Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 040 One Piece of Heart

You know what I hate? When you open the cabinet to look for sugar, and pull out a nearly empty sack that doesn't have enough inside to make the cake you were planning on baking today. You must have overestimated how much you had left from your previous baking project, and that's a damn shame, because it's too late to go to the store and you're REALLY craving something sweet. Maybe you can turn that cake mix into a few cookies, or a brownie, or something. Those tiny confections aren't satisfying enough though, because they're just too small to ease that aching in your sweet tooth. This is a disaster!

Well, let's hope that Takahashi managed to grab some more sugar for a proper cake this time, shall we?

I understand that Kaiba's supposed to be staring at the disappearing Blue Eyes White Dragons in shock here, but it looks like he got caught masturbating under the table by an uncle barging into his room or something.

"I told you to KNOCK!"

As impossible as it seemed, Kaiba's dragons have been wiped out, and he's freaking out. He can't believe Yami managed to summon Exodia either, because it would have taken a miracle. This is again in a bubble normally reserved for intense thoughts, but Yami responds to it like it was said out loud. He says that if you combine your heart with cards, miracles can happen. He also states that he wins again, which I'm sure was intended to fluster Kaiba into his current stutters.

Yami shouts that a penalty game is in order for Kaiba, atonement for his deeds this day. Kaiba looks terrified, as he should, because he still has nightmares about the last time this happened. Yami points, and declares the penalty game: MIND CRUSH.

Okay, first of all, I think I've already made a compelling argument as to why you might have been a contributor to this evil heart you're speaking of here, Yami. That actually leads into my second point, which is asking if you shouldn't think more carefully about what you do to punish him (and others) from now on. Yami just induces hallucinations and crushes minds on a dime, and always leaves the explanation until after the person he's done this to is even capable of hearing him. Considering how his last penalty game on Kaiba hurt way more people than just him and only ended up making him worse, you would think Yami would have given more careful consideration to what he's doing here.

No, just shatter him as a person. Maybe that bone will heal right this time if we just break it into a million pieces. That's the logic here, right?

Goodness gracious.

Jonouchi celebrates Yami's victory with leap for joy and a declaration that he just kicked that Kaiba's butt. Anzu is still holding a sleeping Jouji, though I'm kind of reluctant to call it sleeping so much as a coma at this point. Instead of jumping, she wipes a tear from her eye as she dismisses distinguishing between the two personalities in Yuugi's body. All she knows is that Yuugi isn't weak anymore.

Anzu, that's an asshole thing to think, and you know it. Partly because you chose THIS moment to judge him "no longer weak," and partly because he was never weak to begin with. If this is still referring to Yuugi's fears, just say that he's not afraid anymore, because that's a more accurate statement anyway.

The crowd is at first confused, the champion they had been rooting for being defeated now and all, but they change allegiances in record time as they shout Yuugi's name. Yami looks at Sugoroku's deck as he thinks on how he did what was requested so irresponsibly. Then he looks to the side, presumably where Jonouchi and Anzu stand, thanking them and Honda silently for their support. He's staring at the cheering crowds with a dignified stoicism.

While Jonouchi and Anzu continue to cheer Yami like they did before it was cool, Jouji finally responds to the noise and wonders how he's supposed to nap with all this racket. I guess the same way you've been doing it this whole damn time, Jouji. While he's looking around him, Jouji spots the gun still pointed at Anzu. He closes his eyes in a hurry, deciding to pretend to be asleep.

I'm really glad we're not forgetting about this, because this could go bad in many terrible ways, depending on how loyal these guys in the suits are to Kaiba.

Jonouchi thinks about what he can do, but can't come up with anything. Anzu's still in danger, and he doesn't think he can take those two guys at once. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he sees a shape approaching the guards from behind. The shadow hits the one holding Anzu hostage over the head, and Jonouchi turns to see him grinning.

Stone cold sober, as a matter of fact! Looks like he got a clue and removed that jacket of his too. The remaining guard points his gun at Honda with a growl, but Jonouchi kicks that asshole in the back as he shouts that Honda's alive happily. Honda punches the guard in the face while asking if Jonouchi really thought he'd be squashed by some blocks. Like that's how Honda would go out. Puh-lease.

Jouji is no longer pretending to sleep, and is rooting for Honda to straight up murder those fuckers. Anzu is also cheering her friends on as they beat up these guards. Honda tells the guards that under no uncertain terms can they die, because they still have a whole world of men they haven't beaten to a bloody pulp yet. It's on their bucket list, clearly. One of the guards lifts himself from the floor with a curse and comes up behind Jonouchi to spin him around and point another gun at his cheek, determined to shoot him.

Jonouchi flinches, but a voice from behind the guard shouts that he's done enough. The guard identifies Mokuba as Baby Kaiba tells him to let Jonouchi go, because the game is over. The guard lowers his weapon with a dumbfounded look on his face, and Jonouchi shoves him aside with a foot, demanding he get out of the way.

Honda asks how the kid is related to Kaiba, and Jonouchi says Mokuba is the younger brother who worships Elder Kaiba like a little simpering brat. Honda doesn't take kindly to the language, because Mokuba saved him by opening the exit for him after he'd been stuck in there for a long time, even though Mokuba IS a little Kaiba. It's Jonouchi's turn to be dumbfounded, but Mokuba brushes off the implications that he's nicer than his name lets on, because all he was doing was paying the debt he owed to Yami/Yuugi. Mokuba narrows his eyes at something off the edge of the panel and it turns out to be Yami.

Jonouchi and Anzu immediately accost him with congratulations pats on the back, and Honda gives him a thumbs-up. Yami is happy to see him, but doesn't seem too surprised. He must have read the script. Honda leans over to whisper to Jonouchi that Yuugi seems a little different, but Jonouchi just says that Yuugi is Yuugi and that's all there is to it. After a moment of togetherness, Yami thanks everyone for being there for him, because their support saved him. Everyone smiles.

Mokuba watches them all for a moment, then swings around, telling his guards that it's time to go. Anzu notices and calls out his name. He pauses as she asks why his brother wanted this revenge so badly. Mokuba stays silent for a moment before saying that it all started that day Seto played chess in his picture...

Flashback alert! Mokuba tells Yuugi and friends that because his mother died giving birth to him and his father died in a car accident three years later, he and Seto were left alone without parents. Mokuba refers to when he was five as when they were alone without parents, so there's a two-year gap in his story where I have questions. Their relatives apparently spent all of Seto and Mokuba's inheritance and dumped them in an orphanage. Seto reassured Mokuba that someday he would make sure they had a good life, but he also warned him not to show weakness to anyone, or it would be all over. Not sure how showing "weakness" would prevent you from giving Mokuba a good life someday, but okay, Baby Seto.

Oh, that's not true! I've seen him smile LOADS of times during this arc, and I don't even live with the guy! Sure, every time he smiled, it was a twisted, creepy grin, but that counts, right?

Mokuba goes on to say that the day they were playing chess in his picture, Gozaburou Kaiba came to the orphanage looking for a boy to adopt, and smoking a cigar to ensure the kids all suffered from second hand smoke inhalation. He was the president of Kaiba Corp and a world champion at chess. Gozaburou talked to Seto, who had a proposition for him. Gozaburou laughed at it, but Seto was dead serious when he bet he and Mokuba's adoption on their chess match. Gozaburou, thinking it was interesting that this kid thought he could beat him, agreed to the match.

Apparently Seto has always been a little cheating cheater, and won only because the game was set up in his favor. Once their last name was changed to Kaiba, Seto and Mokuba had a rougher road ahead than they thought, though.

What kind of creepy-ass kinky shit is this?? He's got a collar on him and everything!! Okay, fair, I think I'd be fucked up too if I had to put up with that.

At a board meeting, some years later, Seto declares that he's the new CEO, and Gozaburou just squints at him at first. Then, he admits Seto wins the game and as the loser, Gozaburou's fate is clear. He jumps out the window, committing suicide, which seems like an overreaction to me. The message Seto got from this was not that his adoptive father was unbalanced and unhinged, but that defeat was equal to death, and he never forgot it. Okay, THAT'S why he interpreted Yami's initial penalty game for him as a metaphor for defeat rather than a lesson in how to treat what he saw as mere tools with respect. That actually makes a lot of sense.

Everyone stares as Mokuba sheds a tear at the close of his story. He wonders if maybe his brother wouldn't be a bloodthirsty maniac and remembered how to smile if he hadn't cheated his way into the Kaiba mansion all those years ago. Or, maybe he just would have been more genuine in his smiles. Yami tells Mokuba that Seto is currently picking up the pieces of his shattered heart in the dark.

