Inuyasha Manga: 338 Haku

Oh, here it comes. This is where things start to get a little complicated for me. I could never tell if my understanding of the upcoming concepts/plot points are due to my Western point of view on what follows from what evidence, or if I was just genuinely missing something the first three times around. I did tend to kind of rush through some of this arc, as I found it less engaging than the others thus far. Perhaps with a closer look this time, I'll be able to pinpoint exactly why that might be, because I remember there were a couple CERTAIN parts of it that were VERY compelling. Not getting ahead of myself and the blog here, but if you know, you know. 

That WOULD be heartwarming, if it weren't painfully obvious that something is about to go horribly wrong and these guys will never make it past that final mountain. 

The soldiers look up with confusion when a strange sound echoes over them, and spot what looks like a long white giant fish flying through the sky. It's not long before this dreamlike vision becomes a nightmare. 

The formation allowed for them to be scooped up one big bite. 

Cut to Hakudoushi and Kohaku, floating in a protective bubble high in the sky. Poor Kohaku, having to rely on everyone else for a ride all the time. He's reminiscing about the "crystalized youki" in a big pile Kagura had shown him, and how she had explained that the youki in the crystals disappear when they get near a stone called the "Fuyouheki". Examining one of these crystals closely, Kagura says that Naraku has most likely handed the stone off to his infant incarnation, and this means that the crystals are a good clue to finding that very baby. Kohaku also scrutinizes one of the crystals closely in his memory, and when he comes back to the present, he glares at Hakudoushi's back, thinking that both him AND Narkau should die when the infant is destroyed. 

Hakudoushi is preoccupied with something entirely different, drawing Kohaku's attention to a rising cloud of streaking balls of light in the distance, which he labels as peoples' souls. Kohaku repeats the phrase in question, and Hakudoushi mutters that it seems a lot of them were eaten, specifically by a youkai named "Haku". Chapter title reference aside, Hakudoushi does not explain further, and instead just invites Kohaku to hunt this thing with him. How does Hakudoushi manage to make the task of taking down this army-eating creature OMINOUS?

Haku itself is flying around in the sky, whale-like mouth thankfully closed at the moment. 

Well that didn't take long, did it?

While they stand atop the headless body of the creature, Hakudoushi instructs Kohaku to slice open the belly without damaging the stomach. Kohaku precisely does as he's told, revealing through a slit in the skin a sack filled with round glowing objects. He wonders what they are, and as if he's reading the boy's mind, Hakudoushi says they're human spirits, what Haku fed on. Kohaku parrots the word as a question and Hakudoushi chuckles, asking aloud if he should make sense of all this. I think the readers might appreciate it... so you're not going to, are you?

HakuDOUCHIE. 

Cut to a dirt devil spinning along the ground while a couple of guys in furs and a pack of wolves chase after it, the former begging to be waited for. 

Ah, Kouga, long time no see! If I didn't know any better, I would think RT FORGOT about you or something. 

His underling with the two-toned hair demands to know if Kouga thinks something is strange, while the one with the mohawk tells Kouga to have some situational awareness and look around him. After a noise of frustrated confusion, Kouga finally comes to a stop in the middle of a stretch of rocky land where various dismembered youkai are littering the ground. Panting and flushed (with annoyance as well as the exercise), Two-Tone tells him that this area has been strewn with pieces of youkai since they got there, and Mohawk says the number of the pieces has been increasing as well. 

Kouga suggests that's LITERALLY why they've been running this way, and Two-Tone slumps, muttering about how Kouga wants to reach "it", presumably the thing that's causing all this carnage. Mohawk is of a similar deflated attitude, thinking he KNEW it. Kouga says that the smell of blood is fresher ahead as they follow the trail of youkai pieces, which means the culprit has to be somewhere ahead. While he can't be sure Naraku is involved, he does admit it's been an awfully long time since they've had a clue. You're telling ME. 

A howl sounds at a short distance, then a figure emerges out of the rolling fog ahead. Kouga and his underlings stare at this approaching hunched silhouette, the former glaring placidly, the latter agape and cringing in horrified disbelief. 

The FUCK is that???

All this thing's mismatched eyes lock on Kouga, waggling its tenta-tongue at him, and Kouga can't help but gape and wonder what it is, noting that it looks like disparate youkai pieces were slapped together. He has to leap out of its way when its head dives and scoops at the earth where he was standing, getting a mouthful of dirt instead. Kouga twists on his way back down and swings a powerful kick at the creature.

With a little distance between them and the monster, Kouga's underlings half-turn suggesting they get the hell out of there while they can, but Kouga asks if they're stupid. Hey man, you're the one with a sick sixth sense here. He shames them for their urge to ignore a stinking youkai like this and run away.

Narrow sky transition panel! Inuyasha and company have crested a hill, Sango asking Miroku about status, and Miroku reporting that there's been no change to the crystal he's holding, therefore the Fuyouheki isn't nearby. He holds up the slightly glowing stone and examines it in the light, saying he had THOUGHT they would be able to quickly catch up with the fleeing Naraku as long as they had it. 

Sango appears to respond with a non sequitur about Naraku's heart. I checked my physical copy of the official Viz manga, and it's relatively the same there - think perhaps she was correcting him about them catching up with Naraku's HEART rather than Naraku himself, because when Miroku turns to ask Inuyasha if that's what he thinks, Inuyasha answers in the affirmative. He cites Kikyou, who he remembers saying that Naraku has taken his heart outside his body. 

Shippou pops up on Inuyasha's should, asking him with clear suspicion if that's ALL Inuyasha talked to Kikyou about. SHIPPOU NO. SHIPPOU DON'T. This kid seriously trying to revive relationship drama that we are ALL sick of? Sweatdropping under this hyper-scrutiny, Inuyasha affirms that it was JUST the thing about Naraku's heart. A sulking Kagome thinks that there was no reason for Inuyasha and Kikyou to talk secretly if that was all it was, though. 

