YuYu Hakusho Manga: 003 Time for Departure!!

Wait a minute, I thought the goal was to stick around the living world, but we're leaving? Where to??? I hope it's not back to that crowded office full of bustling ogres directed around by a precocious toddler. Whether to hang out or intern, I feel like Yusuke would just be pissed off being cooped up in there, and that CANNOT be good for the vibe feeding his egg. It would be akin to an act of sabotage, because there's no possible way Koenma could not predict the massive attitude Yusuke would cop when forced to hang with him in the spirit realm. 

Yeah, I just hope wherever the destination is, it's somewhere CHILL. 

I mean, I guess he IS sleeping. NOW. 

Atsuko, strangely nose-less, chuckles that the doctor's baffled and says it shouldn't be possible, but here Yusuke is, sure enough. NOT in a hospital. According to Atsuko, for all the doctor could tell, Yusuke IS just sleeping and he could wake up at any time, but apparently it's also possible that Yusuke will just stay like this and not wake up ever again. Yeah, did the doctor happen to also advise you to put Yusuke in a medical facility to make sure he's able to get nutrients and fluids while he's in this Sleeping Beauty phase, so he doesn't STARVE to death in the interim?? No word on that - Atsuko just talks about how she BELIEVES her son will wake up, she KNOWS he will, mentioning that he did after all make the effort to visit Keiko in her dreams while his mom was completely trashed. 

Keiko is silent for a moment, before she starts to express doubt that it was a genuine message from Yusuke, admitting that it COULD have just been a dream. But Atsuko says that it was too much of a coincidence that Keiko was told in her "dream" to look for the evidence that she just happened to stumble upon at the same time. Keiko still looks a little doubtful, but she agrees after a pause. As she leaves the house, Yusuke floats with Botan behind her, a bit miffed. He's annoyed that she's questioning his personal message to her, and says that he might just have to visit her again to make the reality of his presence sink in. 

Botan asks if he'll have his "last words" ready for this communication he's talking about, and he begins to confirm that he'll make a believer of her yet, but as Botan gives him an affirmation and begins scribbling in a notebook, the phrase "last words" finally hits him with full force and he has to ask her to repeat herself. 

The inference of what you actually DID say might be enough to stop a weakly beating heart regardless, Botan.

Yusuke questions this sudden reference to "rules" and Botan confirms in a huff that he's not allowed to continuously communicate with people he's close to while he's taking the test, but this rule isn't effective until tomorrow. Yusuke's attitude is palpable when he suggests to Botan that she bring up these little details SOONER, but she's dismissive. She thinks (with some smugness) that she knows how he works now, and he wouldn't have gotten around to this until the last minute anyway. Suuuuure, I totes believe that this wasn't just a contrived rule made up at the last minute to impose some tension on the plot...

Yusuke asks how he should go about the message this time, asking if he should just wait until Keiko is asleep again. Botan says she doesn't see much sense in it, considering Keiko might just think it was a dream again. She suggests instead that this time around, he BORROW SOMEONE'S BODY to actually talk to her. She even does it with a little grin, as if possession isn't an ethical nightmare for someone in Yusuke's position. Yusuke, of course, doesn't see any red flags with this, even reiterating what Botan is suggesting to show that he follows, and even asks if it could be ANYONE. Botan tells him no, that the rules again dictate some strict perimeters, and asks Yusuke if he knows anyone who has a really strong sixth sense. Yusuke sweatdrops as he considers the question. 

This is a PERFECT reaction picture. I can just see the versatility.

Kuwabara's friends turn to regard him when they notice that he's stopped in his tracks and they're leaving him behind, asking him what's up. He tells them that he feels a chill, to which one of them inquires incredulously if he's caught a cold, but another of his small gang asks if it's THAT again. Quivering and shaking from that chill apparently still passing through him, Kuwabara answers in the affirmative, stating that nothing good ever happens when he feels like this. He lists all the things that he's experienced - will-o'-the-wisps, sleep paralysis, getting chased by ghosts - all of which are recreated in his imagination in... less-than-terrifying detail. The first friend simply says he doesn't get it, but the second whispers to him that Kuwabara has a really intense sixth sense, and receives an exclamation of disbelief in response. 

There's more disbelief from the Yusuke hovering nearby, but it's more the kind of "is this some sort of joke" disbelief. He mutters about how this is really TOO much, and as if in response, Kuwabara proclaims in all seriousness that he feels a ghost behind him right this very moment, which is of course a mildly annoyed Yusuke. When Kuwabara suggests that the ghost he's feeling is probably one of a lower life form like a racoon or monkey, Yusuke lashes out and tries to punch him in the back of the head, which of course doesn't work. 

Yusuke turns to Botan to complain about the prospect of taking over the body of this goon, but Botan tells him that she didn't say he HAD to do it. True, it was just an idea, and one that it seems Yusuke was kind of depending upon. He growls in frustration at Botan, who after a pause asks in a chipper tone if he's gonna go for it. Kuwabara freezes unnaturally, his friends wondering what's going on with him now, but he's completely unresponsive to all of their concerned questions. Botan tells Yusuke that he can go on in now, but he only has about 30 minutes as she holds up three fingers, because it's all Kuwabara's body will be able to take. Yusuke looks over at the sinking sun and estimates he'll have until about sunset then. 

