Okay. There is something I'd like to ask real quick. What does 'Feel the flow' 'Kattobingu' or 'High Five the Sky' actually mean? I couldn't find anything about these phrases. I get that they're just supposed to be a family thing, but it's just kinda weird.

Anyway. Zexal. I've been waiting to tackle this show. It was the last show I watched for this retrospective and I have some things to say about it.

At the time, it was described as terrible. Absolute trash that didn't hold a candle to what came before it. I don't agree.

I'll just come out and say it. Zexal holds up really well. I guess hindsight and binge watching it to see the whole story gives me that.

The story of Zexal is very interesting. Two warring planets, Astral and Barian, bring Earth into their conflict. One of Astral World's agents….Astral (Seriously, guess his parents couldn't think of a good name.) comes to Earth to find the Numeron code and loses his memories.

I'll admit I can understand some of the hate Zexal gets. Only because the first part of it isn't that good. Yuma as a character wasn't that likable or interesting, duels were uninteresting to watch, and there were some annoying characters. If I were to recommend a good starting point, I would say go to the three part story where Yuma meets Shark again (Yeah. It's one episode followed by a two parter, but it's the same story so I count it as three parts.) or the little mini arc with Kite. That's where I think Zexal got good.

Those parts are where the more interesting parts of the story came up. Character development for Yuma that made him likable and the duels were a bit more interesting.

I'll admit the 'Number Hunter Investigation Club' were kinda obnoxious. They didn't really contribute anything to the overall plot. Thankfully by the time of the World Duel Carnival, they were scaled down for more interesting characters.

One thing to note about Zexal is that the story is a lot tighter for lack of a better word than what came before.

DM was mostly loose with it's ongoing story about the Pharaoh, GX didn't really have an ongoing plot just some adventures, and 5DS first half had an ongoing story that changed to something else entirely.

Zexal's story is basically continuous. Everything of the ongoing plot is connected. The Numbers to the Barians. Everything is connected to everything else.

Although I do think the writers were a bit loose with the Number Card concept. They were supposed to be parts of Astral's memories that were scattered, so how did they exist back in ancient times? How did the Barian Emperors have their Mytherian Numbers? Maybe I'm just misremembering something, but I think that was just a continuity error.

Villains time.

Vetrix's childish insanity definitely made him stick out. His actions like using his own children like he did, making Shark controlled by Shark Drake, and torturing Hart were good ways to show that he was completely obsessed with revenge on Dr. Faker. He did have a change of heart after losing with Yuma, which I'm not the biggest fan of. Though I guess you could argue that Yuma trying to save him did give him some conscience to how terrible he was.

Dr. Faker didn't really do anything until the end of the Carnival. Which works. He wasn't some powerful duelist. He was a scientist trying to destroy the Astral world, so the Barians would cure his son. I actually do like the reveal that he was doing it all for Hart. If you'll recall Quinten telling the story, Faker was obsessed with finding the Barian World and not in a power hungry way. I liked it, but I think it would have helped if he tried to explain it to Kite. Maybe it would have been an awkward thing to bring up at the dinner table.

Kite: So how was work?

Dr. Faker: Good. I've discovered that I have to destroy a planet to save your brother!

Don Thousand was there. He was just an uber god villain that was just there to ramp up the tension. He would have been better if he'd just led the way to a final showdown with Vector.

Vector is the best villain in the show. His crafty insanity was an absolute joy to watch and him pushing the events of the whole series was a good show of how active he is. I think he should have been the final villain. He was a great villain and one of my favorites in Yugioh.

The Barian Emperors were all distinct and memorable. Although one thing I find funny is Dumon's devotion to Nash and Marin. Like he really wanted to go on a date with them.

Dumon: You and Nash are the most important people in my life and I'll happily lay down my own for you.

Marin: Dumon…

Dumon: And ya know. Maybe when you and Nash get to the after life, we could all go out somewhere.

There was a brief silence.

Dumon: I made it awkward, didn't I?

Marin: Yeah.

Vector: Incredibly awkward.

Dumon: Just kill me now.

Onto our heroes.

Yuma was a bit unlikable at first, but some character development helped with that and it was great to see him go from a crappy duelist to being able to defeat Astral and his own numbers. It was good development which I'm always in favor of. While he's not the best, he did develop into something good.

Tori was there and she's the weakest of the female leads. Let's just move on.

Kite was a more sympathetic version of Kaiba. He tried to get the Numbers to help Hart and he did feel like taking other people's souls was a jerk move. He didn't do as much as Shark and Yuma, but he did contribute to the plot by awakening the Numeron Dragon. He also died doing so, so badass points there.

Then there is Shark, who is my favorite character in Zexal bar none. His character arc was a joy. From him being a jerk to being vengeful to becoming a friend of Yuma to becoming Nash. His character was mostly aloof, but he was a fun character to watch.

Overall, Zexal was a good show that didn't deserve the hate it got. It was a fun show with good character and a really good story.

Now if you REALLY want me to get negative. Then I'll get negative when I swing into Yu Gi Oh Arc V.