Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 200 The Courage to See

Here we are at the big two-double-zero! More than halfway to the end and still at it! This past arc's setup may have been forced and more than a little ridiculous, but made up for it in emotional sincerity. It's hard to imagine how KT could drive those emotions much higher, but I'm really interested to find out. Though he laid out a really scary situation that I struggled to recap and analyze, coming out the other side with my favorite character intact has given me "the courage to see" how KT can raise these stakes.

See? Did you see what I did there?

Also, cake, wine and party at my house!!

Yeah, if I were you, I'd really start doubting if I was capable of murdering Yuugi. You really seem to fuck that up at every turn, so I don't know where you get off looking so smug.

We get a reiteration of Jonouchi putting Yuugi's treasure back around his neck, and him affirming that yes, it is definitely his treasure, uh-huh. Already been established. Jonouchi silently (I presume) thanks Yuugi for sacrificing himself to save the guy who threw their precious friendship into the sea. Or let that friendship be dragged into the sea by an apparatus set up by some weirdo. Whatever. Meanwhile, Yuugi addresses Yami, cradling the Millennium Puzzle in his hands. He tells Yami that he and Jonouchi both won, and Jonouchi overcame Marik's brainwashing.

You mean Yuugi's sweetness and dedication to friends is ALSO capable of strength in its own way? YOU DON'T SAY.

As Yami watches Yuugi interact and reunite with Jonouchi and Anzu, he knows that there will come a day, a time very soon, when Yuugi will surpass him. Well, I mean, I think we ALL realized where this was going, Yami. No need to state the obvious.

In the meantime, we've returned focus to the speeding car driven by Mai, skidding sideways as she stops right in front of the dock. All save Shizuka climb out of the car, and I do mean climb, since even Mai doesn't appear to use the door she's afforded, having swung her legs over the side. I don't know if I would be doing that in a skirt that short, but hey, Mai gonna Mai. Shizuka just continues to sit in the car, numbly considering her brother.

Mai helps her by the hand out of the passenger seat, then tells her that her brother is just in front of her. After a moment of hesitation, voice too quiet to really get Jonouchi's attention anyway, she fairly screams at him from the land end of the dock. Jonouchi's eyes widen, and he slowly looks over his shoulder in disbelief for Shizuka. He sees her as she calls to him again, and he calls back in shock, running to her and shouting her name. Yuugi mutters her name himself, while Seto and Mokuba Kaiba eye the scene, along with Anzu, Mai, Ryuji, and Honda.

What? No hug? I guess he doesn't want to get all that seawater on her. That's already going to take some explanation.

Shizuka refers to Mai and the boys behind her when she says they brought her there, smiling. He says each of their names in turn, these guys who fetched his little sister. Honda winks at him and calls him a duelist who hasn't grown up yet, so they took the liberty of bringing the person who could help him with that most. Why would you put his growing on on his SISTER, dudes? Should you not have just brought along his mother, since it's generally considered the PARENT'S job to help that happen?

Mai takes it upon herself to explain to Jonouchi that Shizuka is also interested in seeing him beat the odds in his duels, wanting to be there to watch. I'm not sure if the kanji characters in the tiny bubble afforded her after this statement is left untranslated because it was forgotten, unimportant, squeezed into the previous bubble instead, or just some weird thing. Shizuka, regardless, affirms Mai's statement with a simple demure nod.

Yuugi and Anzu run up to the group from behind, Yuugi excitedly calling out Honda's name and referring to Mai as a "sister" which is half-cute and half-weird. Anzu says this explains where Honda disappeared to earlier, since he was, if you'll recall, supposed to be cheering his buds on. All of this is making Jonouchi ANYTHING but happy, though, his expression looking irritable and sour. After a long pause, he addresses Honda and his accomplices quietly at first, head hung.

... Okay somebody needs a nap. For which I don't blame him, but still.

Shoulders slouched in defeat, Jonouchi complains that they weren't supposed to let Shizuka see this ugly side of him. Yuugi gapes in pity at Jonouchi as he recounts the fact he did some pretty nasty things to him just a few minutes ago. How the fuck were Honda and company supposed to know THAT would happen? Sure, the timing isn't good, but is he failing to notice the bandage still around Shizuka's eyes? She didn't see a damn thing of it, so what's the deal here?

Well, the deal is that Jonouchi is now doubled over with the mental anguish of what happened. He says he can't forget in his heart what happened, and it has disqualified him from being a true duelist. This particular incarnation of him is ill-equipped to give Shizuka the courage she needs, because he doesn't have it to spare.

Shizuka listens to this in silent shock, but Mai is grinding her teeth beside her. She turns to Shizuka and gives her a syrupy apology before stepping up and SLAPPING THE SHIT OUT OF JONOUCHI, calling him a child. Finally, she is accurate about Jonouchi's maturity. Jonouchi mumbles an "ow" while he reels backward, and Yuugi makes a shocked noise when Jonouchi lands on his ass on the dock. Jonouchi rubs the cheek she struck, asking what the fuck she's doing. She asks him in turn if he easily loses his manhood. WOAH, this conversation took a TURN.

Jonouchi seems to agree, gritting his teeth and maintaining a long, shocked pause. Mai elaborates that he worked hard during Duelist Kingdom to help show his sister a better future, or at least not a dark one, and wonders aloud if it's THAT easy to lose that way of thinking. Ryuji is holding back Honda by his straining arms with fists windmilling, as Honda insists he also wants to hit Jonouchi for making him mad. Ryuji refuses to let go, so Honda chooses to yell at Jonouchi instead, trying to remind him how his hard work was inspired by wanting to give Shizuka courage. Honda goes on to say that Shizuka came here now to lend him HER strength in return. Jonouchi stares in astonishment, then lapses into a memory of him standing at this pier at nighttime, almost as though he's watching from a third-person perspective himself and his friends mingle next to the cruise ship that would take them to the island. He cites Shizuka as the reason they took that boat in the first place.

Yuugi stands next to him and confirms that he did indeed go to the island with those thoughts. Honda says, a bit less irritable than before, that they're not supposed to just forget the thoughts they had back then. Anzu says that Jonouchi gained his courage from them, after all. They all stand and stare at that ghost ship that took them to Duelist Kingdom, while Jonouchi ponders the phrase "a real duelist". He eventually glances behind him, addressing his sister, only to widen his eyes in shock.

... Took off a bandage that would need to have come off eventually anyway?

Shizuka lets the bandage flutter off in the breeze. While her eyes remain shut, she says that her brother has already used 100% of his strength, fighting really hard for her in the last tournament. She learned this from Mai, since Jonouchi didn't tell her in any real detail. She implies that she was too far away to have more than a passive role, but now his friends have ensured that she can be more supportive by being directly by his side.

With everyone staring, she announces that it's her turn to show her courage this time. At another mention of her name in pure astonishment, she slowly opens her eyes, squinting against the flood of bright light.

And at last, Shizuka runs to the brother she's finally found, hugging him. Jonouchi's buds look on, all smiles, milling around in the midst of the reunion. The ghost ship floats next to the dock.

The only people standing way back from this tearful scene are the Kaiba brothers. Mokuba examines the backs of everyone over his shoulder, but Kaiba inclines his head, turned completely away. When he looks back up, he addresses Yuugi, who responds with mild alarm and curiosity. Kaiba asks Yuugi to tell Yami that they've provided him an answer. He walks away, even as Yuugi says his name.

Well, at least Kaiba didn't bust into the middle of the saccharine syrup of emotions to snap at Yuugi. He's respectful enough to wait for it all to die down before he says his unrelated piece.

Don't make me take that shit back, Kaiba! I'm warning you!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I didn't really expect Jonouchi to throw a pity party here, considering how relieved everyone, including him, were at the end of the last chapter. Still, it makes some sense that he would react this way to having his sister show up in a time of supreme shame for him. He's just had a very emotionally charged afternoon, compelled to do the labor of extreme hatred for some asshole, struggling to separate his real emotions from those imposed, and almost killing his best friend and then himself in the process. Though he DID manage to get it all sorted in time, it was a close shave, and he's probably kicking himself for not getting his shit together all the sooner. I know I would be. It doesn't take the short distance between two chapters to get over that.

