YuYu Hakusho Manga: 005 Her First Christmas!

Oops, I'm a few months late on this one, it seems. Just try to ignore that spring is in full swing right now, okay? I mean, the sun is coming up sooner and sooner, my seedlings are in their planters, and the birds are waking me up with all their chirping in the morning, but we can pretend right? I'll put on some carols and look at pictures of Santa Claus, and try to imagine snow on the increasingly dry landscape outside. The fact that I don't have to put on a hundred layers still kind of breaks the immersion for me, unfortunately. 

I feel like being a guide to the afterlife would make religion... unnecessary.

Botan doesn't answer, of course, but mostly because she suddenly tenses up from what she identifies as a spirit energy that is not at ALL Christmasy. Yusuke repeats the phrase "spirit energy" back to her as a question, so she explains that it's the aura that souls give out when they can't rest in peace, and it's one of the more difficult aspects of her job as a "Grim Reaper", because it's made up of resolving the spirit's conflicts so they can get off to Heaven. Yeah, human conflict? It turns out that's not easy to work through. Go figure.

Botan identifies the spirit as a depressed-looking young lady, in a jacket over a frilly shirt with a high collar accented by some sort of brooch. Yusuke lounges in the air behind Botan, looking curious but not overly invested, but Botan is immediately put-off; she says this one is a "fixated" ghost, meaning she is fixed in a certain spot by strong emotions, and those tend to be SUPER stubborn. She is, indeed, seated on the very edge of a bench in a long pleated skirt, and she's looking around at the people bustling around her, but doesn't appear to be ready to move. 

She looks like she perceives Botan just as Botan swoops in on her oar.

Oh, it looks like she ditched the oar, never mind.

Botan lays it on real thick with a big kitty grin and by pointing to her own face with both hands, introducing herself as a guide to the underworld, and saying that she's pleased to meet the spirit. Yusuke looks disgusted with this display and tells her to stop with the chipper intro already. The spirit says she knows who Botan is and why she's there, since a couple of other guides tried. She already told those others that she's waiting here on this bench for someone, so she doesn't really want to leave, thanks. 

Botan begins to inform her about her, *ahem*, condition, but the girl cuts her off to tell her that she KNOWS, but she's wanting to wait there all the same. Yusuke also takes on a kitty-face, but a significantly more mischievous one, and raises a thumb to ask if whoever she's waiting for is the Tarzan to her Jane. The note under this panel explains that this thumbs-up gesture is used when referring to someone's boyfriend, so I guess that makes sense, but that face Yusuke is using makes me think there's a little more to the euphemism than that. Feel free to comment if you've got a little more info!

While Botan tells Yusuke he's NO Mr. Sensitive, the girl tells them that the person she's waiting for is named Kenji, over a tinted panel with a boy giving a peace sign. The girl ghost says that they agreed to meet at this spot last year to spend Christmas together, but she fell REALLY ill on the day. She wanted to call him, but she didn't have much of a chance, seeing as she went into a coma and never woke up again. Botan wears a concerned expression as she reiterates the meaning of this - that the girl's desire to see Kenji intensified in her death and bound her to the place they were to meet. The girl says she STOOD HIM UP WITH NO EXPLANATION and wanted to apologize. 

... I guess she COULD conceivably argue that she literally ghosted him.  

Hang on, gotta go to pun jail for a sec.

Botan makes a sad noise, but Yusuke is incredulous. He asks her who would POSSIBLY expect an apology for getting sick and dying, telling her to let it go. I agree with him, because who'd even WANT to apologize to that kind of person anyway? The girl says he might be right, but she's content to wait anyway, and she likes sitting here, watching the people bustle by, daydreaming. 

I mean, it's a toss-up. If the trauma around this place and day are too much to handle right now...

Sweatdropping, Yusuke turns to Botan and asks if this is possible, and Botan says Christmas isn't her department, so she doesn't really know. There's a Christmas DEPARTMENT? And Botan, with all her gushing about the warm-fuzzies of the season, doesn't get to be a part of it??? INJUSTICE. Over a clock which shows the time as a quarter to twelve, Botan asks politely what time the girl and her beau were planning to meet last year, and the answer is noon. Botan advises the girl to take it as a sign that it's time to move on if he doesn't show, because it would do her no good to hang out here for the rest of eternity. The girl responds with silence.

The silence stretches to the next panel, which shows the clock at 1:30 now, and either Yusuke or Botan comments on that fact. Botan shrugs and says she really doesn't think the dude is coming. Yusuke is sitting next to the girl on the bench now, man-spreading for maximum comfort during the long wait, no doubt. The girl says that Kenji was usually a half hour or more late as if this is an explanation, prompting Yusuke to grimace and remark with disbelief that anyone who made him wait more than fifteen minutes got their lights put out. Seems like a disproportionate response, Yusuke, but okay. 

The girl admits hesitantly that she LOVES the moment he shows up at last, saying he's sorry he's late, as he's trotting toward her. Dude is sounding more and more like a major flake the more she tells us about him, huh? Yusuke jabs at his own forehead and says he just doesn't get it, and he's not the only one. I am just flabbergasted. 

After a while more watching the crowd, the girl recognizes a figure glancing over toward her among the throngs of people. All three of them stare, identifying the boy that's milling around the place as Kenji in shock. Yusuke turns toward Botan again, slowly beginning to voice what this means, before Botan interrupts him to excitedly declare that God granted the girl's wish. Kenji looks again in the girl's direction and starts heading straight over. 

Uh, can he actually SEE her...?

... Guess not. 

Kenji leans a knee on the bench right next to our original girl to talk to the flesh-and-blood one over the backs of the benches, apologizing again and giving the excuse that he overslept. What, slept until NOON, dude? I don't buy it. The other girl sits with her arms crossed and her back to him, informing him she's been there for half-an-hour and that she was about to take off. She should do that anyway, this guy is the flakiest MF in the universe. Get you a man who don't suck.

Kenji clams up for a second, looking off to the side contemplatively, then tells the other girl that she reminded him of something. They're facing each other now, her asking him what it was, though she still looks pretty peeved. He confesses that he used to go out with a girl who would wait for HOURS for him without complaining. Kenji says with absolutely NO remorse that he bet a buddy last year that this chick would wait for him at this very spot for FIVE HOURS, but the little prissy-pants (his words, not mine) didn't show and he lost 10,000 Yen. Oh, the injustice of it all. The other girl asks what happened to this first girl, and Kenji says he just doesn't know, and that they haven't talked since. 

How... how do you NOT KNOW? You didn't hear about her death through the grapevine AT ALL??? 

Anyway, Kenji says she was nothing special anyway, just someone to kill time with. Or deliberately kill HER time, anyway. Meanwhile, Yusuke is once again trying to punch the shit out of a corporeal target with incorporeal fists - he's pretty angry at this dude. Kenji says he's got another like her RIGHT NOW, and somehow this other girl and he laugh about this notion, despite the CLEAR INSULT this is on her. Just totally fails to realize that he's calling her nothing special to kill time with. She seems none too bright, unfortunately. 

Veins popping in rage, Yusuke asks Botan how he can clobber this clown, but she says he's not going to be able to do that in his current state. The original girl is sitting quietly, tears forming in her eyes. Trembling, she stutters that she would have waited those five hours if she hadn't gotten sick, and that she's stupid that way, a humorless laugh escaping her. The more painful irony being that she ended up waiting A LOT more than five hours because she got sick. She buries her face in her hands, Botan kneeling in front of her to try and persuade her not to cry, that it's better knowing all this than continuing to wait. Yusuke is still staring off in the direction Kenji and his new mark fucked off.

That's not unusual for you, though, kiddo.

Yusuke turns to the girl with his teeth still clenched in his not-at-all contained fury and yells at her to forget Kenji and erase him from her memory, never giving him another thought again for eternity. Recoiling, she meekly tries to tell him that she can't just DO that, but Yusuke growls in rage that "can't" means "won't" and she just "won't" if she keeps on sitting there on the bench like that. He seizes her by the back of her collar and DRAGS her off her seat of an entire year, ignoring Botan's impotent protests, and the more insistent ones from the girl, declaring that there's only one way to forget that good-for-nothing POS, and that's them going to party. 

