Yugioh something I saw that disturbed me. Please read.

[94SupraTT]

I can't stand it when Parents restrict there kids from watching harmless things, i'm 16 yrs old and my parents have always givin me free will and i don't abuse it....kids are not stupid, they know the difference between reality and fiction, this is the same as the dispute over harry potter, any thing with the word magic and you all go phsyco and immediatly judge it for something 'evil' or whatever, i'm a christian too but there is no way that i go around complaining about harmless things and try to take it away....yu-gi-oh is here to stay and there is nothing that is going to change that as long as i have my say in it!!!!!!!!!!

YUGIOH RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its quite obvious from your screen name you are bias towards Yugioh. My children are 4 and 6 years old and QUITE easily influenced. Kids at their ages are like sponges. They absorb many things that go into their heads. I want POSITIVE things going into their heads. I do not feel that my children should be watching a cartoon that advocates POSSESSION. Perhaps when you have children you will allow them to. The fact of the matter is a character in the Yugioh cartoon was POSSESSED and I will not allow anything like that in my house.

Lets say you had some young kids that were into Yugioh. Well the young kids one day are playing with some older kids. These older kids are into occult behaviour. They want to become possessed to scare these kids. The older kids tell the young kids "Its just like Yugioh remember when someone was talking through Lance, its the same thing". It would be so easy to try to pass it off as harmless because they did the same thing in Yugioh. I am not saying this would always be the case but I do see Yugioh as possible being a stepping stone to bigger more harmful things. I do not think Yugioh is as bad as say Witchcraft however I do feel it may be a stepping stone.

 

[Kokoru]

I see and understand that the reason that you don't want your children to watch Yu-Gi-Oh! is because you heard that a character was being possessed (trust me, I would probably have been a little freaked if I heard Joey's mind-slave voice without notice, too!). Well, as someone said before, they weren't being possessed, but having their mind controled. Trust me, there is a difference. The person who was controlling the character, Joey, was the villian for the moment, Marik. Although I doubt my advice will be taken I want to suggest something to you. I suggest watching the show with your children. If you watch a grouping of episodes at any given time you'll see that the show is actually promoting good things that spong-like children can use in real life. Aside from the magical powers, the cards, and the cool-looking characters, there's things that the show teaches such as trust in friends and family, perserverance, kindness--things along those lines. The show is just dressed up a bit to appeal to children.

And if it helps any, Joey, the character that was mind-controlled, breaks free of Marik's control with the help of his friend, Yugi. Because they had such a strong friendship they came out of the horrible situation the villian had put them in unscathed. They continue to do this until finally they defeat Marik for good. Now, Marik was the bad guy and he lost because he did bad things.

When 4Kids dubbed (translated and edited) Yu-Gi-Oh! they took out all of the violence, death, language, etc, and left in the stuff that they feel is appropriate for young children. 4Kids is a major company that does things for kids (thus the name). I doubt they would air a show that involved black magic where the bad guy came out victorious (if you watch any of the episodes involving Marik I'm sure you'll notice his losing streak to the hero of the show, Yugi).

Oh, and not to be rude or anything, but if your children are four and six, why would they be hanging out with older children in the occult? Wouldn't it be wise to keep your eye on them and preach the whole 'don't talk to strangers!' thing to keep them from these older kids?

 

[Kokoru]

Oh! And speaking of said older children: If you watch the show with your child and explain to them that Marik is the bad guy and that what he does is wrong then your children will understand that anyone saying that they want to 'possess' them or whatnot is wrong, and they won't agree to it.

 

[Karl - Liberal Backslider]

I always loved the magic and fantasy stuff. Kids always have. It bears no resemblance to the "occult"

I find the idea that one child might use occult powers to "possess" another and the other think it's a game somewhat unlikely.

I am far more concerned about the adverts that pepper the shows. The ones that teach boys to be aggressive and assertive, and girls to be obsessed with makeup and pink.

