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...

Inuyasha Manga: 110 Miasma

As uncultured as it may be, can we just call this "miasma" what it really is? Those tentacles of his may as well be intestines, for how much noxious gas they expel. If you are what you eat, Naraku must be eating pure poison in order to produce such deadly flatulence. And since Naraku admitted in the last chapter that he's essentially just a condensed cloud of the stuff, it makes some sense that he's often exploding into a mist of toxic purple fumes among a mass of wriggling innards filled with acid.

I can think of no other villain that so proudly identifies as a long, protracted demonic fart.

... At least not one who then has the nerve to call his victims "low-lives".

Inuyasha is for some reason surprised by a bundle of those snakes Naraku shed earlier darting toward him from the side. He rips into them with ease, but recoils at the gush of miasma that shoots out of their remains. Miroku warns him that his body won't be able to take the barrage of miasma from killing one snake after another, and Inuyasha barks back that he KNOWS, sheesh.

On the ground, Kagome is elevating Sango's head on her lap when Sango groans. Kagome says Sango's name in askance and Sango gives her a halting apology. Kagome assures her that it's okay and they understand why she did what she did. Miroku is thankful when he notices Sango alive, to which Inuyasha responds with a scoff, asking if Miroku thought she'd die so easily. Her badassery has not gone unnoticed by ALL, it seems.

I don't care what anybody says, Inuyasha, you are a fucking TREASURE.

Naraku's voice chuckles all around them, asking if they really think they're going to get out of here alive. He tells them that they're all going to die here, contrary to their hopes, and it's all because of Sango's betrayal. It looks like Sango has passed out, eyes closed and face impassive, but Kagome appears angry on her behalf. But, by the next panel, Sango has her eyes open again, though she's wincing and sweating in her pain, internally confirming that Naraku is right. This whole situation IS her fault for stealing Tessaiga.

Meanwhile, Naraku's still yapping away at the glaring Inuyasha and Miroku, saying that Sango chose to save her brother's life over all of theirs. Remembering how they found said brother standing over the wounded Sango before, Kagome mentally agonizes over how desperately Sango wanted to save the same person who almost killed her. And Naraku is STILL talking about how they should all hate Sango for how shallow she was, if they have to hate anyone.

Goodness, does this guy ever shut his trap?

Well, yes, at least just before his snakes all lunge at the group ringed by them. Inuyasha curses and worries about even one of the snakes breaking through his defenses as he rips off his red robe. He tosses it onto Kagome's head where the sides settle over Sango and Shippou too, and she appears bemused at first. Inuyasha urges her to put it on so they can be protected at least a little from the miasma as he fights these things. Then it's time to work.

He cries out in pain when those pieces he cut up shower back down on him, though. Kagome calls his name, but remains sitting with her arms protectively around Sango and Shippou. Miroku chokes a bit from the miasma, saying that it's just no good and they're getting nowhere. He rips the beads from his right hand, rationalizing that the only way they're going to clear a path out of there is if he uses the Kazaana.

Kagome and Shippou shout his name as well, Shippou going as far as to leap right onto his fist to keep him from opening it. He sobs that Miroku will die if he opens the Kazaana now, but Miroku insists that Shippou let go of him. Inuyasha barks at him not to die in vain, and Miroku yells back that there's no other choice, expressing a hope that his sacrifice will help everyone else get out of the situation with their lives. So, Inuyasha reasons with Miroku the only way he knows how.

With his fist. Of course.

Kagome raises a shaking hand to her mouth in shock. Miroku calls Inuyasha a bastard (obvi), asking him a trailing question about what he's doing before collapsing into unconsciousness in Inuyasha's arms. Inuyasha in turn deems him an idiot aloud, while internally telling himself that if he hadn't punched Miroku, he wouldn't have been able to stop him. Hey, whatever helps you sleep at night. Assuming, of course, that you're not in for death instead.