Well, you know what they say. You've got to fight. For your right.

To party.

After all that crazy fun, Yusuke walks ahead of the girl, who staggers a bit, saying she can barely walk anymore. Why not just fly, since you're a ghost and all? Anyway, she exclaims that was the most fun she'd ever had in her life, if you'll pardon the inaccurate expression. Yusuke says it's too bad they couldn't have scored some beer, but the girl says she's not complaining, smiling wide. Pointing at her, Yusuke comments on this smile, and casually states that she's really cute when she does that. She blushes and covers her mouth in embarrassment, and Yusuke asks what's wrong, insisting he meant what he said. As she bashfully tucks in her chin, he goads her into looking at him, and when that doesn't work, he starts making his faces at her to try and get her to give him another smile. She relents and laughs that he's a big goof. The girl recalls in the moment thinking about it that Kenji never told her she looked cute, and Yusuke says it's Kenji's loss. It's all painfully adorable.

Yusuke comments on how hard it is to see beautiful things like this from a stupid street bench, and after a pause, she agrees. Referring to the city lights below, Yusuke suggests that the guy she'd waited a year for was down there somewhere, and she should give him a piece of her mind. She places a hand on her chest as she takes a short breath... then yells out over the city her thanks to Kenji for everything, and her goodbye wish that he'll be happy. What a cinnamon roll! I could eat her up!

Yusuke is literally turned on his head by this, and questions these well-wishes of hers, suggesting that she tell him to go to Hell, at the very least. She refuses, because, in her mind, if he hadn't done what he'd done, she never would have met Yusuke and had the best day of her... not-life is left off the end of the sentence, of course. Yusuke gives her a curious look, rendered mostly speechless. 

The next panel shows that Botan has rejoined them, and the girl is sitting right behind her on the flying oar. Botan asks if the girl is ready to go, who answers in the affirmative. Addressing Yusuke, Botan says she'll see the girl to the entrance of Heaven. He's standing astride a roof as he gives his blessing, so to speak, and offers the girl a parting haiku poem: "Don't let stupid jerks rag you around in life or the afterlife, okay?" He acknowledges that there's one extra syllable in there with consternation, before wishing her good luck. While the girl agrees to this sentiment with some sadness, Botan nervously laughs that Yusuke makes quite the point. 

The girl looks even more melancholy when she thanks Yusuke for everything, and she means EVERYTHING. No one has ever pushed her into actually enjoying herself before, I guess. Yusuke reminds her that he told her she's at her best when she smiles, and tries to persuade her to do so again, putting one of his shoes on his head to act like a goofball again. Nevertheless, her eyes are filled with tears.

Careful, Yusuke, your tough-guy persona is suffering. 

After the girl disappears in a flash of light in the sky, Yusuke's expression turns to a strange mix of quizzical and serious, and he makes a trailing comment hinting that he's got some new plans to be getting on with. 

Cut to what looks like an apartment building, where Kenji and the other girl he met at the bench are lounging on a sofa, the latter draped across the former's lap while he holds a phone to his ear. He says it's almost time to go see if his girl is still waiting for him, betting he wins this year with a laugh. Ah, I guess he WASN'T referring to the other girl hanging out with him when he said he has another just like our original girl - he must have literally meant that he was stringing another random chick along that we've never seen. What is WITH this guy???

Kenji is confused when he hears a click and a tone on the phone he was speaking into, then shocked when a new menacing voice floats through it giggling, asking how he can dare make a game of loyalty and trust. Shrieking, Kenji drops the phone on the floor, upsetting the position of the girl over her lap so she has to sit up in alarm as he draws his feet up to crouch on the sofa. The hand that was holding the phone is trembling, and he can't help but ask who THAT was. 

Another yell as knocking and tapping starts surrounding them, then more maniacal giggling. Kenji demands, unconvincingly, that whoever is doing this stop fooling around, but the voice says it's really just begun. Kenji starts trying to guess who the voice/strange happenings belong to, listing off a list of female names. The girl next to him suddenly questions just how many others he's been seeing and deceiving in this way, as if it's only JUST occurred to her that this might be problematic behavior. But Kenji is too busy fleeing to the door to try and get out of there to answer. It's stuck at first, but just as it opens and he can express a little relief that he's able to escape...

I mean why SHOULDN'T Kenji get a little Ebenezer Scrooge treatment? 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It was cute on its face, and it was unmistakably a good deed to help this girl have a good time to allow her to let go of her attachment to a very unworthy fellow. As a woman who has experienced the pain of being led on and made a fool of by a couple of guys back in her day, this one DID tickle my vicarious revenge bone a little. But honestly, ANY situation in which a bully buddies up to you to humiliate you in some way is applicable here - doesn't have to be in a romantic way. If only they would all get the shit frightened out of them by ghosts for treating the pain of others as entertainment. 

I did cringe a LITTLE when Yusuke commented on the girl's cute smile and tried to coax another from her. This is a peeve for a lot of women, including myself, because it indicates a certain level of entitlement to women performing pleasantries for them. BUT, in this situation, she was already really happy, smiled because of that, and only stopped because she was bashful over Yusuke's comment and became self-conscious, so he was just encouraging her to go ahead and express her joy in the moment. My cringe was really more of a reflex, and when I had a thought about it, I was relieved to be able to honestly conclude that it was about as unproblematic as any manifestation of this could get.

Kenji not knowing WHAT happened to our girl is still mystifying to me, though. I realize they're in a city, and there probably isn't a lot of opportunity to hear about these things without social media around yet, but really? Not one INKLING that something was up? Did he not have ANY friends or acquaintances in common with her that he could potentially hear the news of her death through? At the very least he should have had SOME curiosity about why this girl who so obediently waited hours at a time for him suddenly up and disappeared without a trace. I'm almost tempted to think that he DID know and he didn't want to seem like even MORE of an unfeeling asshole to his legit squeeze, in case disrespect for the dead was a hard line for her, but I think that might have been communicated in some way in the text. 

In any case, the only REAL problem I have with this chapter is that we just... never learn the name of our girl, but we learn the name of her tormentor pretty early on. We almost didn't learn the name of the little boy in the last chapter either, so I feel like this might be an emerging pattern with this comic, and a somewhat annoying one to me. It's not inherently bad not to name one-offs that won't be coming back, but it DOES make my job as recapper and analyst a little more difficult.

Inuyasha Manga: 304 Hijiri-Sama's Town

Wait a minute, haven't I seen this name before? At first I thought I was confusing the current reading with all my prior readings of this story, but when I went to check if there were multiple instances of "Hijiri" in Inuyasha's canon, nope. It's not my imagination, the island with all the flowers on it back in the Shichinin-tai arc is called Hijiri too! Well that's awkward. RT must have really been running out of ideas at this point to overlook the reuse of this one. From what I understand, it means "holy", but there must be some synonyms somewhere in the language for her to have chosen from. Or something punny. Remember when this comic was a little more punny? 

Those were the days.

With the door knocked in and everything. Not suspicious at all.

This is being discussed by a couple of women with naginatas appearing to patrol the outside of this castle, adding that though they're happy the mistress and her newborn son are okay, they wonder if it was a youkai's work. More like an ASSHOLE'S work. Inside, the mistress is still laying on her futon while her husband is cradling the baby by her side, who tells her not to worry, because he's fortified the guards all around the grounds. He expresses some relief that they were blessed with a successor, which suggests they may have had trouble with this in the past. I guess Naraku may have just taken advantage of an issue he observed after all instead of creating it, making him MARGINALLY less of a douchebag. Marginally. The master of the castle promises to protect his son with his life, as Shnooky 2.0 snoozes quietly in his arms. 