Me when I'm daydreaming but I suddenly hear my name in a Zoom meeting. 

Kuwabara's head turns side to side, where his friends hum in confusion and suppose he's back, they guess. All of a sudden, Kuwabara BOLTS, sprinting off while one of his friends calls out to him in utter confusion, and Yusuke from within thinks that she should be home right about now. No points for guessing who "she" is, of course. 

Cut to where Kuwabara('s body) is running up alongside the fence outside a building with a big placard on the outside written on in kanji, so I'm rather useless in reading it. But, when Kuwabara('s body) bursts in calling for Mr. and Mrs. Yukimura to ask if Keiko is there, a guy in the background almost chokes on the ramen he's slurping from his bowl, so it must be a ramen shop. The Mr. and Mrs. referred to sweatdrop at the unknown young man who has barged in, asking who he is after a moment of bewildered silence. Kuwabara('s mouth) says he's in a hurry, and again expresses his urgent need to know where Keiko is, and her mother hesitantly answers that she's not at home, and is out shopping. Her father asks the unknown boy if he's a friend of Keiko's from school, and Kuwabara('s mouth) replies in a hurry that yes, he's Yusuke Urameshi, and he wants to know what STORE Keiko's at. 

The name he gives at first receives a dumbfounded pause, and after that Keiko's father is up and shaking a whole-ass MEAT CLEAVER in Kuwabara's face, telling the greasy thug to hold it. Before long, Yusuke has Kuwabara high-tailing it out of there as both Keiko's mother and cleaver-wielding father chase him from the shop, yelling about the audacity of trying to pass his ugly self off as Yusuke, the boy who has passed from the world, something they think is an awfully insensitive trick to play. They are throwing knives and china at Kuwabara while Yusuke insists that it's not what it looks like, although he also acknowledges he doesn't have time to explain. 

Shortly, he's back on the street and looking around in desperation, wondering aloud if he's going to have to search every store in exasperation. You really should have thought a moment about what name you were going to use there, bud. A figure shuffles up to him with a sarcastic little surprised remark, and a guy who is very unremarkable looking compared to the strange gang-members hanging out behind him identifies Kuwabara as coming from Sarayashiki High School, and someone who's apparently been raising a lot of hell lately? If by "raising hell" they mean "wailing about the death of a dude he had a very complicated relationship with". 

Kuwabara('s mouth) says that he's NOT Kuwabara right now, and demands that this nameless thug get out of his way. The nameless thug tries to be intimidating by cocking his head in Kuwabara's face and saying he shouldn't be like that, because he might have to get his teeth knocked in. 

And that about does it for him. And two other groups of hooligans apparently - the next panel carries a label of "Three Fights Later", Kuwabara('s body) looking left and right while Yusuke complains about the waste of his time, and how Kuwabara hasn't been particularly choosy about his fights. As if HE'S one to talk. He spots the tall blonde girl and the bespectacled one that hang with Keiko some distance away, laughing together, and is stoked that he's finally found a lead to Keiko's whereabouts. The girls look over curiously when he calls out to them, then scream and run in terror when he comes running at them. He's frustrated once again, demanding that they not run away and asking what's wrong with them, because he hasn't seen the absolute MESS Kuwabara's face has become during the last few scuffles.

Kuwabara('s face) glares after the cloud of dust the girls left behind in their flight, growling. Yusuke notices the sun has sunk about halfway down the horizon, and curses that it's just no use, because even in the even he finds Keiko, there won't be any time to explain, let alone in a convincing way. Just as he gets done internally despairing of finding her, he hears a familiar voice wondering aloud where "they" went in a bewildered way behind him. Kuwabara('s body) turns to see Keiko looking puzzled, and in a TERRIBLE cardigan, no less. 

As Kuwabara sweatdrops, Yusuke is suddenly struck by the fact that he hadn't really thought about HOW he was going to convince Keiko it's him when he looks like someone else. The sun is pretty much set, and Yusuke knows his time is pretty much up, so he desperately tries to think of a way to clue Keiko in fast. 

Coincidentally, behind Kuwabara, a man sneaks up behind a woman he knows and covers her eyes, playfully asking her to guess who he is, and she guesses correctly. It's precisely the idea Yusuke needed, and he directs Kuwabara through the public crowd to position him behind Keiko, thinking it's the only way, that she knows he's the only one who could possibly have the AUDACITY. Oh boy. I think I know where THIS is going, and I'm pretty pissed about it, to be honest.

Indeed, Kuwabara('s voice) calls to Keiko to guess who, and reaches around under her arms to squeeze her breasts. Keiko is ALSO very pissed, growls, and swings around, yelling. 

That's one hell of a reflex you Pavloved her into, Yusuke. 

When the red fades from Keiko's eyes, she is alarmed to find that she has smacked the shit out of someone other than the boy she should be aware is lying in his mother's house in a coma. It's real confusing. She stutters that it wasn't, but from Kuwabara's mouth, Yusuke chuckles dumbly that it is, in fact, him.

REAL CONFUSING.

