Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 011 The Cruel Gang, Part 1

Here comes another two-parter! After the last one, I'm excited, because it solidified my suspicions that maybe Takahashi just needs more space to come out with more substantive stories. True, there were still issues with the last two chapters, and they were a lot of the same ones I complained about in the one-shots. However, I realize that every writer has their weaknesses, and it may take a while for progress to be made on those little things. I also want to give credit where credit is due on how well Takahashi made me focus less on those little mistakes in unneeded dialogue and cheap drama tactics and more on the general picture as it was presented.

Which means this chapter has big shoes to fill. Let's test those out with a walk into Chapter 11.

WHAT?? Jonouchi is MISSING?? After Yuugi had an otherwise normal morning of taking the bus to school and greeting his classmates, THIS HAPPENS?

Let's be real here, Jonouchi is probably doing more productive things. No one actually seems to learn here anyway. Hell, with the only teacher we ever met being a vain psychopath, he'll probably be better at learning outside this useless place.

Honda is freaking out that Jonouchi is gone, because he can't be sick. Jonouchi never gets sick, though he's terrible at tests. I don't know what these two things have to do with one another; maybe Honda is suggesting that Jonouchi traded the talent he could have had for tests for immunity to all diseases in a deal with some demonic entity? Now that's an idea... Headcanon.

Yuugi notes that this is indeed the first time Jonouchi hasn't shown up for school, and asks if Honda has any idea where he might be. No, Yuugi, why would he be tearing his hair out if he did? Honda doesn't even know how to contact Jonouchi, and Anzu complains about how he keeps to himself too often.

Is this the same big-mouthed Jonouchi that you referenced in the chapter revealing you had an illegal job, Anzu? So he's both unable to keep a secret and mysterious. How does THAT work?

Honda knows where Jonouchi lives, at least, so they all make plans to check on him after school. On their way, Yuugi asks Honda if it's true that he's known Jonouchi since middle school. Honda confirms this, but says that Jonouchi inviting him over was a rare occurrence. In fact, he says he was only there once as they arrive, but still knows exactly where to go. His memory is on point, which means he must have traded something else for it in a deal with the devil. Headcanon.

They all file up to the door and Honda pounds on it, but no one answers. He decides to try the door, and finds it's unlocked. He was under the impression that Jonouchi's family worked at this time, and out of curiosity opens the door wider to take a look. All three of them lean in to peek.

Well, that was a strangely specific comment out of someone who had no reason to be expositing that particular information right now. How convenient.

In my review of the first chapter, I made a vague statement about how there was a reason Jonouchi would be disdainful toward Yuugi's fanciful thinking about the Millennium Puzzle. Regardless of the clumsy way in which this useless information about Jonouchi not having been home for several days is given to us, the visual part of this is very important to helping the audience to understand Jonouchi a bit better.

His father is an alcoholic, and after Jonouchi's three friends flee the apartment, Honda explains that he's been that way for a long time. Long enough to make Jonouchi avoid inviting people over whenever possible. Judging by how his father carelessly threw that bottle at the door suggests he's also on the abusive side. In previous chapters, Jonouchi has been plucky when out and about with Yuugi, which gives me the impression that's his natural disposition, but he quashed it as a self-defense mechanism to stifle his disappointment with a positive view, always being let down.

It's amazing to me how resilient Jonouchi is, as a person. After all that bullying, punishing the behavior he saw in himself to the extent of punishing it in others as well, he was able to bounce back and become light-hearted in the presence of his friends. I don't know if this speaks to Jonouchi's strength despite his circumstances, or Yuugi's ability to instill a light touch of hope on everyone he befriends; probably both and more that hasn't come up yet in the story. But, I do know this is a welcome dimension to a character that, thus far, has been a bit of a joke.

Getting back to the chapter, Anzu and Yuugi are left speechless by what Honda says a moment, but neither comments on it. They know he's not at home, so decide to keep looking elsewhere. After wandering around for a couple of panels, Honda curses how Jonouchi isn't where they're currently standing either and Anzu says that he isn't in his usual spots.

