YuYu Hakusho Manga: 061 Top Eight Line-Up!!

Since I moved into my house, I've had a bunch of ideas in my head about what I wanted to do with it to make it more MINE, but lacked the clarity of vision to actually get them done. Finally, after a lot of thinking, planning, prioritizing, and SAVING, I've gotten started. The first thing I've decided is that I need my office to be a bit more private. There was a big open frame that didn't really keep the space separate from the living room and kitchen beyond, and I wanted a door in there. But not just any door.

Yeah, I went all out and had a hidden bookcase door installed! On the right side third shelf, there is a book latch that you pull out to open the door, and my office is just beyond. It's more practical than you might assume, because it's providing us with SO much more shelf space - we were running out, and our favorite books were really overflowing from our existing bookcases. I just figured, why not kill two birds with one stone and combine new shelves and a door? 

As for the giant window that you can just see the edge of in the picture, I've hung a wool blanket from a native artist over it, but I'm not sure what else to do with it yet. I'll find inspiration somewhere, I'm sure.

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the big tournament with all this home improvement excitement. I'm informed by the first panel of the chapter that it's Day Two, and Yusuke's team is off doing their own thing because they're not fighting at the moment. 

This guy sure was though. Yikes. 

There's a dude on the losing team with some branching growths out of his head that resemble twiggy antlers, except that there are more than just a pair. He's expressing relief that the match ended at 3-0 before he had to compete, because he seems to have concluded that he wouldn't have stood a single chance. His head snaps backward, a blurred limb smacking him hard enough to send what looks like a tooth flying. 

I don't know, even if I were a minotaur, I would think twice about challenging a guy with THAT chin on him.

But the minotaur MOOs and charges the opposite team, yelling at them to "very much die". A stunning vocabulary. A guy with shaggy, fair hair twirls what looks like halos around his wrists and fingers, declaring the attack he's going to use with them "Angel Chakram". The other guy from before with the forehead scar says his attack is "Hound Claw". Yet another dude with a dark ponytail and mustache remains silent as he snaps his fingers. 

The minotaur punches, but the kid with the halos jumps up behind him and slashes his left arm clean off with the one in his hand. The second guy punches right through the other arm, eliciting a scream from the minotaur. Then, as the minotaur is bleeding through both stumps of his arms and teetering in disbelief and shock, he's approached by the guy with the ponytail, who starts to gesture rapidly. 

Your team sure isn't looking all that thrilled about it, chin-guy.

Kurama is standing on a walkway ringing the stands and arena below, identifying three human auras in that team. I'm sure it's not a surprise which three are the humans. He looks thoughtful, arms crossed, as he questions why ANOTHER team would use humans. He ends up betting that those guys are NOT here of their own free will, and looks downcast, melancholy at this personal conclusion. 

Meanwhile, someone's telling Keiko something doesn't make sense - it's Botan, both she and Keiko sitting facing one another on a BIG hotel bed, big enough for them to be separated by a fair amount. Despite both girls wearing PJs, the bed looks professionally made and unrumpled. Botan elaborates that the thing she doesn't get is why Keiko hasn't gone to see Yusuke, since she said she was going to clobber the guy. After a heavy pause, head hanging, Keiko says she doesn't want to interfere. Botan protests that Keiko's presence couldn't be a distraction, and it could only INSPIRE Yusuke, but she looks on with pity as Keiko says that if she sees Yusuke, she might tell him to stop. With a sad little smile, she points out that Yusuke looks actually HAPPY in his element, not at all like that angry and sullen young man he was a short time ago. 

Is Botan gonna tell her that this is the same guy who almost accepted his death without complaint at the beginning of this because he didn't think anyone would miss him and he had no future?