Keiko is still haltingly asking if it's actually Yusuke in the next panel, so Yusuke points Kuwabara's finger at her and insists that it really is. I'm not sure if the boy he's in is shaking because of his strong emotion or if he's just fighting to stay in there at this point. He tells Keiko all about the kitchen knives he's dodged and all the fights (feuds that belong to another guy entirely) he got into to find her, so the least she could do is believe him. Keiko asks how she COULDN'T believe it's him, given that only HE could dare to be as big of a jerk as he just was. She also silently clocks the way he talks and his gestures to identify him, as Kuwabara('s finger) scratches nervously at his cheek and sweatdrops. Keiko starts to tear up, realizing that all these things point straight to the Yusuke she knows.

Kuwabara('s face) balks, and Yusuke holds up his hands in a gesture of discouragement, telling her to hold the waterworks until after he's gone. Keiko starts to question WHY he's... here, I suppose, and Yusuke hurriedly spits it's all the rules, for all the sense they make, that required him to use this guy's body or nothing else, then he starts panicking all the more at the sun's position being almost fully sunk below the horizon. He curses that he's got no time to explain, so Keiko's next question is if he's going somewhere. 

Yusuke begins by saying that of course he has to leave this body that's not his, to start, and then he's not allowed to talk to anyone he's close to, her and his mother, until he's back in his OWN body. He admits that he's just here now, behind Kuwabara's face, to emphasize what he already told her in her dream.

Keiko lets her tears flow now, agreeing to always wait for him. We get a zoomed-out view of her standing close in front of Kuwabara, indicating what the next panel confirms with Yusuke's spirit sitting in the sky above the scene, looking down at it with a distracted expression. Botan has appeared too, asking if he's all done, and he says he is after a short questioning hum. She says cheerfully that's it, and the rest is up to him now. 

Yusuke firmly responds that the promise he made to Keiko is one he's going to keep. He raises a fist and states that if he can come back to life, he could also start over and swear off all his vices, a resolution that has Botan staring in surprised silence for a moment.

Another link in the chain of confusion has been forged. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? On a level, this little rule that Botan drops on Yusuke makes some sense. When you're taking a test, there are always certain guidelines about what resources you can use while you're taking it. I can easily see how having unlimited contact with your loved-ones might be a little bit of a cheat for Yusuke, if he can so easily seek advice or prioritize focusing on their issues over those of strangers. Besides, spending all his time poking in on Keiko's dreams might be too great a distraction for Yusuke, whose first concern should be putting good vibes into that egg of his. 

But Botan not telling him until the last possible moment, making the excuse that he wouldn't have done anything with the information until then anyway, smacks of the author realizing a bit late that the character's trial needs some restrictions to be interesting and meaningful - specifically restrictions that will keep him from hovering too close to his mom and girlfriend. I don't think the beginning of this chapter was necessarily a terrible place to inform the AUDIENCE, but if it were me, I might have implied that Botan told Yusuke before, but he wasn't really paying attention at the time, so she had to put the fear of God in him by referring to the whole ritual as "final words" this time, so to speak. 

I thought giving Kuwabara some extrasensory perception powers added a little more dimension to him in the interest of contrast. It was clear from how he reacted to Yusuke's death that he was emotionally far more sensitive than you might have expected, but sensitivity to the supernatural/spirit realm helps to define him as more of an ally. After all, Yusuke said in this chapter that he's not able to communicate with Atsuko and Keiko, and there doesn't seem to be much of a reason why he couldn't communicate with the sensitive Kuwabara - they weren't depicted as particularly close before Yusuke's death, and Kuwabara's meltdown at the funeral kind of indicated a one-sided idealization to the rivalry. 

It's very touching the lengths Yusuke went to to ensure that Keiko was reassured that he would be returning, sooner or later. He acted like he was annoyed when she started to express doubt that her dream was a real message from him, but there wasn't nearly that level of irritation when he actually got in front of her. In fact, he expressed much more enjoyment at being able to speak to her directly, and any anxiety he was showing seemed to be more about the time-crunch than anything. Since he doesn't say anything to the effect, and there have been no incidents in that vein, I very much doubt he's particularly worried that she'll become interested in or be approached by another guy. His actions do seem to be driven purely by the fact that he hates seeing her upset and worried, especially over him.

But I suppose it doesn't hurt that she might spurn any outside advances until he gets back now. ;)

Inuyasha Manga: 302 Princess Abi

Royalty is a crappy concept to begin with, but divine right with the added ability to control blood-sucking pterodactyls? That's a true menace. It's bad enough when people with an inflated sense of their own importance are given control of the finances and well-being of entire empires. Those guys ALREADY dole out some serious injustices based mostly on whim. Nobody needs a jerkwad feeding their population to a hungry pets too. 

Come to think of it, that must have happened at least a couple of times in actual human history, which just makes me sad.

I swear, the Inuyasha group comes across a village that has been wiped out in some fucked-up way every other chapter now. This is wildly unsustainable.

As Inuyasha and his friends stare at this scene with varying degrees of alarm and sadness, Inuyasha reiterates that this is not the first time they've seen this, and Kagome gasps that this is cruel. More like exceedingly WEIRD - my first thought upon finding a bunch of people spontaneously mummified despite being fully exposed to normal decomposition conditions doesn't suggest malice so much as a freak localized event. But, then again, I don't live in a world with an abundance of demonic forces. At least, none that manifest in this manner.

