1/21/2006

Every once in a while I try to review something so obscure and youthful that it is impossible to obtain in its original Japanese with English subtitles (oops). Today that show will be Duel Masters.

This anime (the manga runs in the monthy CoroCoro Comic magazine) is about a boy named Shobu Kirifuda who plays a game called “Duel Masters” (in the early manga, he plays Magic: The Gathering). In Shobu’s world, the players can bring the monsters to life using a fictional martial art called “kaijudo” (actually a marketing term created to sell the game in America). Shobu aims to become a “Kaijudo master” like his father, Shori Kirifuda. Shobu fights opponents from the evil temple run by the mysterious Master in Season One. In the American created Season Two, Shobu battles the evil organization P.L.O.O.P. and their plans to use monsters from the Civilization Realms to take over Earth. The Japanese version has a separate second season entitled Duel Masters Charge, which is based on more of the manga and features characters that do not appear in the American second season, including a character named “Great Baketsuman”. It is unknown when or if the Japanese 2nd season will air in America. If the Japanese second season were to be broadcast in America, it would have to be changed to accommodate the American 2nd season – it is also unknown why a separate 2nd season was created for America in the first place.

To contibute links for this page – I couldn’t find any other than the site for the Rockman.EXE/Duel Masters double feature movie – please comment!

Source: Wikipedia