Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 071 The Scourge of the Sea

Oh no, I don't wanna hear anything about the sea. It's going to be taking my husband away from me for months at a time, I'm going to have to live next to it instead of anyone that I know, and it's just too damn big for my tiny self. Besides, everyone remember when it ate up Yuugi's Exodia cards? The title page does.

Is this just a reminder, or are those cards going to wash up on shore conveniently or something?

Anyhow, four hours have passed in the 48 allotted for the participants in Duelist Kingdom, as is stated over an overall picture of the island. Zooming in, Yami and Jonouchi are looking somewhat jaunty, as the panel announces that Yami has three chips and Jonouchi two. Nicely done, boys! Jonouchi admires those chips he has in their slots on his glove, giggling and giddy.

Anzu has been counting the minutes since he's been doing this, and the grand total is 30. A half-hour of staring at his fledgling collection of chips. Honda thinks he can be as stoked as he wants, considering Honda himself is surprised that he managed to beat Mai. Yami encourages Jonouchi with a suggestion that they win their next match too. Jonouchi is all for it.

A rumble echoes through the landscape, but don't worry, it's just Jonouchi's stomach crying out in hunger. He asks when they get to have lunch, and soon an argument breaks out about how they didn't bring any food. Anzu reminds them that they ate all their snacks on the boat, and the island doesn't have restaurants they can hit up. Jonouchi whines that they don't have anything and Yami acknowledges that it's a problem because they have to eat and drink something within the next two days.

Jonouchi yells at Anzu that it's her fault because she's a girl who's supposed to make lunch, and should have thought ahead. Anzu alerts those surrounding that this is a sexist comment, something that KT WOULD know a fair amount about. Ahem.

Anzu not being their fucking mom aside, she turns the blame to Pegasus, who should have been a better host and sprung for some way to feed the starving children he invited there. Won't someone think of the children?? She snarks about him being a stupid long-haired foreigner, missing the irony that she's not actually in Japan anymore, but on Pegasus's private island, making HER the foreigner now.

Honda says that if worse comes to worse, they can always use the survival manual he holds up to find edible plants and mushrooms. Unless, of course, this particular island has a different ecosystem than that book covers. Honda, maybe you should have left the book at home and filled the space with trail mix you knew for sure would be edible instead. Jonouchi is horrified at the thought of eating mushrooms. What, you don't like fungi?

A smell wafts past Jonouchi's nose, and he lets it lead him because he has determined it is delicious. Jonouchi begins running, pointing toward the ocean and shouting that it's coming from that direction. He urges his friends to follow him, while Anzu questions what smell he's talking about. Honda says that like Jonouchi picking out Mai's perfumes on her cards, he can pick up on a scent like a hound. And thus begins Jonouchi's perpetual association with dogs.

Well, would you look at that? Fish roasting with no one around. That doesn't look like a trap at all. Jonouchi is ecstatic that he found them food, likely because it didn't include Honda's survival mushrooms. Anzu is flustered that he was right. Jonouchi begins to tip-toe toward the skewered fish, planning to swipe them while the coast is clear, but Anzu shouts at him to come back because those fish don't belong to him.

Jonouchi begs to differ with Anzu, reasoning that if stealing star chips from the losers of games is okay, then stealing food should be fine as all part of the game of life. There's a BIG difference between STEALING chips and WINNING them, Jonouchi. Anzu grits her teeth and promises never to play a game with Jonouchi. Too late, Anzu. You started this ARC playing a game with Jonouchi, remember?

Honda decides he likes Jonouchi's warped logic and he goes to join him, the Brutus to Anzu's Caesar. Yami smirks.

Jonouchi and Honda both grab a skewer, commenting on how good is looks and smells, and Jonouchi suggests that they get to eating. Not far away, a wet bare foot and duel-gloved hand hoist their owner up out of the ocean. This ponytailed someone sees the group sitting around his campfire, eating his fish, shocked. He growls and wrings the handle of his spear that has a new fish skewered onto the end.

