YuYu Hakusho Manga: 036 Byakko's Battle Roar!!

Oooh, so close to alliteration across the board. They might have chosen a word like "bellow" to make it slightly poetic, but I suppose these aren't QUITE synonyms. "Roar" has a much more animalistic bent to its meaning, and at the very least, we know that this Byakko character isn't going to be human. Given how interesting Genbu's design was, I'm looking forward to seeing Byakko and how his design manages to make a translator abandon the siren song of a great alliteration. 

Is that my tinnitus, or...?

As the boys continue on their way through the castle, Yusuke asks Kurama how he's doing, and Kurama responds that he's still on his feet at least, so it's not so bad. I don't know, people can still be able to walk and yet be in really bad shape. Hiei retorts to this by asserting that Kurama won't be much use in a fight, regardless, and the rest of them will have to deal with what's ahead without him. Kuwabara tells them not to sweat it, because he'll take whoever is next. Yusuke scoffs that he almost FAINTED at the sight of the first guy, but Kuwabara yells for him to shut up, insisting he just wasn't ready 

Kuwabara tell Yusuke he wasn't just sitting around while he was training with Genkai, holding up his right hand and saying that he figured out how to manifest his Reiki Sword with just his bare hand through trial and error. On the spot, he does just that, showing off to the others what he's capable of. Hiei says it's not bad - not quite the dead weight he thought Kuwabara was - and while that's about as close to a compliment as Hiei will probably EVER get, Kuwabara flies off the handle again. He brandishes the energy sword at the unimpressed Hiei and asks if he wants a taste of it, Yusuke flatly telling him to cool his shit. 

His temper is quick to quell, as he backs down with a rueful grin, saying it's no big deal. It's mostly because he wants to continue showing off his research, which he says didn't stop at the manifestation without aid. He commands the sword to extend with a call for them all to watch.

Yusuke seems impressed that Kuwabara's sword can turn into a spear, which no doubt will make it easier to stay at a greater distance from a particularly aggressive melee enemy. He chuckles that he can extend and retract it at will, and it remains extremely difficult for me not to make some obvious jokes about this. 

I mean, I know you hit puberty relatively recently, kiddo, but surely you've figured it out before NOW...

Kuwabara thrusts a thumb at himself, and says that while the first bruiser caught him off guard, he's ready for ANYTHING now. He says "bring it on", but when he dismisses his Reiki Sword, he cradles his forehead in his hand, complaining of dizziness from slinging all that aura around. Annoyed, Yusuke snaps at him to save any other tricks he has for an actual opponent. Gee kid, I hope you don't need a LONG TIME to recharge from that little show-off session!

A massive roar from a great fanged mouth sounds from elsewhere in the castle, making the boys pause and look around in concern. A rumbling passes through the surrounding stone, but it probably only contributes a little to Kuwabara's tremble as he asks what THAT was, characterizing the sound as "otherworldly". I mean, you are in a demon castle, my dude. Kurama informs them that it was Byakko's roar, and it sounds like he's in a pretty shit mood. 

A few calls to press on and seconds later, they end up out on a parapet in the open air, connected to another across some distance by a narrow walkway, and what looks like a big ARENA in between. There's a large figure, about three times the size of the little humans, on the opposite side. 

That's... just a furry, right? Maybe if he starts munching on walnuts I'll inexplicably take him more seriously.

But seriously, Yusuke and Kuwabara are once again in a state of shock, alarmed at how big this guy is (10 feet or more as Yusuke estimates), and Kuwabara in particular muttering about how THIS wasn't the deal. Hey man, YOU'RE the one who jumped on the next battle. 

Byakko curls his clawed fingers in frustration, complaining about being cooped up in this depressing castle, without delicious human flesh to eat. These are the reasons he cites for being so irritable to begin with, but it's an added insult in his eyes for the Underworld to send two puny humans and a couple of traitors to fight them. Shouldn't you be happy that humans, with succulent flesh no doubt, have wandered into this situation? It would seem to address one of your irritants.

If you can win. 

The great tiger-man flexes, shouting at them that he slurps down humans by the "six pack", raising ALL KINDS OF QUESTIONS about how humans are packaged and distributed in the supposed demon economy. He further threatens Hiei and Kurama with shredding, and feeding them to the rotten scamps, which I assume are the gutter imps they met down below? An effective communicator Byakko is not. 

Yusuke balks, complaining that Byakko's voice is grating enough to make him feel like his innards are being gouged. I don't generally perceive sounds in my guts, but go off my guy. Kuwabara steps forward, declaring he's had enough of Byakko's bullshit, and as Yusuke calls his name in question, Hiei expresses his surprise that Kuwabara is intending to take Byakko all by himself, having assumed all that was just talk. Kuwabara makes a threatening and rude gesture at Hiei, babbling about how one-on-one is how street fighting is done. Yusuke observes his trembling from the side and suggests dryly that it must be from eagerness, because he's not buying this for a solitary second. 

Regardless, Kuwabara cracks his knuckles, determined to do what he said he would, which Yusuke just interprets to mean that Kuwabara can't back out now that he's talked himself into a corner. 

Sure Kuwabara, that phrase TOTALLY doesn't make you sound like an infant right now. Of course, the odd inconsistent perspective in the panel doesn't help by making him look absolutely MINUSCULE in comparison to everything else. 

Byakko questions the single human coming toward him all by himself, then starts laughing, asking if it was the Underworlds plan to make him die from sheer mirth. Kuwabara points at him and demands he cut it out, yelling that they'll see who laughs as soon at Byakko gets his ass down into this arena. Smiling Byakko says he'll pass, and there's no need for him to waste even the minor amount of energy it would take, as he plucks four strands of hair from atop his fluffy head. He tosses them in Kuwabara's direction with blessing to go ahead, and the fluttering hair confuses evokes confusion from the kid. At first. 

Damn, I gotta get me some of them. 

One of these creatures lunges at Kuwabara, screeching, and Kuwabara screams as he's knocked aside and blood spurts from his chest where he'd been clawed through his uniform. He manifests his Reiki Sword at this point, but Byakko calls this impudence, and gleefully declares it'll be useless against all four of his creatures at once. 

Two of them are now bounding for him, and he swings wildly for them, but this appears to be a largely impotent retort. 

Pun very much intended. 

while Yusuke clenches his fists and teeth in his tension beside him, Hiei placidly states how he's never seen such pathetic sword skills, predicting the creatures will lay him out in a matter of mere moments. Kuwabara crouches, grunting in pain, trembling already from the effort his inept attempts have taken out of him. It's looking BAD, folks. 

Yusuke calls for Kuwabara to switch off with him, citing the fact that his shotgun blasts are better at taking out multiple targets, and that Kuwabara's fighting style is just NOT meant for this kind of battle. Byakko laughs that Yusuke is just being polite, suggesting they all jump in at once, even though these runts shouldn't have tried to fight him in the first place. Kuwabara refuses this suggestion himself, though. Face bloodied and cut, he says he's not tagging out until "Fuzzy Fangs" faces him himself. It's a shame Kuwabara can't fight back with his nickname game - it's MUCH more developed than his sword skills. 