I guess I shouldn't be surprised with Kouga sliding back into the story, with the added effect of reminding Inuyasha how desirable Kagome is with his excessive attentions. 

Ugh, just remember Writch. They're stupid fucking teenagers. Emphasis on STUPID. 

Or, or, here's an idea: we could just keep going with the ACTUAL story. 

Thank goodness that Inuyasha's nose starts working all of a sudden, because he alerts everyone to the fact that he smells youkai nearby. They race on into the area with all the youkai parts lying around, and I'm happy to observe that Kagome isn't SO irritated with the Kikyou conversation that she's riding on Kirara instead of Inuyasha's back. But when Shippou observes from Miroku's shoulder that the pieces of youkai are increasing the farther they move along, Inuyasha maintains a tense silence.

Until of course he mutters to Kagome over his own shoulder that she shouldn't SULK the whole time. I feel like this is the wrong fucking move. Kagome looks away and insists she's not sulking, annoyed, and Inuyasha asks her what's with the attitude if she's not. He tells her in no uncertain terms that he and Kikyou did not discuss anything shady at all. To the surprise of NO ONE, Kagome snips that she knows that, and he's being too noisy right now. Take that hint bro and shut your mouth about it already. 

Also to no one's surprise, he doesn't. He immediately takes offense and demands to know what the fuck she means by that, calling her a bitch, quite the opposite of shutting the fuck up about it. Lucky for him, she's distracted from the growing argument by the sense of a Shikon shard that she alerts the others to. She also says it's two shards, and announces it's Kouga. A vein pops on Inuyasha's temple, his annoyance jumping to new heights in the space of a single second. Shouldn't he have been able to smell the guy? Kagome asks him what's wrong, urging him to hurry it up, and Inuyasha responds by commanding her to shut up. What, the thing you should have been doing this whole time?

Cut to Kouga punching through the combo youkai with a powerful kick. After it collapses to the ground in a heap of its disparate parts, a clump of glowing orbs starts to rise out of it. Kouga's underlings observe this as Inuyasha and crew arrive. 

... Really fucking weird? Yeah, I noticed, lol.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Here's the thing: I didn't miss Kouga. I didn't ask where he got off to this entire time he's been missing, and now that he's back, I kind of see why. We've seen this same scenario play out between him and his followers several times by this point; he runs too fast, they whine at him to stop, they have an exchange about their surroundings, Kouga knows/doesn't care, rinse, repeat. Without much variation, it's gotten very old. Not to mention, his reappearance now coincides rather handily with another encounter with Kikyou, which gives away why he's REALLY here to begin with.

Because this everlasting argument between Inuyasha and Kagome over his interactions with Kikyou have gotten stale too. I give the characters room because they're stupid kids, but there's only so much patience I have when there are much more interesting and engaging places RT could go with the narrative, and she just keeps re-covering this ground over and over. Still, the "love triangle" is titillating to her target teen audience, so she and her publishers/editors are dragging this out as long as possible. One of the ways in which they can do that is to play off of INUYAHSA'S jealousy as well, so in pops Kouga to be the Kikyou on THAT side of the equation, hopefully balancing it out so that there's a little more reason for Inuyasha to understand how Kagome feels. OR, at least they can distract readers with a slightly different angle while they keep the relationship drama as high as possible for longer than is wise. 

At least I like the design of this weirdo piecemeal youkai. It's so chaotic and illogical that it's delightful, and is another of those that reminds me more of the early days of this manga's monster design, days that I very much miss. This thing is the WORST, like a creepy Frankenstein's Monster built by a child out of dirty rags while suffering from a high fever, and I LOVE it. 

I prefer it to the tired old trail of romantic drama that we're all treading yet again, anyway.

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 038 "Annihilation," Roars the Tiger!!

I wish I could be half as confident as Byakko. Dude rips such extreme ass that he launches himself into the stratosphere, and he not only still has the nerve to show his face to these teenage boys making fun of him immediately afterward, but also straight up threatens them with a "Hell Room". Actively seeking revenge for his no doubt smarting asshole. Couldn't be me. I would bury myself in a pit for a thousand years in the hopes that when I finally emerged, everyone will have forgotten about it. 

Of course, the level of fart he released there would probably be too legendary to not have stories passed down through the generations afterward. Byakko is likely just hedging his bets and forging ahead in the hopes he can kill these kids before word gets out. 

In any case, the boys march along a crumbled passage, Yusuke wondering if he heard the overgrown fleabag correctly about a "Hell Room", and Kuwabara says that whatever Byakko meant by that, it's up ahead. It's not long before both of them are gaping in horror, asking where they even ARE right now.

Is... that lava? Or... ?

Whatever it is, it bubbles ominously, causing Yusuke and Kuwabara sweats. The former characterizes it as a serious pit of suffering, and the latter says one slip and it's all over. Byakko grins through his grotesquely massive fangs, chuckling that this is his special "gaming" room, suggesting it's quite a sight. Well, it's certainly nothing like Genkai's gaming room, and I would say one of these resembles what I would consider a room dedicated to gaming a lot more, but I digress. Byakko reveals in the next panel that it's ACID below when he says it's his favorite touch, saying it'll eat the boys down to their bones. He asks if any of them have the guts to come over and face him NOW. 

Yusuke immediately steps out to take on this challenge, acting unimpressed with the "Hell Room", and declaring that he'll finish off all the rest of Byakko's nine lives, however many there are left. A hand on his shoulder stops him, though, and Kuwabara follows up with a demand to hold up, because he's still claiming Byakko as HIS opponent. Yusuke trails in a protest, and Hiei picks up the thread by telling Kuwabara evenly that he's fought well, but it's Yusuke's turn now - his uncharacteristic gentle kindness serves a purpose, because he expresses the want for Kuwabara to rest, convinced they'll have use for him later. 

But Kuwabara isn't interested in taking a break, stating that this ain't baseball. 

Weird analogy, my guy, but okay.

