Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 016 Shadi's Challenge

There's something about a new volume that gets me pumped. All of the possibilities are exciting, especially since the last volume brought on the advent of multi-chaptered stories, all of which had very engaging content. We're in the middle of the most relevant to the overall plot of the manga right now, and it's got a villain that I really want to see defeated. REALLY. Shadi is ticking me off, and I don't just want him to lose to Yami, I want him to get a series of rubber bands shot directly at his nuts.

I don't think that's likely to happen, but I'm tempted to draw fanart to at least make the image tangible. Let's see if we can get an inkling of what he does get instead in future chapters. Commence!

Oh, I guess no one else can see Shadi in the corner but Yuugi. If that had been more clear in the last chapter, I wouldn't have begged Anzu to punch him. Her fist would probably have gone right through him anyway, judging by how his body doesn't appear to be entirely solid here.

Grandpa compares Yoshimori's grip to iron as he and the rest of the party try to pull Yoshimori off of Jonouchi. Yoshimori is just giggling like the idiot puppet he's become. Yuugi is still wondering what's wrong with Yoshimori to have turned him this homicidal and dumb. At the very least, he understands that Shadi is behind this, and looks at him questioningly.

Shadi is standing there watching the spectacle he caused, thinking at Yuugi as if Yuugi is going to hear his explanation about how he manipulated Yoshimori's mind room. In the room, he gave Yoshimori the purpose of attacking Yuugi's friends and bringing out Yami at all costs. Beyond that, Shadi doesn't know what to expect, but he is sure that if Yuugi can do nothing else, he'll summon Yami.

As Jonouchi's eyes begin to roll with his lack of oxygen and his fellows try desperately to get Yoshimori away from him, Shadi continues to inner-monologue like he's in a Shakespeare play or something. At first, all he wanted to do was his job of judging and killing the people who robbed the grave of the Pharaoh and leave, but since his curiosity about Yami led to Yami spanking his ass for invading the wrong mind, Shadi couldn't let it go. I knew it, I knew you were being a punk ass little bitch with wounded pride. He refuses to let go and just go back home, because he REALLY wants to see Yami once more to confirm that power for himself.

Dude, you lost. Get over it. Besides, I think you already got a pretty good idea of what Yami is capable of with that loss, so this is both evil AND pointless.

Yuugi is still yanking at Yoshimori's literal death grip on Jonouchi, though it's fruitless and Jonouchi is passing out. Anzu is thinking about how bad this is when she sees something out of the corner of her eye. It's a globe that she runs to pick up and smash across Yoshimori's face, apologizing to him as she does. A few of his teeth pop out. Unless that globe is made out of lead, I don't know if I believe it could have knocked out a guy's teeth, but okay manga.

Yoshimori flies across the room, which I also am having some trouble wrapping my head around, releasing Jonouchi. Jonouchi gasps for breath, coming to terms with his almost death. Yuugi congratulates Anzu on bashing the professor as Grandpa speculates that Yoshimori must be unconscious. Shadi just stares in shock. Why didn't he expect someone to do that? It seems like a pretty natural defense to pull.

Yuugi kneels next to Jonouchi to check if he's okay and he confirms he's breathing again, complimenting Anzu on her hit. She worries that she maybe hit him too hard, but my only regret is that she couldn't have taken a swing at Shadi instead. Grandpa and Anzu watch Yoshimori pop back to his feet again, reaching out to attack once more. He's still hell-bent on acting nuts, says Yuugi, as Jonouchi identifies him as a zombie.

Everyone follows Jonouchi's order to run in different directions to confuse the shambling Yoshimori, and Shadi knows that Yoshimori won't be able to accomplish his mission on his own.

Shadi. STAHP. You know when, in some shows, a character does something stupid to ruin someone's life, and tries to fix it, but ends up digging the hole deeper? That's what this looks like to me.

Anzu tells everyone to be careful as if they hadn't already figured that out, and Shadi picks her out for his next puppet. He's probably just trying to get revenge on her for ruining his first one. Shadi is such a little bitch.

Awww, it's cute in her head. Shadi identifies the mirrors lining the walls as like those of a dance studio and extrapolates that Anzu is very confident because of them. Or, she could just be really into herself, but Shadi has to draw the RIGHT conclusion about the character so the audience knows what to think. He also sees a picture of the Statue of Liberty with a pointe shoe hanging from the torch as her dream, but doesn't know what the picture of the faceless guy wearing the superhero costume is supposed to be.

I suppose I should be grateful you didn't spoon-feed THAT incredibly obvious imagery to me, Takahashi.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ahhhh... Man, you don't need to worry about THIS being the pathetic thing you do. I mean, there's a whole mountain of pathetic things you did before this, so it's no wonder to me that this isn't where you would stop.

Speaking of this not being where you would stop, what's with that weak-ass justification? She won't be like the professor in that she won't talk or have memories? How is that better? In fact, it sounds WORSE to me, and you describe this as lovely. You may as well have roofied her drink, since her beauty, silence, and lack of thought is what you list as important here. But I guess a roofie would have rendered her inert as well, and since your plan isn't to rape her, that wouldn't be useful.

He commands her to become a silent puppet, because the few things she's said so far are already too much for him.  Meanwhile, zombie!Yoshimori lunges for Jonouchi again, who warns Grandpa of the action. Instead of getting out of the way, Grandpa jumps in front of the rampaging Yoshimori, trying to remind him that they're friends. Jonouchi tells him not to waste his breath because he'll only end up in Yoshimori's iron grip. Yoshimori does pause a moment, though, before punching Grandpa in the face and sending him careening across the room, hitting a bookcase. Yuugi and Jonouchi call after him, but he's knocked out. At least they can see he's still breathing.

While they're distracted by the hit to Grandpa, Yoshimori darts for Jonouchi again. Yuugi yells for him to run, and he decides as he backs up that he needs to protect Anzu and Yuugi by leading zombie!Yoshimori away from them.

You sure you want to tell a zombie to bite you? Sure, Yoshimori isn't the kind that eats brains, but Jonouchi doesn't know that. Still, Jonouchi's plan is going great - he has the professor chasing him instead of Yuugi and Anzu. Yuugi runs to the door after Jonouchi and zombie!Yoshimori but is held up by Shadi speaking to him. Shadi comments on the quality of Jonouchi's friendship that he would be willing to risk his life to save Yuugi as Yuugi wheels around. Maybe Shadi should keep his goddamn mouth shut about something Jonouchi wouldn't have had to do if it weren't for him.

Especially when he's holding yet another friend hostage.

Yuugi notes Anzu's listlessness a lot sooner than he did Yoshimori's and asks Shadi what he did to her. Shadi explains that he manipulated her mind room to take away her voice, memories and autonomy, bragging that she can't even move unless he tells her to. Yuugi is sweating and shocked, and Shadi eggs him on, telling him to let the hate flow through him or something, in order to bring out Yami. Yuugi just stares in shock, tears in his eyes.

Shadi made a tiny boy cry. I want to destroy him.

Elsewhere, Jonouchi is still running from zombie!Yoshimori.Yoshimori gets his speed on, which surprises Jonouchi, but he manages to avoid being caught. Now that he's far enough away from Yuugi and Anzu, though, he's ready to stop running and let Yoshimori have it. He rounds a corner and skids to a stop, fist at the ready. When Yoshimori appears, Jonouchi clocks him and he goes flying against a wall.

