Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 223 Profound Darkness

When I was a kid, I lived out in the middle of nowhere. Dirt roads and sparse neighbors, just a hop, skip and a jump from a forest preserve where we would occasionally go for a Christmas tree if we could score a permit. No streetlamps, so I would sometimes wake up during a power-outage in the middle of the night to complete and total darkness and silence. And pretty cold too, because for a while all we had was an old woodstove instead of a central heating system. A pretty innocuous situation in the grand scheme, but pretty terrifying to little Writch. I'm pretty sure I remained panicky in the dark a bit beyond where fear of it would have faded from my peers because of this.

If I had read this comic way back then, I might have been okay in the dark.

It seems WAY better than facing the sun in Mai's condition, anyway.

Marik, you'll recall, has coaxed Ra out of its fetal position with his fancy ancient chant to bring him victory, because apparently that's the only alarm clock the god card will heed. Jonouchi's freaking out as he yells Mai's name, and Yami looks desperate over the fact that if Marik attacks this turn, Mai's life points will go down to zero. He knows Mai will die if this is a real Game of Darkness (TM), giving the impression it's a futile hope that all the indications are contrary to the truth. It can't be easy to contemplate a torture and death happening RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES, especially when it's a buddy.

Mai lifts her head in her complicated contraption, looking ragged and every bit as abused as she's been. Marik laughs that she's the perfect sacrifice, apparently because her hands and feet are bound and she can't so much as place a card to defend herself. Seems like the literal prevention of player action should be against the rules? I know that there is zero chance of Moar Cards Guy even TRYING to intervene, given that he refused in the previous two matches, but I don't think I will ever NOT be annoyed by the lack of adult action in this comic.

Marik says Ra will only have to attack once to kill Mai, who doesn't reply because she's too exhausted and in pain. He starts fantasizing about her burning into ash and disappearing into darkness, and I'm really glad the panel only includes his crazy grin and bulging eyes, rather than anything below the waist. Even Jonouchi is aware that Mai's going to die with this continued torture, though to be fair, he could just be referring to the disappearance of her life points than a literal passing.

Yami yells at Marik to stop again, telling him that there's no need for this torture porn to continue because the winner has already been declared. Has it? I don't recall Moar Cards Guy saying that Marik won yet. Lemme check...

... Yeah, the guy doesn't so much as show up in the last couple of chapters. An absence that is even more conspicuous now that Yami's pointed it out. Maybe he was trying to bluff his way to a less deadly resolution to this duel? If that's his goal, it's not working. Marik smirks down at him, bidding he watch Mai be sacrificed, and THEN he can let his anger come out to play. Dude, I think he's already angry enough, what with his teeth grinding away and his glare set to maximum. If you're looking for Yami to be PEAK pissed off, mission accomplished, bro. You can stop trying so hard now.

He does PAUSE to reveal that the scar of memories is on his back. The phrase is repeated by Yami, who has no reason to understand how literal that is, so he's probably mostly confused by it. Marik doesn't bother to clarify, and just states that his family has been guarding the scar for generations, waiting for the Pharaoh to return so they can present those memories to him. Marik facepalms over this being the fundamental reason his family has had to endure darkness and pain for so long in the land of lost hope. Another untranslated panel later, probably more mumbly self-pity, he draws his hand away from his face to reveal he's laughing about having complete control over his host's body now. He starts rambling about those who lost freedom in their hearts and darkness forming a new darkness or something.

"I only exist because of the shitty circumstances in the shitty cult that my family built around your shitty memories, Yami. That totally justifies my shitty torture of your friends!"

And so the cycle continues.

Yami identifies this Marik as the OTHER personality. There are TWO??? I was hard-pressed to find even ONE in there, but hey... Other!Marik says he was born on Marik's 10th birthday during that tattoo ritual, using Marik's pain and anger toward his father to, I don't know, coagulate or whatever. Marik was trying to protect and help himself, survive the horrible abuse, and other!Marik was a result of this instinct. Other!Marik had THOUGHT he could control the original personality, but his ability to do so was severely limited to when Marik was angry. Somehow, Rishid performing the ritual on his face kept that anger in check, and kept other!Marik sealed up. There's not really a bridge to connect these things. Anyway, now that Rishid is unconscious, because Rishid never slept before this moment I suppose, other!Marik can totally control his shared body with Marik.

Yami asks what other!Marik's purpose is, other than the god cards, of course. Other!Marik questions the word "purpose" like he'd never considered it before, and says he doesn't really NEED one of those things.

"Burn everything" still seems like a purpose to me. You kind of have to go out of your way to do it. Other!Marik says it's fun to destroy stuff, and once he's had his fill of destruction and the world is under his control, it'll become a brand new world of darkness. His double-imaged face stretches all the more for his fantasy, and Yami looks torn between sustained rage and complete shock, eyes wide as they stare at batshit other!Marik.

Meanwhile, Jonouchi is consumed with concern for Mai and runs forward, thinking he has to try and rescue her before Ra attacks. He's chosen a hell of a time to start this rescue plan, considering other!Marik has finally turned his attention back to the woman strapped into his holographic torture device, ready to send her on her way into that good night. Jonouchi runs around the base to where we FINALLY see Moar Cards Guy again, and demands to be let up onto the platform. Moar Cards Guy insists they can't interfere with the duel, like the cowardly piece of garbage he is, so Jonouchi pushes him away and starts looking for a way up himself, even while Moar Cards Guy threatens that he can be disqualified. Jonouchi finds a simple panel with up and down buttons on it, assuming this must be the control for it, casting an anxious glance up at Mai. She's hanging her head still, thinking at him that this is the end for her.

Announcing his turn with little fanfare, other!Marik tells Ra to burn Mai until she dies with an "Inferno Flames of God attack, much to the panic of Yami. Anzu and Shizuka stare in alarm at the spectacle, Yami yells Mai won't survive the attack, and Kaiba just glares shrewdly. Other!Marik, because I guess we all need him to drag this shit out, adds one more "die" command at a thoroughly exhausted Mai, who looks like she's ready to just get this shit over with already.

Classic villain, being so verbose about everything from backstory to attacks. Maybe should have hurried the fuck up, because...

Both Anzu and Shizuka call out to Jonouchi with urgency, but he ignores them, and ignores Mai when she asks him what the fuck he's doing here and tells him to go away. He calls her an idiot, but immediately thereafter a friend, and therefore unable to just stand there and watch her suffer. Gracious this boy is just precious. Mai says that her life points aren't zero yet, and that she can't just walk away from a duel, but Jonouchi doesn't want to entertain this nonsense and is determined to get her out of this.