Hiei scoffs about irrational creatures, extending his irritation with Kuwabara to the rest of humanity, no doubt. Yusuke mumbles himself about Kuwabara being a stubborn son of a bitch (leaving off that last word), and Kurama teases that Kuwabara reminds him a bit of Yusuke himself. Two peas in a pod, those two. 

An impatient Byakko asks what the hold up from his isolated platform in the middle of the acid pit, mockingly suggesting they're scared. Kuwabara yells at the moron to shut it, that he'll be right down, and jumps down to the first platform. The moment he lands, his weight cracks it, and the edge on which he's perched starts crumbling off into the sea of boiling acid. 

Hooooooo boy, giving me palpitations. 

Kuwabara cranes his neck to look behind and below him, where the rubble from the platform is splashing into the acid, and admits haltingly how close that was, adding it's not a GREAT start to this round. Kneeling on the overhang from the entrance above, Yusuke shouts to him that they can still switch, but Kuwabara calls back that there's no way, calling this fumble just a "dramatic flourish". You'd think HE'S the one writing this comic or something.

Once he's securely atop the platform, he takes off his shirt, claiming it's real hot in here. Any excuse to expose his titties. He invites Byakko to get this started, promising to finish the big cat this time. Byakko responds by clutching at his throat and making a hacking noise, lines of lightening emanating out from his head. The boys back at the entrance to the room stare in shock, and Kuwabara looks on with puzzlement while Byakko gurgles. 

Byakko reaffirms that he's a cat, after all, and asks if they want to see his version of a hairball. LONG before anyone would figure out how to answer that question, he opens his snout and a crackling ball of energy is expelled. 

Well... it's LESS embarrassing that the gigantic fart. 

Maybe.

Kuwabara scoffs that this is a pathetic pitch, and adopts a batter's stance to hit it with his Reiki Sword, and says he'll send it back with what he calls a "Teikyo High Two-Run Walk-Off Homer". That's quite a mouthful. Kurama shouts a warning at him not to swing at that, urging him to jump off the platform he's on QUICKLY. Kuwabara casts a questioning glance backward, but goes ahead and takes this advice, though he does wonder aloud WHY he should do that. 

A moment after he's vacated the platform, the "hairball" comes in contact with it, and it is surrounded by crackling energy, vibrating fiercely. As Kuwabara yelps at his near miss, the platform explodes, shattering, and leaving nothing but a pointed spike on the stone stem that once held it aloft. Hands still around his own neck, Byakko calls what Kuwabara and company just saw his "Tiger Shatter Scream", which reduces anything it hits to dust. Hiei says he'd heard of a demon who can produce sonic blasts that could shatter molecular bonds, expressing surprise that it's Byakko. He says that the only defense is to avoid getting hit with it. Should be easy with how ridiculously slow it moves, right?

The problem is that Byakko is already hacking up more, and quickly. Kuwabara has to jump to another platform as the other one turns into a fine dust. Byakko laughs, telling Kuwabara to keep dodging as much as he wants, but he'll run out of space soon. He's still firing off shots of from his horking throat, by the way. 

He wasn't exaggerating. 

Pointing a mocking finger, Byakko asks Kuwabara what's wrong, because there are PLENTY of platforms over by him, and all Kuwabara would have to do to get over there is jump two meters farther than 9-time Olympic Gold Medal winner Carl Lewis without a running start. 

So. Question. How does a demon who is stuck in a demon city with no contact with human society for quite some time by the sound of it know a single fucking thing about African American Olympic athlete CARL LEWIS??

No one else is concerned with this weird detail, which is understandable, to be fair. Kuwabara growls in frustration, and Yusuke blurts that Kuwabara is no Carl Lewis - the other platforms may as well be the MOON. Your confidence in Kuwabara is breathtaking, Yusuke. A line of long, sharp knives sprout from Byakko's knuckles, making him yet another cheap Wolverine knockoff, as he mouths off about how speechless in the face of death Kuwabara appears to him. He swings his fist, slinging the knives out of it, and suggests that Kuwabara could try begging for his life or wetting his pants instead, which might get him mercy. Or might not. Either way, those sharp objects are already in the air, so I'm not sure how it matters. 

Already? I thought this what you GAME ROOM, dude. That was barely enough time to finish a round of poker. 

Kuwabara clenches a bleeding fist. Byakko horks up another ball of exploding energy, bidding Kuwabara die, and Kuwabara watches this incoming attack with the certainty that he's cooked. BUT, he's also very determined to take Byakko down with him. He lets out a roar, lunging for the edge of the platform, Hiei in some awe at his upcoming jump as Yusuke yells his name. Kuwabara launches himself off the platform toward the next nearest, and it seems he's barely off it before it's annihilated. He sails over the sea of acid, reaching, stretching out for safety, but he's FAR short, and begins to fall. Yusuke yells his disbelief, Kurama gaping in horror. Byakko laughs how Kuwabara was a mere five meters short, and he gloats that the rest of the party will soon follow their teammate. 

But he's soon taken aback himself, because Kuwabara's smug smile is closing in on him rapidly. He says that it can't be, though it most certainly is. 

Kuwabara is bound by neither logic nor convention. 

As he's flying at Byakko, Kuwabara tells him that, like it or not, the abyss is waiting for BOTH of them. He uses his momentum behind the punch he delivers to Byakko's face, while yelling at him to die, and it propels both of them toward the edge of the platform. To Yusuke's horror, there's a splash, and he sees Byakko's limbs thrashing in the acid, hears the sizzle of them burning. 

Not gonna lie, that's gotta be one of the most horrible deaths for me to imagine. No wonder Yusuke is screaming. 

Another rumble passes over the room, and the rest of the team stares out at it with speechless horror at first. Trembling, Yusuke haltingly stutters that Kuwabara can't, though he's unable to quite finish stating what must have just happened. 

