MOVIE VERSION CHARACTER DESIGN BY KAZUKI TAKAHASHI-SENSEI
A first look at design drafts done for the movie and each character!
Drawing: YUGI MUTOU KAZUKI TAKAHASHI - DESIGNER’S COMMENT
Yugi, having gone through the Battle Ceremony, has an expression that invokes a more mature and strong presence. When designing the characters for the movie, I actually drew him with his normal personality at first, but the face I drew the first time around turned into something really nice. By drawing Yugi as such was enough to change the composition of the movie from the initial draft of the plot. Guess you can’t get around not bringing back Yugi Mutou in all of his original glory. It was sort of like Yugi was saying to me, “Draw my comeback, please.” (Laughs) He certainly inherited Dark Yugi’s strength in their battle, that’s for sure.
Drawing 1: KAIBA - NEW DUEL DISK☆
Drawing 2: SETO KAIBA KAZUKI TAKAHASHI: DESIGNER’S COMMENT
Kaiba hasn’t changed much from the original story. Though, if I had to say, his expressions are more in the akin to the slightly demented ones he had around the time he was just introduced. In the original story, through his battles with Dark Yugi, the darkness in his heart dissolved in a gradual sense. That being said, the man who served as his rival, Dark Yugi, disappeared in the Battle Ceremony, and, as an effect, caused the madness to resurface in his eyes. The new Duel Disk that the Kaiba Corporation has developed turns images within your brain into Solid Vision holograms. Duels using this disk should make for groundbreaking spectacles, so I sincerely hope all of you experience that amazingness for yourselves in the theaters!
Drawing: BLACK MAGICIAN KAZUKI TAKAHASHI: DESIGNER’S COMMENT
The Black Magician has a design closer to the one present in my artbook, DUEL ART. The original Black Magician’s color in the story was always more blue and purple than black, but this time around he actually has a black costume. In manga, a completely black character weighs down the page and can be difficult to deal with, but outside printed media in television and movies, there’s no such concern. Intricacies on his costume also differ from the original story. I can’t wait to see how the fine details of his costume get translated to the silver screen!
Drawing: NEW Blue Eyes KAZUKI TAKAHASHI: DESIGNER’S COMMENT
I wonder how many designs I’ve given Blue Eyes over the years? (Laughs) That being said, I’ve done a variety of designs. When it comes to designing monsters, sure, you can add a lot of lines and make them look cool, but you sacrifice quality. A simple design is the most beautiful design, but with each iteration of that design, the lines pile up. However, this time around, we’re dealing with a work meant for animation, and things like lighting and other effects can bring forth the differences. That’s why I was able to design this Blue Eyes with a simple form yet a design never implemented before.
Drawing: Anzu
Drawing: Hiroto Honda
Drawing: Jonouchi
Drawing: Ryuji
KAZUKI TAKAHASHI: DESINGER’S COMMENT
Jonouchi has taken a more mature expression as a result of his battles in the original story. He was a big favorite of mine even in the original story, so I made sure to pay attention to give him a nice face. He is after all, an intergal character that helps support both Surface Yugi and Dark Yugi. Honda also has an expression much more calm than in the original story. Not only Yugi and Jonouchi, but all duelists have points where they tend to get reckless. Honda is someone who fills the gaps in his circle of friends and is a crucial character in the story of Yu-Gi-Oh. Anzu continues her path of being a dancer even after the story’s end. You’ll be able to see Anzu at her absolute cutest, so please keep your hopes well and high! (Laughs)
Drawing: Ryo Bakura
KAZUKI TAKAHASHI: DESIGNER’S COMMENT
The character we know as Bakura hasn’t changed at all since the end of the original story. He’s the most mysterious character in all of Yu-Gi-Oh, and–how to put it–has an existence apart from his consciousness…. It’s always off missing somewhere. That’s why even after the original story, he’s the only one to remain unchanged.
LOOK FORWARD TO ALL THE CHARACTERS FROM THE FIRST YU-GI-OH SERIES IN THEIR RETURN IN THIS NEW MOVIE!!
YU-GI-OH THE MOVIE INTRODUCING THE TEASER TRAILER!!
Friends Amassed
A Mysterious Youth Appears
YUGI MUTOU
SETO KAIBA
Duelists Clash!!
Watch the Trailer Now on the Yu-Gi-Oh The Movie Offical Site!! →www.yugioh20th.com
Yu-Gi-Oh 20th Anniversary
KAZUKI TAKAHASHI SPECIAL INTERVIEW
Title: 20 Years Since Its Inception, A Modern Day Lookback on Yu-Gi-Oh
Interviewer: 2016 will mark the twentieth year since Yu-Gi-Oh’s serialized run. What are your impressions?
Takahashi: Yu-Gi-Oh has been able to reach twenty years all with help and support of its many fans. I’d like to take this opprotunity to say that I’m humbled and greatful for their support.
Interviewer: What would you define as Yu-Gi-Oh’s “concept”?
Takahashi: I would say that the concept initially was to portray how and in what way our protaginist in the way of a bullied boy with no physical prowess defeats evil, and taking in the theme of “games” into account, I could make a battle manga unlike any before it. And with that idea, Yu-Gi-Oh was on its way. The concept revolved around fighting enemies with a new game each week, but with it being a weekly serial, I naturally began to run out of ideas…. Among the chapters, the card battle episode had good reception, so the genre of Card Battle Manga had been born.
Yugi: Heh heh heh, Sozoji! I’ll ask you one question! Are you a coward? Well?
Sozoji: Whaaat!?
Yugi: If that’s a no, then you won’t run away from the little game I have in store, right?
Caption: The new weekly game is introduced in the early parts of the story.
Narration: Kaiba VS Yugi! A duel in which the victor attains two God Cards! That is…
Caption: The basis for Yu-Gi-Oh’s appeal is the individuality of its characters.
(cont.) The card game took off in society, but I was just concentating on drawing the characters that would appear without much of my focus on the media. I also decided that the cards were tools and I had to put importance in drawing the monsters fighting alongside the protagonists. If the characters couldn’t stand firm, there would be no way to have anyone care about the story.