Naraku's voice comes over what I guess in the youkai intercom again, chuckling at how Inuyasha's naiveté will be the death of him. He lists Inuyasha's inability to hate his betrayer Sango and valuing Miroku's life enough to toss aside their means of escape as examples, over Inuyasha's glower at the sky. Naraku calls them all fools, claiming he had thought they would help... with something. He doesn't really say. What he DOES say is that because of Inuyasha not wanting his friends to die, they're all going to die. Makes perfect sense.

As Naraku's evil chuckle trails off, Kagome has put her angry face back on, now will 150% more ire. She slowly says that all this is because of Naraku's scheming, pulling Inuyasha's robe off the top of her head. She promises herself not to forgive him before she starts searching the area for where Naraku could possibly be hiding. All she sees is the mist of miasma and the snakes made of the stuff, but when she looks down, she also sees Sango and Miroku lying on the ground unconscious. Kagome urges herself to hurry, and unlike in my personal experience, it actually works. She actually identifies the tiny glow of a Shikon fragment behind a wall where it blends almost too well.

Kagome raises her bow, glaring at the spot where she sees the shard's glimmer, drawing Inuyasha's attention with her declaration of where it is. Inuyasha yells Naraku's name and starts tearing through the snakes on his way to where Kagome is fixated, slashing this way and that, the burn wounds on his arms growing wider the whole time. He pauses his assault for a moment to nudge away some miasma on his cheek, and that's all it takes for him to be knocked off his feet by a snake flying headlong into his chest.

Shippou cries out Inuyasha's name, both fists raised to his frightened mouth, while Miroku groggily pushes himself up off the ground. Inuyasha, by contrast, falls into the dirt. Naraku laughs at how pathetic it is that Inuyasha will die in pain with his friends. I don't know if that really seems PATHETIC as much as tragic to me, Naraku, but okay. Anyway, Inuyasha is groaning as Naraku says it's an appropriate way to die for a failure hanyou like Inuyasha. If this is appropriate for Inuyasha, I'd HATE to know what Naraku thinks HE deserves.

Then: BOOM.

Goes the dynamite.

However Naraku thought he deserved to die, I bet you anything it wasn't like this.

Not least of all because this is the person performing the execution. You know, the ONE person he chose to ignore. Good going, Naraku. Excellent.

Kagome tells Naraku that he is the literal worst, in no uncertain terms. As she does so, the snakes are starting to dissolve into the thin air all around them. Shippou takes notice with awe, and Miroku speculates about Kagome's powers having something to do with this.

More than you can handle, clearly.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It was damn cool, especially when it came to those last few pages. It laid out in larger-than-life format just how powerful Kagome's move was, and it showed a side to Kagome's character that we've never really seen before. Sure, we've seen her pissed off before, but this is beyond any kind of annoyance or upset she's ever shown before. This is PURE RAGE at Naraku. She wants his ass dead. No wonder Inuyasha is looking at her like that in the above three panels.

In fact, their roles were slightly reversed here than they usually are. Inuyasha is the one trying to hold the team together with minor support, and Kagome is the lead with the big power-move at the end that utterly destroys the enemy. Since both of them are fulfilling these roles in their unique character ways, though, it was a revelation that was a little hidden for me. Inuyasha is just as coarse in his expressions as ever, but he shows plainly how high his opinion of Sango and Miroku are throughout that coarseness, and how much he values them as members of his team. Kagome's burst of power is the result of seeing her friends being goaded and tricked into hurting one another several times, and it's clear it took a LOT of provocation to get her to this point.

But, I'm still a little confused as to how Naraku could not have at least SOMEWHAT have seen this coming. He's surprised here, so I'm assuming he didn't see this kind of firepower as a possibility from Kagome, but again, since she looks exactly like Kikyou and they're in a world where reincarnation is a valid explanation for resemblance... It just seems like he should have taken some more precautions, even though he knows nothing about Kagome yet.

Not even a puppet like all the other times? No?

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 168 Bugs!! Bugs!! Bugs!!

