Episode 007: Shou’s Vehicroid Deck/S1E7: Duel and Unusual Punishment
In this post, I'm going to review and compare the subbed and dubbed versions of Yugioh GX episode 7. This one introduces us to the Marufuji/Truesdale brother drama, and boy is there a lot to say on this topic!
Episode Review
We open at the lighthouse, and comparisons are already off to an interesting start because the conversation between Asuka/Alexis and Ryou/Zane is entirely different between sub and dub:
Kaiser: Dawn still seems distant, doesn't it? Asuka: It does. But I believe that every night has its dawn...
Zane: [...] I just felt like being alone. Alexis: You know, I thought once your brother enrolled here, you'd feel like that less...not more. Zane: Well, maybe that's because my brother shouldn't be here.
The sub conversation is purposefully cryptic, and next episode we find out that they're really talking about Asuka's missing brother. This will be continued next episode when they explicitly mention it's about her brother, and there the dub translates the conversation more faithfully. As I said with episode 5-6, I suspect that the dub didn't look ahead to future episodes when writing for the current one, which could be for any number of reasons as likely to be related to production constraints as anything else. Point is, not looking ahead would explain why the dub skips the cryptic foreshadowing here and rewrites the conversation to lead into the episode plot.
That said, that last line of Zane's - “maybe that's because my brother shouldn't be here” - is something to remember for later.
Back at the Red dorm, the SWAT team is called the Ethics Board in the sub, and the Disciplinary Action Squad in dub. Disciplinary Action Squad fits the military aesthetic a bit better, though really I’m mainly noting this in general for the Fanfic Detail Likers (like me). The leader calls Judai the mastermind of the break-in, while in the dub she says they're under "campus arrest.” Hey, what exactly is campus arrest? Clearly it's not house arrest if they're escorted out of the dorm, and they're on a remote island so confining them to campus is kind of pointless. I don't…think?...the school has any kind of holding area besides Motegi/Belowski's quarantine bunker.
Or maybe it's just a fancy paramilitary term for school suspension because while Judai and Shou are expelled from the outset, Jaden and Syrus are merely suspended. The dub mentions an anonymous faculty tip suggesting Crowler was behind it, though that was likely true behind the scenes in the sub too.
The dub cuts out a shot and line in which Judai pleads with the board, and when the subject of the tag duel comes up Crowler has a little more preamble leading into it. Crowler also adds the condition of expulsion to the tag duel as a lose condition compared to letting the boys off if they win, both in comparison to the default condition of suspension. I actually think this works better compared to the sub, where they start off expelled. Chronos has no great reason to offer them the tag duel beyond further humiliation because his main goal has already been achieved. Adding the tag duel as a raise in stakes works slightly better to me.
Afterwards in the principal's office Hayato/Chumley asks to be Judai/Jaden's tag partner and I actually started to get my hopes up for Chumley this episode because wow! They're actually letting him have a good moment of sincerity! Hayato starts to talk about how spending time with Judai started to give him hope again and in the dub—nope, there's the fat joke punchline.
Asuka: Please, let me team up with [Judai]. Hayato: I...I used to think that I was just hopeless. But after seeing Judai duel, I want to try getting the hang of dueling again. Asuka: Interact with him, and we all seem to get a bit crazy.
Alexis: Listen, they were at the dorm helping me. Chumley: Duh! That's bogus. Alexis, it was so totally my fault! I led them to the abandoned dorm because I wanted to check out its, uh...abandoned cafeteria. Alexis: Fat chance, Chumley. Please, Chancellor, just let me be his partner.
I mean, I guess getting 75% of the way through a character moment before falling back on the fat jokes is an improvement over what Chumley normally gets?
The next change is a bit more subtle, largely about implication:
Samejima: I understand how you both feel. However, the Yuki/Marufuji tag team was decided by the Hearing Board. (Asuka and Hayato trade glances)
Shepard: Look, I realize the stakes are high, but the team-up has been set! Syrus is Jaden's partner, and I'm sure that he'll do fine! (Alexis and Chumley trade glances)
Although the point about the team being decided is the same, the dub casts more doubt on Syrus’ ability to pull his weight. Unlike episode 3, I don't count this as The Slander of Syrus Truesdale because asking if he's up to it is the point of this episode - and really, the expulsion mini-arc as a whole.
Back at the dorm, Shou is hysterical about his chances and Hayato says he tried but couldn't do anything. In the dub we find out Syrus actually begged Chumley to take his place, and Chumley lied for him leading into another abandoned cafeteria joke.
