Inuyasha Manga: 113 The Attack

Attack indeed. I've never seen so many people pushing through a line of holiday diseases at once. It's like someone dropped a biological weapon on my friends and family. I must have come in at the end of the ordeal, because I didn't get sick. I DID manage to get one of those annoying inflamed taste buds on the tip of my tongue, which is stinging like the Dickens, but considering the rash of laryngitis and flu going around, I came out of my vacation relatively unscathed.

And now that you know I spent the past couple of weeks holding my sleeve over my nose in fear I'd catch something, let's check in with Inuyasha and company, shall we?

Gee, how'd she guess?

Inuyasha confirms this, and the old woman says that she thought that was the case, all while Jinenji sits folded up in the hut next to them, FAR too big for the place. No wonder he'd rather be futzing around in the garden. She points out that Inuyasha's appearance is "half-transformed" though his face is pretty enough. Inuyasha doesn't look flattered in the slightest by the compliment, although that might be because Kagome doesn't leave room for him to do so before yanking on one of his ears and asking if they're what the old woman means by "half-transformed". And she was wondering why Inuyasha wasn't ECSTATIC to be alone with her in the last chapter.

While Inuyasha glares with annoyance at Kagome's grabbiness, the old woman says that half-youkai is a good guess where he's concerned. She refers to the folded and uncomfortable-looking Jinenji as a half-youkai as well, and cites it as the reason that the villagers treat them so badly. Kagome asks with a look of sympathy if Jinenji is being picked-on, but the old woman says it's more like attempted murder than bullying a lot of the time.

Jinenji apologizes to her for being the reason she's going through all this trouble, but her hard look softens when she looks at him and asks him what he's saying. She tells him he's done nothing wrong, and that his father was a wonderful and kind youkai. Inuyasha and Kagome lean in, eyes wide as the old woman begins to reminisce with her eyes closed about a time when she was about Kagome's age. Kagome points at herself like there's anyone ELSE the old woman could be referring to.

Anyway, the old woman launches into a flashback in which a much younger her is leaning on a hillside with an injured ankle. She's being approached by a glowing, light-haired dude carrying a staff, who is Jinenji's father, saving her.

What's this? An old lady getting all hot and bothered about an a romance in her youth? Pinch me, I must be dreaming.

Kagome hunches, blushing at the brazen nature of the story. Inuyasha just wears a sweatdrop while he asks the old woman for some clarification on a particular detail: that means she's the human parent, right? She asks him what else he was thinking with a nasty glare, while Kagome thinks that she can't be a mountain witch, heart pounding and sweatdropping like crazy.

Outside, Jinenji stands stooped over the garden, still towering over Kagome and Inuyasha next to him like the giant he is. He plucks a plant and holds it out to his guests in the palm of his hands, saying that it's the antidote and is safe to drink if the leaves are boiled. Kagome looks at Jinenji with gratitude as she accepts the plant. Jinenji's mother tells them to get out of here now that they have what they came for, before they get caught up in the whole rotten mess.

Inuyasha and Kagome stand and stare. In the next panel, they're walking on the outskirts of the village, Kagome asking if he really thinks they should just leave Jinenji like that. Inuyasha asks Kagome what she means, and glares out of his periphery in her direction while she lays out the situation plainly - the villagers are all but convinced that Jinenji is eating people, but she thinks he's kind despite his size. Inuyasha scoffs, snapping that Jinenji is being taken advantage of by the villagers. Kagome utters a questioning noise, but Inuyasha doesn't have time to elaborate before they overhear someone saying that they've brought every spear and sword they have.

Yeah, turns out the old woman wasn't kidding about that whole attempted murder bit.

Kagome runs over to the villagers, demanding they hold on a moment. One of the villagers recognizes them from before, glowering at Kagome while she asks if they're planning on attacking Jinenji. The villager says that OF COURSE they are, because that's apparently what RATIONAL people do when they suspect their neighbor of being a bloodthirsty monster. Kagome protests that there's no evidence that Jinenji is killing anyone, but the villager shouts that it has to be him.

But no, see, this HAS to be the retaliation of a mother and son who despise the villagers! It's the only explanation! Inuyasha calls them all bastards for picking on Jinenji, presumably so much that they realize that there would be a reason for retaliation in the first place. Regardless, they act stupid at the accusation. Kagome says Inuyasha's name, but he's not paying much attention, busy telling the villagers that whatever's going on they have to get the real culprit behind these killings.

The villagers ask if Inuyasha is saying he'll catch whoever is behind the murders. They aren't answered outright, because Kagome turns to Inuyasha and volunteers to return to Jinenji's field. Inuyasha says her name like a question, as she addresses the villagers again with the plea not to attack Jinenji before Inuyasha comes back from his sleuthing. She promises that Inuyasha will bust up the whole village if she's injured in an attack. Inuyasha blushes, looking indignantly at her for her assumption. She asks if he WOULDN'T run rampant at her injury, and he stutters that he MIGHT. All the while, the villagers whisper that this Inuyasha fellow seems a bit unreliable and wishy-washy.

The game is afoot, Toby!

I guess Sesshoumaru might better reflect the scale of Toby in this movie, but hey, he's not solving any mysteries right now. So fuck him.

Cut to Kagome standing off to the side while the old woman weeds some plants. It seems she understands that the villagers are out to get them, like always, so she's unimpressed with the news. Kagome is determined to help the old woman in any way she can until Jinenji's name is cleared, though. The old woman glares over her shoulder at Kagome for a moment, then tells Kagome she can do as she pleases.

So, Kagome kneels in the dirt next to Jinenji, asking if it's alright if she pulls out the weeds. Jinenji is taken aback, but it doesn't look like it's by the stupidity of the question. He tells her that it's fine, then goes back to weeding himself busily. Kagome is very conspicuous in staring at the scars running the length of his arm, wondering if they were made by the villagers. Thankfully, she's not SO rude as to ask this out loud, instead opting for the question as to whether or not Jinenji has ever thought about leaving this cruel place.

He says that it's nice there, though, because his father left him the land. Kagome is muted when she says she sees but Jinenji's heart is thumping wildly. He's floored by the fact that he's actually having a conversation for the first time since he was born, with a girl no less. Suddenly, Kagome's chill is broken when she shrieks, startling Jinenji. She stutters about an earth worm, which Jinenji looks at with a small sound of understanding. The old woman, on the other hand, is in disbelief that Kagome's afraid of an earth worm, but not Jinenji.

Yeah, that's pretty unbelievable. Seems to me that Kagome has no business being scared of ANYTHING after she blew away Naraku, but...

I bet you those BIRDS can managed to be cool with both Jinenji and the worms...

Meanwhile, unaware that Jinenji is beginning to get IDEAS about Kagome, Inuyasha has his nose to the ground in the forest. He shuffles around on his hands and knees, knowing that what he's looking for is around here somewhere. Finally, he lays his hand on a spot that that surprises him at first, being directly in the ground. He punches the spot, and the ground around it crumbles away so he slides down into a hidden hole.

From the light through the opening he made, Inuyasha can see a smattering of bones lying scattered on the cave floor, which he assumes is a youkai nest. A slight glow shines in front of him, and he squints at it with curious caution. It's some sort of nasty goop hanging from the back wall of the cave. He approaches and touches it, drawing away a sticky string of the stuff as he withdraws his hand. He concludes that they're eggs with alarm, and recently hatched at that. Looking around, Inuyasha realizes that there's no sign of the babies that must have come from the eggs, and he wonders if they'd been thrown out. He quickly understands that this is not the case, though.

Is it rampage time yet? Because I'm ready to rampage!