Mokuba looks over and sees Seto sitting slumped with his mouth hanging open and eyes wide.

He's probably better off that way, frankly, because I remember the last time you tried to set him straight, Yami. Totally fucked up, didn't you?

What am I thinking? There's no way a protagonist is ever going to admit to any wrong-doing here.

As Baby Seto sifts through the pieces in front of him, he finds a couple that fit together and smiles. Mokuba asks Yami if Seto will come back, and Yami confirms that once the puzzle of Seto Kaiba's heart has been reassembled, he'll come back. Mokuba promises to wait for his big brother, always.

I'm not crying, I just have something in my eye. Give me a minute.

Outside of Kaiba Land, Jonouchi claims Hanasaki called him back with the good news that Sugoroku's operation was a success and he'll be just fine. Did Hanasaki call that guard's phone? Did Jonouchi KEEP that guard's phone? Who knows. Yuugi is back out and is ecstatic that his grandfather is going to be okay. He even does a little spin with Jonouchi as though they're ballroom dancing. The gay is strong with this panel. They want to see Sugoroku, so everyone agrees to go to the hospital together. Jouji, back in his harness on Honda's back, says that he'll go too because he wants to say HELLO NURSE! I liked Jouji better when he was in a coma and not acting like he had a choice in being carried to a hospital or not.

Jonouchi stretches, commenting on how long a day it's been, but stares a moment at Yuugi as he realizes that he's back to normal. He begins to say something, but when Yuugi asks what's up, Jonouchi just smiles and tells him not to mind. They go along their way, roughhousing as they walk away from Kaiba Land. Yuugi already knows what Jonouchi was going to say, because he won't forget fighting alongside him and his other friends anytime soon.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It was a better wrap-up than the one to Shadi's arc, that's for sure. I don't feel like any characters were neglected or forgotten in this one, and I feel like everyone who had a part in this were given adequate development. No innocent bystanders were injured or disfigured in the making of this chapter either, which is a preferable state of affairs for me.

Kaiba's backstory is interesting for a couple of reasons. It's something like Jonouchi's except much more explicit in its depiction of abuse. Takahashi doesn't pull any punches here and gives the cold, hard truth, likely because of how young Mokuba is. He's old enough to understand what happened, but not old enough to have any discretion in talking about it, so I don't view the reveal of Seto Kaiba's past as a lack of subtlety on Takahashi's part. More like an appropriately blunt depiction by someone young and without secrets.

Gozaburou Kaiba was an interesting apparition in Mokuba's flashback too, because he was clearly a very brutal, very disturbed individual. He thought of everything as a game, and taught Seto to think of everything that way too, right up until the end. Strange, though, Seto Kaiba took the lesson that Gozaburou taught him at the end to heart, but what about the one at the beginning of their association? Seto rigged the chess game so he could win, and Gozaburou didn't kill himself when he lost that one. He probably knew that Seto was cheating all along, and was interested to know just how far Seto would go to get him and his brother adopted. By losing, Gozaburou was actually gaining something; a manipulative and intelligent child who could be trained to be as ruthless as required to be an heir to his company. It was only when Gozaburou lost that very company to Seto that he committed suicide, because he had at that point lost everything important to him to someone he had slated to be his heir anyway. The fact that Gozaburou's suicide was not just about losing a game was something that Seto overlooked, because he was so brainwashed by that point that everything was about winning or losing, not the degree at which that happened.

I don't think that we'll get much more information about Gozaburou as a person, which is a bit of a shame to me. I'd like to know more about him, because he's one hell of an interesting part of a backstory. I wonder if Seto will ever come to know that distinction, though, and understand that not only are there not just the two options of winning and death, but that losing can actually be valuable sometimes.

If Yami didn't fuck up this time, maybe losing in this match will have been just the kind of valuable Kaiba needed. That's one hell of an "if" though.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 039 End of the Deathmatch!!

Looks like this manga has had enough of beating around the bush! As much as Kaiba seems to have every possible advantage in this game - powerful monsters, championship pedigree, unlimited resources, and no law enforcement agency that is willing to even be mentioned in his presence - it is time for him to lose. No one is fooled by the added drama of Yami going up against this powerhouse; it's all about HOW he manages to pull off his victory in every other case anyway.

For me, though, there is the added element of this loss compared with Kaiba's previous one. He and Yami were isolated in a school at night last time, but this time he's going to be defeated in a VERY public setting. I'm curious as to how he'll handle it, as well as to how Yami will handle the penalty game this time around. Yami has so far not alluded to the fact that Kaiba is so much worse than the last time they played Duel Monsters, nor has he considered that this could perhaps be his fault. I'm looking forward to finding out how these two come to terms after the bullet hits the bone.

On with the finale!

Jonouchi and Anzu are still calling out to Yami helplessly and the crowd in the arena has the winner of this one staked. Yami looks down at Sugoroku's deck of cards in front of him, and it looks like he's really dreading this next draw with the sweat pouring down his face. Kaiba points at him and reminds him that on his next turn, all three of the Blue Eyes White Dragons will attack, so Yami has already lost.

Yami is still staring down at the deck in the next two panels, but he shifts his gaze back to his hand to note that he has four of the five cards he needs, the arms and legs of Exodia. If he can draw the fifth part of the creature, he'll be able to summon it. However, he doesn't like his chances of actually drawing the card. He thinks the odds of drawing it on the last turn are close to, if not, zero. His understanding of probabilities isn't all that great, though, since it would actually be greater than 1 in 40, and not all that bad.

He wonders if he's lost, but he'll never know if he doesn't take the plunge. Jonouchi and Anzu are still calling his name, begging him silently not to give up. Since he's not reading their thoughts, he's STILL STARING at that damn deck, six pages in. I'm starting to sympathize with Kaiba here; DRAW A DAMN CARD!

Of course, just when I start to sympathize with him, he changes his mind and thinks that Yami can take his sweet time. Of course.

Yami reaches out his hand and hovers it over the deck. Kaiba thinks about the relief Yami will feel once he draws the card, and once he's trapped in the darkness of death for eternity. I'm not certain what this means, but my guess is that this is a comment about Yami being much better off accepting his defeat. If only SOMEONE else had done that, this wouldn't be happening right now. Kaiba's a hypocrite.

Meanwhile, Yami is still hesitating. He feels like the cards are getting further away from him, but realizes rather that he's getting further away from them. He admits that his fear is distancing him from the cards, and he's terrified of drawing that last card as the reminder of what will happen if he doesn't draw the one he needs roars across the table.

Remember what you've said before, Yami: you're not actually alone.

His mind!friends say they're right there, and Yami grins at them, moved by their mind!devotion. He holds up his hand with the quarter smiley mark and then holds in out into his imaginary huddle. While he smiles at the fading mind!friends, he reminds himself that they're with him regardless. He actually places his hand on the deck this time, thanking his friends for giving him the support he needed to no longer be afraid.

I mean, that was your imagination, but whatever works, bro.

Kaiba sees that Yami's expression has changed again, and wonders if that's a desperate and hopeless smile he's seeing. I actually don't blame him for thinking this, because by all accounts he's winning here. But, Yami tells him that he's wrong, and he's actually FOUND hope. Wait, did Kaiba say all that out loud? But it was in a bubble that generally denotes thoughts instead of speech.

But look here, Yami finally drew a card! And it is...

Look at that bastard! So BOSS! I want one! Not the card, mind you, like a pet/bodyguard. I would love it and pet it and call it George.

Yami calls out the attack: "Raging Hellfire: Exode Flame." Well, isn't that a mouthful? Anyway, it destroys all three Blue Eyes White Dragons at once, because it has INFINITE attack points. Takahashi realizes that infinity isn't actually a number, right?

ROFL! Look at that! No, not Kaiba, because I'm used to his faces by now. Yami's reaction, though, with his hand hovering over the table like that... The expression is so, "Bro, you cool?" LMAO!

Kaiba laments how his dragons were destroyed. Yami lectures at him that any individual piece of Exodia could have been taken out by the Blue Eyes White Dragons, but together the pieces formed a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts. Kaiba can only sputter in rage and disbelief as Yami announces that he's won.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Well, I was hoping that it would contain more, that's for sure. After a while, Yami's hesitation to draw that last card seemed like padding to draw out the chapter. The result is an entire CHAPTER that took place over just one turn. That's not suspenseful, it's just wasted space. I'm sure in the next chapter we'll actually get to the part I was really looking forward to in this one, which is Yami and Kaiba actually confronting how bad Kaiba has gotten, and Yami's role in it.

