Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist #17-24 Yeah, I liked this series. Of course, the rules for cards were pretty loose and everyone pulled "secret" abilities out of their butts ALL the time, but it was cool. And having played myself I could enjoy the strategies as a player and not just a reader. Good stuff."

The Battle City finals are my favorite part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! saga, and I love finally being able to read the manga in English translation. Even though I know the story inside and out by now, the translated manga adds new nuances and details to be enjoyed.

This volume concludes the quarterfinals with Kaiba's duel against Ishizu. Kaiba's come a long way from the early manga, proud and determined and refusing to bow to fate. I like that Yugi encourages Kaiba, insisting that Kaiba must win so that they can meet in the finals -- which parallels Kaiba's telling Yugi to "stand up and fight god" during Yugi's duel with Marik's mind-controlled puppet in the preliminary rounds. Their rivalry drives them both to succeed so that they can face each other once again.

I'll be looking forward to the next volumes. ( )