But Mai mumbles it's useless, because she can't move anymore. He tries to reason that this is just more nonsense, that the torture device is just a hologram, and reaches up to grab Mai's wrist and pull her away from it because there's no way she can't move. But in the next panel, he's looking floored, wondering if THIS is other!Marik's Game of Darkness (TM). Not sure what this is in reference to, since we don't see him explicitly FAIL to move her arm or anything, or feel the solidity of a supposed hologram. All we see at this point is a massive, and growing, fireball backlighting Jonouchi, and Mai demanding that Jonouchi not worry about her and get the hell out of here, since he still has a duel later. As the fireball VERY slowly grows behind him,  Jonouchi tells Mai not to joke with him, and Mai can't help but be amazed that he's still trying to help her out at a time like this, and it makes her a tad happy in a weird way too. While she silently gives thanks to Jonouchi for saying that they're friends, she's still urging him to run the fuck away out loud. He yells her name, she admits (either aloud or to herself, I'm not sure) that the entire reason she's in the tournament was because she wanted to duel with Jonouchi and the rest of her buddies again, and that was the prerequisite for telling him her feelings. Jonouchi grits his teeth, Mai hangs her head, both sweating, and it's a strangely suggestive image, especially in the current context.

... This fireball is slow as shit, guys.

FINALLY!!

Wait, what?

That's right, Yami has leaped between Jonouchi and the blast, grinding his teeth as he absorbs it and other!Marik laughs his ass off. He glares at other!Marik out of his periphery and promises to take responsibility for the hatred and pain that made him. He plans to seal other!Marik away again.

Does this mean you're getting yourself a sick-ass face-tat, Yami?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? On the last page, the translator said that they have more direct translating to do and they don't necessarily understand what's being said there. It's possible they're saying they've ALREADY done all the translating directly and just don't understand the euphemisms being used, or that they have left mystifying things untranslated for for of them being incomprehensible upon direct translation. Because the only thing that's clear here is that the translator hasn't quite mastered English yet, either one of these possibilities is likely to give us incomplete information on the story in the chapter. I'm afraid my analysis might not be very accurate for this very reason.

But this is what I can glean given the limited info I've been able to pull:

A. Other!Marik is NOT a spirit of the Millennium Rod like Yami is of the puzzle, or asshole!Bakura is of the ring. He's entirely a product of Marik's survival instinct as a child in an abusive situation. What's interesting about this is it provides us with a just a little more of an idea of what these items are like to have. Here's confirmation that not every item has an active SOUL-type being inhabiting them. Pegasus had stated that there was an evil presence in them, but there was no evidence that his eye was possessed by another being like Yami. Perhaps the items themselves are what contain a sort of general unsettling "evil" and can lend themselves to host or strengthen a spirit who taps into it. After all, other!Marik seemed to suggest above that his growing nourishment was Marik's resentment and anger and fear not only for his father, but for the entire situation. The Millennium Items are the CENTER of that situation, and I doubt other!Marik would have been able to gain so much power without the rod lending at least a little of that to him in the context. Also, it's just an interesting thing to think about - the rod and other items contributing to the possession of them and the host, a grotesque triad of a feedback loop.

B. It may be that Rishid giving himself the ritualistic tattoo was a symbol of solidarity for Marik, and that's why other!Marik was sealed with it. Fear and anger get stronger with loneliness, and if Marik had felt completely alone in his suffering during the ritual, other!Marik might have overcome him right then and there. But because Rishid subjected himself to the suffering as well, sharing that pain with Marik, the both of them were able to bear the load together. It also helps to explain why Rishid's collapse at this point released other!Marik from his seal. Both Rishid and Marik are now convinced that his "punishment" for using the fake card is a rejection; to them it means he's not really part of the family or the cult. Rishid's been disowned by his god, and his tattoo sacrifice doesn't mean squat now. In a way, that moment must have driven a wedge between Marik and Rishid too, because if Rishid didn't belong to the clan this entire time, then Marik really was alone in bearing the pressure of carrying on the family mission. Rishid's not conscious to try to reason with him, and maybe would need to be reasoned with himself even if he was awake. Marik was alone and ripe for exploitation. Hello other!Marik.

C. This may be how Yami is thinking too, because his putting himself between Ra's attack and his friends is a similar act of solidarity as Rishid's deliberate participation in a painful ritual to share the pain of it. It's more than possible that it will be insufficient, however, because there's still an awfully big gulf between himself and Marik, who still thinks Yami is the cause of all his woes. As long as he does, that anger and fear will continue to fester in the form of other!Marik, whose only medicine is to infect the whole damn world with the same affliction, because misery loves company. Even so, it's nice to see Yami trying to take responsibility for something. For once.

D. Aside from Jonouchi's jump to rescue Mai being just adorable, it's also the FIRST explicit acknowledgement so far that it's super weird how solid and able to affect reality these holograms are, guys. It seems almost like a regression, because all the characters have been accepting this odd fact for dozens of chapters now, BEFORE other!Marik's Game of Darkness (TM), by the way. You can't just blame it on him, Jonouchi, there is CLEARLY something else going on here.

E. If KT can make magical holograms a normal part of the world, I feel like he should be able to pull off a sense of responsibility in the adults of this world, even if they have to fail in carrying it out. Can Moar Cards Guy AT LEAST TRY to protect the duelists bodily integrity? Please? I'm begging for ONE of these grown-ass men to DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS MADNESS!!!

Ahem. That is all.

Inuyasha Manga: 164 The Fourth One

I've heard tell of how the number four in Japan is a bit unlucky, much like the number thirteen in Western culture, and I'm starting to get it. The whole mechanism around which this story is centered is an object called the "SHIkon no tama", a "Jewel of Four Souls" that gives malevolent beings all the more ability to cause mayhem. Now at chapter 164, we have a "fourth" one? That is not likely to be good news, and in fact may be a combination on par with three sixes in my heavily Christian culture.

I'll tell you what's terrible: those haircuts. Gracious, that should be a fucking crime. I realize it's the traditional samurai style, but those guys have to learn at some point that they fell for a total troll job. They should not have listened to the old dude trying desperately to normalize his male pattern baldness, and everybody knows it.

But these two in particular have bigger things to worry about, what with their lord and master lying decapitated on the floor. One of them turns to the screen behind them to call out for help as the pots from the previous chapter start bubbling and glowing again. It's not long before these poor dopey dipshits get both their heads sliced off too, in a single swipe, long before help is sufficiently hailed. A gross, drippy tentacle from the pots curls around the waist of one of the bodies, dragging it into the pot to munch on. And just so you know, that is an accurate sound effect for the seething pot now bubbling with blood as well as youkai mucus.

