually happened, he froze completely. As sad as it was, it was shown really realistically since this is something that is very likely to happen to victims of past abuse like Yusaku. I was already impressed by the Takeru vs. Ryoken duel - the pure emotion and amazing pacing and Yusaku’s reaction to the duel with Kusanagi was even better. It showed that no matter how strong Yusaku makes himself to be, he is just a traumatized child underneath a superhero suit. The pain he suffered was the one he was trying so hard to avoid hence why he was reluctant to call Kusanagi his friend or make friends in the first place - he was afraid of the pain of loss. At the moment Ryoken and Lightning are facing off in a duel that will likely last three full episodes and here’s what I think - Ryoken will be the next one to fall.

But why Ryoken? Well several reasons. I’m not saying Ryoken will lose due to a poor strategy - Lightning will most likely play dirty. The summaries revealed that Lightning will use Jin as a hostage and knowing Ryoken, it will work. The guy might’ve been one of the most ruthless rivals so far but at the same time he is also the one to suffer the most. His brutality has been always projected towards the Ignis, namely Windy who killed/seriously injured his partner and Lightning who is using Jin as a puppet. Ryoken might not show it, but he has a great sympathy for the Lost Incident victims and despite him stating that he “regretted saving them” I think that he still believes that he did the right thing by reporting the incident. It was revealed that Jin will be speaking in both episodes as well, so if Lightning pulls a cruel trick like threatening to destroy Jin’s soul right in front of him or use Jin in some other sickening way. It is also possible that there will be a draw or something else will happen to Ryoken. It was also revealed that even Ryoken’s generals will sacrificed themselves to stop Bowman. Akira and Emma might also be absorbed in that data storm that takes the souls of the people logged in VRAINS - awfully similar to how those charms for Earthbound Immortals in 5Ds worked. 

And the result of all this - Yusaku and Ai are completly on their own against Bowman. This will be the final boss of this season. Yusuku will not only have to be the hero everyone depends on, but will have to keep his emotions under tight control. If Kusanagi’s death wasn’t enough, just think how will he react to Ryoken’s death - a person who has been his symbol of hope for the past ten years is gone too. I imagine it will be a really intense reaction which will cause yet another breakdown, but unlike with Kusanagi, I believe Ryoken will say something really meaningful just before he will fade away or even give him three reasons to defeat Bowman and Yusaku will use that as a coping mechanism to defeat Bowman. How will this duel conclude - I have no idea really. At this point, Yusaku will have to win - too many people had died in front of his eyes and this very same person plans to go after more people and change the world to his perfect image. And there’s another thing that sort of bugs me:

Bowman and Haru strangely look a lot like Shoichi and younger Jin. It is probably becuase Jin is Lightning’s Origin and because Shoichi was likely Jin’s three reasons. Also Lightning most likely didn’t have much to chose from when designing new AIs. Though this may have a much deeper meaning - I already kinda brought it up with my Haru is Real Jin theory, but just think - what if this has to do with the reason why Lightning was the only Ignis with no bright future with humans? Why did Light Ignis become an error in the first place? I believe it is because Jin gave up first. Apart from Yusaku, Takeru, Specter and Miyu, we don’t know much what was going on over those excruciating months, but I think Jin has lost his will to fight far before Lost Incident was over. Shoichi described him as a cheerful and kind person, a lot like Yuya and Yuma, and if those two would be put through such hell, they would likely break the most and give up at one point. Jin’s Ignis therefore didn’t recieve all necessary data to be properly developed like other Ignis. This may also be the reason why he kiddnaped Jin - using him as a puppet is a sort of a punishment since he probably blames him for all of this. “It is your fault I have no future! So you will spend the eternity as my prisoner.” 

Another less believable theory is that Lightning represents Jin’s anger. Because really, we’ve only seen Lightning being pissed off in the last few episodes. Before that he was calm and collected, like highly educated person in charge. But the second his insecurities were brought up, he completly lost it. Maybe Jin did develop strong hatred during the Lost Incident, resulting in Lightning’s own rage. Maybe Jin broke down at some point, crying and asking why that happened to him. After some time those tears might’ve turned into anger and swore to punish the people who did that to him, but then more time passed and Jin realized it was impossible and instead of plotting revenge he slowly became an empty shell of himself until he was rescued. That pushed down anger was then passed to Lightning.

One last detail that I would like to point out - Kusanagi Shoichi. Ryoken specifically ordered Faust that he has to get Shoichi. But why? Why would he need him for? One reason is kinda obvious - he needed him to wake up Yusaku. Faust and Dr. Genome entered the truck with unconscius Shoichi and after a while Yusaku woke up after hearing Shoichi’s voice. Coincidence? I think not - Faust and Dr. Genome did soemthing to wake Yusaku up. Let’s not forget - both Yusaku and Takeru are also in the truck, logged in VRAINS. Could be possible that they wired Shoichi’s duel disk to Yusaku’s chamber or something?