But Hiei spots and points a figure hanging off the edge of the platform out: it's Kuwabara dangling precariously by the end of the bandage wrapped around his waist snagged on a knob of chipped stone on the platform. Holy fucking SHIT, dude, he cut that one the closest anyone EVER has. Kuwabara yells at the team not to just STAND there and help him up, because he's scrabbling to get a handle on this situation without falling to his horrible death anyway. Cheering for Kuwabara being saved by the nearest snag, he leaps down to go give him a hand, Kurama and Hiei hanging back.

No word on HOW they managed to get over there, given how perilous it was for Kuwabara to do so, but they're all on that platform in the next panel, Yusuke bonking the newly rescued Kuwabara on the head as he chastises him for scaring the spit out of him, thinking Kuwabara had eaten it for sure. He asks Kuwabara why he didn't holler out that he was alive sooner, but Kuwabara just retorts that all the hits to his head HURT, and if Yusuke isn't careful, he'll push him straight into the acid for REAL this time. 

Congratz. The upcoming threat HAS to be better than a flatulent feline with a penchant for acid baths. Or at least, I HOPE. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I gotta admit, I'm so glad Byakko is gone. He was a shockingly conventional villain, and overstayed his welcome by a lot. The ability to disintegrate the platforms was fine for raising the stakes, but the "cat" theming of it seemed tacked-on and unnecessary, and the change of location seemed awfully awkward to begin with. It was presented with the exact same cadence and attitude by Byakko as when the team first came up the staircase and found his sky-bridge arena. He presents them with the same cocky invitation to choose their fighter/follow him willingly to a second location. No seizing Kuwabara to drag him away to the "Hell Room" as punishment for humiliating him, and certainly no attempt to just hurl the boy from the arena in a fit of rage. That would be inconvenient for story trajectory. 

And it would be inconvenient for the little trick Kuwabara pulls for his victory at the end of the battle too. Don't get me wrong, I like that Kuwabara continues to express creativity and cleverness in his use of his Reiki Sword, and I think it was a good fun idea for what he could do. But when the location change seems an awful lot like it's in service to an idea that YT had INSTEAD of the idea coming organically as a solution to a problem for the character, that's a bit of a problem. It strongly suggests that he leads with a cool way for a character to win a battle and specifically designs that battle FOR the victory moment, and that's BACKWARDS to how this should work. The solution to the conflict should organically flow from the circumstances around it, not the other way around. 

That's not to say that these scenes CAN'T be written convincingly when a writer has put the cart before the horse in this particular way - stuff often comes to you out of order when you're developing a story. But I just don't think YT did a very good job HIDING that. I also think a lot of the trouble of failing to hide it came from Byakko's character just being lukewarm to begin with, and his mediocrity as a villain made it difficult to build the conflict around him. He was just... boring, in both design and personality, and when there isn't much there, it's hard to know where to go with him. 

No wonder he went out without much more than a grunt and a sizzle. Rest in acid, you basic cat bitch. 

Inuyasha Manga: 337 Fuyouheki

Well, that's ONE title for which I don't have to look up the meaning! It's a relief, because the less work I can get away with today, the better. I'm having one of those low-energy funks that make the process of doing anything that much more difficult, and I suspect I won't be getting as much done today as I might have otherwise. If it weren't for all that capitalist programming that has colonized my brain, I would probably just hang out in bed, but I'm far too brainwashed for proper rest. My poor body will have to settle for a reduced workload. 

Normally I don't put title pages in these reviews, but this one is so comprehensive, and in color, that I couldn't resist. Please ignore the incorrect chapter number and the inconsistent spelling of "Fuyouheki" - the set of fan translations I'm working with is still laboring a whole chapter ahead, apparently. XD

I think I know who's going to win THIS staring contest.

Kikyou notes an a slow, deliberate way that Kohaku's life is connected with the Shikon fragment in his neck. He sweatdrops at this observation, his Shikon shard glowing for emphasis, as Kikyou reiterates that his life is in Naraku's hands. But internally, she can't help but also note that the Shikon fragment in this kid is polluted due to Naraku's evil, but the soul of the boy is different. 

She abruptly asks Kohaku why he obeys Naraku, taking him aback somewhat. He wonders who Kikyou is and why she's asking such a thing, but suddenly he gapes in surprise at her, much to her own confusion. 

Oh shit, talk about a jumpscare! 

Kikyou's eyes widen in horrified revelation when those branching claws of Naraku's rapidly close around her in her periphery. If she had a traditional digestive system, she might have shit herself. 

Meanwhile, Miroku reports from the back of Kirara that the crystalized youki he's holding up is losing the youki part of it, leaving just the crystal. Shippou stares with wide eyes over his shoulder, and Sango conversely narrows her own eyes at the news. From Inuyasha's back, Kagome asks for confirmation that the Fuyouheki is up ahead then, and Miroku asserts that there can be no mistake. Clenching his teeth in a silent snarl, Inuyasha knows that it's not just the stone that's ahead, because he can smell Kikyou as well. 

You think that the dire situation will keep everyone from reigniting all that relationship drama from earlier? Yeah, me neither. 

To be entirely fair, she looks like she's holding her own somewhat well, all things considered. 

The smug Naraku says he hasn't seen Kikyou in a while, not since Mt. Hakurei. He may as well just flip her the bird at this point. As Kikyou says his name in utter contempt, she's thinking of how she didn't notice him even when he was right behind her, and even now she's not sensing his presence or any of his youki. For once, she is at a loss, and wonders what the hell is going on here. Well, we know that he didn't do the simple thing and just finally take a fucking BATH...

Naraku chuckles, asking Kikyou why she doesn't have a happier expression. Just when I think I can't hate this asshole even more, he goes and suggests that a woman SMILE more for him. He has attained absolute PERFECTION in his douchebaggery at least. He suggests that she did, after all, want to see him so very bad, referring to the fact that she was out looking for him, no doubt. To KILL him, but I guess the reason doesn't really matter, huh? 

Kikyou releases the arrow she's had trained on him with a small groan. 

