Cardfight!! Vanguard Final Thoughts--Imagine

I know what you're thinking. Let me explain.

  
I picked up this show thinking that I would only watch it for a few episodes. I really enjoyed Yu-Gi-Oh back in the day, and this seemed pretty similar; a new version for a new generation I suppose (I know that Yu-Gi-Oh is still technically on the air, but to me the Duel Monsters version is Yu-Gi-Oh). I thought that I would have a couple laughs at its expense, maybe get a nostalgia trip, and then be on my way. I didn't expect that I would genuinely enjoy this show. The story centers around wimpy kid Aichi, who inevitably gets swept up in a popular card game known as Vanguard. Everyone in the entire world (except for unimportant people like parents and classmates) is obsessed with this game, and Aichi in particular hopes that playing the game will earn him the respect of Kai Toshiki, his boyfriend the person who introduced him to it. For more than half of the show, that's pretty much it in the story department; the point of the show is to sell merchandise after all, and they need plenty of time to get the younger viewers hooked on the Shiny New Thing That All the Cool Kids are Playing™. Surprisingly though, this was probably the part of the show that I enjoyed the most. As they build the cast and explain the battle system, you actually do get a sense of Aichi growing as a player, even though he loses far more than he wins. It was really refreshing to watch a show of this kind where the main character isn't automatically "The Chosen One" or "The Best Player Ever." They actually play the game and follow the rules instead of making them up on the fly and getting new cards out of nowhere like Yu-Gi-Oh frequently did. There's even an episode dedicated to creating a balanced deck. I was pleasantly surprised that the card game itself was treated with some level of realism.

  
However, the comparison to Yu-Gi-Oh is valid since this show's creator was involved with a spin-off manga of the original property, and it shows; the character stereotypes are largely played in the same way, the tournament arcs are split between facing joke characters/characters whose sole purpose is to sell the new card pack, and the units in the game turn out to be real. Topping it all off, a supernatural element does make an appearance. It's called Psyqualia, and it's basically the ability to predict the future that also makes the user a huge jerk. The addition of Psyqualia drives the conflict for the rest of the series, and while I did enjoy the earlier parts of the show more, by the time it got to that point I was already hooked and willing to see how it would play out. Overall, this is a guilty pleasure anime for me since it does use a lot of the generic elements that kid's shows focused around selling merchandise do, but those cliches weren't the sum of the whole. The show is fully aware why it exists, but it doesn't use that as an excuse to make a crappy show. Most of the major characters go through some personal growth and those arcs tend to be interwoven with some kind of message about teamwork and respecting yourself as well as the other players. It doesn't get preachy about it either, which is a nice plus for a kid's show. There is a lot of focus on playing the game in the way that makes you happy, win or lose, which is a good message to have. If this show does end up being the spiritual successor to Duel Monsters, then I think we're in good hands. Cardfight can get a bit ridiculous at times, but it gets it right when it's important. If you ever enjoyed Yu-Gi-Oh (ironically or unironically) you should give this a look. You might be surprised just like I was.

Images from Crunchyroll.com.