Meanwhile, his "mother" is questioning if this is REALLY the baby she gave birth to. She has a hazy memory of Kanna, and has apparently tried to chalk her up to her own imagination, but that's a rather vivid imagination she has, if so. Still, she's confused and uncertain about the whole thing, and the trauma of not only losing the child as well as a number of people around her, ON TOP of the trauma of childbirth, is probably not doing her memory any favors. 

Narrow blank transition panel! Inuyasha and company are moving through the forest, Kagome and Shippou on his back, and the rest of the team on Kirara's. Inuyasha is cursing up a storm, while Miroku acknowledges that they're stuck and don't have a single clue. Sango, in her extermination expertise, says that the nest of these flying vampire creatures would obviously be up on a high, rocky mountain, but she trails off. Kagome picks up the thread by adding that if Abi is protected by Naraku's barrier, then the nest would undoubtedly be so as well. Inuyasha scoffs that he'll rip the barrier apart with nary a thought to HOW.

Shippou leans over his shoulder to point out that he can't CUT the barrier if he can't FIND it, and Inuyasha yells at him to shut up because he knows that much. 

I should think that would be a familiar feeling to you by now - Naraku is never NOT leading you losers by the nose!

Kagome calls for Inuyasha to look ahead, he and his two passengers staring wide-eyed at an old couple on a high hill path. The old woman is sitting on her knees and insists that her companion go on without her, because she's absolutely done. The old man tells her to hang in there, though, not letting go of her arm to pull her along. Inuyasha and company must have met up with them, because there's some disconnected dialog about how no one knows when they'll be attacked by the youkai vampire birds, and everyone in the area is fleeing at the moment in response to a question as to their awful situation. 

While Inuyasha complains about it all coming down to carrying the old woman, and Kagome pointing out that it's always this way, there's a group of small children riding on Kirara now as they pick their way along the trail. Miroku is asking the man if they have a destination down, and he responds that they're heading for a mountain town on the other end of the pass, wanting to ask a "Hijiri-sama" for help and possibly get some protection from the birds. Inuyasha and Kagome perk up in interest, the latter repeating the name with curiosity. 

Miroku asks if that's a Buddhist priest, and the man admits he doesn't know, but they've heard a lot of rumors about the person. From Inuyasha's back, the old woman adds that no one has seen this Hijiri-sama's face, so Inuyasha asks what she means. 

Suspiciouser and suspiciouser...

Inuyasha mutters about how pathetic he thinks it is for someone to relying so heavily on a rumor like that. Says the guy who almost lost his girl to the rumors of a LITERAL INFANT. Sango asks for confirmation that indeed EVERYONE is heading to this place after hearing the rumor, looking a bit worried. The man answers in the affirmative, so Sango throws Miroku a critical look, telling him that they need to hurry, and he agrees. With some trepidation, the man asks what the matter is, to which Inuyasha replies with urgency that the birds show up where a lot of people gather. He calls to Kagome to get on his back (balanced precariously next to the old woman, I guess) and she complies with only a small stutter. As the group speeds ahead now, the man starts to apologize, possibly for his gullibility, but Miroku cuts him off to assure him that they'll be dropped off somewhere safe.

Some distance ahead, the majority of the migrants are assured by one of their own that they'll get to Hijiri-sama's town just over this pass. A shame I have no idea who said it to be able to hand over that chapter title award this time. Darn. 

Ugh, it's THIS little asshole.

Kagura walks up behind Hakudoushi, and with the most disdain that it is possible for her to express in a single panel, asks what he's up to now. Hakudoushi scoffs, and tells Kagura to look at all that birdfeed down below. Kagura kneels next to him with a confused noise, so Hakudoushi clarifies that all the people currently clogging the pass will be contributing every drop of their blood toward a path to the boundary between this world and the next, but this just seems to perplex Kagura all the more. I'm sorry, did I say "Hakudoushi"? I meant Haku-DOUCHEY. 

First time that joke's ever been told. 

Anyway, the vampire birds appear in the sky as a distant cloud, rapidly approaching. An old man in a hat looks up at the motion out of the corner of his eye, and it looks like he's not the only one who noticed. A semi-toothless guy cries out that the birds are coming, barely before the birds are already bearing down on them. The man in the hat and yet another man cower against the rock wall bordering the pass, stammering for help. A splatter of blood covers the next panel, you know, for dramatic effect. 

Aw, we never expected anything less. Cut it damn close, though, as always.

Sango shreds some birds with her Hiraikotsu, and Miroku whacks one into oblivion that was going for a man and woman as well. At a whooshing sound above him, Inuyasha looks up, and has to hop out from under what he identifies as one of Kagura's crescent wind blades as it slams into the rock below. She's indeed hovering in the air on one of her feathers, the vampire birds and Entei suspended a bit beyond her. Atop Entei, Hakudoushi smarms that Inuyasha and company are wasting their efforts, because they basically have a shit-ton of dactyls. Those are my words - I don't know if Sengoku Japan has that kind of mock measurement for a bad thing. Kagome and Miroku react to Hakudoushi's presence with an alarmed shout. Perhaps they were expecting Abi herself.

Inuyasha demands to know what this little bastard Hakudoushi is here for, and Hakudoushi tells him not to waste his breath too, because while they're focusing on him and Kagura, the humans are liable to die. As if to illustrate this point, another couple of people are being targeted by the flying menacing for their blood, and Miroku manages to slice through the birds with his staff at the last moment before they reach their intended victims.

Honestly, I don't know if it makes too much difference if they move or not, but they may as well stay behind the defense force in any case.

Inuyasha lets off a Kaze no Kizu and destroys a clump of the vampire birds. Meanwhile, Shippou tells a shocked Kagome that he thinks Hakudoushi is trying to keep them from passing. She agrees, and turns to the rest of the team to remind them that there should be MANY more people gathered at this Hijiri person's settlement, passing on her alarm to Inuyasha in turn. Hakudoushi chuckles that they figured it out, and I'm not sure which is more insulting; that Hakudoushi implies it's a feat for these dumb kids to figure out such a basic plan, or that SHIPPOU was the one who essentially got it before everyone else.

But Hakudoushi says they're too late anyway...

They really DO have a shit-ton of those things, don't they???

Miroku groans in disgust, and accuses Hakudoushi of also spreading the Hijiri-sama rumors to desperate villagers, which is the first reasonable conclusion he's come to himself for a while, given historical precedent. However, Hakudoushi says he wouldn't go to that much trouble making up a savior for these people, and speculates that this Hijiri person is probably a bland-as-fuck exorcist. He further suggests that the cowardly humans put the ordinary Hijiri on a pedestal to relieve their fear and give them some hope, and clung together. Some humans on the ground gape up at him, and I wonder if they can really even hear him clearly, given his distance up in the air. Seems unlikely.

Anyway, Hakudoushi says they just happened to hear the rumor too, and that's why they're here taking advantage of the long train of blood supply. Inuyasha has heard enough, and with a scoff, yells at Hakudoushi to stop screwing around while throwing a Kaze no Kizu at him. As per usual, the barrier around Hakudoushi ripples and absorbs the tendrils of the attack. 

Hope there weren't any humans hanging out where you were standing. 

Hakudoushi chuckles that it's a trivial matter returning Kaze no Kizu to Inuyasha, to which Inuyasha just curses in frustration. 

On an adjacent ridge, what looks like a small child stands there looking across at the smoking hole in the pass that Inuyasha's rebounded attack created, and the flying creatures around the obnoxious bubble hanging in the air above it. The child speaks to a cloaked and shrouded figure on a horse behind her, asking Hijiri-sama if they see what she's seeing; it's the same vampire birds that attacked the town. Silently, a bandaged hand nocks an arrow in a bow. 

