YuGiOh Season 0 as its called by some fans boasts quite a few differences from the trading card anime were all familiar with. For those of you unfamiliar with this version of the show it features one extra member of the gang who was apparently too moe for the later series is often much more gruesome than its successor and sticking more closely to the manga features all manner of games including but not limited to an extremely early extremely simple version of Duel Monsters. Also Kaiba has green hair. ... Writing: As mentioned prior this series sticks to the manga more closely than YuGiOh Duel Monsters does. That said things are still toned down from the manga version at least somewhat so this series falls somewhere inbetween in terms of content. For example where a villain might be set on fire in the manga here theyre presented a traumatic illusion that makes them think and feel as if they were set on fire. Things like that. Yami Yugi is still Game Batman though dishing out cold and brutal street justice to those who are asking for it. Theres a certain charm to seeing the Pharaoh as Chief Badass rather than the more romantic and human version we see trying to learn about the mysteries of his past in Duel Monsters. While this series does more deeply explore a lot of the early arcs before the start of Duel Monsters such as the origin of Joey and Yugis friendship make no mistake it is not in the same canon as the presence of the extra character and punkphase Kaibas interactions with Yugi prove. Oh right I was critiquing the writing wasnt I? Overall its fairly average for a shonen series but some of the solutions to the games are quite clever and will keep you guessing. Animation: Not stellar not abysmal. Its the 90s whatre you gonna do? Yugis still hoarding the world supply of hairspray though. Sound: This series was never dubbed so expect no Dan Green. The Japanese actors do a fine job of capturing the characters though even if Yami Yugis voice is a bit on the stereotypical side as far as angsty young badasses speaking Japanese go. The music I dare say is a strong point of the series much more unique than that present in Duel Monsters and with a transformation theme that would have been iconic had this show made it to the west. Its an earworm that. ... If youve ever wanted to see a bishonen TwoFace take on the role of Batman and dish out street justice with gambling youre looking at the right series. The series is as bipolar as can be from its cute and saccharin school scenes to the dark and gritty dealings with injustice. I recommend it as a fun watch for anyone interested in this kind of dichotomy as well as obviously for fans of the YuGiOh franchise who want to see the origins of the series in animated form.