Kuwabara threatens to KILL Yusuke first if he interferes with the fight; a threat that couldn't be emptier if Kuwabara TRIED. Foot elevated onto the railing on his own personal parapet, Byakko asks if Kuwabara hasn't learned his lesson yet, as though the situation has been grinding on for hours or something. He commands his creatures to rip off Kuwabara's limbs one-by-one, and to leave him the torso and head for his supper. Now I'm imagining Kuwabara as the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and I really wish I had the time to edit out a meme to that effect. Kuwabara is far less amused, balking at the oncoming renewed attack. 

That's an entirely fair objection. 

Yusuke yells at Kuwabara not to be a jackass and to switch with him, because that sword is not going to be able to take these things out. Kuwabara looks over at Yusuke screaming his name, but instead of responding to this plea, staring down the narrow path between them seems to give him an idea. He starts running back toward Yusuke on the other side of the bridge. Byakko interprets this as Kuwabara losing his nerve, encouraging him to flee back to his companions all he wants, but warning him that it's not going to make any difference; the creatures are going to devour them all anyway. 

Meanwhile, Kuwabara is urging himself to RUN RUN RUN, until the moment when he whips around to face the creatures all chasing him across the bridge, organized into a nice, neat little line. He asks Byakko if he wants to see some REAL nerve, and as his team looks on with shock, he commands the glowing Reiki Sword in his hand to grow. 

Ew, that's looking pretty obscene. Some sort of "creature centipede" connected with aura instead of a contiguous series of digestive systems. 

Byakko admits that this was smart of Kuwabara, but points out this is hardly a killing blow. He draws attention to the fact that his creatures are still hungry, and the one in front lunges further at Kuwabara, willing to work around the energy spear running through its mouth. Cringing, Kuwabara turns tail and runs, the string of creatures trailing after him like a grotesque ribbon. He sprints around the tower, the end of the spear dragging along the stone walls and gouging deep tracks into them as he tries to outrun the hellhounds he's leashed. 

Eventually, he catches up the the tip of the spear and ties it off to the handle in his hand. 

That's somehow MORE obscene than the panel above, lol.

Vein popping in his temple and vibrating with rage, Byakko growls ferociously, and clenches his clawed fists, telling Kuwabara he should have let the creatures kill him. Kuwabara points at him in challenge, asking what he's REALLY got, so high on his narrow victory over the creatures that he forgot how difficult it was for him to get this far. He demands that Byakko haul his furry butt down and face his opponent himself. I can't tell if Yusuke is grimacing at Kuwabara's overconfidence or if he's baring his teeth at their enemy in a show of defiance. 

Either way, I think Byakko is just about fed up.

Count to ten or something before you have an aneurysm, dude.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I'm starting to see a pattern here regarding how these particular bosses present themselves within the story. Much like Genbu, Byakko has started off with a vast cockiness, inviting them all to come at him at once, and when only one of the team advances to face him, he deploys part of his body to assault the offending enemy. Obviously it's not the exact same; Genbu literally blew himself apart, whereas Byakko more delicately creates support for himself with the deliberate plucking of some hairs. Still, they both fight initially only in part as opposed to their WHOLE selves like their opponents are forced to do. It's a unique advantage of battle, and I'm curious to see (or rather, remember) if the others follow this quirky little pattern.

Otherwise, I'm quite bored with Byakko's design. He's just a giant beast-man, and I've seen enough furry content scattered across the internet for it to fail at being novel for me at this point. Combining a general human form with animal features is as old as antiquity, of course, so it's clear that this design wasn't going to be surprising from the beginning, and probably wasn't meant to be. Still, I'll always favor a more creative monster than one that strikes me as conventional. This is no shade on YT, as there's only so much time to develop these guys, but I had to bring it up.

I thought Kuwabara's solution to Byakko's little creatures was pretty interesting, though, because lining them up to spear them all at once took an impeccable sense of timing, if nothing else. Considering he was leading them over to his friends, one of which was injured, this could have gone pretty badly. Not that there was anywhere to go BUT right where the rest of the team was once he had to keep running from the still aggressive creatures, but at least he had them all on a track, so to speak.

And as funny as it was that he managed to tie off his Reiki Spear to its own end to create that disturbing little carousel of creatures around the tower, I have to wonder: How long will that ring of energy last now that it's detached from its source? 

Inuyasha Manga: 335 Vanished Mountain

Another one? Mt. Hakurei collapsed and disappeared overnight, and we're just barely over THAT. With all the geological features vanishing left and right, I'm surprised there are any left for Kagome's modern day Tokyo. Does she ever get confused about that? I'm a very landmark-oriented navigator of my environment, so if it were me, I would probably be baffled by seeing a whole host of actual MOUNTAINS on the horizon that don't exist at all in a time that's supposed to be the future. 

At the very least, I would have QUESTIONS. That no one could answer, of course, but that seems to be my perpetual condition anyway, so...

No matter how big a bug is, infestations are a slog to get rid of, it seems. Kagura complains about how there always seems to be more despite how many she's already killed, and I can empathize - I recently had to call pest control for a little bug issue of my own. Thankfully it wasn't advanced, but it was still pretty frustrating. 

Kagura hums a plume of smoke in the trees she sees some distance away, and when she arrives at the fire, it's consuming a tree on which a cluster of the insects all around the trunk. Kohaku is standing before it, mask on, clearly the one who set the bugs alight. Kagura asks him conversationally if he's found a nest, and what the insects even are. He readily informs her that these are Yadori Sanagi, and how strange it is that these parasites that normally infest large youkai would have nests out in the open like this. Kagura remarks upon how much he knows about these things, seeming almost contemplative.

Later, as they're flying over the landscape on her feather, Kagura's questions get a LOT less casual. She asks if he knows anything, and when he responds with confusion, she tells him not to play dumb. More specifically she wants him to tell her why Naraku ordered them out to play pest control, and kill all the Yadori Sanagi they see. Kohaku haltingly says he doesn't know, but she's unconvinced, asking if he's heard anything, since he's far more trusted than her. He remains quiet. 

I feel like... trees shouldn't have motion blur applied to them. 

Kagura and Kohaku stared, both alarmed that the mountain seemed to MOVE. Then Kagura notices a saimyoushou wasp hovering over her shoulder, and interprets its buzzing at them as a message to return, which she is quick to obey. Kohaku rides along in his habitual silence, convinced he wasn't imagining the mountain moving just then. Yeah, that's probably not something it would occur to me to imagine either.

A narrow sky transition panel takes us to where Inuyasha and company stand at the sheer edge of a rocky cliff, Kagome uttering a reaction of amazement. 

Did I say cliff? I meant CRATER. 