Miroku and Sango kneel next to one of the bodies and Miroku confirms it's drained of all blood, just as they all expected. Sango suggests that this is the work of youkai, and Inuyasha agrees, saying that some nasty fucking thing has gone absolutely bonkers while they were dicking around in the fire country. What a shame they missed the new Naraku puppet dancing onto the stage.

Narrow blank transition panel. We cut to that "nasty thing" Inuyasha was referring to: Princess Abi sitting on a small outcrop of rock jutting out from a wider gentle cliff side, right next to a gaping cave. She's addressing Naraku, who hovers out in front of her in his bubble, barely bothering to confirm his name before she asks what's in it for her if she helps him with her particular powers. Naraku in turn asks her what she's using her "birds" to collect massive amounts of human blood for. 

Cue the insensitive "yo mama" jokes. 

Naraku just asserts that this mother of Abi's is dying, but Abi counters with a statement that her mother is NOT dying. She just ate a poisonous youkai and diluting the poison with human blood. Uh, not how that works, but sure. Naraku, in his infinite arrogance, encourages Abi to continue collecting all that human blood so Mommy Dearest can get well soon, and promises to make it possible for her to gather even more blood if she helps him out, making it so no one else can get in the way of this important work. 

As he says so, a branched tendril folds out from his back and he slashes in her direction with it, his expression blank. Abi catches what looks like a long pole as it's about to pass over her head.

Uhhh, bro? You still haven't mentioned HOW she's supposed to help you out with her powers?

Nah, he just fucks off, disappearing into the sky with a trail of weird flesh/miasma in his wake. Abi scoffs that he's a fishy guy, staring into the sky after him, when her mother suggests that they can use him. Abi looks over her shoulder at the cave, from which her mother croaks that Naraku has a powerful youki, but he's a hanyou. Ah, the root of like 90% of the mistakes made concerning this guy. Abi says she noticed the hanyou thing, and her mother tells her it's not a problem, since they can just suck him dry if he makes any funny moves. Ew, the innuendo there is giving me the ick. Abi agrees, but she resolves to get all the blood she can first. Yeah, why worry about what this suspicious guy benefits from you taking this precise course of action, especially when he so carefully avoided saying so? 

Cut to a village that is NOT decimated for a change! Hooray! We zero in on a particular house in which people are presumably discussing the nearby villages having been attacked by youkai, and if their village is likely to be next on the list. 

So, Miroku would prefer to just LIE to them about the odds? That's politician shit, dude.

Miroku asks the men they're speaking to not to worry, since THEY'LL slay the youkai, and the men are practically overjoyed with the prospect of these teenage strangers killing the incoming horde for them, but no one criticizes MIROKU for inflating their hope in a situation literally NONE of them have faced before. Thankfully, he's still liable to get a Hiraikotsu to the back of his head when he suggests that the only payment for protecting the village is food, beds, and a couple of pretty girls. Sango gives him a chance to repeat this tasteless request, and he says it was a joke. Kagome flatly says that he doesn't have to say that shit out loud, and the village men finally begin to question if they should leave the safety of their village in the hands of these weirdos. Odd place to draw the line, guys.

Inuyasha's dog ears twitch at a screeching noise outside. He stands and states that they're here, Miroku agreeing, and the village men make nervous noises. Too late to rethink this whole teenage demon-vanquishing team deal.

Why do people keep calling these BIRDS? They look nothing like birds!

Whatever the fuck they are, Inuyasha scoffs that they REEK of human blood, and lets loose an all-time-classic Kaze no Kizu on the flock, tearing at least the first wave of them apart. As the tattered remains of them fall out of the sky, the Inuyasha crew can see a fresh wave on the way down, Kagome announcing the obvious fact that more are coming.

Suddenly, a glow starts to emit from the oncoming flock, and upon closer examination, it's clear that flames are flickering over the skin of the creatures. Shippou stutters that they're burning as they start landing on the VERY FLAMMABLE roofs of the village dwellings.

So much for staying inside and away from these monsters...

A group of non-flaming hot "birds" descend upon an old man and a little boy, the latter of which bawls in terror, before Inuyasha smacks the foremost creature with Tessaiga at the last moment. He comes pretty close to hitting the poor almost-victims as well, honestly. Sango rushes forward with Hiraikotsu raised, shouting that the villagers are being forced from their homes to be attacked, which... more DUH moments, but whatevz. She takes out several "birds" with a sweep of her giant boomerang. Another wave descends, and Miroku complains what a pain all this is as he rips his sealing beads off his right hand and points the Kazaana at the offending flying menace. And they say INUYASHA is unfairly annoyed when he has to help people, lol.

He vacuums up a few of the "birds" when another cloud of entirely different flying menace comes up behind the creatures in their support, but it's one they're all familiar with. Saimyoushou buzz for Miroku, identified in alarm by Kagome as she pauses in drawing her bow, and Shippou hangs off Miroku's shoulder to shrilly warn him that he's got to put his Kazaana away lest he be poisoned. Miroku is already groaning in frustration and wrapping the beads back around his hand. 

Inuyasha gapes up at the sky in shock, faced now with the commander of this composite flying army.

