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This animated feature is steeped in the mythos of the Yu-Gi-Oh card game, Manga comics, and television show, which should make it a hit with fans. The plot concerns teenage gaming wizard Yugi Muto (vocalized by Dan Stuart) who, having merged forces with an Egyptian pharaoh since he solved his grandfather's cosmic puzzle, now rules the universe as the king of "Duel Monsters" card players. Meanwhile the evil Egyptian god Annubis has been wakened from centuries of sleep and is slipping hot cards to Yugi's arch rival Kaiba (Eric Stuart) in an underhanded bid to destroy the earth. Robots, knights, sphinxes, a plethora of different dragons, wizards, cute girls, and even clowns get in on the act--appearing, battling, merging, exploding, and dissolving as the labyrinthine rules of the game dictate. Some expository encapsulations are provided for the newcomer, which is good, as fans will be too busy cheering at all the monsters, explosions, bodily humor, strategizing, and teasing put-downs to explain the finer points of the dueling system. The film also serves as an unveiling of several important cards no serious player can afford to be without. Some of the flashing light effects and monster-style violence may be a bit much for very young and/or epileptic viewers.
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