Botan DOES look sad as she says Keiko's name, but before she can press the issue or say anything more, a clearly intoxicated Atsuko pops up and says Keiko is sweetly standing by her man and she reminds her of herself. I'd like to hear THAT story. Usual cigarette hanging from her lips, Shizuru appears to be a bit tipsy too, and to have thrown an arm around Botan as she tells her to go ahead and drink up because she'll allow it just this once, in a very intimate FLIRTY kind of way. ShizuruXBotan? I'd be WAY more down with that than what we got in the ANIME for Shizuru, that's for sure. 

There's a call to drink to the victory of Team Urameshi, but Shizuru darkly says her brother had BETTER win his next match, or ELSE. Yikes. 

Elsewhere, in a copse of trees, a sneeze rings out. It seems to have come from an irate Kuwabara, whose nose drips as he angrily asks Yusuke what he means that his Reigun is kaput. Face all bandaged up, Yusuke looks critically at his forefinger, saying that it seems to be the case. Kuwabara dismisses this, as though he wasn't JUST freaking out about it a moment ago, saying Yusuke is just beat from yesterday. He tells Yusuke that his own body hurts all over, though it's not as bad as it had been before. But Yusuke denies that's the case for him, admitting that though he was pretty exhausted after firing four shots in one day during training, and his Reigun didn't have much oomph, but he's unable to summon ANY aura now. Kuwabara looks serious as he says that this isn't good, and Yusuke expresses some curiosity as to WHY this happened to begin with. 

A voice from behind him says that it's because that split-second decision he made sucked him dry. 

... So time to load up on calories? 

Yusuke and Kuwabara stare at their "mystery" teammate for a moment, and then lean in to have a whispered conference nose to nose. At least, I ASSUME it's whispered, even though YT used THOUGHT bubbles rather than speech bubbles. You see, Kuwabara admits he had thought the masked teammate was Genkai, but her voice is WAY too young to be hers, and demands to know who this actually is. Yusuke echoes Kuwabara's confusion, because he TOO had assumed it was Genkai, but now he's not sure what to think. You guys are SO SIMPLE. 

The "mystery" teammate glares at them a moment, then continues her stroll, advising Yusuke not to use his Reigun until he's fully recovered, or he'll ruin his arm, much like someone ELSE they know. 

Oh buddy, you done fucked up REAL bad. 

Back in the arena, Koto is announcing the fourth match of the day, and the final preliminary round, which seems to get Kurama's very uneasy attention. The winner of this one will fill the final slot in the top eight, and then lots will be drawn for the final order of battle. Of course, the winners of the previous tournament are given a special welcome by Koto, Team Toguro represented by the junior brother in his placid expression and sunglasses himself. 

Surely that assessment doesn't include your brother? 

One of the guys holding a long weapon expresses some disbelief, and the big one in the back with the axe asks if Toguro wants to go five-on-one. Toguro responds that they could do that OR make it a process of elimination, it doesn't much matter to him. Laughter erupts, and the general impression that Toguro's one tournament win has gone to his head goes around the arena. It's agreed that the match will be five-on-one, with the supposition that this is quite a risible development. Koto asks Toguro if he's sure about this, and he says he's pretty sure, asking her to stay sharp as well. No doubt so she can report accurately on how he smears these guys across the platform. At least that's what I'm assuming he means. 

Koto announces the beginning of the match, and the spike-collared one with the hammer raises his weapon over his head with a roar. Toguro says that he respects this guy's courage, promising to give him 45%. Wow, almost HALF, nothing to scoff at. He bulks up, then, with a splatter of blood, he not only punches through the hammer-guy's torso, but he also SOMEHOW takes out the head of the guy that was lurking behind him. Then he turns to the guy with the axe and smirks, saying that this isn't a great day for the big guys. 

Wait, how did this dude even suggest the five-on-one match if his mouth is all sewn shut?

The other two on the team are slaughtered quickly off-panel, and Toguro with his frown and bloody fist is declared the winner, his team to fill the eighth slot. A stony-faced Kurama thinks on how amazing that kind of power is. 