Yuugi hangs his head, and Honda offers to keep searching on his own so the other two can go home. He promises that Jonouchi will be found by the next morning, though Yuugi still seems sad as he agrees. Anzu tells him not to worry and that it's okay while they turn to go home, but at that moment they hear a shout. Someone in a suit walked into a bunch of imposing high school students who yell at him to watch where he's going. The little guy apologizes and is told that his apology will only be accepted if he has some money.

Honda identifies their uniforms as the style of another school, Rintama High School. Everyone at that school is the same, according to him, and he suggests they walk away. However, Yuugi points at one of the kids in the crowd who is now kicking at the guy in the suit as he's curled on the ground.

Yup, that's definitely Jonouchi's hair, and those overpriced shoes he bought a little while ago. Honda wonders what he's doing with the Rintama kids as one of those kids confirms Yuugi's recognition by calling out to Jonouchi, inviting him back to their base at the "J's" Bar. Yuugi rushes forward, despite a lackluster warning from Honda, and tries to get Jonouchi's attention, without using his name, I guess. He asks why Jonouchi wasn't in school and why his hanging with a bunch of thugs. Jonouchi is turned away and his face is shaded.

A kid with the doofiest looking glasses I've ever seen asks Jonouchi if he knows the kid who's trying to talk to him. That cigarette he's using to try and make himself look cool is only making the mishmash of accessories staggering in how terrible they look. Jonouchi denies that he knows Yuugi, but Yuugi doesn't give up calling to Jonouchi so easily.

Another guy with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth comes up to Jonouchi and calls him soft, and if he wants to go to Rintama with them, he needs to ditch the kid from Domino High. Honda is shocked, because he recognizes this guy - Hirutani, whom Jonouchi hung out with in middle school. He doesn't understand why Jonouchi would be hanging with the guy now, though.

Yuugi practically begs Jonouchi to walk home with him, Anzu and Honda, but Jonouchi doesn't answer. Doofy Glasses Kid is still taking Jonouchi at his word and tells Hirutani that Jonouchi doesn't know the annoying brat Yuugi. Jonouchi is still turned away, even as Yuugi is punched by Doofy Glasses Kid, who is telling him to shut his mouth. Honda and Anzu are left speechless.

Doofy Glasses Kid thinks that Yuugi talking is stressing out Jonouchi, so demands that he stop before he has to kill him. Well, that escalated quickly. Honda and Anzu run to Yuugi's side to nurse his emerging bruise, all while he's still calling after Jonouchi. Anzu is pissed, approaching Jonouchi's back with the accusation that he's awful and she was wrong to think otherwise. Honda wants to know what the hell is wrong with him.

He's still turned away, not saying a word. Hirutani puts a hand on his back pushing him along with a laugh and a suggestion they get going.

At a park, Yuugi and Honda sit on a bench as Anzu fusses over Yuugi's bruise, insisting on pressing a wet rag to it. Yuugi says he's okay, but falls into a sullen silence. Soon after he does, Honda decides to end his, with an explanation. He and Jonouchi used to spend a lot of time picking fights in the past, and that's how they met Hirutani. Though Honda never liked Hirutani, he speculates that maybe Jonouchi always admired him, and wonders if he's ever coming back since he chose Hirutani's gang over him, Yuugi and Anzu.

I'm... really struggling to find the funny part of this. I want this review to be as light as the others, but it can't be because I'm just... sad. The Doofy Glasses Kid was the only part of the last few pages I could laugh at, and even then it was a weak chuckle. This is HARSH for a manga that has pretty consistently been a source of humor for me.

Yuugi is dead set on being the most optimistic person on the planet, in spite of all evidence that he shouldn't be, and declares that he thinks Jonouchi is still the same. At first, Honda looks at Yuugi like he has two heads, but then hops on his bandwagon by agreeing that Jonouchi is not the type to change on a dime. Yuugi announces that he'll bring Jonouchi back to them, and the other two are on board, all the way. Honda spends a moment thinking on where they would find him before remembering that Hirutani's gang mentioned "J's" Bar.