Plus that might not be the only reason why Ryoken needs him. The summories stated that Lightning will use Jin as a hostage. What if Ryoken will use Kusanagi’s body and his consciusness data that Ai holds in order to save Jin? What if Shoichi is in fact the ultimate weapon against Lightning? There is a high possibility that Jin was kidnapped while Shoich was looking after him, hence why he blames himself so much. Maybe Jin kept calling after his brother for months and Shoichi so became Jin’s three reasons. This may be the reason why Bowman looks like toughed up Shoichi - he represents the perfect savior. So what would happen when Jin sees his big brother? Will he manage to break through Lightning’s prison and finally be free of his hold? Breaking through the mind prison has been a common theme in yugioh so I won’t be surprised if VRAINS uses it as well. Maybe that’s what will lead to the happy screenshot in the new ending, of the two of them watching stars together. 

But what were to become of Yusaku, Ai and other Ignis. I imagine that no matter what happens, Bowman will absorb Lightning and maybe Ryoken as well (that way we will actually have Yusaku indirectly fighting all Ignis except for Ai, his entire team plus Specter and Blood Shepard - kinda like how possessed Yuya fought all of his friends) and the final battle will occur. Playmaker will have to save VRAINS once more.

And then? Maybe Bowman will give human society one more chance after his defeat. Considering how developed and honorable he has become in the last few episodes, I believe that he will realize that humans cannot be surpassed by AIs since they have something he will never be able to have. Bowman so releases everyone that he has absorbed and restores VRAINS back to the way it was, returning the souls back to the people who were sacrificed during the duel. Then he lets himself being absorbed in VRAINS, saying he won’t be alone since Haru is in there somewhere. This may be the last calm before the storm that is SOL (that still deserves to pay for all of their crimes!). And judging from this screenshot from the new ending, only Ai will be left.

 Now another source of what we may see is the new ending that is actually a one big tease. Right after Ai is shown, mourning after other Ignis, the scene switches to Roboppi watching the stars as the shooting star crosses the sky. What if that shooting star was Ai? What if this is the hint that Ai will sacrifice himself for others? There’s even a scene with Yusaku’s duel disk without Ai. The Dark Ignis has become really protective of Yusaku, so what would happen in the next fight against SOL, if something happens to Yusaku? Queen has proven to be the most merciless memeber of SOL, willing to kill a living being and risk an employee’s life for the good of the company. What is stopping her from getting her hands on the last Ignis in order to power up their own Artificial Ignis. SOL basically means sun and when you get too close to it, you get burnt. There’s no doubt Yusaku will do anything to keep his promise to Ai, especially now that he is the only one left. But what if SOL will discover Yusaku’s real identity and attack him in the real world? What if that will anger Ai to the point of turning completely against humans and become the very Ignis that Dr. Kogami was so afraid of?

Ai already hates SOL for killing Earth, so just imagine what he would do if they would capture and torture Yusaku, like Akira did in the first first few episodes. Maybe they will make it even more emotional by showing the flashbacks of how Yusaku was tortured during the Lost Incident while Ai’s eye couldn only observe. I often see Ai and Yusaku as Astral and Yuma and Astral has sacrificed himself for Yuma and also became corrupted. Shin Yoshida wrote a lot of Zexal episodes with such scenes, so there is a great possibility he will be in charge of the concluding story. 

What I would like to see? Ai becoming that terrifying Ignis when SOL invokes him by hurting Yusaku. Maybe Ai loses it to the point that he starts attacking everyone and Yusaku duels him in order to get him back to his senses. Maybe this last ending flashes before his eyes - showing the perfect reality where Ignis never existed and knowing that as long as he is there, more harm will come to Yusaku and the people he knows. So my prediction is - Yusaku will defeat Ai in one last duel to bring him to his old self and when it seems like Ai will be willing to recreate Cyberse and stay there, Ai will ultimately change his mind and instead sacrifice himself to wipe up any signs of Ignis research and data. The Lost Incident will once again become lost, but maybe this will be finally a chance for Yusaku and others to move one and live peacefully.

Happy, sad or bittersweet ending - I don’t really care as long as it is conclusive.

[darkzorua100]

10 Theories/Wishes for the Upcoming War between the humans and the Ignises.

I’ve seen people posting their theories/wishes as of late for what they think is going to happen in the upcoming war between humanity vs the Ignises in Vrains. At the time of writing this, we still don’t know what’s to come after the Playmaker vs Bohman duel so I feel like this is the perfect time to give out my list of what I think we are going to be see coming up as well as some personal wishes of mine that I hope will come to forwishen. Just as a side note, none of these are in chronological order unless stated otherwise nor in a top 10 order from least to greatest (they are seriously just randomized).

1. Bohman joining Yusaku/Playmaker’s side/gets deleted.

Considering this is going to be their third duel of the season, I feel like this has to be the point where we finally learn what the deal is up with Bohman, and maybe Haru, and after Bohman loses, because there is no way in hell he’s going to win with Playmaker getting his Synchro more then likely in this duel, I think Lightning might just finally deem him a failure and just throws him away which in turn will allow him to join Playmaker’s side, since Yusaku would be the one to free him from Lightning’s control, or Lightning will just terminate him all together if he really is just an A.I. he created to serve him. 

2. Spectre vs Takeru/Soulburner.

If episode 70 wasn’t hinting at a potential Spectre vs Soulburner in the future, I’ll be very surprised. Considering they are both Lost Children as well, this duel will be very interesting from that standpoint. It appears that Yusaku told Takeru about the Knights but we still don’t have confirmation if Takeru knows that Spectre is also a Lost Child and if he doesn’t know that detail, Spectre will inform him soon enough. And when Takeru does find out/already knows, how he will duel knowing that detail is what I’m mostly intrigued about. Like will he try to talk Spectre into siding with their cause of co-exist with the Ignises since he is also a Lost Child or just simply see him as an enemy he has to defeat in order to protect Flame?

