Predictions and Observations:
Back to Duel

The new theme sequence was kinda cool. I noticed that even though he’s graduated, Zane’s still in the sequence, so maybe we’ll see him around. I also noticed Sy wearing a yellow blazer- Sweetness!

Narrating Again- It’s useful for *us*, but it does seem slightly bizarre, especially considering that there’s no precedent for such a thing, as far as I can tell.

Vice-Chancellor Bonaparte (no clue rather it’s actually hyphenated or not), no doubt named for the also short and also French dictator, is a new character, so I’ll attempt to figure out what he’s about. I’m a bit disheartened that the Powers Who Write Yu-Gi-Oh! have taken away the dynamic of Sheppard and Crowler as head and second-in-command at Duel Academy (I think you’ll agree that Crowler has been seen a good few times working in such a capacity), who quite commonly did not agree and so therefore checked and balanced each other, for the more like-minded pair of Crowler and Bonaparte. So far I have to say that it isn’t an improvement. Seems to be pretty much Crowler’s sidekick.

So, where’s Sheppard? Off to parts unknown to learn how to actually duel? Just off to parts unknown? Did something untoward perhaps happen to him, to cover all the bases? Was there a reason Kaiba chose to make this switcharound (you’d think *he’d* know the advantages of having a team that rarely agrees and covers each other’s shortcomings by now), either related to the running of the school or to some other facet of everything? Was it because

Freshman boat? Last year, they had a helicopter, remember?

*Excuse* me??!! I can’t have heard right—this Phoenix guy is *not* the world champ. I personally find it impossible to believe that the duelists we know from the original would fall to this guy. I mean, sure, we don’t know him very well, but come on! You can’t reach the top with an attitude like that! What’s the deal?

Wrong catchphrase- What, “Let’s Duel?” Nah, that’s pretty universal.

“Ap”, a.k.a. Aster (Astor, Astyr, Astir…) Phoenix (Any which-way, for all we know, but I’ll stick with the conventional spelling). Unusual guy. Jaden’s right about one thing—this guy’s *way* too cocky (then again, so is Jaden, and there’s more on that later). When he went to the card shop, he said to Ms. Dorothy: “I can win a duel with just about anything.” Then again, this could have just been to reassure her or something (in a heavy-handed sort of way), because remember, he wasn’t *trying* to win. Speaking of, why not? So he could get a good look at Jaden’s strategy, come back, and whoop him later, maybe? Just so he could figure out if Jaden was “The One?” Because the tarot cards said so?

Looks like Pharaoh’s taken to hanging out with Ms. Dorothy. Doesn’t seem to much like Phoenix, but then, he reacted to that quote right above, and man, I would’ve too!

Well, who *was* Phoenix expecting? The King of Games?

Jaden’s voice—does it sound different to anyone else?

What’s the deal with Chazz? I mean, he’s never much liked his Ojamas, but he’s never seriously criticized them or therefore himself quite like that. I found it a bit alarming. I had noticed (circa Chazz-anova) that he was trusting them more and more, making them such a key part of his deck. And, who duels with leftover cards? *You,* Chazz, back since you stopped being a wannabe and started being a be, when you entered North Academy!

“Freshman” is now canon terminology, if it wasn’t before.

“Y’know, I didn’t even think we got reception out here.” Well, we actually did see that Crowler had a cell phone in The Next King of Games, and why have one if it’s useless three-quarters of the year?

Taken from http://www.ehow.com/how_17446_read-tarot-cards.html

4. “Concentrate on the question being asked, and shuffle the deck. You can mix the cards in a big pile using both hands, and then gather them up neatly and proceed with a regular card shuffle.
5. Cut the deck. If reading for someone else, have him or her ask the question out loud as he or she cuts the deck. If you do the reading for yourself, ask your own question as you cut.
6. Deal the cards using the tarot spread of your choice. A simple card spread is four cards in a diamond shape.
7. Look first at the design on the cards. Cards that look right side up for the reader are in a positive position; cards that look upside down for the reader are reversed. Reversed cards indicate conflict or blocked energy or weaken the card's influence.”
And on the cards we’ve seen themselves, from http://www.angelpaths.com/tarotl.html

“The Tarot is more than a simple pack of cards. The pack itself comprises 78 cards which combine to form the 'arcana' - symbolic representations of ancient wisdom. Twenty two of these are the 'Major Arcana'. The 56 'Minor' cards are split into the four elemental suits of Earth, Water, Fire and Air.”