He made it kinda hard to miss. 

Naraku is giggling like it doesn't hurt as his body is dispersed by the arrow, and I guess I have no reason to believe it WOULD hurt. Maybe he made this new body without nerve endings or something. Meanwhile, Kikyou tries to reach up to grab another arrow on her back and finds she can't reach that far, since her arm is curled around a large rigid tentacle, one among many that keep her enclosed in a very cramped cage. Funny, in the panel above it doesn't look like she wouldn't be able to bring her arm up and around to get more arrows, but it's possible her confines are still solidifying around her.

The floating bust of Naraku turns his attention to Kohaku and asks what he's looking at, then commands him to take Kikyou's head. Kohaku sweats, silently regarding Kikyou tangled in a cage of thick tentacles, identifying her as the person Naraku fears the most. His hand trembles on his sickle, and he asks himself silently what he's going to do. Naraku has noticed that Kohaku has failed to immediately act, and suggests he's hesitating, which causes Kohaku's resolve on his precarious plan to return. His grip steadies on his sickle.

But suddenly a bent object flies out of the sky and causes Kohaku to leap out of the way before it strikes the ground where he was standing. 

Kikyou's gotta admit, these guys really came in clutch this time.

Kohaku thinks on his sister, and Inuyasha thinks on Kikyou, and I can't help but notice Kagome is just kinda absent from these panels. Inuyasha yells at that bastard Naraku, drawing Tessaiga to cut him, but with a scoff, a liquid cloud of miasma explodes from him. So he STILL hasn't taken that bath, huh? As Sango and Miroku gape in alarm at the oncoming flood of miasma, Kagome at last has appeared on the scene, arrow drawn, announcing she's going to clear the nasty stuff with its purifying power. She releases the arrow and it hisses as it burns away a good portion of the corruption, the rest breaking down and dissipating in a mist. 

I see Naraku fucked off as fast as he could. Big fucking surprise. 

Miroku echoes this observation with a bit of disappointment, while Sango mutters Kohaku's name under her breath, who is also suddenly gone. Kagome just stares, hair blown back by a melancholy breeze. No doubt she's looking at Inuyasha approaching Kikyou as the cage of discarded tentacles dissolve around her. He asks if she's alright, and instead of answering directly, she clutches her shoulder and says stiffly that she was careless. Ah, hurt pride, then. She explains that she couldn't feel any youki from Naraku, and Inuyasha grumbles about how that jerk Naraku must have used the fuyouheki specifically so he could attack Kikyou, though he does phrase it as a question. There's still some doubt that Naraku would go to all the trouble for that end alone it seems. 

Kikyou repeats the name for the youki-vanishing stone, so Miroku explains what it is but also expresses his suspicion that Naraku left awfully fast for Kikyou to be the whole reason he has it. Sango hesitantly addresses Kikyou, asking if her brother Kohaku did anything bad to her. 

You and everyone else. Of course, for Kikyou, it looks more to her like Kohaku's weren't the eyes of someone being manipulated. For me, it's more the fact that he trembles with the weight of what he's being commanded to do every five seconds. 

In the sky, Kagura is giving Kohaku a lift on her feather, cursing about how she THOUGHT he might be able to get close to that baby since he was the only one who was called out. To her surprise, Kohaku SPEAKS. Hesitantly, granted, but he says the infant should be nearby. After Kagura twists to make a questioning noise at him, he continues by telling her that Kikyou was getting awfully close, and Naraku came out to head her off deliberately, probably to distract her from the child. 

Kagura is silent at first, regarding Kohaku warily, then asks him what's up. She points out that he's usually quiet, but he's talking an awful lot all of a sudden. Internally, she suspects that his memory has returned. 

Kohaku addresses her with a simple question: she wants to be free, right?

Who ISN'T at this point?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I find Kohaku's gamble here pretty interesting. Through his first meeting with Kikyou, it finally seems to be dawning on him that his solo-vigilante plan isn't going to work. Sure, it was hard for him to aid in the demise of so many innocents, and harder still to act against his own sister while hiding his consciousness from her, but I think being asked to kill KIKYOU was the last straw. He acknowledged that Kikyou's name was familiar to him because Naraku is SO afraid of her, and it had to have occurred to Kohaku that he cannot afford to dispose of such a powerful ally. If one of the most effective foes of Naraku goes, what chance does HE have? 

So it makes sense that he would show is cards to Kagura at the end. He's FINALLY recognized that he needs someone on his side. Even someone as universally distrusted as Kagura could be a valuable ally to him on the inside if he can feed her information, because she's got powers and the ability to roam that he doesn't have. That ability to travel is notable as well because of how little surveillance she's under despite the lack of trust there is for her. Naraku has his saimyoushou, but they aren't on Kagura's tail as much as I would expect. It's convenient for her, but also I think it speaks to how Naraku is distributing his resources, and the possible reason why he snatched that fuyouheki. It suggests he's spreading himself a bit too thin as it is, and needs an additional tool to make sure important parts of him are safe. Kohaku and Kagura can definitely take advantage of that together. 

And it's good for the Inuyasha gang to confirm so rapidly that those youki crystals work to locate the stone. That's at least one thing that doesn't have to be complicated.

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 037 A Double-Edged Sword!!

Well, if it's flexible enough to grow into a spear and wrap all the way around a castle tower, I don't see why it couldn't be double-edged as well. That characteristic seems way more plausible than the other ones anyway. My only question is how that double edge can be used if it's already OCCUPIED, so to speak. Those creatures of Byakko's are still suspended lengthwise from Kuwabara's energy, as far as I know. Unless he can create another sword or the creatures finally perish, I don't see how it's going to come back into play.

This arena and parapet situation is more confusing the more I look at it. That spiral staircase doesn't look big enough to benefit Byakko at all, and I'm not sure where the bridge from his elevated perch to the entrance to the castle behind him connects. 