Info boxes tell us that the final eight teams congregate and start preparing for their upcoming matches, which are to be determined by "fair lottery". The quotation marks aren't my addition, they are in the text, which suggests that there's something LESS than fair about the lottery. Yusuke reads off a piece of paper that they're up against Team Toguro, and Kuwabara grimaces at that paper over his shoulder. He says he's not the least surprised, quite convinced already that the lottery was rigged, or he's a snow macaque. Either way, he's in danger of being CULLED. 

Uuuuhhhhh, can Yusuke not read this tournament tree? It shows they're going to fight Team Ichigaki. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? There's quite a bit going on in this chapter, and everyone seems to have their own lurking insecurities. The only ones who aren't expressing any sort of SPECIFIC issues are Kurama and the masked teammate, but that doesn't mean there's nothing going on with them. Kurama is looking pretty impressed with the competition, but not THRILLED to have to face them. As for our mystery teammate, her voice makes her identity far less assured for Yusuke and Kuwabara. I guess they must have been pretending not to have their ideas about who she was this whole time, because they seem genuinely shocked that it's not Genkai's usual voice coming out of the mask.

Yusuke and Hiei appear to be in a real pickle with their conditions; both of them are going to have to hope for not only a delayed match, but also that their less-to-uninjured teammates are able to stretch as long as possible until at least Yusuke can fully recover. Hiei's situation seems to be much more dire, given that the current prognosis is permanent damage. I still have my doubts that this is actually the case, but for now, it does beg the question how he's going to proceed in the tournament with a bum arm. Hopefully he's got something else up his OTHER sleeve. 

Keiko's resignation to let Yusuke just DO this with no pushback is... a little bizarre to me. Granted, her protests, in the form of beatings or lectures alike, wouldn't make one iota of difference. The fact of the matter is that Yusuke doesn't have a choice, having been in too deep the moment that Toguro decided he was going to "invite" him to the tournament. But Keiko doesn't know that. She knows NOTHING, as usual, and I feel like she should have gotten the opportunity to learn all this through her confrontation with Yusuke. That would seem a bit more organic than Keiko just kind of shrugging and citing how happy Yusuke seems when he's getting the shit knocked out of him. 

I ASSUME that the tournament tree is mistranslated in the last panel, because in it, Team Urameshi and Team Toguro are about as far away from each other as POSSIBLE. I mean, I know Yusuke isn't the most intellectual of guys, but he didn't strike me as downright ILLITERATE!

Inuyasha Manga: 360 Memories of Father

My memories of my father are largely good - he's a fun-loving guy who is always looking out for opportunities at entertainment. When I was growing up, he had his own auto repair shop, because cars are just something he seems to intrinsically understand. If I'm not remembering spending my Fridays in that dusty, dirty shop (until we moved to the city, my rural school operated Monday-Thursday from 8am to 4pm with the notion that kids would be helping their parents with their rural work on Fridays), I'm recalling him racing dirt bikes and making funny voices and flatulent noises with his mouth. Now that he's on the older side, he's not racing those bikes anymore, but he still enjoys his street bikes and general outings to festivals and the like. Super chill guy, for the most part, so I try to remember HIM when I need to calm the fuck down all my compounding anxieties. 

Ah, the same old travel configuration.

Kagome confirms that she can sense a Shikon shard, and deduces that Kohaku is nearby. Inuyasha says that it's not just Kohaku, but a couple of other humans he can smell ahead too. Oh, so his nose has dropped its weird bias from the last chapter then? Miroku asks aloud if Kohaku is with someone else, while Sango remains silent and surly. A drop of sweat on her forehead. No doubt she's concerned about a repeat performance of the castle, even if on a smaller scale.

A narrow sky transition panel brings us back to the small house, where Kohaku and Daichi's dad are still sound asleep under their common bedclothes, the space Daichi left separating them. A close-up of Kohaku's sleeping face, brows a little drawn down, indicates the next panel is from inside his dream. A man is looking over his shoulder and shouting that someone got hurt because they weren't paying attention, and demanding they go away, because they're in the way. 

Not a very patient man, is he?