The Chariot, in the ‘Major Arcana’—“The Chariot is numbered seven and usually depicts a warrior driving a chariot triumphantly home. The chariot is drawn by powerful and wild creatures. These creatures are our Will - a wayward beast to control at the best of times! The Chariot represents the principle that the human Will functions only when the whole being is behind it. This card is about the struggles we have with ourselves and with life. It promises that with diligence, honesty and perseverence we can overcome the most insurmountable of obstacles. This is a hopeful and encouraging card, reminding us that we can climb to the heights if we want to. Here we are taught how to master the opposing forces within us, in order to bring them and thus ourselves into harmony. We are cosmic warriors, unfurling, learning and growing - divine and vital parts of the Universe.” “This is a card which contains within it great dynamism, strength and power. Often, when it comes up, it indicates a period where we feel we have struggled through a difficult and demanding time, battling against long odds to achieve the things that we need out of life. It does confirm that we have emerged victorious, though we may feel a bit battered and weary. So in one sense the Chariot marks the time of respite and peace after the battle is won. But it indicates something else very important too. After every battle, once we have rested and recuperated, it becomes necessary to begin a new flow of energy - we have to clean up the debris of the struggle, plan our next move, determine the direction we intend to move in now. But when the Chariot emerges it indicates something else as well - as a result of the difficulties and struggles now at an end, we shall need to change some of the features of our lives. So it also indicates big changes, and promises that these will be beneficial and rewarding, bringing further triumph and success with them. So on a day ruled by the Chariot, allow yourself a big sigh of relief, and know that recent problems are coming to an end. Then consider what might be left to be finished up with regard to those events. And once you’ve done that, turn your face to the future and decide what would be the best new direction for you. Try to think through each step of this new impulse, so that your plans are carefully laid. It’s important now to pay close attention to detail, because once these changes begin, life will be moving very fast indeed and there will be no room for catching up on things.

The other suits are just split up into two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, jack, queen, and king, so no “Reaper of Souls” there. Maybe he means the Death card, also from the ‘Major Arcana?’: “Death is numbered thirteen and is the most feared card in the deck. We see the Grim Reaper depicted as a dark and powerful figure, sometimes on horseback and at other times on foot. He usually carries a scythe and leaves bodies, limbs and so on in his wake. Whoever we are, Death will claim us eventually. The Death card signifies endings, but not necessarily shocking and disruptive ones. In any case, endings always lead to new beginnings and Death itself symbolises a sweeping away of the past. If we rid ourselves of past garbage then we are free to set out on an entirely new path When Death appears it almost always signifies a major change in one's life. Sometimes the change will appear disruptive and unexpected, sometimes it will be a breath of fresh air - clearing away obstacles and allowing you to surge forward. So do not assume that Death is a negative card - it is often just what we need in order to progress when fear is holding us up.” “I wonder if there is a more-feared card in the Tarot deck? Yet Death is, in many ways, a hopeful and refreshing influence if only we will let it be. It is the major card for change and alteration in the entire deck. Since life itself changes constantly, in order to harmonise ourselves more completely with it, we too must be in a state of constant change - working toward our goals, attempting to fulfill our dreams and developing the quality of our spiritual understanding. When Death comes up as Card of the Day, the first question we need to ask ourselves is - what is it that needs to be changed or finished up? What situations have been lingering on well past their sell-by date? What should we have dealt with before, that this day challenges us to face and finish? Imagine, for a moment, that your life is a plot of land. If it is completely overgrown, covered with unwanted and untended undergrowth, you cannot plant something beautiful and fruitful in it can you? The Death card requires that we spend a bit of dedicated time cutting away the undergrowth, and clearing the debris so that our lives are clear and open, ready for fresh planting. Sometimes a Death card day won't be one in which we need to do, so much as one in which we need to think. Most peoples' lives are very busy indeed these days. So busy, in fact, that we often tend to put off thinking about the difficult or demanding issues in our lives. Yet often it is exactly this type of issue that causes emotional and mental deadwood to accumulate, if we allow it.
If life is created by what we think, what we expect and how we feel about things, our deepest emotional urges, our wildest dreams, our highest ideals require a great deal of thinking about, don't they? If not, we stagnate, never creating new channels through which to direct our energies, never determining when a habitual action has run its course, never assessing what is useful, and what is not. So, sometimes, a Death card day needs to be a day in which you re-evaluate the general patterns of your daily existence, and re-appraise your goals. You'll know if it's that kind of day by measuring how dissatisfied you currently feel. If you are largely happy and comfortable, then the Death card day is one for clearing the decks in a physical sense.” I went back and googled specifically “Reaper of Souls” as a tarot card, and the only thing it referred to linked that way was Death, so I’d have to say that’s it.