How did he fall back into the ocean because of that wave? That's not how waves at cliff sides work?

He stalks over to them and demands those low-lives eating other people's fish put it down. Jonouchi decides not to feel ashamed at being caught stealing and acts indignant instead. The fisherman threatens that he won't get out of there alive, and Jonouchi moans that they haven't even eaten any of the fish yet. Fisherman shouts at him to just give it back to him then.

Yami notices that he has a glove and star chips while Jonouchi and Fisherman continue to bicker. Jonouchi asks what the Fisherman is, saying he can't be a duelist. Fisherman asks what if he IS a duelist, but he doesn't get a proper answer, because Jonouchi has already assumed he's a castaway instead. Fisherman appears deeply offended, asking who the real castaway is. He introduces himself as Ryota Kajiki, sea duelist.

Yami thinks that Ryota didn't look like the kind of guy who plays cards, but then again, you never can tell. It takes all kinds, Yami. Ryota tries to seriously tell them how rude they're being, but Jonouchi is distracted by an octopus that has attached itself to Ryota's swim goggles, pointing and giggling. Ryota grits his teeth and flings the octopus back into the sea, calling it a small fry. Jonouchi and Honda protest, saying that they can eat it, but the deed is done. They mourn over the lost opportunity for good food, and Ryota continues what he was saying before being interrupted, asking if they're also duelists.

Ryota notices Yami standing behind him stoically, recognizing him as THE Yuugi with a smirk, comparing him to a big catch. He sits down at his campfire, judging the fish are about done. He prepares to bite into one of them, but sees Jonouchi and Honda drooling wistfully out of his periphery. After a moment of irritated consideration, he invites them to eat too, spitefully. Despite his attitude, Jonouchi bounds forward, asking if Ryota means it, but not waiting for an answer. He thanks Ryota and digs in, Honda reminding Jonouchi to leave some for the rest of them. Ryota chuckles through a mouthful of fish.

After the meal, someone says they're stuffed and another thanks Ryota for the food again. Jonouchi sparks a conversation, asking Ryota if he's in the tournament for the money. He says he sure is!

Weren't you JUST fishing? Ryota hears that the cash prize is huge, so he's planning on spending it on a state-of-the-art sonar-equipped boat to get a big catch every day. Honda and Jonouchi think the boat life is probably pretty cool, since Ryota seems so happy about it. Ryota turns toward the ocean and tells them that he's been watching it for his entire life, so he often personifies it and claims to know when it laughs and when it cries. Are you sure you aren't projecting, dude?

Ryota turns back to them and tells them that the ocean watches people too. Uuuhhhhh... I don't know what you're smoking, but seriously bro. Seek help. Ryota begins to tell them a story about how a couple of years before he was out fishing with his father and the ocean was in a decent mood. It had a mood-swing, though, and the next panel focuses on Yami who doesn't say a damn thing, not even looking like he's particularly invested in the story. What the fuck was the point of us getting his indifferent view? Useless.

Ryota proceeds to tell them that a wave swallowed up their boat, like an asshole. He and his father were picked up by a passing boat, but because theirs was sunk, they couldn't go out to fish anymore. He admits that it could be a coincidence, but he found out later that an oil spill happened near where they were fishing that day, and so he assumes that those careless pricks behind it angered the sea with their fucking pollution. ASSHOLES!

The group of friends don't have anything to say about this, but just look on, probably trying to figure out how to politely excuse themselves from the awkward conversation. Ryota seems to realize that he went on a tangent and tells his guests not to pay him or his boring story any mind. Sometime later, Jonouchi waves at Ryota as he tells him they'd better get going, and thanking him again for the fish. Ryota, holding his harpoon again, rephrases their intent to leave as a question, but no one responds to this. He grins.

He tells them to hold on, saying he doesn't have time for small fry...