I thought the reference back to the symbolic nature of their location was interesting. It really tied everything together under Jonouchi's struggle. His friends insisting that he shouldn't forget the whole reason he started this path is very pointed, not only in the aspect that Shizuka is a common element, but also that the thoughts and experiences overall led him to this moment. It brings the previous duel under this umbrella as an important part of his growth, not something to be suppressed and forgotten. It was the strength he built over the last tournament and this one that helped him to overcome the horrible experience before, and with everything intact. That's not a small feat, and it was in part thanks to his value for Yuugi and their mutual leaning on one another that helped drive it home.

And Shizuka is right, she's part of the gang now, the network of support that Jonouchi relies upon to accelerate his growth. Far from an innocent that needs to be sheltered from her brother's "ugly side" as he put it, she's fully committed to accompanying him on his journey, the good and bad parts, and help get him through them. Her unraveling bandage is a commitment, not to look away, to be engaged and invested in her brother's success, like he was engaged and invested in her recovery. She's ready to be an equal participant in their relationship now, just as Yuugi was insistent upon proving he was in the previous duel as well. She's like a big symbolic representation of Jonouchi's growing strength through his connections to loved ones AND Yuugi's need to be an important part of that strength as well, all rolled into one.

Although, she and her helpers haven't been brought up to speed with what just happened before they got there, so she's still operating with some blinders on until that issue gets cleared up for her. Irony.

Inuyasha Manga: 141 Pursuit

I hope it's not a pursuit of more pointless interludes. I know it's just as pointless to tell teenagers to get their shit together so we can move on, though. Personal experience informs me that a teenager is going to squeeze as much drama out of the tiniest bits of nothing as often as possible, so it's no surprise to me that Inuyasha and Kagome are wasting so much time mining for it. RT isn't holding them back, either, being one of those "cool moms" willing to let her kids get away with the darndest things.

Guys, does anyone even REMEMBER what we did with all that drama we hoarded? Did we spend it like currency to other teens who were willing to give us props in return? Did it just evaporate like water, and that's why there was never enough? Or is it still sitting around somewhere?

These are the big questions, folks.

Yeah, mild chiding is TOTALLY going to stop them from having another useless fight. TOTALLY.

Shippou asks Miroku if a monster bear has been eating people, and Miroku says that this is what the villagers told them. Evidently, Shippou tuned in and out of that conference, though I don't know how. I wouldn't be able to pay ENOUGH attention to a meeting about a murder bear. The village men they were talking to were even bandaged up and standing in front of the wreckage of homes when they spoke about it being a normal bear at first that attacked the fields. Then they say it transformed suddenly over the image of a giant creature holding a body by the middle in its jaws. The men say they haven't done a head count, so they don't know how many villagers had been devoured.

Miroku looks over at Inuyasha, who is surly as usual, and somehow determines he appears dissatisfied. He's become rather good at telling the difference between those subtle forms of irritability Inuyasha constantly wears. Inuyasha confirms that he's dissatisfied, wanting to waste Kouga first, whom he knows has shards for sure. Shippou mutters a question about whether that's because Kouga's Inuyasha's rival in love, and sports a nice lump on the top of his head in the next panel. Miroku asks if Shippou got it wrong, but Inuyasha refuses to answer, just telling them both to shut up. In the foreground, Kagome walks along with her eyes closed, looking like she's counting to ten.

She and Sango stop suddenly in surprise when two guys in ratty armor appear in front of them, claiming they'll be carrying them away from their dude companions with menacing chuckles. Shippou loses it, claiming he sees the monster bear, but Miroku assures them that these guys are just regular old plumbuses bandits. While Inuyasha glares at them, one of the guys takes offense to being called a "regular" bandit. Oh? Want to present your resume with EXTRA rape, murder and theft on it for us to peruse? Hmmm?

But Inuyasha isn't much interested in that. He says he has nothing against these bastards, so they'd better get lost. Easily offended as they are, they call him a brat and begin to charge in order to waste him, but a series of snaps and crashes in the underbrush behind them give them pause. One of them looks over his shoulder to see...

Minor correction: OVERbrush. My bad.

Kagome recognizes the shine in the exposed brain of the bear and warns Inuyasha that the Shikon fragment is in its forehead. Inuyasha confirms he understands, draws Tessaiga, and jumps to slash at the bear. A stream of blood explodes from the long cut across its CHEST. Inuyasha, I thought you said you had this! What didn't you GET about "it's in its forehead"?? Now the skinless bear is running away, and Sango hops upon a transformed Kirara with Hiraikotsu at the ready, shouting that the bear is running. Yeah, and it WOULDN'T be if Inuyasha could just hit what the fuck he's aiming for, the clod! He yells at the bastard bear to wait up, because if he can't carve that shard out of the bear's forehead by force, I guess he can try just asking for it.

Miroku urges Kagome to catch up to their group with him, and she agrees, both of them leaving the cowering bandits in their dust. The bandits wonder aloud just what the hell those people were, but they're not keen enough to follow and find out. To be fair, I probably wouldn't be that curious either.

Inuyasha is still running deeper into the forest, cursing about how the bear is a pretty quick runner. Over the trees, a buzzing cloud advances on the area too, Sango starting to identify them, and Inuyasha finishing for her when he too sees the giant wasps floating on the air: Saimyoushou.

I'm kind of surprised that this didn't happen with just regular insects before this point. I mean, the thing has NO SKIN.

One wasp pulls the Shikon shard out of the bear's brain, with Inuyasha and Kagome looking on with shock and slack jaws. The swarm of Saimyoushou start flying off into the sky, and Sango shouts that they're headed to take the shard back to Naraku. Miroku (Shippou still hitching a ride on his shoulder) and Inuyasha lurch forward at Miroku's prompt to pursue them, with the possibility of finding Naraku's castle this time. The wasps swish as they trace an arc through the sky.

Meanwhile, behind a familiar waterfall, someone is regaling an audience of lounging wolves with the promise of a Shikon shard in some lord's castle somewhere. This guy, hair swept back and black markings beneath his eyes, sits in front of Kouga resting against a rock, proposing that him and his from the North Cave and Kouga's pack from the East Cave could raid the castle together for that Shikon fragment. He promises that they'll split any shards they find, even though he's been talking about only ONE shard thus far. What happens when there's nothing to split? Oh well, we'll fight that bridge when we get there.

Cross. I mean cross.

Kouga, displaying his wounded arm plainly propped on his knee and cuddled by his wolves around him, glares at the question of whether or not he's in on this heist. He apologizes, stating that the prospect doesn't interest him. North Cave guys ask him why not, and Kouga cryptically says with an inclined head that there's another matter he has to take care of first. Turns out Kouga is also thinking about Dog-Turd Inuyasha, unable to be satisfied until he wastes him himself. North Cave guys are cool with the rejection, saying that no one is forcing Kouga, and noticing the injury as well.

His fellow humanoids surround him once the North Cave guys leave, asking if he's sure about refusing the offer, worried about the Shikon fragment being taken by that pack instead of theirs. Kouga mumbles that they should just leave it alone, but a couple of them aren't interested in leaving it alone, stating that they're going with the North Cave guys. Rolling his head to the side, away from his critics, Kouga tells them to do whatever they want.

Outside of a castle, who I can only presume to be a combination of North Cave guys and guys from Kouga's pack have arrived, someone stating that this is the place with the load of Shikon shards. There's a bit of a surreal, swirly sky above, though, so I think we know whose castle this is. The main North Cave guy leads the charge toward the gate, encouraging his followers to waste any humans who come to defend, and a cheer of affirmation accompanies his permissions.

