Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Kazuki Takahashi (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 2005

Duel Monsters is the world's most collectible card game, but to Yugi Mutou, whose body contains the spirit of the world's greatest gamer, it may be the most dangerous game he's ever played. (Graphic Novels)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Those who enjoyed the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series will probably enjoy reading a couple of volumes just to see where it all started." -- Gemma Cox NEO Magazine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Artist/author Kazuki Takahashi first tried to break into the manga business in 1982, but success eluded him until Yu-Gi-Oh! debuted in the Japanese Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1996. Yu-Gi-Oh!'s themes of friendship and fighting, together with Takahashi's weird and imaginative monsters, soon became enormously successful, spawning a real-world card game, video games, and three anime series (two Japanese Yu-Gi-Oh! series and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX). A lifelong gamer, Takahashi enjoys Shogi (Japanese chess), Mahjong, card games, and tabletop RPGs, among other games.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC (February 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591166144
• ISBN-13: 978-1591166146
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #678,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let the Games Continue!?!?!?...hmm..., September 27, 2003

By 

K. Wu "Katie" (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Vol. 2: The Cards With Teeth (Yu-Gi-Oh! (Graphic Novels)) (Paperback)

There are several reasons why you should buy this manga. First, Yami. Two, Kaiba. Three,...I'm just kidding! Seriously, though,...

If you've flipped through the Shonen Jump mags out there, but were waiting for the graphic novels to come out, these are the stories included in this volume (NO spoilers here, so you don't have to worry about something being ruined ;-). These synopses should lightly touch upon the content, nothing more...):

8: The Poison Man - the one in which Joey buys a pair of rare sneakers from a shady businessman
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9: The Cards with Teeth part 1 - the introduction of Kaiba, kinda like episode 1 of the cartoon...
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10: The Cards with Teeth part 2 - except it doesn't have Exodia, that's a later one, and there's a different purpose behind this duel...
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11: The Wild Gang part 1 - Joey doesn't come to school one day...
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12: The Wild Gang part 2 - and as Honda, Yuugi, and Anzu find out why, they race to find him...
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13: The Man from Egypt part 1 - introduction of Shadi, vaguely resembling the "Aftermath" of Duelist Kingdom in the cartoon series...
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14: The Man from Egypt part 2 - except they're in a museum...
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15: The Other Criminal - the follow-up to The Man from Egypt--this leads into Shadi testing the other Yuugi (which is in the third installation...!)
~~~~~~~

The artwork is great, but still evolving--e.g., you can see Jonouchi's hair style begin to change to its current form. And as always, the messages in these eight stories are strong and defined.
However, I can't help but have this feeling that the translations will reflect those of the cartoon. Honestly, I was looking forward to this volume (the Wild Gang is my favorite in this compilation), but seeing these translations make me worry for the future issues. I had bought the graphic novel in hopes of seeing Yu-Gi-Oh! in its true form, but if this continues, there still may be some drastic name changes. But I am glad that they at least honor the real names of the cards in the back of the book. Hopefully, they'll stop basing the translations on what the cartoon has done to it and start translating the manga the way it was meant to be read.

Still for the older crowd, Yu-Gi-Oh! 2 is definitely worth the purchase.

GO YUGI!!

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The true story behind the first episode!, April 7, 2004

By 

Christopher P. Cecena "ssjanifan" (Pine Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Vol. 4 (Yu-Gi-Oh!) (Paperback)

Remember in the first episode where Kaiba rips up the Blue Eyes owned by Yugi's grandpa, and Yugi then duels him and wins with Exodia? Well, this is the original story behind it: Death-T! Kaiba's been wanting revenge ever since Yugi actually defeated him at Magic and Wizards(the original name for Duel Monsters), so he blackmails him, more or less, into facing his amusement park from heck. Kaiba wants Yugi dead, but if somehow he actually manages to get by the first 4 stages, he'll face Kaiba in a rematch. And yes, it's going to be exactly the same as in the first episode... or is it? Let's just say that there will be quite a few surprises for people familiar with, "The Heart of the Cards." I happen to notice; that there's an extreme lack of Yami Yugi in this volume(he only shows up briefly to poison Mokuba and save Jonouchi). But don't worry, he'll get to show up next volume. Also, not only do we get introduced to a completely new perverted character(who, get this--- is just a baby!), but lots of stuff in this will more than likely give them nightmares--- especially one character named the Chopman, a serial killer(yes, a serial killer) Kaiba hires to off the group. It's stuff like this that reminds me why I love the Yu-Gi-Oh manga:

1, All the characters are a bit more extreme than in the anime, 2, Some characters actually die in the manga, 3, The card game, while still important, is not as much of a focus as it is in the anime(which even creates HUGE filler storylines to have more of the card battles), 4, The duels themselves are much more violent than in the anime, and 5, the art just looks so cool! Too bad the anime sugar-coated everything in it, and then 4Kids came and sugar-coated it again, just so the kids could watch! But with this volume, we can at least see how it is originally intended, and it's no exception to the reasons of why I love it so much. So in the end, if you want to see the "mature" version of the Yu-Gi-Oh your kid brother or sister watches, I recommened this volume!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Reason Behind Yami... Finally, July 31, 2004

By 

Zane Renquist "pendragonvamp" (Fountain, Co) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Vol. 5 (Paperback)

I love this series better than the anime itself because while the anime is focused with the cards, it cuts the real story off at the knees. I enjoy watching Yami as he fights for what he cares for most... his friends. To me, the card game seems just like a back story and to read the tenderness this small boy has is touching. He reminds me of how we all feel going through that big world known as "High School." Everyone later admits that, whether popular or not, High School was one interesting adventure. We all feel stupid and outcasted at times there. Yugi draws the audience back to those awkward days and reminds us that inside we could be just as weak as any but if we strive for what is right and just, we shall conquer all. That, to me, is the real reason behind Yami and Yu-Gi-Oh and these books really show the reader that reason.