Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Gabu • Now • 80%

A brief discussion on expectation and courtesy in a duel

Just this week, I've come back to Master Duel after being absent for several months. One thing that has hit me like a truck, much more than during previous hiatuses, is just how *rude* most decks are - even casual strategies, such as Dark Magician. As an example, I was playing on the ladder against someone running a Stardust deck, and just going through my regular effects (Circle, Combination, Soul + Dragon Knight, Magician's Right-Hand, Ebony magicians, Rivals, etc) was enough to shut down my opponent every time they tried a new play. Osiris forbid I actually went for a full combo with Apollousa or Dragoon or any number of other bothersome negates. I actually felt bad for them, their fun was effectevely being prevented by my *regular* plays, even running a fairly low power deck. This brings me to the discussion - is it really okay for Yu-Gi-Oh to be this toxic as a game? Other TCGs and CCGs tend to not be nearly as bad in this regard. Is it really okay to expect your opponents to accept that being fully shutdown is just a normal part of the game? Lastly, how do you guys feel about how long it takes to make a play in Master Duel? I'm always worried that my opponent is getting bored after the 10th card activation.

Jujutsu Kaisen Gabu • Now • 85%

I just dreamt a whole-ass episode

I just woke up from a dream in which I had watched an entire episode of Jujustu Kaisen that, presumably, doesn't and won't exist, so I'm compelled to share. I'm anime-only, btw. Essentially, Megumi summons a curse to help him fight against an opponent of special grade level, but the curse is too weak. In a twist, turns out the curse summoned is only the host to a more powerful curse living inside it (didn't "catch" the name, but the outer curse looks like the onryo Sadako while the inner curse looks like a black mass of tentacles with a mouth). As the outer curse dies, freeing the inner curse (let's call them X), the opponent is quickly defeated and consumed, then spat back out. Despite having been technically summoned by Megumi, X actually wants to take his body over as well - the protagonist knows this and tries to stall for time, but in the end loses a battle of wits and gets his body partially controlled. That's when Yuji shows up. The previous enemy, now controlled by X, attacks him for a bit, they have a quick chat and he backs off - X-controlled Megumi attacks instead. As they talk, there are a few references to other anime (one of X's power has something to do with copying fictional media. He references being able to defeat Bleach's Kenpachi, catching any pokemon and some other jokes). At this time, X has housed himself inside Fushiguro's leg, heavily deforming it. X-Megumi prepares to use a final attack to defeat Yuji when, in the blink of an eye, the hero moves behind them with a classic samurai-style slash motion, Sukuna's tattoos flash in and out of existence, and X is resting in Yuji's hand, as he exclaims (in a somber atmosphere) "your curse only changes the body, unlike Mahito's". There's a brief glitch effect during which Yuji is swapped out with Bleach's Kenpachi saying "easy", and X gets crushed like an egg. The rest of the dream episode is largely setup dialogue. Now I'll have to live the rest of my life knowing there's a weird made-up episode I'll never watch again. How crazy is that? By the way, the animation quality was a 10/10.

Bleach Gabu • Now • 100%

What are the general opinions on the final episode of season 2 (BLEACH - TYBW)? Personally, I disliked it.

Let me preface this by saying that I've read the entire manga during release, and own the volumes. I'm a huge BLEACH fan that has played pretty much every game, read all LNs, watched interviews and closely followed Kubo-sensei. In my opinion, this season's finale undermines severely the structure and message of the series, in particular the final arc. I don't even know where to start listing what I dislike about it, so here are some scattered thoughts: 1. The 0th squad was supposed to be defeated quickly, narratively. It established the Schutzstaffel as formidable foes while simultaneously saving face (they were defeated by surprise) *and* avoids potential nonsense with their Bankais. Now we get some absurd stuff about "their powers being too great to release", yet Ichibe is fighting with Bankai just fine, and later on Ichigo's bankai doesn't destroy all of existence, despite being by far the strongest thing to ever exist, after the original Soul King. 2. To add all of this filler in their tight 52 episode schedule, they had to cut out a bunch of great moments of silence where the audience gets to really think things through and understand the characters and their motivations. As a result, pacing gets demolished. **If** the filler was simply expanding on what was already there in the manga I wouldn't mind as much, but they're adding stuff that makes no sense in-universe. 3. WHY CUT OUT THE BIG REVEAL FROM THE SEASON FINALE? Worse still, what was originally a "*oh shit, this might actually be unwinnable*" moment in the manga was relegated to flashback in this arc. Anyway, there are a bunch of other negative things I have to say about this adaptation, but overall I'm still enjoying it, bar some moments of real annoyance. I just wish they were more faithful to Kubo-sensei's original work.