Series Description: The Millennium Puzzle was made in Egypt at the dawn of time. When Yugi solved it, he unleashed the spirit of the Game King, a reckless gambler who possessed Yugi and dragged him into one bizarre challenge after another. Set before the start of the TV series, the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga shows the origin of the characters. Tenth-grade loner Yugi always had his head in some game -- until he solved the Millennium Puzzle and awakened a 3,000-year-old spirit! The reawakened King of Games possesses Yugi and raises the stakes to amazing heights in the bizarre Game of One Digit and the Game of Air Hockey with Explosives All Over a Hot Stove!

Average Customer Review: ( 28 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

If you've flipped through the Shonen Jump mags out there, but were waiting for the graphic novels to come out, these are the stories included in this volume (NO spoilers here, so you don't have to worry about something being ruined ;-). These synopses should lightly touch upon the content, nothing more...):

8: The Poison Man - the one in which Joey buys a pair of rare sneakers from a shady businessman
~
9: The Cards with Teeth part 1 - the introduction of Kaiba, kinda like episode 1 of the cartoon...
~
10: The Cards with Teeth part 2 - except it doesn't have Exodia, that's a later one, and there's a different purpose behind this duel...
~
11: The Wild Gang part 1 - Joey doesn't come to school one day...
~
12: The Wild Gang part 2 - and as Honda, Yuugi, and Anzu find out why, they race to find him...
~
13: The Man from Egypt part 1 - introduction of Shadi, vaguely resembling the "Aftermath" of Duelist Kingdom in the cartoon series...
~
14: The Man from Egypt part 2 - except they're in a museum...
~
15: The Other Criminal - the follow-up to The Man from Egypt--this leads into Shadi testing the other Yuugi (which is in the third installation...!)
~~~~~~~

The artwork is great, but still evolving--e.g., you can see Jonouchi's hair style begin to change to its current form. And as always, the messages in these eight stories are strong and defined.
However, I can't help but have this feeling that the translations will reflect those of the cartoon. Honestly, I was looking forward to this volume (the Wild Gang is my favorite in this compilation), but seeing these translations make me worry for the future issues. I had bought the graphic novel in hopes of seeing Yu-Gi-Oh! in its true form, but if this continues, there still may be some drastic name changes. But I am glad that they at least honor the real names of the cards in the back of the book. Hopefully, they'll stop basing the translations on what the cartoon has done to it and start translating the manga the way it was meant to be read.

Still for the older crowd, Yu-Gi-Oh! 2 is definitely worth the purchase.

GO YUGI!!

7 of 9 found the following review helpful:

The true story behind the first episode!Apr 07, 2004
By Christopher P. Cecena "ssjanifan"
Remember in the first episode where Kaiba rips up the Blue Eyes owned by Yugi's grandpa, and Yugi then duels him and wins with Exodia? Well, this is the original story behind it: Death-T! Kaiba's been wanting revenge ever since Yugi actually defeated him at Magic and Wizards(the original name for Duel Monsters), so he blackmails him, more or less, into facing his amusement park from heck. Kaiba wants Yugi dead, but if somehow he actually manages to get by the first 4 stages, he'll face Kaiba in a rematch. And yes, it's going to be exactly the same as in the first episode... or is it? Let's just say that there will be quite a few surprises for people familiar with, "The Heart of the Cards." I happen to notice; that there's an extreme lack of Yami Yugi in this volume(he only shows up briefly to poison Mokuba and save Jonouchi). But don't worry, he'll get to show up next volume. Also, not only do we get introduced to a completely new perverted character(who, get this--- is just a baby!), but lots of stuff in this will more than likely give them nightmares--- especially one character named the Chopman, a serial killer(yes, a serial killer) Kaiba hires to off the group. It's stuff like this that reminds me why I love the Yu-Gi-Oh manga:

1, All the characters are a bit more extreme than in the anime, 2, Some characters actually die in the manga, 3, The card game, while still important, is not as much of a focus as it is in the anime(which even creates HUGE filler storylines to have more of the card battles), 4, The duels themselves are much more violent than in the anime, and 5, the art just looks so cool! Too bad the anime sugar-coated everything in it, and then 4Kids came and sugar-coated it again, just so the kids could watch! But with this volume, we can at least see how it is originally intended, and it's no exception to the reasons of why I love it so much. So in the end, if you want to see the "mature" version of the Yu-Gi-Oh your kid brother or sister watches, I recommened this volume!

4 of 5 found the following review helpful:

The Real Reason Behind Yami... FinallyJul 31, 2004
By Zane Renquist "pendragonvamp"
I love this series better than the anime itself because while the anime is focused with the cards, it cuts the real story off at the knees. I enjoy watching Yami as he fights for what he cares for most... his friends. To me, the card game seems just like a back story and to read the tenderness this small boy has is touching. He reminds me of how we all feel going through that big world known as "High School." Everyone later admits that, whether popular or not, High School was one interesting adventure. We all feel stupid and outcasted at times there. Yugi draws the audience back to those awkward days and reminds us that inside we could be just as weak as any but if we strive for what is right and just, we shall conquer all. That, to me, is the real reason behind Yami and Yu-Gi-Oh and these books really show the reader that reason.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

A great read, but be cautious...Jan 13, 2011
By Mary McNevin
Despite what many people think, Yu-Gi-Oh isn't just an annoying story for eight year olds, and nothing showcases this better than the original manga. In the actual books, the characters are deeper, the scenes are more emotional, and the children's card games usually don't last more than four chapters (sorry, I just had to reference LK ^^). It's also not as preachy about friendship, and the "Heart of the Cards" very rarely comes up. What's more, the books have more "logic" in them, if you could call it that - perhaps a better term would be "deep thinking"; this makes them even more fun to read. In short, the manga is much better than the anime - it's as simple as that.

However, I should warn you; there is quite a bit of blood in the series, hence the *teen* rating. Some scenes are even to the point at which they could be described as gruesome. For example, in the anime series, Bakura simply reaches for Pegasus' Millennium Eye before the screen fades to black, and the latter survives. However, in the manga, Bakura is shown to have viciously ripped the item out of Pegasus' socket, killing him and causing blood to flow quite graphically over his face. Despite this, nothing quite compares to the scene in which Marik's Yami first takes over in Duelist 19. Honestly, I've watched shows such as Higurashi and Elfen Lied, and nothing has been more horrifying to me than reading that. Remember when he "sent his father to the Shadow Realm"? or perhaps, if you watched the original Japanese, when he "stabbed" his father? Well, in the books, he quite literally skins his father alive and lays his bloody veneer on Rishid's back.

So, parents, I urge you not to let your child read this if they are under 15. However, if they're of appropriate age and looking for a good story, then by all means get this for them - they won't be disappointed!

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

I Love Yugioh and I'm not afraid to admit it!Jul 12, 2004
By Candy Haytt "angelusette"
I love Yugioh, as one of the first manga's I really got into I'm totally devoted. The anime is good (the American version sucks, though.) but the manga is better. There is always something happening in each one, And Yami is SO SUPER PSYCHO, I love it!

See all 28 customer reviews on Amazon.com