So—now, what does it mean? The Chariot represents a battle won, troubles coming to an end, but also change. It speaks of, ironically (or perhaps not), Heart, and the will to overcome obstacles. Therefore, reversed, I’d say that its presence in the flashback when Phoenix spoke to, uh…Sartorius (I’ll remember these names sooner or later) says what Sartorius says to Phoenix: that Phoenix must throw his duel against Jaden. When Sartorius reads the reversed chariot later, he says that it indicates that the end is near. The end of the duel, I asked myself melodramatically (but it’s not too outrageous a thing for this show), or the end of something more *serious?* Could this be the end of the world as we know it?! I digress, lol. The Death card indicates, pretty much, endings, change. It’s time to give up what you no longer need and move forward in a new direction. Well, then! Reversed Death, means, well, “…conflict or blocked energy…” I’ll do some more homework on this. Here we go:

From http://www.themysticeye.com/info/tarotcardm.htm

The Chariot
Upright: Perseverance, a journey, a rushed decision, adversity, turmoil, vengeance
Reverse: Unsuccessful, defeat, failure, last minute loss, vanquishment
Death
Upright: Transformation, making way for the new, unexpected change, loss, failure, illness or death, bad luck
Reverse: Stagnation, immobility, slow changes, a narrow escape, cheating death
Interesting. So when Sartorius (yes! Didn’t have to glance at my notes that time!) told Phoenix that the Reaper of Souls was in reverse…this will definitely take watching. At the moment, I don’t really quite know why it was. Perhaps because Phoenix had to be patient and not change his mind about throwing the duel? Or perhaps, alternately (though it would have been read wrong), that Phoenix’s attitude will slowly change (in such company, count on it), and his current style has rendered him rather weak and pathetic as a duelist (all the major-league duelists we’ve met so far, even, arguably, Kaiba, know to listen to your cards and that your heart is in your deck and no other!)? Perhaps it picked up on all the stagnant brain matter surrounding the duel (more on that later, everyone’s gone totally dumb over the summer!).

I noticed that my blazer theory was debunked—Jaden, Syrus, Chazz, and the sophomores are still wearing their solid colors with white trim. So what’s Alexis, then? I had originally pinned her at sophomore of a three-year school, by the end of last year, but before that I had been thinking perhaps junior of a four-year. But I don’t get it—it’s canon that Duel Academy goes three years, no more, no less. It’s readily apparent that Zane graduated, and Alexis identifies him as a third-year Obelisk Blue. Therefore, Duel Academy goes only three years, making Zane and Chumley seniors; Atticus (who probably got held back on his return because he was away for over half the year), Alexis, Mindy, and Jasmine sophomores, and, naturally, Jaden, Syrus, and Bastion were with the freshman class. Therefore, since Alexis and her crew wore the white with blue trim, I assumed that now Jaden and Syrus would, too. But the fact that they don’t means that a) my blazer system is debunked, b) my grade system is debunked, or c) all of the above. I’ve got a headache already. I’ll keep an eye on this and keep folks posted. Oh, by the way, Chazz would also fall into the freshman (now sophomore) class, and I’ve posted my theories on the Duel Prep School fast-track and such.

Apparently there’s Duel Camp. But of course…

New Elemental Hero, if anyone’s keeping score: Clayman + Metamorphosis = Clay Guardian, who can deal 200 points of lifepoint damage immediately for each of the opponent’s cards!

Fate, Listening, Insanity, and Legends—The year’s barely started, and we already have the recurring conflict. On one side, Jaden encourages Phoenix to listen to his cards, a clear reference to Jaden’s deep connection to duel spirits once again (I’m reminded of Jaden vs. Kagemaru, which touched on the same theme, which I have a feeling foreshadows Jaden’s ultimate cosmic role). On the other, Phoenix rejects that as lunacy and insists that everything is predetermined. Now this is slightly interesting that we have a contest of Heart vs. Destiny, which, in the original always went hand-in-hand. However, I believe that Phoenix’s version of fate is quite different from the one we’ve come to know in Yu-Gi-Oh! so far. He believes that one’s life is planned out the moment they’re born, and just plays through. I believe, perhaps because I’m so into this show and also because it makes sense to me, that it’s not as easy as that. It’s more like, in this show, if only because it’s a story, there are few coincidences. It was no coincidence, for instance, that Yugi, Kaiba, Bakura, Ishizu, and Mr. Moto bear *striking* resemblance to their Ancient Egyptian counterparts, as we well know. It’s no random occurrence that the Items came to whom they did. It’s no whim that caused Yugi to give Jaden his Winged Kuriboh that day. The way I see it, the *universe’s* destiny was determined the instant *it* was born. After all, no matter who you believe, humans and everything else ended up on this earth and just kept moving forward, living life. You would agree, naturally, that our actions are based on our choices, and our choices depend on what we want, and what we want depends on who we are. Therefore, who you are will determine your destiny, one way or another. But to say that that’s worked out at your birth lacks continuity; the beauty of this is that it’s not just about one person’s life, but all the lives they change by being there, and all the lives that touch theirs, in a pattern so intricate in boggles the mind to think about it even on a fabricated scale. Simply put, this is what I’m trying to say: it’s entirely clear that Jaden loves to duel more than anything else on earth, and therefore there’s nothing else in his life that he’ll want to do more than duel. Since he has the circumstances and drive to make that happen, it seems blatantly apparent that a duelist he will become. Of course he wouldn’t consider thwarting destiny and going off and doing something else, because dueling is what he loves to and wants to do, period. Also, on the nature of destiny, I’ve mentioned before my theories about “A Duel with Destiny” and the fickle nature of the Millennium Necklace (and for that matter, all the Millennium Items), right?