Jonouchi asks Yoshimori mockingly how he liked the taste of his fist, but when Yoshimori remains slumped, Jonouchi approaches with the genuine question of whether or not he's okay. He tells Yoshimori not to wake up, but mutters a small sorry as well, thinking about how despite the homicidal rampage, he can't really hate Yoshimori. Suddenly, Yoshimori looks up at him with a grin that allows yet more of his teeth to pop out of his mouth. Jonouchi can't believe that he's getting back up again, asking why he won't just stay down while Yoshimori gives chase once more. They both look like they're straight out of an old school Scooby Doo cartoon.

Meanwhile, Shadi is still waiting for Yuugi to bring out Yami as Yuugi grits his teeth. Multiple commanding thoughts are running through Shadi's head; he's apparently trying to telepathically tell Yuugi to hate him, and to be angry and sad, and to pass beyond his emotions, pass the baton... mixing metaphors like woah. When Yuugi can only stand there and stare, Shadi actually uses real words.

Are you... playing with her hair??? What, didn't think you were creepy enough before with your insistence that she be silent? Now you have to be in some weird abusive boyfriend mode too?? This is on top of the obviously fucked reveal that you've set up a suggestion in her mind that she should die if you tell her to. The level of disgusting your treatment of Anzu has reached is over 9,000, I swear.

Although, those must have been the magic words, because Yami is on his motherfuckin' way!

I think that might be the coolest transformation yet.

Yami shouts Shadi's name like a warning as he poses in a showdown position. Shadi is smiling, having finally brought out Yami, and it only took threatening to induce suicide on the love interest to get him there. Yami glares at Shadi, and I like to think that he's imagining all the ways he could hurt him right now. Shadi announces it's time for their second game in as many days. Joy.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It was intense, down to its very core. The whole thing was basically the characters fighting for their lives, and I FELT it. This was another chapter that wasn't too heavy on the dialogue, which I'm always a fan of. Sure, there were a few lines that could have been taken out, here and there, but for the most part there wasn't a lot of unnecessary speaking. It was mostly action, which was what made everything that happened that much easier to connect with on a visceral level. The danger here was depicted very well.

Granted, it was broken up a tad there near the end with Jonouchi's ridiculous antics, but I can forgive that because it had to happen. When the experimental use of Yoshimori as a puppet didn't work out, he and Jonouchi had to get out of the way in order for the plot to move forward, and though it was silly, I don't see any other way for Takahashi to have done it.

If we have to spend a lot of time switching between the game and Jonouchi the Zombie Runner in the next chapter, though, I might be a little miffed. We'll see how it goes.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 015 The Other Criminal

I would like to start by saying this chapter and I have never met before this reading, so I'm going into this review blind. I made it most of the way through the last one my first go around only to find that I had a LOT to say in response, and wanted an outlet, so I went back to start again with the intention of writing down everything I was thinking. I never made it to this chapter, and therefore this review is going to be a bit different for me, seeing as how the content is going to be totally new. It shouldn't be structured any different than the previous ones, but my reactions may be more extreme to what I'm reading this time around.

I'm hoping this one tickles my fancy like the last one, but I'm not holding my breath. After all, this manga has a nasty habit of showing me glimmers of brilliant writing only to shut me down again in just a few short panels. I'm keeping my expectations low, is all I'm saying, for the sake of my sanity.

A serious plot point and foreshadowing requires some recap at the beginning, of course. No red herrings here, folks! Not that I'm entirely convinced Takahashi is subtle enough to be capable of those, mind you.

Yuugi also recalls that Shadi said something about another man that needed judgment for digging up graves. Could this be the other criminal of the chapter title?? Yuugi has had enough of thinking, because his head hurts, just before his grandfather calls up to him that something awful is on the news.

Is that picture supposed to be from the broadcast? The ethics of plastering a picture of a dead body all over the news is shaky enough to not actually happen in real life, but aside from that, it would have to have been taken by an officer photographing the scene from how close it is. Seems like this news station is in the habit of stealing police evidence in addition to being insensitive and stupid in mentioning a legend as a possible cause of death.

What if this guy has living family? What are they going to think about you essentially mocking his death on your network? Asshole news station...

Anyway... Gee, Yuugi, think Shadi had anything to do with this? He was the one who gave you back your puzzle when it was Kanekura that was supposed to have had it. Making any connections there?

Grandpa sads about how they just saw him the previous day. Yuugi brings the conversation back around to the curse the news mentioned, asking if Grandpa believes it. Grandpa says that they said the same thing when the people who discovered King Tut started dropping like flies, but it was actually a novel way to mock their deaths back then. Now the joke is old hat and everyone will be making it.

Though Grandpa doesn't know the truth of the matter, he does say he's a little concerned about his friend, Yoshimori, who was also an excavator of the tomb. This is where the clueless Yuugi recognizes the phrase "the other," but he doesn't let that on to his grandfather, saying that Yoshimori probably wouldn't believe in a curse and would keep chugging along even if someone else on the team dies. Grandpa tells him that he's going to take Yoshimori up on the invitation to his university office to encourage him. To hang in there? To keep working through the loss? To get bent? I don't know.

Yuugi asks if he can come along, and notes that Grandpa looks a little uneasy about the suggestion before he agrees to take Yuugi with him. Yuugi wonders if it's obsessive to consider the possibility that Yoshimori was the other person Shadi had mentioned when he was walking away. Not so much obsessive as maybe a little dense for not picking up on the OTHER clues that were right in front of him. Yuugi also feels like there's a voice inside urging him to visit Yoshimori.

Grandpa and Yuugi are walking out of the game shop when they meet up with Anzu and Jonouchi, who had also seen the news segment about Kanekura. Anzu expresses similar sentiments to Grandpa's, saying she was shocked since they had only just met the curator. Yuugi mentions that he and Grandpa are just on their way to go offer their condolences to Yoshimori, and Jonouchi says that the professor will surely know more about the death. Grandpa invites them along as well.

As Jonouchi is mumbling about how this has to have something to do with a curse and Anzu is rolling her eyes, Yuugi has a moment to think about their tagging along. He says he has a bad feeling and doesn't know if they should go. Anzu brushes off Jonouchi's talk about a curse as just his joking while Jonouchi agrees that he's not really afraid. He goes on to say that since Yoshimori was such a nice guy to show them the museum, Jonouchi is just as worried and owes him. Yuugi apologizes for being a little worry wort and Grandpa urges them along their way.

Yuugi is so desperate for his friends not to think of him as weird that he's apologizing for being concerned about their visit. This poor kid has so much anxiety built up around his assumption that the smallest misstep could send his friends packing, it's a little sad. 

Cut to Yoshimori, who is hunched over his desk, totally not trying to convince himself there's no such thing as a curse.

These fond memories are followed up by the hideous picture of Kanekura's corpse with the tongue hanging out popping up in Yoshimori's mind. That news program is a dick. This is exactly why you don't have graphic images like that on reports, you fucking assholes!