With a curious Shippou peeking over his shoulder, Miroku wonders aloud if the rumor among the villagers is true. The "rumor" that Sango repeats is that the mountain that was here vanished overnight seven days before, is that really the proper word for it? I'd think the locals would have a pretty good idea of where their local landmarks are and if they're STILL THERE. 

Kagome, on the other hand, says she's wondering if this has a connection to the Yadori Sanagi flying around all over the place. Inuyasha remains quiet, until he can say that there's still a very faint trace of Naraku's smell lingering around the place. This seems to strike the rest of the group with a stony, serious attitude, while Inuyasha adds that there's the smell of another youkai pervading the area, which suggests it's been there for quite a while. Miroku asks if Inuyasha can follow that smell, and Inuyasha indignantly answers that he can, saying they should get going. 

In another part of the wooded hills at dusk (presumably), in that precarious little hut on the side of a steep cliff area, Kohaku sits at the open window looking out over the landscape. He thinks about the Yadori Sanagi and the moving mountain, how the parasites had lost their home, unable to stay in the large youkai anymore. He reflects on Naraku ordering his minions to kill the bugs, which he is sure to make sure others don't find out about them and why they were suddenly swarming around. It's not difficult for him to put the pieces together; the mountain was probably the giant youkai that the Yadori Sanagi were driven from. 

Hakudoushi emerges from deeper in the hut, complaining that it's a bad habit of Kagura's to go out on her own. A common issue that misogynists who hate women with autonomy have, it seems. With a smirk, he rhetorically asks what could make Naraku keep such an untrustworthy woman alive. Kohaku glares, but it's a silent glare. 

Meanwhile, Kagura is thinking of only one thing - that it's certain the mountain was alive. She wonders what that jerk Naraku is up to now, but she'll have a time figuring it out from her position no doubt. 

Good thing Naraku isn't particularly good at hiding his tracks. 

Inuyasha announces that the youkai he smelled is close when Kagome draws his attention to some movement in their direct path, trees and earth heaving in front of them. She stutters about the mountain, and I don't think she's concerned about a localized earthquake.

Looks like something they'd make a movie about devastating Tokyo in the future. 

Kagome yelps in alarm, Sango remarking in horrified disbelief that this is the very youkai they've been looking for. It must have some damn good hearing, because it turns bulging eyes and jagged protruding stone teeth on their TINY group, and, well...

"NO WITNESSES!"

Inuyasha demands to know what the fuck this thing is doing so suddenly over his shoulder, adding a paranoid question on whether the mountain youkai is an underling of Naraku. Through the snapping of the trees growing in his face as he moves in ways they didn't grow to withstand, he asks if Inuyasha just mentioned Naraku. It tells the group that this is the name of the douchbag who entered his body and disturbed his sleep. Like those mythical spiders that crawl in your mouth at night apparently. Inuyasha appears in awe that Naraku went spelunking in this giant youkai's guts. 

At a distance, Kagura is hovering in the air watching the mountain youkai. Now that she's confirmed it's 100% real, she can't help but wonder just WHAT is going on here. Meanwhile, the mountain youkai complains about Naraku releasing all this NASTY miasma into him, waking him from his 200-year-long sleep. Well, I guess it makes sense that he woke up in a bad mood, but it seems like 200 years is a bit long for a nap. 

My judgment aside, the mountain youkai says that Naraku stole his "protecting stone" and escaped, the term evoking a little confusion in Inuyasha and Miroku, as well as myself. 

My guy, you're just hangry. Have some BREAKFAST or something. 

Again, while he carries Kagome away from the raging fist of the raging beast, Inuyasha yells at the stupid bastard that THEY'RE also going after Naraku. He has to dodge another stone limb swinging for him though. Once he's landed and deposited Kagome on the ground, he draws Tessaiga, prepared for a fight. But Miroku calls for him not to kill the mountain youkai, because he wants to talk to him. The infuriated thing seems quite BEYOND talking, and I'm not the only one who thinks so. 

Because Inuyasha yells that he KNOWS not to kill the mountain youkai.  

Good fucking luck, is all I can say.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I do absolutely LOVE the giant mountain monster's design. The bulging eyes, massive stone fangs, and trees growing all over its body really drive home how terrifyingly LARGE this creature is. It also utilizes this animist concept that EVERYTHING has a spirit, which stretches the limits of what can be possessed of an identity and life. Do all the trees snapping in half on his body have individual spirits, crying out in pain over his rapid movements? Do the adjacent mountains also have spirits of their own, and Naraku just took his pick of the lot? Does the whole island, or even the planet, have their unique spirits and the ability to potentially animate? What a horrifying prospect!

BTW: If you haven't seen the series "The Moon Woke Up" on Youtube, please go and give it a watch - it's VERY entertaining, and appropriate for spooky season with its theme of cosmic horror. 

Unfortunately, with how cool and terrifying this is, it also begs some pretty important questions almost immediately. How is this mountain youkai MOVING for him to not create earthquakes with every step? The villagers apparently just said that the mountain vanished, not that there were massive disturbances accompanying the disappearance, and that just doesn't seem possible. There should also be a VISIBLE trail of destruction caused by the movement of something that huge, and Inuyasha wouldn't have to use his nose at all. Unless this big guy floats or teleports here to there, I just don't see how this would be anything other than a kaiju absolutely WRECKING everything in his path like good ol' Godzilla. 

Other than that, Hakudoushi's comments on Kagura and her place in Naraku's "family" of incarnations and servants raised my hackles. They're very reminiscent of a traditionalist patriarchal view of suspicion on spirited young women who act independently as opposed to in the interests of their male relatives. Kagura's situation has become a somewhat stereotypical one; she is a girl who has ambitions to go out and be the architect of her own destiny, but has been roped into a situation where she is the unwilling caregiver for the offspring of a cruel man, both of whom absolutely LOATHE her and her ungovernable being. The tension between Kagura's almost "traditionally feminine" role that Naraku and the rest of them are trying to force her into, and Kagura's unabashed individuality and sense of identity that is SEPARATE from that is really highlighted with Hakudoushi's comment about her having the "bad habit" of going off on her own. It's untrustworthy behavior not just because she could be out there working against the widely hated Naraku, but also because she should be actively hovering around Hakudoushi, taking care of HIM and HIS NEEDS. 

Profoundly infuriating stuff, especially when there are certain patriarchal factions increasingly trying to minimize women and our autonomy at large. I've always loved Kagura and her representation of a wild and free woman fighting against her bonds wherever she can. She is iconic, she is beautiful, and in a world full of tradwife influencers, I'll always prefer to be a wind witch.  

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 035 Genbu Is... The Very Rock!!

Wow, these chapter names are getting a little wild. If it takes your reader more than a second to glean what it is you're trying to SAY with it, perhaps it's time to reconsider. It took me about three seconds to suppose that this phrase is trying to convey how Genbu is basically made up of the rock around them, and prior to that it seemed like utter nonsense to me. As usual, there might also be a bit of a translation difficulty here as well, where it's difficult to get across the meaning of the original Japanese, going in either a literal or figurative direction, so it comes out as rather awkward. 