They climb over the outer wall, backlit and monstrous, but soon they're looking around in confusing, wondering where the watchmen are when they're supposed to be in the empty watchtowers. In fact, the only person that seems to be there at all, is walking down the front steps a ways ahead.

A female person? In a castle? Get out of town!!

Said female person smiles at them, complaining that they're nothing but small fry. Clearly, she is not impressed by the rag-tag team of wolves. And why should she be? It looks like she's dressed for a good time, and these guys didn't even put on a damn tie.

Back at the waterfall, Two-Tone and Mohawk run up to Kouga's sick nest, the former announcing that there's bad news, and the latter trailing off in an account of what happened to the guys who went to the castle. A man with a scar across his left eye staggers toward Kouga with a permanent look of shock on his face, and Kouga jumps up, asking what happened. The man presents a Shikon fragment to Kouga, saying it's the only thing he could bring back. Then he collapses forward into Kouga's arms, begging Kouga to use the shard, despite how unnerved Kouga seems. He insists that Kouga head to the castle, or else everyone will be killed. Kouga stares, teeth clenched.

Next we see of him, he's speeding along through the forest, taking the man's advice by slapping the Shikon fragment into his arm, ready to make use of it. We return to the waterfall cave once more to see Two-Tone expressing some disbelief that the man managed to make it back with injuries so serious. The man takes this opportunity to fall apart. Literally. A diagonal slash straight across his torso separates his bust from his lower half, the wound bubbling strangely. Two-Tone and Mohawk are flabbergasted and agape with horror, unable to form complete questions.

As Kouga continues to run along the base of a short cliff, a familiar primate-fur-clad figure follows his progress from the top, chuckling darkly. Naraku recognizes that Kouga is using the fragment his dead agent gave to him, and seems awfully pleased about it. What exactly did you put in that drink shard, Naraku?

Gee, Naraku, impatient much? You could have just waited for Inuyasha and Kouga to meet again organically, since they're all about murdering each other anyway, but you just HAD to go several steps BEYOND fanfiction of their brawl, didn't you?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I am SO pumped right now! Our minor monster at the beginning of the chapter is just the kind of horror I love from RT, just wrong ENOUGH to give you chills and imagine what it would be like to meet something like that yourself. It's just a bear, but taking its skin and the top of its skull off really gave it that freaky quality that makes my skin crawl. Just what I needed for the beginning of my All-Hallows-Month.

But the creepy tricks of this chapter aren't done yet, with the introduction of a woman who faces off against a whole army of wolf youkai with a smirk. Keep in mind that, again, these guys were YOUKAI. They ARE the monsters, planning on taking out regular humans at the castle, and for them to be the victims here, one of their corpses even made to walk back to Kouga in order to play messenger, is quite a horrible concept. Just how much more of a monster must this woman be if she did this to other literal fucking monsters? As Kouga all but admitted earlier by saying that he couldn't go out with his mangled arm like that, he doesn't stand a chance.

And to top it off, Miss Fan over here is one of my favorite characters in this manga. I love her so much, and it is a JOY seeing her every time she shows up. It only gets better while she grows as a character and her arc develops, so get ready for an emotional ride.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 199 The Treasure

Is that a SUNKEN treasure? I mean, whether tangible or intangible, there is going to be some treasure dragged into sea today, since three seconds is barely enough time to unlock one handcuff, let alone two. And as morbid as all this could be (if I wasn't certain both boys would come out of this alive in the end) I can't help but giggle at the pirate voice drifting through my head right now. "Aye, thar be booty at the bottom of the bay! Beware ye the anchored boys and the pyramid puzzle! Arrr!"

That voice sticks with me as the first page of this chapter recaps the end of the previous one, Red Eyes shooting a Black Fire Bullet at Jonouchi at his desperate request, and Yuugi's key box popping open at the prompt of Jonouchi's life points falling to zero. Jonouchi thanks Red Eyes, and expresses some relief that he's FINALLY out from under Marik's spell.

You BETTER not. How are we supposed to make it to chapter 200 without the little bugger? This ain't no GRRM bullshit.

Noting that the anchor's timer above has ticked down to two seconds, Jonouchi takes the Millennium Puzzle off his neck as he insists on getting that key to Yuugi's cuff in time. He claims not to have time to grab his own key, despite it being right in front of him. Jonouchi unlatches his Duel Disk from his arm and throws it along with the puzzle on the dock next to him, thinking he may as well take them off before he goes swimming.

Then he grabs hold of his own cuff's chain and pushes off from the dock over the gap in between him and Yuugi hoping he makes it in time. Jonouchi yells as he Tarzans right across the water toward Yuugi.

And the rigging above blows apart in an explosion, dropping the anchor and probably slinging a whole bunch of sharp metal debris everywhere - EXCEPT into either of out heroic boys, conveniently. The most Jonouchi gets from the explosion itself is a loss of momentum in his swing before the heavy anchor splashes into the water and yanks both his and Yuugi's wrists along with it. Both of them follow its lead, Jonouchi with another yell.

Amidst a crowd of bubbles, the boys descend into a dark sea. Yuugi, eyes screwed shut, releases his breath from a silently screaming mouth. Jonouchi, has found his way to Yuugi's side, however, and grips the chain still pulling on Yuugi's wrist. He reveals the key he managed to snatch from the box before they both went down. A moment later, Jonouchi has inserted the key into the cuff and turned it, and it drifts open so Yuugi's wrist is now free. Yuugi opens his eyes a crack, struggling to articulate Jonouchi's name even in his head. In all fairness, it's probably dying for some oxygen right now, even this early in drowning.

Jonouchi apologizes for all this nonsense in his head, a lot more cogent than his friend. He smiles, silently calling Yuugi a real friend as he watches Yuugi's form recede up to the surface. Jonouchi tries the key he's held onto in his own cuff, but it doesn't fit. He curses, though on some level he had a suspicion that this key wouldn't work for his cuff.

It BETTER not be. How are we supposed to get to chapter 200 without you, you little bugger? This ain't no GRRM bullshit!

Elsewhere, a convertible races down Domino streets, around a corner, and someone in there shouts that they're at the pier, that Jonouchi must be around there somewhere. The car leans dangerously as it passes all the anchored ships, though it can't be that easy to tip that thing, with it being so low to the ground already.

Honda leans all the way over onto Ryuji, asking Mai if she could slow the fuck down, but Ryuji seems not to care one bit. His thoughts are only of how hot Mai is for... endangering their lives? I don't know. Mai orders Shizuka to keep her seat belt on, even though hands are nowhere near the buckle, but Shizuka agrees not to anyway. Best not to argue with the crazy lady behind the wheel who thinks this is a Disney cartoon. Unless she doesn't, because her advice to the boys in the back is to just hold on tight in dealing with the speed. Does she not have seat belts in the back? What the fuck?

Again, though, arguing with the crazy lady at the wheel seems like a bad move right now, so both Ryuji and Honda agree with little more than a flush and narrowed eyes. Internally, Mai addresses Jonouchi and the dream he's been chasing since Duelist Kingdom, promising with a glance as Shizuka that the dream is going to come true. She continues to talk to the Jonouchi in her head about how it's time to gather up all the courage he's collected in all his duels and give it to his sister, whom Mai gives another sidelong glance. Good thing she's got that bandage around her eyes right now, or she might be asking for an explanation. Instead, she's just sitting letting the wind blow through her hair and thinking of seeing her brother again soon.

Hey, I have a question: why is Mai speeding like she knows that Jonouchi is currently drowning at a dock? Why is she speeding at all?

BECAUSE THE PLOT DEMANDS IT, THAT'S WHY!

Jonouchi's cheeks expand as the air tries to leave him, and his only thoughts are about how he can't breathe and he's going to die. Eyes bloodshot and cheeks distended, he thinks he's all out of air, releasing the bubbles as he can no longer keep his mouth clamped shut.