Byakko smashes a fist down on the short wall ringing him, shattering it in his anger. He yells that this whelp Kuwabara has pushed his luck far enough, and at last resolves to come down and kill the boy himself. Kuwabara demands that Byakko stop the comic-book posturing, hanging that lampshade nice and level on how obvious it is that this is, indeed, a comic book. He invites the giant cat to hop on down there so they can get this started. Byakko does just that, leaping over the side of his ruined wall and calling Kuwabara a brat while he's at it. Kuwabara is VERY alarmed when Byakko's bulk shakes the arena below. 

Yeah, that IS how it tends to work. 

Pointing with a massive claw, Byakko warns Kuwabara up front that his Reiki Sword will be useless against him, and it's Kuwabara's only real weapon, he doesn't stand a chance. Kuwabara defiantly manifests a new sword in his hand, which I guess answers one of my earlier questions, as he suggests that Byakko take a taste of the thing and they'll see just how useless it really is. He lunges and swipes the energy blade past Byakko's thigh, and asserts that Byakko definitely felt THAT as a spurt of blood escapes him and he groans. 

Not that it matters too much. 

He just seems to get more angry than anything else. 

Kuwabara slashes Byakko again, this time across the chest, and from the sidelines, Yusuke is pumped that Kuwabara is on the offensive since size doesn't matter to him in a one-on-one fight. Kurama looks over at him, but he appears considerably less enthusiastic about how this is going, especially as Kuwabara slashes yet AGAIN, but to very little material effect, it seems. 

Kurama says something is wrong here, and Hiei agrees, as Yusuke's grin collapses. Hiei points out that their faces say it all, because even though Kuwabara is scoring all the hits, HE'S sweating, and Byakko looks quite immaculate. He's even smiling. Hiei unnecessarily declares that Kuwabara is the one wearing out, because the trembling and sweating are communicating that fairly well on their own.

Kuwabara wonders what the hell is going on here, because none of his attacks are actually having an effect, and he's about ready to keel over. He notes that this isn't all, though he DOES question his perception at first...

He was already a giant to begin with, too.

Kurama shouts that he gets what's going on here now, drawing attention to Kuwabara's Reiki Sword. Kuwabara looks down at it in confusion, and is horrified to find that it's shrunk significantly, almost to dagger size. Ouch, that's gotta hurt the quintessential male ego. Kurama explains that Byakko is sucking up Kuwabara's aura, adding it to his own, and draining Kuwabara dry in the process. 

Byakko laughs how his secret's out now, no longer needing to be coy about WHY he declared the energy weapon to be ineffective at the beginning. He asks Kuwabara what he's going to do now, suggesting fighting with his bare hands in jest. Kuwabara refuses emphatically and puts ever more reiki into his sword, lengthening it back to its proper size. Of course, he grunts and stumbles as well, because it's taking quite a bit out of him to do this, and he doesn't appear to have much strength left to draw from anyway. 

Yusuke yells at Kuwabara not to do it, warning him that Byakko will only get bigger if he does. Pointedly ignoring Yusuke, Kuwabara yells through clenched teeth at Byakko, who calls him a fool before he leaps up, thrusting the Reiki Sword directly into Byakko's teeth. 

That looks like it stings. What's more, the last of Kuwabara's Reiki Sword blinks out of existence from his spasming fingers, and he crumples on the floor of the arena with a thump. Byakko stands over him, belly distended from his feast on Kuwabara's energy, and burps. I guess that should be a compliment on the quality and quantity of Kuwabara's aura. He indeed comments on how there was more energy in the kid than he expected, and even complains that it sits a little heavy on his stomach. That'll stick to your ribs, that meal will. 

Even so, Kuwabara GETS UP AGAIN, haltingly insisting he's not done yet, manifesting what he can of the Reiki Sword in his hand again. Yusuke is horrified to see that it has at last shrunk down to the size of a dagger. Chuckling, Byakko notes how wobbly Kuwabara is on his feet, and asserts that the real ordeal for him begins now. Then he whacks Kuwabara right in his face, propelling him across the arena. He's not fucking around anymore. 

As Kuwabara yells in pain, and then coughs up blood, Byakko makes clear that he's talking about a little after-dinner torture for his own entertainment.  

Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the exercise? 

Byakko stomps over to Kuwabara, and Yusuke yelps that the other boy's aura is basically gone, and he can't fight anymore. He's really CONVINCED Kuwabara's going to die this time, but Kurama says there's one option left for him. It all depends on whether Kuwabara notices in his haze of pain and exhaustion that Byakko hasn't grown at all when he gorged himself last on that scrumptious aura, according to Kurama, who also admits that it might also amount to suicide while being his only shot. Gee, that's encouraging, but coming from the guy who almost traded his life for his mother's health, not all that surprising. 

Meanwhile, Kuwabara is getting knocked into the short wall surrounding the arena, cracking at with the force. Big yikes. BUT, just as Kurama said, Kuwabara is starting to get wise to the fact that Byakko didn't grow after consuming basically what was left of his aura. And he's starting to get ideas about that. He recognizes he's got no time to think about it, though, so he resolves to take the gamble. 

In turn, Byakko has noticed that Kuwabara is mumbling a little to himself, and asks what THAT'S about, tromping over to him to get another hit in. He suggests it might be Kuwabara giving up and going into his swan song, and lunges for the kid with his claws extended, promising not to let all that muttering go to waste. 

But Kuwabara responds to the command to die by yet again manifesting a Reiki Sword with a growl in effort, declaring Byakko is getting everything he's got. Byakko is confused by the renewed effort, apparently. 

Better than doing nothing, I suppose. 

Kuwabara lets out a scream, eyes bulging. The Reiki Sword disappears yet again, and he gurgles, falling forward right onto his face. His team gapes from the sidelines in alarm, beyond shouts of encouragement or dismay. While he burps once more, Byakko chuckles that Kuwabara is crazy, because he just can't fathom why the boy would let him have what was left of his aura. Yusuke calls to Kuwabara in concern, but Byakko is already holding an enormous foot over Kuwabara's head, planning to tenderize him with a few good kicks, starting with his head. 

