Review of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal

to be completely fair, if you aren't willing to watch through the first season of zexal to get to zexal II, then this yugioh series isn't really for you. zexal tends to have a slow 'childish' start/feel to it, but trust me, this improves a whole lot. as for zexal by itself, i would say its a decent series (trying to be unbiased here). however, there are evident problems such as yuma's companions aside from kotori, shark, astral, ect not having much development - making them unlikable or forgettable. as for yuma himself, i believe he undergoes a lot of development, starting off asone of the worst dueling protagonists of them all.

however, i have to give the original zexal some credit - for example, the introduction of kaito is probably one of the most serious elements of the series. in addition, a lot of character backstory is provided in the original which is only implied/not evident in II. duel carnival was interesting (imo) in a comedic aspect as well, but the final 'villain' (dr. faker) left something to be desired.

this show gets a lot of bull for not being 'serious/in depth', but like i said, if youre willing to watch this first season, you will be thoroughly pleased with zexal II. it has numerous improvement with art, character development, soundtrack, and plot depth.

td;lr i'm a HUGE fan of this series, but the beginning is pretty rocky/uninteresting for most, especially those who are long-time yugioh fans. if youre willing to get past the beginning, the end and second season are very rewarding.