Duel Masters Gets American TV Series
Duel Masters is a long-running, Yu-Gi-Oh wannabe card game series that's been airing in Japan for close to a decade. In 2004 it came to the US on Toonami, & was one of the most interesting dubbing jobs ever produced for an anime series. It was oddly faithful to the Japanese version, keeping names & even terms like senpai & kohai. But at the same time it constantly made fun of itself, broke the fourth wall in every episode, & never even bothered to explain the rules of the card game that it featured. The dub even added in new footage & live-action video to make more jokes. It was an Abridged Series before there were Abridged Series.
The show also went through three different companies & three different casts for the three seasons that aired on the US TV. It hasn't been seen here since 2006, though has continued to soldier on in Japan. But for the first time in five years, Duel Masters is returning to American television. But it wont be a dub of one of the more recent series from Japan. Nope, it's gonna be a brand new American-made original series.
The Hub, a relatively new children's network from Hasbro & Discovery, recently held their network upfront to discuss the new shows that'll be premiering during their 2011-2012 season. Among them was "Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters," & included the following synopsis:
In this animated series inspired by the wildly popular trading card game, "Duel Masters," a 14-year-old boy discovers a secret world in which mind-blowing creatures rule! These creatures harness special powers that if unleashed, could destroy the world as we know it. It is up to the boy to master his abilities in the ancient art of Kaijudo to protect their world and his own. Produced by Hasbro Studios.
Press Release: http://corporate.discovery.com/discovery-news/the-hub-television-network-unveils-robust-2011-12