A shot of the outside of the bar shows a set of graffitied stairs leading underground marked by a cheap sign that actually says "J'z." Ball so hard. The three of them are hiding around a corner when someone emerges from the bar's staircase, and Honda says he looks wimpy enough to beat information from. This guy is complaining about how smelly the American-Style bars that Hirutani likes bug him when Honda confronts him. Beating not shown.

After the preliminary punches, Honda demands to know why Jonouchi is hanging with the Rintama gang. Anonymous Wimp just smirks like his off-screen beating didn't even happen and says he doesn't know. Honda threatens to kill him and that somehow gets him to talk.

These guys plan out brawls like old ladies plan bridge meetings. It's pathetic.

Doofy Glasses Kid offers one of his cigarettes to Hirutani to replace the one in his mouth that went out. Jonouchi is giving him some serious glare, and Doofy Glasses Kid nervously asks why he's staring. Maybe it has something to do with your combination of glasses, ski cap and cigarette looking like Joe Camel that time he tried to sell his smokes to literal five-year-olds. Jonouchi looks away without a word, still glaring.

Doofy Glasses Kid reflects on how Jonouchi was brought into their gang in order to widen their range of influence, but he doesn't like how disrespectful Jonouchi is. As if he knows Doofy is thinking shitty things about him, or even expositing hardcore, Jonouchi turns to glare again. Doofy Glasses Kid comments on how weird Jonouchi has been acting, again met with nothing but silence. He's smug when he thinks of how Hirutani convinced Jonouchi to join them with the threat that they would all go to Domino High to jump all his friends if he refused.

Jonouchi slams his hand on the table in front of him as he stands up, saying that he's not going to forgive Doofy. Doofy Glasses Kid just looks confused, possibly because he thinks Jonouchi is reading his mind, just like I did.

I love how chill Hirutani looks as Doofy Glasses Kid flies right by him. Hirutani appears not to even give a shit for a panel, saying that Jonouchi finally looks like his old self throwing punches. He just shouldn't have done it to one of their group members. Hirutani yells at the rest of the gang to teach Jonouchi not to hit the wrong people, even if they have to kill him. If he's dead, he's not going to be learning anything anymore. Just saying.

Meanwhile, Yuugi, Honda and Anzu are running to win back Jonouchi. Yuugi knows that Jonouchi didn't change as he sprints to save their friendship. Didn't that guy Honda beat up tell you everything that happened? Of course you know by now! Are you reiterating that you knew before the story came out?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? This was dealing with a lot heavier subject matter than the previous chapters. Yes, some of the chapters before, notably the chapter with the convict, had some graphic and threatening imagery, but it didn't instill more meaning than the shock value could provide. This chapter delves into Jonouchi's past, and it isn't pretty. It's a very intense chapter for the reason that it allows us not only a glimpse under the shallow scratches on the surface made by previous chapters, but also allows us to feel some of that struggle Jonouchi deals with every day. This is powerful character development.

There are a couple of wonky things in this chapter that I think makes it a little wobbly. I think the part in the middle where they find and confront Jonouchi was a tad too long and drawn out. Takahashi probably could have cut a couple of panels and done some rearranging of the scene in order to make it flow a tad better. Also, Jonouchi snapped about Yuugi being hit a LOT later than I would have thought. The Jonouchi that was set up before was impulsive, brash, and ready for a reason to fight all the time. I understand that he was trying to keep his cool so that Yuugi wouldn't be hurt any further, but he held onto it a lot longer than I thought he was capable of, and it came across a little convenient that the gang made it all the way back to their hangout before Jonouchi lost control.

But these were minor drawbacks. I enjoyed this chapter in a way I couldn't with any of the others, and all in all, it was an excellent start to our first truly dramatic short in the series.