Of course, the villagers were impatient and are approaching Jinenji and his mother's hut with torches. One of them asks the lead dickwad if they're going to kill Jinenji, and the lead dickwad confirms this, insisting that Jinenji is the only possible culprit. While they close in on the quiet hut, he asks how one can rely on a youkai brat anyway.

Must be weird to only JUST realize what attraction is like in the middle of adulthood. And toward a 15-year-old too.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Jinenji and his mother are such a cute little family. You really get the feeling that they're all each other has in the world. Jinenji is the first half-youkai we've seen since Inuyasha, and he's very interesting for how UNLIKE Inuyasha he is. Instead of developing this scoffing and prickly personality, he's taken the opposite route and hidden behind his mother's skirts. It makes me wonder if Inuyasha would have been in danger of the same retreating disposition if his mother had lived.

And speaking of living mothers, how about Jinenji's mom, eh? Speaking so frankly about a steamy love affair in her youth! Hot damn! The old women people usually put in stories are the prim and proper type, sometimes wise women, but basically sexless. They never mention old flames, never talk about love, act as if they've never even been attracted to anyone. I feel like it's the general "ew" feeling people jump to when thinking about old people having sex, but for me it's refreshing to see an old lady with a latent sexuality.

Gives me a sense of hope, so to speak.

I feel I'm way more stoked than I should be that Inuyasha is solving a mystery right now. The case didn't last as long as I would have liked, and it didn't have any red herrings or twists to it, but it's a mystery nonetheless. I'm a sucker for mysteries, or maybe just Sherlock Holmes references. Inuyasha dressed in the full stereotypical Sherlock Holmes getup, deerstalker cap and all, is running around in my head right now, but until I'm able to put it to paper, I suppose this will have to do:

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 171 The Fight of the Millennium!

Forgive me, Yu-Gi-Oh, but I don't think of your card game when I see that phrase in the title. I think boxing or some other martial art. I think professional athletes who trained physically for a test of human ability in front of an audience. I think an event that has the attention of the entire world. I CERTAINLY don't think of two boys, one of whom in only present through a remote-controlled body, playing cards together under a bridge where no one cares to hang out and watch.

Which is exactly what it looks like is going to happen, sorry to say. Seriously, how can the fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier be considered just the fight of the century, and THIS be considered the fight of the MILLENNIUM??

Yuugi recognizes Marik with anger and shock, but Marik isn't interested in Yuugi's feelings toward him in the slightest. He tells Yuugi to butt out, because he intends for this to be the final round of a 1,000-year battle. Yuugi looks alarmed, turning to the invisible Yami hanging out beside him. Yami looks his usual impassive self (murder grin, how I miss you...), arms crossed as he says that he can't avoid fate. Yuugi shouts at Yami to watch it, because Marik has Slifer the Sky Dragon, one of the god cards. It's difficult to tell which of them is tugging on one side of their shared jacket in the next panel, but I'm guessing it's Yami preparing to whip it off their shoulders in a dramatic way.

Two points! Woooooo! Do I get a "You're too Good at this Manga and it's Become Far too Predictable for You" medal?

Meanwhile, Marik is speeding closer on his motorcycle, thinking about how he's waited a thousand years for this moment. If that number isn't just hyperbole and he and Ishizu are ACTUALLY that old, you'd think he would have learned a bit of patience over that lengthy period. He at least should have learned in the last 100 years of that to not go screaming down the highway on a vehicle while not paying attention to the road unless you want to be splattered all over the fucking pavement.

Yami glares at the body in front of him, which stares blankly back through bulging eyes. He jokes that Marik's doll has seen better days, and it's not the most dignified of bearers for a god card. Marik explains that his doll used to be a mime that went crazy when he killed his parents, locking his consciousness away, and apparently all his emotions and expressions with it. To Marik, the empty vessel he occupies is an invaluable weapon. Or maybe just a taxi.

Criticizing Marik for using his Millennium Item to brainwash people, Yami vows not to let him get away with it. Okay, two things: a. Marik's account didn't contain any kind of information that should lead anyone to believe he brainwashed this mime guy, just that the mime guy happened to be a convenient container that emptied itself long ago. b. I don't think You have ANY room to advocate against brainwashing people with Millennium Items, Yami. What do you think all of your little punishments with the puzzle have BEEN, exactly? Little hypocrite.

Marik launches into a long speech about how human minds are even more fragile than their bodies, susceptible what is read or watched and to being eaten up by their own imaginations. Some people think they even hear "God" (his quotes), and when his "charisma" and "dominance" (MY quotes) just happens to coincide with that image of god they have, they're really easy to control. Oh, gag me with a spoon...

Anyway, the power to dominate other peoples' minds, thoughts and memories is that of the Millennium Rod. Upon hearing this, Yami's face is... pretty much the same. Marik warns Yami that if he loses, the doll will kill him, as it is programmed to do. He claims that the doll will pursue Yami to the ends of the earth until he dies, not stopping until it catches him. The evil chuckle Marik gives him prompts Yami to smirk instead of be afraid. Yami has no doubt that the doll can catch him; it's just whether or not it can BEAT Yami that's the question here.

Marik is convinced he can, but he gives no reason as to why he thinks that. He just reiterates the plan to kill Yami, and then go steal Kaiba's god card too. Such a sophisticated plot. While he keeps booking it down that road on his bike, Marik fantasizes about the three cards giving him that coveted "king" title, freeing him from his thousand-year curse. He's real excited to be free finally.

 

Marik calls the start of the duel from his puppet's mouth and we're ready to get this show on the road. To make it all the more expedient, he also declares that he'll take the first turn and draw first and the doll does as he instructs. As if he gives a crap, Marik asks if Yami is ready. Yami glares.

 

The doll slaps a card face down on his Duel Disk and per Marik's grinning eagerness, summons Humanoid Slime in attack, which is just what it says on the tin. It's only got 800 points on it, and this makes Yami suspicious right away that Marik is playing it for anything but defense. Yami thinks that the move is some kind of trap, a good estimate given that face down card. And the fact that Marik is ending his turn so soon.

 

Yami declares his turn has come, quite unnecessarily, and proceeds to draw a card. As he adds what looks to be Gazelle to his hand, he peers over it and at the Slime. He knows he can't attack on this turn, buuuuuuuut he's willing to play a trap for a trap. He also plays a face down card, as well as Gazelle (2 for 2! I'm on a roll!) and with that his turn is done.

 

So Marik begins the trash-talk. He deliberates over whether Yami is being cautious or cowardly, for his lack of attack, and warns Yami that he won't be able to win like that. Again, Yami just glares. Sorry bud, you might have goaded Jonouchi into an attack with that bullshit, but Yami is just a TAD more conscientious than that. Marik tells Yami to at LEAST not eat it before he gets to see Slifer the Sky Dragon, chuckling. Then he announces his turn and has his doll draw a card for him.

 

Woah, what the crap is this nightmare eldritch creature?? Is that an eye where it's tongue is supposed to be? What are those pincers doing?? In all my life, I've never seen such a horrendous -

Wait, what was that about a spell card?

It's polymerization! That's right, because when you have a tricked-out tapeworm, your first instinct should be to mix it with another creature altogether! What is that unlucky monster? Yami looks on in shock to see a new creature formed.

Yup. That sure is... a thing.

Yami's more concerned with the fact that it has 2200 attack points, and how Marik managed to make that much more powerful a monster on just his second turn. He closes his gaping mouth with a personal reassurance that a polymerized monster can't attack on the turn its summoned. Marik wastes no time in questioning that assumption, though, which makes Yami nearly shit his pants judging by how wide his eye goes in the next panel.