Calm down, chapter, you don't have to get all excited about it! Sheesh, did Haga himself name this chapter? Here's hoping not, because I don't think anyone needs twenty straight pages full of insect-centered adoration mixed with creepy posturing. If I want the former, I'll go watch a documentary narrated by David Attenborough, someone who manages to curb my societally instilled revulsion for insects instead of intensify it. A documentary by Haga would likely have me shrieking like this:

And if I want the latter... Let's face it, I'll never want the latter. That shit could be cut out of my life entirely and I'd be happier for it. As would we all.

Especially our main characters here, who are being DIRECTLY harassed by this little moron, who is demonstrating how little he knows about what words mean. Parasites aren't the ones being eaten from the inside, you idiot, they're the ones doing the eating. Are parasites IN the monsters the card is played upon, or are the monsters themselves parasites? Make up your tiny little mind!

Jonouchi is even more annoyed with Haga than I am; he's downright pissed, pointing and cursing him out while shouting that Haga put the card in his deck. Haga just grins and tells Jonouchi he can't change his deck in the middle of the duel, and it's his fault anyway for not double-checking the deck before. Yeah, because it's impossible for Haga NOT to put his cards where they don't belong, but totally reasonable to expect everyone else to keep constant vigilance to make sure his cards don't end up in their decks. Victim blaming at its ugliest.

Haga gloats that Jonouchi had lost the game before it even started, and Jonouchi growls in response. Then, Haga throws up his arms in the elation of having both sides of their duel filled with insect monsters, asking if Jonouchi feels as great as he does. Jonouchi, of course, doesn't answer, because he's probably too upset at what's happening to him to even register Haga's justifications at this point. Man, this rape metaphor is more uncomfortable the longer it goes on.

Let's switch over to the support, shall we? Anzu is gritting her teeth and promising to never forgive that bug-eyed jerk for all his constant cheating, while Bakura states the obvious fact that all of Jonouchi's monsters will be bugs at this point. Why are you here, boy? Meanwhile, Sugoroku is just barely keeping all his freaking out beneath a sweating exterior façade, unwillingly coming to a realization.

Given the fact that he's gone to the lengths he has in order to ensure that literally all monsters on the field are insects...

Haga is yukking it up with his 4500 life points, daring Jonouchi to prepare for his "insect combo of doom" (yes, that is exactly what he calls it). Jonouchi makes a cringy pun about how Haga is "bugging" him now, and failing at being funny, he just tells Haga his glasses look stupid. This is sure to be a cerebral match.

Jonouchi announces it's his turn, and proceeds to do some serious reflecting on what's going on with his monsters. They're insects now, yes, but their attack and defense points are intact, so he reasons that he should be able to sacrifice them to summon a higher level monster. The thought is enough to bring back up his optimism a smidge, so he has the confidence to declare he's sacrificing his two four-star monsters on this turn. Jonouchi warns Haga to prepare himself for the appearance of Jinzo and...

Nothing happens. His insectified monsters just sit there. Jonouchi gapes, wondering what in the world could be going on to make him unable to sacrifice them. Haga's stupid grin is even bigger when he says it's too bad for Jonouchi, because he's unable to sacrifice a monster who has been infected, and that makes Jonouchi unable to summon a high-level monster. Jonouchi's heart hammers and he looks about ready to shit himself in disbelief. I don't know if people do that, but it certainly looks like he might. Haga sighs, seemingly tired of Jonouchi's intense expression here, and lets him know that he can still just call out a normal attack.

And because Jonouchi is as easily goaded as ever, he narrows his eyes and does what is suggested, rationalizing it as Haga asking for it. He sends off his Panther Warrior and Little Winguard to attack the grasshopper monster on the other side of the field at the same time, which of course perks that goofy grin back up on Haga's face when he shouts "too bad" for a second time. Jonouchi is confused once more before Haga reveals that face down card he laid, Insect Barrier.

