Ask John: How Much Yu-Gi-Oh is There?

Question:
I have heard there was a previous Yu-Gi-Oh series. The animation is supposed to be pretty poor, but I am still interested in seeing it. I think it would be interesting. Do you have any information or know where I can find out more about it?

Answer:
Yu-Gi-Oh was first turned into an anime TV series in 1998, when the card game was brand new and not yet the massive international success that it would soon become. The original TV series featured relatively poor quality digital animation and was clearly intended for very young children. The series aired 27 episodes between April 4th and October 10, 1998, and also supported a 30 minute long side-story theatrical motion picture. Two years later, the Yu-Gi-Oh Dual Monsters series, aimed at a marginally older target audience, premiered on Japanese television on April 18th. This popular second series currently has more than 135 episodes in Japan and is broadcast on American television.

The movie and first TV series are available on 8 Japanese VHS tapes. The second TV series is currently being released in Japan on VHS and DVD.

I’m not personally a big fan of Yu-Gi-Oh, having seen only the first 4 episodes of the first TV series, but I suspect that there are probably fan sites online that may be able to provide more detailed information about the original TV series for you.