Gee. I wonder who THAT could be. *Insert eye-roll here*

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? This is the first time in a while where I can say things seem to be progressing in an interesting way. It's been a minute since RT has had her unwieldy mass of characters fully utilize what resources are available to them at the moment, so I'm very pleased to see everyone at least behaving somewhat rationally. Our main group's speed in realizing that the migrants were in serious danger was believable, as was their revelation that the ones who had already made it over to the promised safe zone. Miroku's accusation that Hakudoushi had himself spread the rumor about Hijiri-sama was understandable, given how Hakudoushi's previous incarnation had fooled them all with a similar rumor in the past. It was also perfectly diabolical and calculating of Hakudoushi to spring on the opportunity the rumors of a safe place to move to afforded him. These are all really great actions and reactions, and blissfully, no one appears to be drawing conclusions they shouldn't be able to yet, or being excessively dense for the sake of plot. It's a miracle!

The only issue I have with this chapter is the appearance of our "mysterious" Hijiri-sama at the end here. It's no spoiler that it's Kikyou, no matter how hard the story tries to cast doubt on that fact for the next couple of chapters. I suppose it's a little ironic that a rumor confirmed Miss Kikyou's death a few chapters ago, and a rumor is now confirming that she is still alive. And I almost wish Hijiri really WAS Hakudoushi's fabrication, because the extent to which Kikyou's return here damages the dramatic nature of her demise after the destruction of Mt. Hakurei is pretty large. Death means even less now than it did before, if that's even possible.

And that panel of her above? The shadow that outlines her hair and face underneath the hood? FAR too small to fill out that whole outfit she's draped in. Or her head has shrunken in the miasma wash, and her arms have lengthened to an unnatural degree. She could almost pass for an internet cryptid. *shiver*

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 004 The Old Dog and the Boy

This one written by Hemingway or something? I'm reminded of all those classics still sitting on my nightstand waiting for me to pick them up and read them, along with the new novels that are scattered in stacks between. It's been slow going working my way down the list, but at least I've managed to schedule in some daily reading time recently. The biggest challenge was finding the time in between all the stuff I have to do for the stuff I WANT to do, of which sitting to read quietly is one tiny piece. 

Is it just me, or does adulthood get more hectic the older you get?

But I guess I don't have much to complain about compared to this whippersnapper without a body or anything to do but contemplate the suffering of other children in the world below. Sounds miserable, honestly. 

Yusuke is pondering the wails to "Jiro" on the ground, pleading for him not to die and leave the weeper all alone. It's a child who has flung himself dramatically over a dog lying just outside a doghouse, a woman hovering over them both with her arms crossed. The child is wearing a cardigan, glasses, and a simply AWFUL haircut, and is blubbering that if the dog dies, he'll die too. The dog, of course, simply looks a bit tired and run-down. 

The woman all of a sudden starts yelling at the kid, claiming to know he's upset, but telling him he can't just sit sobbing here all day long. She snaps that the dog isn't feeling well, he's old, that's just how it goes. I'm sorry, is your son's grief an inconvenience to you, lady? Clearly it is, because after he recoils from her completely over-the-top irritation with him, she ushers him out of the gate surrounding the house and demands he get to school, promising to call to explain why he's late. He runs off, sniffling and blubbering the whole way. 

Botan expresses sympathy for the poor boy whose beloved dog is dying and there's nothing that can be done, while Yusuke cynically comments on how broken up the kid is about the whole thing already, and wondering how bad his grief is going to be when the inevitable actually comes to pass. 

At the school, the kid is confronted by a couple of classmates, the bigger of them shoving him and asking what the deal is with him being so late. The other is dressed in a preppy shorts-and-blazer sort of outfit and demands who this kiddo thinks he is anyway. Are these brats seriously bullying a boy for COMING TO SCHOOL LATE? Well, I'll give them points for uniquely combining two normally opposing roles in these kinds of stories. The little preppy brat smarms about how he heard the kid's dog is about to croak, and with a smirk, the square-jawed brat sarcastically says this is sooooo sad. He then says it figures the kid would cry about a stupid dog, betting on said dog kicking the bucket as they speak. The preppy brat mockingly yells the word "die" a couple of times, laughing, and our original kid hiccups, threatening to burst into tears again. 

Yusuke's up outside and up a ways, but he hovers there in absolute fury because he can hear the taunting chants of "crybaby" and the wails of the kid with the sick dog. Botan placidly says that the sensitive ones like the kid below do seem to get picked on a lot, and that his dog is one of the few comforts he has in his life. With a mom and classmates like THAT, I'm certainly not surprised! Fuming, Yusuke growls in frustration and snaps that he's never seen something so pathetic in all his existence, having to walk back the word "life" for its inaccuracy at this point. He turns to Botan, asking why the kid doesn't just punch his bullies' lights out, and Botan replies simply that what works for him doesn't work for everybody. It ain't a one-size-fits-all kinda deal, this whole life thing. Yusuke scoffs and sticks his incorporeal nose in the air, saying the kid is better off dead, and Botan scribbles furiously in her gradebook to record that thoroughly unempathetic comment, sardonically calling it compassion. 

In an attempt to reiterate his position as a realistic one rather than overtly cruel, Yusuke argues that the dog's a goner, and there's no getting around it, he's old, it's his time to go. After a pause, Botan says that the dog is truthfully just on borrowed time as it is, his attachment to this world really the only thing keeping him here. 

Ah, the sorrows of our furry friends. 

Over an image of the kid running back home in a hurry, Botan says that by the time he gets there, Jiro will be gone. Indeed, the kid looks on in anguish at his mother standing over Jiro's body lying on its side. He calls the dog's name in question, and then returns to fresh terrible sobs. A bright ball streaks across the next panel. 

Don Bluth eat your heart out.

*Trigger warning for suicide discussion ahead* Yusuke asks about the kid, and if he would REALLY kill himself, and Botan answers that people usually take the path of least resistance out of all the many that exist. Then she jokes that there are also guys like himself that take no discernible path whatsoever, which kind of screws things up, and through a grimace Yusuke tells her not to remind him. Botan returns to a serious note when she looks back down at the house below and begins to speak on the path that seems the easiest for this particular boy, one that in all actuality is hard and terrible. 

He's sniffling and moaning as he's huddled under a blanket in utter misery as Botan and Yusuke hover over his house in silence a moment. The silence is broken by Yusuke, who suggests that they knock him down another path instead, or kick him down it, if they have to. Botan makes a confused noise, so Yusuke whispers his plan in her ear, as though there's anyone around to hear them. 

In the house, a door opens with a creak and the kid's mom looks through the crack into the dark room beyond. She turns to the father (I'm guessing), who asks how the boy is doing, and she answers that their son cried himself to sleep and it's best to leave him be. Certainly better than screaming at him for having inconvenient emotions, I should think. 

The boy lays in bed conked from emotional exhaustion, and hears barks in his dream. He's certain it's Jiro's barking, and wanders a wasteland full of stacks of stones calling out for his dog. The kid stops when he sees in the distance two figures, one humanoid and the other unmistakably canine. Shouting Jiro's name, the boy runs toward the figures with a fresh sob and the happy exclamation that his beloved dog is here. As he throws his arms around Jiro's neck and resumes his hiccups, the human beside them tells the brat to back off because he's in a hurry. 

It's Yusuke dressed in a cape and classic villain mustache, and it's absolutely hilarious. At least, from an audience standpoint. The kid is taking this very seriously, and jumps up, demanding to know who this stranger is and where he's taking Jiro, ultimately insisting that his dog be given back. Yusuke shoves him away with a command to shut up, and the kid flails backward. 

That mustache is TOO much, dude. And so is the sneer he wears in the next panel when he explains to the kid that what doesn't go up must go down, and he, the Lord of the Damned, is seeing to it personally. The kid looks horrified, repeating Yusuke's assertion that it was because of him in disbelief. Again, Yusuke's gleeful expression is quite hammed up when he says the boy catches on very quickly, and confirms it's indeed because of him. Grinning, he assures the kid that this dog will suffer eternally in Hell, his evil smile accompanied by an image of ogres milling around a big cauldron of human soup, judging by the arm sticking out of it. 