Jonouchi is in more disbelief that this Mission Impossible grid of lasers deflected his monsters' attacks. Guess they're just not bendy enough to slip through them like in all those parodies.

Haga asks if Jonouchi has finally grasped the fact that his monsters are insects now and are affected by insect traps, or rather, if he's grasped that parasitic insects constitute more than fifty percent of his monsters' body mass. I don't know if Haga has the right to ask anyone if they've grasped anything if he himself hasn't grasped the fact that HOLOGRAMS DON'T HAVE MASS. Regardless, he's at least right about the fact that his permanent Insect Barrier will prevent him from being hit with attacks, and I'll let him have a cackle for that little victory. Gotta give him what he's due, at least.

Jonouchi's heart is hammering even more now as well get real close to his right eye. Sugoroku is hopeless that Jonouchi can win at this point, since Haga has appeared to shut down the whole of his opponent's deck. Anzu is beside him, completely oblivious to this, and calling out Jonouchi's name in desperate determination. Bakura gapes, acknowledging all the steps Haga has taken as genius, if a bit scary as well. And non-consensual, let's not forget.

Jonouchi himself is glaring at Haga until he squeezes his eyes shut, wondering what he can do if he can't attack. He descends into asking himself if it's all over, slouching his shoulders, something that Anzu is quick to notice. She looks quite displeased.

"What? What? No, I'm awake! I was just resting my eyes!"

Amidst a vision of his sister, Jonouchi knows that Anzu is right and he has to keep going. Out loud he twists to deny that he was ever considering giving up, saying that he was REALLY trying to think of a way out of this mess. She gives him a knowing smirk and tells him that's good, because she knows what's up. Jonouchi turns his glare back on Haga, reminding himself that he can't show Shizuka the future or give her courage if he closes his eyes.

He urges Haga to get his ass in gear, because it's his bug-ass's turn already. Haga's grin turns into a nasty sneer when he hears this, muttering a question about whether or not Jonouchi ever gives up. Since he's NOT giving up, though, Haga decides to slap a spell card on his Duel Disk, grinning in full force again. It's a card called Insecticide, and it's just what it says on the tin: a card that will get rid of one insect monster on the field, no matter how powerful. Jonouchi looks wary, so Haga assures him that the target won't be one of HIS monsters. Haga explains that when his Pinch Hopper is put in the graveyard, it allows him to draw an insect card from his hand. Jonouchi's wariness grows into uneasy anticipation when he trails a question about what that means.

Haga gestures to his hopper as the monster he'll destroy, which prompts a clawed hand from his Insecticide card to emerge with a can much like the one Haga himself used a couple of chapters ago and spray it at the Pinch Hopper's back. In collapses under the fumes and the hologram dissipates to head to the graveyard. Why do I feel bad for this thing? Haga eagerly picks a card from his hand, the highest level insect he's got, according to the special ability stipulations, no doubt. He holds it out, but face down so that no one can see what it is, and the drama intensifies. Ohhh, what's it gonna be?

A card that he slaps down and amazes everyone with, especially Sugoroku, who identifies it as that legendary card Haga was holding onto until this moment. Another extreme close-up on Jonouchi's wide right eye.

Okay, let's be real right now. That is super awesome.

Jonouchi's "What?" is more indignant than awed, though, which is fair. Haga ignores this and adds up all three of the insect monsters out to total 3400 points for the Insect Queen. Sugoroku's jaw is practically on the floor from the realization that what he already suspected as the real reason why Haga insectified every monster in play is reality. Yeah, I can hardly believe you're right about something too, Sugoroku.

A sweating Jonouchi braces himself for the inevitable, and it comes quickly. Haga orders the Insect Queen to attack with a firebomb-looking move he calls "Queen's Hell Breath." Bitchin'. It incinerates Little Winguard in little more than an instant, bringing down Jonouchi's life points by half as he groans, wisps of his disappearing hologram surrounding him. Haga informs him that this isn't all, since the Insect Queen lays an egg for every monster she defeats, ensuring a new insect will be born in its stead. The prospect that even more insects will be brought to the field when he's defeats distresses Jonouchi even more, but all he can do is watch a slime-covered egg descend to the field in front of Haga from the queen's thorax.