Yoshimori hears a thump and whirls around to find nothing. He wonders if he just imagined it, like he's been imagining things hanging out in the shadows all day. The only other thing he's been doing to occupy his time is wait for Yuugi and his Grandpa to show up. He's so caught up in his waiting that he fails to notice a familiar robed and turbaned person creeping up behind him like the creeper he is.

Shadi is commanded to judge Yoshimori by Anubis, but he wants to at least confirm he's the right guy by probing Yoshimori's brain for memories of the excavation. Well, someone didn't learn the lesson Yami so graciously imparted on him in the last chapter. His face was in the paper for his discovery; surely you can just use that to identify him? Someone should really take that key away from you, Shadi.

You're abusing it.

Shadi looks around and notes all the archaeology books and paraphernalia, concluding Yoshimori is obsessed with his profession. He picks up a dusty picture of Yoshimori with a woman and child, a symbol of how his work has interfered with his home life. Though the room is darkened by Yoshimori's dread due to Kanekura's death, Shadi sees a light shining in a corner that shows Yoshimori is waiting for a secure visit from friends. Shadi closes his eyes to divine who it is that's visiting and sees Yuugi, Grandpa, Anzu and Jonouchi.

How would Shadi be able to gather that Anzu and Jonouchi were coming too? I thought they just joined up with Yuugi and Grandpa on a whim, so Yoshimori shouldn't be anticipating them too. The key should only let Shadi see information in the head of the person he's violating, right? That's an awkward inconsistency.

Anyway, Shadi is shocked that Yuugi is heading in his direction. He quickly comes up with a plan to remodel Yoshimori's mind room and make him into a puppet before he kills him, to get another chance at a look at the Millennium Puzzle's power.

Okay, two things. One: Shadi, you didn't even do a trial on Yoshimori like you did on Kanekura, so why are you so sure you'll be murdering him? He may not even deserve that! Are you going to treat him like that poor guy outside Kanekura's office? Two: You're going to take over a guy's body, violate his autonomy, just to force some information you're CURIOUS about out of a tiny teenage boy? '

Conclusion: YOU ARE THE WORST, SHADI. THE VERY WORST.

Seriously, Shadi, just admit that you're doing this because Yami embarrassed you and made you all hurt in your man-pride and now you're trying to get back some dignity. You're pathetic.

Apparently it took all day for Yuugi and company to arrive at the university, because it's dark out by the time they get there. Hey, it's Monday, right, since it was Sunday in the previous two chapters? Did the kids go to school today at all? It would make sense that it was dark if Yuugi had to wait until after school to go with his grandfather to visit Yoshimori. But, Jonouchi and Anzu aren't wearing uniforms, and their interactions before indicated that they hadn't talked to Yuugi at all during the day.

Whatevz. Jonouchi doesn't like walking through the halls of the university at night, and Anzu tells him that he needs to grow a spine. They get to the archaeology department and Jonouchi blanches at a skull in a display case outside Yoshimori's office. Anzu tells him to get a grip before they see Yoshimori, or he might get even more down. Yuugi says that Yoshimori is going to inevitably feel like shit already, and Jonouchi shouts that he doesn't need to be told twice.

He puts on a smile and announces that they're going to cheer Yoshimori up. Yuugi reminds everyone not to mention the museum, but Grandpa is only thinking of the booze he can share with Yoshimori. They open the door and stick all their heads into the office, greetings bright and cheery. Grandpa apologizes for their late arrival.

Uhhhh... that's... mildly terrifying. Is this how you pretend to be someone happy to see their friends, Shadi? Because it's coming off as a little "first chapter Yami" there. He tells his guests to come in four times, which is four times too many, and Jonouchi says he's glad to be there like Yoshimori's wall-eyed stare isn't unsettling to him in the slightest. In fact, even after Yoshimori chuckles creepily and says he's been waiting for them, Yuugi and Jonouchi comment on his cheer with friendly smiles and only some ellipses to indicate their trepidation with his tone.

Jonouchi holds up a bag that he says is filled with souvenirs that he got from the museum the previous day and immediately covers his big mouth. Anzu berates him for letting out his insensitive jerkishness this early in the visit while Yuugi grits his teeth in tense disbelief.

Newsflash to Shadi: it doesn't count as your confession if it's coming out of someone ELSE'S mouth.

This is where Jonouchi starts to realize something is terribly wrong, I suppose, because he says that Yoshimori is acting strange. Took you long enough to notice. Grandpa asks Yoshimori what's wrong, to which he replies that he's a-ok, he was just waiting for Yuugi. Yuugi is stunned, so much so that he fails to do anything while Yoshimori takes way too many panels to dash forward with his arms outstretched and grab hold of Jonouchi's throat. To be fair, Jonouchi doesn't do anything either. As he's choking out Jonouchi, Yoshimori says he wants the OTHER Yuugi to come out.

Shadi appears out of a corner of the room as Yuugi and Grandpa try to pry Yoshimori's arms away from Jonouchi's neck, and gives them a stiff apology for the rudeness of the guy he's controlling. Please, please, someone, anyone, ANZU, punch Shadi in the face. Please.

Jonouchi is still having his airway constricted by Yoshimori, Anzu and Yuugi calling out his name in distress. Yuugi, though he should have taken a hint from Shadi's comment about a puppet just a couple of panels before, wonders what's wrong with Yoshimori, twisting to ask what it was that Shadi did to him.

Shadi does nothing but throw out a cryptic statement about how if his theory is correct, Yami should be arriving soon. If it were a theory, it would already have been verified. Use a dictionary, Shadi. The chapter ends with Shadi trying to shout at Yami to come out, and Yuugi staring at him in open-mouthed disbelief.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The details were a little shaky. I have no idea if Yuugi and friends had the day off from school during this, or if they were at school together but for some reason never talked. I also don't know how long it's supposed to take to get to the university from where Yuugi and Grandpa live. Time seems to be a bit of an enigma in this chapter, because everything seems to take a lot longer than you would expect, like Yoshimori's attack on Jonouchi. The way it was drawn out over four panels made me see it as slower than it should have been.

I'm liking how hateable Shadi is becoming, though. I thought he was going to turn out to be a neutral character, but in reality, he is a raging asshole and is fast becoming a lesson in how absolute power corrupts absolutely. I mean, here he is, taking over this guy's body with the intent of attacking innocent people with it so that he can maybe sort of see what kind of powers Yuugi has inherited from the puzzle. I don't know what else he could do to make himself more of a bag of dicks, except reciting Mein Kampf or something.

His rampage on the very spirit of decency should continue on the next chapter, which is also the beginning of Volume 3. Maybe he'll get punched. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll get punched. He desperately needs to get punched.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 014 The Man From Egypt, Part 2

What's this? Things are happening in this comic! Twelve chapters passed with only the smallest of whispers about what the Millennium Puzzle is, where it came from, and what the spirit inside is doing possessing tiny little highschooler Yuugi. In the last chapter, we got a few more whispers, and a cliffhanger ending that showed Yami just opening up his brain-home to a stranger who we saw kill a man with a couple of other Millennium items.

I just have to say, this may be a bad idea. I think Yami's murder grin has grown too weak to handle this new murder guest.

Seriously, look at that weak shit. He's even got a weak mole that makes him look like a weak Cindy Crawford. Weak sauce.