Naraku's body lays there, but we all know he's not really dead, so I don't know what he's playing at. Maybe he just wanted to have a little bit of a rest, I don't know. It doesn't last long, though, because he twitches his hand after a moment of letting the creature in the pots gnaw on the corpses of his samurai. Gotta get a good meal in, I guess, because being sent to bed without dinner isn't the kind of punishment that Naraku does. No, it's clear he favors the more corporeal route when a big pulsing heart grows into the palm of his hand.

His head asks with a douchy smirk if that hurts, and informs the test-pot baby that he's got its measly heart in his hand right now. Naraku explains that he appreciate the killing instinct that targets everything that moves, but he's liable to start crushing a heart if its owner is rude to him. Like the thing said a swear at the dinner table or something.

Kagura appears to be sitting in the shadows on the other side of the divider, thinking about how Naraku has given birth to yet another weird thing. I wondered for a moment if Kagura included herself in this category, but then I realized, "She's a woman. Of COURSE she does." She's dismayed by how hardy Naraku seems, what with his head cut all the way off and he's still perfectly fine. Too bad she wasn't around when the closest Naraku came to death was being blown apart by an arrow shot in fury by Kagome. She might have a better idea of who's got the best shot of kicking his ass, pun intended.

Elsewhere, a pack of wolves hang out around a body of water for some hydration, and you know what that means. Someone off-panel shouts that today is the day they tell Kouga something. That's right, Kouga has returned to focus and he's looking none too pleased, asking what exactly needs to be said here. Two-Tone and Mohawk both cringe away, suddenly very reluctant to share the thoughts they were sure they would. Mohawk eventually swallows his fear and asks if Kouga hasn't given up on finding Naraku's castle yet, and the response is predictably indignant.

Kouga doesn't hesitate to remind them that their friends were murdered by Naraku, in case they've forgotten. Sweating, Two-Tone sets up the counterargument for Mohawk to continue that they have been having zero luck actually finding this base of operations, and thus Naraku. The only clue is Kagura's scent, and Kouga's the only one who knows it. Resting his chin on the heel of his hand, Kouga tells THEM to go home, then. Mohawk sweatdrops at him, saying Kouga's name with what I assume is some exasperation.

Because Kouga isn't giving up. Behind his grimace, he vows to waste that bastard Naraku. It's just after this renewal of his promise that he looks like he has an epiphany.

Who could it BE???

Kagome. It's Kagome in the very next panel looking over her shoulder with a questioning glance. She's barely alerted those ahead of her that she senses a Shikon shard, Inuyasha responding with an insistent hum, before Kouga comes barreling out of nowhere in front of their whole party, skidding to a stop with a grin and greeting.

Wide-eyed, Kagome identifies Kouga, and Kouga asks how she's doing as though they crossed paths in the grocery store. Inuyasha steps between them and asks what the hell Kouga wants, at which interference Kouga glowers with an annoyed sound. Kagome peeks from behind Inuyasha to warn him not to start a fight all of a sudden, but she's told to shut up, because she clearly shouldn't have any input on whether she should be engaged in conversation of which Inuyasha does not approve. Be careful boy, you're entering some real shitty territory here.

Depending upon Kouga's story, Inuyasha says he could kill him, and this gets a predictably exasperated response from Kouga that this is pretty much par for the course. Digging a pinky finger into his ear, Kouga says he can't so much as look in Inuyasha's direction without him losing his shit, asking if Kagome isn't tired of being with a guy like that. Kagome angrily tells him to hold up a sec as veins pop out in Inuyasha's head and he grinds his teeth, hand at the ready on Tessaiga. Shippou appears on Inuyasha's shoulder to demand Kouga stop being rude, because this isn't what he's always like. It's only the result of Inuyasha's memory on how Kouga stole Kagome, so Shippou says it's a big mistake to think this behavior is regular.

How deep are you going to dig this hole, Inuyasha?

Miroku and Sango look around at the sound of the approach and complaints about Kouga leaving them behind to find it's the remains of the Wolf Youkai Tribe jogging around the bend. It's not long before the question of where Naraku's castle is comes up, and a demand to know where it is. Inuyasha is seated on a group of big rocks with his group around him, Kouga and his group on another group directly across from them, and both of them are looking only SLIGHTLY less annoyed that they're speaking to one another right now.

Inuyasha says that if they knew where Naraku's castle was, they wouldn't be having such a difficult time getting there. Kouga repeats that Inuyasha doesn't know where the castle is like this is something that's being denied. Didn't he JUST tell you he didn't know? You are both insufferable little brats. Inuyasha explains that Naraku puts up a barrier around his castle to hide it, and even goes so far as to begin a promise to avenge Kouga's comrades for him once they find their way around that little roadblock. Too bad he finishes the promise by drawing Tessaiga, demanding the Shikon fragments in Kouga's legs, and instructing him to crawl back to his lair quietly afterwards.

You are the WORST at negotiations.

Inuyasha curses and looks over at Kouga, who is squatting upon another rock a ways away now, mockingly calling the blow scary. With a grin, Kouga notes that Inuyasha's swing has slowed to a crawl, asking what's up with that. As Inuyasha growls in frustration and a smidgen of nervousness, if the sweatdrop is any indication, Shippou comments that Tessaiga is still too heavy. Ah, kids and their constant blurting of uncomfortable and dangerous truths regardless of how many knocks on the head they receive for it. Miroku looks over his shoulder at him and smarms that the sword wouldn't become light too quickly. Life just isn't that easy, and neither is the narrative.

Still anchored to the ground with his super heavy sword, Inuyasha snaps at Kouga not to run away, but Kouga scoffs at him. Kouga says he doesn't have time to have a skirmish with Inuyasha, and proceeds to turn his back and fuck off as he always does. He casts one last glare over his shoulder at Inuyasha to address him before hitting turbo; Kagome is being left in Inuyasha's care until Kouga takes Naraku's head like he plans, but Kouga warns Inuyasha not to touch her in the meantime or he'll be sorry.

Boy, Kagome must be just THRILLED with all the implications of this ultimatum.

As Inuyasha's disbelief acts as the only obstacle to him trying (and failing) to chase down the cocky wolf, resulting in him standing there in impotent rage, Sango remarks with some surprise at how confident Kouga is even when he's running away. At least she gets to observe this without being under the guy's thumb. Poor Mohawk and Two-Tone have my utmost empathy, even if THEIR leader's hypocrisy doesn't rise to the level of claiming he'd run into an active shooting situation with or without a gun when he had actively avoided basic military service decades before.

