Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions

Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions (遊☆戯☆王 THE DARK SIDE OF DIMENSIONS) is a 2016 Japanese animated science fantasy film written and directed by Satoshi Kuwabara, with Kazuki Takahashi and Masahiro Hikokubo as co-writers based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise by Takahashi. Produced by Studio Gallop and distributed by Toei Company, The Dark Side of Dimensions tells a new story that takes place after the events of the original Yu-Gi-Oh storyline; specifically, it is set six months after the end of the original manga (and one year after the end of the anime adaptation in the English dub), and thus features some slight contradictions to the storyline, specifically of the anime adaptation. The film stars Shunsuke Kazama as the voice of Yugi Mutou and Kenjiro Tsuda as Seto Kaiba, alongside Hiroki Takahashi, Takayuki Kondo, Maki Satō, Rica Matsumoto, Junko Takeuchi, Kento Hayashi, Kana Hanazawa and Satoshi Hino. The Dark Side of Dimensions was released in Japan on April 23, 2016, in the U.S and Canada on January 27, 2017, and in Australia on February 2, 2017.

Plot
Seto Kaiba commissions an excavation to retrieve the lost and disassembled Millennium Puzzle from the ruins of the Millennium chamber. A mysterious cloaked man is seen at the underground shrine. Six months after the departure of the Pharaoh, Yugi Muto and his friends Joey Wheeler, Téa Gardner, Tristan Taylor and Ryo Bakura are preparing to graduate Domino High School and are contemplating what they will do in the future.

Kaiba locates the Puzzle; the item had previously housed the spirit of the Pharaoh Atem, Kaiba's longtime rival, whom he hopes to revive in order to settle their ancient score. The excavation is interrupted by Diva, who faces Kaiba in a game of Duel Monsters and steals two pieces of the recovered Puzzle. He keeps one fragment and gives the other to his younger sister Sera, who passes it on to Yugi, as he is the only one who can reassemble the Puzzle, being the modern-day counterpart of the Pharaoh.

Diva, under the alias "Aigami," forges a friendship with Yugi and his friends. He takes interest in Bakura, whom he believes is responsible for the death of his father-like mentor, Shadi Shin. Using his Quantum Cube, he transports Bakura and Joey to another dimension. Bakura apologizes for Shadi's death and explains that the evil spirit of the Millennium Ring had been responsible. The two are interrupted by Diva's friend Mani, who has become warped by the evil energies of the Millennium Ring. When Yugi, Téa, and Tristan find "Aigami", he reveals himself as Diva, along with his plan to eliminate Yugi and his friends. As Diva almost disintegrates the three of them into another dimension, Joey returns to the real world, with the help of Atem.

Kaiba rebuilds the Millennium Puzzle and discovers the last two pieces are missing. He abducts Diva and approaches Yugi, so he can have the two take part in the showcasing of his updated Duel Disk virtual reality technology. He intends to duel both Diva and Yugi, while gambling their pieces of the puzzle. However, Yugi is furious with Diva over what he has done to Bakura and insists he will duel him instead, which Kaiba agrees to. Yugi defeats Diva, resulting in Bakura returning to the real world.

Yugi, while dueling Kaiba, re-completes the Millennium Puzzle to demonstrate that the spirit of Atem no longer dwells inside. Diva becomes corrupted by the evil powers of the Millennium Ring, and duels both Yugi and Kaiba. Kaiba sacrifices himself during the Duel and makes a final plea for Yugi to call forth Atem. Yugi puts on the puzzle and continues the Duel. Yugi, physically unable to draw his next card, weakly states that he believes in the heart of the cards and begins to black out, but is suddenly engulfed in a beam of golden light. The Pharaoh returns and possesses Yugi's body once again, and defeats Diva, whose body reverts to normal, before disappearing. Atem and Yugi bid each other farewell again, and Atem and the Millennium Puzzle then fade away.

Yugi and his friends graduate from high school. The group sees Téa off at the airport as she goes to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a professional dancer in New York City. Meanwhile Kaiba uses his technology in conjunction with the Quantum Cube to transport his own consciousness to the afterlife. He challenges Atem, sitting on his throne, to a duel. Atem smiles as Kaiba approaches.

Production
The film was announced in the West prior to its announcement in Japan. 4K Media Inc. announced the film on the official Yu-Gi-Oh! website, that the movie was in development in Japan and that they were shopping for a distributor in all non-Asian territories. The film's teaser trailer was first shown in a panel featuring Kazuki Takahashi at San Diego Comic-Con 2015. It was later uploaded to the official yugioh.com YouTube channel. Original Yu-Gi-Oh! manga creator Kazuki Takahashi personally drew the keyframes for one of the film's sequences. 4K Media held a contest in August 2016, offering fans the chance to provide voices for the English-language release of the film.

Release
The film was released in theaters in Japan on April 23, 2016, later receiving 4DX and MX4D screenings on September 24, 2016. Before the release on 2017, to promote the upcoming film, Six Flags theme park began to promote a campaign for the film from November 19, 2016 to January 1, 2017, as 4K Media confirmed to promote for the new holiday promotion in partnership Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. The film received limited screenings in North America from January 27, 2017, to February 9, 2017, offering limited edition trading cards for attendees, while Manga Entertainment screened the film for a limited time in the United Kingdom in February 2017. Eleven Arts later listed the English subtitled version screenings in the United States.

Transcend Game
Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi created a new one-shot manga called TRANSCEND GAME. The two-part prologue story is set between the end of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga and the beginning of The Dark Side of Dimensions. In Japan, Part 1 was released in the 19th issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump on April 11, 2016, and Part 2 was released in the 20th issue on April 18, 2016.

In the United States, Part 1 was released in the December 19, 2016 issue of VIZ Media's digital Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. Part 2 was released in the January 2, 2017 issue.

Box office
The Dark Side of Dimensions opened on 137 theaters and debuted at number 6 in the Japanese box office charts, earning 133,010,600 yen (about $1,200,000) in its first weekend. The film earned over 800,000,000 yen (about $7,500,000) after its screenings ended. During its 4DX and MX4D screenings, the film has earned 1,000,000,000 yen (about US $9,000,000). In the United Kingdom the film grossed a total of $141,065 and in Australia $157,175. In New Zealand, the film earned $16,680 on its opening weekend. In the United States, the film earned a total of $1,015,339.

Home media
In its first week of release in Japan, the film's Blu-ray sold 17,720 units, and the DVD sold 4,208 units for a total of 21,728 units. In its last charted week (2nd week), the Blu-ray sold an additional 980 units for a total of 18,500 units. In its last charted week (5th week), the DVD sold 205 units for a total of 6,093 units. In the United Kingdom, it was 2017's seventh best-selling foreign language film on home video, and the year's third best-selling Japanese film (behind the anime films Your Name and My Neighbor Totoro).

Critical response
The Dark Side of Dimensions received a mixed critical reception. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 40%, with an average rating of 5.1/10 from five critic reviews. Richard Eisenbeis from Kotaku reviewed the movie favorably, praising the character conflict and narrative. However, S. Jhoanna Robledo from Common Sense Media notes that the complicated storyline is best appreciated by fans of the show.

Home media
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 8, 2017, in Japan. The ''Yu-Gi-Oh! Transcend Game'' manga was bundled with the release. Manga Entertainment released the film on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on May 29, 2017, in the United Kingdom. Lionsgate released the film on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, and Digital HD on June 27, 2017, in the United States and Canada. Anchor Bay Entertainment also released the film on June 13, 2017.