3. Dr. Kogami making his return.

I’ve seen some people talking about this, of how Lightning might actually bring Kogami back from the dead and honestly, I can see it happening. Not like actually bringing Dr. Kogami back from the dead but creating an artificial copy of him with his memories (cause Lightning and his memory powers and all) to serve him. And if this is the case, oh boy hello “we are going to traumatize the hell out of Ryoken” with this plot line. After all the crap Windy said to Revolver during their duel, you know that is what Lightning is going to have his copy of Kogami due to his “son” in what I’m going to guess a future Revolver vs Dr. Kogami duel. I’m hoping that if we do get this duel, this will also be the point where Ryoken will finally get redeemed and finally stop being his father’s weapon and start thinking for himself and what he wants, not what his father wants. Just so much good character development for Ryoken all around if Kogami actually does make a return, which again I can see happening at least since he is such an important character in all of this. 

4. Ryoken/Revolver vs Takeru/Soulburner.

Look, you all know I want this duel. I never shut up about it so I’ll make this quick. They have a very high likelihood of dueling with Takeru being in possession of Flame and considering that Ryoken was the one to save Takeru from the Hanoi Project, if Yusaku told Takeru that or not remains to be seen, I want to see Takeru’s reaction to that info. Mostly I just want to see the albinos kill each other and to see Yusaku try and stop this duel and fail miserably.

5. Takeru/Soulburner getting Brainwashed by Lightning.

Look, the best friend character of the main protagonist of a Yu-Gi-Oh series always has something bad happen to them so they end up turning evil and in turn face off against the protagonist in a heartwrenching battle. Jonouchi got mind controlled, Johan got possessed, Bruno was an android, Vector was Vector, and Sora was a mole. Takeru is not in a ideal position right now, especially considering that Lightning can rewrite memories and rewrite Flame’s code to make him loyal to his kin. I see us getting a Soulburner vs Lightning duel in the future with Lightning just out right destroying him and once he wins, he will rewrite Flame’s code and through him, or just messing with Takeru’s memories, turn Soulburner into one of their solders for their war just like how Lightning did with Jin (from the looks of things anyway. Jin definitely doesn’t look like he’s doing this of his own free will). If that’s the guess, I’ve talked about this before, but this should in turn lead into a Playmaker vs Soulburner duel with what I’m hoping to be Soulburner kicking Playmaker’s ass, Yusaku getting brainwashed, Revolver comes in to beat Playmaker to unbrainwash him, and then Playmaker can go back free Soulburner from Lightning’s control. I don’t think that would actually happen but case and point, Takeru is kinda f*cked at the moment if the past has taught us anything.

6. Kusanagi’s betrayal.

Yeah...after that Jin reveal, it is only a matter of time before Kusanagi just out right snaps and leaves Yusaku. Maybe it is because he blames him or it is because Lightning is a manipulative bastard and will use Jin to drive a wedge between them, who knows at the current moment. Regardless of what causes it, I am interested to know what will happen when the split happens. If Takeru gets brainwashed and Ai gets captured as well, Yusaku will be left completely alone again like he was before he teamed up with Kusanagi and who knows what will happen to his psyche because of it. Yeah okay there is Ryoken but I doubt Yusaku will join the Knights if everyone leaves him for Lightning or maybe he will (that be a plot twist right there). Either way, I’m ready for the snap and to see what comes from it.

7. Meeting Windy/Aqua’s Lost Children and Aqua.

I’m still very adamant that Windy’s kid isn’t dead and I’ve seen some people suggest that Go’s secret mission by Akira is to find the last two Lost Children. I think that would be such a good use of his character at the moment and give him some good development as well, since he was the one that was throwing a tantrum and comparing his upbringing to what the Lost Children had to go through during the Hanoi Project. It would definitely be a eye opener for him if he got to see first hand the effects of what the Hanoi Project did to these last two children, especially Windy’s kid who god knows what condition he’s in now after what Windy did to him. As for Aqua, I feel like this would be the perfect opportunity to get Aoi and Emma involved in the plot again if Akira sent them to find her, similar to how Go would be trying to find the final children. If Aqua is actually with her human, that would be even better. Have Go get some development through Windy’s kid and have Aoi through Aqua’s kid, if you know, Aoi isn’t actually Aqua’s kid (cause I’m still waiting for the writers to throw that plot twist at us). 

8. Earth and Spectre meeting up.

Since it is all but confirmed at this point that Spectre and Earth are partners, those two should be meeting up soon which is going to be really interesting, especially if Earth decides he wants to side with the humans and actually goes to Spectre, asking for his help in trying to co-exist with humans. I’ve talked about this before but this would be such good character development for Spectre if he actually decides to go against his own group’s goal and tries to protect Earth (and only just Earth. He doesn’t care about the other Ignises, its just that no one is allowed to hurt his). It would also be interesting from the other side of the conflict as well, if Earth decides to side with Lightning which could lead to a Spectre vs Earth duel. Regardless of who wins that duel, since I can see it going either way at the moment, I don’t think the victor will end up killing, in Spectre’ case, or enslaving, in Earth’s case, the other. I still see them teaming up to bring this war to an end since they each might have learned something from the other during that duel. 