Marik points out the face down card that Yami clearly thought was a trap and reveals that it wasn't a trap at all. Yami's back expresses surprise through exclamation point before Marik turns over the card, which turns out to be "Quick Attack", another card that is pretty self-explanatory. Yami sweats knowing that the unholy fusion of worm and slime is now quick enough to attack him right now. Well shit.

Because a villain has just GOT to rub it in, Marik starts talking himself up as a brave soul who never fears his opponent's cards or waits until he's reasonably sure he has the upper hand before attacking. Except you DID, Marik. You waited until your monster was fused before you attacked, so clearly you've got a reasonable expectation that this will go well for you now rather than it did when it was just your slime on the table. I guess he's talking exclusively about face down cards, though, because he brings up that unlike Yami the coward, he's not made overly cautious by one on the opposing side. Yami is, once more, shocked and speechless.

The Slime Drake lunges for Gazelle the moment it's ordered to do so, but wait, is that the iconic smirk that no one's poker face should be good enough to hide so well up until this very moment on Yami's face? Why, yes it is! And Marik is now the one wearing the shocked expression. Yami explains that he knew from the moment the slime was summoned that it would be used in a fusion with another monster, because with this kind of trick one can summon a high-level monster without wasting a turn. Turns out he is also a card encyclopedia just like Sugoroku. Like grandfather-like possessed grandson... I guess.

Marik marvels in horror at the fact that Yami had realized he would polymerize, and Yami says OF COURSE he did, because the universe revolves around him. Okay, I added that last part on there. Anyway, Yami reveals his face down card.

Sorry Marik, sometimes marriages just don't work out. But don't worry, I'm sure both slime daddy and dragon mommy still love you!

Yami shouts at Gazelle to get at 'em while the two are separated, so it launches itself at the opposing side and stomps right on that slime. Marik's life points go down to 3300, and Yami asks him what's next, because he's probably already planned that out. Yami is confident that he's already planned for the move beyond that, though. I doubt he's planned for Marik to be weirdly PLEASED with this notion, though.

Yeah, who are you trying to convince with that creepy smile? Yourself or the audience?

My money's on both.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? My first complaint is that it wasn't particularly visually interesting, despite the overlays of Marik on his motorcycle. It's weird that these panels reminding me that Marik is multitasking like a boss without crashing and dying aren't so much interesting as they are just... BUSY. Like too much is going on just to give the illusion of real movement forward with the plot. Which shouldn't be necessary because this IS the match between Yami and the bad guy that is the culmination of Millennia of resentment and rage, right?

No, this is just filler for Yami so he can earn more puzzle cards and get that much closer to the finals where he's REALLY going to face Marik. Again, KT is trying to keep us in suspense by continually restating that Marik is hot on Yami's trail. I would much prefer for him to continue being a face in the shadows until the actual match between him and Yami, with Yami fighting with stronger and stronger Rare Hunters until that point. This feels like a premature encounter with the boss character in a video game. There's no buildup, just the pull of a party-popper in front of your empty birthday party.

And I really shouldn't NEED to reiterate how annoyed I am with Yami's record of infallibility, but what the hell, once more with feeling. I am really sick to death of Yami's surprise becoming a smirk at impossible speeds every time it looks like he might have been bested. Especially when he really WAS here. Marik was RIGHT that he was being overly cautious and refused to attack until he KNEW that the face down card he saw wasn't a trap. If Yami was so sure that the face down card wasn't a trap, he could have simply attacked the slime without the hesitation he showed. As it stands, he actually cost himself time and effort when he could have just nipped the problem in the bud on his first turn. Why didn't KT have him do this? Because he needs to look clever by going to the edge of fucking up and pulling a cute trick out of his ass at the last second.

But Yami needs to ACTUALLY fuck up in a way that's difficult to reverse in order for me to give a shit. There needs to be a struggle. If there's no real disturbance in Yami's game, then I start nodding off. The thing is, this has happened before, but to the extent that it has taken up entire CHAPTERS with him just worrying and fretting. KT can't seem to strike a balance between some conflicting self-doubt resulting from honest mistakes and a few competent and thoughtful moves, at least not since Jonouchi's arc in Duelist Kingdom. A character either has to be infallible and occasionally overcome with crippling uncertainty for a chapter or two, or incompetent and impulsive while being overconfident.

All I'm asking for is just a little growth, alright? Just a little bit of conflict that inspires a character to change a bit. Is that too much to ask for at this point?

At least Marik is turning out to be something of an interesting person in his own right. He's got that superior attitude that you expect out of a villain, but he can actually back that shit up. It's clear that playing this game comes easily to him by how fast he is to execute a strategy, which is something I haven't seen from a villain thus far. Not even Pegasus, the creator of the game, was such a relaxed player when it came down to it. Marik just seems like the kind of person that everything just comes to, or the guy who always gets his way despite being the biggest dick imaginable. He even goes so far as to explain this away as some sort of resemblance to a god to a lot of the people he manipulates.

I think he may very well have the charisma he claims, because even I'm kind of endeared to him by his easy-going attitude. Just call me a Ghoul, I guess.



Inuyasha Manga: 112 Jinenji

Ah December. End of the Gregorian year and celebration time for just about everyone you can think of. Every which way there's a holiday coming at you, because what better time to make excuses for kicking back than when depression is setting in due to the cold and fewer daylight hours? At least for the northern hemisphere, anyway. Those to the south don't have to deal with that garbage until the opposite solstice.

Well, what's one more log on the fire? I'm stoked this blog has managed to keep going on for as long as it has. A year-and-a-half is much longer than I've kept up with any of my personal projects, and I've learned a lot about what is going on in the pleasure-centers of my brain when I'm reading my favorite manga. So I don't care what anyone says, I'm partying extra hard for the success this ongoing rant has been for me. Even if everything else is a mess, I still have Manga Snark!

As opposed to these two, who are inundated with pain. And guilt. Mostly guilt.

Sango recalls how Kirara writhed from her bite-full of Naraku's shoulder and the dose of poison that came with it, and thinks that said poison must not have passed through Kirara's system yet. Outside, someone is expressing shock over the term "antidote herbs", presumably because it's weird that there would be a specific antidote to Naraku's particular poison, let alone some herb somewhere. Kagome asks Myouga if they can use such an herb, Kirara will be cured, and the bouncing Myouga answers in the affirmative from Inuyasha's shoulder.

He settles down to warn Kagome that he heard the field in which these herbs grown is guarded by a youkai, so they could be difficult to get a hold of. Deliberation over this subject is skipped in favor of hovering over the hut Sango is in while she says that Inuyasha and the others went to get the antidote for Kirara's ailment. It turns out that Miroku told her this, and goes on to say that he stayed behind to protect her in her injured state, bidding her to put her mind at ease and to relax. When she stares with some apprehension at him, he smiles innocently and asks what it is that's bothering her. She turns away, keeping an eye on him from her periphery, and mumbles that she somehow feels in MORE danger with him there alone with her.

Miroku sighs and everyone laughs and laughs until we realize that this serious concern of women everywhere can no longer be a joke when we're being exposed to more and more horror stories every day of men taking advantage of women in just about every situation where they've promised to be respectful and professional.

I think I might cry.

Thankfully, Sango finds that she's facing young Shippou, who is staring pretty intently himself. He assures her that Kagome asked him to stay behind and make sure that Miroku didn't try anything. Miroku sighs even heavier now, while Sango's wide eyes fix on Shippou. It's a look that says, "How do these people think this tiny baby child can protect me from a dude whose sexual harassment we somehow continue to tolerate instead of smacking his horrible ass around?" Hell if I know.