The boy is back on his feet, tugging on Yusuke's cape, begging him not to do that, because it's not fair and not Jiro's fault. He insists that he'll be strong and won't cry anymore from now on, but Yusuke just scoffs, pushing him over again and expressing skepticism. Yusuke says it's far too late, and empty promises don't cancel one-way tickets to Hell. Tears emerging again, the kid starts to protest, getting up to plead for another chance. Yusuke yells that the kid is wasting his time, and yanks on the leash to drag the mutt along with a shout to come along. Jiro whines pitifully, resisting, so Yusuke complains that he's had enough trouble from the dog too, and KICKS the poor thing. Yikes, even in a dream scenario that's not a great look. Jiro yelps, and the boy yells at Yusuke, grabbing hold of the cape yet again to insist he can't treat Jiro that way. After a small questioning noise, Yusuke shoves the kid over once more, telling him to get his hands off the cape. 

While the kid cowers on the ground, Yusuke turns up the drama some more and shouts that the dog is his now, and whether he kicks of eats the creature is his own business. To punctuate his point, Yusuke lays a few more kicks on Jiro, the boy watching in breathless horror. At first, he can only softly stutter for Yusuke to stop, and then...

Yeah, Yusuke, knock that shit off. 

The kid dashes forward and starts punching Yusuke in his fury, tearfully shouting that Jiro is a good dog who always made him feel better when he was sad, asking why he has to go to Hell, then asserting that Yusuke can't take him, offering to take Jiro's place if Yusuke has to take anyone. He doesn't really wait for an answer, though, and continues to land his little fists on Yusuke, who doesn't seem to react. He calls Yusuke a bastard and says he hates him, multiple times. Finally, the placid Yusuke smiles. 

Okay, that's genuinely adorable. 

Yusuke gets back to his feet and points at the kid, telling him that the next time he whines and breaks Jiro's focus on Heaven, he'll be back to drag Jiro to Hell again. Wait, are we not trying to make the kid feel a sense of agency by rescuing his dog? Are we trying instead to get him to push down his feelings and not express them anymore for fear that his friend will be tortured forever??

Considerably LESS cute, I gotta say.

The kid delivers a flying kick to Yusuke's chest, which seems to actually send him backward, while swearing not to whine anymore ever. He unleashes a fresh volley of punches on Yusuke, further asserting that he won't cry even when they pick on him, and that this villain will never ever get Jiro. Yusuke has to admit himself that this kid's hits are really starting to hurt. Who's whining now, jerk? 

The boy only stops and turns when a light shines from above him and a voice says that this is just what its owner was waiting for. He has to shield his eyes from the bright light, uttering a noise of awe as Yusuke sits behind him, squashed with lumps on his lumps. Another human figure next to the figure of Jiro assures little Shota that he's going to be fine. FINALLY! I was beginning to think this kid didn't have a name at all. 

It's Botan, of course. She says Jiro agrees, translating his canine thoughts into a message that he's content and can find peace in Heaven. Jiro's tongue lolls, his doggy grin looking absolutely sincere. Shota stares at him with a tear in his eye. 

At the very least, you know you're capable of defending yourself now, what with beating the shit out of the Lord of Darkness and everything.

The next thing the kid knows, he's standing up in the middle of his bed, tears still in his eyes, and making his dream promise in the waking world too. He looks out the window opposite him and thinks on his precious Jiro, who he imagines among the stars out there. Shota promises that though he'll miss Jiro, he'll do his best, so he asks the old dog not to worry and just keep watch over him from Heaven. 

Here I go again. 

Day has broken when Shota is asked if he's SURE about this, his dad and mom standing outside their home's gate as he's walking away, the latter telling him that he can stay home from school today. Oh, I'm glad she grew a bit of empathy over night and realized that her son probably needs a little room to mourn. But little Shota assures her that he'll be fine, and hesitantly tells her that he made a promise. His mom responds with puzzlement, so Shota explains that the promise was to Jiro, and that his bravely venturing to school today was equally for both their sakes. Mom sighs an "oh my", and lets him trot off determined to school.

He's still on his way when his name is called, and he turns to see his bullies from the day before grinning maliciously at him, chuckling and asking sarcastically how his old dog is doing. The little one says they have a great plan for when he dies, and the husky one says the plan is to chop Jiro up and put him in a dog stew. What's with everyone joking about eating this dog?? 

Shota is ignoring them, so the husky one reaches up to ruffle his victim's terrible hair, and Shota smacks the bully's hand away, much to said bully's shock. In the same motion, Shota grabs a fistful of the husky one's sweater and gets right up in his face, daring him to say that to him again, just one more time. All the dazed brat can do is make confused noises. 

That's right! Exchange tears for violence! That's healthy right?

The husky one just continues to gape and fails to form a response, but his friend shouts that they get it, a bit quicker on the uptake. A moment later, Shota is marching off once more, leaving his little bully to ask what just happened, and the husky one to wonder aloud why HE'S being asked. I'll tell you what happened, you pushed your victim a little too far this time, that's what happened. But they're kids and lack the breadth of experience to quite understand that yet. 

Yusuke and Botan hover overhead nearby, the latter looking at the other with pleasant surprise, expressing amazement at what just transpired. Yusuke says that the old shock treatment works every time, explaining that when you get thrown in the deep and it's sink or swim, you swim, stroking his chin in an exaggerated caricature of intellectualism. Botan sweatdrops, asking how that's the same thing, but immediately tells him to never mind, complimenting him instead on playing the villain to perfection. Yusuke puts on a weird kitty-face, saying he's been told that he's not all that likeable to begin with. Botan says that he's not THAT bad, but he laughs that flattery will get her nowhere. I suppose it won't since SHE'S not the one taking the life-saving test, and therefore has nothing to gain by buttering you up.

On the way to becoming as emotionally constipated as Yusuke, maybe.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Well, as you probably picked up from above, I'm not STOKED about the lesson they taught little Shota. I think it was a fine line to walk, and they crossed into less-than-ideal territory a couple of times. Showing the kid that he's actually strong enough to defend himself without Jiro around is good, showing him that defending Jiro and the other things that he loves is a necessary and important part of his life is better, but linking these things to refusing to cry? It's not awesome. There have been entire generations of men who have grown up believing that crying makes them weak and therefore consciously restrict their range of emotional expression to great detriment, both personally and in the societal sense. Shota should be able to shed tears AND be strong enough to stand up for the things he cares about in life, these are not mutually exclusive things.

On the other hand, I can see how Yusuke, as a character, would be sure to impart these values onto Shota, seeing as how he's the embodiment of them. He's got a "toughen up, don't show weakness" kind of attitude, specifically because of YEARS of having to win fights with gangs of hooligans, on his own a lot of the time, since his only friend and ally seems to be Keiko (so far). His statement about sinking or swimming seems like a hint to his own need to rise to the challenge that bullies were forcing on him or crumple under their abuse. And, as stated above, since whole generations of men have grown up seeing crying as a sign of weakness, even if you don't personally believe that, any enemies you have may use it as an excuse to lay even more blows on you if you are unwise enough to cry in front of them. It's a catch-22. 

And regardless, it does seem that all Shota needed to do was put his foot down in order to get his bullies to lay off. In fact, they appear to be trying to catch up with him in that last panel, probably even to hang with him. My hope is that Shota doesn't have to actually start hitting people to get his point across, and may even have made a couple of new friends as a result of just taking a stand. That would certainly be a nice epilogue. 

Random holiday posting: Happy St. Patrick's Day to those who celebrate!

Inuyasha Manga: 303 The Three-Pronged Halberd

I associate that kind of weapon with Neptune or sea gods of some sort, so this is just making me want to read about THEM instead. Or maybe watch The Little Mermaid. Engage with anything that isn't going to frustrate me about how the tool is being carried around or used at the behest of someone who so obviously SHOULD NOT BE TRUSTED. I mean, Abi really must be living on a completely different planet mentally in order to not have a single concern about what letting a stranger who has vague unstated interests in her business might be capable of in the future. There's overconfidence in one's ability to just murder anyone who double-crosses you, there's arrogance, and then there's THIS.