9. Yusaku/Playmaker and Ryoken/Revolver teaming up.

Regardless if you like Datastormshipping or not, Ryoken is still Yusaku’s main rival of the series and like many Yu-Gi-Oh series before them, they are going to team up against a common enemy, that being Lightning in this case (I would love Takeru to also be apart of this duel as well but I really think it might just be Playmaker and Revolver teaming up to beat Lightning/Jin if he is still under Lightning’s control during this duel). We have yet to get a tag duel for Vrains and just think of how epic this team up would be. I would love to see some kind of fusion (an actual Fusion Monster or just a combination of the two in Link form) of Firewall Dragon and Borreload Dragon. Don’t think that would actually happen knowing Firewall’s history and all but still, this team up would probably bring us one of/if not the best duel of in all of Vrains.

10. Emma and Kengo’s backstory.

Not completely related to the war but come on, what the hell is their backstory together? If Go can get some development through Windy’s kid and Aoi through Aqua’s, Emma needs some development as well through Kengo and considering we still don’t know what happened to Ghost Girl at the end of 63, I’m hoping that when we do find out what happened to her, it is when we get the full backstory of these two. Like instead of shooting her, Blood Shepherd says something to her, like call Ghost Girl “Emma” again, and she calls him out on it, making him finally explain to her their past together. Maybe that’s why we haven’t seen Emma for a while? She’s so shaken up about what BS told her that she hasn’t been able to work and such. Kinda a long shot on that one but seriously, I just want all of the original cast of characters from season 1, the really important ones anyway, to get some kind of development through the new characters that haven’t already as I’ve talked about above.

[pipedreamprayer]

ep 68

there was just...so much i wanted to think about after the episode was done that i wound up noting down my reactions and thoughts as I watched to get them straight and wouldn't forget anything

now I’m just...overwhelmed and curious to see if anyone has any thoughts to add to anything - hence me making use of the copy and paste function

Wait, Ai has had dreams before?! Well…I guess that answers the question of ‘’do androids dream of electric sheep’’ even if a fully sentient AI sans the robotic body is a bit far from android…

…why does the Cyvberse look like a set piece? With splits in the panels showing flat scenery and no movement in the smoke of the volcanoes?? IM SUSPICIOUS

Are you flipping serious, Yusaku perfectly serious and straight faced determined that Ai was definitely not present by using soap operas as bait. What is this episode and where has it been all my life

GOOOD GOD ROBOPPI IS THE CUTEST THING EVER!!!!!!!!!

So it’s is now confirmed that none of the others have been to Yusakus house before….and still have yet to…still, I wonder if the whole helper robot situation is a part of the reason he’s allowed to live alone – he has a helper

Wtf what are the little noises she keeps making, her reactions to the butterfly were adorable but the one when she’s plugged in and has hearts in her eyes…Vrains is seriously pushing the robot sex agenda with her aren’t they?

Oh holy smokes they lured him in via his own vanity THEY DEFINITELY KNOW HIS PERSONALITY WELL

Yusaku is learning to be more cautious with his allies and im so proud! if...worried as hell that he’s going in alone

Oooh Flame’s kind of bitter about Windy being treated with suspicion…I can’t wait to see his reaction when he discovers how warranted that suspicion was…

Holy shit even for an insidious plot involving a fake Cyberse the Ignis are enough the comedy part of the show that they screw up faking Linkuriboh - and Ai still doesn't catch on!

Wait…wait the Cyberse was SPREADING before it was destroyed?? That…I worry that has some concerning implications that the Ignis COULDN’T have just…been left alone forever, that eventually their interests would clash with humanities bc they were taking over the network or something

Ahaha holy shit I totally forgot about the whole joke with Ai not understanding Linkuribohs language no matter how he behaves like he does, and now I cant stop remembering the joke at the starts of season 2, damn that was funny

Dear god they even programmed this fake Cyverse to look like corrugated cardboard around the hole rather than, you know, actually make it look more like a real imitation

Damn Ai is well animated this episide…

AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH IT’S THE RETURN OF THE LOST INCIDENT THEME!!!!!!!! that's NEVER a good sign

Dear god the Ignis have their own language and it sounds like speaking in electrofunk tongues straight from digital hell. Really puts that au i’ve been thinking about where the Ignis are demons into perspective…

Mmmmkay so literally every fiber of my being is screaming not to trust Windy at the sight of him. From how he appeared out of thin air (as awesome as that was) to the way he’s sitting to how casual he is about all this, all ‘yo!’ and everything…also, his questioning why Ai isn’t speaking Ignis anymore brings up a lot of questions…especially since the biggest difference between Ai and everyone else is that he’s had an extra 5 years wandering the network experiencing life outside of the isolated space the Ignis made for themselves – he’s seen more of humanity than any of the others by a long shot and he’s decided he prefers emulating them over following the lead of the rest of his own kind, and that’s why I think he’s gonna make a big difference to the war that's apparently inevitable. I even wonder if we’ll see a parallel to what he said to Yusaku about the Cyberse being his paradise at the end of season 1 – I wonder if we’ll see him talk about the good parts of the human world to the Ignis