The theme of this chapter is one that has been reiterated from past arcs that did it better. In the Shadi arc, there was no wasted momentum, the kids worked together in a way that showed their greater potential because it didn't seem as staged as Death-T, and the puzzle analogy served the greater purpose of revealing that mysterious power of the Millennium Puzzle. Here, however, everything had to slow down to a crawl in order to show what we were already aware of: even when Yuugi/Yami's friends aren't physically with him, they are a powerful unit. This is because said friends weren't actually DOING anything in the chapter. It's not their fault, obviously, but it obviously interrupts the flow when we can't show them being active in the plot while Yami is making a huge, tough decision.

Also, in the Shadi arc, I felt Yami's fear a lot more potently than in this chapter. The situation seemed more dire, though there's a lot more at stake in this arc. I'm not entirely sure why, but my instinct is to blame the tone. Yami's playing a card game here with no visible signs of danger. In the Shadi arc, we constantly saw Anzu on the plank, or Yami with his head in the jaws of a crocodile demon... We were reminded of the stakes all the time. In this one, Yami's playing cards and there's nothing inherently dangerous about that. Jonouchi occasionally is shown with a gun to the back of his head, but after he snatched his captor's cellphone a few chapters ago, I had a hard time picturing him in any real danger.

The long of the short of it is that this chapter didn't make me feel what it was supposed to, because it was just a drawn-out move in a larger game. There was too much air in the package and not enough snackage, if you get my drift. I'm looking forward to more substantial content in the next chapter.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 038 Terror of the Blue Eyes!!

You know, up until now, I've been avoiding shortening the name of the Blue Eyes White Dragon to simply "Blue Eyes" because I would feel too tempted to make Frank Sinatra jokes with it. The parallels between Kaiba's personality and that of Sinatra made those jokes seem a little too easy, to be honest. But, seeing this chapter's title, I'm gonna say fuck it, that's license to make all the Sinatra jokes my little heart desires. Suck it.

Let's get ourselves back to Ol' Blue Eyes, shall we?

Yeah? Well you're awful!

Wait, no, that was a love song.

I got nothing.

Yami is freaking out, asking Sugoroku's spirit deck what he can do to beat Kaiba now. The crowd is convinced the match is over just like Kaiba, with someone saying that nothing can beat the Blue Eyes. Nor its compilation album "Nothing But The Best." Jonouchi and Anzu are calling out Yuugi's name like it's helping.

Kaiba points at Yami, telling him to draw a card and summon another monster for his dragon to beat up. Yami hesitates at first, but draws a card. It turns out to be an "Imp" which has no chance against the Blue Eyes White Dragon, but he summons it in defense. Kaiba commands an attack on the imp, describing its death as crushing, honorable and booming all at once. I don't even know what he's talking about most of the time.

Yami flinches at the attack. Kaiba lectures him, stating that if Yami continues to summon monsters in defense position, he won't be able to get to Yami's life points, but Yami won't be able to hold out either. Yami thinks that Kaiba's regrettably right, and that he needs to attack at some point. Kaiba demands that Yami summon another monster, and it doesn't matter which one it is. Still, Yami can't find one that's strong enough. He puts another down in defense position.

Kaiba calls an attack, but immediately takes it back as just a joke. He wants Yami to summon more monsters for his dragon to have some fun with. Yami thought correctly; if he doesn't have more than one monster on his side as well, then when Kaiba summons another powerful monster, he won't have enough to stop an attack.

Kaiba looks at the card he just drew and he's strangely frowning as he says the goddess of victory is smiling on him. I think the goddess of victory isn't really as invested in your relationship as you think she is, Kaiba. That's why she won't return your phone calls. He lays down his card with relish and Yami blanches.

Yeah, see, that one on the right is Sinatra, and the one on the left is Sinatra Jr. They're not roaring either; they're just crooning "Luck Be A Lady" and "My Way" respectively.

Kaiba lets Yami know that on his next turn, the two dragons will attack him with their tunes, and mocks him by reminding him how desperate the situation is for him. Yami is looking at his cards for something he can do, but he has to admit to himself that any monster he summons will just be destroyed on the next turn. He wonders if he's lost, just as Kaiba is convinced he's won on the other side of the table. The crowd are an extension of his thoughts, saying that he's got Yami in a corner. Jonouchi begs Yami silently not to give up no matter what.

Yami closes his eyes and a picture of Sugoroku in his oxygen mask pops into his head. His eyes snap open at the reminder of what he's fighting for. He can't give up when he's not the only one fighting this battle! He announces he's drawing another card.

The dragons let out some sad notes as they're trapped behind the swords, and Yami thinks he's in the clear for the next three turns. Kaiba growls, saying that his totally legal card is somehow unfair to play right now. Whatever, you little whiner. Jonouchi is ecstatic that the match isn't over yet and congratulates Yami on his play.

After a moment, Kaiba stops thinking like a toddler and smiles again. He says Yami is only delaying the inevitable, because what can Yami possibly do to turn the situation around in three turns? Yami acknowledges, at least in his head, that he can only avoid attack by the sealed dragons for three turns and that Kaiba is right.

Kaiba draws a card for his turn and puts the monster he drew down in attack position. He says the Blue Eyes White Dragons will still destroy Yami and encourages him to envision the spectacular defeat he's going to be dealt. Kaiba also starts the countdown to when the Blue Eyes White Dragons will have their gaming licenses returned be released from their prison, telling Yami to draw his last cards.

Yami stares at the dragons as they hiss at him, then looks at his hand. He only has one playable monster card out of the four he he's holding.

Yami, without any inkling that maybe these cards might be combined, closes his eyes and wonders if he's lost. An image of Yuugi emerges to give him a look of pity. He's standing in darkness feeling bad for that other personality of his when another apparition, this time his grandfather, fades into the picture behind him. Yuugi turns around to greet him, and Sugoroku asks what's got him so down. Grandpa says it's not like Yuugi to give up, and Yuugi admits that he doesn't know what to do.

This is another moment when I'm confused about what to think of Yami/Yuugi. They're clearly not the same person, because Yami can have experiences that Yuugi can't and vice versa. However, this interaction is treating Yuugi as though he's the one playing the game, when it looks like Yami has been making all the executive decisions. Yuugi also seems to be aware of this game in a way he hasn't with any of the others, like he's an equal participant. I'm not sure if I should read this as discontinuity or as a sign that Yuugi and Yami are connected on a more complex level than just sharing a body. After all, Yuugi said before that he beat Kaiba at the beginning of all this, and that could swing either way.

I guess only time will tell.

Anyway, Grandpa asks Yuugi what he did the last time he felt backed into a corner. At first, Yuugi is confused, but then he holds the Millennium Puzzle as he recalls completing it in a situation where he wasn't sure of the solution to his external problems. Sugoroku elaborates, saying he put together those pieces until it was finished. According to Sugoroku, everything in the world is connected, whether it's puzzle pieces or cards. Then he fades away again, leaving Yuugi to ponder this seemingly incomprehensible message. He looks down at his puzzle and wonders what the connection between it and cards could be.

Yami suddenly opens his eyes, deducing amidst the cheers of the crowd that the deck he's using must contain Exodia. Kaiba has grown impatient with Yami's inner reflection and demands that he draw a card already. Yami ignores him as he remembers that Sugoroku said meaningless cards don't exist, and that lesson should apply the arm and two legs that he holds in his hand.

Duh. I don't know much about this game, but even if I knew nothing, it wouldn't take a meditative talk with my grandfather to figure out that those cards were for the same monster. Slow as molasses that boy.

A flashback further elaborates that Sugoroku once told Yuugi that no one, not even him, has ever seen Exodia actually summoned before. Still the cards are in his deck, so that must mean that he has the rest of them somewhere in the deck too. Yami blurts out that he has the legs and an arm, already three of the five that exist.

Kaiba tells Yami he's had enough time to "beg for his life," which is a weird way to interpret his dialogue about already having three pieces, but okay. Kaiba commands him to draw a card again, and Yami looks a little out of sorts as he agrees. He draws his next card, which turns out to be the other arm of Exodia. He now has four out of five parts of the monster.

Kaiba notes that Yami is acting a little differently now, but he brushes it off as the flickering light before a candle sputters out, because nothing can possibly beat the Blue Eyes White Dragons he has. See, this is where that empathy and understanding thing I was talking about at the end of last chapter would have come in handy for Kaiba, but he's too far gone now. His next draw produces a Judge Man, which he puts on the field to attack Yami's defending monster and increase that "cornered" feeling Yami/Yuugi already addressed panels ago. Get with the program, Kaiba.

