When I watched it , it was one of the best cartoons ever. Everyone used to talk about it. People used to play imaginary bakugan in the class or on the bus or outside when they didn't have the toys with them. I visit imdb to review this gem of an anime and I find really bad reviews about how the animation is bad, or the story is bad or how the characters are not developed properly or how the game makes no sense, that's absurd! First of all the game makes perfect sense !(excluding new vestroia and mechanthum surge, coz I haven't seen them) ,
The Game:
You set two gate cards , you set your bakugan, and make them battle, if your life points are lower , you can activate special ability cards , or activate the ability of your gate cards! It's a looooooot easier to understand than Yu gi oh . Coz we use the same set of cards almost for every element, just in a more creative way . So you know all the cards and bakugan that each player has , some like me could even name them. Also there's a doom card to send your bakugan to the doom dimension, you won't get it back if that happens. It's as simple as UNO! But unlike UNO, there's nothing left to luck , it all depends on YOUR STRATEGY. Honestly, if you can't understand it, that's probably coz you suck at the game , or coz you don't want to .
The Characters:
Some say that the characters design is one dimensionsional and thinner than the paper they draw on(you know who you are), Did you even watch the show?? I'll admit it doesn't have the best characters ever , maybe coz it's a KIDS SHOW!!! but how on Earth(and Vestroia) are they bad????
Dan is your token protagonist at first, but he does loose and with each loss he learns, he learns to look at Drago as a partner rather than a bakugan, there are arguments , conflicts and consequences to Dan's actions , like the time he brawled without Drago. His character develops immensely, from a playful token protagonist, to a guy with a purpose and an unbreakable bond with his friends. When Dan battled the world No. 3 , you could legit feel the tension. Sure he's not the greatest protagonist ever , but he's almost on par.
The others 5 main brawlers developed too , most of them in the doom dimension arc, till that they were almost token character types , but in the doom dimension arc, we discover more about why they were that way and how they improve as a brawler and as a person!,
JULIE Learning that she must strive to be the best person she can be instead of comparing herself with others causes Gorem to evolve.
MARUCHO learning to embrace his past, to recognize and accept the old Marucho for who he is instead if loathing, even though the old Marucho was always obedient and didn't live life to the fullest to meet his parents's expectations, he was still Marucho. This causes preyas to evolve.
SHUN was a lone wolf kind of guy , believing that he had to face every battle on his own, in the episode of his test , he was taken to a land where the sun never set, a land in which he could be with his late mother , just them, but then he has a memory of his terminally ill mother saying to him from her deathbed "When I was young , I wished that the sun never set so that I could play forever. Sunsets like that don't last forever, enjoy them while you can" , And he realized that while battling , when his best friend/bakugan Skyrus almost defeated, Shun's realization that nothing lasts forever and thus it is important to spend those preiceless moments with those you hold dear, causes skyrus to evolve.
RUNO used to be reckless, never heeded anyone's advise and overall stubborn, in her test, she realizes how stubborn she was and how she was always so hasty and wanted payback.
Should I go on?
This is good writing people, face it. If you call the plot weak or thin , you're either haters or cannot comprehend human emotions, life lessons and good storytelling.
The plot:
Naga and Wayvern , the white ones who are forgotten and just die when their time comes , tired of being powerless and forgotten decided to seize power at the coast of the destruction if Vestroia, the bakugan home planets, by trying to take the silent core and the infinity core, Wayvern however was good and kind and also had the infinity core , Naga later in the show obtained the silent core , Naga wanted to obtain both cores and destroy Earth as well, Naga initially didn't have much influence on Earth, so he used Masquerade and Dr. Martin as his minions to get things done .
It's up to the Bakugan Battle Brawlers to stop them. Masquerade sends his minions to Beat the brawlers but they get beaten instead, so masquerade sends their bakugan to the doom dimension. He then confronts Dan and sends Drago to the Doom dimensions in an epic battle , Dan and the Brawlers follow, over there , they acknowledge their flaws and become better versions of themselves, thus evolving their bakugans. Drago had to beat all his teammates to evolve further , and he does. The brawlers then meet wayvern.
As vestroia and Earth begin to Collide, there were numerous holes connecting both worlds . The brawlers go to investigate and find out that many elements combined and the Bakugan formed as a result worked for Naga, and they planned on taking the Earth. It's up to the Brawlers and all the Bakugan players in the world , every opponent the brawlers faced to save the Earth.
Naga kills wayvern, so she gives Drago the infinity core, the two then Battle it out in an epic manner while the other Brawlers of the world are trying to Fend off Naga's minions. In the end Drago destroys Naga but to stop the worlds from colliding, Drago must become the stable core of vestroia, so after a heartfelt goodbye, all the Bakugan go back to vestroia ... For good .
There are many sub plots etc. That I missed, but this is pretty much the story. The story is not great, but it is by no means bad.
The animation:
Sure the animation is not the best , but it is good! The Bakugan are animated beautifully and the overall animation is good. It's not like the Fate Series , but it's almost like Code Geass. And as for the "recycling", they recycle the part where bakugans transform from sphere to their original forms, the activation of gate cards and ability cards , the attacks except in key fights. Why is it a bad idea??? I mean , it is a card game after all , do you want the Bakugan to transform in a different way each time? Like why? It's like asking a person playing blackjack to say hit me in a different voice each time. And as for the action scenes , this is NOT A MARTIAL ARTS ANIME! If your Bakugan's power level is higher , you win, and your bakugan don't have to do any fancy moves for that. Does a chess piece need to do fancy moves before taking out a pawn? The frames are repeated for a reason, EFFICIENCY. The animators are smart , and know what they should spend their time on. And just because a guy with internet access says otherwise , it Doesn't mean the animation is bad!
Conclusion:
I loved this anime, it evokes major nostalgia. I could relate to many of the characters when I was a kid, I was stubborn like Runo, Wanted to live up to everyone's expectations like Marucho and constantly compared myself with others like Julie, Ditched my friends like how shun did ,when I was mad and then made up with them, was greedy like Masquerade, supported my friends the best I could like Alice and formed unbreakable bonds with my friends like Dan! And the battles were epic! The premise was very interesting, it was a unique kind of game, with interesting Bakugans. If you don't like it , it's ok, I can see why, but Calling it a bad show is not fair. This show is a perfect 10 in my eyes.
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