Oooooh I am EXTREMELY uncomfortable at how the fake Cyberse is now clearly an enclosed box…its really such a small space compared to what it would be, and what ought to be big open spaces for everyone to roam about in have become walls of a container…

Kudos to Windy’s voice actor, he sounds like he has a constant smile on his face even without the character having a mouth…

Oh good, even Ai realises how creepy his associate is

THE SHADOWY MAN ISNT A PERSON AT ALL ITS ANOTHER HOLDING PROGRAM LIKE ECHO OR THE TREE MAN!!!! Fucking hell why did I not think of that before… Bohman and all were never talking to the figure itself, but the Ignis on its arm…

Also HIS EYES ARE DIAMONDS!!! We finally have the full appearances of all Ignis and…damn are they interesting – Lightening is so…sharp in every way!

Ooh wow Ai was so used to being in the real world or Vrains he didn’t consider that he wasn’t limited by physics here…

…Is Ai meant to have hands way bigger than the others?? Cause I just noticed his forearms expand way more than Windy and Lightening at least, I need to look at the others designs to check it i’m pretty sure Aqua and Earth have similarly human proportioned hands compared to the rest of their body

Of COURSE Ai is the one who named him – thinking about it, I wonder if it came from liking his own name and seeing Flame also take pride in his name that he wanted to make sure the Ignis all had names

Wait there was a SPY in the Cyberse that led to the attack?! That...changes a lot of things...there was issues WITHIN the Cyberse that led the danger there, not solely an outside force interrupting their paradise

Aaaw Ai cares about Aqua

Wait she went missing BEFORE the attack?! And Ai doesn’t believe she’s the spy damn I love his faith in her

Hahaha Ai is getting called out for his naming habits and acts like a petulant child defending himself saying it’s for convenience – if that’s not a metaphor for the writers answering questions they knew would come up, I don’t know what is

Uuuuuuhhhh I do NOT trust how much Windy is pushing for Aqua to be the spy…It feels like deflecting the attention from himself and Lightening…but Ai isn’t letting himself be lead about, and somehow the fact it’s out of faith in Aqua as opposed to realising they’re trying to manipulate him just makes me all the more proud of him!!

Ai is asking the real questions here…

FAKE LINKURIBOH IS A SPY FOR THEM BOTH!!??!?!

FUCKING LINK SENSE IN ACTION RIGHT THERE!!! Uuugh this raises so many more questions though….how does he know how to do that?! Has he had practice with it, or is it some sort of unexplained instinct? Why hasn’t he done it before?! Like, I dunno, to find Bohman!!

Mmmmmmmmm I don’t like the superiority complex coming from Lightening…it reminds me of Kogami tbh, both how highly they think of themselves and how they’re of the belief that Ignis are superior but vulnerable enough to be destroyed. Except Kogami thought humans needed to attack before the Ignis wiped them out, and Lightening thinks they need to escape humanity’s reach before humans wipe THEM out

Wtf wtf WTF WTAF nonononono you guys weren’t supposed to actually take Kogami’s crazy lessons on board, you were supposed to have left his control bc you DIDN’T want to do as he said!!

Fucking hell a flaming Kogami bc of how the Ignis were named and…GAH I CANNOT HANDLE THIS INSANITY

So…they’re so high and mighty above the humans, but are utterly dependant on them for survival, as their whole world exists on the manmade network…and they’re going to enslave mankind to ensure they don’t get cut off…writers what on earth...

Oh sweet Jesus humans won’t even have THAT reason to keep existing fairly soon...I am VERY afraid of these 2

Wait, does that imply they’re making robotic bodies or something in order to affect the real world and be able to keep making hardware?? Cause…that could mean IRL duels against robots…

…wha, Ai? Wise? And what the hell is this about evil wisdom?? If that’s a jab at the dark element of monsters leading to fiends and whatnot, I don’t get what evil wisdom actually…implies. You could potentially stick evil in front of anything to joke about the dark ignis if that were the only reason, so there’s something I’m missing…though it’s nice to see that Windy and Lightening aren’t…like, 2 sides of the same coin, they’ve got their individual personalities and quirks and aren’t constantly on the same page

Oh…oh fucking hell he has a good point. I hate to admit it, but he does. Even if Ai believes Playmaker wouldn’t delete him, Ai will outlive Yusaku and then…there’s billions of humans out there, but that’s no guarantee that there will always be at least one capable person willing to defend him from those who DO want him dead. Trying to count on humans when you’re immortal and inhuman is…so risky it basically comes down to blind faith. And, frankly, the acceptance that things will probably one day go wrong. Humans accept the inevitability of death, but damn that must be difficult to face for creatures who’d been promised immortality from the get-go. They’ve been making plans for the long-long term future, so the threat of destruction must be…infinitely more terrifying and unknown to the Ignis than to us…

PLAYMAKER!! Interesting that the other 2 knew he was coming and didn’t…hinder him in any way

Wait, they were waiting for him?! Ooooh that does not bode well…

I’m so fascinated in how they are, for the most part, repeating themselves to Playmaker yet are going about it so so differently from how they treated Ai…

Also, the way the flashback reminded me that Kogami thought of humans as vulnerable while trapped in the real worlds dangers is a parallel to how the Ignis are vulnerable while they don’t have control over the hardware that runs the network they exist on