After Judge Man takes out "Louise," Yami sweatdrops and Kaiba reminds him that he has two turns left before the Blue Eyes White Dragons are released. Yami draws another card, the Black Magician, but its points don't match Kaiba's dragons. It can still attack Judge Man, though, and that's just what Yami summons it to do. Kaiba calls it useless struggling, but his Judge Man still falls to a bit of black magic, leaving him with 1000 points.

Yami tells Kaiba that he's not going to give up until the end of the game, no matter how desperate his situation may look. Kaiba just resumes the countdown, reminding him that it's the final turn before his dragons are free to sing again, and Yami's chances for victory are gone.

Crap, I didn't think about who the third Blue Eyes would be after Sinatra and Sinatra Jr. Uh.... Michael Buble?

Kaiba announces that the other two are also unsealed, so on his next turn all three of them will attack. While he's laughing maniacally, Yami thinks that it all depends on what he draws on this final turn.

So, what did I think about this chapter overall? It wasn't as chock-full of potential for Sinatra jokes as I thought, which is disappointing. That aside, the only part I can really comment on is the part where Yuugi is talking to his brain's version of Sugoroku, and I've done most of my commenting above already. I like to THINK these are hints that Yuugi and Yami aren't simply two people occupying the same body, that they're more intimately connected than that, because discontinuity is so dull. Also, Shadi himself speculated that perhaps Yami was a part of Yuugi all along, only awakened by the Millennium Puzzle, so that could be an explanation as to how Yami wouldn't be just a spirit possessing Yuugi occasionally. However, I've learned to be a little skeptical of the complexities this manga could offer. It would be nice if they were really complexities, but my gut tells me that maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up.

I did like what mind!Sugoroku had to say about how there's meaning in things one might not expect. Things that might look useless at first glance may not have been combined with the right elements to bring out their full potential.

I think this message was a little obvious next to Yami's inexplicable head-scratching around those limbs though. I don't understand how anyone over the age of two couldn't have understood that they all went together once you had all the parts. Oh well.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 037 Deathmatch!! Deathmatch!!

I heard you the first time, chapter, sheesh. I do wonder how to interpret that word, though. Is Kaiba planning on just giving Yami the "sensation of death" thing, or is he planning on actually killing him for real? I wouldn't be surprised if it was the former and the latter consecutively, of course, but it wouldn't hurt to clarify this a little. After all, the first three stages of Death-T were fairly obvious in how they murdered their victims. How would the death happen after losing Capsule Monster Chess or Duel Monsters, though?

Firing squad? Drowning? Watching a slideshow of Kaiba's vacation shadowing a chess grand master? Or would Kaiba just leave Yami in the death simulation until his actual screaming death? I have to admit, I have a burning curiosity that I suspect isn't going to be sated here.

The audience acknowledges that Yami won the first set, but someone also points out that Kaiba now has the chance to get him back. Kaiba actually "let" Yami win the first set, according to his thoughts, but he's still got his Blue Eyes White Dragons, so he thinks his meager two-hundred point loss won't have any impact on the outcome of the match. Yami is just as confident that he'll win with Sugoroku's cards.

Who is shouting that in the top right corner, and WHY? The crowd of kids don't need to know, because they're familiar enough with the game that they came to see the match in the first place. Yami and Kaiba don't need to know because they're PLAYING. I guess it was for the benefit of readers who just stepped in, like the box down there explaining the rules. But why wouldn't that top right part be in the box too? It's just clunky and conspicuous where it is.

Kaiba looks at the card he's drawn with a neutral expression as Yami glares at him from across the table. Then Kaiba opens his big mouth to taunt Yami, saying that he can hear Yami's heart hammering every time he draws. Kaiba tells him that he'll be as good as dead when a certain special dragon is drawn. Yami looks on with concern as Kaiba reveals that the card he drew this turn was actually a Degenerating Worm Beast. In spite of its name, it's not degenerating, and has higher stats than Fortress Guardian Dinosaur. Kaiba calls for the monsters to battle, and Yami says he's cool with it.

Kaiba narrates his Worm Beast's attack, the poison spray that melts its enemies. But Fortress Guardian has a special ability much like the monsters in Yami's game with Mokuba. "Aviation" gives it a 35% chance of dodging the attack. That was enough, because the winged dinosaur (ahem, pterosaur) escapes, causing Kaiba to growl in irritation. Yami commands his "dragon" to attack too, and I'm wondering just what the hell this thing is, anyway. The Worm Beast is destroyed by fiery balls from the dragon's mouth as Yami calls it a dinosaur once again. Which is it?

And that's the least of my confusion in this scene, because Kaiba says that the attack points of the monsters were the same, so he doesn't lose life points. But he said a couple pages back that his Worm Beast had HIGHER attack points. Even if they have the same attack points, both monsters should be destroyed in an attack, right? I mean, it doesn't say so in the rules up there, but I could have sworn there was a rule about that. Am I remembering incorrectly?

Maybe, but more importantly, I'm obsessing again. Meanwhile, in the crowd, some kid is upset that Kaiba was hurt again when he actually wasn't? Goodness, does anyone actually know what's happening here?? I thank Anzu and Jonouchi for not adding to my confusion, because they're congratulating Yami in a very non-specific way.

Kaiba says he doesn't want to end his turn with no monster, so he makes a big deal about choosing a card and putting it on the table in defense position. He pontificates about how the monster has high defense, so it makes a good wall monster. Is he lecturing a class or playing a game? No wonder he ends up founding a Duel Monsters college in another series. *eyeroll*

Yami announces that it's his turn and his draw. Looks like he's getting into the teaching and posturing spirit as well. He ponders the monster hunched over in defense on Kaiba's side of the table, not knowing what its defense points even are. Can you not read the card from where you're sitting, Yami? Instead of risking attacking, Yami puts a monster in defense on his side too, and tells Kaiba it's his turn.

Kaiba thinks he understands Yami's strategy is to use monsters as "meat shields" to protect himself against the Blue Eyes White Dragon if he draws it. They're not meat shields if they're made of cardstock or holograms, though, so there's that. Kaiba declares that he doesn't need the Blue Eyes White Dragon to beat Yami, though, and he'll prove it. He puts his wall monster into attack mode on the table.

Well, so much for Sugoroku's assessment that Kaiba has trouble using magic cards. Kaiba calls the "Dark Glide" attack on Yami's dinosaur/pterosaur/dragon, with its attack power of 400 points lower. Yami is somehow shocked that the monster is gone now as his life points go down to 1600. The creepy Dark Clown giggles, and Kaiba reiterates needlessly that the Fortress Guardian is history. He praises his combination attack.

Yami growls, thinking he's going to need some strong cards to beat Kaiba, who has a pretty good grasp on how to combine monster and magic cards. He also seems to be only just figuring out that this is a good strategy, despite the fact that he should know this very well by now. Just like he should know that Kaiba is a tournament champion and it shouldn't be surprising to anyone that he's good at this game.

I guess Yami responds to his own ponderings out loud, saying he has Sugoroku's deck to help him. He knows that there's some way to beat Kaiba in those cards.

Who hacked up this guy and put all his pieces in cards? Kaiba??

Yami knows he can't use a leg to beat Sagi even if he used it as a bludgeon. So, instead, he plays Critter in defense and waits for Kaiba to attack. Kaiba is happy to crush all of his defense monsters, calling out Dark Glide again. I guess this really does defeat both of Yami's defense monsters at once, because he doesn't appear to have anything in front of him anymore as he curses Kaiba's attack. I thought you could only attack one monster at a time...?

Stop obsessing Writch! Kaiba chuckles while Yami checks his hand for something that will help him, but he can't beat Sagi's improved attack. The crowd cheers Kaiba calling him amazing and generally kissing his ass. Jonouchi and Anzu both call out to Yami, Anzu pleading with him in her head to just think of Sugoroku, and Jonouchi just asking him not to lose.

It appears Yami put another defense monster down, because Kaiba calls out Sagi's attack again, and Yami flinches as holographic smoke rolls past him. Kaiba tells Yami he's disappointed that he might not even get to summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon in this game. Yami has nothing to say to this, so Kaiba begins taunting Yami about how he's using the cards of a "half-dead old man," and he can hear the cards themselves echoing Sugoroku's desperate gasps for breath. Great, now Kaiba is hearing things from the cards too. Those things are TALKATIVE.