He's striding toward them in the next panel, Sango identifying him over her shoulder with a mild statement of fact. Stepping up into the room, their father asks brusquely how Kohaku's injury is, and Sango informs him it's only a graze. He sternly takes Kohaku's bandaged arm into his hands and briefly examines it, stiff and detached as he says that's good. Classic embarrassment from losing one's cool a moment ago.

Sango is somewhat brazen when she tells her father that he doesn't have to HIDE coming to see his son. He responds that he has to set an example in front of the others. An example of authoritative parenting, I guess? He looks at Kohaku and asks if he understands, clarifying that he doesn't hate him and he's not angry with him. Smiling, Kohaku affirms that he gets it. 

In the present, a voice in the darkness asks what's wrong, if he can't sleep. Kohaku looks over to where Daichi's dad is leaning his chin on the heel of his hand, propped on an elbow. Even though he didn't get and answer to his previous questions, he follows up with another about whether his wound hurts. Before an actual conversation can be had, Daichi's dad hums as he perceives a shadow passes into the room. Now he's asking his son what's wrong, because Daichi's standing there at their feet, his sickle raised. 

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that thing over his eye is what's wrong. 

Gaping in alarm, Kohaku lunges forward, knocking back an attempted blow on the dad by the possessed Daichi. As Daichi teeters backward, Kohaku silently identifies the possession issue, barking at Daichi's dad to stay back when the man calls to his son in confusion, leaning forward. 

Daichi leaps forward for another attack, but is intercepted by Kohaku again, sickle against sickle. Kohaku pushes Daichi back and over, swiping the possessed boy's weapon out of his hand with his own, and taking it firmly in hand so it can't be snatched back, at least not easily. Daichi lays on the straw strewn floor, wide eyes staring out blindly, and his father hurries toward him with a horrified shout. He leans over the boy and stares at that strange pattern around his left eye, though Kohaku tries to warn him about Daichi's ongoing condition. 

Apparently, a cleaver has been just left on the floor, conveniently in reach of the youkai controlling Daichi. 

That'll teach you to leave sharp implements lying around!

A horrible memory flashes before Kohaku: his father and others beheaded and stabbed by his own sickle, blood flying. Tears spring into his wide eyes, a too-late scream to his father locked in his head. 

Meanwhile, Daichi's dad has fallen back, hand hovering over his wound, stuttering his son's name. It seems to be all he can say, really. The youkai possessing Daichi raises the cleaver again. Kohaku comes out of his PTSD flashback just in time to stammer a command to stop and leap forward to intercept the blow once again. 

Daichi's dad haltingly asks WHY his son is doing this, and Kohaku twists to shout at him that Daichi is just being controlled. Again, he remembers throwing his own sickle into his father's throat, but Daichi is looking blankly up at him and he manages to keep his focus on the current question at hand, asking himself what he can possibly do to drive the youkai from the boy's body. 

Me when I'm fleeing the scene of my extremely cringe behavior. 

Certain that this is the youkai trying to flee the scene, he throws the weighted end of his sickle and chain, and it wraps around the boy's ankle, yanking him back to the ground. Before the possessed Daichi can get back up to either run or attack again, Kohaku straddles him to hold him in place. But his sickle is still held up and visible, to the Inuyasha group bursting onto the scene from the trees. Sango sees Kohaku holding a boy down with his sickle raised and understandably calls out to him in panic. Kohaku looks up at her, identifying her in his head but uttering no more than a noise of surprise in reply. 

What's more, Sango looks beyond Kohaku and Daichi to just outside the house, from which Daichi's dad has sat himself, his arm still bleeding. Sango turns a heated glare back onto Kohaku, starting to accuse him of causing the injury, and though Kohaku WANTS to tell her she's wrong, he doesn't actually articulate himself. 

Sango swings Hiraikotsu from across her chest, demanding Kohaku let go of the boy, and Kohaku jumps back out of the giant boomerang's way with a grunt, off of Daichi. 