…DAMN that’s an interesting response from Yusaku! He isn’t denying that the Ignis might well be the closest thing to humanity’s successor, and we know he’s going to be honest about that sort of thing. This is his actual opinion. But, furthering that opinion, that possible label doesn’t give them the right to hurt people as though they don’t matter in the grand scheme of things, like how Kogami treated the kids and their families. And…he’s right, or at least I believe so. The Ignis are functionally immortal and have such power in the way of the network, the thing that humanity is so dependent on nowadays, but that’s not…the most important part of the situation. Yusaku just…wants people to stop suffering, whether by the Incident or the network being destroyed or this whole debacle…god I love this character

Ooooh no Windy took that very wrong…it sucks, bc that’s such a…childish argument! its all ‘’If you agree with me great, if you don’t, then you’re lying about your motivations and you’re an enemy and we shouldn’t listen to you’’! Like…dammit you guys are based off of 6 year olds and despite the whole ‘our mission’ this and ‘enslave humanity until they have no further use’ coming across as big important serious decisions made by big important serious people, they’re not the most mature

…fuck that’s even MORE sinister than I expected! They just…don’t care about humans enough to give a shit whether they’re suffering or have lives of their own, they just see them as a resource that will eventually need to be annihilated before they become a threat to their own existence…dammit, it’s not far from how we treat animals!! In fact, that’s exactly what it is! They consider themselves above humans even though they only exist because of them and are still dependant on them, but don’t see them as worth the same consideration they’d give one of their own (though even amongst themselves they’re pretty harsh given how they’ve talked about Aqua) so they’re willing to use them then throw them away like they…have no inherent value, no right to their own lives! Dammit, this feels horrible being on the other end of that…I might need to go vegetarian after this…

Ooooh Ai you sly fox…as much as I love more validation that Ai is a manipulative ignis and they know it while humans and us watchers have been assuming nothing but idiocy is in that head of his, I wonder how much was…genuine. I mean, wanting to try to find a solution with Playmaker seems…in character for him, particularly after that montage of him remembering all they’ve been through together. Still, the way he said goodbye without looking at them makes me feel like he’s trying to hide how nervous he is…and with good reason since they know what he’s up to. I’m starting to get why they call him wise, which is something I never thought I’d think

Dammit these 2 are really scaring me with how they’re just..so causal about chatting as they let Ai drift farther and farther away, fully aware they can cut him off whenever they feel like it and without a doubt are going to do so…

AGH THESE GUYS ARE ON THEIR HOME TURF AND THEYRE FUCKING POWERFUL

HAHAHAhahahaaaaa*whimper*…at least Windy is aware how sinister they’re coming across, even if he doesn’t seem to care…these guys are reminding me of Revolver and Spectre WAY too much

t-t-take over his programming?? Wouldn’t that…be like an Ignis lobotomy?!

‘’his opinion is 1 in 8 billion – you think that will change everything?’’ uuugh I mean he has a point but also this is a card game anime so…hopefully the answer is yes? Hopefully…this IS a very unconventional YGO after all…

Goddammit they don’t have to be so snide about it! Ai was trying to pass on what he’s learnt in his time with humanity – not to underestimate them! Especially his partner!! God I can’t wait for Playmaker and Ai to defeat them and ruin their plans like they did Kogami’s, it will somehow be even more satisfying to see these 2 learn how wrong they are about humanity…

…HE’S ONLY JUST NOW REALISING HE SHOULDN’T BE OUT OF HIS DUEL DISK?!?! dammit, he really is still our lovable dumbass, isn’t he?

HOLY SHIT A MOTHERFUCKING JOJOS REFERENCE this show has no shame and I can’t get enough of it

‘’After I’ve broken down everything that makes you your own person and absorbed you into myself I’ll fix what I don’t like about you’’ FUCK OFF WINDY

So Lightening is too fast for anyone to follow, and Windy has the best control of the Data storms, Earth is the best duelist, Aqua can tell truth from lies…I wonder what Flame and Ai’s specialties are…Ai’s might be monster making since he gets on so well with Linkuriboh and created Storm Access

WHAT THE HECKITY HECK

OH

OOOOH ONLY ONE PERSON MAKES ENTRANCES THAT EXTRA

Revolver, welcome ba-HE HAS EYEBALLS?!?! And eyelashes even prettier than Playmakers…what

‘’were you able to predict that I’d show up?’’ FUCK YEAH, GIVE THEM A TASTE OF THEIR OWN SASS!!!

Ow…my hands hurt bc I couldn’t refrain from slapping the palms together like an excited seal’s flippers…dafuq is wrong with me, I don't even regret it I was too invested in the new developments!

AaaaaAAAAGGGGHHH THEYRE DESTROYING THE FEEBLE CYVERSE IMITATION like it’s a fake probably meant to lure Ai more than anything but the fact they’re going to all that trouble despite that…damn they look so sinister lit by the fires of their own attack on a defenceless…place. I dunno what to call this area tbh. But it’s such a good way of showing how dedicated they still are to the cause by replicating the destruction of the real Cyberse, and to remind us that, well, they’re not good guys by any stretch of the mind. Revolver might have swooped in and saved the lives of our protags, and may have even intended to interrupt the process, but it wasn’t out of the goodness of his heart, it was most certainly bc of the same reason he’s avoided targeting Playmaker himself – he wants to duel him again and cant if he’s dead. Jeez…here’s hoping at least SOME of him just plain wanted to, just simply didn’t want him to die (even though he still definitely wants the Ignis dead).