I swear, RT must have gotten some kind of reprimand or letter warning her not to get too gorey with defeating the female villains right before the Shichinin-tai arc or something.

Abi looks pretty amused by the suggestion that he's going to rip her apart, "reluctant" as the threat might be, and tells him not to make her laugh through a big fanged grin. She yells that Inuyasha is the same as Naraku - a hanyou - looking significantly less tickled by this thing Naraku and Inuyasha have in common. She swipes her bird talons in a great arc across her chest, which seems to direct a deluge of flames at the group below, and has decided to now express peak annoyance that she, the great Abi-hime, has been dragged into a little spat between lowly hanyou. 

Well, at least she can say she's hotter than anyone else here. 

A smattering of village men nearby gape at the flames engulfing their houses and the ground, stuttering that they're going to die in a defeatist way. Inuyasha calls to his friends to make sure the villagers are evacuated from the area, but Abi turns to order her lizard-birds not to let even ONE of them escape, and to suck up ALL that nutritious blood. The flock flaps to act on their instructions, and Inuyasha directs a Kaze no Kizu at them, wiping a good section of them out with a single blast. 

In the residual wind of the attack, Abi is alarmed, wondering who this hanyou is whose power she has underestimated a bit. Meanwhile, that one bird that was holding the spear Naraku gave Abi in the last chapter flies awkwardly over, some kind of light and swirling energy emitting from it. 

That's it. I've had it with these mother fucking barriers in this mother fucking comic!

Somehow, our main characters are much more shocked than angry like I am, gaping up at their unharmed enemy in that familiar bubble. Miroku, dumbfounded, is in disbelief that the Kaze no Kizu has been repelled, and he's supposed to be the smart one, I must remind everyone. Abi's hands has returned to a human shape and one of them is held out toward the halberd, her own confusion over the fact that it having erected a barrier apparent. At least SHE hasn't seen this a million times before and has an excuse. She recalls how Naraku told her that the weapon was made from his bones, and guesses that Naraku gave it to her so she'd be able to fight the hanyou below. 

Grabbing the halberd, she fucks off in the opposite direction, completely disregarding collecting the blood she was so LITERALLY on fire to collect just a few moments ago. Inuyasha runs after her, yelling at her to wait up, but she's already disappeared in a flicker of flame in the sky. Miroku, ever the Captain Obvious that he is, observes that she's escaped, Inuyasha swearing in response. Kagome asks for confirmation that "Abi-Hime" was what the bird mistress had called herself, but it doesn't seem to be a particularly important question anyone is really considering.

In the daylight, Inuyasha and company hang out in a small building, though it's doubtful it's anywhere in the village that was burning to cinders the night before. I think they would probably be crowded in with the villagers who rightfully needed it for the precious little shelter they had left if that were the case. Sango is saying that while Abi seems to be connected with Naraku, she also doesn't feel that the bird mistress was an agent of Naraku's, I'm guessing in the sense that she's one of his "incarnations". Miroku is on a roll with his mundane observations today - he says Naraku is probably trying to use this Abi person. Great contribution to the conversation, buddy. But Inuyasha seems to appreciate it, at least, since he adds that it's for some objective. I suppose he's glad not to be the only one being made to look dumb for once. 

Why would she be going out of her way to do a favor specifically for a guy who she thinks is dragging her into the conflict between you two? Come on, be serious. 

Miroku states that Naraku should be trying to get between the border between the worlds in order to get that Shikon shard in there, and Kagome is the one to draw the connection between collecting the human blood and getting to the border, though she seems hesitant about it. Inuyasha wonders if there aren't any other possibilities, and is unsure what kind of path this would be. The literal road to Hell is paved with... human blood?

Narrow sky transition panel! Next to the rustling treetops of a nearby forest, little Rin is squatted in a patch of flowers, chatting at Jaken about how boring it is to be staying put again. Jaken agrees, with a sigh, and just when I think they're commiserating properly, he glares over at her collecting a tiny bouquet and thinks about how he'd be able to go wherever Sesshoumaru was if he didn't have to sit and watch the brat. Somehow, I DOUBT that Sesshoumaru wouldn't have to just go off by himself every once in a while, even if Jaken was his only companion. 

A sudden gust of wind descends on them from above, causing both Jaken and Rin to look up, the former humming in question. The former also tumbles head over heels as the gust grows stronger on its way down, shouting in alarm. Rin covers her face with her arm, hair blown back, eyes squeezed shut.

Kidnapping 2.0?

Reasonably concerned that it might be, Rin scampers on hands and knees behind Jaken, crying out to him in fear. Jaken stutters Kagura's name, not exactly calm about this visit either, but he bravely brandishes the Nintoujou at her anyway, demanding to know if she's here to grab Rin again. Kagura makes a questioning noise, and seems to only remember that she actually did do that at a certain point RIGHT NOW. How bad is this girl's memory? Jaken yells that she's shameless as she looks around and asks if Sesshoumaru isn't there. Jaken calls her a moron and yells at her that if Sesshoumaru HAD been here, her head would already be separated from her neck. Entirely fair. 

After a lengthy pause, Kagura turns around and pulls a feather from her hair, muttering that she supposes that's true. In another moment, she's ascending into the sky, Jaken and Rin looking at her with distrust and SUPREME puzzlement at the same time. Rin gapes, stating the obvious that Kagura is gone, and Jaken wonders aloud what exactly she came there for.

The one other time you've brought a gift didn't go over too well either, if you'll recall. 

Kagura DOES remember that she couldn't kill Hakudoushi with her wind blades, and she's convinced both he AND Naraku are going to have to die in order for her to gain her freedom. Suddenly, something occurs to her and she recalls the time the baby she was carrying around got split in half, and how Kanna had come and collected one of the halves, saying that it might actually have been better for this to happen. Kagura is starting to wonder if Kanna's half of the baby has some role to play for Naraku as well, coming to the conclusion that it must. Surprising that she wouldn't have figured that out before now, but I guess she HAS had a lot to deal with in the meantime. Kagura further reasons that it has to be a role that is WAY more important than Hakudoushi's, because Kanna took it, in whom Naraku has leagues more trust than he has in Kagura. Rightfully, if we're being honest. At last, Kagura is convinced that there is some kind of secret involving that other half of infant, and speculates on if it might be significant enough to wipe out Naraku. 

Ooooh, I wish I could still cross my fingers for her sake.

Narrow night sky transition panel to the roof of what looks like a pretty large house. A group of people, three women and an old man, surround where a woman is laying on a futon, asking what's going on. Everyone remains silent, and looks pretty uneasy. This next part is pretty rough, fair warning.

Understandably, the woman sits up in a panic, and asks if that means her baby is dead, something the old man regrettably has to admit is so, clarifying that the child was dead before he was even born. She lifts her hand to her mouth and her eyes fill with tears as she stutters an ineffectual "no" to this horrible reality. As she lays back down to sob into her pillow, the woman immediately at her side cries along with her, offering her sympathies for this heartrending situation. 

It's already a severely tragic scene, but then the older woman sitting next to the futon suddenly freezes, her expression becoming blank in a second. She and the others sitting around the lady of the house collapse, light vapor rising from their gaping mouths, and the lady is even further alarmed by their incapacitation. She lifts her shoulders to peer through the semi-darkness of the room, too shocked and scared to cry anymore. She sees the pale little form of Kanna holding out her mirror, beyond the pushed-over door, the mirror still sucking up the spirits of the help. 