Maybe Inuyasha is just waiting until the LEAST CONVENIENT TIME in order to seriously take Miroku to task?

Kagome smiles, saying that it's been a while since it's just been the two of them. Inuyasha asks her if that's really the case, but the question seems more like conversational filler than genuine. Kagome nonetheless chirps a "yup" in response, and the discussion immediately plummets off a cliff. Inuyasha spaces out and Kagome rides in a short awkward silence. She assumes he doesn't sound happy and asks him what it is that he's so quiet about, only to be answered with a snore.

She looks back at him with shock at first, which dissolves into disappointment that Inuyasha didn't think they could have a nice conversation. When she looks back at him again, though, she's contemplative, thinking he must be tired given all the stress he was under in their last encounter with Naraku.

It's the risk you take when you fall asleep on a thin strip of grating on the back of a rattly vehicle.

Somewhere in the woods, a woman is huffing and puffing as she sprints away from something, and by the way she's twisting to look behind her, this isn't an innocent game of tag.

Yeah, definitely not tag.

Out of "nose"shot of this murder most foul, Inuyasha is now carrying Kagome's bike with a sour expression. Kagome asks him if he's still angry, reminding him that she's already apologized. Inuyasha barks an unconvincing lie about not being angry, which he's apparently done before. Kagome peers closely at Inuyasha, prompting him to ask what this is about, so she in turn asks if he's not happy being with her.

Inuyasha looks mystified by the question. Kagome walks past him as he asks what it is she's going on about, and she carefully answers that he seems upset about something, keeping to herself the thought that it inconveniently coincides with when they're alone together again. Inuyasha calls her a damn idiot, pointing out that his face has always been "like this", presumably claiming to have resting bitch face. Kagome remains silent hanging her head and supposing this is true.

Cut back to the woman in the woods, her corpse being covered by a woven mat by a couple of men as others look on. They say this is the third case of someone dying this way, with the BOWELS being chewed from the victim's body. I guess poop is nutritious to some creatures, so...

An old man suggests that maybe this was Jinenji's doing after all, and a middle-aged guy says it's obviously Jinenji, duh. The old man says that they won't forgive that monster for this thing they just decided he did with no evidence, and another, more timid guy asks what they'll do about it. He turns to a fourth man, trailing an uncertain statement about what might happen even if they attacked as a group, and the fourth agrees with the implication.

Kagome and Inuyasha sit peeking over a hiding place just over a little mound, Kagome stating that they seem to have some sort of problem. What gave it away? The horribly mutilated corpse of that woman? Inuyasha doesn't bother concealing himself any longer and walks right out to ask the villagers if this Jinenji dude is a youkai. There's an uncomfortable silence between him and the fidgeting villagers for a moment before they flinch away and ask who he is, assuming he's a youkai himself, which, you know, fair. Kagome hangs out behind him, striking me as oddly shy here, when she steps out and says that they came for those herbs Myouga mentioned.

They ask if their uninvited guests are referring to those herbs in Jinenji's garden, and all either of them have as an answer is Kagome's noise of uncertainty. The villagers nonetheless launch into an explanation of who Jinenji is, a guy who lives on the edge of the town with his mother. If they had an inn instead of an herb field I would be making so many Norman Bates jokes right now. Though the villagers admit that the herbs Jinenji and mother grow work well and they use them from time to time, they speculate that this new rash of murders suggest Jinenji has discovered a love for human flesh.

So now he's Hannibal Lecter? Man, this is getting complicated.

TOO complicated.

The villagers have taken Kagome and Inuyasha to view this complicated creature, convinced they'll find him just dreadful while they peek out from behind some trees. Inuyasha is unimpressed. Or tired. Or both. The villagers ask Kagome if Inuyasha will really be able to exterminate Jinenji for them, but Inuyasha reminds them that they're only there to take some herbs.

He climbs from their low ground hiding place and tells Kagome to stay put. While he's walking to Jinenji, Kagome picks up the whispers of uncertainty that Inuyasha is strong. Another whisperer doesn't care, because in a fight between youkai, whoever loses means a win for everyone else. Kagome looks back at them, somewhat floored by how little they seem to care that she hears them. It gives her a bad feeling. What feeling's that? That they might just be racist pricks?

You know what, come to think of it, I know those feels VERY WELL now.

Inuyasha walks up to Jinenji with Tessaiga resting on his shoulder, asking the mystified monster if he's the people-eating monster everyone talks about. Before Jinenji forms a response, Inuyasha tells him to prepare to die, and Jinenji's eyes widen as he makes a prolonged shocked sound. Inuyasha takes this belated moment to realize that the guy he just threatened doesn't smell of human blood at all. Great job scaring the shit out of someone for no reason then. Douchebag.

A rock comes flying from where Inuyasha left Kagome with the villagers and hits Jinenji in the temple. Kagome tries to get the men to calm down, but they storm out into the field, demanding Jinenji prepare to die as well. Then they tell Inuyasha to kill Jinenji quickly, and Jinenji trembles and hisses in response to this. Inuyasha readies Tessaiga to take down the beast and...

Oh yeah, really loves the taste of human flesh, that one. Specifically his mother's teat. You can tell by how he runs off crying to her to save him. Inuyasha yells after Jinenji to wait just a damn minute and dashes forward. Jinenji hunches down like he's trying to hide behind a tiny figure carrying a big stick running out in front of him.

It's an old woman cursing those villages bastards whom she's told again and again to stop coming after their field. Inuyasha and Kagome stare wide-eyed at her, Inuyasha wondering if she's some sort of mountain witch. He's so shocked that he doesn't even react when the old lady literally BREAKS the thick stick (or LOG as it's better called) over his head, even though Kagome screams. The villagers are sure Inuyasha is done-for now, calling him weak.

They turn tail and run, promising to get someone for something, as Kagome calls after them to hold on. The villagers are already gone, though. After a pause, Inuyasha asks what's up with them. Instead of answering, the old woman immediately claims to not know what rubbish the villagers told Inuyasha.

So much for not knowing EXACTLY what the villagers told them.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? You know when you suddenly notice something you hate that you weren't aware of before, and then you start seeing it EVERYWHERE? That's how I feel about all of RT's cuts to and from certain nodes of action. The scenes where Inuyasha is bumped off the bike and where he and Kagome are arguing about his normal displeased expression could easily have been stitched together. And what's with cutting from Sango, to Myouga telling them about Jinenji's herbs with no deliberation, and back to Sango in bed again? It's so disjointed and messy, and it makes me upset because I know RT is BETTER than this. She is so much more talented at story-telling and formatting than she's letting on here, and I really hate how she's cutting and pasting scenes in between each other. I get that it was the easiest way to get those punchy jokes in, but there are other ways of getting those jokes across without giving me whiplash.

And this is around the time when I start to get burnt out on Miroku's little sexual harassment schtick too. It's not just current events, although that does multiply my annoyance with the character quite a bit, but it happens EVERY time I read through this manga. It gets the inner harpy feminist screaming about how this is just one more way of trivializing women's experiences when it comes to sexual harassment, telling them and the boys (I refuse to call them men if they refuse to act like it) who do it to them that it's all just a great big joke. It's not a BIG way, but I just find myself rolling my eyes when I remember that this is a comic aimed at boys, framing their creepy sexual "jokes" at women's expenses to be harmless fun without ANY repercussions at all. RT should KNOW better, since she's a lady herself. I suppose the only way to make a name for oneself in a male-dominated industry is to play by the boy's-club rules. Still...