I love that she gave the spear to one of her "birds" and it's awkwardly holding it in its beak like it has no idea what to do with it, lol!

Inuyasha asks who the hell she is like he's a stop-motion Barbie doll fighting over bathroom turf, suggesting that she's an agent of Naraku. I guess Abi tries to play dumb by parroting Naraku's name back at Inuyasha in the form of a question, so Inuyasha adds that the presence of the Saimyoushou are the best proof. Abi says she doesn't care about them, she didn't call them, and admits she has no idea wheat happened between the plucky band of adventurers below and Naraku, but she's a bit cross that they killed her "birds". 

Just a bit cross.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Abi is turning out to be shockingly credulous and incurious. This could be chalked up to worry over her mother and the time-sensitive issue of getting her better making her a bit single-minded, but she seemed plenty relaxed when she was talking to Naraku earlier in the chapter. There's the implication with her multiple ellipses that she wants to remain tight-lipped due to distrust, but she shows Naraku all her cards anyway, corrects him to insist that her mother is getting better, and is a little too receptive to the idea that she can gather a ton more blood with his help. She asks virtually NO QUESTIONS before Naraku leaves her with a new weapon, not even when she comes across people who seem to know and hate Naraku. I would be just a LITTLE curious to know why there's a whole group of the buggers that seem to hate the guy I just teamed up with, but she just shows ZERO interest, even where her own alliances sit. 

It doesn't even read as arrogance as much as just plain stupidity. She's absolutely spoiled for choice and hasn't even been successfully challenged in her efforts to collect blood yet. What POSSIBLE reason could she have for teaming up with Naraku at this point? It doesn't make any sense. At least the villagers were DESPERATE and it was believable that they would rely on a group of barely pubescent little nerds to help them out because they had no other choice. Abi is just going along with Naraku because... the plot demands it, I guess.

I'm pleased with how that strange mottled glove ended up useful at the end of the chapter and turned into talons, because I was quite perplexed by its purpose in her design in the last chapter, but everything else about her is one-dimensional and frustrating in its simplicity. Frankly, it should be HARDER for Naraku to convince potential allies to team up with him at this point; he should be struggling to convince people it's worth it, and it would have spruced up his evil shtick just a tad if his reputation of betrayal and manipulation were starting to catch up with him. One of the frustrations people have with Naraku is that he tends to use the same tricks over and over, and in the course of a 500+ chapter story, that starts to get repetitive, so it would have been somewhat refreshing for him to have to adapt as well.

But the gods forbid we see new challenges arise from Naraku's repeated bad faith. That would make things a little interesting, and we can't have that. No, just stick a cardboard cut-out of a character in there for Naraku to use and throw away like he always does, because RT couldn't be bothered to use her one of her more notable talents and make Abi a believable person. Seriously, was she sick when this arc started, because I can't think how else she would fail to work her characterization magic on a more interesting-looking character. 

Disappointing.

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 002 Test for Resurrection!!

How about that! I would often make fun of the multiple exclamation marks in the Yu-Gi-Oh chapter titles, and I didn't think I would miss them, but this title really hit me with that nostalgia bug for when I was riffing off them. What a strange thing to strike me! But I suppose it's the little things that you end up remembering with the most fondness. Nevertheless, it is rather strange that I should be reminded so strongly of the manga I've only just finished a few months ago by one so VERY different in tone and content. It's a very odd feeling, like it's been forever and a moment ago all at once. How does time work?

Uh-oh, that "however" is looking a little ominous...

In the next panel, Yusuke has one hand in his pocket as though he's trying to act casual while his other hand has gripped the end of Botan's flying oar, dragging him along behind her as she flies off. He asks where they're going now, and she tells him they're going to the Afterlife. I thought they were specifically trying to set up a test so he WOULDN'T go there, but whatevz. Botan tells him they're going to meet the person there who will explain the test to him. Yusuke raises an irritated fist, which I guess he didn't need to use to hang onto Botan's oar in the first place, and argues that if this guy wants to talk to him so badly then he should meet Yusuke where he's at. He asks who this armchair test proctor is anyway, and Botan answers that it's King Enma, the Lord of Hell (TM). Through nervous clenched teeth, Yusuke begins to protest, but Botan has already twisted in her seat to warn Mr. Rude behind her that he'd better be nice, or the king might just forget all about the test and drop him straight into Hell. 

Yusuke is so THRILLED about this prospect that he tries to fly the other way again, suggesting that they just forget the whole thing then and he can just go home. Botan grabs him by his sleeve to restrain him as they enter a growing spiral of clouds, demanding that he stop being an idiot, pointing out the entrance to the afterlife, and telling him to hang on. 

It really does look like it goes from here to eternity. 

They end up on a raised path, sheer on both sides and looking like it's a cliff path with all of the excess carved away underneath, leading in snake-like curves up to a massive outer wall and gate with a pagoda roof topping the central pillar. Yusuke marvels at how big this place appears, Botan calling to whatever guards there may be that it's her and they're coming in. She must have her own key. Meanwhile, Yusuke is considering this King Enma guy (introduced as the dude who judges mortals and sends them to either Heaven or Hell in Japanese mythology), imagining him as a big, bearded, burly man with lower fangs jutting out from his broad jaw, and supposes that he'd be screwed if he tried to fight him. Or, at least, this is his initial thought, until he starts strategizing; he begins to put together a possible plan of landing a quick jab on his mug, then pull a sleeper hold while he's stunned. 