For real??? The worst day of this woman's life, and Naraku is basically manipulating her into being a wet nurse for his little hellspawn? FUCK THIS GUY. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It appears that the line of logic that the characters are engaging in is more solid - Inuyasha and company know that Naraku's first priority is probably to collect that Shikon shard on the border between this world and the next and therefore tentatively conclude that helping Abi get all this human blood is in service to that goal. Likewise, Kagura knows that Kanna is more in Naraku's good graces than herself, and therefore can surmise that the half of Shnooky her sister collected was a bit more important than Hakudoushi to whatever plans Naraku has going, but is still unsure as to whether this other half of the infant is so crucial as to bring Naraku down. Compared to some of the leaps in logic that the characters made earlier in the series (and RECENTLY too), this is DEFINITELY an improvement, because they are clearly working from information they already have instead of the secret shit they shouldn't. The writing indicates a little bit of uncertainty too, which is appreciated when characters are drawing incomplete conjectures. 

I'm also thankful that the stillborn child was treated with the gravity that the situation deserves and everyone seems to have an appropriate reaction. It does raise several questions for me, though. Did Naraku somehow know the child would be stillborn and chose to install his infant in his place accordingly? Did he CAUSE the stillbirth with miasma or some such thing so he could use this noblewoman as an appropriately posh sheltering figure for his demon spawn? And, most importantly, what is the OBJECT of putting the modified Shnooky in a noble human household? He is, after all, co-opting another youkai's campaign to gather all the human blood in the area. Wouldn't that put Shnooky in some amount of danger? It seems like it at least would create an extra variable with which Naraku can be fucked with, and that appears just a tad counterproductive. 

Not that Naraku hasn't done plenty of counterproductive nonsense before. It really is by the grace of RT's publishers that his stupid ass hasn't been obliterated yet.

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 003 Time for Departure!!

Wait a minute, I thought the goal was to stick around the living world, but we're leaving? Where to??? I hope it's not back to that crowded office full of bustling ogres directed around by a precocious toddler. Whether to hang out or intern, I feel like Yusuke would just be pissed off being cooped up in there, and that CANNOT be good for the vibe feeding his egg. It would be akin to an act of sabotage, because there's no possible way Koenma could not predict the massive attitude Yusuke would cop when forced to hang with him in the spirit realm. 

Yeah, I just hope wherever the destination is, it's somewhere CHILL. 

I mean, I guess he IS sleeping. NOW. 

Atsuko, strangely nose-less, chuckles that the doctor's baffled and says it shouldn't be possible, but here Yusuke is, sure enough. NOT in a hospital. According to Atsuko, for all the doctor could tell, Yusuke IS just sleeping and he could wake up at any time, but apparently it's also possible that Yusuke will just stay like this and not wake up ever again. Yeah, did the doctor happen to also advise you to put Yusuke in a medical facility to make sure he's able to get nutrients and fluids while he's in this Sleeping Beauty phase, so he doesn't STARVE to death in the interim?? No word on that - Atsuko just talks about how she BELIEVES her son will wake up, she KNOWS he will, mentioning that he did after all make the effort to visit Keiko in her dreams while his mom was completely trashed. 

Keiko is silent for a moment, before she starts to express doubt that it was a genuine message from Yusuke, admitting that it COULD have just been a dream. But Atsuko says that it was too much of a coincidence that Keiko was told in her "dream" to look for the evidence that she just happened to stumble upon at the same time. Keiko still looks a little doubtful, but she agrees after a pause. As she leaves the house, Yusuke floats with Botan behind her, a bit miffed. He's annoyed that she's questioning his personal message to her, and says that he might just have to visit her again to make the reality of his presence sink in. 

Botan asks if he'll have his "last words" ready for this communication he's talking about, and he begins to confirm that he'll make a believer of her yet, but as Botan gives him an affirmation and begins scribbling in a notebook, the phrase "last words" finally hits him with full force and he has to ask her to repeat herself. 

The inference of what you actually DID say might be enough to stop a weakly beating heart regardless, Botan.

Yusuke questions this sudden reference to "rules" and Botan confirms in a huff that he's not allowed to continuously communicate with people he's close to while he's taking the test, but this rule isn't effective until tomorrow. Yusuke's attitude is palpable when he suggests to Botan that she bring up these little details SOONER, but she's dismissive. She thinks (with some smugness) that she knows how he works now, and he wouldn't have gotten around to this until the last minute anyway. Suuuuure, I totes believe that this wasn't just a contrived rule made up at the last minute to impose some tension on the plot...

Yusuke asks how he should go about the message this time, asking if he should just wait until Keiko is asleep again. Botan says she doesn't see much sense in it, considering Keiko might just think it was a dream again. She suggests instead that this time around, he BORROW SOMEONE'S BODY to actually talk to her. She even does it with a little grin, as if possession isn't an ethical nightmare for someone in Yusuke's position. Yusuke, of course, doesn't see any red flags with this, even reiterating what Botan is suggesting to show that he follows, and even asks if it could be ANYONE. Botan tells him no, that the rules again dictate some strict perimeters, and asks Yusuke if he knows anyone who has a really strong sixth sense. Yusuke sweatdrops as he considers the question. 

This is a PERFECT reaction picture. I can just see the versatility.

Kuwabara's friends turn to regard him when they notice that he's stopped in his tracks and they're leaving him behind, asking him what's up. He tells them that he feels a chill, to which one of them inquires incredulously if he's caught a cold, but another of his small gang asks if it's THAT again. Quivering and shaking from that chill apparently still passing through him, Kuwabara answers in the affirmative, stating that nothing good ever happens when he feels like this. He lists all the things that he's experienced - will-o'-the-wisps, sleep paralysis, getting chased by ghosts - all of which are recreated in his imagination in... less-than-terrifying detail. The first friend simply says he doesn't get it, but the second whispers to him that Kuwabara has a really intense sixth sense, and receives an exclamation of disbelief in response. 

There's more disbelief from the Yusuke hovering nearby, but it's more the kind of "is this some sort of joke" disbelief. He mutters about how this is really TOO much, and as if in response, Kuwabara proclaims in all seriousness that he feels a ghost behind him right this very moment, which is of course a mildly annoyed Yusuke. When Kuwabara suggests that the ghost he's feeling is probably one of a lower life form like a racoon or monkey, Yusuke lashes out and tries to punch him in the back of the head, which of course doesn't work. 

Yusuke turns to Botan to complain about the prospect of taking over the body of this goon, but Botan tells him that she didn't say he HAD to do it. True, it was just an idea, and one that it seems Yusuke was kind of depending upon. He growls in frustration at Botan, who after a pause asks in a chipper tone if he's gonna go for it. Kuwabara freezes unnaturally, his friends wondering what's going on with him now, but he's completely unresponsive to all of their concerned questions. Botan tells Yusuke that he can go on in now, but he only has about 30 minutes as she holds up three fingers, because it's all Kuwabara's body will be able to take. Yusuke looks over at the sinking sun and estimates he'll have until about sunset then. 

Me when I'm daydreaming but I suddenly hear my name in a Zoom meeting. 

Kuwabara's head turns side to side, where his friends hum in confusion and suppose he's back, they guess. All of a sudden, Kuwabara BOLTS, sprinting off while one of his friends calls out to him in utter confusion, and Yusuke from within thinks that she should be home right about now. No points for guessing who "she" is, of course. 

Cut to where Kuwabara('s body) is running up alongside the fence outside a building with a big placard on the outside written on in kanji, so I'm rather useless in reading it. But, when Kuwabara('s body) bursts in calling for Mr. and Mrs. Yukimura to ask if Keiko is there, a guy in the background almost chokes on the ramen he's slurping from his bowl, so it must be a ramen shop. The Mr. and Mrs. referred to sweatdrop at the unknown young man who has barged in, asking who he is after a moment of bewildered silence. Kuwabara('s mouth) says he's in a hurry, and again expresses his urgent need to know where Keiko is, and her mother hesitantly answers that she's not at home, and is out shopping. Her father asks the unknown boy if he's a friend of Keiko's from school, and Kuwabara('s mouth) replies in a hurry that yes, he's Yusuke Urameshi, and he wants to know what STORE Keiko's at. 