Kagome tells Inuyasha not to get so angry, and after sliding his glare to her in his periphery, he turns and shouts in her face to question when he got angry. She doesn't react much, leaning away from him ever so slightly, eyes closed. Kagome's eyelids are heavy when she opens them again, thinking it's a little flattering that he gets so jealous, but he's awfully aggressive about it. Then she sighs, turning away from Inuyasha to mumble that she's tired. Inuyasha recoils at this statement, gaping at what he assumes is Kagome's confirmation that she is indeed tired of being around him. Kagome looks over her shoulder to a surprising sight.

Hey Kouga! You wanna spread around some of your unearned confidence to everyone else? Seems you could definitely stand to spare some for those who are less, ahem, fortunate.

He's a bit distracted when we see him in the next few panels, though. He stares up at the moon, where a small cloud of Saimyoushou are crossing the light. Two-Tone and Mohawk wonder out loud what they are, and Kouga silently surmises that they're insects. His olfactory senses suddenly pick up a little lead, and he rushes down the cliff he and his followers are perched upon, who question what's going on now. He shouts that the scent he's catching is the same as Kagura, no mistake, as he descends into the foliage at the base of the cliff.

Kouga skids to a stop at the side of a road, where the skeleton of a horse draws a covered carriage through a low-lying fog. A familiar figure in a baboon pelt sits on the horse's bony back, which must be super uncomfortable. Good. He lets out a small chuckle and dismounts, identifying Kouga as the leader of the Wolf Youkai Tribe. Naraku makes small talk about how Kouga's picked up his scent ahead of Inuyasha. In turn, Kouga identifies Naraku for the first time, and Naraku indicates that it's at long last they meet. He asks if Kouga will be dinner for the fourth one.

I kind of doubt it's up to him at this point, but it's always polite to ask, I suppose.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I'm always really stoked to get those fun little horror elements in this comic, because I love the suspense that comes along with it. Knowing that a new enemy is on its way to the heroes, but knowing very few details about them or their fighting style gives the audience a lot to look forward to, a reason to turn the page and keep reading, and something to relate with the heroes upon. Learning with the protagonists is a sort of bonding method, a way we can get into their headspace in dealing with a new threat, since it's new to us as well. It gives the illusion of being a part of the team in a small way.

Also, balancing knowns with unknowns within the narrative produces a nice, spooky vibe. I like the spooky vibe.

Most of the chapter was about the tension between Inuyasha, Kouga and Kagome, though. I suppose Kagome's part in it isn't really noteworthy, however. She's really just an excuse for a pissing contest - a convenient reason for Kouga to poke Inuyasha and see him react, and more importantly, attempt to prove superiority. Inuyasha fought and WON two back-to-back battles that Kouga was responsible for taking care of, both of them Wolf Youkai exclusive concern. No matter how cocky Kouga acts, it has to weigh on his mind that this hanyou came out of nowhere to fuck up enemies he couldn't get a hold on, was even fooled by.

Kagome seems to be the only way in which Kouga can really stick it to Inuyasha, so it makes sense that he would play up his relationship to Kagome to stick in Inuyasha's craw. I'm not saying Kouga doesn't like Kagome AT ALL; maybe he feels a smidgen of attraction to her because she's shown some spirit, but the way he behaves is not in the fashion of someone who's lovesick. It's in the fashion of someone deliberately flirting with the short-tempered brute at the bar's hot girlfriend to start a fight. Entertaining, yes, another opportunity to prove oneself in a physical confrontation, sure, but genuine love and affection for the ball in the game, no.

And Kagome is well aware of this, judging by how she's wishing Inuyasha would just tone down the jealousy. No doubt she knows Kouga wouldn't find pursuing her so compelling anymore if Inuyasha wouldn't react so strongly.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 222 God Awakens!!

Make sure to put the coffee on for the guy; he's awfully cranky when he has to be conscious under less-than-ideal circumstances. That's actually one thing he and I have in common. I've been dragging myself out of bed early the past few days so that I could take some antibiotics on time, and I'm liable to bite off a head or two if they're around. Lucky for my husband, he's out to sea right now and not in the line of fire.

Still, even if he were around for it, it would be better than a lightning bolt to the face.

Or... a golden meteor? I guess it's not clear if this thing is going to hurt anyone yet, since it seems to just be hovering there, captivating everyone in their awe. Mai stares and asks if this is the Winged Dragon of Ra, a valid question, since it looks nothing like a dragon and it doesn't exactly have wings. Yami asks if this is the true form of the god card. I don't know, perhaps it's just curled in the fetal position, demanding five more minutes. Jonouchi asks if, now that they know it's just a ball, it's going to DO something. Like, what? Bounce? Kaiba's just in a state of pure admiration of the shaking sky and the brilliant light. Just try to save your inevitable masturbation for your room, okay?

All in all, Mai recognizes that she's successfully summoned Ra with her three Harpies, but she doesn't know what this even is right now. Marik laughs and assures her that she has indeed summoned the real Ra, to which statement he receives shocked looks and mutterings from Mai, Yami and Jonouchi, and one really creepy grin from Kaiba. He says that Mai doesn't have the ability to fully CONTROL the god, though. THAT privilege lies with those that it has chosen itself.

Mai is mystified, telling Marik not to joke around with her. She says that the strategy in ANY card lies with the duelist themselves, and SHE'S the one who has it now. Marik advises her to take a good look at the card herself.

You didn't bother to look at the face of the card before??

Actually, Mai knows that when she first got the card from Marik, there weren't ANY words written underneath, let alone these nonsense characters. Now it's got a shit-ton of this writing that she can't read, out of nowhere. Spooky. A cocky Marik asks her if she can read the words, because they're the key to unlocking Ra's true power and get it up and at 'em. Mai repeats the part about the god's true power, eyes widening, and Marik confirms this, clarifying that it's the fighting power that belongs to Ra.

Yami is also in disbelief over the phrase, and wonders why Mai can't seem to read the words. Mokuba grinds his little teeth and begins complaining that he wants to see what kind of card it is. Kaiba has lost his excitement too, but gives Mokuba a task to make up for their disappointment; he tells Mokuba to go to the satellite system and zoom in on that card on Mai's Duel Disk. Mokuba regains his zeal, praising Kaiba on what a great idea he's had. He doesn''t respond, too preoccupied with the question of what's on the card in the first place. Have I mentioned he has a one-track mind?