Judai is unconcerned about the outcome while thinking it'll be a fun experience; Jaden reassures Syrus instead. There's actually a bit of a contrast here:
Judai: If you're really my lil' bro, then you'll suck it up and do the best you can.
Jaden: Naw, I wouldn't want any other partner.
Judai is friends with Shou, but he's less attached and less interested in helping him in comparison to Jaden. This is consistent with the end of episode 4, where Judai stays because he likes the color red and Jaden stays because Syrus is there.
When we cut to the cliff, Chumley reminds the others they're having a practice duel while Hayato doesn't have lines. Then where Hayato reflects on his inability to do something about the situation, Chumley instead talks about how Jaden may not know how to go easy on someone. Asuka talks about how they'll be fine because Judai makes people feel better, but Alexis instead talks about how Crowler will surely choose tough opponents.
Now here's a major change. As the duel starts, Shou gets ahead of himself and has an imagination sequence of his domination over Judai.
Shou: All right! My Patroid's ATK can beat Big Bro's Featherman! It all starts with one move! Judai (fantasy sequence): You're amazing, Shou! I'm no match for you at all! From now on, you're my Big Bro. Shou: (under-the-breath cackling) Judai: Hey, Shou! What're you doing? Shou: Huh? Uh... I summon Patroid!
The dub cuts this entirely, and changes his summoning dialogue slightly to sound slightly underconfident instead of his original wild overconfidence.
Syrus: Ooh! My Patroid's attack can beat Jaden's Avian! Jaden: Hey, what's that smile about? You got something? Syrus: Well, um...yeah, I think so! Patroid, attack mode!
Alexis calls out Syrus as a weak point in the partnership, while Asuka says the pressure might be too much for him - not a huge difference, but I think they have slightly different implications.
When Shou draws in the dirt he bemoans not getting to show off his cool side, while Syrus has "Don't you think that dirt is just the coolest, Jaden?” which is a funny nonsequitur, if less character-relevant as a line.
Judai calls out Shou for only looking at attack points while ignoring Patroid's effect, while Jaden mentions it as a teaching moment. Shou gets indignant, pride stung, while Syrus is just down on himself (poor Syrus never had pride to begin with) and says he doesn't belong.
Judai: Shou, you're not really going just by your monster's ATK, are you? Shou: (Indignantly) No, I'm not! Judai: Patroid has a special ability that checks the opposing field. With that effect around, you could've checked to see if I had my Attack Nullification set up. Shou: Quit it! Don't lecture me just 'cause you're my Big Bro!
Jaden: Sy, don't crack up yet. You just made one mistake, that's all. Syrus: Yeah, coming to this school! Jaden: No, Sy. You just forgot to use Patroid's special power is all! He lets you check out one of your opponent's facedown cards once per turn. You could have seen my trap. Syrus: Yeah! I know, I'm no good. I don't belong here…
After taking a direct attack Syrus has an additional dig at himself where Shou doesn't, and then we get to Hayato/Chumley's motivational speech. Chumley's lines to Syrus are a bit ruder than Hayato's - in both cases he's yelling, but Hayato has a "don't give in and lose heart" vibe while Chumley has been testing out "Duh" as a new catchphrase this entire episode.
In return Shou talks about how Hayato rarely yells yet is cheering him on full blast, so he has to keep trying for Hayato's sake. Syrus also says he can't give up...for Jaden's sake.
Asuka: Is his will to fight already gone? Hang in there, Shou... Hayato: Hang tough! If that's what's getting you down, you'll look worse than a freshman-year repeat like me! Shou: Hayato... Hayato: Hang tough! Hang tough, Shou! Shou: The guy barely even screams at anyone, and yet he's doing everything he can to cheer me on... I have to try...for him!
Alexis: Of course you can win, Syrus! You just have to believe in yourself! Chumley: She's so right! Don't give up! I mean, duh, Syrus! That's the first thing they teach you in freshman dueling class! I should know! I had to take it twice! Syrus: Yeah, right. I can't give up the match so soon. Especially since I'm not just dueling for myself, but for Jaden as well! And the best thing I can do for him right now would be...to take him down!
Because Chumley's lines are written ruder than Hayato's, the last line about how unusual it is for Hayato to be so vocal is naturally cut. Still, after five episodes of griping about how they keep writing out Hayato's actual character traits for fat jokes I'm going to count this scene as a win for Hayato likers (me).
The dub then adds some additional cheering from Chumley and Alexis. When they discuss Hayato/Chumley's motivational speech, Hayato talks about how his feelings of hopelessness helps him empathize with others going through the same thing. Chumley instead has a joke (at his expense of course) about self-motivation books his dad bought him. Well, we've gone through two Hayato moments with only a mild joke at his expense so I think it still counts as a win.