The name he gives at first receives a dumbfounded pause, and after that Keiko's father is up and shaking a whole-ass MEAT CLEAVER in Kuwabara's face, telling the greasy thug to hold it. Before long, Yusuke has Kuwabara high-tailing it out of there as both Keiko's mother and cleaver-wielding father chase him from the shop, yelling about the audacity of trying to pass his ugly self off as Yusuke, the boy who has passed from the world, something they think is an awfully insensitive trick to play. They are throwing knives and china at Kuwabara while Yusuke insists that it's not what it looks like, although he also acknowledges he doesn't have time to explain. 

Shortly, he's back on the street and looking around in desperation, wondering aloud if he's going to have to search every store in exasperation. You really should have thought a moment about what name you were going to use there, bud. A figure shuffles up to him with a sarcastic little surprised remark, and a guy who is very unremarkable looking compared to the strange gang-members hanging out behind him identifies Kuwabara as coming from Sarayashiki High School, and someone who's apparently been raising a lot of hell lately? If by "raising hell" they mean "wailing about the death of a dude he had a very complicated relationship with". 

Kuwabara('s mouth) says that he's NOT Kuwabara right now, and demands that this nameless thug get out of his way. The nameless thug tries to be intimidating by cocking his head in Kuwabara's face and saying he shouldn't be like that, because he might have to get his teeth knocked in. 

And that about does it for him. And two other groups of hooligans apparently - the next panel carries a label of "Three Fights Later", Kuwabara('s body) looking left and right while Yusuke complains about the waste of his time, and how Kuwabara hasn't been particularly choosy about his fights. As if HE'S one to talk. He spots the tall blonde girl and the bespectacled one that hang with Keiko some distance away, laughing together, and is stoked that he's finally found a lead to Keiko's whereabouts. The girls look over curiously when he calls out to them, then scream and run in terror when he comes running at them. He's frustrated once again, demanding that they not run away and asking what's wrong with them, because he hasn't seen the absolute MESS Kuwabara's face has become during the last few scuffles.

Kuwabara('s face) glares after the cloud of dust the girls left behind in their flight, growling. Yusuke notices the sun has sunk about halfway down the horizon, and curses that it's just no use, because even in the even he finds Keiko, there won't be any time to explain, let alone in a convincing way. Just as he gets done internally despairing of finding her, he hears a familiar voice wondering aloud where "they" went in a bewildered way behind him. Kuwabara('s body) turns to see Keiko looking puzzled, and in a TERRIBLE cardigan, no less. 

As Kuwabara sweatdrops, Yusuke is suddenly struck by the fact that he hadn't really thought about HOW he was going to convince Keiko it's him when he looks like someone else. The sun is pretty much set, and Yusuke knows his time is pretty much up, so he desperately tries to think of a way to clue Keiko in fast. 

Coincidentally, behind Kuwabara, a man sneaks up behind a woman he knows and covers her eyes, playfully asking her to guess who he is, and she guesses correctly. It's precisely the idea Yusuke needed, and he directs Kuwabara through the public crowd to position him behind Keiko, thinking it's the only way, that she knows he's the only one who could possibly have the AUDACITY. Oh boy. I think I know where THIS is going, and I'm pretty pissed about it, to be honest.

Indeed, Kuwabara('s voice) calls to Keiko to guess who, and reaches around under her arms to squeeze her breasts. Keiko is ALSO very pissed, growls, and swings around, yelling. 

That's one hell of a reflex you Pavloved her into, Yusuke. 

When the red fades from Keiko's eyes, she is alarmed to find that she has smacked the shit out of someone other than the boy she should be aware is lying in his mother's house in a coma. It's real confusing. She stutters that it wasn't, but from Kuwabara's mouth, Yusuke chuckles dumbly that it is, in fact, him.

REAL CONFUSING.

Keiko is still haltingly asking if it's actually Yusuke in the next panel, so Yusuke points Kuwabara's finger at her and insists that it really is. I'm not sure if the boy he's in is shaking because of his strong emotion or if he's just fighting to stay in there at this point. He tells Keiko all about the kitchen knives he's dodged and all the fights (feuds that belong to another guy entirely) he got into to find her, so the least she could do is believe him. Keiko asks how she COULDN'T believe it's him, given that only HE could dare to be as big of a jerk as he just was. She also silently clocks the way he talks and his gestures to identify him, as Kuwabara('s finger) scratches nervously at his cheek and sweatdrops. Keiko starts to tear up, realizing that all these things point straight to the Yusuke she knows.

Kuwabara('s face) balks, and Yusuke holds up his hands in a gesture of discouragement, telling her to hold the waterworks until after he's gone. Keiko starts to question WHY he's... here, I suppose, and Yusuke hurriedly spits it's all the rules, for all the sense they make, that required him to use this guy's body or nothing else, then he starts panicking all the more at the sun's position being almost fully sunk below the horizon. He curses that he's got no time to explain, so Keiko's next question is if he's going somewhere. 

Yusuke begins by saying that of course he has to leave this body that's not his, to start, and then he's not allowed to talk to anyone he's close to, her and his mother, until he's back in his OWN body. He admits that he's just here now, behind Kuwabara's face, to emphasize what he already told her in her dream.

Keiko lets her tears flow now, agreeing to always wait for him. We get a zoomed-out view of her standing close in front of Kuwabara, indicating what the next panel confirms with Yusuke's spirit sitting in the sky above the scene, looking down at it with a distracted expression. Botan has appeared too, asking if he's all done, and he says he is after a short questioning hum. She says cheerfully that's it, and the rest is up to him now. 

Yusuke firmly responds that the promise he made to Keiko is one he's going to keep. He raises a fist and states that if he can come back to life, he could also start over and swear off all his vices, a resolution that has Botan staring in surprised silence for a moment.

Another link in the chain of confusion has been forged. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? On a level, this little rule that Botan drops on Yusuke makes some sense. When you're taking a test, there are always certain guidelines about what resources you can use while you're taking it. I can easily see how having unlimited contact with your loved-ones might be a little bit of a cheat for Yusuke, if he can so easily seek advice or prioritize focusing on their issues over those of strangers. Besides, spending all his time poking in on Keiko's dreams might be too great a distraction for Yusuke, whose first concern should be putting good vibes into that egg of his. 

But Botan not telling him until the last possible moment, making the excuse that he wouldn't have done anything with the information until then anyway, smacks of the author realizing a bit late that the character's trial needs some restrictions to be interesting and meaningful - specifically restrictions that will keep him from hovering too close to his mom and girlfriend. I don't think the beginning of this chapter was necessarily a terrible place to inform the AUDIENCE, but if it were me, I might have implied that Botan told Yusuke before, but he wasn't really paying attention at the time, so she had to put the fear of God in him by referring to the whole ritual as "final words" this time, so to speak. 

I thought giving Kuwabara some extrasensory perception powers added a little more dimension to him in the interest of contrast. It was clear from how he reacted to Yusuke's death that he was emotionally far more sensitive than you might have expected, but sensitivity to the supernatural/spirit realm helps to define him as more of an ally. After all, Yusuke said in this chapter that he's not able to communicate with Atsuko and Keiko, and there doesn't seem to be much of a reason why he couldn't communicate with the sensitive Kuwabara - they weren't depicted as particularly close before Yusuke's death, and Kuwabara's meltdown at the funeral kind of indicated a one-sided idealization to the rivalry. 

It's very touching the lengths Yusuke went to to ensure that Keiko was reassured that he would be returning, sooner or later. He acted like he was annoyed when she started to express doubt that her dream was a real message from him, but there wasn't nearly that level of irritation when he actually got in front of her. In fact, he expressed much more enjoyment at being able to speak to her directly, and any anxiety he was showing seemed to be more about the time-crunch than anything. Since he doesn't say anything to the effect, and there have been no incidents in that vein, I very much doubt he's particularly worried that she'll become interested in or be approached by another guy. His actions do seem to be driven purely by the fact that he hates seeing her upset and worried, especially over him.

But I suppose it doesn't hurt that she might spurn any outside advances until he gets back now. ;)