Meanwhile, Mai is staring in frustration at the card sitting on her Duel Disk, not able to make out what it says no matter how hard she tries. Marik tells her it's useless - unless she can read those words, she'll never get access to the god's true attack power. But, with a teasing smirk, Marik IS willing to give her a tiny little hint: the words are in ancient Hieratic. Yami and Kaiba react with a measure of incredulity (the latter more than the former, of course), Jonouchi just makes a face like he's constipated, and Mai wears a glare, but her speech bubble indicates a bit of shock.

Marik explains that this hieroglyphs were the language in which all laws and scripts were written, and only the most prestigious people in society could read them. Nowadays, the most prestigious people are of course those chosen by the Millennium Items, so they're the only ones that can read the cards now. What about Egyptologists and linguists? Couldn't they probably decipher them? Just a thought. Marik specifies his group of tomb keepers, either as the prestigious group in its entirety or a part of it. As usual, it's not really clear. What is clear is that Mai is really starting to sweat as Marik drones on that there are some cards that are only meant for certain special chosen people. Even our late enemy PJ Crawford couldn't read the god cards, just opting to copy down what was on the tablet he used as reference instead. Bastard probably didn't even pay the royalty fees.

Marik says that this card was even made differently than other cards, so that the Hieratic words are only visible when the light from the big gold ball shines down on it. How exclusive. I'll bet you feel REAL special, Marik. Mai is freaking right the fuck out, knowing that Marik was aware she wouldn't have been able to read those words on the card, and just let her have the card, presumably to rub that fact in her face smugly.

If I were a cult fanatic, I might feel at least a tad embarrassed about my god appearing to everyone else all curled up tight in a ball, but maybe that's just me.

Marik reminds Mai that it's still her turn, and yuks it up as he says he can't wait to see how she's going to use the god card. Mai is mostly just in "oh shit" mode, her head cheerleaders Yami and Jonouchi wearing similar expressions while they call to her and curse that dirty Marik for knowing this was going to happen the whole time. To be fair, would anyone have not thought his explanation was a desperate bluff if he had given it BEFORE Mai took the card from him? Come on. All the same, Yami thinks in a panic that letting Mai summon the god card had been part of Marik's plan all along.

Kaiba, of course, is analyzing the shit out of the situation, even going so far as to calculate what the attack and defense points of the unrestricted god card would be considering its Harpy Lady sacrifices: 3900 and 4200 respectively. But he's a little put out by the god card not actually DOING anything. Whatever he says next isn't translated, so I hope it's not important. Regardless, he continues to wonder what's written on the card. He's a pro a appearing far more patient than he actually is.

Mai stares at her Duel Disk, frozen in action, unable to know how to control Ra. Marik reminds her that she has no other monster out, so even Ra won't protect her when he attacks on the next turn. He also threatens her with the torture she experienced before if she can't use the card she stole, then once again, there's a bit of dialogue here that remains untranslated, so I'm not sure what the context of his "only the god" comment is. Mai also says something as she pulls a card from her hand, but I've got no idea what it is.

Damn, I'm starting to think I should learn Japanese, just so I can know what these translators are trying to hide from me.

Mai places a card face down and ends her turn, which is Mirror Wall, to reduce her opponent's attack by half for protection. Marik is thoroughly unconcerned when he announces his turn and draws a card. He puts down a card called Viser Shock, which is another busy contraption covered in countless spikes and screws. Marik gleefully imparts upon Mai the bad news for her that this card returns all face down cards to their owners' hands. Mai's horror is renewed as Mirror Wall beams itself back into her hand like this is Star Trek or something. I think it's the first blatant indication that all their cards are somehow able to move and play on their own. Goodbye physical plausibility.

Bloodshot eyes wide in amusement and manic grin in place, Marik says that there's no magic, trap or monster to protect her now, so Mai may as well embrace the pain and go willingly into that good night. He calls upon both his Visers to attack Mai directly, and she is locked into the devices with cuffs on her wrists and ankles, screws pointed at her skull. Naturally, she looks terrified, and it only gets worse from here. Graphic torture directly ahead.

I'm strongly reminded of Death-T, and why I don't necessarily miss it.

Laughing, Marik yells at Mai to give herself over to the pain, as Yami, third eye standing out on his forehead once more, grits his teeth and calls angrily at Marik. At first, I think Marik isn't listening, just laughing his ass off at Mai's agony across from him, but then he addresses Yami, saying that the show isn't really all THAT bad; Mai's excruciating screams on the edge of death are indications that she's still alive. You know what ELSE are indications of life? Playing a game in a tournament. Using cards in a conscious capacity. BREATHING is always a pretty good indicator that the person doing it is alive. Notice how none of these indicators needed torture as a catalyst.

Marik declares that it is now time to begin the RITUAL OF DARKNESS (TM). Yami seems to realize that Marik wants something out of Mai in this turn, but he doesn't say what, I'm guessing because there won't be much of a need. Marik says he's going to show everyone one of Ra's three abilities right now, after all. While Yami stresses about Ra having a whopping THREE special abilities, Marik crosses his arms in front of him like he's blocking some sort of magical attack out of every fantasy cartoon ever.

Oh man, I can't wait to see Yami whip out the "weird words" to summon this bastard. I want to know if he can pull it off without looking as sinister as Marik here.

Shafts of light continue to emit from the bevels in the surface of the golden ball. Yami and Jonouchi gape up at it as Yami describes the ball opening up, and even Kaiba's smile has disappeared. He looks in awe up at the splitting ball, trying to characterize it, but ultimately failing. Wings an a head start to unfold, unfurling from the center. Marik states that one of Ra's abilities is that it becomes the servant of the one who chants the words on its card, making it absolutely pointless who actually summons the damn thing. Great.

Fucking traitor god. THAT should be the title of this chapter.

Crucifixion and death by divine plan with a sun god at the center? Why does that sound SO familiar?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? This was another of those chapters that was a bit difficult to get through, due to the torture aspect. The violence against a woman in particular was a little cringy, because it got quite bad at times, but at least KT never gave her an orgasm face like he did for OTHER female characters under torture I could name. He actually handled this with some level of restraint and respect, giving Mai a LOT of dignity in the process, and that I can be thankful for.

The imagery here is evocative of that "maiden sacrifice" trope, which kind of makes sense in the way that KT is linking the past and the present in the narrative at the moment. Marik is using an ancient language to perform an ancient ritual while invoking an ancient god, so there's a merging of two aspects of time that is kind of interesting. An awful lot of this manga has been dedicated to the interplay between past and present, how one affects the other, but it's never been represented so literally before this moment. It gives the impression that the two timelines are almost blending at this point, so I'm really excited to see where all this leads.