And on that note…he kind of has a point, much as I hate to say it. These 2 are literally aiming to enslave and wipe out mankind after all…but goddammit I want to be on Ai’s side and say that there’s hope for a peaceful resolution! I just…don’t know if it’s possible with both sides containing such stubborn, angry parties…is it even possible for beings so long living to change their mindsets from what has apparently been their thoughts since creation? I can’t imagine Ignis commonly being open to change…

Uuuugh my god that preview though…Ai and Playmaker are caught between a rock and a hard place, 2 sides riling for a genocide of the other while the ex-emissary of revenge tries to talk peace and acceptance, co existence and letting go of one’s rage in order to have hope for the future…and that…kind of feels like what this is really about? As in, the future. Both Hanoi and the Ignis (not just these 2 but all of them sans Ai) are concerned with the future, with making sure they survive to EXIST in that future no matter the cost. And then there’s our protagonist pair – one who fought so hard to be able to move on from his trauma, to have a future worth living at all, and the other who spent his time in the Cyverse idling and enjoying life one moment to the next with no real regard for his duty as a leader there…who has now learnt so much from these transient humans in regards to taking risks and working hard for what is worthwhile. They’ve certainly got the best chance of anyone in the 8 billion strong population of the world of getting through to these guys, of changing their minds about how to consider the future.

[3w-writer-with-wings]

Response to “Yusaku is BORING” video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQOfKpSPlzI&t=

To start off, well plain and simple - it's hard to compare previous Yu-Gi-Oh! series with one that is currently ongoing. One thing that you kept repeating (besides the word "boring") was that we don't know much about Yusaku. Well newsflash - at the point of your video being posted there were roughly 56 episodes out which is not even the half of the series yet - Kaiba's full backstory wasn't revealed until episode 100 (therefore you wouldn't know his entire backstory at that point) so if you put it in perspective of other series you should compare them up to the point where VRAINS is right now - which you didn't so VRAINS got a lot of disadvantages when being compared to the rest of the series and therefore you didn't judge Yusaku as equally as the rest of the protagonists. But let's say I ignore this fact and I fully focus on your character analysis of Yusaku:

1) He is bland - It might be just me, but I don't really see him as bland - in fact, I see him as one of the most interesting characters so far. In the very first episode, he already states clearly who he is, using his three things speech - he thinks a lot so it's understandable that he, therefore, doesn't talk as much unless he talks with those who understand him. And even though Naoki wasn't one of those people, he still listened to him even when he could freely ignore him. The reason why he may appear bland is that he kind of has to look bland - he lives a double life, he has trouble socializing (which Kusanagi and Ai point out a lot) and he doesn't want to involve more people in this so if he appears boring and bland he doesn't need to interact with that many people and attract unwanted attention. So to keep in in one sentence - he is using the fact that he appears bland to his advantage. 

2) He has no friends - I'll be involving some things from season two here, but even in the first season it is kinda clear why Yusaku has no friends, not counting allies. Due to Lost Incident Yusaku developed PTSD and most likely his social anxiety as well. If you live with such disorders from an early age, it is very difficult to develop your social skills - if you rewatch the flashback scene, you'll see Yusaku in some sort of a daycare trying hard to smile, but he can't. He told Akira himself that yes, he had taken treatments, he did everything to leave the past behind and he tried to live a normal life - but he couldn't, PTSD and Lost Incident didn't let him so revenge was the last resort. And in a way, the revenge on Knights of Hanoi helped him out the most - he gained allies and friends. Yusei had friends who went through the same thing as him so he managed to develop his social skills while Yusaku couldn't which may suggest that Yusaku doesn't really understand the difference between an acquaintance and a friend. Yusaku only considered "three things person" a friend - Revolver - because he knew that he was in the same situation as him so he trusted him and swore to save him one day. Same went for Takeru - the moment he revealed that he is a victim as well, Yusaku agreed to trust him and when Kusanagi referred to Takeru as his friend, Yusaku didn't deny it and was even fine with Takeru calling him by his first name (in Japan this is a big deal, since first names are reserved only for close friends and family). Yusaku eventually warmed up even to Ai, so to answer your question - yes Yusaku changes in the means of that and is also smiling more and has more heart to heart conversations with others (just a few episodes ago he had a really good conversation with Takeru, Ai and Flame - talking about their future, how they got to this point and generally just how he feels about the whole situation - I really recommend checking it out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j60tQvhbfvY ). One other reason why Yusaku might not have so many friends is that he is careful and hardly trusts anyone – especially due to how he was kidnapped. In one of the flashbacks, it is revealed that Yusaku used to be a very cheerful kid who loved playing card games and wasn’t hesitant to talk with a total stranger about the game. The only problem was that stranger was an eight-year-old Revolver who later lured him to his house so Dr. Kogami could have a subject for his experiments. It is completely understandable that Yusaku became scared and untrusting of strangers. This is also shown in another flashback (there are two episodes dedicated entirely to how Kusanagi and Yusaku met) that showed Yusaku approaching Kusanagi very carefully both in VRAINS and in real world. Yusaku even uses a very quiet and stuttering tone when he talks with Kusanagi outside VRAINS, suggesting it was really difficult for him to trust someone.