You really don't need to almost kill someone in order to get their attention, Ryota. He says he's not dumb enough to let a big catch like Yami to get away when it nibbles on his bait. Jonouchi asks what Ryota means by bait, and I'm sure he means EXACTLY what he says. His cooking fish on his preferred dueling ground was to lure hungry duelist like them into the ocean territory, so this is quite literal. Of course, Jonouchi is both angry that Ryota is calling them fish on his line, and relieved that Ryota isn't going to eat them. Dude, he already filled up on fish, why would he have room for all of you?

Ryota points at Yami and declares him the catch he's been talking about, challenging him to a duel. Yami accepts the challenge with a smile.

Why are you asking if it's okay? The whole point is to get your opponent out of their comfort zone while you play with ease in your natural environment. Gah...

Ryota thinks Yami is already as good as defeated when he's on Ryota's turf. Ryota says he's going to bet two star chips as he takes them off the wrist of his glove, and Yami sets his matching bet on the table in front of him. Anzu is of course spouting vague encouraging phrases, while Jonouchi specifies that Yami beat the sea dude. Ryota says that he's starting, and Yami says he's ready, so they call out the start of the duel.

Ryota slaps a "Devil Kraken" on the table, in its favored sea habitat. Yami plays a simple imp on the field, and calls for it to attack. Ryota chuckles at this, because Yami is shocked when his imp doesn't move. Yami wonders where the victim monster actually is, because the kraken hologram isn't showing despite the card being in attack position on the field. He asks himself how he's supposed to fight. Well, how do you fight in a game WITHOUT holograms, Yami? You're becoming a LITTLE too dependent on the high-tech box you're in.

Reminding Yami that his kraken gets a power up from the sea, Ryota yells at his monster to attack. The card itself is making waves on the table, despite its stationary state.

The whole GAME is dependent on the high-tech boxes by this point. How did Ryota's ocean cards work before? Is this just another environmental effect that Pegasus stuck into the rules of the tournament? A little unfair to give certain monsters extra advantages, isn't it?

Ryota calls his surprise attack "Squid Legs Submission Hold" and declares that the Imp has perished at sea, complete with gurgling drowning noises.Yami's points go down to 1740 as he notes in shock that the kraken sunk back into the virtual sea. Ryota confirms that this effect is definitely part of the field rules for Duelist Kingdom, a special stealth attack that will give Yami a proper respect and reverence for the sea.

Yami wonders how he's supposed to fight monsters he can't even see. You'll find a way, man. You always do.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I like Ryota. He's got a fun attitude, a positive disposition, and he's got great motivations. Fishing is his life, and I mean that very seriously. He sounds like he and his father are traditional fishermen, and if that's the case, losing their boat must have been devastating. Since it's been a couple of years since then, and he looks alright, he and his father must have found other ways to make ends meet, probably by renting a boat or fishing from the shore, but all the same, the prize would be a windfall and change everything.

It's also kind of adorable how his personification of the sea has given him a narrative of why that terrible thing happened to his father and himself, in a delusional sort of way. It's not really internally consistent, though, considering if the ocean is watching people with any kind of discernment, wouldn't it have punished the spillers rather than two innocent fishermen? Just a thought.

I'm not too crazy about the fact that Ryota's cards are cloaked as well as getting a power boost. As I said above, that's not an environmental effect that ANY other card has gotten, so far as we've seen, and it's a bit unfair. If ocean cards are somehow more disadvantaged than the others in the regular game, then that could be some sort of card affirmative action initiative. However, if that's the case, then Pegasus is not a GENIUS at creating cards and the game at all. Everyone knows that BALANCE is the key to making games, BALANCING out powers and not making any one piece have advantages over the others unless those advantages are evened out by special skills on the other side.

And all this comes right back down to the fact that this tournament is making playing the regular game that much more impossible. It's Capsule Monsters all over again, right down to the impossible card effects that cannot be done without a computer.