At the same time, I'm super worried about Mai. I genuinely don't know if she's going to die. I watched the show a while back, so I know she lives THERE, but the violence was WAY watered down for the kiddos from the comic. I can't be sure what's going to happen at this point, and even though I have had so many criticisms of Mai in the past, I can't deny I kind of like her. I want her to stick around.

All I can do is bet on Marik's ineptitude. He can't carry out his plans worth a SHIT.

... Right?

Inuyasha Manga: 163 Real Strength

Here comes the most classic of semantic arguments, a clash of definitions. My guess is we've been trying to rank and delineate between physical, emotional and intellectual strengths since the concept had a word, and yet the debate rages on. Something tells me that Inuyasha isn't going to settle the debate, mostly because I think this manga has made its position on the subject of strength - especially in the case of those people who are consistently underestimated and end up kicking all kinds of ass anyway - has been made abundantly clear. But a statement of position isn't a bad thing, so bring it on.

It's not like there aren't a million other things in Inuyasha's universe that require much more clarity, or anything.

Convenient, kind and free. Toutousai's weapon smithing setup gets a full five stars.

Sango's watch on Toutousai's technique is interrupted when she hears a demand for someone to stop repeating the same lecture over and over. It's Inuyasha turning up his nose at Myouga, who refuses to stop until Inuyasha promises that he won't ever throw away Tessaiga in battle again. He scoffs, suggesting that he's making NO promises. Inuyasha is sitting on the edge of a rock overhanging the same river above, with Kagome sitting on the other side of him, and Miroku catty-corner to him. The latter looks annoyed as he says that surely Inuyasha doesn't MEAN to be so adamant, and Kagome tries to minimize how heavy Tessaiga really is in comparison to how much he needs to use it.

Inuyasha is openly offended by this, because of how easy it is for Kagome to SAY it's only a little, as he pulls Tessaiga from its sheath again.

And that behemoth couldn't have been light BEFORE. It's like twice his size!

While Inuyasha makes a big splash into the river, Miroku asks Kagome what she thinks, her responding with with a curious noise. Neither one of them seem at all concerned about Inuyasha maybe being weighed in the water by his heavy sword or anything. Miroku takes for granted that Inuyasha's in no danger of drowning when he suggests that they should tell him the truth. Kagome asks if he means the truth that Tessaiga seals Inuyasha's blood, and Miroku answers that Inuyasha only gave up the sword so easily because he didn't KNOW.

Kagome remembers how Inuyasha began to transform once more in his desperation to beat Sesshoumaru, and agrees, but doesn't conveniently doesn't remember how they managed to get Inuyasha to flee the scene with them, considering he was on the line between his normal hard-headed and desperate-to-prove self and a full gnashing berserk creature. Seems neither one of those dispositions would be too eager to run away from the fight as it stood.

Myouga bounces on Miroku's shoulder now (no doubt he jumped ship before it landed in the water, so to speak), insisting that he shouldn't tell Inuyasha the truth about Tessaiga. Both Miroku and Kagome peer at him in question as he reasons that if Inuyasha knew the truth, he would choose to transform and use his own claws and fangs rather than rely on some sword. Miroku strokes his chin and hesitantly admits that he sees how it could become a habit after all, and Myouga continues to push this perspective. Kagome hangs her head silently, not looking at all convinced.

Dammit! I left my Yelp review for Toutousai too soon! I most certainly would have deducted a star or two for this rudeness!

Inuyasha insists that he not be labeled a monster, even if he doesn't know how the transformations happen, and Toutousai amends his assessment, calling him an idiot instead. The next panel with Miroku and Kagome looking on with shock remains in its original Japanese, but it's pretty obvious from their faces that they're a bit nervous about what Toutousai is going to tell Inuyasha, even if I DIDN'T have the chapter in my complete collection here at home.

Toutousai said he heard from Myouga that when it looks like Inuyasha will die, he transforms to protect himself, which makes sense to him considering half his blood is that of a ferocious youkai. But Toutousai's opinion is that the awakening of this blood isn't actual strength, which earns him a twitch and strange look from Inuyasha. Since Inuyasha doesn't say anything in response, however, Toutousai goes on to reiterate that Tessaiga's weight is due to the binding fang's weight. He explains that before Tessaiga broke, it was just Inuyasha's father's fang, meaning that Inuyasha was relying entirely on his father for protection and strength.

The Sengoku Jidai, where metaphors are VERY literal.

Miroku steps in to give Toutousai a round of applause for his well-articulated thesis (convincing Inuyasha not to throw away Tessaiga willy-nilly, principally), for which he gets a blank, if not slightly confused fish-eyed stare. Kagome pops up next to Inuyasha, grinning wide and encouraging him to keep at it. Inuyasha is speechless at the encouragement, sweatdropping at her sudden enthusiasm. Kagome steeples her fingers, calling Inuyasha strong, and capable of doing ANYTHING he puts his mind to. Inuyasha puts on a somewhat nervous or embarrassed half-smile, shaking his head as he avoids directly agreeing, because inwardly, he feels like he's being gently coaxed toward a certain conclusion.

Elsewhere, little Rin kneels in a field of flowers sighing and complaining about how late Sesshoumaru-sama is. But it's not long before she hears the approach of footsteps and happily looks over to see the double-headed dragon, Jaken and Sesshoumaru emerging out of a weird fog/mist. Got a little tired of drawing backgrounds for a moment, huh RT? Anyway, Rin begins to run to greet him, but Sesshoumaru casts a critical look over her head, and orders her not to move.

Sheesh, even RIN is into how literal everything is here.

Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru is chopping down the trees behind her like he's a fucking lumberjack. Really, is that any way to treat your BRAND NEW SWORD, Sesshoumaru? Typical member of the bourgeois. No respect for anything they can just replace on a whim.

"You come here often?"

Sesshoumaru says he remembers the smell of her, like that of the conman Naraku who tried to trick him before. You all remember that, right? Kagura doesn't seem to notice he's basically being a dick, being in the flirtatious mood she is; she identifies Sesshoumaru as Inuyasha's elder brother and adds that he's got quite a fine face. Ooooooh, Kagura and Sesshoumaru, sittin' in a tree...

Then he cuts it down. Because he's a dick.

Kagura says she's THE wind user (like Tigger, she's the only one, of course), and that she's an offspring of Naraku. Sesshoumaru asks for clarification on the term "offspring", but she makes no explanation. No need to get into the specifics, because it's obviously not as simple as taking cuttings from a plant and setting them in water to grow roots or anything. She just says that he heard right, and that his new blade Toukijin was made from another offspring named Goshinki. You know, the name Sesshoumaru shouldn't have known in the previous chapter?