Yes, Yusuke really IS planning to fight GOD right now. He even rounds out his strategy with the idea that he can use his left hand to grab King Enma's TESTICLES to hold him helpless, stroking his chin in malevolent glee. I'm not sure how much of this Botan overhears or understands, but it's enough that her eyes are wide when she turns around and asks him what he's mumbling about behind her. 

When she reaches a door, there's a keypad/call button next to it, and she presses it to announce that she's brought in Yusuke Urameshi, immediately receiving a response to come in. The moment the door cracks open for their entry, there's a cacophony of noise, tapping, stomping, ringing, rumbling, and shouting, which just gets louder when Yusuke and Botan step inside. They have walked straight into what looks like a busy crowd of ogres, horns and teeth and pointed ears galore, scrambling this way and that. They yell at each other about "Gen on block two in critical condition", "he's early??", and giving each other rushed directions. Yusuke asks in alarm if this is some sort of stock exchange, then looks around when someone answers with a suggestion that it's quite a sight. Yusuke is bewildered by what he sees, while Botan snaps to attention and greets His Majesty with deference. 

Talk about defying expectations.

Yusuke has a hearty laugh at the small child who has greeted him, and when Botan asks what he's giggling about, Yusuke points at what he calls a "shrimpboat" to ask if that's really Enma. He says that he was really freaking out about meeting this king of theirs, only to be in disbelief that this is all there is to the guy. With a supremely annoyed expression (sweatdrop and popping vein combined), the small toddler says that he's actually King Enma JR., which should have been obvious by the label on his hat. He informs Yusuke that he's called Koenma by some so-called wits, but he's also 50 times older than the bad-tempered teen, and so warns him not to get too uppity. Immediately, Yusuke smarms that Koenma looks like he's barely out of diapers and earns a smack to the back of the head from Botan for it, but he doesn't seem to react at all. 

Koenma demands to be revered and bowed down to, but an ogre drops stacks of paper on the desk for him to sign, interrupting his attempt at intimidation. He sighs and complains that it never ends, then draws his guests' attention back to the fact that they're busy as HELL down here, heh, so he's going to get to the point. Koenma reaches into a pocket, and pulls something out to show Yusuke and Botan, introducing it as the test Yusuke must face.

But we don't get to see it.

Wow, this comic can stop on a DIME, can't it? Ouch. Whiplash.

Keiko's friends watch her walk away from them in awkward silence, her posture not exactly reflecting cheer. The bespectacled one eventually says that Keiko puts on a good act, and the tall blonde agrees, commenting on how long Keiko and Yusuke had been friends and how suddenly the guy had died. They seem to have had a change of perspective on the two of them since we first saw them in the last chapter. At the very least their opinions seem to have softened on Yusuke.

Meanwhile, Keiko is dwelling HARD on the last thing she said to Yusuke as he teetered away from her after she slapped him: "Just die, why don't you". Yeah, that would stick in my head like glue too. She goes somewhere that she's thanked for stopping by, and she responds with an affirmative and promise that she'll be back tomorrow. Yusuke's mother Atsuko stands outside the door and advises Keiko to stay strong, and observes the girl brightly, TOO brightly, state that she will and wish her good night, only to slouch in her grief again as she's walking away. 

Back inside the house, Atsuko clinks some ice cubes around in her tumbler glass, telling the absent Yusuke that Keiko is really heartbroken. She takes a sip from the glass and jabs a finger at Yusuke's picture, calling him a charmer fondly. I'M NOT CRYING, YOU'RE CRYING. Atsuko tries to recall the last time she saw Keiko like that, and remembers a time some years ago in the dead of winter when Yusuke fell in a river and came down with a fever. 

Flashback to a littler Yusuke bundled under a blanket on a futon with a steaming towel on his head, a bead of snot poking out of his nose and a frustrated, furious expression on his face. He coughs while Atsuko and Keiko sit by his side, the former good-naturedly calling her son an idiot. Keiko sniffs, a tear in her eye, and Atsuko tells her not to worry, advising her to go home before it gets dark. The little girl shakes her head vigorously, intending to stay until Yusuke's fever breaks, because she blames herself for Yusuke falling the the river in the first place. 

So he's always been a little pervert, huh?

Atsuko is seeing mini-Keiko out, assuring her that mini-Yuksuke will be fine by the next day. Keiko doesn't seem super sure, but she's going home as instructed, while Yusuke lays there with his steaming forehead and snotty nostrils, looking absolutely miserable. Indeed, the next day, Atsuko asks Yusuke if he's SURE he wants to go to school, since he's still burning up. She complains that he usually takes ANY excuse to skip school, so it's kind of unusual that he would be so insistent. He's flushed and has ropes of snot hanging from his nose as he tells his mother that if he stays home, Keiko will just stop by like the previous day. Atsuko gives him a bewildered look, and he further explains that he doesn't want to see THAT LOOK on Keiko's face again. 