If this is the closest approximation that could be managed, that's one tricky phrase!

Tricky as a stone tail melting through the floor. 

As Genbu's tail slithers back into the floor, Yusuke remarks on how it just slid straight through the rock and nailed Kurama. Genbu says that they should now realize that this room is just an extension of himself, and tells the doubled-over Kurama, nursing his slashed torso, that he has no hope of escape. Yusuke begs Kurama to say ANYTHING, because he's being awfully quiet, but when he looks over at Yusuke, albeit with a soft groan, he's smiling. He assures the team that he's okay, and he's suffered much worse, as Yusuke should well know. The excuse is just that Genbu caught him off guard. Won't make that mistake again, I'm guessing. 

If you thought just the tail was bad, lol.

Kuwabara and Yusuke are freaking out over how the guy is totally gone now, and there's no telling where he'll pop back out. Kurama scans the floor for any sign of Genbu's exit point, but Genbu once again emerges behind him, arms raised and yelling "BOO" in a show of childish humor. Unamused and unsurprised, Kurama yells that it's another sneak attack, but just acknowledging it isn't doing him much good, Genbu's tail comes up on his left, and presumably another limb is attacking at the right, because Kuwabara shouts that Kurama is getting it from both sides. 

Must. Resist. Obvious. Jokes.

It must be quite a feat to do all those acrobatics with a chest wound. Hell, if I work out too hard, my body is too sore to do much of anything for a day afterward. 

Then again, I'm a bit old these days. XD

Kurama lands in a crouch on the floor and Genbu sinks back into the stone, Yusuke and Kuwabara complaining about it and whining that it's no fair like a couple of overgrown toddlers. Genbu reappears to attack from behind again, Kurama leaping out of the way, but Genbu tells him he won't win this fight by just dodging all over the place. Kurama scoffs that Genbu has a point, flips his luxurious hair, and pulls a rose from it, declaring it's time he gives as good as he's getting. 

So, I guess this fight isn't really much more than a lovely bouquet in his eyes?

Yusuke asks Kurama if he's crazy, because the rose doesn't seem all that threatening to him. You can get tetanus from the thorns if you're not up on your vaccinations, and that's pretty shitty, I think. But Kurama says that this isn't just any rose, performing a swishing motion with his arm.

Like I said, LOTS of potential tetanus.

Genbu's voice, seeming to echo in every corner of the room, chuckles at the reveal. He asks Kurama how he's going to wield that whip against an enemy that can attack from ANYWHERE. Kurama placidly proposes that they're about to find out, and encourages Genbu to go ahead with the fight, because he's ready. Genbu declares himself interested, but also says he's going to cut Kurama to ribbons with one strike. My guy, you're already a couple of strikes in and you've hardly cut him even a LITTLE. 

With the rest of the team looking on anxiously, Kurama stands with his eyes closed in quiet concentration for a moment. He suddenly looks up with a confident announcement that Genbu is up there, and Genbu is indeed descending from the stone ceiling, alarmed at being discovered. He asks how Kurama knew, and Kurama responds that he SMELLED Genbu's aura. He explains that the air has now been purified with the scent of roses, and it's easy to identify Genbu's PUTRID stench in the midst of the flowery scent. Shit, should have taken a bath before this one. 

Smiling, Hiei says Genbu is done for, because the thorns on that vine can cut through steel like a hot knife through butter. With significantly more pain, if I had to guess. 

Then again, can a living rock FEEL pain? Save that one for your joint sessions. ;)

As Kurama stands triumphantly among the littered limbs of his enemy, the peanut gallery is in a joyous uproar, Yusuke praising him for a stellar job at dismembering Genbu with a single whip crack, and Kuwabara saying that Genbu wasn't all that tough after all. Hiei calls Kuwabara a dolt, because while Kurama made the task LOOK easy, Kuwabara himself would have been dead at Genbu's first strike. Kuwabara demands to know why Hiei keeps aiming irritating comments at HIM in particular every time he opens his mouth, and cites the fact that he placed THIRD in the tournament for Genkai's succession, with the implication that this should get him some respect. Hiei, however, doesn't care about that.

Yusuke tells them to knock off their bickering, and Kurama is reminding them that they still have things to do when he pauses in the middle of his sentence, sensing something. He turns to Yusuke to inform him bluntly that they're NOT done here, much to Yusuke's confusion. Yusuke looks over at Genbu's dismembered limbs, which make crackling noises as they draw back together over the cobbled floor. Kurama gives this scene a placid stare while Yusuke grimaces in horror. 

I suppose you don't get to be a big boss in a demon castle WITHOUT being hard to kill.

Kuwabara recoils, remarking about how "Granite Butt" put himself back together again, unlike that Humpty Dumpty fellow. It's Kuwabara's opinion at this point that Genbu is immortal. Genbu demurely tells him that's nothing, and bids him watch this new trick, which is voluntarily launching his arms like rockets from his shoulders at Kurama. He calls this move "Exploding Rock" and invites the thief he's fighting to take that. 

Of course, the sliver of Genbu's face that's left grins at the futility of Kurama's actions, after Yusuke and Kuwabara prematurely assume that THIS was the strike that pulverized him and he's nothing but gravel now. But as Genbu's fragments all rush to converge once more, Kurama spies something glinting in the flying debris. 

Mostly reconstituted, Genbu reminds them with a chuckle of what he said about this being a minor inconvenience. Yusuke whines that even Kurama's second whip crack didn't do the trick, and that he can't win. After this despairing cry, Genbu claims that the little twerp Kurama is boring him, and yells at him to die, calling out his intention to explode at him again. The shards of Genbu's body, not JUST his arms this time, rocket toward a frustrated Kurama once more, and appears to nick a few more cuts into him. 

Kurama groans in pain and drops into a crouch, and the gathering pieces of Genbu brags that while he's still breathing, he's got no fight left. However, Kurama is chuckling in amusement, something Genbu mistakes at first for a fear-induced mental break, and promises to put Kurama out of his misery... before the astonished onlookers behold Genbu noting in confusion that Kurama appears to be upside down for him. 

Kurama holds up a dark-colored, pulsing stone and asks if IT'S what he's looking for, and Genbu gives a horrified exclamation. 

Kurama suggests that this particular stone is Genbu's "control core", or the part that keeps his body organized, which Genbu was careful to make look like the rest of him. But Kurama says he did catch a glimmer of energy it emitted as it flew past him, because part of what makes Kurama such a good thief is that he's pretty good at finding what's hidden. Genbu BEGS Kurama not to do anything to hurt that little piece of rock, and at first it looks like he MIGHT honor that request, tossing the stone into the air in front of him. 

What is it with creatures who demand mercy where they are willing to give none? 

Yusuke cheers that Kurama did it, and it was just what Genbu deserved too, and the shards of Genbu's shattered central regulatory rock rain down like a celebratory confetti. But Kurama collapses into a crouch again with a groan of pain, and while Yusuke calls to him in concern, Hiei quietly states that Genbu was a formidable opponent, and Kurama won't be able to go on. 