Yami grits his teeth at the insult to Sugoroku and his cards, thinking back to earlier in the day when he asked Yuugi to beat Kaiba with his cards. He doesn't hear the same thing as Kaiba; he hears the trust Sugoroku put in him through the heartbeat in the cards. He asks Kaiba if he believes in his cards, a question by which Kaiba's confused. Yami tells Kaiba that he believes in Sugoroku's cards before he draws one of them.

Is "Dark Knight" really a class? I'm getting closer and closer to going and studying the actual damn game so I can know what the balls these characters are talking about.

Gaia pulls a spiral attack on the clown with his double lances, and it is sliced into bits. Not really how lances work, but okay manga. Yami declares the monster defeated and the crowd goes wild at how the scores are just about even now. Jonouchi thinks at Yami to believe in the cards. Kaiba just mutters something about a trump card while Yami tells him that he still doesn't understand and won't until the very end of the game. Kaiba warns Yami not to be too arrogant, because the duel already belongs to him. That's not hypocritical at ALL, Kaiba.

Kaiba announces that it's his turn and draws a card. He grins.

Don't be unfair, Kaiba, Yami's Gaia was worth at least a few hundred of your life points, wasn't it?

Kaiba calls out the Blue Eyes White Dragon's attack on Gaia, and it takes down the knight in a burst of energy. Kaiba laughs, reminding Yami he still has two more dragons in his deck, so the assumption is he's going to die. Jonouchi and Anzu call out to Yami, but I don't think he hears them. He sits there in shock, with only 700 points left to his name.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I guess I was a little caught up in the rules that I thought were already in place. I can't say I know a ton about how this game works, but I know contradictions when I see them, and especially in the beginning, there was a lot of that going on. I may actually take a look at the rules for the real game, just so I have more to snark about, because I know that these early duels don't have concrete rules to them quite yet.

Otherwise, there isn't much to say about this chapter. There wasn't anything character-related to analyze, just attacks and counter-attacks. The only thing I found interesting is that Kaiba mentioned hearing something from Sugoroku's cards as well. No, I don't really think that he hears the cards like Yuugi/Yami do. He was obviously being a sarcastic shit. However, it's still very evocative of the last time Kaiba and Yuugi saw Sugoroku, which is a very different interpretation of the events earlier. Kaiba sees Sugoroku's loss and collapse as part of the same weakness - clinging to sentimentality (as he said in his first appearance) and cards that don't do anything for him but make him feel good. It is this very sentimentality that Yami is relying on, however, because it's reflective of how much life and the game mean to Sugoroku on a personal level. Yami and Sugoroku aim to show Kaiba that there's value in that sentimental side he's tried so hard to shed.

Emotions and sentimentality are important tools in games and life, because winning isn't just about being the strongest. It's about being the wisest and most intuitive, empathetic with your opponents, and understanding of how other people react in certain ways. In discarding that, Kaiba has given himself a distinct disadvantage, and as Yami has said, he has yet to figure that out.

To be fair, though, that's a lesson that's kind of obscured by his winning right now.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 036 A Ruthless Final Battle

*Snooooooooooore*

Oh! Crap! Sorry, I was just taking a nap! That last chapter put me straight to sleep. I hope Seto was watching, because he could have used a snooze to reduce those bags under his eyes. He's up next though, so he'd better get his ass in gear. And make sure he's bringing his A Game, because I don't need another sedative.

I hate naps... Always makes me feel like I missed something...

Oh, good, I didn't miss a thing. I'm just in time to tell Mokuba he's stupid for thinking pulling the exact same shit as in his last match with Yami would give him an edge. He doesn't look so much upset as constipated on the next page, though. Jonouchi and Anzu are cheering Yami's victory while the guy holding Jonouchi hostage is looking on in disbelief. The audience is surprised to see Mokuba's loss, but are at the same time wondering who the "pointy-headed" kid that beat him is. Jonouchi takes issue with the description and shouts at the crowd that his name's Yuugi and he's his friend, though this information doesn't make Yuugi/Yami any less pointy-headed.

Jonouchi grows serious all of a sudden, thinking about how Yami is that much closer to facing Kaiba. Meanwhile, back in the booth, Yami is leaving his seat as Mokuba is hunched over the board and tantruming at his loss, refusing to believe the reality that he lost. Yami announces that he's leaving, thinking about how it's time for him to meet up with Kaiba on his way out of the box. Mokuba calls out for him to wait before he's clear of the doorway but Yami doesn't stop, not even turning around.

Mokuba admits that he can't understand how he lost; he had the best monsters with the highest levels and Yami had nothing to start with. How did he manage to win? It's unclear whether or not Yami is even hearing Mokuba, but he DOES notice Kaiba appearing on screen above the box behind him and turns around in surprise, just as Jonouchi sees this as well. Kaiba expresses his impatience and boredom with his own parade of fuckery, so he encourages Yami to take the elevator to the Duel Dome above. Yami assures him that he's on his way, so Kaiba should keep his pants on, jeez.

Why don't you keep your comparisons of your brother to a clingy puppy to yourself, Seto. This interaction does answer my question from the chapter before last, though. Seto Kaiba has accomplished his goal of emotionally distancing himself from Mokuba so as to be able to subject him to the torture of his "death simulation." He's officially completed his transformation into a total island of crazy. We all know that it's not going to give him an edge in his duel against Yami, though.

Curious, is he looking at a different monitor than the one with which he was talking to Yami? He was looking straight at Yami in the last few panels, but he seems to have strategically placed the monitor he's looking at Mokuba through so he can have that sidelong glare of a disappointed father or something. Weirdo.

Mokuba is shocked that his brother would inflict the penalty game on him, even as the holograms start to waft in like smoke. Looks more like Shadi's illusions here, but whatevz. He starts to stutter out a beginning of what I assume will be begging, but he takes too long and is soon staring the "sensation of death" straight in its monstrous face, screaming. As Yami is walking away, he hears Mokuba's screams and looks over his shoulder at the booth, because he can't believe Seto is giving his own brother the punishment either.

So, he knows that the "sensation of death," which was originally Yami's idea by the way, is too horrifying to inflict on family members. Why inflict it on anyone then? Why did you do this thing to Kaiba? No one should have had to deal with this crap!

Mokuba is pulling at his face as a monster roars into it, shouting for help from Seto. It breaks my heart that he's still expecting help from Seto after he's the one who insisted Mokuba endure this. From behind Mokuba, a hand reaches through the swirling holograms and its owner calls out to him, bidding him to take hold. Mokuba laces his fingers with the other hand's and is pulled from the booth before the dragon monster can chomp down on his face with its virtual jaws.

The moment that Mokuba recognizes the hand belongs to Yami, he snatches his own hand away. Mokuba struggles to ask why Yami helped him, Yami half-turned away already. Yami smiles at him, saying that his friend's support was the reason he was able to beat Mokuba. He's completely flabbergasted by the term, dropping to his knees as he remembers how Seto told him he'd always be a loser if he didn't let go of the notion that the two of them should express brotherly love. He curses the memory while Yami walks away again.

Another very famous set of panels that everyone likes to share on the web! It's tender that Mokuba has kept that picture on him for the games today, a reminder that Seto Kaiba wasn't always a horrible person. He was a regular, even HAPPY, kid from the looks of things. According to Mokuba's commentary here, he used to ENJOY games rather than obsessing over them, and he had to gradually become even the comparatively mild version of himself that would steal cards and hit classmates in the face with briefcases.

Since that's the only version of Seto Kaiba I'm familiar with at this point, I'm kind of missing HIM. Jerkface is way better than homicidal maniac any day. Except for when the homicidal maniac is this:

That's perfectly fine.

Mokuba looks back up at the retreating Yami and wonders if maybe he can... thought left incomplete. I would have too, because that sounds stupid even in your head, Mokuba. Yami steps into the elevator.

Kaiba snaps shut his briefcase, and is followed by a bodyguard as he somberly walks toward the final stage of his Death-T park. He grows a grin when he thinks that what is coming next will complete his revenge. The floor for Death T-4 is clearing, because the kids in the audience are scrambling to get to the next floor to watch the match between Kaiba and the pointy-headed champion of the last game they watched.

The guy holding Jonouchi hostage is ready to take Jonouchi and Anzu upstairs to view the game too, and Jonouchi requests the best seats in the house. He wants a good view of Kaiba's butt getting kicked, but when I first read that line, I left off the last two words, and it had me laughing harder than I ever have while reading this comic. No lie.

Jonouchi snatches a cellphone from his captor too, saying he needs to make a call. He dials while the guard checks his pocket to find that indeed, Jonouchi just pilfered HIS phone. Anzu asks who Jonouchi is calling, and he says he's calling the hospital where Hanasaki is keeping an eye on Sugoroku per Jonouchi's request. Wow, not only was Jonouchi the one to call the ambulance, but he also called up Hanasaki to go to the hospital to check on his condition too.