Yami tells Egypt Dude that the game is waiting for him, but Egypt Dude just stands on the threshold. Yami may as well be making bok-bok chicken noises as he teases Egypt Dude by asking if he's scared and urging him forward. Egypt Dude takes the bait like an idiot and steps inside. He thinks about how he's never seen a mind with two rooms before, let alone one with such a dark and foreboding atmosphere. Looking around at the brick walls with a band of pictographs running around them, he compares it to a tomb.

The conversation starts light. Yami asks Egypt Dude what kind of power he had to be able to get in his room to begin with. Pausing a moment, Egypt Dude asks a rhetorical question about whether he was an unexpected guest. At least, I'm guessing it was rhetorical, because I can't imagine a more stupid question if it were asked in earnest. Egypt Dude supposes he should answer as a courtesy, as Yami looks on with an unreadable expression. I like to imagine he's feeling some exasperation right now.

That... does not answer the question. He asked HOW you got there, not why you were there. Do you have cotton in your ears?

Egypt Dude goes on to state that he knew all along about the existence of all the Millennium Items, including the puzzle. He knows that for three thousand years, they were all kept in the Valley of the Kings, and were created by magicians to judge tomb robbers bent on stealing all the Pharaoh's treasures. All of this can apparently found in the Book of the Dead. Look it up. Egypt Dude used the Millennium (Skeleton) Key to wander into Yuugi and Yami's brain, the tool allowing him access to all kinds of personal information like personality, nature, complexes, social security numbers...

You are also a tool, Egypt Dude. A creepy, invasive tool.

He also mentions the other Millennium Item he carries is the scales, that judges and punishes the wicked. He knows about his two items, but he doesn't know the power of the puzzle, or if the one who solved it even got any powers. Yami asks why Egypt Dude bothered to visit HIS mind with the mind key, and Egypt Dude says he can see powers with his key as well, and wanted to see it for himself. If he's not satisfied, he might have to take the puzzle back with him to Egypt to show his family and fellow judges.

Yami doesn't appear very keen on this idea in the next panel. He says that Egypt Dude is welcome to look for the power that must be hidden in his room, but it'll be a challenge to find. He declares that finding the power is a shadow game.

Directly following this, Egypt Dude gives out some obligatory full disclosure: the key also gives him the ability to rearrange and even destroy rooms, manipulating or wiping out a person's whole personality. Yami is surprised at this information. Egypt Dude accepts the challenge Yami issued him, saying he'll find the true room.

Yami's smile returns as he says that the game may not be as simple or safe as Egypt Dude seems to believe. Because he's in the habit of not seeing things that are right in front of his face until it's convenient for him to do so, Egypt Dude suddenly gets a better look around him at the set of Labyrinth, with countless doors every which way. Egypt Dude stares in awe at the maze-like brain he's gotten himself into as Yami calls for the game to start.

Egypt Dude spends a minute standing there with his mouth agape and Yami gives him a little sarcastic push with a mocking inspirational quote about every journey starting with a step or some bullshit. Egypt Dude just doesn't know at which door to start, but he knows that behind one of them is the true room he's looking for. He just has to try each and every one. Sounds... fun... This is supposed to be a game right??

So, after much deliberation, Egypt Dude picks a door.

He immediately regrets every decision he's ever made.

As Egypt Dude contemplates how he might have almost gotten his freaking soul crushed by a literal booby trap in someone's mind, Yami taunts him again by asking if he's scared. Yami is a little shit, but he's got well-earned swagger. I mean, how does one even booby trap their own mind? Militaries all over the WORLD would pay big money to know how they can make their soldiers information-leak-proof. Cash in, Yami. Cash in.

Egypt Dude glares at Yami over his shoulder, but Yami just keeps his snark turned to eleven as he says that at this rate, Egypt Dude will be searching for a LONG time. Then he does a ghost ninja move and sinks backwards into a wall while he tells Egypt Dude he'll be waiting for him in the one true room. Egypt Dude sweats.

Complaining about how his literal mind-raid is being held up by the mind he's raiding, Egypt Dude is getting frustrated. Oh, poor baby! You're only trying to forcibly take personal information from his skull! Why can't he just stand aside and let you invade his privacy in peace??

He renews his conviction to keep searching this other person's mind for stuff he has no right to know but thinks he does anyway and goes to yet another door. Something about it makes Egypt Dude shout, but I couldn't tell you what. He opens it and sees Yami sitting on a stone chair in the center. Yami says hi, and Egypt Dude takes that as his cue to step into what he assumes is that one true room, but the bricks beneath his feet begin to fall away.

Egypt Dude grabs the edge of a brick that is still intact as he realizes this was a trap all along. He looks down into the dark pit below him, knowing that if he falls down there, he'll be lost forever. Yami walks over to where Egypt Dude is hanging and chuckles at the look Egypt Dude is giving him. He asks if Egypt Dude believes that he's going to give him that final push into the darkness. Yami, you're being such a shit here, I'm actually starting to feel bad for the dick who invaded your head. Still don't believe that you have the murder grin to actually pull off your joke threats though.

See? You've gone soft.

Egypt Dude hesitates for a panel in shock, but takes Yami's hand in the next panel. He sits on his knees, complaining that he had to take help from Yami, and that now he owes him one. Yami points out that this should be a lesson not to go poking around in other peoples' brains, and that he thinks it's about time Egypt Dude left before he gets really hurt. Egypt Dude concedes that he lost this game as he gets up to head for the door.

Yami watches Egypt Dude for a moment before asking if this is the beginning of their beautiful association, and Egypt Dude confirms that it is before he says his final goodbye and exits. Yuugi is hovering over him in physical reality.

Sweating and panting, Egypt Dude doesn't answer Yuugi for a moment while he thinks about how his intention to examine Yuugi's brain was turned back around on him. Yuugi asks Egypt Dude if he's okay, because he's pale and his eyes were going crazy a moment ago, probably not for the first time. Egypt Dude says he's fine. Obvious lie is obvious.

He stands up and says that Yuugi is an odd child, which is a rude-ass thing to say, especially when Yuugi couldn't possibly know what you mean by that, Egypt Dude. Jerk. Before he walks away, though, Egypt Dude brings out the Millennium Puzzle from the many folds of his robe and hands it back to an ecstatic Yuugi. Yuugi puts it back on, thanking Egypt Dude, though he has no idea where this stranger happened to pick up the puzzle. Egypt Dude says it's actually him that's indebted to Yuugi.

Yup, Yuugi comes to the unmistakable conclusion that this fucker really is off his rocker. Even as he's cross-eyed and goofy in the previous panel. Guess it takes one to know one.

Egypt Dude ponders the possibility that Yuugi is not aware of his daily possessions. Meanwhile, Yuugi is still giggling that he should be anyone but himself. Egypt Dude asks what Yuugi's name is, and after learning it thinks about how similar Yuugi and Yami appear in looks but how Yuugi doesn't know a thing about the other personality inside. He speculates that perhaps the power of the puzzle brought out a personality that was already in Yuugi, but buried.

