Japanimation Station Season 6 - TOMINO-THON!28 Apr 2025

S5E7 - YU-GI-OH! ‘Season Zero’ Review: The Forgotten 1998 Anime by Toei Animation

Takahashi Kazuki’s Yu-Gi-Oh! is a worldwide phenomenon that needs no introduction, since the anime has been airing in one incarnation or another every week for the past 25 years, and the card game is still going strong. But this week, our Grand Tour takes us to the most mysterious corner of the Yu-Gi-Oh! kingdom, and one many listeners probably haven’t seen before: The original 1998 anime by Toei Animation, which ran for 27 episodes and one short film, adapting the first 7 volumes of Takahashi’s manga. After airing on Japanese TV and releasing on VHS, the series has never been re-released, re-aired, dubbed, or distributed in any form, meaning it only survives through fan preservation efforts. And that preservation is very much worthwhile, because while this Yu-Gi-Oh! is an uneven, aesthetically wonky, and frequently bizarre series, it’s also a deeply endearing one with a lot worth recommending, especially for fans of Takahashi’s original manga and the material that never made it into the second, more famous anime adaptation. It also has an absolutely killer voice cast, both in the main ensemble and for the weekly guest stars, with a line-up of absolutely legendary seiyuu doing fantastic work. Like Yugi himself, this little show packs a whole lot of heart.

Time Chart:

Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:15

Intro and History: 0:01:15 – 1:42:06

Eyecatch Break: 1:42:06 – 1:42:51

Welcome to the N.H.K. Review: 1:42:51 – 3:32:41

End Theme: 3:32:41 – 3:33:42

Enjoy, and come back next week as we return to the dawn of the slice-of-life comedy anime with 2002’s Azumanga Daioh: The Animation!

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Avsnitt(181)

S6E19 - TOMINO-THON! Mobile Suit VICTORY GUNDAM (1993) – The Dark Apex of Kill ‘em All Tomino

1993’s Mobile Suit Victory Gundam is one of the most critical turning points in the history of both Gundam and its creator, Tomino Yoshiyuki. In many ways, it’s the series that ‘broke’ Tomino, as both...

2 Nov 3h 42min

S6E18 - TOMINO-THON! Mobile Suit GUNDAM F91 (1991) – Revving Up an Aristocratic Gundam

Welcome back to Season 6 of Japanimation Station, where we are continuing our journey into the delightfully deranged mind of Tomino Yoshiyuki with our Tomino-thon – Part 2: The Tears of Time! You can ...

26 Okt 2h 54min

S6E17 - TOMINO-THON! Mobile Suit Gundam: CHAR’S COUNTERATTACK (1988) – Dropping the Asteroid

If you’ve ever listened to us before, you know Char’s Counterattack is a film we cannot shut up about. It very much lives in our minds rent free, not just as one of Tomino Yoshiyuki’s and Gundam’s fin...

19 Okt 2h 58min

S6E16 - TOMINO-THON! Mobile Suit GUNDAM ZZ (1986) – Creating a ‘Bright’ Gundam

With Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam having successfully revived Gundam, Tomino Yoshiyuki and his team at Sunrise jumped straight into a sequel the following year with Gundam ZZ, a series that follows up on t...

12 Okt 3h 25min

S6E15 - TOMINO-THON! Mobile Suit ZETA GUNDAM Part 2 - The Dramatic Ending & Extraordinary Afterlife

After reviewing the first half of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam last week, we finish up our revisitation of one of Tomino Yoshiyuki’s undisputed masterpieces with a deep dive on the series’ second half. Bui...

5 Okt 3h 15min

S6E14 - TOMINO-THON Returns! Mobile Suit ZETA GUNDAM Part 1 – Seeing the Tears of Time

We are back for the second half of our Tomino-Thon, and we’re diving in with one of Tomino Yoshiyuki’s most legendary and defining works as a director: 1985’s Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, the sequel to th...

28 Sep 3h 38min

Bonus - ULTRAMAN 60th Anniversary Spectacular! The Jissoji Akio Collection

This month marks the 60th anniversary of the premiere of Japan’s most iconic tokusatsu franchise: ULTRAMAN! Created by the legendary special effects wizards at Tsuburaya Productions, Ultraman premiere...

4 Juli 3h 29min

S6E13 - TOMINO-THON Mid-Season Finale! L-Gaim OVAs + Ranking Series, Names, and More!

For our last episode of Season 6 Part 1, we’re taking a look at the 3 OVA releases for Heavy Metal L-Gaim. Released between 1986 and 1987, the first two offer recap specials of the TV series alongside...

8 Juni 3h