It doesn't waste time, either.

Anyone else throwing up in their mouth a little? Is that just me?

Haga intends to fill up the field with these guys, whom he calls "cuties", because they make fine soldiers for the queen despite their lack of defense and much offense. Mm-hm. Really kind of wishing I didn't have breakfast this morning. Yesiree. Jonouchi curses, knowing that if Haga gets any MORE insects, he won't have a chance. It's his turn, so he draws with gusto, but when he's looking at his new card, he doesn't appear to have much confidence left. In fact, he wonders just what it is he's thinking anyway, since he can't attack, and any new monster he plays will just turn into an insect and make the queen stronger.

He does the only thing he can think to do and plays a face down card, ending his turn immediately after. Sugoroku finally freaks on the outside, though, panicking as he reminds Jonouchi that he forgot to switch his remaining monsters into defense. This has Jonouchi even more wide-eyed and sweating now, as Haga shouts that it's too late, since he already ended his turn, and his monsters will remain in attack. Jonouchi is all but hyperventilating at this point, certain that this is by far the dumbest thing he's ever done. Are you SURE that leaping off the side of a ship after trading cards doesn't still qualify for that trophy, honey?

Haga, however, plays into Jonouchi's obvious insecurities here by calling him as green as his queen's little baby worms, in duelist terms anyway. Nice to know that Haga is leaving room for the possibility that Jonouchi might be really experienced and skilled at other things. Kicking peoples' asses, perhaps? He's lucky Jonouchi doesn't do much of that kind of thing anymore, to be honest.

With it all laid out and the points not looking at all in Jonouchi's favor, Haga asks if his opponent is ready. Jonouchi's only response is the sweat pouring down his face. Sugoroku is sweating up a storm too with the knowledge that if Haga attacks that Paracide card he forced Jonouchi to play, it will inflict 2900 points in damage and Jonouchi will lose. Haga, of course, wants to draw this shit out as long as possible, though, which is why he's planning on attacking Panther Warrior with his Insect Queen FIRST, and then attacking Paracide with his Insect Larva for 700 more points to win. I guess he doesn't believe our friend William Shakespeare when he says that brevity is the soul of wit.

What did that guy know anyway? This can't possibly backfire on Haga now! He calls out to his Queen of Arthropods (because he's super smart guys, did you know?) to issue his second to last ultimatum, pointing out the Panther Warrior for her to slaughter.

Damn Jonouchi, you have one HELL of a poker face!

Jonouchi explains that he knew Haga wouldn't attack Paracide until last, supposedly because it used to belong to him. I happen to think it's because he's an arrogant little shit who wanted to fuck with his opponent as much as possible. Either way, Jonouchi put his money, and his trap, on Haga attacking Panther Warrior first. Haga is somehow blown away and then devastated that Jonouchi managed to set a trap, leaving his monsters in attack on purpose in order to lure him into it. Jonouchi pushes up the tip of his nose to resemble a pig nose, which certainly makes this feat seem all the more impressive for someone who is has clearly never surpassed the mental age of five.

He throws out an arm and calls for his trap to activate, a trap called Magic Arm Shield. It's a mechanical claw arm that extends out to snag the Insect Larva from beneath the queen, setting it up in the line of her attack. Haga is horrified that it was not only stolen, but that the queen is being forced to incinerate her own young while it makes skittering protests and writhes in the air. Oh sweetie, if only you knew all the fucked up things real-life insects did to their young, this wouldn't seem so surprising.

Oh snap! That was a sick burn, yo!