Yusuke yells at him to stop, threatening to kill him if he doesn't. Kurama restrains him with an outstretched arm, however, asserting that "it" is starting to happen. What is "it" you may ask? Well, Byakko is the one to gurgle this time, his stomach issuing loud, trembling complaints, much to Byakko's confusion. Kuwabara is starting to push himself to his feet, so I guess ALL of his energy isn't gone. Yusuke expresses his elation that Kuwabara isn't out for the count after all, just down for a second. 

Kuwabara taunts Byakko on his gluttony, meanwhile, and how quickly he devoured all that crude, human-flavored aura. Suddenly, Byakko is lifted OFF HIS FEET by the biggest flatulence I have EVER SEEN. 

Are you trying to ABSORB BYAKKO'S FART, Kuwabara????

Although that is NOTHING compared to how difficult it is for me to absorb all of what this single page of three panels has to offer. It's... a lot. 

Byakko is going at such a velocity that he's blurred in the next panel, before he crashes straight through the stone wall of the tower behind him. Yusuke smugly calls this fireworks, and declares this yet another victory in their favor. He then turns to Kuwabara, asking if he's alright. Bruised and bleeding, Kuwabara says he's more or less okay, wincing as he claims to have gotten some of his aura back. Hopefully Byakko's gas doesn't smell as bad as one might fear. Kuwabara adds that he'll be back to normal after a little breather, because he's pretty much used to getting the pain of an ass-kicking. 

Sadly, Kurama draws their attention to something that causes him some distress. It's Byakko emerging from the rubble, looking murderous. Sweatdropping, Yusuke asks if this dude is immortal, before Byakko admits grudgingly that he's impressed at Kuwabara's effective tactics. Of making him into the demon equivalent of a balloon that's been blown up and let go.

Issue all the threats you want, man. All I can see when I look at you is a literal fart at this point. You've pretty much lost all your intimidation factor. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I don't know if I can get over the fact that, for even a moment, I was led to believe that the villain in this one was defeated by his own monstrous flatulence launching him into the stratosphere. That is BANANAS. It also seems so unexpected that the prim and proper KURAMA of all people was the first to conceive of this notion that Kuwabara could over-stuff Byakko into doing himself this hilarious mischief. I suppose even the most mild-mannered polite boys can be prone to try to cut the tension with a well-placed toot.  

It's interesting to think of aura as literal FOOD for Byakko, though it's not so far removed from what Gouki was doing by eating souls. He even mentioned different flavors, and getting indigestion from time to time, so I suppose it shouldn't be THAT shocking to me. Still it's quite another matter having indigestion being a point of weakness in an antagonist, to the point of making me wonder how pure energy is converted into a gaseous explosion to begin with. Since Kuwabara was able to reabsorb some of it in the wake of the Byakko rocket he'd created, maybe it was just a literal overflow that just came out the funny end? Because it's clear there's only SO big Byakko can get, there being a limit to how much he can consume at one time, and there wasn't any time to "digest" between eating that last bit of Kuwabra's aura and his... failed trip to the moon. 

Still I am curious to know how that aura is converted to size, how Byakko can also consume matter like Kuwabara's body as he threatens, whether it DOES anything for him nutritionally. Who knew that a goofy fart joke would raise so very many questions for me?? 

Inuyasha Manga: 336 Gakusanjin

Now that Spooky Month is underway, I'm getting cozy. I've got my cauldron-shaped coffee cup, I've got my witchy knit conical hat and cloak out for business now that there's been a drop in temperature, I've got my blanket with the first page of "Hound of the Baskervilles" printed on it, and I've got a whole stack of scary movies ready for the watching. I've also been learning how to make origami bats, and am planning a couple of other crafts for the season. I've already busted out the decorations, curiously motivated to get the place looking as festive as possible, though normally I'm not much of a homemaker.

It's definitely NOT to keep myself away from the internet and all the horrible fucking news coming from it every single day. Why would you suggest such a thing? 

Welcome to the club, pal. 

Inuyasha shouts up at the mountain monster that he's already said he doesn't know, and that they're looking for Naraku too. Miroku steps forward and references what the mountain monster said about Naraku stealing his "protecting stone", asking what it is. It is at this point that the mountain monster gives his name, Gakusanjin, which I'm told by the wiki means "Mountain Mortal". That "mortal" part of the name strikes me as... foreboding.

Anyway, Gakusanjin says the protecting stone he's referring to allows him to remain and sleep as a mountain, calling it "fuyouheki", or "demon-sealing stone". A storm of new words coming at us today, friends. It's new to Kagura as well, who is apparently floating out of sight of Inuyasha and company, but no doubt this thundering conversation isn't difficult to eavesdrop on from a respectable distance. 

Miroku asks if the stone allows Gakusanjin to rest, and he elaborates that it erases his youki and repels his enemies, protecting him from unnecessary trouble. No need to swat at flies all day when you're just trying to get some shut-eye. 

The significance of this is clearly not lost on these two.

Kagome voices just that significance, that the stone could erase even Naraku's youki in his hands, with just a touch of disbelief. Sango adds her own suggestion that this would effectively hide him from them. Inuyasha shouts up at Gakusanjin a stream of questions, asking what shape the fuyouheki thing is, what color it is, and whether it has a scent. Gakusanjin asks in turn what Inuyasha will do if he has that information, and Inuyasha spells out that they're going to get the stone back for him. This evokes a chuckle from Gakusanjin, who asserts he can't trust words like that, and reminds Inuyasha that he said he didn't know where Naraku was, so he's just an eyesore to the grumpy old hunk of rock.