He tells Yuugi to stay vigilant, because he'll eventually come to know about the other personality he has. Yuugi is confused, but Egypt Dude continues, saying that eventually Yuugi will find out what the true power of the Millennium Puzzle is, which is his fate as the solver of the puzzle. Yuugi repeats these things that he will supposedly discover one day with a shocked expression.

I can finally start calling you something other than Egypt Dude! Shadi chuckles about how he's never actually told anyone his name before as he heads for the door, leaving a sweating Yuugi behind. Yuugi turns around to look at Shadi retreating as Shadi is saying that there is one more judgment he must make on the other guy who dared to desecrate the tomb whose contents created the exhibit he's walking through.

Yuugi knows he'll be seeing Shadi again. What tipped you off, kid? Was it the Millennium Items he has that are connected to yours? The fact that he actually gave you his name when he never does that? Or was it the fact that he just basically admitted that he was going to attempt to murder your grandfather's friend that invited you to the museum today?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? This was probably the most enjoyable by far. The way Yami interacted with Shadi was, dare I say, inspired. He's simultaneously annoyed with the intrusion into his mind room, intrigued by Shadi, and a cocky little asshole to him, all of which are understandable and well-executed in the way they're shown. It was so natural, just like it seemed natural that Shadi would be so comfortable with walking into others' heads without a single thought, because it had never occurred to him that the inhabitant might fight back. The way the mind-fuckery was addressed was great too, because it's clear that Shadi never thinks about how his use of the Millennium Key is actually an intimate violation. He just does it, and we can extrapolate from his attitude that he's done it many, MANY times before. Yami makes him reconsider what it is he does and encourages him to tread lightly, reprimanding him for being so grossly invasive.

There is snark above, to be sure, but I can't truly say I saw a single thing in this chapter that actually annoyed me to the point of it being a legitimate complaint. This chapter is the most well-constructed out of them all, and it didn't even have the level of dialogue or thought bubbles the others had. It's a perfect example of how the visual medium of a comic SHOULD be used in a primarily visual way, without such heavy emphasis on the characters expositing things to the audience in a clunky, unrealistic manner.

I hope Takahashi has more of these chapters in store, because these are what reading comics is REALLY about.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 013 The Man From Egypt, Part 1

Lucky thirteen is straight ahead, and it should be quite satisfying. The name of the chapter promises a foray into the backstory of the Millennium Puzzle, which is a cause for anticipation indeed! I'm ready to begin the long arduous task of getting to the gooey center of this story, considering it spans a good three hundred sixty-something chapters. To be honest, I expected a lot more bread before the meat of the entre, but I'm not going to turn down even the small sliver of steak I've been offered here.

Dig in, connoisseurs.

Indeed it is, Yuugi. My nostalgia was dug up with this page too, because I'm reminded that people used to read NEWSPAPERS to get information about their world. Wow, does that take me back to before I was finding grey hairs in the mirror.

Chapter, you are promising way more than you can deliver right now. You just pump those breaks.

The chapter actually begins at Domino High two months after the story broke about the new tomb discovery, where Yuugi is telling his friends about the exhibition being hosted by the Domino Art Museum the next day. Anzu says it sounds fascinating and suggests they all go, before Yuugi explains that he and his grandfather were going to see all the burial artifacts discovered by his grandfather's friend Mr. Yoshimori, who invited the two of them personally. Yuugi is namedropping like a boss here.

Anzu recognizes the name from the paper and Honda confirms he was the guy who found the mummy. Jonouchi is automatically set on edge, because his anaconda don't want no curse. If the curse is anything like you thought it was in the past, Jonouchi, I'll take that off your hands for you.

With a vague statement about Egypt being super mysterious and junk, Anzu points to Yuugi's Millennium Puzzle and asks Yuugi if it was from Egypt. Yuugi confirms this, and Anzu then recalls the creepy information Yuugi's grandfather had given them in the first chapter, about all the people who discovered it having died mysteriously. Jonouchi is freaking out and asking Yuugi if he's cursed now, to which he answers no and reprimands Anzu for frightening Jonouchi again. But...

I've been waiting for this to be addressed. We got hints in the beginning chapters that Yuugi didn't remember anything when Yami took over, but this is the first time he's actually acknowledged the fact, even if it's just in his own thoughts. Anyone who has done their fair share of shots of Tequila (ahem) knows that it's a scary thing not remembering what happened the night before, even when you know what caused it. It must be many times scarier knowing that you're blacking out and not being able to say why.

But, he's keeping this information to himself, which is almost unthinkable to me. I would have to tell SOMEONE, preferably a doctor. The episodes are strange enough to him that he doesn't want anyone else to know, though. Despite how many crazy things have brought he and his friends closer together, he doesn't want to risk weirding them out with this kind of knowledge. He's a very open, friendly person about everything else, but here is where he starts to have trust issues.

Which makes sense, of course, given how badly he wanted friends in the beginning. Yuugi was lonely and awkward, and he was desperate for someone to be there for him, as well as to be there for someone else. That was his wish on the puzzle, and since he didn't know that Jonouchi was the one who returned the last piece of the puzzle to Grandpa in the first chapter, he might be under the impression that his friendship with him is due to the puzzle's influence. Therefore, he might view his relationships with his friends as tenuous and conditional on the puzzle.

He wouldn't want to ruin any of that, either by driving his friends away by mentioning the holes in his memory, or by having the puzzle taken away by a professional to stop the phenomenon.

I've got to get back to the story before I start waxing poetic about their outfits or something. Anzu mentions that the next day is Sunday so they should... WAIT A MINUTE. It's Saturday and they're at school? Do kids have school on Saturday in Japan? Wow, Google says they did until 2002. I'm learning so much more than I ever wanted to about Japan from research regarding this manga. Yuugi thinks it will be fun studying an Egyptian tomb on his day off, and I'm sitting here wishing I was learning about that too.

Yuugi and friends meet at the museum with enthusiasm. Grandpa searches for Yoshimori while Jonouchi raises an eyebrow at Yuugi's choice of clothing for their outing. Yuugi is confused, because apparently it didn't occur to him that it might be strange for him to be wearing his school uniform outside of school.

Yoshimori picks Grandpa out of the crowd with a wave, and the first thing Yoshimori does when he reaches his guests is apologize for not writing Grandpa. Grandpa brushes it off because he didn't write either and thanks him for inviting them even though everyone in in this situation is a shitty pen pal.

Grandpa formally introduces Yoshimori to Yuugi and pals, which prompts Jonouchi to pop into the frame and make a comment about Yoshimori having discovered the tomb. Yeah, Jonouchi, we know already, no need to remind us of information we got a few panels ago. In turn, Yoshimori introduces the superintendent of the museum as well as sponsor of excavation and exhibition, Kanekura. The scanlators tell me his name means "money treasury" so I guess we know what his motivation as a villain is going to be, huh?

Good job, Takahashi. Next time, could you use some subtlety?

Kanekura welcomes everyone to the museum, then leans toward Yoshimori with a whispered question about whether he's asked about that thing yet. You know... that THING. Apparently, Grandpa is in the habit of blabbing about Yuugi's puzzle-solving exploits, and Yoshimori heard about it. He asks after Yuugi, and Yuugi is confused that anyone should be. He seems to be confused a lot today about very obvious things. Kanekura asks if that's the famous Millennium Puzzle hanging around Yuugi's neck, with what I'm guessing is a little drool dribbling out of his mouth. Gross.