Keiko meets them at the door while Atsuko continues to give her son a wide-eyed stare and he greets her simply. She seems very happy that he's up and about, asking if he's feeling better, and he lies that he's good as new, snot ropes swinging. Atsuko watches them turn to go, Keiko stating firmly that she won't waste her time worrying anymore and Yusuke muttering that she's asking for him sticking a snotty finger in her hair while her back is turned (his forefinger is poised and ready in one of the snot ropes for the task). His mother chuckles in amusement at how macho he's behaving despite how small he is. Hopefully she's referring to his powering through an illness so as not to worry his little girlfriend and NOT his tendency to exact petty revenge on said girlfriend when she states her intentions to just that end. They might be two sides of the same toxic masculine coin, though. 

In the present day, Atsuko sniffles into her hand, still talking to her dearly departed son; she says Keiko isn't just SAD this time, but DEVASTATED. She's certain that nothing would bring Keiko more joy now than for Yusuke to reappear to pull one of his nasty little pranks on her. Atsuko asks the gone Yusuke how he could DO this to Keiko, then leans on the table in front of her, sobbing. A soft thumping sound comes from inside Yusuke's coffin. 

Meanwhile, back in the afterworld...

Well, probably not going to get an Easter chick from it. 

Koenma says that it's the Spirit World beast egg. He tells Yusuke that he doesn't have to sit on the thing or anything, but he does have to keep it with him at all times. When Yusuke asks how long it takes to hatch, Koenma elicits an outburst of disbelief from Yusuke by casually stating that it USUALLY takes about 120 years. Yeah, that would probably defeat the entire purpose of the thing, for sure. Koenma tells him to relax, that his is a SPECIAL case, so he should have a little patience. Later, as Yusuke and Botan are hanging out in the sky above the mortal world, the former tossing the egg up and down to the latter's silent distress, Koenma's final words that Yusuke's heart has already started beating and it's up to Yusuke how his soul returns to his body hang over them.

Yusuke incredulously repeats the summary of his situation, that he comes back to life when the animal hatches from the egg, then turns to Botan to tell her he doesn't get it, and doesn't see how this is much of a TEST. He asks her if she knows, and she responds a little TOO quickly that she has no idea. 

Oh the dramatic irony. 

Koenma further explained that being a ghost, Yusuke is pure human soul, so that's the reason the beast will develop quickly, and it won't be long before the creature emerges to show them precisely where they are. Botan asked if Yusuke won't be let back into his body if the beast comes out a monster, but Koenma said that he'll let Yusuke reclaim his body, so that's what will happen. But Koenma did speculate that both Yusuke and his body would probz be made a quick meal by the monster in that scenario. Devoured by one's own son - like the opposite of Saturn. 

As present Botan thinks nervously that they'll just have to see what happens, Yusuke smacks a fist into his other palm, remembering something pretty important: if nobody knows his heart has started beating again, they'll just go ahead and cremate him the next day. A worthy thing to be anxious about, but he knows so little of the real depth of his problems... Yusuke asks if he can tell someone living about the situation, and Botan tells him it's indeed possible.

Sounds... EASY?

Cut back to Atsuko's place, and a bottle shattering a window. She's sitting there yelling at her deceased son for being an idiot, being such a tough guy and a bad-ass, and then promptly dying in traffic. She calls this a wimp's death and yells that she didn't raise no wimp, all as she's banging yet ANOTHER booze bottle on the little altar like a drumming primate. Hoo, boy, she is just TEARING through those stages of grief. 

While Atsuko mumbles into another glass of alcohol that he's a moron, Yusuke's spirit floats behind her with the flat assessment that it's no good. Botan asks why, because she's pretty sure that in this state, Atsuko will pass out any minute, but Yusuke informs her that his mother once went on like this for three days straight, and he's betting that she's going for a new record at this rate. Sheesh, hate to know what set her on the three-day bender before. Must have been one hell of a breakup. 

Yusuke admits that he doesn't like it, but he's starting to think that Keiko might be his only shot. He zooms on over to her place, which he muses on not having been at in a while, sticking his head in through a large window into a narrow bedroom. Inside are a neatly organized desk, some stuffed animals, and a bed in which Keiko is slumbering. Yusuke is in some awe at how much cutesier her room has gotten since he was last there, even if he considers her to have gone the mean and nasty route, glaring at her sleeping form in the bed. 

Suddenly, in the dim light of her room, he's struck by the sight of a tear rolling down her cheek. Once again, he seems bewildered by the fact that she's CRYING. In the haze of her dreams, she's apologizing to him.

Guilt is a helluva thing, I gotta say.

Keiko is laying there slumbering in despair when a weight compresses her on her bedspread and she hums in discomfort. It's Yusuke's spirit, sitting cross-legged on her abdomen, strangely NOT lighter than air like he has been so far, and glaring down at her with his signature annoyance. Keiko mumbles in her sleep while Yusuke tells her how it is - that she's getting all depressed over nothing, that he's not fragile enough to be killed by words, that his soul has got business in the afterlife but he's coming back after that and if she needs proof of that, she should open his casket and listen to his heart. Keiko murmurs some more, and Yusuke adds that she should tell his boozy mom that he's actually alive. Supposing awkwardly that this is all he wanted to tell her, he reiterates gently that she should get a grip, because it'll all be okay. 

