"Wow, wow! Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai feels really interesting!"
"I agree!"
"The main character sure has a lot of cheeky lines!"
"That scene where the main character gets caught kicking the junior's butt made me laugh out loud."
"I, Uchiha Madara, acknowledge this main character as the king of witty remarks."
After reading the Porter's latest manga, many readers discussed the new release.
Even though the story seemed simple, the unexpected humorous comments caught readers off guard and made them laugh uncontrollably.
"But hey, did anyone read Yu-Gi-Oh! yet?"
While people were discussing Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, others turned their attention to Yu-Gi-Oh!, which had been released at the same time.
In the first chapter, Kaiba seized the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card from Yugi's grandfather, Sugoroku, and tore it apart. Yugi then challenged Kaiba to a duel.
Faced with Kaiba's three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, Yugi found himself cornered but ultimately summoned the powerful Exodia with five seemingly meaningless cards.
The second chapter detailed Yugi receiving an invitation to the Duelist Kingdom tournament, explaining the background leading to this event.
These chapters sparked plenty of discussion among the audience.
"I don't get it... Why didn't the main character call the police when Kaiba stole and ripped the card? Why duel him instead?"
"Right? That Blue-Eyes White Dragon card looked valuable, judging by how Kaiba acted."
"Well, it seems like in that world, card games are everything. It's like in a martial arts world—reporting to the authorities might not help."
"But still, those card games look pretty fun..."
"I think so too!"
"Can't wait for those cards to go on sale!"
"By the way, could we even build that kind of dueling arena with today's technology? It looks really cool."
"Tough call. Even if it's possible, it'd be expensive, and no company would probably want to make it."
Opinions on Yu-Gi-Oh! were mixed online.
Even those who liked it mostly did so because they found the card game itself intriguing.
And that was understandable.
The early Yu-Gi-Oh! manga had its share of flaws.
For example, tearing cards, which would be a serious crime of property damage in real life, was common in the story. Plus, the series featured things like bluffing, making cards on the spot, and miraculous draws.
Ren, being his laid-back self, had swapped out the character names to suit a Chinese audience but hadn't changed much of the original plot.
The story in the first series still followed the 2000 Yu-Gi-Oh! storyline from Ren's previous life, based on Kazuki Takahashi's manga covering volumes 8–38, focusing on monster card duels and the Millennium Items.
It told the tale of kind-hearted Yugi and his other self as they entered the Duelist Kingdom to confront Pegasus and save Yugi's grandfather's soul.
Although Ren kept the plot intact, he did change certain details.
For example, the Duelist Kingdom tournament's island was replaced with Picca Land's island.
Pegasus's company was renamed Picca, and various elements mirrored Picca's operations.
Ren initially considered renaming Kaiba's company as well but decided against it, leaving some original names for nostalgia's sake.
This would help boost Yu-Gi-Oh!'s popularity.
Ren didn't worry much about the mixed online feedback.
The manga was meant to be supplementary—the true attraction was the card game itself.
With the card game's solid rules, Ren didn't see any reason it wouldn't succeed.
Once the dueling arena in Picca Land was finished, it would draw many visitors with its impressive tech, leading to more people trying out the game and getting hooked on the Yu-Gi-Oh! experience.
Unfortunately, the cards weren't printed yet.
The manga had only introduced a few cards, and Yu-Gi-Oh! wasn't widely popular yet. Printing the cards now would be premature.
On the Other Side: The Dyna Sequel
Meanwhile, the Dyna Ultraman sequel in the Tiga universe had reached an important episode—"The Deadly Battle of the Real and Fake Dyna."
Gaoch, who had been strict but fair as a director in Tiga, had evolved into the more hawkish Chief Quan Teng in Dyna, initiating the M Project to create a man-made giant.
He planned to sacrifice Asuka, whom he saw as dispensable, to create an Ultraman who would obey him. But in the end, this soulless giant became a monster under the alien Sophia's scheme.
"Humans and their endless desires…"
"Exactly. Asuka's been protecting people, but some still want to control Ultraman for their own ends."
"I've noticed similar themes throughout the Ultraman series."
Viewers were moved by Asuka's treatment as a disposable tool. They recalled Director Zhen Mu from Tiga, who lost his light due to a flawed heart, and Jun from Ultraman Nexus, captured and experimented on by humans.
Some people always tried to harness unknown beings for power instead of gratitude.
However, when Chief Quan Teng sacrificed himself to help Dyna defeat the enemy, even those who initially disliked him fell silent.
His act of redemption made viewers reevaluate him.
"Honestly, I didn't like him, but… now I think his actions made sense."
"Seeing his final moment, I feel the same."
Chief Quan Teng was a complex character. Though he served as an antagonist, many came to understand his mindset: he would protect humanity at any cost, even if it meant sacrificing himself.
His goal wasn't selfish.
Thinking about it, if an unknown being appeared, would humanity trust it to keep them safe forever, or would they try to control its power?
----------
For 10 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates