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No worries.

I completly agree with you btw.

Hear me out. You can call me an extreme Yu-Gi-Oh fanboy or say I’m stuck on nostalgia, but my nostalgia is for GX and 5D’s, not the original series. That anime is so overpraised it drives me up the wall, to the point where I can’t stand its pandering to the sell-outs. That's right—I hated Duel Monsters in the mid-2010s because it was overselling its nostalgia to the point that now there’s nothing new to buy. I get that it’s hard to talk to Yu-Gi-Oh fans because they’re always rambling about the card game.

But please, hear me out. I’m not like those fans. I’m not going to talk about the card game. My focus is more on why the anime’s decline wasn’t Konami’s fault for pushing the game. I’m more interested in its story deconstruction.

Look, the anime was blamed for the real-life card game’s issues, but that’s not entirely fair. The show is based on the card game with its own twists, but the real-life game, especially this year, is a mess. In my opinion, the lore in the anime has been messed up ever since 5D’s.

Here are three reasons why the Yu-Gi-Oh anime often gets unfairly criticized:

1. False information. Konami has never opened up about the production struggles for each series, so there’s a lot of misinformation online. People make stuff up to the point where it’s out of control. For example, Konami never explained why Zexal had such a large budget or whether ARC-V really suffered animation issues when its animation was actually above average. Ever since ARC-V’s infamous production problems in 2015, fans have been upset about everything. They claim Zexal is more popular than 5D’s, but there’s no proof. I’ve searched Pojo forums, but those are mostly old or deleted, though at least they’re cleaner than Reddit, which is even worse.

2. Fans are too divided in their opinions, and it never stops. This comes from the fact that both the game and the anime are overwhelming for them. How can fans admit, even once, that most Yu-Gi-Oh anime aren’t just their chew toys for mainstream nonsense or to be taken lightly? Some fans even call Yu-Gi-Oh a "stupid, silly card game" and act like idiots.
For example, when I posted about why I hated Zexal because its lore made no sense, I got slandered and ratioed into oblivion on Facebook—despite Facebook being more mature than Twitter. And don’t even get me started on Twitter; Yu-Gi-Oh fans there are even worse.

So, what was the reason? They said I was stereotyping the show, because the commenters were brainwashed into thinking it was well-received, which it wasn’t. They kept pushing the idea that the show had superior animation and that Yuma was a good duelist. It felt like they were trying to force me into apologizing. But here’s something funny: when they get mad at me for sharing my opinions on their favorite shows, they call me a hater. Yet when I ask them to explain what’s going on in a simple discussion—like why Zexal is so divisive—their only excuse is the infamous dub censorship, which makes no sense, because 4Kids hardly had anything to do with the original subbed version.

Speaking of 4Kids, Western Yu-Gi-Oh fans are always upset about something. They blame streaming services for not showing enough of Zexal and criticize the dub for everything. Honestly, Western Yu-Gi-Oh fans are so weird when it comes to certain topics.

Then there is the one I saved for last.

3. American Yu-Gi-Oh fans damaged the community in the 2010s. Yes, that’s what happened. After 5D’s ended (and I’m not even counting the dub, which was just a localized version), American fans hated Yu-Gi-Oh so much that they metaphorically dug to the center of the earth to scream at Konami to stop milking it.
Take 2011, when Zexal came out in Japan. Fans were always upset. The transition from the mature tone of 5D’s to the childish tone of Zexal in under a year made them angry. But the Western fandom is worse than just complaining about a card game; they blamed the anime for the card game’s problems. Really? That same tired argument again?

Why are American Yu-Gi-Oh fans so bad that their own insecurities make them feel like they’re always right? This problem started even before that. Even in Japan, where Yu-Gi-Oh is more complex, it’s more popular than in America. For instance, Japan loves GX and 5D’s way more than Duel Monsters. I’ve seen more fan art on Pixiv and Facebook to prove it. In America, though, it’s all about Duel Monsters, like it’s the only thing that matters. How much longer do I have to listen to them?

I grew up in Bulgaria and got the DVDs dubbed in Bulgarian. They did a great job with the production and localization. Let’s not even start on how they aired it on TV here. It’s different in my country. I never once complained about censorship or localization. But those Americans? They’re too rough about it.

When I heard 5D’s was discontinued after the Dark Signer arc in my country, I didn’t mind. I still watched the subbed version, and even the American dub, while I was in high school—and I loved it! But in America? They whine and act like children over something as trivial as a rice ball being censored into a sandwich in Pokémon! It’s like America suffers from early signs of "Censorship Derangement Syndrome" (CDS), which later turned into "Donald Trump Syndrome."

