A little over a year ago a show called Cardfight!! Vanguard came out in Japan. After seeing it I thought that it would be the next big tcg craze. Shopping at the store I came across a booster pack for none other than this same show. In honor of this funny coincidence, today we take a look at Japan’s newest card game NOT on a motorcycle.

Naturally the show starts off with a cardfight in the local game shop, Card Capital. Our wonderfully stereotypical cast is introduced after the amazing fighter Kai defeats hot-headed Morikawa. Jump to the classroom of our protagonist, Aichi Sendou. Ignore the teacher teaching about the Sengoku Period using card game metaphors.

After being publicly humiliated by answering a question wrong in class, Aichi begins to daydream about his legendary Vanguard card, Blaster Blade. During this time though, a still angry Morikawa sees the card. So naturally he decides to mug Aichi for the card in hopes to use it to defeat Kai. The muggers and Aichi run to the cardshop.

Although Kai initially denies Morikawa’s challenge, the bet of winner receiving Buster Blade interests him again. By the time Aichi catches up with them, Kai has already won the match, and the card. Aichi’s pleading for the card back gets him no where, so he decides to challenge Kai for it. The two fight, with Kai explaining the rules to Aichi as the match goes along (which most definitely isn’t product placement for the real world card game.)

So the fight progresses for the rest of the episode. A ways in, it is revealed that Kai and Aichi met each other long ago, and Kai gave Aichi his Blaster Blade card, inspiring Aichi to become a fighter so he could fight Kai one day. As Aichi summons his avatar Blaster Blade, the episode ends.