Sesshoumaru asks what that has to do with anything, if Naraku is in tears wanting it back. Kagura scoffs at the notion that Naraku would have any attachment to a dead oni, and says she just came over on a whim to see Goshinki's fate. She doesn't mention her intentions to get a nice close look at this handsome stranger, even though I'm headcanoning that shit all day. She asks Sesshoumaru if he's as super strong as he seems, because may possibly he could be strong enough to kill Naraku maybe?

Sesshoumaru doesn't reply, just glares, and then his hair is blown straight up as Kagura ascends into the sky on one of her feathers. Clearly she has decided this has been sufficiently awkward. Before she flies away, she announces that the sword is Sesshoumaru's. He watches her leave, still not saying a word, probably wondering why she felt she had to have the last word when she obviously already had it. At least, that's what I would be wondering.

While Kagura is flying, she ruminates on the fact that Naraku has control of her through the possession of her heart, but she refuses to be ordered around by that guy forever. She's the wind, and one day, she'll be free. She's uppity, proud, a covert operative, and I love her.

Back on the ground, Jaken walks level with Sesshoumaru, also watching the sky, and describes Kagura as a suspicious woman. Sesshoumaru is clearly done talking about her.

... She is just precious. I can't stand it.

Sesshoumaru faces forward again, thinking about how even if Kagura hadn't said anything, he's planning on tearing apart Naraku the next time the guy comes lurking around him. You sure it wasn't PARTLY the pretty lady not so subtly asking for your help? Hm?

Later, when the moon is out and there's a good cloudy/miasmic atmosphere going on (can't quite tell which, to be honest), two samurai in a castle react to a "stir of power" sound effect, one of them asking what that noise was. The other says it came from their master's bedroom. Inside the bedroom, Naraku is kneeling in front of a curtain, looking at two glowing pots before him. He says that "it" has been born. Yet another incarnation, no doubt. I wonder what this one's gimmick is going to be?

Patricide. Nice.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Normally, in most other stories, I think I would be annoyed with how overt the function of Tessaiga is a stand-in for Inuyasha's father's protection, but here it works. I think that's mostly because of the mythological format. I've mentioned before how accurate the description of Inuyasha as a "Feudal Fairy Tale" really is; everything between the magic and the supernatural creatures and the situations in which the characters find themselves take a lot from folklore and organize it in a way that is very reminiscent of that format. In folklore and fairy tales, concepts like the striking out of a young man on his own, defending himself for the first time, are presented in the most physical of terms, so even children can get their head around complex subjects. This is following in that kind of tradition, and its got a very endearingly antiquated feel to it. Like the muses in action painted on a Greek vase. Timeless and simple, yet relatable and effective.

Regarding Kagura's meeting with Sesshoumaru, I was pretty stoked. I don't know how obvious it was above (probably 100%), but they are my OTP. There's some contrast between the two, the former confined by her servitude to a master she hates and unable to do much outside of that context, the latter in a place of privilege with the complete ability to go wherever and do whatever he likes. But they also have something in common - their wills of steel. They both value independence, the difference being that one of them already has it, and the other idolizes that existing free exercise. Funny, Sesshoumaru always seems to end up the measuring stick by which others quantify desirable qualities. He's the representative of power to Inuyasha and the representative of freedom to Kagura, and to Rin he's the representative of safety. Anyone else might crack under the pressure, but Sesshoumaru has the strength to hold up all the examples, I guess.

I also think it's funny how Kagura mentioned Naraku doesn't give a crap about his dead ogre son, and the chapter ends with him birthing yet another monstrosity that immediately cuts his head off. Anyone else think that Naraku is popping out kids like a young mother who's perpetually worried about her biological clock? Is it just me?

Yu-Gi-Oh! Manga: 221 Releasing God!!

I'd like to know who locked the guy up. Hell, I'm impressed whomever it is managed to confine regular old monsters in cards, let alone gods. No doubt this person has access to the ancient methods of those who imprisoned the Pokemon and Magic characters. I'd love to have a look into the grimoire detailing that process, but I somehow doubt we're going to get any kind of creative description of it. Chances are, when the time comes for an explanation of monster card origins, it'll be glossed over in favor of a flashy light and glitter show.

Another day, another translator. Who knew that there were going to be so many people passing this common, low-quality, sepia-toned raw between them only to abandon it a few chapters later? It's like a literal hot potato that NO ONE wants to hold onto.

Continuing the recap, Mai holds up Ra triumphantly, yet still says she "wants" it like it's not already in her hand? I don't know. Marik threatens to make her death all the more painful for her theft. She says she's not joking (who suggested you were???) and that she'll make HIM suffer before he ever gets murder her. While Jonouchi cheers Mai's good work, Anzu states that Mai began the duel with a card targeting Marik's god card, even though this isn't really the start of the duel. There's just so much weird dialogue here that I'm getting a little dizzy. Someone start making sense, please!

Lucky for me, Yami is plain in his approval of Mai's move, because he thinks that Marik can be easily defeated without his god card. Marik doesn't seem as insecure as he would have to be for this to be true, though, because he's chuckling. He's not convinced Mai should be so sure she can control Ra. He's probably comparing her to Rishid right now, again refusing to distinguish between his real and fake cards.

Kaiba's pretty intent upon the duel, noting that the god card has moved. What an observation. Then again, from the way Mokuba appears to be running and Kaiba walking onto the scene, perhaps he only just showed up. It's not the clearest thing. Mokuba also points out that Mai got the god card, and says that this might make it hard to determine who's going to win this one. Kaiba recalls how Marik said that only people connected to the Millennium Items can control god cards, but Kaiba characterizes this as some sort of joke. He's still willing to wait and see if Mai's got what it takes. Why can't he ALWAYS be this gracious?

Mai announces the start of her turn and draws a card. She needs three sacrifices to summon her brand new acquisition, but she's got no monsters for that purpose, while Marik has two. She has another completely out-of-place thought about attacking her opponent that seems to have no connection to her new goal of gathering three monsters on the field. Has her brain been mildly fried by this weird hallucination game or something? It seems to be misfiring an awful lot.

Marik invites her to show him her skills, as she continues to get cheers from Jonouchi, who's sure she'll win if she can summon Ra. Yami silently urges her not to be nervous, and Kaiba sends his own encouragement for her to simply show HIM the god card in action. I should have known that's the only possible reason he would ever believe in someone else's abilities - for his own benefit.