Their reaction to Yu-Gi-Oh is laughable. They can’t catch a break because America is so full of anger and sadness that they blame a localized company for not giving them the official subbed version of a DVD. And when it finally came out, they still weren’t happy. But I think the biggest issue with the American Yu-Gi-Oh fandom is their hypocrisy and bigotry. They won’t let European fans have an opinion on the anime. Instead, they gatekeep the same topics over and over, whining about a dubbed version, but the moment I criticize their shows, they call me a hypocrite and a "foreigner" as if I’m not allowed to have an opinion. Meanwhile, Americans barely know anything about other countries or how we grew up differently, with more respect for each other.

So, that's alot of my points.

But wait—why haven’t I mentioned the real-life card game yet? Because when I grew up with Yu-Gi-Oh, I followed the old-school traditional format. I never had anyone to play with, never went to locals or tournaments. I played online and collected the merchandise. That’s why I’m more attached to the anime than the actual card game, which has become so convoluted that it makes Cardfight Vanguard look simpler and healthier by comparison.

And here’s something I forgot to mention: the current Yu-Gi-Oh community is all about the stupid card game. They keep asking the same dumb question over and over again—"When did the game turn to crap?" It’s like they’re stuck in a loop, obsessed with the downfall of the game, while ignoring the anime’s depth entirely.

So, what do you think of my point in general?

Want to ask me any Yu-Gi-Oh question whenever you feel like? I am more on the anime than the actual meta game since I refuse to play due to it's gameplay being too complecated to disscuse with other over their bullshit. If you ever want to ask anythin if your felling curios i am open 24/7 :)

The show can barely take itself seriously for even a moment. It's always using cringeworthy moments to push its nonsense. I remember in the early seasons when it used over-the-top comedy to make itself look like a bad cartoon. The writing wasn’t great. The cast expanded every week, making it hard to care about anyone because there was simply too much going on. The way the show handled its death count felt forced, as if it were trying to be a genuine story rather than a deconstruction.

Deku never evolved into a compelling character; he often felt like a victim of nepotism. It's hypocritical for people to claim he broke the "boys don’t cry" stereotype when Uraraka was the one who actually shattered the "girls are useless" trope. Honestly, the show feels like it's made for people with no self-esteem. The characters are just fodder. What really ruined it for me, though, were those movies that drained the animation budget, leaving the later seasons with terrible animation. Everything became clunky, like Rosie O'Donnell.

Even Mushoku Tensei felt more humanized, despite its ecchi content and violent moments. It told a story about redemption without relying on flashy action. The 2010s anime era was all about flashy action, with morality often taking a backseat. And don’t even get me started on My Hero Academia's message about "trying"—that’s nonsense. Deku might try, but he doesn’t grasp that being different can be a strength. He struggles with even basic training methods, yet still gets through everything without any real consequences.

The show keeps recycling the same themes: training arc, tournament arc, hero vs. villain arc. And to make things worse, the series ruined its own lore with that ending.

Based Mushoku Tensai fan <3

If I remember correctly, I tried to give the show a chance instead of the manga, since I’m more of an anime fan. But I had a feeling it would disappoint. I gave it a shot in 2016, but it failed to give me hope because I knew fanboys would hype it up whenever it got good. I tried again, and it was still bad. It took me eight years to finally watch Season 1, and I knew from the start it was terrible. The problem was clear: Hirokoshi struggled to maintain a dark tone, the pacing was off, and the character overload made it feel like Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.

But I think the biggest issue with the show was its power creep and scale system, which made no sense. Like, Deku got his power through nepotism, not hard work, with no real payoff. It failed in three basic areas that even shows like Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, which I grew up with, managed to handle better.

First, it failed with its female cast, reducing them to eye candy rather than fully developed characters. Second, it botched progression by mishandling power dynamics, preventing the characters from feeling truly human. Lastly, it failed with consequences, as it couldn't handle real tragic events. No wonder the show was never good—whether manga or anime, it still fell short.

Hello!
What is your opinion on why MHA failed as manga despite it's fandom thinks it's anime is what keeps them up? It's like these fanboys are blinded by reality.

Thank you! I've just started on the novel. I think I would be able to understand the context and meanings of Rudy's every action better this way.

Hello!
Am I the only who isn't borthered by the echhi stuff in Mushoku Tensai since I never became like modern people's problem or because it doesn't make me feel nervious?

The thing about the LOTR films (from what I've heard, I haven't touched them or much of the source material) is that they're near perfect adaptations into the medium, and for the length alloted to them, where as season 2 of Mushoku tensei is not. If they had more episodes like you said, the director from season one and staff, and I'm sure a bag of money wouldn't make anything worse, that would all be great (and it's kind of what they need), but I'm not sure we'll ever get that again :(.


Unfortunately I don't think you'll end up getting those second perspectives because they are technically displayed at the same time as Rudy's, just during the same frames and with missing passage, but I agree, and I welcome almost any new MT content. Anyway, definitely check out the novels as soon as you can!

