NEW YORK: For Yu-Gi-Oh! fans in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, the wait is over as the series is headed to their home screens. Konami Cross Media has secured new streaming/digital agreements for its flagship anime property in the UK and in Australia and New Zealand.
The announcement was made by Konami Cross Media’s general manager & SVP of operations and business & legal affairs Kristen Gray.
In the UK, Sky Kids is the first platform to exhibit the new HD formatted versions of the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters show. Additionally, the streaming service has also secured VRAINS Season 1 (46 half-hour episodes), where virtual reality, artificial intelligence and high-speed duelling merge into a fighting extravaganza. Both Duel Monsters and VRAINS are available now on Sky Kids.
In the lands down under, AnimeLab, the premier stand-alone streaming platform managed by Madman Entertainment, has added Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters seasons 1 - 5. AnimeLab, which offers a basic free and a premium subscription service, has amassed more than one million users since it launched more than six years ago.
With over 230 half-hour episodes, Yu-Gi-Oh! is the story of Yugi and his best buds Joey, Tristan and Téa. They share a love for the newest game that’s sweeping the nation: Duel Monsters, a card-battling game in which players put different mystical creatures against one another in creative and strategic duels. Packed with awesome monsters and mighty spell cards, Yugi and his friends are totally obsessed with the game. But there’s more to this card game than meets the eye.
“Yu-Gi-Oh! is pure adventure, fantasy and science fiction and we are confident our audience will be delighted to share in the ‘Duels’, especially as they will be among the first to see the new HD version of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters,” said Sky Kids acquisition executive Lisa MacKintosh.
“AnimeLab is the ultimate destination and online streaming solution for anime fans Down Under,” added Dean Prenc of Madman. “We are excited to expand our offerings with the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise.”
A synopsis of the anime reads thus: "A shy high-school student named Yugi Moto receives the fragmented pieces of an Egyptian artifact, known as the Millennium Puzzle, from his grandfather. When Yugi reassembles the puzzle he is possessed by the 3,000-year-old spirit of an ancient pharaoh. Yugi and his friends Joey, Tea and Hondo protect the puzzle, which contains powerful secrets many people would like to possess."
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters is actually the second anime adaptation based on Kazuki Takahashi's original manga. It aired from 2000 to 2004. 4Kids Entertainment aired the anime with an English dub in the US between 2001 to 2006. Funimation and New Video Group released the series on home video. Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens, the seventh and most recent anime series, premiered in Japan in April 2020 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the anime franchise.