Jonouchi, you are surprising me with your level of maturity, responsibility and care here. This is possibly the best thing anyone could have done for Sugoroku and Yuugi in this situation. Well done, sir.

Hanasaki answers the phone, initially apologizing for taking so long. He's happy to hear from Jonouchi, but doesn't have great news. Sugoroku is in emergency surgery, and it's been an hour since he went in. The doctor isn't optimistic about the outcome either. Apparently he isn't the most professional either, because I don't know why else he would be telling this to a non-family member. Maybe Hanasaki is hanging out with Yuugi's parents and heard the news through them?

Does Yuugi have parents?

Jonouchi asks Hanasaki to stay with him a bit longer and Hanasaki is much obliged. He sits down on a bench after the phone call and begs Sugoroku to hang in there too, silently. Sugoroku himself is lying on a hospital bed with an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, thinking only of Yuugi. He wouldn't have to worry about Yuugi if he hadn't encouraged him to try and beat Kaiba. Just saying.

Anzu asks Jonouchi how Sugoroku is doing after he's off the phone, and he's frank when he says the news isn't the best. He also tried Honda's cellphone and got no answer, so he wonders out loud if things could get any worse. I don't know if they can, but trust me, Jonouchi, you're doing all the right things to counteract them. Keep being you, kid. He says they can't do much else at this point than watch their friend fight, so that's what they have to do.

As they are pushed up to the top floor of Kaiba Land, Yami is still taking that elevator. He thinks of all the people he's fighting for, and how it was because of Kaiba that they were hurt. He promises not to forgive him, but I'm skeptical of that claim considering how present Kaiba is in the rest of this manga. Yami reaches his destination to the sound of cheers.

That's a big different than his cramped duel booth downstairs. Kaiba welcomes Yami to the final stage of his revenge plot, patronizingly attaching a "kun" to the end of Yuugi's name. At least, I assume it's patronizing, considering they're not friends in the least. Yami doesn't seem to be at all impressed with it either, the rage he's displaying at seeing Kaiba in the next panel.

They sit opposite each other in the dome, arms crossed and glaring. Kaiba says that there's no point in talking and they should just get on with their game as he takes out his cards and slaps them on the table between them. I agree, Kaiba, I think you, in particular, should stop talking. Forever. He demands to see Yami's cards, and Yami agrees, bringing out Sugoroku's precious soul deck.

Kaiba begins monologuing in his head, unfortunately for the audience, about how Yami crawled this far only to die, because Seto's deck has the Blue Eyes White Dragons that no card can beat. Goodness, this is worse than him talking out loud! Let's go back to that. He instructs Yami in how they should shuffle each others decks and suddenly I'm wishing he'd just shut up again. Why does he have to annoy me with everything he says??

As they're shuffling, the crowd is excited about the impending duel, while Jonouchi looks on with worry. After each player gets their respective cards back, Kaiba declares the beginning of their game with another creepy grin. Yami draws a card, one of many in Sugoroku's deck that he believes in thoroughly. He thinks he's going to win as he and Kaiba hold their hands up and Kaiba chuckles.

Well, that was a rapid fire start, one that Kaiba seems pretty pleased with, despite how Yami shot him in the face with his fiery balls. Will Kaiba's unflinching arrogance win it for him after all? Nah, no one is remotely fooled by this bravado.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It did give us a little more information on the background of Seto and Mokuba to further support the conclusions already drawn so far, but not enough to draw any new ones. We now know that there was a time when Seto wasn't a slave to winning and games, but after that day the picture was taken, something dramatically shifted in his life and he began to become more and more "demon-like." Mokuba doesn't hint at how fast the transformation was, just that it started that day. I maintain that it was slow enough for their bond to remain until relatively recently, because otherwise Seto would not have told Mokuba so much about his first defeat.

Other than that, there's not much to analyze there that hasn't been before, many times over.

But I do want to nod again to how RESPONSIBLE Jonouchi has acted in reaction to Sugoroku's condition. That surprised me, but in a very good way, because it's not coming out of nowhere. He asked after the guy who sold him the shoes, and it was the very FIRST thing he said after Yuugi told him what condition the shop keeper had been found in. Despite how badly he'd been treated in that chapter, he was concerned over the man's condition. That's not a bad setup for his actions and care for Sugoroku here.

Still, I'm so IMPRESSED. Jonouchi, how did you go from punchline to the absolute best? You're SO my favorite right now!

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 035 Deathmatch on a Gameboard

Well, half-time is officially through. The show was a tad on the emotional side, for both protagonists and antagonists, but at least there wasn't a wardrobe malfunction for the FCC to complain about. Actually, I think the protagonists could have benefited from one particular strip tease that would have kept one of their friends by their sides, but there's no getting around the drama keeping on clothes has caused in this game. Funny, you'd think it would be the other way around.

Anyhow, back to the action!

That's the long of the short of this next match, yeah. Yami and Mokuba are glaring at each other, each with his own thoughts. Yami is ready to beat Mokuba so that he can have a go at Kaiba. Mokuba is determined not to let Yami have that go. They are both unwilling to budge.

Mokuba points at a capsule dispenser machine in the corner of the booth, telling Yami that they both will get their capsules from it, and that this one will be identical to the match they played before. Except for the giant board beneath them projecting real-time holograms of their match for an audience. That's a little different.

Deja vu aside, Yami agrees to get his capsules from the machine and turns the lever, which delivers him a Level One capsule. Mokuba, surprise, is thinking about how he's rigged the machine again to give him the strongest monsters while Yami will have to play with weaker monsters. That didn't work last time, Mokuba, what makes you think it will this time?

After a brief recap panel of the rules of Capsule Monster Chess and the board, Yami realizes Mokuba is pulling the same crap he was in their last match, because their monsters are so conspicuously unequal in power. It's not clear if Mokuba knows that Yami knows what he's up to, because he just instructs Yami to set up his formation, warning him that it had better be a good one. Yami ponders what a good formation to fight Mokuba would look like, noting two areas on the board where an ambush wouldn't be easy to pull off. A metaphorical light bulb goes on over his head.

Mokuba directs Yami to reveal the monsters in his capsules while Mokuba also reveals his. He seems awfully proud of his "W" formation of his five monsters, and calling Yami a shrimp as he shows it off. Kid, you are in NO position to be calling anyone a shrimp. When he sees the block formation Yami has set up on his side of the board, three in the front and two in the back, Mokuba laughs. He says it's pathetic for them all to be drawing together like the weaklings they are, and that Yami is just as pitiful. He really doesn't seem to see history repeating itself here.

Yami sweatdrops as he thinks about how Mokuba's monsters are too strong, and this will be the only strategy allowing him to put up a proper fight. Mokuba calls out for the start of the match, for the third time, I think, and the crowd gathered in the bleachers around them grows excited. The monsters are projected onto their virtual field below, and they stare down the opposite sides of the fields as if they were real.

Jonouchi calls out to Yami that he has to win. He knows Yami can't see he and Anzu, but he's showing his support as well as he can, very literally watching his back. Mokuba claims the first move of the game, moving his Armorzaurus forward the amount of spaces it can go dictated by the high-tech board that displays the moves that can be made. Mokuba points at Yami with an announcement that it's his turn.

Yami just crosses his arms and closes his eyes, saying nothing. Mokuba repeats himself, asking if Yami heard, and Yami says his formation is fine how he set it up. Mokuba is confused and angered by Yami's refusal to move a piece, thinking he must be planning something. Mokuba lies to himself that he's not at all worried about this nuh-uh, and he'll just invade Yami's side of the board and attack him, because he can't possibly be prepared for such a thing.

Nope, that unconcerned look on his face is just ignorance. He couldn't POSSIBLY see that coming. Granted, he could be taking a snooze. Yuugi has been through some exhausting crap today, and Yami is using his body after all.

As Mokuba's monsters move forward one by one, the audience around them exposits that while Yami hasn't made even one move so far, Mokuba's army of monsters is slowly marching into his territory. Jonouchi can't make heads nor tails of what Yami is up to either, while Yami holds that same pose. I would still think he's napping, except another sweatdrop has appeared on his face. The audience again narrates the panel, which shows Mokuba's monsters surrounding Yami's. Mokuba thinks he's won.

Sorry not sorry.

Yami's eyes suddenly open and he wordlessly picks out his Beeton to move forward. The audience are intrigued that he hasn't quite thrown in the towel, but Mokuba thinks he's a little too late, and commands his Armorzaurus to attack his Brain. No, really, that's the name of the monster. LMFAO.