The worst part is, I really WANT to be stoked for this arc. It brings Inuyasha's situation of being "between worlds" in his own way to the forefront by having another character's situation mirror his. It's a lovely example of how characters can reflect each other in stories, and what they can do differently given similar circumstances. Besides, Kagome is right that it gives just the two of them a bit more time together in a meaningful way so as to help them understand one another on a deeper level by the end.

But I'll be damned if I'm not annoyed by how this wonderful arc starts.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 170 Nearer to God

I wasn't really looking for a religious experience when I started reading and recapping this manga. I expect anyone who IS trying to draw such significance from a comic isn't familiar with the many better places one can find it. Churches, holy texts and scriptures, religious monuments, and nature are a few just off the top of my head. Granted, I'm not ruling out the (very slight) possibility that Yu-Gi-Oh could give me or anyone else a religious experience, since it theoretically come from anywhere. I'm just a bit bemused at the idea of how hard it has tried so far to convince me that I should empathize with characters written to engage with a trading card game like one of those things I listed above.

Then again, I suppose I should expect some sort of religious message when half the main character would have been considered a literal god back in his hometown in ancient Egypt. Maybe getting closer to "God" would mean getting closer to these memories as well.

... Probably including having been married to a close relative to keep all that "divinity" in the family, and at a young age as well, sadly. Good luck to Yami dealing with uncovering all that psychological trauma.

Cut to a satellite in space, because that's just what we need to find a "doll" right? Oh, never mind, we touch back down to Earth at Kaiba Corporation, Blue Eyes White Dragons in statue form hanging outside and everything, and we know HE'S not looking for Marik's crony. His busy bees have locked onto SOMETHING, though, and are retrieving their image data from the satellite. They zoom and zoom and zoom some more onto West Block "D" for a closer look at the two duelists they detect there. They look up both of them, search the associated decks with the registration number (which might have changed by this point if they won any cards so far), and... nothing.

One of Kaiba's computer bees confirms that there was no luck in finding any god cards in either deck. The queen king computer bee barks at the worker to search for more duelists and figure out the next coordinates. Why he's in such a damn hurry becomes clear fast.

"Listen, I'm getting hungry, and I would hate to stop for lunch."

The king bee stutters an apology, explaining that the duelists have spread over a wide area since the beginning of the tournament and it'll take a while to analyze all of their cards. Kaiba proceeds to lecture him about how the Ghouls are hiding somewhere in Domino city, and he doesn't want them sniffing out his Obelisk card before he gets the chance to catch them himself - Kaiba is old fashioned and insists on making the first move. Don't want the uppity Ghouls to make any power plays in this relationship, I see.

Kaiba's image disappears from the screen, but not before he demands his bees contact him the moment they've found those god cards. King bee agrees with a bow to the blank screen. In the flesh, Kaiba is kneeling by his open briefcase, which I guess NOW acts like a transmission device with a screen and a keyboard. I wondered at first what happened to all the rare cards he was keeping in there until I realized they were just beneath the keyboard. I guess that just leaves the question of where he was keeping the keyboard until now...

Mokuba asks Seto if their busy bees haven't caught the rats yet, which is an awful mixed metaphor that I regret having typed into being. Sorry. Kaiba scoffs and says it's only a matter of time before Kaiba Corporation catches the Ghouls with their advanced ground surveillance system that's one and the same to the U.S. Military's. Damn. Kaiba don't play. Mokuba grins at the sky, stating confidently that they'll never guess he and his brother have a net spread across the whole of it. Kaiba laughs his stupid laugh and reminds Mokuba that the whole tournament is a trap for these goons. He loses all sense of mirth in less than a second, though.

Well, we all know you've done it before.

Dick.

He strides off down the street, making Mokuba lug his suitcase off after him. Meanwhile, at a dock in "Port Othello", I shit you not, Marik has just stepped off the boat. A couple cloaked minions are waiting to greet him, and instead of greeting them back, he skips right to asking if "everything" is ready. One of his minions answers in the affirmative, and the other hands him the Duel Disk they've been saving him. Marik takes the device and lets it rest in his hand a moment, smiling at how much lighter it is than he thought.

The mustached minion expresses his surprise that Marik bothered to come there himself as they walk into a warehouse toward a motorcycle. He apparently assumed Marik would leave the business in the hands of his most skilled Rare Hunters that are already awaiting orders in the city. Marik holds up a deck of cards and says that his mustached minion should tell it to them, especially the god card in there. As he mounts the motorcycle, he further explains that he's been beginning to forget he's a duelist himself since he's been waiting on the sidelines so long.

Pshaw. Street bikers are afraid of heights.

His mustached minion informs him that Domino is about an hour from here, and Marik promises to get there in forty minutes instead. Yeah, good luck speeding while being foreign and brown in Japan, dude. Marik asks what Yuugi's current location is, and his shaven minion reads the information from a tablet of some kind - Yuugi is apparently heading west along E Block. Grinning, Marik says that in order to avoid boring Yuugi further, he'll duel him before even getting to the city. The mustached minion is aghast that Marik appears to be implying he's going to use "the doll", so Marik explains, with a roll of his eyes no doubt, that this is why he had "the doll" waiting in the middle of the city for the past two days. He wears the same smirk as before while plotting to inhabit this "doll" and fight Yuugi.

With this final word, he kicks the motorcycle to life and speeds off, thinking the time has come to begin his millennium battle with Yuugi. Cut to Domino City Park, where the mime Bakura was harassing still stands still as a statue. People continue to stare, and someone expresses their disbelief that this guy has been standing there for two days. A silent command prompts the guy to finally move.

The two who were watching begin to argue about whether or not they saw movement, but "the doll" isn't paying any attention, obvi. He opens the shoulder-bag he had been wearing this whole time to reveal his very own Duel Disk.

They sure freaked out at the sight of that machinery. Just goes to show how traumatizing this tournament is for everyone who isn't a duelist.

At another mental command from Marik, "the doll" sprints off robotically, nearly mowing over the shocked couple in his hurry. They hold each other in "the doll"'s wake, wondering what that was all about. Meanwhile, he's continuing to shock everyone he passes with his mechanical running as Marik makes a weird possessive comment about him being his "silent doll". It's creeping me out.

We find Yuugi complaining that he just doesn't understand near an overpass what Marik meant by "doll". Lots of scare-quotes in this recap, friends. Yami tells Yuugi they'll just have to wait if their enemies are still hiding, but Yuugi isn't really down with patience right now. He reminds Yami that they Ghouls want him dead, and could be plotting something horrible as they speak. Yuugi is determined that no one should get in the way of Yami's important quest, and he's not about to LET them do it either. Yami pauses in slack-jawed awe for a moment at his partner's outburst. After all, Yami went to all the trouble keeping that quest a secret and all.

Cat's out of the bag now. 'Fess up, Yami.

Nope. Yami remains silent while Yuugi explains that he knew from the beginning because Yami wouldn't enter a tournament to win rare cards. He deduced Yami must be after something really important, and despite Yami's continued moody silence, Yuugi would like him not to worry and work together with him for it because Yuugi is convinced it's HIS duty to find those memories too. Yami is once again taken-aback, so Yuugi cradles the puzzle in his hands, explaining that he took years completing it, meeting Yami, who gave him courage when he had no friends and was weak. Yuugi considers all the friends he has now, and credits Yami with making that wish come true.

Yami smirks and says that Yuugi made his friends all on his own, but Yuugi doesn't acknowledge this. He just goes on to admit that part of him wants Yami to stay with him forever, but speculates that this is because he's far too dependent on Yami. He even goes so far as to say that he may be TRAPPING Yami inside him and using his strength to protect him and his friends. Not sure how you could be convinced you're not strong yourself when you also think you're trapping a powerful mystical soul in your body and forcing it to use its powers to your benefit, but okay boy.

