Pook

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The Day People Said Would Never Come
12.08.05 - By Pook 

Greetings all. Yes, I know it has been quite some time since last you’ve heard from me. Truth be told is that I’ve been sort of a self-imposed hiatus from dueling for many months now. Fear not, I haven’t fallen totally out of the game (I still read Pojo every day and pick up a few cards here and there). More on this another time. Today, I am here to talk about a day that will forever be remembered in Yu-Gi-Oh history – December 6th, 2005. Why will this be a holiday for people like us? Well, it is the day that Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon was released (officially) in the United States.

Yesterday, I made my way to a local book selling establishment. It was about 3pm and I figured that if I bought my copy of Shonen Jump the day it came out, I wouldn’t be shut out of getting the BEUD (or 3 for that matter). So I entered the book seller, made my way to the magazine rack, and looked in the spot where I can usually find Shonen Jump. Alas, it wasn’t there. Instead, there was a completely empty spot on the rack, along with a printed label on the backboard reading “Shonen Jump.” Looks like someone had beat me to the punch, several times over. I went to the information desk to see if they had any more copies in “the back” and the clerk radioed for another employee. After speaking with someone else, it turns out that not too long before I entered the store, a gentleman came in and purchased every issue in the store. Personally, I wasn’t surprised in the least. I knew this was going to happen – BEUD madness had set in. My roommate accompanied me to the book store and he was utterly shocked when I relayed the news to him (he’s not a duelist, but is familiar enough with the game). So, we hoofed it over to another shopping center to another book store.

At the second bookstore, I again found the magazine rack but noticed that Shonen Jump was missing. I felt downtrodden. So, I went to the checkout counter and asked the woman working there if they had any copies. Luckily, she pointed out that they kept Shonen Jump with their comic books, and there it was – a wrapped copy of the latest issue. I quickly grabbed it, then asked the woman if she had any more copies. Now I wasn’t about to pull what the person at the first store had done by buying every copy. No, I just wanted 3 copies so I could have BEUD in triplicate (why not play 3?). She looked at me like I had 3 heads (yeah, pun intended) but she was happy to oblige. I paid for my 3 issues, my roommate still not understanding why I’d need 3, and went home.

I’ve got to say, it was quite the surreal moment when I got home, flipped through the pages of the magazine and saw Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon in its holographic glory looking back at me. I removed the card from its unprotected sticky goo as carefully and as surgically as possible. I was so cautious about not damaging the card, I accidentally tore 2 of the 3 magazines slightly on the holder page. But it was all worth it. The card every duelist has wanted, even if not to play, just for the sake of having it, has finally reached our shores. I think that it was enough for me to come out of hiding to write about. What about all of you? Anyone else have adventures in shopping to get this card? Until next time, happy dueling!