 

[alien002]

99SupraTT, you know what - I have to honestly say that the terms "religious fanatic or religious freak" really came to mind when I was doing a search for some YuGiOh stuff for my kids and came across your posting. I have to agree with Neo, if you can't look at a cartoon and see it as a child being pitted up against overwhelming odds,(a good representation of peer pressure) yet NEVER giving in and forgoeing his beliefs in himself nor his friends during these trials, then you really do have a problem. I have sat and watched this show with my kids many times, infact I have even learned to play so I could take part in thier games and again as Neo said, it's fun, and there is absolutely NOTHING "evil", "spine-chilling", or "occult-ish" about it. Infact I would even go as far as saying that if you ever played the card game "WAR" as a child then that was equally as evil.. Just like in war; Yugioh the higher number creature card wins. No black magic, no spiritualism, no evilness, just a kids game. And the "evil" voice you heard, yes it was Merik that took over Joey (Yugi's best friend) or as you stated "possessed" (which is a little harsh), yet had you finished watching you would have seen that Yugi's FAITH brings his friend back and out of Merik's control. (or to make it wasier for you to associate with, view it more as peer pressure with drugs - which are controling - and a friend helps him to kick the habit.) You have an extremely negative outlook on things and really need to take it easy on the "ooooh it's evil" kick. If you don't want your kids watching it then leave it at that but don't flame a good show, or blame it on religion when there is no basis for this blame.

 

[Etharia]

How much do any of you really know about teh occult, demons, possesion, familer spirits, or anything along those lines? To fully understand what is "good" or "bad" for children to watch in the case of yugioh and simlir cartoons, you cna't just make a blind judgement. Without all of the facts, you'll never know the truth.

 

[neveragainindarkness]

Such debate!!!!! I agree that every child is different. Some can be told that certain things are good or bad or right and wrong. Others can put on a front that they understand but really don't. To make this short, most kids go to the side of the occult and such because they are riduculed for a "right" lifestyle, or rejected repeatedly for it. I speak from experience. It matters in kids 3 year olds and up to ultimate adulthood. Trust your child to make the right decision on their own when they are ready and you will see the fruits of your labor in amazing ways.

 

[AQOB]

I am 15 years old and I thoroughly enjoy the television show Yu-Gi-Oh, as well as the manga version.

First of all, I guess I can see where all the parents are coming from. Yu-Gi-Oh is not for the meek. It deals with themes targeted toward older kids. If you don't think your kids are old enough to handle it, simple. Don't let them watch it. If you don't like seeing people "possessed" and all, just keep the children away from it.

The aim of the show is not to corrupt the little children watching cartoons on a Saturday morning. The Japanese animators were told to make a show to draw the attention of kids and make money, and they did. They're not trying to thrust the customs of the Egyptians upon little Fred and Jane or anything. (The game Duel Monsters, the main focus of the show, was said to have originated in ancient Egypt, and many of the themes of the show deal with the Egyptian culture.) If anything, the show is definitely creative. How many cartoons do you know that discuss Ancient Egypt?

I congratulate Yu-Gi-Oh for NOT making a perfect world in a cartoon. It actually deals with REAL LIFE ISSUES. *collective gasp* No, I'm not saying holographic monsters and high-tech systems and spirits from Ancient Egypt are real life. Because, obviously, they're not. But Yu-Gi-Oh stresses the fact that life isn't a walk in the park, or a little girl who speaks both Spanish and English. Have you even paid attention? The constant theme of the show is "friends stand by each other, no matter what", basically. All the obstacles in the show, which everybody has made clear are occult-ish and such, boil down to one thing: loyalty. Friendship. Trust. All that sappy stuff.

I wrote way too much already. Basically, just keep your kids away from it if you don't like it, but don't rain on the parade of those parents who are willing to let their mature children be exposed to something highly different.

 

[Neos]

I have to say thanks to all of you Yugioh lovers who agreed with me, especially AQOB, what he/she said is really awesome.