Kanekura grabs the puzzle and examines it eagerly, singing its praises as an inheritance from Egypt. Yoshimori explains to Yuugi that Kanekura is an art dealer with an eye for valuable artifacts, and Yuugi's subsequent thoughts indicate some disbelief that Kanekura thinks the puzzle is valuable. Kid, it's made of gold. I don't know if you can get more valuable. Kanekura requests that Yuugi let him put the puzzle on display for the day, but Yuugi isn't sure, because since it was assembled, it's always been with him. Out of politeness, though, Yuugi agrees to let Kanekura add it to his exhibit. Kanekura says that one day should be plenty of time, and his thoughts along the same lines take on a sinister note.

You... uh... go through security with that, buddy? I mean, I realize airport security is a lot more strict nowadays than it was when this was written, and Japan's airports were not affected by 9/11, but I have a hard time believing even lax security is going to just shrug off this guy's accessories.

Meanwhile, at the museum, Yoshimori appears to have brought his guests to the exhibit. Jonouchi asks if the artifacts all belong to Yoshimori, and Yoshimori laughs. He explains that due to a law passed by the Antiquities Department in Egypt, archaeologists no longer get to keep half the loot they excavate from tombs. Not even Carter got to keep anything when he discovered King Tut's grave.

We actually have something similar here in the United States, called the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, also known as NAGPRA. This is why it's actually ILLEGAL for you to pick up and take home genuine arrowheads off the ground, kids.

Yuugi says he thought archaeologists were like treasure hunters that were looking to get rich. Yoshimori says that he doesn't actually make all that much money, but it's payment enough to be able uncover history and information about past cultures. Kanekura excuses himself to put the Millennium Puzzle on display, telling everyone to enjoy their visit in his decidedly sinister way.

Watching the puzzle leave with Kanekura makes Yuugi feel like a worried parent, or at least that's the comparison he makes. Jonouchi tells Yuugi that he'll be famous since the puzzle is on display and Anzu suggests they get a photo of the display before they leave. Yoshimori is sympathetic when he says that he must be a little anxious, but Yuugi acts chill with the fact that it will only be for a day. As much as he hates to say it, Yoshimori gets the distinct impression that Kanekura is a somewhat selfish person, despite his having funded the project that got the exhibition there.

Anzu finds an old scroll with pictographs on it and comments on its beauty. Yoshimori explains that the papyrus shows the weighing of the heart ceremony before the god Osiris. If the heart was heavier than Ma'at's feather, Ammit would gobble it up.

Wait... that guy at the airport had scales... and now we're being told about this ceremony regarding scales... Why do I feel I'm being hit over the head with foreshadowing?

Honda brings up a parallel between the Egyptian concept of Ammit and Enma, the Buddhist King of the Dead, and they move toward the mummy display, which has Jonouchi nervous as hell.

Jonouchi, for real kid, cool your balls.

What is it Yuugi sees here?

... Disconcerting...

Yuugi decides he wants to get all up in this dude's business, and asks why he's crying. Egypt Dude explains that the tears streaming down his face are actually those of the Pharaoh, whose eternal sleep has been interrupted by rude archaeologist jerks. Yuugi notices the scales in his hand and thinks that maybe he's nuts, but Egyptian Man is appreciative of Yuugi's kind words. He pats Yuugi on the head and calls him a nice child. Yuugi throws a silent fit over how he was yet again mistaken for a child as Egypt Dude walks away.

Yuugi runs to Anzu with the news that he met some weird Egyptian dude, but Anzu didn't see him. Jonouchi interrupts by pointing out where the Millennium Puzzle is on display, and everyone rushes forward to get that picture Anzu mentioned earlier. Kanekura is already standing there with another man who is assessing the puzzle as splendid. He growls at their approach.

Bless you, scanlators.

Kanekura slips away without mentioning to Yuugi he's planning on selling his shit without his permission, which is probably for the best. Otherwise he might get called a cowardly piece of dog feces or something. Anzu has everyone pose around the display case and snaps her pictures, a couple just to be sure, while Kanekura thinks about having enough money from the sale that he can just bribe Yuugi with a portion of it later. The photo is all Kanekura plans on Yuugi keeping of the Millennium Puzzle.

Yuugi and company exit the museum, satisfied with the good time they had. Yuugi says he wants to go to Egypt someday. All in good time my eager protagonist. All in good time. Grandpa thanks Yoshimori for inviting them to the exhibit and Yoshimori gives him yet another invitation to visit him at his university office sometime, because he's so lousy with staying in touch with the written word. He heads to said office while waving goodbye.

The rest of the group is heading their separate ways too; Grandpa is off to tend his shop, Jonouchi is going home, but Yuugi is staying behind to reclaim his puzzle once the museum closes. Yuugi sits next to a pillar to wait as his friends and grandfather make their exit, with just a half-hour left.

Back inside the museum, Kanekura is admiring the puzzle and how it can earn him back the money he fronted for the exhibition, and then some. The guy he was negotiating with knocks on his door and Kanekura invites him inside.

That's some fast work, Egypt Dude.

Kanekura is shocked to see a stranger enter his office instead of his business partner, and asks who he is. Egypt Dude explains that he's from a family that protects tombs, and he's a servant of the god Anubis, whom Kanekura identifies as one of the gods of the dead. Egypt Dude further elaborates that he's here because Kanekura is a greedy asshole, who disturbed the rest of the gods, and must be punished. Well, at least Egypt Dude's authority is more believable than that of a 16-year-old boy.

Stuttering, Kanekura speculates that Egypt Dude is actually a spy from the Egyptian government, and denies smuggling any artifacts. Egypt Dude just sets his scales on Kanekura's desk and references the Book of the Dead's chapter on the final judgment of souls. Kanekura reiterates what we learned earlier from Yoshimori's explanation of the papyrus scroll, about the judgment process, so we really don't need any of this except the last part about how Kanekura thinks all of that is just a fairytale.

What's this? Someone OTHER than Yami dishing out the shadow games? Is he a spirit inhabiting another's body too?

Kanekura seems more shocked than the suggestion of a game would warrant, but that's none of my business. Egypt Dude introduces, AGAIN, the ceremony of the weighing of the hearts as their game. However, instead of weighing a literal heart, Egypt Dude will ask Kanekura a series of questions that must be answered truthfully. If Kanekura lies, the weight of his sin will make his end of the scale touch the desk. That's when he gets a deadly penalty game. Kanekura just repeats the phrase, not bothering to ask what it means before the game begins. Just keeping tradition, I suppose.

The first question Egypt Dude asks is a hypothetical about a girl who drops her money on the ground before she falls in a well. Does Kanekura save her or walk away with her money? Well, of course he knows what the RIGHT answer would be, so he says he'd save the girl, but the scales tip, and he's amazed that his lie actually tipped the scales even though it should be impossible. I'm amazed that he would take this girl's money without even knowing how much was there. What if it had been fifty cents? "Oh yay! Now I can get a useless trinket out of one of those capsule dispenser machines at the mall!"

Idiot.