Yami appears surprised, as Mokuba pulls a Billy Mays and says there's more! The Armorzaurus attacks another monster in the same turn using its special attack, rolling right over Yami's Toppo. Mokuba laughs, pointing out that Yami only has three monsters left. In the virtual board below, his monsters cower. Yami isn't ready to give up until the very end, though. Mokuba is convinced that he only needs Armorzaurus to wipe out all of Yami's monsters now, and so sends it after Yami's Mogrin next.

The hologram Mogrin looks afraid at first, but then grins at its attacker. It burrows into the field, causing surprise for both Armorzaurus and Mokuba, who narrates the Mogrin's actions as though that will make them any less true. Armorzaurus rolls right past the Mogrin and because it can't stop, its attack hits Mokuba's Megaton right in the face. Both monsters are destroyed.

Mokuba knows Yami must have planned that from the beginning. Yami patronizes him by giving him another "lesson" about how he should use fewer strong monsters and more with rare abilities, ending with telling Mokuba that he also only has three monsters left. Someone echoes this message, probably the audience, those sheep. Jonouchi is impressed with how Yami turned the tables.

Yami moves forward his Squid Ninja, despite acknowledging the fact that his monster is a Level Two that can't match the power of the monster he's attacking, Mokuba's Level Five Zoid M. He says that even a low level monster can defeat a higher level monster, though, as he silently asks the Squid Ninja for forgiveness. Turns out the special attack for the Squid Ninja is a suicide attack, blowing up itself and Zoid M.

Mokuba fumes over how Yami's monster took his with it, and Yami states that the road to a previously unheard of "evolution spot" has been opened up, with no monsters guarding it. Mokuba recognizes now that Yami sacrificed his other monsters to get Beeton to the evolution spot, and is looking pretty upset. He realizes that his monsters are too far away to stop Beeton, as Yami moves him forward. Since the "evolution spot" raises a monster's level by three, every square Beeton moves brings him closer to becoming the strongest monster. Yami keeps moving the Beeton, with no resistance from Mokuba until it reaches that square.

An eloquent defense of puberty, Yami! Wait, is that Yuugi behind you? Is this an analogy for Yuugi's transformations into Yami? Are we comparing the Millennium Puzzle to the evolution spot here? Because I'm not sure that really works. I'm pretty sure not just anyone can wear the puzzle and bring out Yami...

Mokuba can only watch as Hyper Beeton flies across the board at Yami's command and attacks his Namahaagan with its Horn Attack. Mokuba stares in shock and anger as he confirms this information through gritted teeth. The crowd is cheering against him now, declaring that he only has one monster left.

Now Hyper Beeton and Bigfoot face off and Mokuba mistakenly says that this next battle decides the game. Not if you win, Mokuba; have you forgotten about the weird Mogrin thing? Anyway, Mokuba is giddy because he knows that Hyper Beeton has a great attack at long range, but close range battles are not its forte, so Bigfoot will win.

Yami and Mokuba both call out for the monsters to fight, and they both throw down, looking like they just go right past each other at first. However, to Yami's chagrin and Mokuba's delight, the virtual Bigfoot looks back at virtual Hyper Beeton with a grin as it is destroyed. Mokuba is jubilant as he calls out the result and Yami grits his teeth.

Mokuba asks if Yami thought he had forgotten the last opposing monster, and judging by Yami's face, I'd say he thought that as much as I did. Mogrin pops out of the field below, and someone from the audience is just remembering him out loud too. Everyone has always got to be speaking whatever they think, don't they? Mogrin is right next to Bigfoot, and it growls down at the little guy as it quivers. Mokuba is stoked to win, and eager for Bigfoot to use his namesake on Mogrin. Mogrin can talk, I guess, shielding its head with little claws as Bigfoot's gigantic foot hovers over him and muttering that it's all over for him.

Anyone else reminded of Fist of the North Star?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAaaaaaa.... Classic.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I was generally bored, if I'm honest. This game was too similar to the last time Mokuba and Yami played it, right down to Mokuba cheating, Yami calling him a brat and laying his gaming wisdom out before him in a mocking tone. It made it seem like an identical battle, despite the different monsters and moves.

The only thing really new about it was that "evolution spot" part, which was obviously only there so that Takahashi could make an analogy to Yuugi evolving and becoming stronger too. It's occurred to me that Yuugi's transformations into Yami are not necessarily being referenced here, but Yuugi accepting Yami as a part of him instead. Either way, I think the "evolution spot" should have been introduced as a setup in Mokuba and Yami's first match, even if it was never used. The analogy would have been a lot less forced in that case. At the very least, it should have been introduced at the beginning of THIS match, instead of right before it became relevant.

Granted, I did like a small element of it. I thought that the reproduction of the game below them in holograms was a good idea, because otherwise that game certainly wouldn't have been much of a spectator sport. However, it was the only thing that made many of the moves possible in the game. How would anyone playing Capsule Monster Chess with a regular board and no holograms have pulled off the special move that allowed Mogrin to burrow into the board? For that matter, if you're only allowed five pieces to begin with, how does one end up evolving one of their monsters to something else at the "evolution spot?"

It seems to me that Takahashi ended up making the mistake of building the game and moves around what the holograms could do rather than what could happen with actual pieces. Without those holograms, this game makes no sense.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 034 The Second Battlefield!!!

Death T-2 was a while back, so I'm guessing this "second" battlefield the chapter indicates is outside of Death-T altogether. The death-park part of this arc is at an end! I wonder if Kaiba is going to even acknowledge what a failure it happened to be. Sure, Honda got trapped in that last game, but I'm thoroughly unconvinced that we're never going to see him again. Well, at least 99% sure. I remember seeing him in Duelist Kingdom in the anime, but there's always the smallest chance that they decided he shouldn't be dead.

Speaking of which...

My unique sense of dramatic irony here is making me feel like a jerk. These guys don't have any reason NOT to think Honda is going to die. Aside, of course, from the fact that he's capable of slipping out of his jacket and shirt at any time. There's that, of course.

Anzu, Jonouchi and Yuugi are gathered around the blocked exit while Jouji continues to slumber in a remote corner of the panel. Yuugi is staring up at Jonouchi, unable to fully articulate what was just implied. Jonouchi shouts that it's not like Honda to die, or at least not to give up on his life so easily. I agree, which is why that nonsense was so cheesy back there.

Yuugi is freaking out, though silently. At first he thinks that Honda was in that situation because of him, but he's quick to throw out that notion when he ponders how his grandfather and Honda were actually STOLEN from him. He curses Kaiba as he grits his teeth and stares at the floor with a heartbreaking thousand-yard gaze.

Anzu sees this and pats Yuugi on the back, assuring Yuugi that Honda will be okay because he's sure to be safe. Jonouchi is shouting at the block obstructing the exit, trying to get a message through to Honda on the other side. Jonouchi yells that they're going ahead and that Honda has to use his undeniable guts to survive. He has tears in his eyes when he calls Honda and idiot and promises that they'll all wait for him.

Jonouchi stands and calls for Anzu and Yuugi to join him, but Anzu tells him to wait, because Yuugi looks strange. He's frozen, that strained wide-eyed expression fixed on his face as he's hunched over on his knees. Jonouchi stares at him.

And here's this smug bastard watching it all play out. He makes his chess comparison again, making more sense this time. Yuugi is the king, Jonouchi is the knight, and Honda is the rook. Where is Anzu in this analogy? Did you forget she exists? I don't see how, considering she was instrumental in getting most of them out of the last game. He flicks a rook on the board to knock it over, stating that he's taken it. He's looking forward to the checkmate he's sure to win soon.

Mokuba has walked into a panel, commenting on how stubborn Yuugi and company are, and asking for Seto to agree. All Seto does is say Mokuba's name like it's a question.

Oh good, great, they're in matching outfits. That cape/jacket thing looks even dumber on Mokuba, with his MASSIVE hands. I mean, look at them! They're like Hulk hands!

Mokuba reminds Seto that they made a bet before creating Death-T, on which stage Yuugi would lose. He says he recalls that Seto bet Yuugi would lose on Death T-5, and Seto calmly states that Mokuba bet Yuugi wouldn't get past Death T-4. Oh, I guess the death theme park thing isn't quite as over as I thought. Anyway, The bet makes Mokuba upset because his game with Yuugi is Death T-4, and Seto is essentially betting on Mokuba losing that match and Yuugi to advance to Seto's Duel Monsters game with him.