Am I doing the young'un talk correctly?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Despite what I was expecting, this chapter did not seem as long or as drawn-out as some of the others have been. It rolls along at a leisurely pace, to be sure, but it doesn't DRAG, which is a little surprising coming from a chapter featuring an antagonist like Haga. I find him exceedingly boring, but I think KT did a good thing by not focusing too much on him and his thoughts. We stuck with Jonouchi and company for the most part, which I appreciate because I like the cards and moves of the villains to be mostly obscure. Knowing they have a plan, but not knowing it in its entirety is what helps keep the chapter flowing, and most of all, not redundant.

Another factor I think added to the flow of the chapter was the removal of excessive dwelling. A frustrating thing I've come to expect from Yu-Gi-Oh is several pages of filler where the characters have internal despair sessions that last way too long. Jonouchi's visible doubts only last for a page or so here though, and they are very short and to-the-point. There's no long-winded diatribe about how bereft of hope he is, or waxing poetic about how he can't give up. Less is more here, and it's one of those rare instances where KT is letting his art speak more than the speech bubbles he gives them. It's often more powerful and gets me invested a lot easier.

I'm not sure I buy that turn-around in the final few pages, though. Jonouchi was not only sweating and looking panicky on the outside, but he was also mentally beating himself up about not setting his monsters in defense before the end of his turn. Granted, this could be another instance of speech and thought bubbles being interchangeable, which would at least have had him speaking all that "this is the dumbest thing I've ever done" stuff aloud. Regardless, I find it a bit hard to believe that Jonouchi, a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve quite regularly, was able to pull off an act THAT BELIEVABLE.

If KT doesn't include some thought from Jonouchi in the next chapter indicating that he was able to PLAY IT OFF that it was his plan all along to leave the monsters in attack, even though it really had just been a mistake, I'm calling bullshit.

Inuyasha Manga: 109 Naraku's Castle

Talk about entitlement! I don't know how someone can be so ornery when he has a CASTLE, but Naraku manages to want Tessaiga too. Next he'll be demanding a hot tub and a private performance from DNCE. When does this toddler-like mentality that everything shiny he sees should be his end? Because he sure as hell didn't grow out of it. Seems like some people just aren't happy with what they've got, no matter how big and flashy what they've got is.

Pshaw. First world problems.

I don't recall you promising anything of the sort, Sango. All I remember is Naraku delivering an ultimatum and you getting understandably pissed about that.

And do you know who else is understandably pissed? Inuyasha, leaping after Sango and cursing her for being such a bitch. Kagome, who has grabbed a ride on his back, tells him to not be angry, because she's sure Sango has a reason for her behavior. Inuyasha snaps at her to cut that out, presumably because it's not unreasonable to be angry over something like this. Still, Miroku runs level with Inuyasha (does he not have youkai-ish speed?) and reminds him that Sango was probably blackmailed by Naraku, explaining that holding Kohaku's life in exchange for Tessaiga is exactly the kind of thing Naraku would do.

Inuyasha yells that he knows all this, and it feels like an unfinished joke, because the next panel shows Naraku telling Sango to halt in her approach to him. He orders to leave Hiraikotsu on the ground before she comes any closer, and she drops it, with a smarmy comment about how wary Naraku is. DUH, girl-who-just-stole-a-sword-from-her-supposed-ally. Duh.

Sango demands that Naraku show her Kohaku, whom she presumes fled to the compound a few moments ago. Naraku scoffs and assures her that Kohaku is waiting for her, as Kohaku appears silhouetted in the screen behind him. Kohaku is speechless, but Sango mumbles his name, sweating. Naraku holds out a hand, ordering her to give him Tessaiga, and Sango stretches the handle of the sword to her hated enemy. Very slowly. Then her eyes narrow.

If you ever come across anyone who says that a concealed firearm is the best and coolest way to keep oneself safe in public, just show them this panel and drop that mic.

Sango slices straight through that ape costume that conceals Naraku, as well as some locks of hair, because she keeps her knives SHARP, yo. Naraku is nothing but amused by Sango's hidden weapon, while Sango herself is quite alarmed by what she sees when the baboon fur falls away.