Yuugi concludes that he can't let Yami protect him forever, so there's only one thing to do now.

Good talk, buddy. Now there's something off-panel that requires your attention.

Yuugi looks behind him at Yami's statement that something is coming, and sees the weird robotic running "doll" heading straight for him. He skids to a stop on his heels while Yuugi asks him who the hell he is. He doesn't say a word, just holds up his arm to show Yuugi the Duel Disk there.

Forget "don't text and drive" PSAs, these kids need a long infomercial on the benefits of not dividing your attention between CARD GAMES and driving.

Aaaaaand they never got it. Fantastic. Just great.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? As much as I tend to enjoy heartfelt discussions between Yami and Yuugi, this one rubbed me the wrong way a bit. I'm not crazy about how little Yami said to correct all of Yuugi's self-deprecating assumptions. He didn't say anything whatsoever regarding Yuugi's postulation that he was TRAPPING Yami, an interpretation that would require some quick walking back to avoid making anyone putting it up think it's valid. Or maybe that's my real-world experience talking, overpowering the critical assumption that KT just needed to keep the conversation short in order to manage chapter length.

And the discussion DID seem a bit shorter than some of the others. I'd have to go back and count panels or something to be sure, but I'm reasonably convinced it's shorter because the chapter covered more points of view in a more equal manner than usual. It was cut into rough thirds, with Kaiba, Marik and Yuugi/Yami all getting approximately the same amount of time. I think Kaiba might have gotten a bit less than the others, but that may be because he really didn't have anything new to add to the narrative. He showed the rather impressive (read: EXCESSIVE) amount of resources he's dedicated to finding a couple of cards, giving the impression that these efforts will probably lead him to Yami's match with this "doll" guy.

Speaking of which, I'm a little incredulous at this concept. Here's a guy, clearly flesh-and-blood given that Marik can control him at all, but he appears to be completely mindless. He stands for DAYS without food or water or shelter, waiting for Marik to hop inside and take the controls. But those controls have got to be a bit rusty, considering not just that the guy doesn't use them himself, but also he's running on empty. No fuel. How the fuck does this dude even WORK the way Marik treats him?

I can just HEAR my mother lecturing my ten-year-old self not to leave my Barbies out in the rain again or else I would ruin them.

Inuyasha Manga: 111 Purification

Anyone else find this concept a bit odd in Inuyasha? Usually, purity is such a passive quality, and the act of purifying oneself is generally nonviolent and passive in itself. Sure, some of the language around purity and purification can be really warlike in tone, presented metaphorically as battling evil forces and all that jazz, but in practice it's the goodness and light coming from leading a virtuous existence. In the context of this story, though, all the metaphor is removed, leaving only ACTUAL war. Kagome's powers can be used in an outright aggressive manner, and Kikyou's also had a warrior tint to them. Before she became an actual demoness, I mean.

It's an interesting subversion of both the role of passive female characters in these sorts of stories and the peoples' expectations around the "purity" trope. I wonder if it fits into a larger subversion of the "good and evil" trope as well. Or at least I hope.

But enough philosophizing about story elements that may not be as important as I'm making them - there is a pissed-off fifteen-year-old with a bow and arrow and she will fuck your shit UP.

Naraku is halting in asking who Kagome is, in disbelief that anyone would be able to pierce his body. I would like to point out again that Naraku claimed to be a congealed cloud of noxious gas a couple of chapters ago, a description that does not lend well to concepts of impenetrability, but I digress. Naraku mumbles that long ago, there was a girl with Kagome's sort of power, and a still stunned Inuyasha looks over at Kagome, wondering if Naraku is talking about Kikyou. I don't know why you would ever DOUBT that interpretation, but maybe he just doesn't want to jump to conclusions.

Kagome, on the other hand, has no qualms about assuming Naraku is talking about Kikyou, snapping that he lured Kikyou into a trap and killed her. Apparently this only NOW tips an amazed Naraku off to the possibility that Kagome is Kikyou's reincarnation. How it took him this long when everyone else had already gotten to the finish line on that idea just by looking at her, I'll never know. Congratulations on getting with the program, Naraku! Here's your honorary certificate:

Print that out. Hang it on your wall. If, of course, Kagome hasn't fucking WRECKED all of them by the time you're done here.

She's not getting any calmer, either. She tells Naraku to just shut his trap already, because she's "getting" angry. Oh sweetie, that bridge has already been crossed a mile back. The one you're stepping onto now is called "utterly enraged", and... oh, no, never mind, because you've got the record time over that one too once you've fired another arrow at Naraku in the very next panel.

This girl doesn't fuck around.

Naraku's head and shoulders arc toward the rubble beneath, no longer supported by any more solidified miasma. Because Naraku isn't done fucking with everyone's heads yet, though, he pulls something unexpected; he GRINS. Kagome recoils out of her rage-gasm, completely taken-aback. Inuyasha yells at her to watch out, and leaps to carry her away from one last burst of miasma Naraku released at her. It's a powerful one too, gushing forth past Miroku leaning over Shippou and Sango with Inuyasha's robe shielding his back. Inuyasha is hit with the full blast of the stuff while he hunches over Kagome to protect her from it. All the while, what's left of the castle crumbles to dust and is carried off by the wind.

Miroku stands to survey the situation with Shippou on his shoulder, whose masterful observation is that the castle's gone. Miroku says it was a fake castle, while Inuyasha wonders if Naraku is dead. You should only be so lucky, my boy. Kagome draws his attention to the Tessaiga sticking out of the ground nearby, abandoned by Naraku in his exit.

And it is an exit, by the way, as we see in the next couple of panels where Kohaku speeds across the ground carrying something sporting a weave of long wavy black hair. It is of course Naraku's head, which urges Kohaku to hurry and run to the castle. Kohaku gives these orders prompt recognition, allowing Naraku to lapse into consideration of what just happened as he's being carried. He considers Kagome "dreadful" for being able to cut straight through and purify the constructions of evil he had built with her arrow. Naraku is convinced that if Kagome had been as close as Inuyasha was to him when she fired, his life would have been in SERIOUS danger.

As opposed to, you know, the unserious nature of having the whole of one's body blown away with only a head remaining.

Back at the ruins of the fake castle, someone asks if Naraku got away. As she kneels on the ground and feels the overturned earth, Kagome says this must be the case, since the Shikon fragments have disappeared. She apologizes for being unable to get rid of Naraku, and for once, Inuyasha is speechless in wide-eyed surprise. Miroku reminds her that if she hadn't done as much as she did, they would all be dead right now, and Inuyasha recovers to suggest that she's the most amazing of all of them. Woah. When INUYASHA is calling you amazing, you KNOW you did something incredible.

But Kagome starts to rationalize away her sudden burst of angry action in a, shall we say, humiliating way.

Inuyasha flushes, speechless once more, then sits down next to Kagome with a half-hearted tease about how silly her reasons for losing it were, blushing the whole time. She asks him indignantly what he means by silly, and Miroku takes this as his cue to slouch off, tired and not really giving two shits about their cutesy behavior. He straightens again when he hears Shippou urging Sango not to move around a lot.

She's using her Hiraikostu as a crutch to pull herself to her feet, despite her lack of strength and Shippou's discouraging shouts. Kagome calls out to her as well, but Miroku is already close enough to ask her where she's going. She pauses in her struggle to drag herself up and apologizes, saying she can't hang out in their group anymore. Miroku assures her that they all understand the situation she was in, Naraku holding her brother's life hostage and all, and she shouts at him that that's exactly the reason.

Inuyasha has strangely little to say all of a sudden. It's weird, guys.