As he leaps out of the way of this blow, Inuyasha comments on how bad a mood Gakusanjin has on his waking. It's also entirely possible that this is just his personality, so there's that. Anyway, Inuyasha unleashes a Kaze no Kizu, shocking the hell out of Gakusanjin, and causing Kagome and Miroku to shout in alarm. Once the smoke clears from the attack and Inuyasha and Gakusanjin are done regarding each other in suspicion, Inuyasha puts away Tessaiga, bidding his team to walk away from this interaction since it doesn't look to him like they can talk anymore. 

Kagura further notes that it was only the mountain in FRONT of Gakusanjin that was blown away, wondering what in the world that jerk Inuyasha is even up to. As if his notoriously terrible aim isn't still a solid explanation. Gakusanjin asks out loud to this brat why he didn't cut him, even though he should have been cut. Kagome has to restrain him with a nervous smile as Inuyasha turns, asking if Gakusanjin WANTS to be cut, hand at the ready on Tessaiga once again. 

Miroku steps forward again to inform Gakusanjin that Inuyasha didn't cut him because there's no point in them attacking him, because their one and only enemy is Naraku. He promises the living mountain that they'll restore the fuyouheki to him if they come across it while they're going after Naraku, asking if that satisfies him. 

After a pause, Gakusanjin raises a fist, much to the alarm of the still tense ant-like people below. Inuyasha is still ready to draw Tessaiga again, complaining that the bastard Gakusanjin is still spoiling for a fight. 

But ANY movement of a giant can seem threatening at first. 

Sweet, everybody loves a shiny rock. 

Inuyasha makes a confused noise as Gakusanjin says that just one should be enough, and only after Miroku asks what these are exactly does he elaborate that they are his crystalized youki. Holding one in his palm, Miroku acknowledges that he can feel a strong youki coming off it. Gakusanjin says that the youki in the crystal will vanish when they get close to the fuyouheki, and it will appear to return when they get farther away from the stone. No color indicator is mentioned because I can only imagine how difficult that might be to show in a normally black and white comic. 

Sango murmurs that it seems Gakusanjin has decided to trust them, and Miroku agrees, adding that this WILL be helpful in their search for Naraku. Kagome offers Gakusanjin a tentative thank you, but Gakusanjin dismisses them again, indicating he's had quite enough of them. Inuyasha is caught up in wondering why Naraku bothered to steal something like the fuyouheki in the first place, given how difficult it is for them to find Naraku ALREADY. He can't seem to imagine why Naraku might need to hide his youki even more. 

But someone else riding a giant feather on the wind away from the scene can.

Shnooky! I should have known!

Elsewhere, at the mouth of a cave in the side of a rocky cliff, Kanna is cradling just this infant, her mirror sitting propped on some boulders nearby so she can watch the image of Kikyou's two little shikigami flying around. Meanwhile, Kohaku is running at top speed with a couple of escort Saimyoushou leading him along his way. He's acting on orders from Hakudoushi, who apparently just told Kohaku about an order fresh from Naraku to protect Kanna. 

Great! Now I just hope there's not some excuse for you NOT to act accordingly on this very good opportunity.

Kohaku of course recalls that Kagura said Naraku can be killed if the infant is found, information he seems to take entirely for granted. Suddenly, the Saimyoushou are buzzing in his ear and he looks up to see those same shikigami children flying straight over his head. He wears a strangely quizzical look as he lifts his sickle and repeats the insects' order to destroy the flying children, who are still holding the ribboned lock of Kikyou's hair. 

As they float along, a single strand comes loose and starts to unwind the whole bundle, and the one holding it (with the ponytail) comments dryly on this fact. The other one (pigtails), says this indicates that something is nearby, just before they are flanked by a swarm of Saimyoushou. Kohaku's sickle also soars up to meet them. 

Graphic child death? Not as graphic as it might seem. The still puzzled-looking Kohaku watches the paper dolls that really represent the two shikigami flutter down through the air, two cuts in their middles to indicate where Kohaku had sliced them. Before he can think on this much, an attack explodes the ground at his feet and he has to leap out of the way. 

The paper dolls dive out of the air in a certain direction, not being directed by air currents at all, and into a hand held up to them with a familiar bell sleeve. Kikyou and Kohaku stare each other down, her arrow embedded in the ground between them. She begins to vocalize just what Kohaku must be to Naraku, while he stands there in silent confused nervousness. 

Elsewhere, Kagome declares she senses a Shikon shard. 

Always love it when RT busts out the paints. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It's a small detail, but the idea of crystallized youki is quite useful for the upcoming arc, and I think it was a phenomenal device to help the Inuyasha group get around Naraku's new setup. I can't help but marvel at how simple it is, and how much it can do for the plot despite that. One of RT's strengths is stuff like this, that puts forward a straightforward yet elegant answer to a villain's much more complex machinations, because there's always room for a loophole somewhere no matter how careful those plans are. It's this consideration and construction of those little loopholes that makes RT writing herself into a corner a rarer occurrence than with some other storytellers in this medium. It happens, but stuff like this keeps it to a minimum. 

And, let's face it, it would be just a LITTLE funny if Naraku went so far in the name of security for his little hellspawn that it ended up making Shnooky even EASIER to find. I mean, between Kagura overhearing that perfect distillation of why Naraku might find the fuyouheki appealing (all because it's awfully difficult NOT to notice a mountain moving around), and Kohaku being ordered straight to the infant's side to protect it, he's liable to accomplish the exact opposite of his assumed purpose. Of course, the use of the term "assumed" is very purposeful here.  

It was kind of sad how confused Gakusanjin was about the fact that Inuyasha didn't follow through on a fight with him. It's clear that he's been sleeping for so long because he was tired of constant fighting, and his immediate assumption upon waking was that anyone he crossed paths with was going to pick a fight with him. What must his existence have been like back when he was awake before, if his worldview is narrowed to one of pure violence? Frankly, if it was THAT bad, I don't blame him for wanting to sleep away the millennia, poor guy. 

The color page at the end was something of a surprise, considering how little action there was to highlight there. It's a shame that lovely paint couldn't have been used to enhance a more dynamic scene.