Syrus using Pot of Greed has an additional bit about its "magical charm," which is kinda cute. Once he draws Power Bond, Shou says his brother kept the card away from him because he couldn't use it yet, while Syrus says he's not good enough to use it according to his brother.
And then we get to the childhood flashback, and I'd argue that this is the most significant change. In the sub we see young Shou making the same mistake as he did in the current duel - getting wildly overconfident and caught up in dreams of superiority - and becoming a trashtalking little gremlin, who makes a dangerous bet with his bully.
Shou: I'll get to see that bully Gorisuke crying his face off! [...] Shou: Ahahaha! Gorisuke, you've been bullying and making fun of me for a while now, huh? But now, I'm about to smash that power balance to bits! Gorisuke: What?! Shou: You should flinch! Be afraid! Kiss my feet! You spineless gorilla! Gorisuke: You runt...just keep it up. If you lose - you're gonna pay big-time! Shou: Ahahaha! When I do, I'll do a butt-naked handstand and run a lap around the schoolyard! Gorisuke: Sure...it's a deal between dudes. Shou: Hehehe...Let's see what a crying gorilla looks like! Take a look! Here's the killer card I got from my big brother!
The dub cuts the trash talk, so Syrus is simply a kid standing up to his bully:
Syrus: Yeah, that's what you think, but you're wrong! This duel's mine! Bully: Yeah, right! The only thing that's gonna be yours is a severe butt-kicking! Syrus: Hahahaha...sorry, but I'm done being scared of all your nasty threats! Do you hear that? I'm not afraid of you anymore! Know why? 'Cause I'm gonna be the one who takes you down!
These are DRASTICALLY different scenes in terms of how we’re meant to understand the situation. Shou is deep into his own gremlin hubris and making a huge mistake, while Syrus is a brave little kid in over his head. And then when his brother steps off to bribe the bully away and reveal the trap that would have lost him the game, sub viewers see that Ryou has just saved Shou from public humiliation while dub viewers see that Zane has just slapped down Syrus while he was standing up for himself. No wonder Syrus has confidence issues, actually.
But that’s not all, because Ryou/Zane have a couple differences in their dialogue too. Cutting the majority of the mechanical explanation:
Ryou: You don't deserve to use that card yet. Until you're talented enough to be called a "duelist," I'm keeping that card from you. [...] Ryou: Even if you special summoned Steam Gyroid, not only would its attack fail, but Power Bond's risk would cause you damage to its original ATK instead, and you would've lost.
Ryou doesn’t explain the reason Shou doesn’t "deserve" to use Power Bond, and never explains his reasoning; and judging by next episode, it seems like he never intended to tell Shou directly. So he expects Shou to come to the realization about the importance of respecting your opponent (more on this next episode) on his own, while refusing to communicate that he wants Shou to realize this. But episode 8 suggests that he does want Shou to realize it, and used the duel with Judai in that episode as an indirect but intentional lesson to Shou.
Zane: No, Syrus. You weren't [about to win]. …And I would have never given you that card had I known that you would misplay it like you were about to. [...] Zane: …and then you would have been left taking a hit to your life points at the end of your turn for having used Power Bond. You weren't thinking, Syrus. You didn't take into account the facedown card, and you didn't take into account Power Bond's adverse special effect. Sure, you may know how to use the card. But there's more to dueling than simply that.
Zane, on the other hand, takes Syrus halfway toward the point he wants to make - about the difference between knowing a card’s on-paper effects and knowing how to use it effectively (and again, I’ll talk about the difference compared to respectful dueling next episode) - before refusing to say more. On the other hand, in the present he frequently makes comments suggesting he genuinely believes Syrus doesn’t measure up and episode 8 does not suggest he cares whether or not Syrus figures out the meaning of that duel.
And I think it’s interesting that once we leave the flashback, Shou emphasizes that he’s not allowed to use Power Bond because his brother forbid it and Syrus is repeatedly convinced he’s not good enough to use Power Bond because his brother says so. Syrus additionally talks about how the card gives him bad memories, and…okay. Both these outcomes are bad, but it also leads into a complicated subject that I’ll discuss further in the final thoughts section. For now, let’s finish the episode review.
After eating Steam Gyroid’s attack Jaden recognizes Syrus as a rival, where Judai technically did in episode 2 (though broadly speaking, as a fellow duelist). The dub also cuts Shou's reference to Steam Gyroid as his favorite card, after removing references to Flame Wingman as Judai's favorite. Nobody's allowed to have favorites in the dub :(
After the duel, Syrus again says he's not good enough to use Power Bond while Shou says his brother doesn't allow him - the third time these things have been emphasized, and the third time this difference has cropped up.