3) He doesn’t care about anyone, he has no goal and has no noble cause to duel – Actually, in the duel between Yusaku and Spectre, it is revealed that’s his greatest weakness – when Spectre uses Akira as a hostage in his duel. Akira luckily quickly realizes that and practically removes himself out of the duel in order to help him. True the whole revenge thing on Knights of Hanoi started purely so he could move on, but that’s not the only reason. During the duel with Akira Yusaku stated clearly that he had wanted answers – he wanted to know what the point of his suffering was, he wanted to understand what happened to him and he wanted to punish the people who did that to him. Yusaku was right to react the way he did when he shouted: “YOU KNOW NOTHING!” – after all Akira made it sound really easy when he said he can take care of his problems for him, but what he didn’t know at the time was just how corrupted SOL actually was and that it isn’t safe to trust anyone – what Yusaku knew well. Yusaku doesn’t want to involve anyone in this dangerous mission which is in a way a noble cause already – he wanted to take care of this by himself without getting others in the danger. In one episode Takeru saves Yusaku from a trap and Yusaku is extremely reluctant to take him to another mission because of that. His current team consists of people who were involved with Lost Incident and what they are doing right now is trying to stop the consequences of the Lost Incident – no one sent them to do it, they did it by their own free will even though they know it’s dangerous and that they are getting more enemies by it. Also when Yusaku stated his three reasons of why he needs the information about Lost Incident – one of them is so he could save the person who gave him courage and that person is Revolver. Even though Revolver was the one who kidnapped him and caused him even more suffering in a form of Knights of Hanoi, Yusaku forgave him. He never blamed him for the Lost Incident and what’s more, he saw him as the seventh victim and never stopped reaching out for him. Yusaku believes there’s good in Revolver and so far he hasn’t stopped believing in him, even when no one else did and seemingly Revolver is slowly changing because of Yusaku.

4) He is overpowered – He hasn’t lost a duel so that makes him a Mary Sue – not quite well. Again this originates from his backstory. Lost Incident forced him to learn how to win at all costs and in case it wasn’t clear enough – Yusaku lost numerous times during those six months and was punished by starvation and electroshocks. He also suffers from night terrors that kept showing him “YOU LOSE”. Akira stated that losing a duel for him is like losing his life – so every time he is in a duel it’s like he is in a life or death situation. When Revolver dangerously lowers his Life Points in both duels, Yusaku finds himself on the ground both times just like a warrior that is very close to dying and that’s not the only time he is shown in a vulnerable state. During the duel with Faust he is sent flying through numerous walls, he loses an arm during the speed duel with Revolver, he is shown to be exhausted every time he comes from VRAINS (he even falls asleep right away one time) and he temporarily loses it when he watches Ghost Girl being erased. He is a tragic and vulnerable hero that was forced to grow up way too fast. Winning is something he learned the hard way so it is a lot more like surviving for him. He may appear like a superhero, but really he is just a human. In the last few episodes there were also a lot of hints that Yusaku may lose soon and even if he doesn’t – the duels are getting rougher which also makes him use other summoning methods – Ritual, Fusion, Synchro and most recently XYZ.

5) He is not relatable and we don’t know everything about him – Not every main character is meant to be relatable and while Yusaku is relatable to some, that’s not his purpose in the story. VRAINS has taken a different turn from other series, using a major storyline and a unique protagonist that carries it forward. Lost Incident IS his story and what deeply motivates him to duel is finding answers to his fast. The reason why we don’t know everything about him from the start is so we can even as watchers experience his desire to know more and because of that, we continue watching him unveil more of his backstory. A lot of anime series use this technique – most notably Attack On Titan – we are not presented with all the answers from the start so we have something to look forward to and VRAINS is using that a lot – we continue to get more details and more information, especially in the second season, there are a lot of surprising plot twists connected to Yusaku and more are being hinted for the future episodes. Yusaku also happens to be one of those characters that have been hurt and is slowly recovering – each protagonist in the series had a point like this (Atem lost Yugi, Judai gave in Supreme King’s power, Yusei nearly died, Yuma lost Astral and Yuya gave in Zarc’s power) – Yusaku just happens to have this point from the start so every time he smiles, every time he is honest with his emotions and every time he slightly opens up to someone – that’s when we can all relate to him. Each of us has probably gone through some difficult situation in life and we all know those things take long to heal – Yusaku is healing slowly, but every time we see a little sign of recovery we are glad he is on the way to let go of his past.

He might not be as appealing as all the protagonists so far, but this does not in any way made him boring. He is a very complex character that doesn’t want to stand out, but due to his past he is forced to. It is difficult to relate to him, but that’s not the point – his story is and so far VRAINS has proven to be one of the most realistic and plot-driven yugioh series. The themes are rather dark but nicely explored and it is quite terrifying to realize it could happen in real life – like AIs with free will, Virtual Reality games going wrong and being forced to grow up fast.

So yeah, VRAINS actually started delivering exactly what you wanted right around the point where you stopped and is still going strong. Maybe finish the series first and then rant about it next time you do such video.