You'd be surprised, Kuwabara, about what kinds of monsters hang out with monsters.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Genbu's defeat was pretty creative; it's an interesting weakness to give a rock creature to have him depend on a specific part of his body to reconstitute himself properly every time he's blown apart. A vulnerability like that balances out how Genbu cannot be cut or maimed in the traditional sense, and can explode at will with the ability to pull himself back together. And, of course, the tough exterior of one other villain has already been defeated through attacking the soft interior of him, so YT has avoided ALREADY resorting to too much repetition in this somewhat short comic thus far. 

My only real complaint with this one, and the last, is that it's setting up a dynamic that is a little bit of a peeve for me. We have a full team of fighters, but most of the time, only ONE of them will be fighting at a time while the others stand by and make commentary. I understand that it can be a little overwhelming to write multiple people into a fight, and one-on-ones are much more manageable, but characters standing around without anything to do in an action scene gets under my skin. Not only do we not get to see how different fighting styles and communication go into a coordinated fight, but the agency of the characters just kind of disappears. It's not taken away or anything, just leaves for a minute because it's inconvenient for them to be doing anything at the moment. The only thing really active about them is their mouths in this state, and it just draws attention to how they're not DOING anything. 

Now, since I'm familiar with this story, I'm aware that this turns into the tournament mechanic that ends up being the norm for a vast majority of the manga. Once it gets to that point, I'll be much more forgiving of it, because it at least provides a context for a one-on-one format. But here, it just has me hoping for an opportunity to see them all fighting together at some point, because I can't really remember if I ever DID in the anime. 

Probably should watch that again at some point.  

Inuyasha Manga: 334 Host

I had to do a double-take at the chapter number here, because my count is 334, but the chapter I have is labeled as 335. For a moment I worried I'd skipped over a chapter, despite the fact that this is the fourth time I've read this manga and I think I would have noticed something was off about the flow of the story. Just to make sure, I looked up the chapter online and made sure it matched the one on my hard drive, then I went back to the previous chapter to check the title page, and wouldn't you know it? Chapter 333 was labeled 334! 332 appears to be labeled correctly, so I only missed it on the previous one, but that begs the question: why did the translator just decide to renumber these? I know it's not just a mistake, because this has happened with two chapters in a row, and it's unlikely our translator wouldn't be able to read the numbers on these chapters twice successively. 

Do they just... not like the number 333? Is it some sort of bit? Did they write a fanfiction chapter that they inserted between chapters 332 and 333, so relabeled them according to their own new headcanon? 

That last one might seem a little extreme, but from what I've experienced of this fandom, it's not out of the realm of possibility. Headcanons take on a life of their own like I've never seen before, and people get FAR too attached to them.

Or, these guys could be right; it could just be a prank I'm fully falling for. 

While Inuyasha groans in annoyance, Kagome comments on how furious the village people are. You might be too, if your signature gay anthem had been co-opted by a despotic lunatic that is the top representative of the party of outright homophobia. Oh... sorry, wrong village people. Anyway, Kagome spots Shippou's balloon form wobbling up above, but unfortunately, so do the village men, one of whom aims an arrow at him with an affirmation that he's there, despite Kagome calling for them to stop. Inuyasha, however, tells Kagome calmly not to panic. Kagome casts him an anxious look and prepares to argue, but Inuyasha states plainly that what they're seeing is a fake. 

A few arrows and spears fly up and pierce the decoy balloon, which ripples before bursting.

Those villagers keep getting GOT.

Inuyasha and Kagome look over their shoulders at the rain of giant acorns, the former remarking on how hard Shippou is working not to get caught by any of them, the latter much more concerned with finding the kiddo before the villagers do. She needn't be so worried about it, because they immediately find a funky-looking strutting chicken clucking just a short distance in front of them. Without a word, Inuyasha raises a fist and brings it down, narrowly missing the chicken as he shouts a malicious greeting at it.

No doubt as Inuyasha expected, the chicken pops into Shippou's form, who chuckles in a mockery of an evil laugh at him. He praises Inuyasha for seeing through his disguise, but Inuyasha dismisses such a high compliment, demanding the little troublemaker get down there. Kagome offers to take the Yadori Sanagi off his back once he does, which is almost as big as HE is, clinging to him and glowing darkly. I'm absolutely going to have nightmares about giant insects now. 

Shippou scoffs, taking out a toy propeller to spin between his palms. Inuyasha asks what good THAT'S supposed to do him, before Shippou launches it at him and it plants itself in the top of his exasperated head. 

He's not even fighting it, lol. Kagome notices with alarm that Shippou pops out of existence behind her, so with no other choice, Kagome chases after Inuyasha.

After a narrow sky transition panel, we find that there's a good reason Sango and Miroku have been missing for a bit; they're still extricating themselves from the sticky mess the other decoy Shippou turned into in the last chapter. They're at least on the ground now, but despite not being totally clear of the stuff, Miroku speaks about it as though it's in the past, saying it WAS horrible. Sir, your arms are still suspended above your head in the mess. Sango complains that Shippou is a bit tougher than they thought. 

At this point, the propeller stuck to Inuyasha's head drives him straight into the sticky mass. His expression is still one of supreme annoyance and quiet rage. Miroku asks what he's DOING, and Inuyasha responds that he doesn't want to hear that question from him, because no doubt he could be asking the exact same one. 

They all get clear enough to meet Kagome as she runs up to them on their feet, but they're still covered in gunk. She tells them that Shippou got away again, and Miroku reflects with his own irritated expression that it's a bit of a problem that they can't be too hard on Shippou, and that's just the start to the issues they have to navigate in this situation. Inuyasha scoffs, asking what they're holding back for, planning to hit him 50 to 60 times to wake him up. That's... an odd range of numbers. Kagome assures him that any number of hits isn't really going to make a difference, and Sango tells him not to say reckless things. But that's like half his dialog!

The characters must have taken a few minutes to bathe, because when Sango places a small elevated dish/table stacked with dumplings out, she's all clean. Miroku asks them what they really are, and Sango tells him they're a numbing potion. Inuyasha seems to think this is more reckless than his own idea and says so. 

Damn, he just went for it. Not even enough hesitation to wait for them to hide. 

Kagome cries that the potion is working, and Inuyasha runs forth, eager to catch the little nuisance. But the stricken Shippou takes a deep breath and...

Are you sure you didn't get your "numbing" potion confused with ipecac, Sango?

As Shippou floats away, still shivering and with the parasite still stuck stubbornly to the back of his balloon form, Inuyasha looks like he's at the end of his tether. He's covered in scratches from the spiky wailing chestnuts and pressing a finger to his own forehead, mouth twitching and eyes closed as though he might be counting to ten. Whatever calming technique he's trying to employ, it doesn't work. He leaps after Shippou, preparing to draw Tessaiga and announcing that the little troublemaker is DEAD. 