“When you accepted my challenge, did you ever stop and ask yourself- what do I want? Why did I come here? And most importantly, out of everyone here, why did I challenge you? Well the truth is, I heard you were the best and I came here to test you.” Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. It’s what any new kid who wants a challenge would’ve done. I know Jaden would have done that if possible.

The One. Sartorius wanted to know if Jaden was “The One.” What does *that* mean? I’ll bet that we shall soon find out.

Sartorius, Sartorious (“ous” spelling more common in adjectives, though), Sartorrius, Sartorrious… Spell it how you will. I pick Sartorius, for simplicity’s sake and because, like I mentioned, the suffix “ous” makes him sound more like an adjective.

Does Lex’s heart have another contender (like it doesn’t have enough already)? She mentioned that Phoenix was cute…

Ladies—here we go again with people thinking Crowler’s a girl. Parallels, no doubt, to the start of the school year last year. However, that was done only in The Next King of Games and The King of Copycats I, both of which had very much to do with Yugi. Therefore, I have to wonder if this heralds something similar. Will Yugi put in an appearance, or instead, perhaps, does it herald this Phoenix guy, who’s supposed to be the league champ or something? Then again, no matter who they were I doubt that student would have hesitated to call them “ladies”.

Again with the French. At least this time I recognize the phrases, so it’s way easier: “Pardonnez-moi” means, “Pardon me”. “Joie de vivre” means “Joy of life.” “Je ne sais quoi” means “I do not know what.”

Man, that student Crowler and Bonaparte had a run-in with on the pier… Wonder how he’ll get along with our heroes? The Rio Grande is part of the U.S.A.’s border with Mexico (on a related note, I happened to glimpse and make the connection that Phoenix is also the capital of Arizona), making this weirdo from Duke’s, Pegasus’, the Hawkins’, and my own neck of the woods, somewhere in the western U.S. states like California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington…you get the idea. Then again, depending on your interpretation of “West of the Rio Grande”, you could keep going west all around the world. Now I’m just babbling. Wonder how he’ll get on with Dimitri, Bastion, Briar, Beauregard, and the other Ras?

Oh, great, not AGAIN! Purging the school of Slifers, how quickly Crowler forgets. So once again it seems like we’ve got some stupid schemes to expel people on our hands, this time with a goofy sidekick. *sigh.* I thought Crowler had gotten over this last year. He certainly showed some heart. It *is* a bit worrying that not many Slifers would be harder to expel than Jaden, so Crowler and Bonaparte’s sure-to-be-harebrained schemes might actually work.

Well, it looks like everyone’s brains have gone a bit stale over the summer. Hopefully, before too long, those who just recently caught on, like Chazz and Crowler, will remember what real dueling is all about. I pray. As for Jaden, he, like certain other characters I could name at one time or another, has a tad bit of a swollen head from being an upperclassman, and I hope he either figures it out or someone trounces it out of him, as long as it’s not (oh, *please*, no…) Phoenix, because that guy has more serious things than that that need to be worked out, and a good trouncing when he’s dueling to win would do him even more good. Anyway…

Champion or Chazz-Been? (some ambiguity with capitalization of the “been” and with the question mark) is the next episode, and before the season began, I kept answering that question, “is this some sort of rhetorical question?” Chazz seems to be at odds with his deck and style once more, so I’m hoping that this’ll show that he can get over it and get back on top—Chazz it up!

That’s game (I’ll refrain from “That’s all for now,” because someone *else* used my catchphrase in today’s episode…)‘til tomorrow! -Clio