So, Miroku keeps up his Socratic line of questioning, asking Sango if she intends to kill Naraku all by herself. She insists that it's the only way, but Kagome suggests that they all look for Kohaku together instead. Miroku agrees, saying that she can't face Naraku alone, as Kagome approaches Sango to ease her back onto the ground and deign to look at her wounds. Sango is perplexed by how forgiving they're being, and Inuyasha's glare returns.

You see, that's more like it. I'm not comfortable when Inuyasha isn't screaming some strangely sensitive and yet dickish thing at someone.

And now I feel weird for articulating just how normal that has become for me. Go figure.

Since Inuyasha says he still wants Sango around even though his sword was the one she stole, Miroku reasons that this means there isn't a problem with her sticking with them. Inuyasha glares at Miroku, asking if that's supposed to mean he's stupid or something, but Miroku says it's only supposed to mean he's got a big heart. Meanwhile, Shippou asks a hunched and quiet Sango if she hates them.

She remains quiet, internally reminding herself that it's her fault this whole fiasco took place. Still its a hopeful thought that no one seems to care that the same thing might happen again. Sango asks haltingly if it's really okay for her to come with them, and Inuyasha barks that they already said that it was.

Awwwww! Now you're stuck with these lunatics forever!

Yup, and there's no weaseling your way out of it with this whole betrayal business, so you may as well not even try anymore!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? In some ways, it hits very close to home. Sango's behavior here is similar to my own when I end up making a mistake that hurts someone else, and fear I'll do it again. It's that kneejerk reaction of being a self-flagellating fool in anticipation of everyone ELSE piling on their condemnations as well. Sango expects to be ousted from the group due to her betrayal, so she takes the initiative to walk away, convinced that she deserves nothing better than the horrible berating she's already giving herself in her own head. It's a habit I'm all too familiar with.

Thankfully, I'm also familiar with the kindness and understanding that Sango's friends show here. Though I don't doubt Inuyasha was miffed, he was also loathe to see Sango walk away from their alliance because he's come to recognize that they're all better off, and stronger, together. It's quite amazing how quickly he went from being alone out of necessity and distrust for others, to insisting on an ever-growing group centered around eliminating a common threat stay together. His distrust has so thoroughly dissolved that he could be the direct victim of a theft from someone else, and STILL tell her he wants her to stay in his group. As Miroku said, he has a big heart.

He and the rest of them, of course. One of the hallmarks of true friendship is forgiveness when one of these kinds of transgressions occurs. I say "when" because it's inevitable; we all do things that can hurt and betray the ones we love. The best of friends knows when the betrayal is malicious and when it's a complicated situation, though, and will be able to understand the context in which it was played out. Forgiveness comes easy for a friend who knows their buddy is more valuable than the hurt they caused.

The real challenge is getting forgiveness from oneself when you're the one who fucked up. I know, I STILL haven't figured that one out yet.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 169 Under Siege!

Should I take this title literally or figuratively? I could definitely see a figurative slant, given the prolonged set of misfortunes and cut off from his normal card resources, but... I would really LOVE to see a castle for Haga's insect queen, if I'm honest. Just imagine the design! It could have aspects like a termite mound and some hives, and little bridges between spires made of spider silk. How cool would that be?

Until Jonouchi starved Haga out in some way like in an actual siege, of course. We all know Haga isn't winning this thing.

Don't get too smug, Jonouchi. If there's one thing about douchebags I know really well, it's that they're extraordinarily good at fooling themselves into maintaining the delusion that they're the best and smartest people ever. Plus, we've still got another turn-around or two to go before the end of this duel if my calculations are correct.

Haga's smarmy grin has collapsed, for longer than a second this time, go figure. After a growl, he points at Jonouchi and declares he still has the queen, so the terror has just begun. He's hanging on to that notion that his combo is the greatest insect combo of all time. A cute little diagram showing how all his actions, from the illegal move of planting the paracide card into Jonouchi's deck, to playing Insect Barrier to block all of Jonouchi's attacks, illustrates his point. What did I just say about the maintenance of delusions?

However, Jonouchi seems to be buying it, shoulders hunched as he wonders how he's going to get out of this one. Anzu is cheering that Jonouchi's previous move was smooth, though, living up to her SPIRIT shirt. Sugoroku looks critical as he strokes his chin, but admits it's a good use of a trap card regardless. Bakura is the only one asking the doubtful question about how Jonouchi is going to get rid of the Insect Queen.

Let's find out, shall we? Jonouchi still has paracide and his Panther Warrior, while Insect Queen is the only one left on Haga's side. Wait a moment, wasn't she supposed to lay an egg for every monster she destroys? Or does that only apply to ENEMY monsters? Too lazy to go back and check. Anyhow, Haga is still ahead of Jonouchi's 2000 life points with 2300, but he certainly doesn't look happy about it. He's grinding his teeth while Jonouchi looks strangely stoic across from him.

That is until he yells a question about Haga's readiness and a declaration that it's his turn as he draws a new card. Jonouchi glares at it, all while thinking of that badass queen lurking opposite him, knowing that any monster he summons will only be turned into an insect to strengthen her. In addition, he can't attack as long as Haga's Insect Barrier is up, so he wonders what he CAN do.

It looks like Haga has found his spunk again, because he's laughing at Jonouchi now. He asks for confirmation that Jonouchi's monsters are all warrior and beast warrior cards, then says that his insects are capable of feeding on ALMOST all humanoids and animals, and they'll crawl into any card Jonouchi plays. Jonouchi growls in response, but Sugoroku managed to catch on to Haga's little glimmer of truth. He recalls with his card encyclopedia of a brain that there is one warrior card that won't be affected by the paracide card, though he's unsure if Jonouchi has the card or not.

After a mental curse, Jonouchi admits he can do nothing on this turn and opts to put his existing monsters in defense and end it. Haga acts... coy, I suppose, with that gesture of splayed figures held up to his chin? I don't know. He agrees that Jonouchi can't do anything and announces his own turn. His summoning of Ari the Soldier Ant reminds Jonouchi that he's going to keep summoning insects to strengthen the Insect Queen. Again, nothing he can do.

As if possessed, Haga shrieks out a command to his "chitinous queen" to attack.

BTW, the attack strength I had to cut off with the diagonal edge of the panel was 3600. Jonouchi groans internally about Haga not attacking Parasite Paracide, knowing that Haga's intent is to keep it in play the entire game so all of Jonouchi's monsters will be insects.

Because the queen doesn't want to lose her impressive firepower, she's laid another egg, and Haga the proud uncle announces it. He does a little dance, encouraging the little larva to wriggle out of its egg too. Meanwhile, Jonouchi is wracking his brain for something he can do so he doesn't get wiped out on Haga's next turn, but all he knows is the Insect Queen is getting stronger and the Magic Arm Shield is long gone now.

Haga laughs his ass off, convinced he's got Jonouchi and advising his opponent to make his last turn a good one. Jonouchi growls, glaring at the gigantic Insect Queen he assumes will end that future he wanted so badly. Anzu again shouts at him that he'd better not give up, and Bakura jumps on the encouragement bandwagon to yell that Jonouchi can do it, despite his copious doubt before. Jonouchi's eyes widen at the sound of his cheerleading friends, and his determination grows. He resolves to find a way. Atta boy!

The panels are extra big as he announces his draw and looks at the new card, just to let you know this is a game-changer. Literally. Jonouchi looks pretty shocked at what he sees, some type of warrior card he's not revealing the name of yet. Could it be? The one warrior that can't be insectified?? THE ONE NOBODY KNEW EXISTED UNTIL LIKE TWO SECONDS AGO???

