Yu-Gi-Oh! is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a brand new movie that takes fans back to the original series. The Dark Side of Dimensions continues the story of Yugi, Joey, Kaiba and the rest of the Yugioh crew months after the end of the original series and how they are all taking the loss of the Pharaoh.
Compared to past Yugioh movies where the story is a one-off tale that doesn’t really affect the overall series, The Dark Side of Dimensions is different. It builds upon some of the threads left at the conclusion of the anime and that makes this film a must-see for fans of the original series.
Without going into too much spoiler territory, just know that certain aspects (and in particular, characters) get some much-needed backstory but this backstory leads to more questions than answers and introduces a less-than-stellar antagonist. But it also seems to forget about its own canon in regards to Kaiba, who has a bigger part in this story than even Yugi.
Aigami is the antagonist and his motivations in the film are purely based in vengeance as he looks to avenge the death of his mentor. In the process, he wants to use his dimension banishing power to make the world into one without fear by, essentially, killing those he deems evil.
Kaiba, despite having the most screentime, can also be looked as the second antagonist of the film. His goal is to find a way to bring back Atem because only by defeating him can Kaiba get over all the losses he had against him. (So this one win trumps all those past losses?)
Seto Kaiba has always come off as obsessive but not being able to cope with the fact that Atem is gone has really put him over the deep end in this film. He even goes as far as to resort to borderline kidnapping and blackmail to get what he wants.
But it’s because of Kaiba’s obsession and search for a way to bring back the Pharaoh that connects him, Aigami and Yugi in the plot. Kaiba wants Atem to come back, Yugi is the vessel and Aigami’s powers go away once the Pharaoh returns so he is trying to prevent it from happening. The three are on a collision course as we get multiple duels in the film (more than I expected, honestly) that keep the film from becoming one massive backstory or dialogue dump.
Each duel is great and they get bigger and bigger until the grand finale, however, I wish we got to see some of the other duelists in action (poor Joey). Though the introduction of a new way to duel seemed a bit unnecessary, the duels in the film have a faster pace, as stronger and stronger monsters are summoned with ease. However, this rapid action really made it hard to track what was going on. I’ve played the Yu-Gi-Oh! Card game for years and in typical fashion, it seems the movie was making rules as it went along. If you’re used to the original anime you’re used to not having things explained even when you really need the movie to.
The movie also seems to not bother mentioning the connection Kaiba has with his past Egyptian self and the millennium items. Watching the dubbed version makes me curious as to whether it is better explained in the original Japanese dialogue.
But the returning cast of voice actors is a real treat for fans of the original series, really driving home that nostalgia factor. The writing seemed more self-aware of how ridiculous this world is (Kaiba has his own space elevator) and even some lines of dialogue were jarring in how ridiculous and sometimes out-of-character they were. One that will forever stick out in my mind comes from Kaiba as he comments on his virtual reality version of Atem and how long it took to get “his coiffed hair just right.” I swear LittleKuriboh was brought in to write that line.
Overall, The Dark Side of Dimensions is an awesome return to the original series. The original voice acting and characters really tug on your nostalgia. The duels are action-packed and the plot, while feeling at times like a season’s arc squished into two hours, did a great job of expanding the mythos.
The villain may have been a bit stale but he served his purpose as the foil between Kaiba and Yugi and helped the two come to terms with Atem’s departure.
If you’re a fan of the series, this is a must-watch.
To purchase tickets, here.