Meanwhile, Mokuba drags Yuugi out of the sea, demanding to know if he's okay. He kneels next to Yuugi, yelling at him to wake up, until Yuugi mumbles Jonouchi's name. Mokuba looks up at his brother and assures him that Yuugi is okay, just passed out. Seto says this is good, and he's smiling when he states the only thing left is "the other one".

So, guy who was agonizing just a couple of chapters ago about what you can personally do to make sure that neither one of the players in the duel dies, what are you going to personally do to make sure Jonouchi doesn't die?

... You piece of shit. Why do you ALWAYS tempt me to take back every single nice thing I have ever said about you? You can just go straight to hell!

Of course, by the miracle of plot, currents and other physical phenomena that might have washed that key off kilter don't apply all of a sudden. Just as Jonouchi is issuing the last of his air, with the horrible knowledge that he's dead, he grins as the key drifts right in front of his eyes. Kaiba's aim is clearly unparalleled. That garbage-baby.

Anyway, Mokuba is still screaming at Yuugi to wake up, and at long last, he opens his eyes. His first sight is Mokuba leaning over him and Kaiba standing stoically in the background with his arms crossed. Yuugi groans groggily, and Mokuba declares he's awake, no thanks to his constant screeches. But Yuugi's time in between coherent thought is short-lived, because he soon sits up in a panic, asking where Jonouchi is. Mokuba looks over his shoulder at this water and thrusts his thumb at it, telling Yuugi not to worry, since Jonouchi will now be just fine thanks to his brother.

Grrrrrr....

As though Mokuba had read the script, it is at that moment that Jonouchi pops out of the water, gasping. Yuugi cheers Jonouchi's sustained life with a fat tear at the corner of his eye as Jonouchi slaps his arms onto the side of the dock, dragging himself up out of the water and complaining that he thought he was going to die. Kaiba scoffs at the sopping wet and exhausted Jonouchi, snobbishly stating that the only reason he saved him was because in his haste to remove his Duel Disk, he forgot to take his own key. Apparently this amounts to Kaiba having some sort of admiration for Jonouchi's boundless stupidity.

Jonouchi is rather upset to learn that KAIBA, this jerk of jerks, was the one who saved him, and shaking his fist, chooses to deny this fact entirely. Kaiba doesn't correct him, just turns, crosses his arms, and smiles about how Jonouchi has finally become a decent duelist. Jonouchi snaps begrudgingly that he owes Kaiba one, before walking over to where he dropped the Millennium Puzzle and picks it up by its chain.

Woah, woah, that familiar silhouette in the background is looking kind of ominous...

But we're not going to address that yet, because it's time for the feely-feels! Yuugi tells Jonouchi not to blame himself, but the hunched and shamed Jonouchi struggles to express just how fucked up what he did to Yuugi was, words ultimately failing him. Yuugi assures him that what he DID was protect what was important to them. Jonouchi stares at him disbelievingly, but doesn't argue anymore, looking down at the Millennium Puzzle dangling from his fist. He walks over to Yuugi and hangs it around a stunned Yuugi's neck, presenting it as Yuugi's treasure.

Yuugi smiles, affirms this, and the two of them chuckle weirdly, because awkward expression of emotion is awkward.

Anzu suddenly spits out her poison pill and looks up in confusion, wondering what she was doing just now. I was wondering where you WENT there for a while, girl. Yuugi cheers that she's alright too, approaching her with Jonouchi, unwisely. I say unwisely, because while she appears to be back to normal, saying Yuugi and Jonouchi's names happily, Marik's image is still pictured behind her in the next panel, grinning.

Great, could you have found him without inflicting whiplash on all your poor passengers?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Boy, were there a lot of issues with the tertiary characters' actions in this one. A lot of sense was sacrificed for the sake of character consistency, which on a level is understandable. It would be very strange to see dear douchey Kaiba jumping into the ocean, regalia and all, to actively save a guy he has historically had very little regard for. Though he's decided here that Jonouchi has become a fairly good duelist, and expresses some admiration for his almost STUPID reverence for his Duel Disk,  Kaiba is still not one to sacrifice so much as DRYNESS for someone he would normally consider a nuisance at worst and opponent at best.

Although, the smile on Kaiba's face before he drops the key, lovingly imagining how Jonouchi must be running out of breath by now, kind of walks back his claim that he's not nearly as bad as our current villain even at his worst. Torture is torture, dude, and getting off to it is getting off to it.

Mai's speeding is less character consistency as just flat-out weirdness. I'm not sure what the point was to her going 100 mph, since KT didn't offer any kind of explanation. My best guess is that, knowing how long was your typical duel, she figured they only had that amount or less to find Jonouchi before he moved on to another area and they wouldn't have any clues in locating him anymore. I've got to set off my broken record again here, though, and state how little I like making up headcanons to fill in facts that should already be provided in the canon.

All that and the violation of everything from physics to human endurance, I did like the little exchange at the very end of the chapter between Yuugi and Jonouchi. Not only are they exhausted, waterlogged and traumatized, they've said most of everything they needed to before this point during the duel. Too many words now would just be beating a dead horse, and there's also the sense of having said TOO much already, like they've shown too many emotions and it's a little embarrassing knowing how much has been revealed in the event that they might not get to live another day. Like your stereotypical love confession at the last moment, but this one carries a non-romantic twist. It's cute.

And yes, I'm classifying this as non-romantic. I joke about them being gay for each other all the time, but in reality I really kind of hate how much romance is overused in stories, as well as fan interpretation. I'm always excited to see platonic relationships portrayed as valuable and important, because it shows that romance isn't the end-all be-all of interaction.

Not that I think you're wrong to ship them if you do. I'm not jumping into THAT pit of snakes.

Inuyasha Manga: 140 Beyond the Well

Let's see, what's Kagome's story again? Was pulled into a hole in the ground by a monster, which incidentally was a portal into another world filled to the brim with even more monsters, and she's spending nearly all her time fighting them for a shiny ball of power which could destroy the world if it got into the wrong hands. Sheesh, it's a wonder her grandfather HAS to make up all those exaggerated stories regarding her health. I could see how a tale like the former could be beyond the well, given how it resembles a fever dream.

Oh, oh we're talking about the PHYSICAL well. My bad. There is obviously NO ROOM to re-examine the series from the angle of deteriorated mental health suffering vivid hallucinations. None whatsoever.

Aw man! Is this petty bullshit from the last chapter still going on? So RT can gloss over the ending to an arc with no explanation as to how characters get from one place to another, but she has to go into excruciating detail for THIS?

And yes, I'm still on about that. I will always be on about that.

Houjou is asking Kagome to a movie, it turns out, and complaining there hasn't been a lot of free time for them to meet recently. But Kagome is confused because she THOUGHT he was dating that first-year student from what her friends showed her in the previous chapter. Said friends rush up to her now, Headband insisting that she go, while Short-Hair tells Houjou that she definitely said she wanted to go, despite a confused noise being the only thing she's had time to utter so far. Houjou asks for confirmation, but doesn't wait for it, only turning around to wave and specify that their movie date is this Saturday before he high-tails it to his own classroom. Or so I assume.

Rightfully irritated, Kagome asks her "friends" what the deal is with them making the decision for her, and Short-Hair answers that a normal guy like Houjou is perfect for her. I guess Kagome isn't fit for a little excitement in her romance, huh? Ouch. Headband lectures her on how women often make the mistake of dating the most jealous guy in town, and adding in the violence of her current partner will just muck her future right the fuck up. Kagome is recoiling in disbelief. They can't POSSIBLY be talking about the guy that you described as violent and jealous yesterday.

Kagome recalls Inuyasha yelling that he doesn't want to look at her again, and turns on her heel away from the well, refusing to go back now and risk yet another fight. Or being put in a position to apologize. You know, whichever.