He unsheathes the sword and looks for all the world like he's going to make good on his threat, and draws the alarmed attention of Balloon Shippou. Kiddo turns back into his regular fox form, though it's still stricken by Sango's concoction, turning to curse Inuyasha, in disbelief that he'd really kill a friend. Inuyasha yells at him to shut up, because if he thought he'd get soft treatment because he's a kid, he made a BIG mistake. 

I'm glad Inuyasha's shitty aim decided to take a vacation for this little surgical operation. Although, in the next panel, while Kagome gasps, Sango seems to think that the big bug has detached ITSELF from Shippou. The child falls out of the sky in a dead faint, his friends running and shouting to him. Kagome picks him off the ground and cradles him, thanking goodness that he's not injured. Well, it couldn't have hurt to try to CATCH him either. 

Inuyasha pops up next to them just to whack Shippou on the head, who immediately wakes up to hit Inuyasha back on the forehead in retaliation, demanding to know what he's doing. He doesn't even react, really, just continues to look annoyed. Kagome tries to defend Shippou by saying it was the possession of the Yadori Sanagi that made him behave the way he did, and Shippou is just a LITTLE too quick to agree with this assessment. Inuyasha is definitely not buying it, and suggests that this just makes the whole thing simpler. He grabs the top of Shippou's head and asks him, point-blank, if it's true that he remembers everything that happened while he was possessed. Shippou gulps, not responding directly, so Inuyasha adds that he thought it was AWFULLY suspicious that only HE was getting hit by particularly nasty attacks. 

At this, Shippou yells at Inuyasha to shut up, because he's always picking on him, the implication being that Inuyasha deserved everything he got. Inuyasha hits him again, reiterating this as a confession that Shippou really DOES remember all his actions under possession. Behind them, Miroku and Sango are mounting Kirara, the former telling them that's enough screwing around with the blame game, the latter suggesting they all go after that fleeing parasite. 

I'm surprised they're able to find the thing again - Inuyasha and Shippou's spat gave it plenty of time to get the fuck out of Dodge. 

Miroku asks Sango if the creature is searching for a new host, and Sango affirms this by saying that if they lose it now, it will inevitably find one. The Yadori Sanagi leads the group to a swampy area, and... well, I hope you're not hungry at the moment, because you're about to lose your appetite. 

Now THAT'S an infestation. 

Miroku is as a loss for words at the scene and Sango is dumbfounded at just how MANY there are, both gaping. Kagome asks Sango what she MEANS by commenting on the sheer number, because it implies that this is NOT normal, and Sango replies that this many would indicate that a very large youkai infested with the parasites died, but that's just a guess on her part. Miroku unwinds the beads from around his right wrist, declaring that whatever the reason they're here, they've got to finish the Yadori Sanagi off, and Sango agrees. Yeah girl, go ahead and let him do YOUR job, lol!

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forested hills...

This is a momentary switch to Kikyou, so don't get excited. RT just wanted to let you know that she too noticed the large number of Yadori Sanagi in the area lately. The irony being that she MIGHT know a spider demon that could take care of these for them...

We're thrown back with the Inuyasha group after another narrow sky transition panel, and while they're picnicking on a grassy hill overlooking the wide expanse of wilderness, Miroku asks Sango what's up, citing the fact that they got rid of those pesky parasites as the reason she should be relieved, I guess. Kagome asks if there's something she's still worried about, and Sango admits that she's thinking again about the massive number of them they saw, which makes her think the host had to have been SUPER LARGE. She says it's natural to assume the host died, like she said before, but she trails in this uncertain assessment. Miroku finishes for her, stating they didn't find a youkai corpse, and Inuyasha adds that there wasn't any smell either. 

Well, that's not unusual. Youkai corpses disappear into thin air ALL THE TIME in this story. More often than not, in fact.

No one acknowledges this. Kagome asks hesitantly if it's possible the host HASN'T died, and Sango further builds on this idea, suggesting that the gargantuan thing just MOVED instead. Miroku questions if Sango thinks this means Naraku is involved somehow, and she just gives him a verbal shrug, but emphasizes how NOT NORMAL any of this is. 

When are you NOT coming across strange things?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I FELT the frustration between Inuyasha and Shippou in this one. Theirs is an interesting relationship, and I always cherish when we get to explore it, because that happens so seldom. In this case we get a closer highlight of how they pester each other like siblings at odds. We see snippets of it all the time, of course, but putting the focus on it like this helps to put in perspective how the two of them chafe one another. 

On the one hand, Inuyasha is facing a somewhat emotionally fraught time. He's having little spats with Kagome every time he catches a glimpse of Kikyou, and that's putting a strain on him, so his already short patience is all the shorter. Especially with little Shippou, who is always doing that little kid thing of trying to act more adult by making snide remarks about the behavior of the bigger kids and acting like he knows better. That's annoying to a good many of us under the best of circumstances, but with Shippou's habit of digging at Inuyasha for these very relationship issues he's struggling with, it's no wonder to me that he would just knock the little sucker out to get a break from the noise. 

On the other hand, it's easy to forget that Shippou is still dealing with the loss of his father. The group is nice, but they aren't replacement parents, just a hodge-podge of kids themselves. It feels like he's been COMPETING with Inuyasha, because while Inuyasha IS someone he would naturally look up to, he's also quite dismissive and mean a lot of the time. The tension between them comes to a head when Shippou feels like he can't defend himself properly against the disdain he feels from Inuyasha when they're talking at cross-purposes. Of course, he managed alright in this chapter at least making some real trouble for Inuyasha and the others.

Which is what Inuyasha was implying with his comments about Shippou's memory here. If Shippou were MERELY possessed, and it was the Yadori Sanagi that was doing those things THROUGH him, then there wouldn't have been any particular targeting of Inuyasha at all. After all, the insect didn't know HIM from a hole in the ground. But since the rest of the group just got annoying little delays and misdirects, and Inuyasha got a lot of the more targeted attacks, it seems like Shippou was just drawing on the parasite's power while consciously DIRECTING the attacks, making him ultimately at fault. 

And oddly, that makes me wonder; what would he think of Kohaku's current actions? Him being conscious and all, but still deferring to Naraku's authority for the time being. I know I keep coming back to Kohaku's current culpability, but there's something very interesting about the implications in it that I keep coming back to. 

Anyway, I also really appreciated the fact that this goofy two-off of Shippou getting a chance at a little revenge on Inuyasha ended up leading into a wider question of WHERE all these parasites came from. A good mystery has always been gratifying to me, so I love where this is headed. 

Or maybe I'm just happy we're getting less focus on jealous bickering between Inuyasha and Kagome.

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 034 The Gate of Betrayal!!

That title? Not on the chapter on the Viz website AT ALL. I had to look up the title on a search engine, because I scrolled through the whole chapter looking for it and I couldn't find the official chapter title except in regular dialog. Somewhat strange, since I don't think a translator has ever forgotten to include the title in their translation before in all the manga chapters I've covered on the blog. I would think it's the easiest part of the chapter to interpret, but I suppose I wouldn't know, since I'm still working on learning other languages, and not even close to being a professional translator. 