Egypt dude prepares to ask the next question and Kanekura looks like he's about to shit his pants. Meanwhile, outside the museum, Yuugi checks his watch to see it's almost 5 o'clock and skips back into the building to get the puzzle.

HOLY SHIT ON A STICK, DID SOMEONE ACTUALLY JUST ASK WHAT A PENALTY GAME IS FINALLY???? I mean, a little late, but I guess it's better late than never. Or is it? Kanekura looks around him in confusion as his chair starts to take on a different shape; bones, scales, claws and eyeballs start to grow out of the leather. I'm kind of loving how horrific this is, actually.

Nope, it was way too late for the knowledge of what a shadow game is to do him any good. Egypt Dude introduces Kanekura to the inhabitant of what he calls a "mind room" - Ammit, the evil soul devouring Egyptian demon. His last question is whether Kanekura led his excavation in order to profit or admire all the pretty things he found. Kanekura deflects with a bribe instead of answering the question, but his side of the scale lowers itself to the desk anyway.

Egypt Dude declares that the only thing in his mind room is greed, and the jury is back with the verdict. Kanekura should have been more careful about what he put in his mind room, just like Sherlock Holmes. The crocodile monster with fabulous hair opens its jaws wide enough to hover them around Kanekura's head while he screams.

The focus is back on Egypt Dude while the sound effects are the only depiction of chewing and snapping. Ew. It looks like Yami is also not the only guy who gives grand speeches about why shadow games are lost to people who clearly aren't listening. Again, Egypt Dude says that everyone has a mind room and that his Millennium (Skeleton) Key gives him access to all the mind rooms he wants to snoop through. Seems awfully invasive, and a tad gross, but maybe that's just me. He continues to explain that Ammit took on a shape like that of his nasty dirty greedy mind room, and that this shadow game allowed him to envision being devoured by the contents of that room.

Anyone else think that was cool?? Please respond!

Egypt Dude turns to go, but something catches his eye. It's the Millennium Puzzle sitting on the desk that I guess he didn't bother to see before now. It was right there, how could you not... Oh, never mind. It's been completed, and Egypt Dude wonders how it even got there, if someone from Japan actually solved it. Who was it? How are we going to solve this mystery when we still haven't figured out who PHONE is???

Well, the one who did it would be heading in your direction, but he's kind of lost. Yuugi compares the museum to a maze as he tries to find the room the director would be waiting for him in to give him back the puzzle. I guess that's why Egypt Dude comes to him, carrying his scales once again. Yuugi recognizes him, and though he mumbles that Egypt Dude probably doesn't know anything about it, decides to ask him where the director and puzzle are anyway.

Yeah, that shocked look probably means he has no idea what you're talking about, Yuugi. Better look elsewhere.

Egypt Dude is stuck in inner monologue mode, thinking that if Yuugi were the one to solve the puzzle, then he has to have the powers that are inside, the same powers as his family. He decides he has to make absolute sure that Yuugi indeed has these powers and will use the Millennium (Skeleton) Key to probe around in his brain. In the meantime, Yuugi is getting creeped out by Egypt Dude's stares and mentions him crying earlier again, all while thinking that maybe he really is a nutjob. When Egypt Dude closes his eyes and concentrates, the Millennium Key floats out of its own accord and pokes Yuugi's forehead. He freezes with the clicking of his brain unlocking.

Egypt Dude, you a creepy peeping tom.

Shocked that there's two rooms here - though how else are we going to keep these two out of each others' hair? - Egypt Dude notes the childlike innocence that is represented in the open room. He says it's devoid of impure thoughts, but I'm sure if he poked around he'd find some porn mags. The other door is closed, but it starts to open of it's own accord.

This settles it. Yami's grin just doesn't have that crazed, wanna-murder-you-and-tear-off-your-flesh quality anymore. This makes my heart sad.

So, what did I think of this chapter as a whole? Well, aside from how needlessly often the judgment ceremony from the Book of the Dead was described, and how a few lines of dialogue just didn't need to exist here, I found it really fun. It's really cool to see this other character with the ability to inflict shadow games on people, and it's even more fun to finally be exploring a little more about the Millennium Puzzle. Now we know that it has siblings; the key and the scales have the same "Millenium" descriptor, and they have their own unique powers as tools of judgment.

As a character, the Egypt Dude (name still not revealed) still doesn't have a lot to him. We don't know enough about him yet as a person to distinguish him from his Millennium items. That might change sometime down the road, though I'm not entirely sure, since this is about where I stopped reading before getting the itch to start doing these reviews in the first place.

Then again, Egypt Dude's punishments give him at least one clear dimension: he is Yami on steroids when it comes to punishments. I keep referencing Chapter 6 as the quintessential example of a punishment being disproportionate to the crime, but I might have to start referencing this one instead. Egypt Dude not only sentenced Kanekura for digging up a grave, but also killed that guy outside his office without even challenging him to a game. We don't know anything about that foreign guy who was going to buy the puzzle. He might have been entirely innocent. But does that matter to Egypt Dude? Noooooooo.

He wasn't Japanese so he doesn't matter anyway, right Takahashi?

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 012 The Cruel Gang, Part 2

Is it time for part two already? When I said the one-shots were drudgery a few chapters back, I meant it. Though the stories are longer with the two-shots, I feel like they're going by a lot faster. It's an illusion caused by the more engaging material, I'm sure. There's a lot more going on in the two I've read so far, and I'm having no trouble getting invested in what happens. Not to mention, the stakes for this one are quite a bit more crucial to the main characters than in previous chapters, so I'm on the edge of my seat. Let's get it going.

Previously, on Yu-Gi-Oh! Yuugi and his friends race against time to get Jonouchi back! Jonouchi won't ever forgive Doofy Glasses Kid for hurting his buddy! He's surrounded by the gang, who will punish him for his betrayal, maybe even kill him! Will he escape? Will Yuugi and company arrive in time? Did Doofy Glasses Kid have some fashion sense knocked into him? Find out, on this episode of Yu-Gi-Oh!

Also, it looks like rain.

Jonouchi SAYS that the gang's plans to punish him are great, but the five to one odds don't actually look great to him. One of them throws the first punch, which Jonouchi dodges without even flinching. He knees his attacker in the face and punches him, but doesn't realize someone else has snuck up behind him. He's hit on the back of the head and is knocked off his feet while Hirutani looks on in disinterest. I swear, a bomb could go off in that guy's face and he'd have the exact same expression.

The gang member who bashed Jonouchi from behind encourages his fellows to help him finish beating the shit out of Jonouchi, and the sound effects are plastered over a panel that has speed lines overlaid on a picture of a... duct in a room? Not sure.

Once Jonouchi is restrained, Hirutani stands to order his lackeys to bring their misbehaving miscreant to what he calls the "execution grounds."

Are you guys serious right now? You were in an alley right next to the bar when Honda beat that guy up, and it took you this long to reach the entrance? How? Were you running in dramatic slow motion? How is time supposed to work here? Given how the events are presented, we have the gang member coming out of the bar, being beaten by Honda, and confessing why Jonouchi was in the gang now. Then Jonouchi starts some shit and is beaten up in the bar. Do these events overlap? Did the beating of the random gang member that came out of the bar last a LOT longer than I thought? Because if not, this isn't making much sense.