 

[armed2010]

Blah, all this argument against yu-gi-oh is utter nonsense. I particulary think the show is crummy compared to other anime (DONT HIT ME!!) but that doesnt mean that if I watch it, im going to become some crazed devil worshiping lunatic. Ive grown up with tons of unwholesome tv shows, I play violent videogames on a daily basis, etc etc, and I am particularly much smarter than most people my age. I am into science, space, world politics, other cultures, etc, and I constantly use my internet time to research. Anyone who says bad tv/videogames will corrupt a person doesnt know what he is talking about. A person can be around these things and still keep his morals.

 

[AQOB]

I agree with armed2010. Not to brag or anything, but I am in all the highest level classes in my high school, including all the AP courses, which are all courses on the college level, and all of these so-called "corruptive" shows on television have not affected me one bit.

I grew up in the time when Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and GI Joe were popular. How are those shows any better/worse than what's on today? You can't target any particular cartoons these days simply because they're from this era. Those shows, in my opinion, were much worse. I mean, GI Joe - the military. Guns, knives, kung fu galore. Power Rangers - I remember when every kid had a favorite Power Ranger. Mine was the Yellow Ranger, because she was female but she didn't wear a skirt.

I watched those shows and more and I survived. I think the kids today will survive too.

 

[armed2010]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, those were the days

 

[Molloyboy]

It seems that this discusion is all those who dont like yugi-oh being against it and those who like the cartoon being insulted because there 'enjoyment' is being jepordised.

This is not reasoned arguement, rather a defend/attack

 

[Neos]

Turtles was the best show! My favorite turtle was Mikey. He was cool

 

[armed2010]

Leonardo owns them all

 

[AQOB]

Aw man, Splinter r4wks my s4wks Gotta love the huge rats!

 

[Kelly]

Way back on page one of this thread, someone said that anime = porn. That is the most uninformed statement I have ever heard on this forum. Anime is an entertainment medium - short for animation. That would be like saying all films are pornos.

Watch what your kids watch, learn what the stories are about and share them with your kids before you decide anything.

 

[Spicy McHaggis]

It seems that this discusion is all those who dont like yugi-oh being against it and those who like the cartoon being insulted because there 'enjoyment' is being jepordised.

This is not reasoned arguement, rather a defend/attack

Don't forget to state your opinions like facts so that everyone who disagrees with you is a moron...

 

[PrincessL]

I have notice the potential problems with this show, however I am a huge believer in BALANCE. If my son watches a 'good show', and with our personal examples he will be fine.

 

[breanna]

Hee hee, this thread is great... One of my majors is communication (mass media), and this thread is a prime example of the third person effect ("it may affect other people, but it has no influence on me") The fact is, no study has ever been able to prove conclusively that any form of media has a substantially negative impact on kids (e.g., watching Arnold Schwarzenegger shoot people won't make them go do the same). The most impact that can be proven is "statistically significant", which breaks down to about 1-2% of the population.
However, while no cause-and-effect relationship can be proven between the media and violent behavior, there is a lot of evidence to show a correlation in this relationship.
This means that, while a parent may suspect that Yu-Gi-Oh has a negative influence on their children, there is no way to prove it.

Moral of the story: If you feel that it is harmful for your young child to watch, don't let him or her watch it. The fact is that a young child lacks the discretion to keep fantasy and reality apart, and you probably don't want your two year old worrying that his or her mind is going to be "controlled." If it is an older child, explain that you don't want them to watch the show, and why, but trust them to have the discretion and judgment that you hopefully raised them to have. If you have instilled a good value system into your kids, you don't need to worry about your child going behind your back and watching things that you have specifically asked them not to watch.

As for you guys who watch Yu-Gi-Oh, I don't think that it's up to us to decide what's acceptable for someone else's children to watch. It's all a matter of individual preference. If you yourself want to watch this show, go ahead, but try to respect the parents who feel that this is not an appropriate show for their children to watch.