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.