“It’s time to d-d-d-d-duel!!!”
The exclamation would be followed by a flurry of cards being swept onto the table with spectators joining the fray as two opposing duelists settled their wits on a classic trading card game that took the world by storm in the early 2000s. I was a shy, introverted personality back then, engaging dutifully in my studies at middle school at Cairo American College, while still getting used to living in Egypt.
The country remained very much a fantasy land to me during my family’s stay there. From its rich history to the diverse tourist venues that were available, Egypt was a plethora of archaeological and cultural mysteries to explore. For a nerdy kid like me, this was jackpot. Unfortunately, monologues about ancient Egyptian history or culture didn’t really receive much traction in middle school student life.
Yu-Gi-Oh! helped me in that department immensely. In retrospect, when I think about it, Yu-Gi-Oh! was my actual initiation into Japanese anime. Shortly, Yu-Gi-Oh! or “King of Games” is a Japanese manga series about gaming written by Kazuki Takahashi. Owing to its popularity, various spin-offs continue to be released to this day.
The original series (all the way to the left in the above image) that set the foundation for the various anime series was published as a manga in Weekly Shonen Jump between September 1996 and March 2004. The plot follows the story of a young boy named Yugi Muto, who solves the mystery of the ancient Egyptian artifact called the Millenium Puzzle. By doing so, Yugi awakens a gambling alter-ego or spirit from the Puzzle to assist in his conflicts using various games.
Two anime adaptations would follow with the one titled Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, spawning a media franchise in a trading card game and numerous other video games. The game would have players utilize cards to “duel” each other in a mock battle of fantasy “monsters”.
For a kid my age, what better way to spend your day than collecting cards of ancient monsters and “dueling” with your friends in a fantasy world of our own. While I didn’t get the chance to watch the anime series until many years later (manga and anime, in general were yet to hit their peak popularity in Western mainstream media), I would get to follow Yugi and his adventures on an episode guide at Yu-jyo.net.
Egyptian culture/history as shown in the series had no correlation to reality but for a nerdy kid like me it provided the perfect playground for imaginative pursuits. From the vast horizons of the desert to the dark tombs of the Pharaoh, the Millenium Items called forth monsters of a world beyond our own to be our guides in whatever obstacles that stood in our way.
The trading cards themselves were far too expensive to purchase and as such I would resort to making lists of my favorite character’s cards by order of appearance in the animated series (the episode guide helped me on this one). Weekend sessions at the library would be spent scouring images for these cards on Google which I would then print in black and white to make my over-sized paper deck.
Not having too many friends in my social circuit back then, “dueling” would largely be relegated to playing against myself or my little sister. I would eventually get my chance one day to play a challenge duel against an acquaintance at school using my over-sized paper deck. Winning or losing wasn’t the point, for in Yu-Gi-Oh!, what mattered was the excitement of the duel (albeit with greater stakes for the characters of the anime).
Much like Yugi Muto who would garner life-long friendships and rivalries, and find his own place in life, by playing the game, I would in many ways find a means to satisfy my nerdy personality and loneliness by playing the game.
Despite it being nearly 20 years since then, I’ve still held on to my original paper deck for it has become my own Millenium Puzzle. While it may not necessarily host an ancient Egyptian pharaoh’s lost consciousness, within it are many precious memories: countless duels with my doting little sister, long-lasting friendships, and adventures in life.
Speaking of friendships, I would find an ideal duel partner in my then girlfriend and now wife who is an avid Yu-Gi-Oh! fan. Now all that remains is to pass our decks on to our little one when she grows up to have her own “duels” someday!
While the original animated series came to an end in 2004, the episodes are largely available for everyone to enjoy on Youtube and most online streaming websites alongside several games available on various platforms. Yu-Gi-Oh! will always remain among my list of favorite anime just for its insanely campy and fun atmosphere. With its lore set in an Egyptian background, the show is also a massive bout of nostalgia taking me back to my adventures in Egypt, when at any moment of the day, it was time to d-d-d-d-d-d-duel!
The Pensive Reverie 