Hey... Haven't we met before?

Sango is quick to recognize the face of the Young Master of the castle that killed his weird spider-dad, and has the freaked wide-eyes to show it. Naraku points out that she must remember him, and Sango trembles with rage while she makes the connection. A little blood is at the corner of her mouth, and I'm not sure if she got injured before and I just didn't notice...? Anyway, Naraku lurches a bit as a swirling miasma grows behind him and Sango suddenly falls to her knees, to her alarm.

She looks down to find that some of the hair she cut off of Naraku is wrapped around her arm, and is pulling her to the ground. If Yura were alive right now, she would probably sue. Sango sweats while Naraku informs her that she is now unable to move, and he proceeds to chastise her for apparently thinking she could slay him all by herself. She curses the situation, until she sees Kirara slowly sneaking up behind Naraku as he's preoccupied with glaring at Sango. She glares too, with anticipation of Kirara's attack, at the last moment shouting at Kirara to kill that son of a bitch.

Kirara descends on Naraku, fangs and claws bared, but Naraku only seems mildly annoyed by this. He even grows a smile when Kirara's fangs sink into his shoulder, despite Sango's initial assumption that Kirara had gotten him good. Kirara, however, rears its head in pain, because this asshole tastes like poison, if I had to guess. The giant cat shrinks back to a little one again, screaming the entire way, and writhing on the ground in pain. Sango looks devastated as she screams Kirara's name, straining against the bonds of Naraku's rip-off-Yura hair.

Naraku smirks it up when he tells Sango not to be surprised, because his body is solidified miasma. He lets her know that her work is done here and he's letting her go, holding up Tessaiga, and she just glares at him while gripping her trapped arm. Naraku says the least he can offer her is some severance pay - by which I mean he offers to kill her by her own brother's hand. Sango narrows her eyes, looking somewhat confused in addition to her anger, at first.

Yet another thing Sango should not be surprised by.

We're back with Inuyasha and the rest of the crew when they run into a swarm of saimyoushou hanging around in the air. Miroku is alarmed by this, and Inuyasha continues to look pissed. Kagome hesitantly suggests that this means Naraku is nearby, maybe... and then the insects start drifting away from the group, one of them hanging out to take a significant look back at them. Miroku surmises that this means they're "inviting" them along, and Kagome puts it out there that this invitation is perhaps a trap.

Inuyasha scoffs and calls this all very interesting, cursing Naraku for his very likely intention of trying to kill them ALL off. Miroku holds up his cursed fist, realizing that the current injury to it makes it very convenient for Naraku that he can't use it. Inuyasha adds that Naraku had Tessaiga stolen, leaving him unarmed. As he stares at the beckoning saimyoushou, he also acknowledges Naraku's precise use of Sango in the situation, because everyone knows the exploitation of someone's emotional attachments takes a lot of dexterity.

Oh, he means Naraku's TIMING! Of course! I knew that.

Back to Sango again!

That's gotta sting. But she forces herself back up to a kneeling position so she can twist and glare at her brother, growling at him to wake up already. An exasperated-looking Naraku tells her it's hopeless and her voice won't reach Kohaku. Just to punctuate this point, Kohaku's sickle comes flying at her to slice her RIGHT shoulder this time. At least she's symmetrical now.

Naraku dispassionately tells Kohaku to stab his sister to death, and Kohaku approaches Sango to do the job, expressionless. She says his name, but Kohaku just raises his sickle to prepare for a strike. So, Sango screams his name, as if the problem was that he didn't hear her. Then she does a dumb:

Kohaku is all kinds of confused here. "You can use arms for something OTHER than wielding a weapon??"

Sweating, Sango urges Kohaku to remember her, and Kohaku appears seriously uncomfortable here. He turns his head to give Naraku a look, who glares and asks why Kohaku hesitates. What? You're surprised that the kid is thrown off-balance by human contact when you've brainwashed him so thoroughly that he doesn't even understand what it is anymore?