Haga doesn't seem to think so. He's still gloating to Jonouchi that any card summoned will turn into a bug, and as long as Insect Barrier is still up, there's nothing Jonouchi can do to attack. Haga looks kind of irate when he insists that there's nothing Jonouchi can do to win, almost as if he's had a premonition of what's to come and refuses to believe it.

Jonouchi is once more strangely placid when he holds out his card, back facing Haga, to spout a vague bit of wisdom about never knowing. Haga sweats a bit, asking for clarification, but I think he knows what's up.

Anzu is stoked for Jonouchi's renewed sense of SPIRIT, just like her shirt says, while Bakura thinks Jonouchi looks pretty cool, even if this is all a bluff. He's still a doubter, I see. Sugoroku once again reveals that he knows of one card that can overcome this particular combo, and wonders if Jonouchi really has it. Oh the suspense is killing me./sarcasm

Jonouchi shouts that he's ready, slaps a card face down on his Duel Disk, then pulls another from his hand, all the while glaring at Haga.

Haga calls Jonouchi a fool and says his knight is just worm-food. I don't know, Haga, you ever seen anything eat through iron other than rust?

The Parasite Paracide tentacles squirm out of the face of their card and lunge at Gearfried, but are unable to pierce through its metal exterior, merely glancing off the surface. A little exclamation point shows the tentacles feel shock at having failed to assimilate the knight. Haga is flabbergasted that parcide didn't work, and Jonouchi explains that Gearfried is like a robot, a hunk of iron that not even a parasite can live inside of. Haga is blown away by the "iron knight" part of the description, even though that phrase is literally part of Gearfried's full name.

Sugoroku says he's rather impressed that Jonouchi found Haga's weakness. Jonouchi continues to rub it in Haga's face that his little combo is broken by stating that since Gearfried isn't a bug (see, 'cause he's made of iron. Do you get it yet?) he can break through the Insect Barrier. Without further ado, Jonouchi commands Gearfried to get through that barrier and kick some ass. Specifically larva ass. Gearfried slices the larva's head clean off, much to the now 1700-pointed Haga's howling dismay.

When Jonouchi scoffs and asks how that little piece of justice tastes, Haga grumbles darkly about Jonouchi's supposed stupidity. I think you're forgetting who knew that insects (at least not those on land) don't chew through iron here. Although Haga DOES notice that Jonouchi went for the weakest of his insect horde. I suppose reality is slowly drilling into that thick skull of his after all.

Anzu cheers that Jonouchi managed to turn the tables, but Bakura warns her that Jonouchi will still lose if he doesn't avoid the next attack. Upon seeing the look Sugoroku is wearing when reiterating that Jonouchi figured out the insect combo's weakness, I can now say with utmost certainty that I know where Yuugi got that poop face he wears when he's serious. And he's got years more experience with it, too, because here's where Sugoroku drops a deuce... of TRUTH.

OOOOOOOOOOH SNAP.

Jonouchi has in fact figured out that the whole reason Haga turned his monsters into insects and put up the barrier was to prevent wearing him down bit by bit by taking out those little larva bastards. Haga growls, then snaps, asking Jonouchi if he's prepared to pay the price for angering his queen. He promises to show Jonouchi the Insect Queen's deadliest move now; something he calls The Queen Impact.

Well, this should be interesting.

Haga starts by switching his Soldier Ari card to attack, and then plays another card, "Multiplication of Ants." This is exactly what it sounds like, making a whole bunch of Ari clones pop into existence around it, and causing Jonouchi's eyes to widen in alarm. Sugoroku is sweating bullets at the new army of ants, which Haga says numbers in ten individuals. This of course means that the Insect Queen's attack raises for each one of them; 400 points each, to be exact, as Jonouchi remembers. Haga is wearing his sinister grin yet again when he confirms that this means the queens points are quite high now.

Shit. Now I regret using the "oh damn" gif up there.

Jonouchi's eyes are practically bulging at the huge number, and Sugoroku isn't optimistic at all anymore. Gearfried is, after all, in attack mode, which means Jonouchi will lose by a LOT if the queen attacks. Which she is immediately commanded to do, by the way. No one can ever say that Haga never learned his lesson in drawing out final schemes.

BUT WAIT! Jonouchi's grinning and pointing, and stealing Haga's catchphrase as well as his look! After Jonouchi calls Haga a fool, asking him how he likes it, Haga looks utterly dumbfounded, if not a little like he just pissed his pants. Jonouchi turns over the card he'd set down earlier, which is Grave Robber! Remember that one? Well, even if you don't, that's alright - it's just what it says on the tin. Haga is really losing his shit now, in complete disbelief that Jonouchi set a trap and it's Grave Robber.

Meanwhile the GR has already snagged the card Insecticide from Haga's discard pile. Jonouchi, face shadowed and dead serious, mutters that he just hates bugs.

Now I'm REALLY regretting using the "Oh Damn" gif up there!

Jonouchi informs the bug freak Haga that the game's over now, because it's his turn. He commands Gearfried to slash Haga, and Gearfried makes it quick with a bitchslap of his blade. Wait, aren't direct attacks only possible if there aren't any enemy monsters on the field? What about all those ants? I guess everyone forgot about them, because Haga's life points are wiped right out without so much as a rulebook check. Haga screams pitifully.

Anzu, Bakura and Sugoroku all grin like idiots at Jonouchi's win, and Sugoroku reflects on what a fine duelist Jonouchi has become. He internally warns Yuugi to watch his back, with a good-natured smile, of course. Haga's just dazed and confused by Jonouchi's skill, because he was sure Jonouchi was supposed to be an amateur or something. First of all, kid, if you consider yourself a professional, you'd better stop losing all of these tournaments, because your income is undoubtedly suffering from how poorly you play. Second, I don't know if you're familiar with the phrase "practice makes perfect" but at some point you have to stop being surprised that people become BETTER at something over time if they keep doing it over and over.

Then again, maybe someone who seems incapable of improving themselves is also incapable of understanding those that do.

Sober at first, Jonouchi begins to explain that it's not that he's especially strong. He points a damning finger at Haga to inform him that he's just REALLY weak. And a wimp. Haga faints at the condemnation to wimphood. I assume his unconsciousness is what allowed Jonouchi to pry his prize, the puzzle cards and Insect Queen, from Haga's sweaty little fingers.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I want to start out by saying that Gearfried's entrance was too heavy-handed, and KT is still quite a ways off from being able to pull off a proper setup. The whole "mystery card that can win the duel" angle would really only work if it was referred to at the beginning of the game, or even before it in some cases. It doesn't work as suspense when the villain's rare card was just introduced in the same way a couple of chapters before, and it CERTAINLY doesn't work when it's so obvious the card has been invented for this very scenario. A scenario that was played on an even more dramatic note than its predecessor, by the way. It seems like KT thinks he has to build suspense by continually reminding you that something is coming every two seconds.

At least, it SEEMS that way, at first glance. By the time Gearfried had arrived on the scene, I was rolling my eyes at how much flourish it took to introduce it, and it left me completely unprepared for the REAL end of the duel. Guys, this is a true, honest-to-goodness, red herring. It's misleading in its role, not in its importance. Yes, Gearfried was integral to the resolution of the game, but it didn't END the duel like we were lead to believe it would. That way, Jonouchi's creative use of the Grave Robber was much more meaningful, because not even Sugoroku, the great card-guru, saw it coming. That was satisfying as HELL, and the most so of Jonouchi's entire record, by a long shot.

Now I'm SUPER regretting I used... Oh to hell with it, I'll use it again.

Still a bit bothered about what happened to all those ants, though... Hmmmm...