Inuyasha is actually sitting next to the well too, on the other side, his chin propped on his arms crossed over the lip. HE recalls Souta telling him that Kagome was in a super bad mood, and makes a sour expression. Shippou is wearing a similar look when he pops up on another side of the well, telling him cut it out and go over to Kagome, whom he's sure will be forgiving. Surly, Inuyasha says that if he DOES go over, it would be an indication that the whole situation was his fault. Shippou states flatly that it IS Inuyasha's fault for doubting Kagome's feelings. Or rather, misinterpreting her cradling and protecting of an injured Kouga from further assault.

Recounting that Kagome did indeed protect Kouga and let him escape, even though he's Inuyasha's enemy and she had a terrible time being kidnapped, Shippou's expression becomes perturbed and he grows oddly quiet for a time. Inuyasha awaits an end to the thought, looking half-expectant, if not a little threatening. Shippou doesn't notice and meets Inuyasha's glare to question if Kagome did fall in love with Kouga after all, and Inuyasha yells not to ask HIM.

Back in Tokyo, Souta sits on Kagome's bed petting Buyo in his lap while Kagome sits at her desk. He asks what's keeping her here, and she in turn asks if there's something BAD about her being around. Then she twists to look over her shoulder and tell him that she's studying for her exams and can't always be over in Feudal Japan, looking annoyed. Regardless, Souta presses on, brave soul, asking when she'll be going. She says she'll go when Inuyasha comes to pick her up, and Souta makes the mistake of suggesting Inuyasha won't come back at all. Something snaps at Kagome's desk, whether it's her pencil lead or her concentration is unclear, and she turns toward Souta with a demon-like aura floating her hair around her shoulders. Souta is cheeky to the last, asking if he's being a nuisance, and Kagome hisses at him to LEAVE.

I can only assume he escaped with his life when we see a ticking clock in the next panel, and after that, a determined Kagome thinking this may be her only chance. She hunkers down with a pencil and workbook to get back on track with her studies, if only for just a bit. Her determination doesn't seem to last too terribly long, though, and when the moon is high in the evening we find her laying her cheek on that same workbook, passed out. She slowly opens her eyes, sits up sleepily and slaps both sides of her face. I'm guessing this doesn't wake her up, because she sits on her bed and winds an alarm clock, supposing that it would be better to pick her studying back up in the morning.

When she lays down, she sighs happily that real bedding is great, and claims not to sleep well on the other side of the well. Kagome immediately walks that back, blinking and fatigued, knowing that it helps to know that Inuyasha is watching over her. She closes her eyes again, wondering what he's up to right about now.

Apparently creeping on you. Literally.

Kagome is fast asleep, and Inuyasha seems a little incredulous by this fact. This was clearly an unintended creep about. He sits on his haunches next to Kagome's bed, looking irritated, but his expression suddenly gets the slightest hint of a blush in addition to surprise when Kagome says his name in her sleep. She turns over and he leans closer to her, examining her closed eyes when she says his name again. He concludes that she really is talking in her sleep. He wonders if she's having a dream about him, staring in some fascination...

... And then he goes down face-first into the carpet when she says sit. He pops back up, shaking his fist, thinking she's a bitch, and wondering just what kind of dream she's having. Probably the kind where one is just going about life as usual, you know. Kagome's ticking alarm clock starts beeping, startling an already on-edge Inuyasha even more into recoiling in an exaggerated flail.

Kagome, rubbing the sleep out of her eye with one hand, moves with the other hand to smack the snooze tab. When her hand just hits the table, she blearily peers at the place where it was, mumbling that it's gone.

In any other context, this shit would be a PARADE of red flags.

Back at school, a confused Houjou is confirming something about "urgent business". Kagome, head bowed slightly in apology, says that it's the reason she can't go to the movies on Saturday. She says sorry and Houjou hangs his head too, disappointed, though he claims to understand. Kagome stalls and waffles as she tries to encourage him to go to the movies with that freshman she saw him with the other day instead. When Houjou expresses all the more confusion, she asks him if it doesn't seem to him that the girl likes him an awful lot, and Houjou responds with a happy dismissal of this statement as silly. He asks if this was what she was "worried" about, so now it's her turn to be puzzled.

Houjou comes right out and says that he doesn't intend to go out with anyone else. Ooooh, boy, you're going to be VERY lonely, then. Kagome is too shocked to interject with the reality that she's just not that into him, so he's got room to continue to talk about how her perceived jealousy makes him a little happy. Trying to correct him doesn't do any good, because even when she starts to say that's not what she's saying, he waves goodbye and assures her that he's going to invite her out again in the future. Sweatdropping heavily, Kagome mentally describes him as "strong". Yeah, strongly stupid.

Still, Kagome can't help but think it would be nice if Inuyasha had so much confidence. Seriously? You want him to be a dunce in ANOTHER way? I guess the grass IS always greener on the other side. Speaking of both grass and the other side, Inuyasha sits on a patch meadow overlooking some farm plots, sighing. He perks up when Kagome approaches from behind, though, turning to nervously confirm it's her. She giggles and says she's back.

Kagome sits down next to him as he stares at her, wide-eyed and speechless.

... Well that was unexpected. Kagome freezes in shock, jaw slack. Inuyasha asks her what's with her expression, muttering a supposition that she really is angry about it. Kagome stutters that she's not angry at all anymore, but Inuyasha presents her with the evidence for how it's actually his fault, which is the remains of her crushed alarm clock. Double unexpected.

Kagome clarifies sheepishly that he's claiming fault for the alarm clock, and Inuyasha remains speechless and surly a moment before looking away and asking haughtily if there's anything ELSE he should be apologizing for. Sighing, she says that there's not really anything, in her mind dismissing the whole damn thing.

She's got one intention now that she's FINALLY back.

Well it's better than another screaming argument and a mouthful of dirt after being told to sit. Count your blessings, Inuyasha.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall. More of the same from last chapter. This is cute and all, and I'm not going to pretend that there isn't a place for this content in this manga, because it brings a little light-hearted comedy and fluff to the world. However, two chapters in a row of this kind of fluff strikes me as excessive, and even to a degree masturbatory. I didn't need to know every tiny little detail of how these two worked past each other's stubbornness in order to reach a place where they're back to the romantic status quo. Like I said in the previous post for this manga, this space could have been used to add details where we DID need more elaboration on how they managed to get out of various messes. This is pretty minor compared to nonsensical and abrupt endings for other arcs.

One of the things I can say I thought was interesting about this and the previous chapter, though, is how the reactions of Kagome's friends really put Inuyasha's actions into perspective for her in a positive way. Again, she has a lot of context that they don't, and their strong negative opinions on him forced Kagome to defend him both to them and herself. Otherwise, she may never have reached a point where she believes by the end of this chapter that he didn't have anything to apologize for. She finally recognizes that he's just an insecure boy who hasn't got a lot of options for expressing that.

It at least allows her to let this whole thing go. Just imagine how many MORE of these chapters we would have to endure if she didn't.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 198 Friends Till the End

"Till"? As in, the tray in which the money goes inside the cash register? That doesn't make a lick of sense, unless it references the end of a shift at a convenience store. Turns out our heroes are only friends for a limited five-hour shift at your local 7-11.

And here I was thinking I was out of the woods concerning translations with poor spelling and grammar. To whom do I owe this twitching eye, I wonder?

The OFFICIAL translation? Why am I not surprised?

Kaiba looks up at the timer on the hanging anchor, growling at the less than three minutes left like a guard dog at a hurricane. He knows the duel has to end soon, but wonders how the players are going to swing it so the loser doesn't have to die. He also wonders what HE can do personally, though I think it's a bit late for that when he spent almost 40 minutes with his thumb up his ass until he pulled the most contrived solution to a hostage situation in history.