I'm just sayin'. Viz gets paid for this. 

Oh yeah! It's these guys again! Funny meeting you here... at this demonic castle. 

Kurama laughs a little, saying they're here for community service in lieu of jail time. By the way, the Gutter Imps have returned to their feet and are advancing again, but this doesn't seem to be concerning to a single person here. Indeed Kurama is smiling and Hiei placid as the former says they might even earn pardons if they help Yusuke and Kuwabara out. Sweet deal. Yusuke calls "Good Ol' Koenma" unpredictable as ever. I suppose it's fair to not expect consistency out of weird god-people running the underworld, lol. 

Yusuke introduces Hiei and Kurama, and Hiei almost immediately launches into his own angle on the business, which is to snatch all the cool treasures that the Four Beasts beat him to stealing, so he warns them all not to expect any help from him. Kurama lets out another little polite scoff, and Kuwabara asks what's with the shrimp copping a major attitude. 

They're already getting along sooooo well. Honestly, I'm a little surprised Yusuke isn't more wary of Hiei, given what almost happened to Keiko.

But, then again, I'm not. XD

Kurama tells Hiei to stop it, as they can argue after they've successfully completed the job. Or you could just not bother to bicker at all, because who needs the headache? But Hiei is ornery as ever, and says he still has a score to settle with Yusuke, warning him exactly ONCE to watch his back, while Kuwabara demands that Hiei not forget about him. Is he JEALOUS of the attention Yusuke is getting from the little curmudgeon? These kids are weird. 

Anyway, Yusuke maintains a good-natured attitude as he says he'll take any allies he can get, Kuwabara and Hiei scoffing in response. It's about this time that the recovered Gutter Imps belatedly notice that Kurama and Hiei are who they are - famously on the Underworld's "Most Wanted" List, and in awe that these guys seem to be siding with humans. Took them a while, right? They skitter to the side as the boys all stroll on toward the castle, and we get a closeup of its very Space-Needle-esque spire at the top. 

I mean, to be fair, you don't seem to have much of a position to negotiate from. 

A series of black panels labeled with the names of their speakers follows, so we don't know what these folks look like. "Genbu" says that it's been a while since they've had visitors, and "Byakko" claims that they don't seem like they're worth worrying about, contrary to the attitude of the Gutter Imps below. I guess that's why they're down there, and "Byakko" is up in the castle, though. "Seiryu" asks "Suzaku" what they should do, and "Suzaku" responds that "Byakko" is right, that they don't need to worry their heads about a hodge-podge band like the one approaching them, which cannot hope to breach their fortress. The assumption is that they'll just die at the Gate of Betrayal.

They actually call it that.

What's even better is that when Yusuke and Co. show up at the gate, it looks like the top of a skull with a tunnel carved out of the rock below so it appears you'd be walking into its wide-open TRAP when you're going inside. It's also embellished on either side of the tunnel with clawed paws. The whole thing looks like a haunted house that has a bit of a budget, which, I guess would be on brand for demons. Still, the setup is a bit on the goofier side. 

Yusuke seems impressed though, calling it some entrance. It's also towering over him, so that's gotta have a pretty good effect. Kuwabara makes a shivering noise at the long dark tunnel before them. Yusuke's grimacing, but he forces out the adage about nothing ventured, nothing gained, encouraging the party on. A note on the panel pokes some fun at him for not having a clue and going in without any plan.

As they waltz inside, they make out the fluttering form of a bat, but upon closer inspection, it's a big eyeball with bat wings hovering in a doorway. And it TALKS with no visible mouth. It welcomes them to Labyrinth Castle, (pleased to meet the property, I'm sure) and tells them that those who dare enter will be tried at the Gate of Betrayal. Both hooligans are incensed at the word "tried", no doubt duly familiar with legal proceedings. 

But instead of facing a judge and jury, the eyeball-bat flutters over to the wall and extends one of the nerve endings trailing from the back of its body to pull a lever there. Yusuke immediately perceives that the ceiling is dropping on them. 

It's not even like that Star Wars Garbage Compactor shit that's all slow and foreboding. 

The eyeball declares this is a SMART gate which senses the strength of each person under it and applies just the amount of pressure they can tolerate. Not even one of them can relax without the whole party becoming pancakes. Just one more example of how AI having access to your biometric data can fuck you over. Yusuke growls a curse at the flying eyeball, but it remains unfazed, explaining further that if one of them ducks out from under the collapsing ceiling to save himself, the others will immediately be flattened. If NONE of them attempts a betrayal, they'll all slowly become exhausted in the effort to keep the slab aloft and die together anyway. The eyeball concludes by saying that only cowards can enter the castle, and the choice is theirs. 

A sweating Kuwabara grunts that this is a load of crap, as Yusuke observes the Eye-Bat across the room, next to the lever it pulled. He thinks that they have to push it back into its original position, and calls to Hiei. 

It's crazy weird that they're forced to do this corporate trust exercise right at the beginning of this mission. 

Hiei sweatdrops while Kuwabara asks Yusuke if he's out of his mind, telling HIM to go rather than trust the little creep. As opposed to being offended, Hiei says that the "Flat-Face" isn't a complete moron after all, and asks Yusuke if he's sure he really wants to trust HIM as Kuwabara protests at the new nickname he's gotten off Hiei. Yusuke insists he can support Hiei's share of the weight for a second or two if he gives it all he's got. But what about the Smart Gate (TM) and its measurements of the exact weight each of them can handle at their limits? No matter, we'll ignore that. Yusuke tells Hiei to go urgently, and smiles as he jokes that he shouldn't go taking too long about it. Hiei stares in some astonishment.

But he zips out from under the heavy ceiling and over to the lever in the wall regardless of his clear bewilderment, preparing to push it back up. The ceiling weighs down on his remaining party, Yusuke pushed into a wide squat in order to support the extra burden. Hiei is paused, looking back at the mismatched little team. Kuwabara can't help but demand to know what the holdup is, and yells at him to raise the lever already. 

The Eye-Bat flatters him, saying that a criminal of his caliber would be welcomed heartily by the Four Beasts. Kuwabara's indignation flares up again, asking if SHORTY over there is going to betray Yusuke's trust just like that. Not likely, since the Eye-Bat didn't even really OFFER him anything tempting except an audience with a head honcho. Who even KNOWS what a "hearty welcome" entails with demons. 

Hiei starts chuckling softly, then murmurs about a bunch of fucking morons, Yusuke and Kuwabara staring on in horror as he yells that they have NO IDEA. 

Least surprising result ever, lol.

The Eye-Bat is still alive and fluttering away screeching while Hiei tells it to inform its masters that he'll spare their lives if they submit to his will. He says he's giving them just ONE chance to beg for their lives. Shit, guys, don't ever try to offer Hiei a manipulative deal. That pisses him off more than insults to his face. 