Mokuba curses Seto, who follows up on Mokuba's complaint by standing by his gamble. He knows that Mokuba can't win against Yuugi, and was against him even being involved with the project from the very beginning. Mokuba begins to protest, but Seto cuts him off to remind him that he challenged Yuugi to a game without Seto's knowledge before, and he doesn't know the result, but he can guess. Mokuba pouts, stuttering that he just wanted Seto to praise and approve of him.

Is that why you lost to Yuugi in the first place, Kaiba?

This is a really interesting interaction, though I knew it was coming, since these panels are very popular to share online. What people usually DON'T share, however, are the ones that lead up to these, where Seto is admitting that he never wanted Mokuba to be part of this revenge plot. They also don't pay much attention to the fact that, in order for Mokuba to know enough about Yuugi to challenge him in the first place, Mokuba had to spend a significant amount of time with Seto, talking about what happened.

We know they're close because of this. Or, at least they were. Close enough for Seto to tell Mokuba about his defeat at length, and Mokuba to watch him descend further and further into madness working on a revenge plot. I can extrapolate from here that when Mokuba saw he and Seto growing further apart because of his defeat, he would become more obsessed about worming his way back into Seto's attention by following him down the same track. And despite not wanting Mokuba going down that road with him, Seto relented and gave him his own part in the plot.

Why? Well, I think that can have a lot of different answers, depending on the person reading, but my interpretation of the panels above is a bit softer because of what came before it. The lesson he SHOULD have learned back in his first appearance was that his cards should have meaning to him outside of just winning. Yami's punishment on him just made his disposition worse, however, because it came to him as humiliation rather than a lesson. He interpreted the loss itself as being the experience of death, not having his agency taken. He's more manipulative and dismissive than ever, treating others as though they're playthings to an insane degree, because he thinks his issue with Yuugi comes from losing. He's still convinced there's no better strategy than using people like pawns in his own game.

But with his admission that he didn't want Mokuba to be part of the game, he's also admitting that he didn't see Mokuba the way he does everyone else. There's still a part of him that wants him close, and that's in conflict with the GROWING part of him that wants to dominate the world alone. This is why ultimately allowing Mokuba to participate is serving two very different purposes in this battle with himself as well as Yuugi. Seto is keeping Mokuba near, which is feeding the part of him that is still attached to him. However, he's also trying desperately to push Mokuba away with hurtful words and casual disinterest, because Seto's scared that if he allows himself to continue to cling to any other person, he'll be weak enough to lose again.

Seto doesn't want Mokuba to lose, the reason he wasn't going to let him participate in Death-T at first. But he eventually came to the conclusion that if Mokuba DID lose, he could be disgusted enough with the loss to let go of any emotion he still had for him. The panels above only show the conclusion, but all the factors that went into it are by far more interesting.

Dammit Takahashi, if you hate writing Kaibas so much, why are you making me have feels for them? 

Meanwhile, Yuugi is still trapped in a frozen state. His friends are asking him if he's alright through his stupor, and eventually he stutters around to telling them that there's something inside him that he can't control. Anzu assures him that he's just tired and stressed, and it's okay to feel that way, but he's talking about something else. Yuugi admits that there's something he's been keeping from them for a while.

I knew it! After Jonouchi told Yuugi in the last chapter that he returned the missing puzzle piece, Yuugi now knows that Jonouchi's friendship is actually genuine. So, with friends staring, Yuugi is finally able to confess much like Jonouchi did; inside him, he has another personality that he knows nothing about. Jonouchi and Anzu are alarmed at this news, but continue to listen as Yuugi tells them that ever since he solved the Millennium Puzzle he's blacked out and turned into another person. He admits through tears that he was scared of these black-outs, but he was also scared to tell them because he was afraid their friendship would end just when it had started.

Jonouchi goes from shocked to tender as he lets Yuugi know that having another personality doesn't change anything, because they'll always be friends. Yuugi's tears remain, but he smiles at Jonouchi as Anzu echoes his sentiments. Yuugi is grateful, and just like that, Anzu picks up Jouji as they rocket down the hall to their next destination. Yuugi looks back one last time to think at Honda that he'll be waiting for him to catch up.

As they approach an open door, Anzu says she hears cheering on the other side. They stop in the doorway at the top of a set of stairs, and Yuugi and Jonouchi's jaws drop.

That's... a pretty dope setup! These Kaibas have style out the ass sometimes!

Yuugi recognizes Mokuba standing across the arena, who tells him it's time for another game, and demands that he get into the game booth alone. Yuugi glares, looking determined, though his friends tell him it's not safe for him to go by himself. Jonouchi volunteers to go too, but Yuugi firmly tells him that he needs to do this himself. Jonouchi seems unconvinced, but Yuugi tells him that he won't be a coward anymore. When were you EVER a coward, Yuugi? Seriously, being scared about your possessions by an unknown entity and blacking out, in addition to the possibility of losing your friends because of this does not make you a coward! Even if it did, WHO COULD BLAME YOU??

He also tells Jonouchi that his friends will be with him even if they don't physically go into the box with him. Jonouchi is touched as Yuugi tells him that he and Honda showed him what true courage is about, which I'm guessing is facing the parts of yourself that you're afraid of. Meh, that's fair. Jonouchi agrees, and Yuugi says he's not afraid of his other personality anymore as he closes his eyes. Jonouchi and Anzu look on as he grows quiet, but note that he's doing that thing he does again.

With an entrance like that, there's no WAY you can lose!

Jonouchi and Anzu gape at Yami as he walks toward the booth, Jonouchi's brain trying to catch up with the reality of the transformation. Yami walks up the path with his hands shoved in his pockets casually while the crowd identifies him as Mokuba's challenger and heckles him accordingly, shouting that he can't possibly win.

Yami stands in the doorway before Mokuba, who has already taken his seat. Mokuba congratulates Yami for making it to his stage of Death-T, and Yami snarks that Mokuba is the same old brat from their last game. Yeah, your little lessons don't seem to be doing much good, do they Yami? Mokuba also recognizes that Yami is the same version of Yuugi that he played before, saying that it's good to see him. He also points at the elevator off a third path leading from the box, telling Yami that's the way to the goal he's been working toward, Seto's Duel Monsters Dome. Yami asks for confirmation that if he beats Mokuba, then he'll proceed straight to Seto. Mokuba says beating him is impossible anyway, and this game will mean Yami's death, along with his friends.

Yami glances back to find that Anzu and Jonouchi have been restrained by two guards, pressing guns into the backs of their heads. Yami calls out to them and then turns back to Mokuba, pissed. Jonouchi tells him not to worry, and just to spank Mokuba's little ass. Yami still looks nervous, but Mokuba is already declaring the start to their game as well as its theme.

I like that one at the forefront with the little fangs. I'm sure Mokuba would deny it's cute, but he's all posturing anyway.

He tells Yami that the game they play in the box will be reproduced in virtual reality below them. Class out the ass. I wanna play! As long as I don't have to die when I inevitably lose. Mokuba begins to open a Level Five capsule with the intent to use it as a demonstration. He says it's one of his pieces, and the other weaker piece he has represents Yami, and sets them next to one another to battle.

Mokuba kindly lets Yami know that the game will end in penalty game for the loser, the same kind Yuugi's grandfather suffered. Yami is taken aback by the "sensation of death" penalty, probably because that's HIS bit and Mokuba is just a hack kid who copied it. Mokuba declares the official start of the game while thinking that his brother will hate the fact that he'll beat Yami, but he'll do it all the same. Yami accepts the challenge, also planning to win and get on to kicking the shit out of Kaiba. He bids his grandfather wait for him.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It was another overwhelming one. There was a LOT going on with these Kaiba brothers, but I covered my interpretation of that above. Convoluted as it seems, it's the only way I can manage to reconcile all the facts, which are contradictory at first glance. But, then again, so is Seto Kaiba himself. He's got a mentality much like Shadi did, that getting support from others is a sign of weakness, and that others can be used and abused in a game of "the ends justify the means."

All the same, the way that Mokuba maintains a close proximity to his brother is a sign that he's struggling to give himself over to that ideology completely. If he didn't WANT Mokuba around on any level, he wouldn't have shared all that information on Yuugi with him, or cared enough not to want him participating in Death-T, or, hell, made him vice-president of Kaiba Corp. Mokuba clearly isn't a pawn to Seto like everyone else seems to be, but it's also clear that Seto is trying to convince himself that he IS. At the very least, he's trying to make himself not care about him either way.

Will he succeed? I guess that depends on how he reacts to Mokuba's loss, which we all know is inevitable.

It'll still be fun to see how Yami pulls it off.