And time moves on anyway, with Yuugi and Jonouchi still facing off. Yuugi is also looking up and notices he has less than three minutes left, knowing that if he doesn't do something soon, both he and Jonouchi will be pulled into the ocean, but he's looking pretty tired and sweaty right now. On the other side of dock, the spectral influence of Marik behind Jonouchi grins and encourages him to use the card he's staring at to kill Yuugi. If you'll recall, it's yet another Meteor of Destruction. Marik tries to convince Jonouchi this is exactly what he wants; to step out from Yuugi's shadow and defeat him. Marik then assures Jonouchi that this duel will soon be branded into his memory forever, which seems to undermine his efforts to get him on board with the implicit nastiness of the memory of murdering one's best friend. Who am I to judge, though? I'm only a person who has seem Marik REPEATEDLY fuck up his evil plans in one arrogant way or another.

I'm not the one he's trying to brainwash again, after all. THAT guy is just standing and sweating, looking a bit squinty at the consideration of his own memories. They include Shizuka, Yuugi, Honda and Anzu, all smiling and happy. He has to hold his head in his hand once more and groans as he remembers being a duelist, along with such memorable characters as Yami, Mai, Kaiba and Ryota. Yeah, mentioning memories REALLY seems to be working out for Marik when Jonouchi falls to his knees, clutching his head, while Marik tauntingly chants that he should kill Yuugi and claims that the murder of his best friend will finally make him his own man.

Well, since the chances of a police force that has been seen in this manga exactly ONCE manages to hold Jonouchi responsible are astronomical, I'd say that is a depressingly accurate statement from Marik. Unlike everything ELSE that comes out of his mouth.

But the extreme likelihood of getting away with it isn't what Jonouchi is thinking about.

Yuugi calls Jonouchi's name in concern, watching him claw at his head in pain and not knowing what's going on. And what of the guy who DOES? He looks taken aback, huffing in offense that Jonouchi isn't being cooperative in his own friend's death. Marik spits that this is fine, and Jonouchi can just let the clock run out and die happily with Yuugi. There's only two minutes left on the clock anyway.

Though he doesn't know exactly what's happening in Jonouchi's head, Yuugi says his name in solidarity, able to tell that Jonouchi is fighting Marik's influence every moment. It's obvious Jonouchi is trying to find himself, but Yuugi recognizes that there's no time to let him come around on his own, and with a sad hanging head, he also understands that he can't let Jonouchi die. His eyes snap open again and he calls out to Marik this time.

Marik's eyes widen and he looks mildly like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Yuugi confirms that he's speaking to the park of Marik manipulating his friend right now, glaring like he can see the spectral influence that has been pictured so nicely for the audience thus far. Marik's eyes narrow, to the point that his pupil and iris are half-hidden by the lid; it looks like he's in the process of rolling his eyes back into his head or something. Yuugi dramatically points and says he's figured out the real loser of this duel, and it's Marik.

Kind of kills the serious mood when the hero pulls the old elementary school "I know you are but what am I?" rebuttal on the villain. And yet, Marik seems to be reacting in much the way a person shouting that kind of rebuttal would hope, with anger and offense. Yuugi lectures Marik on how he had tried to implant his hatred into Jonouchi but Jonouchi fought back the entire way, eventually winning. A close up on Jonouchi's still sweating and wide-eyed face suggests that's not true QUITE yet, but Yuugi admits jumping the gun by vowing to turn Jonouchi back to normal in the mere minute left to him. Then, once he's turned his desperate wishes into reality, even if he and Jonouchi are both drowned by this apparatus, he promises that this loss (of control) will remain burned in Marik's memory forever.

Marik, highly annoyed, starts to describe just what Yuugi is, though we never get to know what that is. We're too busy switching over to a speechless Kaiba, wondering just what Yuugi is up to. Poor ragged Jonouchi mumbles out a laborious "no" as Yuugi tells Marik to bring it the fuck on, give it his best shot in the short time there is left, and try to get his revenge. Yuugi screams at Marik to attack him, and Marik is all for it at this point, failing to consider this a possible trap of some sort. He plans to wipe Yuugi off the face of the planet with Meteor of destruction, though it looks preeeeeeetty difficult to get Jonouchi's arm holding the card to his Duel Disk. Jonouchi resisting for nearly every reason available, from Yuugi himself to the fact that this card is banned. Awww, he's such a goody-two-shoes now. Marik tells him to shut his trap, because his and the the other vessel's usefulness has run dry.

U mad, bro?

Against every once of his will, Jonouchi plays the card, and a swirl of holographic clouds opens up over the field. Yuugi stares into it with a combination of shock and determination (what I like to call his Ultra Poop Face), Kaiba impotently stutters about the card, Jonouchi trails Yuugi's name in what I assume is regret, and Marik stands out like a sore thumb with his chuckle and grin as he assures Yuugi that it's all over now. Good thing no one can actually see him. That would be awkward.

Yuugi assures Jonouchi that he won't die, more sure than ever before that the real Jonouchi has finally broken through. He then reveals a face down card, Mystical Rift Panel, which produces a naked elf lady holding a big mirror up to the incoming meteor. Yuugi explains that this is a counter-move for when the opponent uses a spell card, to deflect the attack. I thought the mirror was pretty good at explaining that all by itself, but sure, bring on the useless dialogue. Marik's getting in on that action too, when he repeats that Mystical Rift Panel is going to send the Meteor right back at "him". Did he forget Jonouchi is the one who's ACTUALLY there? *shrug*

Jonouchi himself stares, taking in the elf-mirror lady angling her reflective tool under the meteor, a smiling Yuugi, and the 30 seconds left on the clock. Kaiba's also in slack-jawed captivity for the scene, elaborating that Yuugi now has complete control of Meteor's path, meaning he's able to choose if it goes back to Jonouchi, or toward himself. Why? Because Yuugi and his self-destructive self-esteem problems are the center of the universe right now and must be indulged, apparently.

As Marik starts to dissolve from Jonouchi's brain in a spectacular disappearing act (Pandora would cream his pants), he raves about the card allowing Yuugi to win and how much he hates him. Jonouchi is now free to be lucid, looking wide-eyed at Yuugi, at the puzzle around his neck, and back to Yuugi. All the while, his confusion is palpable, and he eventually spits out a question about why they're fighting after a series of false starts. Yuugi smiles at him while he presses on the arm band of his Duel Disk, slips it off his arm, and lays it down on the dock in front of him.

He says that their fight is actually over, only to revise this statement to assert that they weren't really fighting each other, if you think about it. In reality, this was about Jonouchi fighting the piece of Marik that had invaded his brain. Yuugi says that HIS part in the whole ordeal was to make sure that he and Jonouchi remained friends no matter what, though he had to fight himself. Jonouchi continues to stare, saying Yuugi's name warily, as Yuugi happily tells him that they both won. He explains that he just played Mystical Rift Panel in order to buy some time and say all the things he needed to at the end. Realization is dawning on Jonouchi about what that could mean, and he breaks into another sweat. Still a bit on stuttery side, Jonouchi can only manage to say "Don't" in protest. It's useless; Yuugi just plows ahead with his heartfelt musings about how Jonouchi taught him that he wasn't alone, and courage, and being a best friend. Gritting his teeth, Jonouchi can only stare at Yuugi as Yuugi says he loves him.

I'm not crying, YOU'RE crying!

Jonouchi actually IS crying, Kaiba still standing with his teeth gritted in shock, if such a thing is possible. Life points at zero, Yuugi leans forward wordlessly and collapses, out of it and looking completely exhausted. The box at Jonouchi's feet pops open, revealing a key to his cuff, but he's not paying any attention. At the same time, the anchor above them beeps, the timer resetting to 15 seconds. Yuugi weakly begs Jonouchi to use the key to unlock his cuff and escape, since there's only a quarter minute left. 11 seconds to go, though, and Jonouchi is still staring at Yuugi, frozen. Yuugi reiterates his plea for him to hurry before the anchor falls into the ocean.