Once the other three are out from under their burdensome ceiling, Yusuke wobbles a little. Kuwabara asks if he's okay and Yusuke tells him he'll let him know in time. Apparently the weight Hiei was bearing was a bit more than he was expecting. He gives Hiei a thumbs-up, thanking him for his good work, then claps him on the shoulder in mirth over how he made them all sweat over that imperious act of his. Yusuke calls Hiei a twisted guy, which Hiei doesn't deny. Instead he scoffs and points at Yusuke, claiming he didn't do it for his sake, but just because this errand will go all the faster with backup. He walks off, and Kurama assures a still smiling Yusuke that Hiei is saying "You're Welcome" in his own way. 

His own twisted way, to be sure. 

Once again, we're treated to panels half cast in shadow so we can't see who's speaking when they acknowledge that the party has cleared the Gate of Betrayal. It miffs this person that Hiei wants them to beg for THEIR life, and vows to make Hiei beg for HIS instead, only large drooping eyes showing through the black of the panel as they introduce themselves as Genbu. Genbu doesn't plan on listening to any pleas for life, though, and announces that four fresh corpses are coming up. 

Meanwhile, the party is wandering through the stone halls of the castle, one of them saying they see why it's named "Labyrinth Castle". Another suggests they find some stairs to take them up, because big bosses love to hang on top floors. These are just like, the rules of video games! 

Botan's voice calls from Yusuke's pocket where he's stashed his comms device, and she assures him things are pretty quiet in the human world so far, to which he responds in the affirmative. She continues by saying she's managed to take out fifteen of the infectious roundworms, but that's out of THOUSANDS, and he says they need to hurry and snatch that whistle. She's ducked into an alley and is speaking onto her comms compact as people pass on the street behind her, reminding him that these insects only seek out and possess people with SINISTER souls, and there don't appear to be too many like that around. Surprising, considering all the douchebag hooligans Yusuke has opposed throughout this short comic so far. Botan says there may be more hope for humanity than she thought (HAH!) as she squishes yet another insect without a host under her shoe with a triumphant exclamation. She does agree that they need to hurry though, because she could just be experiencing a calm before the storm. He gives her an affirmative again and encourages his team to keep moving, assuring them the city is safe, FOR NOW.

As they continue on their way, Yusuke asks Kurama what he knows about these Four Beasts, having no idea himself about what they're going to face. Kurama cites the fact that the Underworld took special measures to contain them with the barrier as proof that these guys are pretty dangerous, and they don't look at all human, so he suggests they brace themselves for that. From behind a doorway, someone gushes that this is high praise, and they're blushing. After a little surprise, Yusuke knocks open the door with a question of whether this is one of them, and Kuwabara expresses all the MORE surprise when he sees beyond the doorway. 

Gamera, what HAPPENED????

That long articulated stone tail whips around as Yusuke yelps about what a big sucker this guy is, and Genbu himself tells them that the only staircase that leads up further into the castle is behind him, so the they have two options: defeat him and gain the stairs, or DIE. Seems pretty straightforward. 

Again, his tail swings around, and this time collides with the floor, shattering the flagstones, a demonstration of what kind of damage it can do. Genbu encourages them to come at him all at once, because it'll save him a bit of time. Kuwabara's eyes bug in horror, complaining that this has to be some kind of joke, because he's flabbergasted as to how one is supposed to fight a real live MONSTER like this. 

Okay my dude, if you wanna fight the literal stone warrior, be my guest.

Couldn't be me.

Kurama teasingly adds that he can't let Hiei have all the fun and take all the bows, to which Hiei responds with another scoff and a declaration that no one cares, still turned away in haughty irritation. Knock off the flirting and get to it, man. Genbu seems perfectly fine with the one-at-a-time arrangement Kurama is making despite his preferences, encouraging him to get going through a grin. Yusuke suggests that they should maybe sneak around and flank the guy, but Hiei tells him to relax, because Kurama MAY surprise him. He says that the whole reason he teamed up with Kurama was because it was way preferable than going AGAINST the guy, because he gets vicious in unthinkable ways when he's threatened. Not sure how he'd have been threatened if Kurama would have been threatened by Hiei not including him in his little heist plot when we got acquainted with them, but I guess that's neither here nor there at this point. 

Kurama faces Genbu at a short distance, telling him they can start the fight whenever he's ready. When Genbu doesn't respond, Kurama resigns himself to make the first move. Meanwhile, Yusuke observes that Genbu's stony tail has started to penetrate the floor like the flagstones are mere WATER. The tip of it rises back out of the floor in the same manner, behind the seemingly oblivious Kurama, which Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei note with alarm from their spectator position. Kurama is alerted by the cries of him teammates and looks around, but it's too late. Genbu brags about how rock is his element and he moves freely through it, and that allows him to do stuff like the next panel. 

Ooof, that's a bad start.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? For some reason, it strikes me for the first time here that the art has gotten quite a bit better. Perhaps it's because we're seeing Kurama and Hiei again, and they look FAR less stiff and unnatural than they did when we first met them. Initially, their characters were both  giving "Baby's first OC Do Not Steal" combined with the lack of skill to pull them off, but something happened between then and now to make not just their posture more natural, but also their actions more fluid and less awkward. Since we see Yusuke and Kuwabara more often, the ease with with they are drawn must have been gradual enough that I didn't note it until now, but on closer inspection, they are also far better represented in form than they were before. 

I'm quite entertained by the game-like trials that are being thrown at the boys here; it's a little goofy that they've been teleported to a labyrinthine castle filled with booby traps and bosses that they have to defeat, but in the best way. I think the use of these tropes are very fun, and their execution does kind of remind me of playing those RPG video games with turn-based combat and cute twists on the medieval theme I've gone through in the past. It's an almost warm reminiscent feeling, that doesn't turn into that kind of bitter nostalgia that can be a little toxic.

I also like Genbu's design, because it's intimidating without there being TOO much going on. He's got a pretty simple composition and powers, which leaves room for elaboration later on if needed. It kind of reminds me of a certain class of being in "The Fifth Season" by N. K. Jemisin, which is a novel (and series) I highly recommend. Not gonna spoil it, but Genbu is giving that vibe with how he just MOVES through solid stone. 

One criticism I do have with this chapter is a common one I have with most of the manga I cover - time. The way the Eye-Bat described how the gate worked was that it would crush the remaining members of the team the moment ONE of them left from beneath it. Sure, we can assume that was something of an exaggeration, but it was still quite a while, relatively speaking, before Hiei pushed back up that lever. Now I have to assume that his burden was a lot less than the other three, and therefore it bought them a few more moments because he's simply not all that strong. It makes sense if his particular skill is put into speed rather than musculature, but we've seen him with his shirt off, and guy has muscles for days! I don't know if I buy that he's SO much weaker than the rest of the group that they (Yusuke) could manage to hold his weight that much longer. 

Of course, this isn't a HUGE gripe, and we can just assume that the Eye!Bat was greatly exaggerating the gate's ability to measure one's personal abilities. It's a little convenient though.