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While Yu-Gi-Oh had moments of shining brilliance such as this, they were mere glimmers amidst the sea of generic shounen merchandise glut and couldn't bring up the show. Or the moment, also in the first episode, where the female lead asks about what to do, to which the main character replies "Isn't it obvious? It's PUZZLE TIME!" as a salsa tune kicks in. Take, for example, a flashback in the first episode wherein a certain person implores the main character to solve unsolveable puzzles and ease their pain.
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By all accounts this show should be awful and a waste of time.Īnd yet, it is neither, due to its dedication at The animation is bad by 2011 standards and the character designs are amateurish. Denouements for each episode are easy to see, especially if you've ever seen any other anime series in your life. The series can be summed up as "basically a less merchandise-driven Yu-Gi-Oh, but instead of HEART OF THE CARDS it's UNDERSTAND THE FEELINGS OF PUZZLES". Phi Brain has one of the widest gaps between an astoundingly moronic premise and a brilliant execution that I've ever seen in an anime series.
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