Jonouchi responds with a yell that he can't just run away and leave this moron to die. Yuugi lowers his head to the dock like he's going to pass out, muttering words encouraging Jonouchi to go. Sweating, crying, and grinding his teeth, Jonouchi thinks Yuugi's name, then growls and squeezes his eyes shut. He then throws his head back and screams, unable to figure out what to do. A timely epiphany comes to him and his eyes snap back open to find that Red Eyes Black Dragon is still lying, hissing and forgotten on the dock behind Yuugi. I thought monsters tended to disappear right after the end of a duel? Why is this dragon sticking around? Jonouchi shouts at it to attack him, to shoot a Black Fire Bullet and bring his life points to zero. Its eye also snaps open and it obeys, launching a fireball from its mouth.

I don't know, three seconds doesn't seem like a lot of time to save a life, bro.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Whooooooooo, what an ending to the game. We're not out of the woods yet, I realize, what with both players still being in mortal danger and all, but that the end of the game itself was very emotional. At first, when Kaiba mentioned that Yuugi had the option to let the attack go through to him as originally intended, I thought it would be a lousy step backward. Back to Yuugi's suicidal meanderings, when he was going to just sit back and die so his more important (to Yuugi's imagination) friend could leave alive.

But it didn't turn out to be that way at all. Yuugi was an active agent in the end, choosing this because it was the only option left to him when it proved impossible to get both of them out alive. His previous intentions to die were passive and weak self-affirmations that he was expendable, unwilling to save himself the agony even when he had the time. Now, he's chosen Jonouchi out of genuine care, not because it was his intention to die as the expendable one, but because there's simply no way the both of them can leave. As the one with the control, he has a responsibility to use that control to help his friend rather than for selfish means.

Also, Jonouchi has the Millennium Puzzle now, and that would have brought him down faster than the anchor.

Talk about cruel.

But emotional effectiveness aside, I do have a criticism that is a long-running problem with this manga. The mechanics of the cards are again tailored to the solution to the duel, and when taken out of their context the effects don't make sense. In what way would Mystical Rift Panel's built in choice for where the attack goes be an advantage outside of this SPECIFIC scenario? Why would the makers of the card have thought that there would ever be a time when the person blocking the attack would want to let it go through like it was supposed to? That would beg the question of why the card was used at all.

And Red Eyes being AROUND to take orders from Jonouchi, much less taking orders from him at all when Jonouchi wasn't the one who summoned it, is just contrived and cheap. I get it, I get it, Jonouchi is the true OWNER of the card, and that's why it followed his command, much like the Blue Eyes wouldn't follow Kaiba's when the card belonged to Sugoroku. This still doesn't account for how it should have been LONG GONE by that point anyway. Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad that Yuugi's key has been revealed and he doesn't have to drown, but if KT could come up with ONE card where you can choose to direct an attack to yourself against the very POINT of the game, surely he could have come up with another one. Or, maybe make it so that ALL the cards can be told to attack their summoners, like a flaw in the game that they're exploiting in some weird way.

That, at least, might have been consistent.

Inuyasha Manga: 139 The Pair's Feelings

Anxiety. Anxiety everywhere. And I'm not just talking about the insecure teenagers here. I myself have been worrying a bit, mostly about Hurricane Florence and how it was going to affect my home. I should have known that people here were exaggerating in cleaning out grocery and hardware stores, considering how ridiculous they can get in ANY kind of mild weather, including sunshine. But, I bought into the hype a bit, and ended up readjusting the furniture in my apartment to avoid being near windows during what ended up being very mild effects in my area.

Yes, it was a miscalculation, but I take comfort that it wasn't as bad as THIS one:

Oh. Oh honey, NO. Whose idea was those boots? She looks like she's about to visit a quilting store disguised as a western bar. That's just AWFUL.

Luckily, Kagome must have gotten wise, because this terrible fashion mistake will never show up in the rest of the chapter, let alone the manga. She's back in the same old school uniform she's always been in as she approaches her school, sighing and looking melancholy. She thinks the sight of the school looks nostalgic now, for some reason. Her friends run up to her from behind, Short-Hair and Headband, calling to her. Looking over her shoulder at them, she wishes them a good morning, though she doesn't seem as excited to see them as they are her.

Headband takes this for being "carefree" I guess? Short-Hair is pretty agitated too, telling Kagome that something is really bad. Confused, Kagome listens to Headband begin her explanation by telling her just exactly where she was supposed to have been while off school: in the isolation ward at the hospital with TB. Kagome is of course speechless, though I might have been inclined to ask Headband why she thought she needed to lay all this out for me if I were in her place, given that I was (supposedly) living it. It's almost as if there's an invisible audience behind Kagome for which this information is the punchline to a joke, huh?

RT, you're better than this.

Anyway, Houjou is sitting astride his bike in the next panel, stopping to exchange greetings with a girl who runs to catch up to him, hailing him with a waving arm. As they talk about whatever, one of our exposition fairies explains to Kagome that this new girl is a first-year student who has been cozying up Houjou for a little while now, and Houjou doesn't seem annoyed by this. It looks like Headband and Short-Hair have pulled Kagome behind a ro of bushes they're all peering out from behind now at the pair walking along, like stalkers. Short-Hair asks Kagome what she's going to do.

Kagome holds her chin as she questions why she would need to do anything and if this isn't just fine. Headband tells her to hold on a sec and Short-Hair spells out for Kagome that she might lose Houjou to this new girl if she leaves this alone. And if she were to "do something about it" she would be a psychotic weirdo and he wouldn't be attracted to her anymore anyway, so seems like a lose-lose sitch now doesn't it?

But Kagome has a far more practical answer to all this, and it's that she's not even dating Houjou, okay? Both girls look somewhat disturbed by what looks to be a sudden revelation. Don't worry, it's not that Kagome's just not interested in Houjou and doesn't give a shit whom he dates.

Oh yeah, girl can't just be content with being single, she's always got to be focused on getting into and maintaining some romantic relationship or other. Now I remember. Shit, no wonder no one likes high school. Or, middle school, in this case.

And these busybodies are vindicated when Kagome practically screams in their faces that she never wants to be reminded of a guy like that ever again. Way to lean the fuck in, Kagome. She doesn't need their help being reminded of Inuyasha, though, because she's thinking about how he told her he doesn't want to see her face again later sitting in class. During completely unrelated subject matter, no doubt. She wonders what's with that stupid dog-eared dude anyway, suspecting her and the confident skirt-wearing Kouga, who happens to be hanging over her head too. She glares at nothing in particular, grumbling internally about Inuyasha being the pits.

Back in Feudal Japan, Sango and Shippou peer down into the dark well Kagome went into to get away from Inuyasha. Sango asks if it's not a regular old well, extraordinarily attached to Kagome's "country". Shippou answers in the affirmative, but complains that for some reason only Kagome and Inuyasha can travel between the two worlds. Frowning into the mouth of the well, arms crossed, Shippou mutters that this would all be done with if Inuyasha would just go over there.

Elsewhere, Kaede is laying herbs on a mat next to a fence where Inuyasha himself is perched. She asks him why he won't go over to Kagome's place, of course, because no one can be invested in anything but Kagome and Inuyasha's strange relationship right now. Inuyasha demands that Kaede shut up, though I can't help but wonder why he's sitting there next to her if he doesn't want her company. I want her company, and I'm not even in this manga. #let'sbefriendskaede

No, Inuyasha is lost in his recollections about Kagome holding Kouga, telling him to stop fighting because the wolf is seriously hurt. Inuyasha thinks she's a jerk for sticking up for such a guy, and then remembers how Kouga declared plain as day his love for Kagome. He wonders if ANY girl would be tricked by such flattery.

Now THIS is a well-told joke. Don't you hold out on me, RT.

In yet ANOTHER location, someone is asking Miroku to see them next, and he bids them to... stand in LINE??? Yes, this motherfucker has a LINE. For palm-reading, of all things, and the line is made up of village women wanting their fortunes told. He tells the woman whose hand he's holding right now that her palm is a good one; she'll have a long life and lots of children. She's really excited by this, and Miroku takes this opportunity to ask her if one of the children she bears could be his. She smacks his hand and laughs, calling him a tease.