Behind Sango, someone shouts her name, and it will come as no surprise to anyone (save Sango herself) that Inuyasha and crew have arrived. Looking suitably distressed by the scene they walked in on, of course. Sango turns her trembling head and says Inuyasha's name as her grip loosens on Kohaku and she slides a bit, before collapsing into a pool of her own blood at Kohaku's feet. He just looks at her blankly.

Kagome's eyes fill with tears at the cruelty of it all, while Miroku states the obvious fact that Kohaku was forced to inflict all those wounds. I guess Shippou has the day off from playing Captain Obvious today. They must be on a rotation. Meanwhile, Inuyasha looks PISSED, growling and glaring at Naraku, calling him a bastard and all that jazz. Naraku just chuckles about what fools they were to come around even though they knew it was a trap.

OOOH, let me! I've always wanted to take up taxidermy! Of course, Naraku might find it a bit painful the way I do it...

Sorry, Pa.

Inuyasha takes a swipe at Naraku between the incoming locks of hair, but he misses, unable to even hit something that's shooting its own hair straight at him. Actually, Naraku has disappeared so that Inuyasha's claws just rip off the edge of the porch he was resting on before, and Inuyasha realizes with some bitterness that Naraku's fled.

The hair Naraku shot out of his head earlier responds to that assumption in the negative. Naraku's voice emanates from the hair, saying he would never just run when he has Inuyasha and company right where he wants them. The wriggling hair then turns into snakes, because he's not satisfied ripping off just Yura, but ancient Greek gorgons as well. Naraku's snakes aren't skilled enough to turn people to stone, but they do launch themselves at Inuyasha, though, so that's something.

At least it is until Inuyasha makes quick work of them with one swipe of his claws, asking sarcastically if that's all Naraku's got. His sarcasm turns to shock when the gooey remains of the snakes fall to the ground, sizzling, along with some burn wounds on his forearm. He groans about the miasma.

Damn, Naraku shed quite a bit of strands for this setup. Did he book it because he's bald now?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I again find myself annoyed by the constant whiplash I'm getting from switching back and forth between the separated parts of the group. This is RT's one weakness, and I know it doesn't really get better at any point, so I can't really hope like I can with my other review project. I just wish that these jumps between Sango and the rest of the group would be rearranged into just a couple instead of having one every couple of pages. Granted, this chapter was not as bad as it could have been, but it was still pretty jarring.

That said, I do like how methodical Naraku's handicapping of almost the whole team was. I take back my snide remarks about him not going exclusively for the dude who is already injured right now; he didn't overlook Miroku, just brought everyone else down to a similar level of disarmament. In very diverse ways as well, which is kind of brilliant. He really knows where to hit 'em where it hurts, where their strengths AND weaknesses are, and that's what makes his genius shine.

It's also a testament to RT's continued demonstration of HIGH skill in characterization when she can make strengths and weaknesses intertwine so beautifully, almost seamlessly in places. She made Inuyasha a little too reliant on Tessaiga to fight, so she USED that as a plot point. She made Miroku's Kazaana a bit overpowered, so limits its use in a creative way. She made Sango's skill in exterminating unusable when faced with the reflection of it in her brainwashed brother. I've seen writers trip over lesser obstacles in their character and plot development, but RT seems to just go with the flow so easily. Color me green, lady.

As thoroughly as she had Naraku prepare his pieces in this chess game, however, she's also left a very obvious hole in his vision. Kagome has no handicap right now. There's no way Naraku forgot about Kagome, given how closely she resembles Kikyou and his alarm at discovering this. And it's doubtful he would assume she's weak and nonthreatening, for exactly the same reason. He should be wary of Kagome having comparable powers to Kikyou if she also has her looks, more than ANYONE else. What's the deal with that?

Did he just have the rest of the pieces in place and figure this was going to have to do regardless of knowing nothing about Kagome's weaknesses? Sloppy, sloppy...