Nice. I saw your comment on that guy's review completely blasting the recent cour and while I agree that he's being way too harsh (especially with the novel hate, it's pretty absurd) and clearly doesn't know what he's talking about - confirmed by bringing up points about redemption, which the story is not about, and the true "die-hard" fans know this. However, as a light novel reader I can understand a couple of his points. Even the Six-Faced World sub reddit mostly agrees that this season has seen a major decrease in quality. The studio is still trying their best but they have a lot less to work with. As a ln reader going into this season it feels like we're missing a lot. I think the best thing people can do at this point is go and read up to vol 13 and then watch season 2, because unfortunately a ton has been lost and a season that should have been greater than the first is not. If you still love this cour definitely hop on the LN, you'll probably be blown away. Mushoku Tensei is my favorite story so I'm always trying to get people into the source material. The studio is still trying their best but they have a lot less to work with. Sorry for the mini essay (lol).

I can totally understand what you mean, that is why I used Made in Abyss as an example, because its narrative is mainly interesting because of the world and less because of its characters. That being said, while I can only speak for myself here, but I am not interested in Frierens world, I don't dislike it, but I most certainly don't watch the show for its standard D&D setting. That is where I fundamentally see the difference here, because I really couldn't care less about how Frierens world works in a vacuum, and I think that is very much the point. Because the world is not intended to be the source of entertainment, it is kind of weird to compare it to a narrative where the world is essential to its drama and the enjoyment we derive from it. If your reasoning is simply that you don't want to call one better than the other, while I can't personally relate to that decision, I am going to respect it and just accept that fact. I turned something overall pretty pointless into a discussion and while I enjoy talking about stuff like this in a critical manner, I perfectly understand why other people might more so care about looking at narratives on their own, to not call one worse than the other, but rather praise them for what they individually get right. I am not interested in that, because I already find both Mushoku Tensei and Frieren to be fantastic pieces of fiction, and it doesn't hinder my enjoyment to look at them critically. Frieren doesn't need to have a world as well characterized as MT to be as awesome as it is and while I can call singular aspects of Frieren worse than MT, I can do the same the other way around. They both have strengths and weaknesses over the other and at least how I see it, Mushoku Tensei just has the more interesting world out of the two, but hey, that's just a theory, a film theory, thanks for reading, have a good one.

Have you read the novel? (MT)

I get what you mean, though I personally draw a line between world building from a character's perspective and world building as a setting. I absolutely understand why both are so entangled, but we are a lot less focused on a single character perspective in Frieren as we are in MT, so I find it a lot easier to take the world in a vacuum and detach it from the main characters, mainly because they had very little effect on it, since Frieren helped kill the demon king. What we learn about the world is still fundamentally linked to our characters, simply because we only see the places they go to, but these places are very detachable from the characters. There is a distinct image that we get from these world, both in MT and in Frieren and that image in the case of Frieren is very much like a classic D&D world. I think this to be a deliberate choice, Frieren is very much a character drama that cares very little about world conflict, so it makes sense to use a world, where viewers and readers can assume a setting, so there is less time needed to establish every single element. To get this point across, if you watch/read something like Made in Abyss or maybe even MT, they are going to spend a lot of time on explaining complex systems within the world. In the case of Made in Abyss, this is in huge part, because the enjoyment of watching that show, comes from how interesting a world it takes place in. This world feels interesting to explore, because it has a very distinct sense of place, with whole ecosystems and logical infrastructure. In Frieren your explanation for why something is the way it is, is either non-existent or it is "because magic". Because the show (and I am just going to assume the manga too) have very little interest in conflict originating from the world, it uses very little of its time to built it up. I am not going to call Frieren's world bad, because it isn't, but calling it equal to MT would undersell the work and effort that went into building MT's world. It is from the very start not a good comparison, because the one story cares about world building, the other really doesn't, and I think that is perfectly fine. Frieren doesn't need a complex world to function as a narrative, it is still a wonderful work of fiction, but that doesn't mean, that its world building is equal to a story that made its setting essential to its cause. That is at least how I see it, I understand why detaching worlds from perspective characters is sometimes a bit sketchy, but at least in the case of Frieren, I think it works.

What's your opinion on the whole Mushoku Tensei VS Frieren world building thing. I really don't care about a lot of comparisons, but I've heard a lot of people say, that Frieren's world building is equal if not better to MT's and I think that to be somewhat laughable. I am not saying that Frieren has a bad world, but it clearly just isn't the focus, that's like saying Monogatari's background art is equivalent to a Shinkei film. Not only is it clearly not, it is so different in approach that it doesn't matter, because one uses visuals as its main medium of story telling and the other uses it solely to underline what is being said. So, yeah, Frieren has a world that is good enough for the story that Frieren tries to tell and isn't worth being criticized, while MT presents its world as one of its main features. That is at least how I see it, I would be interested to hear how you look at it, you seem to know a fair bit more about MT than I do, I haven't read it, so obviously no spoilers please. Have a good one ^^