I was wondering why Botan wasn't around, but this explains it. Yusuke would NEVER live this romantic gesture down. 

Keiko sits bolt upright in bed, calling Yusuke's name, and spends a moment in confused silence as she fully regains her lucidity. She lifts a trembling hand to touch her cheek where Yusuke had wiped away her tears in her dream and finds that they've been wiped away for real. Don't know why that couldn't have just been the pillow, but who am I to suggest alternatives to a grieving girl? Keiko decides that it wasn't just a dream, and next we see her, she's run all the way to Atsuko's place in the middle of the night, calling for her to open up. 

When Atsuko has made it to the door, she seems pretty shell-shocked, saying Keiko's name as if she doesn't quite believe it's her. Keiko says Atsuko isn't going to believe this, but tries to get it out anyway that she saw Yusuke, her words all coming out in a jumble. Atsuko hears Yusuke's name in there and points over her own shoulder into the house, maintaining that expression of pure wide-eyed shock. Keiko asks her what's wrong, and Atsuko stutters that she opened her son's casket to bop him on his stupid head one last time, and saw there was color in his face. Keiko gapes in blank awe as Atsuko adds that she heard Yusuke's heart beating. Tearfully, Atsuko declares that Yusuke is alive. 

Hospital? Hospital.

Yusuke looks on the touching scene thoughtfully, expressing some amazement that they're glad he's actually alive. He admits that he can't say when he'll revive entirely yet, almost apologetically. Then, as if out of reflex against the discomfort of seeing his mother and Keiko so vulnerably happy that he's alive, he says it might be funny for him to break the egg on purpose so he fails his test and never returns to life. Botan is less than amused, sarcastically pondering the word "funny" and wondering if he's going to pass this test.

Basically just a clone of Yusuke, then? 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Koenma is a fun character, especially in opposition to Yusuke, who of course CAN'T bring himself to respect let alone revere someone who looks like a literal baby. It immediately brings down Yusuke's guard, makes it hard for him to take this seriously, but also serves the purpose of taking the fight out of him. He was SO READY to actually fight the ruler of the afterlife because that's how he's used to handling conflict with people who are a threat to him - but a toddler isn't a threat. It puts him in a much more relaxed frame of mind when he feels like he's not grappling for dominance over his soul, which will inevitably put him in a more relaxed frame of mind over his test. That could either be a help or a hindrance, depending on how he feels about behaving with something as fragile as an egg in his pocket, so we'll just have to see how this goes. 

The full nature of egg test itself was made known to Yusuke in the anime as far as I remember. I'm not sure exactly which I prefer, because I think both paths of the narrative have a bit of value. If he knows, that adds pressure for him to be on his best behavior, which he can try to improve consciously to have a genuine shot at EARNING his way back to his body, a little like with one of my other favorite shows, "The Good Place" (which I had to start watching again because reacquainting myself with this series put me back in the mood for that one, lol!). But if he DOESN'T know, like with the comic here, Koenma and the egg can get a much more honest picture of how he functions without the motivation to not be a jerk. Since he surprised them all so thoroughly with his sacrificing his life to save a kid in the street, you almost get the impression that Koenma and other powers in the afterlife are trying to determine if Yusuke is just an asshole out of social habit, or if his self-sacrificial behavior was a fluke. Some insecurity with the systemic categorizations of people is implied here, but I'm not sure how much stock to put in it yet. Time will tell.

I was surprised to see that the scene we switched to in the middle of Yusuke receiving his test from Koenma was helpfully illustrative, despite how abrupt it was. We get yet another instance of Keiko feeling guilty over something that happened to Yusuke, and his adverse reaction to the expression of that guilt. The current situation is just a more pronounced version of that, so we get another important layer of motivation for Yusuke's future efforts, which is making sure that Keiko doesn't make that FACE again. He's showing that he's HIGHLY sensitive to Keiko's and his mother's emotions, and it's a source of anxiety to him if he thinks he's made them upset, but in order to deal with that in a way that doesn't make him vulnerable, he'll pull the classic move of dismissing and trivializing the whole situation with jokes and pranks. I appreciate the emotional and behavioral complexity of our protagonist, even if I think the return to the living world and flashback was a bit like slamming on the brakes, narrative-wise.

It was just a tad disappointing that there wasn't much of a struggle to get the dream communication thing to work - Yusuke having trouble picking up how to communicate through dreams would have added a little more urgency to the situation, especially since Atsuko ended up finding out by accident in the end. I recall there being a little more tension in this exercise in the anime, but I don't think Yusuke had much difficulty getting the hang of it there either, and I really believe an added struggle would have been a benefit to the story here. After all, Yusuke has been established as a character that doesn't communicate well in any language but physical violence, so he just doesn't seem like he would get the hang of getting into peoples' dreams well at first.

Also, I was just a TAD disappointed that Botan wasn't hovering over Yusuke while he was trying to connect with Keiko. The cock-block would have been a little funny, and it would probably add to the struggle that was missing altogether here. But that one is a bit less of a gripe, because I have to admit, I just want to see Yusuke squirm some more. What can I say? I love it when the darlings are tortured, as a writing nerd first and foremost. 

I would NEVER pass this test.