Well, at least he's not dwelling on relationships that have nothing to do with him.

He too is sitting by a fence, and on the other side of it an annoyed Sango and Shippou have appeared. The latter asks what he's up to, while the former sarcastically thinks about what a father he would be. They must have convinced him to cut that fortune-telling shit out, because the next panel has him telling them that it's no use rushing things and it'll have to wait until Inuyasha calms down. As she walks along behind him, carrying Shippou on her back, Sango accuses him of being too easy-going, but Miroku tells her to let it go. He also tells them not to go so near the well in the future, giving them a significant look.

Shippou indignantly asks him why, hopping up on Sango's shoulder and balling up his tiny fists defensively, but Miroku just asks him to think of Inuyasha's personality.

Great plan, Inuyasha. What are you gonna do? Twist her arm? Regardless of his underdeveloped ideas, Inuyasha hops down into that well like he's got it all figured out. This cannot go wrong.

Meanwhile, at... Wacdnal... A fast food restaurant that is definitely not supposed to resemble any in the real world, no sir, one of Kagome's nameless friends tells to her confess what kind of dude she's seeing. Kagome glares at a the fountain cup she's holding and describes Inuyasha as a low-grade guy, selfish, violent, and offensive. The first thing that jumps into the minds of Short-Hair and Headband is that the guy must be American, which is totally unfair. This is the country that finds it so unacceptable to be polite and treat people with basic respect that the anti-PC crowd voted en-mass for the most offensive, uncultured human being possible to be president. Inuyasha is WAY too classy to be mistaken for American.

Kagome adds that Inuyasha gets jealous a lot, and after an initial wide-eyed stare, Headband sucks her own fountain drink out of her cup, looking halfway between irritated and bored. She says that getting jealous just means that he loves Kagome, and Short-Hair, wearing the same expression as she pops a fry in her mouth, tells Kagome that whoever this guy is, he's devoted to her. The part she doesn't say out loud is that this whole thing is pathetic. Don't you regret getting so emotionally invested in this bullshit, girls?

But that's when Kagome drops a bombshell by suggesting that if he WAS devoted to her, then she could put up with the rest of his crap. Immediately, her friends lean forward, suddenly interested in how he may NOT be devoted after all. Looking a bit on the down side now, Kagome says that the guy she's talking about had another love a while ago that he can't seem to get over. The girls stare in... suspense? Anger? Affront? Not sure.

Instead of getting more annoyed by Inuyasha's hypocrisy, she clasps her hands in front of her and looks wistfully off into space as she admits that he tried to kill another guy who got close to her once. Is... is she getting off on this nonsense? Her friends seem just as appalled by her demeanor and the content of her confessions paired, and demand to know just who this guy is. Headband asks her why she's seeing a guy such as this, shooting to her feet and snapping that a guy like that is no good, advising her to break up with him. She tips over her drink in the process, by the way. Spilled milk and all that. Short-Hair demands that Kagome never see this boy again. Okay, MOM.

Come to think of it, Kagome might benefit from having a mother figure who doesn't just shrug her shoulders at her wandering off into the past for days at a time.

Kagome is taken aback, blinking away shock as she begins a weak protest. Headband tells her to listen, arguing that this guy she's speaking of is the worst possible sort. She lists off all the bad traits Kagome listed before, violent and selfish, and Short-Hair follows up with the interpretation that he's two-timing Kagome, whatever that means. Heart hammering, Kagome stammers that this is true, but provides some counterpoints to what she was pissing and moaning about before; he's quite nice, strong and reliable.

Sweat-dropping, the girls meekly ask if Kagome LOVES this guy, secretly thinking that she's being tricked. Kagome is left speechless by the question, choosing to focus on her fountain drink instead. Both girls look at each other, in unison concluding that she DOES love him, like so many of their other thoughts.

At her family's shrine, a rustle in the bushes and the sound of something sliding accompany a picture of Kagome's room.

He's noticed that this room is filled with Kagome's nice smell, but he doesn't have time to sit and bask. With a clunk, Souta throws open the door, bag of chips in hand and single chip in mouth, greeting Inuyasha with surprise. What were you doing in there if you didn't suspect he was there to begin with? Awfully suspicious, little boy.

Inuyasha strikes a defensive pose, like he's afraid Souta's going to hit him, and stutters nonsense syllables. Souta continues to munch on his snack, asking if Inuyasha remembers him and reintroducing himself just in case. Inuyasha awkwardly affirms that he remembers, so Souta asks if he's there for a visit, looking very sunny about it. Having determined that Souta is no threat to his mission, he closes his eyes and is surly when he says that it's KIND OF a visit. His eyes pop right back open again when Souta says that's great, because it means Inuyasha and Kagome couldn't have had a fight. Souta then cheerily grins and informs Inuyash the the reason he said so; Kagome was in a REALLY bad mood earlier.

Surprised to see Inuyasha hunched and looking nervous again, he asks what's wrong. Inuyasha doesn't answer out loud, dwelling in his head about how obstinate a girl Kagome must be if she's still upset.

Coincidentally, Kagome has arrived back at the shrine, climbing the stairs up to the property limply and sighing. She recalls her friends advising her to break up with Inuyasha and find a better guy, wondering what's up with them. Inuyasha isn't such a bad guy, after all. Yeeeeaaaaah, but you did kind of talk him up like that, didn't you, Kagome? This is the danger of complaining to your girlfriends about a dude they've never met and are unlikely to ever know.

She slides open the front door and announces she's home in the most lackluster manner ever. Upstairs, Souta excitedly cups a hand around his mouth and calls to her, much to Inuyasha's shock. Before Souta can make too much noise, he claps his palm over Souta's mouth and turns him around to shake him by his collar, warning him not to breathe a word about the visit to Kagome. When Kagome walks into her room, she finds Souta sitting on her floor, alone, coughing like he's had his throat wrung, chips spilled on the floor beside him. She asks what's with HIM now, just wandering into other people's rooms.

Later, as she sits in a bath, Kagome ponders the fight from LAST chapter from Inuyasha's side. She realizes how it must have looked when just when Inuyasha came to rescue her, she defended Kouga. Depressed, she supposed it was her fault after all.

Too bad Inuyasha can't hear her reflections.

Great, you agree! Can we move on?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? My jokes about everyone being too invested in Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship were mostly tongue-in-cheek. In fact, a good majority of characters weren't too terribly interested in the resolution of the fight at all. Sango seemed more interested in the well at first, both she and Shippou more interested in Kagome's eventual return later, Kaede seemed to just be making conversation with the dark cloud hanging out behind her, and Miroku wasn't much concerned at all. The only ones who were only had maximum interest because it was drama and their lives are not nearly as exciting as Kagome's. Not that they know just how exciting Kagome's life is...

That being said, it does KIND OF draw into sharp focus just how grating a chapter centered around the aftermath of a petty argument is. When most characters aren't invested in the argument itself, and the only characters who are happen to be portrayed as shallow school girls who are getting VERY limited information about the issue, the question as to why any of the audience should have any level of investment crops up a lot. I understand that resolution is necessary here, and both teenagers are hard-headed little shits, so apologizing for them is going to be a trial, but a part of me was just bored with it all. Maybe that's just my age talking, but it was so very juvenile.

Though I did appreciate the dramatic irony in how little Kagome's friends really understand about the situation. There's a whole context in Inuyasha's actions and attitude that they are just not going to get, which makes Kagome's complaint that they don't understand he's not a bad guy all that more entertaining.

I suppose the joke in the beginning where Headband is going into detail about one of Kagome's grandfather's lies regarding where she's been is part of the setup for their lack of context, but fuck it. I'm still annoyed by the level of detail she's giving to someone who is supposed to have been just released from just that issue. It's excessive and comes across as gimmicky and pandering and I hate it.

So there.