Anyhow, Yuugi is thinking about how they have to save Jonouchi when Honda tells them to stay behind in the rain. Yuugi begins to protest, but Honda rightly says he can't be preforming a video game escort mission with Yuugi and Anzu while he's fighting the boss. He reassures Yuugi that they're still friends, but he anticipates the fight to be a doozy. Ignoring Yuugi's call after him, Honda launches himself down the stairs with an announcement that he's on his way.

He kicks open the door, shouting that he's there to take Jonouchi back home, and finds the bar empty. Well, except for Doofy Glasses Kid, who was apparently laying there knocked out while his brethren took Jonouchi from the building. Honda shakes him by his collar, trying to wake him up, but birds are still circling his head.

Good question. Shouldn't you have seen them leave? You were right outside! The only explanation would be that there's a back door, but why would they have taken that instead? It's not like anyone's going to challenge them at the main entrance, considering how the last chapter had them kicking around that guy in the suit without anyone confronting them except Yuugi and company. Hell, this bar doesn't even seem to have a proprietor that could call the police on them! It's empty!

Where are the ADULTS???

Honda goes back out to inform Yuugi and Anzu that Jonouchi wasn't in the bar. Yuugi asks where Jonouchi could be otherwise, but Honda doesn't have a clue. He mentions that it looks like there was a fight, but other than that, he can only say things look pretty bad. Anzu says they have to find Jonouchi, and suggests they all split up to search the area. Honda agrees to this plan on the condition that if either Yuugi or Anzu find Jonouchi first, they have to come get him. He's not comfortable with the idea of either of them fighting Hirutani's gang.

That's very responsible of you, Honda. But how would they find you again after you split up? No one thinks about this, running off in different directions in search of Jonouchi. Meanwhile, off in some random warehouse...

Mordecai was less of a unrestricted smartass than Jonouchi. It's no wonder the pummeling continues after a pause from Hirutani, whose face is shadowed. Hirutani talks about how Jonouchi is the same as he always was, so hatefully similar to Hirutani himself. He reminisces about the good old days when he and Jonouchi were partners, with lackeys and cred. However, Hirutani could never keep Jonouchi in his place as his underling.

Were you partners, or was he a lower-ranking member, Hirutani? Make up your mind. Jonouchi understands that the only reason he's there is so he can be broken and Hirutani can exert his authority and dominance, but that end hasn't been accomplished just yet. He says their lesson was too light to even stick in his mind, though their faces definitely have, so he encourages them to make a greater effort. Hirutani tells Jonouchi there's more in store, a whole meal of all the pain he can eat. Jonouchi looks on in horror at the new tool they bring out.

No! Don't taze him, bro! The kid with the spiked head makes a move to offer Jonouchi a little sample of the electricity, but Jonouchi kicks him in the face before he can make contact. Spiked Head collapses onto his back while his fellow gang members advance on Jonouchi, one of them pressing a taser into his neck. Jonouchi screams.

Yuugi is running around in the rain, calling out for Jonouchi. He grabs the Millennium Puzzle and thinks if he wishes hard enough, maybe it will lead him to Jonouchi. I don't know why you would think that, but whatever. Yuugi wishes his hardest, prompting Yami to take over.

Back at the warehouse, the rain is coming down just as hard and pouring through a hole in the roof onto a random drum. The kid Jonouchi kicked earlier is lying in a puddle at the base. Jonouchi is still hanging from the rope by his arms, but he's limp and not fighting anymore. One of the gang members mentions to Hirutani that Jonouchi isn't even screaming anymore and his whole body is twitching, suggesting that they've tortured him enough. But Hirutani urges him to continue, though he is warned Jonouchi will probably die.

One of the gang members asks who Yami is, and Hirutani recognizes him as the kid who came to get Jonouchi in the last chapter. Another nameless punk punches Yami in the face while telling him their warehouse isn't a place for a child, sending him flying into a tire propped against the nearby drum. The henchman laughs at how weak Yami is for someone trying to save his friend.

Yami isn't listening as he picks up a metal wall shelf support and attaches his puzzle to a nearby chain. He challenges the gang to a game, and they look at him with confusion.

The greaser member of the gang laughs and assumes that Yami is bluffing. He prepares to switch on his taser to thrust it at Yami when Hirutani stops him. He explains that because Yami lured them into the rain and a puddle by letting the greaser punch him, they would get electrocuted if they used their tasers. Yami looks shocked that Hirutani managed to figure it out, and Hirutani laughs as he concludes that though the switch is their stun guns, they can still murder him with their fists. He declares that they won the game as his thugs advance on Yami.

Yami has a smile back on when he states that they still haven't found the switch that is so close to flipping, so they actually lose. Hirutani is confused once more, until he looks down to find Spiky Head waking up, with his arm propped precariously on the shelf support that Yami picked up before. Yami's puzzle is dripping rousing water on Spiky Head's face, and he's coming to. Hirutani shouts at him not to wake up, which of course has the exact opposite effect. Drowsy Spiky Head moves his arm just enough for it to fall down into the water.

Ouch.

Honda and Anzu run by the hole in the warehouse wall to find Yuugi kneeling by a conked out Jonouchi. No gang members are in sight. They race into the building, Honda asking what happened while Anzu expresses relief that Yuugi is okay.

Jonouchi comes to slowly, seeing Yuugi hovering over him. Yuugi grins as Jonouchi recognizes him and suggests that they go home. I happen to think an ambulance would be the far better option, but if everything I thought should happen in this story happened, Jonouchi probably wouldn't be electrocuted to begin with. Jonouchi sits up and grips Yuugi's shoulders in a manly almost-but-not-really-hug. This is truly a bromance for the ages.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? As per the standard set by its predecessor, this chapter was addressing some serious subject matter. Jonouchi went from being essentially blackmailed to being assaulted and tortured, all of which were dire situations for him to face. It was intense and emotionally evocative to see Jonouchi getting the taser to the neck, but it was even more so seeing him hang limp and semi-conscious from the rope. There wasn't a lot shown, but there didn't need to be. Switching between Jonouchi's torture and Yuugi's desperate searching, the scene carried so much more weight than shock value (pun intended).

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get past the fact that adult authorities were as absent in this story as they were in Chapter 6. It's conspicuous when people who could have interfered or even prevented a lot of the things that happened here are just MISSING. It was especially egregious in the bar. Where was the unscrupulous owner who let underage thugs in? Why were they allowing the gang use of this space? What were their feelings on the brawl that happened in the middle of the bar? Delighted, angry, indifferent? If they had been there, would they have called the police? Rather than deal with all these questions and come up with a plausible answer, Takahashi just neglected establishing the existence of someone in charge altogether, and it was the elephant in the room I just couldn't get over.

That makes the chapter split down the middle between a hit and a miss for me. It did what it was meant to do very well, insofar as the specific scenes the story was written around go. But when it came to depicting the realities surrounding the situation and the inevitability of an authority at least TRYING to crack down on the violence the gang was perpetrating, the details were just not there, and it broke my suspension of disbelief.

Although, there may be another explanation. With all this crazy shit going on in Domino, it's possible that people just don't make it to adulthood very often.

Well, that's a depressing thought.