After Shou runs off and Asuka finds Judai, she asks what's got him down. Alexis is meaner about it and makes a dig at Syrus (yikes). Judai comments on how there's "something bitter" in Shou's dueling, while Jaden talks about how he wishes Syrus saw in himself what Jaden sees in him.
Judai/Jaden wondering about Power Bond and Asuka/Alexis explaining Shou/Syrus’s brother are about the same for the most part. The dub cuts Ryou’s "Kaiser" title, and instead Alexis calls Zane "the big man on campus." Both Judai and Jaden wonder what happened between the brothers, but Jaden additionally comments on how Zane doesn't seem very good to his little brother - which, yeah.
Judai is interested in Kaiser primarily to fight a strong opponent while secondarily seeing what's up with him and Shou, while Jaden's priorities are flipped from Judai's: he wants to duel Zane to help Syrus, and secondarily measure himself against the school's best.
Asuka: Judai... Judai: Aw, yeah! I'll just figure it out once I duel his big brother! Asuka: Uh...Judai, were you listening? Ryou Marufuji's the best Third-- Judai: The best Third-Year Obelisk Blue, and he goes by "Kaiser," right? About time things got interesting!
Alexis: Jaden...don't pry. Jaden: Oh, I won't pry! I'll duel this guy to find out what's up! Alexis: Uh, Jaden, you're not listening. Nobody messes with Zane! Jaden: They do when their tag-team partner is not dueling up to snuff 'cause of him. Besides, I want to see how I stack up!
And that's game! Gotcha!
Spoiler Zone
The Spoiler Zone remains empty.
The Character Assassination of Chumley Huffington
They didn't do Hayato/Chumley as dirty as they usually do this time, with only 1.5 fat jokes and a weird obsession with the word "Duh" in four whole scenes! And some scenes of those scenes had actual emotional sincerity! This is the best he'll get until his feature episode in two episodes! Holy crap. I can’t believe this is a win but it is.
Unfortunately the dub will double down on the fat jokes next episode, but we'll get there.
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot to unpack in this episode. As I said at the start, I think the dub changing the stakes of the tag duel worked pretty well to smooth out a wrinkle in the sub's logic. The subject of the Marufuji/Truesdale brothers is...more complicated.
I’ll start with the major changes first. Following up on the changes in episode 3 to make Syrus seem more pathetic, the dub specifically cut both scenes demonstrating that Shou is/was in fact a trashtalking, wildly fantasizing little gremlin to have him self-flagellate instead. I questioned whether it was purposeful in episode 3, and for this episode (independent of 3, since I doubt they looked ahead back then) I’m pretty certain that the cuts are intentional, whether because they didn’t fit the narrative 4KIDS had already decided on or because Standards and Practices said "you can’t show a kid betting another kid to run around the school naked because real kids might try that" or whatever else.
The cuts and changes related to Shou/Syrus’s flashback seem small, but in the end they lead to completely different impressions of who Shou/Syrus is and his situation in the duel with his bully. In turn, those changes bubble out to how you see Ryou/Zane and from there how you see the brothers’ relationship. I actually got a little conspiracy-board obsessed with the brothers thinking about this whole thing, because the ripple effects of these changes fascinates me.
When I started watching these episodes for comparison one of the questions raised in discussion was whether Zane was a worse brother to Syrus. Maybe abusive, even. And my take from these two episodes (without having compared future ones aside from a couple lines in episode 10-11) is: that's a personal judgment on the first front, and something I'm incapable of discussing objectively on the second front for my own reasons. I will say that being fixated on not allowed to do something and being fixated on not being good enough at something are both extremely damaging in their own ways, and that despite the bad blood across both versions the Ryou/Shou and Zane/Syrus sibling pairs exist in very different universes to me. The tag duel in episodes 10-11 will continue this divide.
And they’re both complicated, but to attempt to sum it up in a nutshell: Ryou wants Shou to improve and helped him out of a bad situation but his inability to communicate has caused a great deal of damage, whereas Zane has attempted to communicate but has since given up on Syrus (which then also caused a great deal of damage). I think it’s a significant difference, but whether it makes one worse than the other is not something I want to give judgement on.
Brothers aside, this episode continues a pattern of minor but consistent characterization differences for Judai/Jaden. Judai filters the world through duels and prioritizes that over more directly helping others with their problems, whereas Jaden cares more straightforwardly and is more willing to help Syrus with his problems. This too will go places in the future.