Mai starts by putting two cards face down, then she summons another Amazoness, commanding it to attack one of Marik's monsters. Marik looks unimpressed by this, probably because the monster doesn't actually attack? She's now eager for Marik to attack HER because she's got a trap with his name on it as repayment for all his goodwill. Seriously, I'm not sure what to make of all her contradictory and nonsensical bubbles. This is just bizarre.

She ends her turn, and Marik announces his, drawing a card. Yami recalls how Marik discarded his whole hand for a magic card - which I'm glad he mentioned, because my memory of his plays has been completely overtaken by his little headless trick. Still, Yami wonders what Marik is up to now, because he only had ONE god card. One REAL one at least. Yami forgets that this guy's whole schtick is copying cards and disseminating them among his special organization.

Marik places a trap card, which seems to have Mai a little taken aback. Whether it's because he's playing one to begin with or because he's specifying a trap over a magic card is not mentioned. Marik ignores Mai in favor of commanding an attack on her Amazoness instead, with a slash from one of his monsters. It pulls its fist and leaps toward the Amazoness, who also has her dukes up and at the ready. Mai thinks that Marik has played right into her hands, and activates her trap card, Amazon Curse Wizard. It's a headdressed and many-braceleted shamaness that has its head bowed in concentration, to magically swap the attack points of the Amazoness and Marik's monster. At least according to the currently unreliable and babbling Mai.

This statement turns out to be accurate, though, because the two monsters face off, their attack points suddenly switched as they're surrounded by spectral fire. Marik, again, looks unimpressed, even though shit is actually happening now.

Sooooo, getting bad haircuts turn you on, huh Marik? He certainly has to tell everyone about how good he feels in the next panel, which makes ME feel like I'm getting unwanted attention from some scrub in a bar. Can't even IMAGINE how Mai feels. He makes it even worse when he blurts that it's because his opponent stepped into his trap, and laughs. Mai is flabbergasted, and when Marik reveals HIS trap, Last Will, I am too. It's less insidious than he made it seem - he gets to draw five new cards when his monster's attack is zero. Uhhhhh... good for you? Yami is pretty serious about Marik's apparent intention to rearrange his hand, though. He's got his "uh-oh" face on.

After Marik draws his five cards, he makes a sinister appeal to his monster's special ability, giving him the right to play a trap card straight from his hand. This is making Mai nervous, because she had intended to end the match quickly when Marik didn't have any cards left in his hand. Marik makes another TMI comment about how the pain feels super duper good, then plays his trap, Torturing Wheel. Mai is shocked by its appearance.

As she should be.

Yami and Jonouchi look distressed, calling out to her, while Marik gives her a smug silence. But when she snags a panel of her own, she's looking just as smug, thanking him for the trap. Wha-wha-WHAAAAAA? Her horror did not last long this time AT ALL. She flips her other face down card to reveal the trap Rescuing Hand. Three guesses as to what that does.

Surprise! It really returns an opponent's trap card their hand, allowing them to summon a monster in its place. Marik sees right through this, guessing that she's planning to summon Ra to the field. Oh well-done on that deduction, sir. You're sooooo clever. Guess who's ACTUALLY clever, though? Mai says that she learned from Jonouchi's duel that Ra's attack comes from the attack of the sacrifices, and if she used the method Marik was implying, Ra's attack would be zero. Marik praises her on how smart she is, though he's smirking at her still. Mai informs him that she DOES have a plan, and will have Ra on the field with her on her next turn. Marik makes a condescending noise at her, and Jonouchi wonders aloud with worry how she's going to assemble three monsters by her next turn.

Mai promises to show her method, the first step of which is returning her Amazoness to her hand now that it separates from the Torture Wheel. Once she's put the card back in her hand, she chooses another to slap on her Duel Disk: good ol' Harpy Lady. Jonouchi grins and cheers at Mai's favorite card, and Yami begins to recall Mai's signature combo. It HAS been a long while since she's whipped it out, so that's understandable.

She informs Marik that the Amazons she's been throwing at him were just decoys; Harpy Lady is her most powerful card. Also, it's her turn now, so she can play a little multiplicity move.

Jonouchi is in awe, singing the praises of Mai and her badassery, but she's not done yet. Mai uses her three Harpies as her sacrifices immediately, in order to bring about her call to a certain god. Right before she sets her card and commands Ra to come out, lightning forks across the sky again. The last time this happened hasn't even had time to fade from my memory. I'm getting super nervous for Mai here.

All the onlookers are paying the utmost attention now, most looking concerned or uncertain, one guy in particular wearing an excited smile. I'm sure you can guess who. There's one question that all of them share: will the god actually come out this time? Marik is outwardly amused by the breathless spectacle, chuckling as he asks Mai if she thinks she can control it. He tells her that, in case she hasn't noticed, the god is in fact watching her. Mai gasps in shock and bewilderment when she looks up.

Is getting crushed by a giant golden sphere better than being shocked by divine lightning? Which way would YOU rather die?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I can't say I'm particularly happy with this new translator. No doubt you noticed how eager "Clairleader" was to alert everyone to the fact that they were the one doing the translating, and I honestly don't know why. As petty and mean as I'm about to sound, I feel it must be said regardless -  this isn't the level of work that I would personally take a lot of pride in. Other recent translators haven't done a much better job, but more often than not, I could eke out meaning in most of the more obscure quotes. However, in this chapter, Mai's dialogue was all kind of confusing, to the point where I was discounting a LOT of lines as mere nonsense. It didn't in any way fit in with what was happening. I assume whoever "Clairleader" is, they were translating as literally as possible in a lot of cases, not paying any attention to the context that might make a phrase incomprehensible for someone like me, who's not familiar with Japanese idioms.

Also, I'm automatically a little ruffled by people who insist on plastering their name all over things. It's obnoxious, smacks of insecurity and entitlement, and reminds me of someone specific that I would rather not spend more brain power thinking about than I absolutely must.

As for the actual content (or that of which I could make some sense), I was really impressed with how Mai managed to dodge Marik's continued attempts at torture, and STILL get Ra's card on the field. I can recall a lot of "clever moves" in this story that felt stilted and forced, and like KT was trying to convince me the character was smart when the only reason they turned the tables is because he made up a card that would work for the very specific current situation. This was not one of those. The cards that WERE introduced in this chapter didn't come across as unbalanced power moves for either side, and the one that returned the advantage to Mai had a benefit for her opponent as well, a kind of trade-off. Otherwise, when it came to Mai's strategy for summoning Ra, KT used her established repertoire and used it in a new way, which I thought was genuinely clever.

Not that there wasn't that ever-present hint of slightly overblown luck that always overshadows our heroes' actions. It was just less noticeable here.