Well that went from zero to one-hundred real fast now didn’t it? And I must admit, I actually forgot about the Crimson Dragon popping up in this episode, (after-all, it has been over 10 years since I have last watched this!) so that was a nice reminder and surprise haha! I got a good laugh out of how everyone justifiably were stunned by the sight, but then you look over to Godwin and he has this stupid grin on his face like it’s the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.
I absolutely loved the build-up to the grand climatic scene with the Crimson Dragon appearing between Stardust Dragon and Red Archfiend Dragon. (This is gonna take a while to get used to since I referred to it as Red Demon Dragon all these years…) It was dramatic, exciting and intense with the way both Jack and Yusei were determined to see this through despite their chaotic surroundings, burning arms and a mysterious Crimson Dragon who appeared right before their eyes. Although things looked a bit shaky in the “first act”, the “second act” was when they finally ramped things up. We started seeing the pay-off of Yusei’s earlier monsters he was finally able to successfully remove Stardust from the field and have Jack special summon him so he could use his trap card: Card Harmonia Mirror to bring Stardust back to his side. From there on out it was a matter of stalling long enough so he could properly things up so he could secure victory in one clean strike. What I did find rather poetic was how the episode started with Yusei summoning Shield Warrior, and finished it with using its monster effect to save Stardust Dragon when Jack tried to counter-strike and finish him.
But the ending of the duel was anything but clean. Or rather, just as Yusei was about to counter-strike Jack’s Speed Spell: End of the Storm (how fitting, given the situation they were in), they were interrupted and Yusei’s trap card: Meteor Stream was unable to play out because the two of them got wiped out by the Crimson Dragon. And boy, did the duel arena look like a war-zone after after that.
And to add insult to injury, as soon as things calm down the security were quick to apprehend Yusei and Jack did nothing but stand on the sidelines. Had Yusei defeated him, would he have reacted the same way?
…Well there’s no point in dwelling of the what ifs scenarios when Jack has no excuse to not even try to protect Yusei, or show us whether his title as King has any merit in terms of authority (an unlikely case, given Godwin is keen on keeping track of his actions and his past a secret).
As for the Crimson Dragon, there seems to be a combination of factors and timing which caused it to spawn. Last week we just learned about the completion of the energy project “Moment”, and so combine that to the two Dragons fighting against each other with such intensity, it created the perfect storm.
Having the Dragons duke it out between each other in such intense fashion Moment (we just learned about last week) at its completion, on and it’s worth pointing out that both Jack and Yusei bear the mark of the dragon, however there is one exception: Yusei’s mark quickly disappeared after things calmed down, so unlike Jack’s, this is clearly the first time he is seeing it.
Overall I thought it was a fantastic episode. One of my favourite parts about this episode, besides the chaos and the amazing duel with the way the two of them were throwing absolutely everything they had at each other. Another highlight was how this duel allowed us to see a bit more into Yusei’s heart. Despite his stoic and tough exterior, he is actually a softie who is very sentimental about the bond with his monsters. It’s not just recognizing they each have their own value (therefore not trash as so many folks in Neo Domino like to say), but he even feels apologetic when he lets them down through a blunder. It is a true example of a soul of a duelist who believes and cherishes in all his cards.
There were definitely moments in the episode when I rolled my eyes, only because Jack being Jack being a drama queen or being just plain loud and obnoxious as per usual. A good example would be that moment he went on about Stardust Dragon “withering away” only to re-spawn not even a minute later. I think that kind of melodramatic line would have been more impactful if Stardust was not going to come back to the field.
Next week, whelp, talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire. I think it is an understatement to say it’s been a long and rough night for Yusei. Three duels, a giant Crimson Dragon appears, suddenly finds a mark burning his arm, caught in a literal storm caused by the said Crimson Dragon and now he is under arrest. SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED IN SO LITTLE TIME!
