Yugi Moto and his friends return in a brand new film more in line with the source material as opposed to the original anime. In the main antagonist Diva attempts to eradicate evil with his Quantum Cube, a Millennium Artifact like device with magic powers, his main target just so happens to be the Pharaoh Atem, meanwhile Seto Kiba is attempting to reassemble the broken pieces of the Millennium Puzzle to face Atem in a duel to take back his shameful loss. In the midst of the coming danger, Yugi and his friends are focusing on what to do with their lives with high school graduation quickly approaching.

Yu-Gi-Oh: The Dark Side of Dimensions is an 2017 anime film sequel to Yu-Gi-Oh, it is produced by Studio Gallop and licensed by Anchor Bay Entertainment. It will be released on Digital, DVD, and Blu-Ray on June 27, 2017.

Yugi and his trusted friends are back for perhaps the final adventure.

In the third film of the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, Yugi Moto returns to lead. Featuring the return of fan favorite Yu-Gi-Oh characters and introducing some new ones (and new cards), Yu-Gi-Oh: The Dark Side of Dimensions is definitely for fans of the original 2000-2004 anime. However, it should be noted that this film is more in touch with the manga, so there may be some (very) noticeable differences, such as Dark Magician’s color scheme.

A darker Yu-Gi-Oh than you remember.

THE GOOD: The good thing about The Dark Side of Dimensions is it doesn’t feel like filler, and it tries hard to remind you that it’s at least trying to be a sequel to the anime (more so the manga). Character and design wise it;s far closer to the manga than the anime, and long-time fans of the 2000 Duel Monsters anime will come to this realization very early in the film. Diva’s struggles between the light and the dark made him a competent antagonist as far as his writing goes. Yugi’s friends and other support characters receive a ton of screen time, so Yugi, Kaiba, and Diva aren’t always hogging the spotlight.

A history of evil.

THE BAD: The climax of the film isn’t as powerful as the first and second halves. The build with Atem only to lead to a voiceless return was also disappointing from a fan perspective.

A dark film sequel that mostly works.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: While there are some flaws and some noticeable differences to the anime, Yu-Gi-Oh: The Dark Side of Dimensions is an excellent nostalgia trip for fans who’ve missed Yugi Moto and his friends since the series changed leads. The 3D animation doesn’t look too cheesy mixed in with the 2D, and it’s great seeing these characters back in a new story. Otaku Dome gives Yu-Gi-Oh: The Dark Side of Dimensions a 79 out of 100.