Not SO angry that she continues to attack Kohaku, Sango asks him if this is another commend from Naraku. Uh, my good miss, why would Naraku order Kohaku to attack a couple of random people on the side of a mountain? Kohaku remains silent, still playing the mute puppet. 

Dammit, right on his existing bite!

Sango gapes in disbelief, Kagome calling out to her about the child and Miroku finishes her trailing statement that the child is possessed by the Hitoukon. Daichi jerks upward into the air, his father crawling forward, yelling after him. He calls to the strangers around him to please save his son. When Inuyasha lurches forward after Daichi, Shippou asks from Kagome's shoulder what's going on, but Inuyasha just answers with a scoff. He says that they should just try to grab the brat, and he'll drag the youkai out of the little shit himself. Inuyasha appears to be closing in on Daichi anyway, but Sango urges him not to get violent from Kirara's back, warning that he won't be able to extract the Hitoukon by force. 

This puts Kohaku in the mind that his sister knows how to get rid of the youkai.

I mean, does it LOOK like the guy is doing alright? 

Suddenly, Kohaku declares that he's going to save Daichi, running off himself. Kagome is shocked, in disbelief over Kohaku actually seeming to express an autonomous thought. 

Girl, are you STILL blaming Kohaku??

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The way Daichi moves under possession is exactly the same as a victim of Yura would have allllll the way at the beginning of this manga, but as nice as the reminder is, I'm not much of a fan. It made sense with Yura, what with the way she used her hair as strings to pull and yank limbs like puppetry. The theme of this hitoukon youkai is WAY off of that kind of movement, so it doesn't make any sense. I understand Daichi has to move in that way to make him more difficult to catch, but it's really awkward when the idea at the base of this is grass roots rather than something that could more easily and believably be used as puppet strings.

That aside, I feel like Kohaku's PTSD and his guilt around the memories surrounding his father are deep and sincere in their portrayal. It was to be expected that he might start seeing some parallels when Daichi injured his father, but his reminiscences start long before that moment. The young boy carrying a sickle just like himself and his father seem to have struck a chord, even though they don't seem to resemble each other in personality much. Given Kohaku's memory of his father being rather harsh with him for appearance's sake only to apologize later, Daichi's father seems much more laid back and chill in comparison. Regardless, it's only natural that Kohaku would think back on his own interactions with his father while he's accepting the hospitality of a father and son. It is, after all, one of Kohaku's defining characteristics lately that he committed patricide under some unique circumstances that he's still trying to work through mentally. ANY father and son would do the trick, but there's got to be something about hanging out with them and even sleeping next to them that would trigger a few sensitive memories.

It's sad to me that her suspicions of Kohaku run so deep at this point that she can't even feel proper relief when it's clear he's not to blame for a particular tragedy in the works. I understand WHY, mind you - it's still an open question to her why Kohaku would be here in the first place, so she can't know for sure if he's in some way responsible, and I suppose in a certain way he IS. But it shows just how little faith she has now that he might at some time be coaxed back from Naraku's influence that she moves from shock that he's actually fighting off an attack rather than the attacker straight to thinking that he and Naraku are probably the cause of this whole mess to begin with. Won't even allow herself the slightest HOPE that Kohaku is innocent this time.

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 060 Knife-Edge Sudden Death!!

It's always been a little funny to me that the term "sudden death" in sports has neither been particularly sudden, nor involved actual death. The one in this chapter might just be the first time I've seen the second part of the phrase fulfilled, though. As for the former part, I very much doubt any of this will be sudden. Knife wounds are kind of notorious for being a slow and painful way to die, and even when more vital areas are targeted, expiration can take a minute or two. Faster depending on where a competitor gets hit, sure. Sudden, no. 

Thanks for reiterating the title, Chu. I knew I could count on you.

Instead of giving Yusuke a knife, Chu stabs it straight into the platform below, them turns and does the same with the other one a short distance away. Observing this, Kuwabara wonders aloud what the guy is up to. Chu instructs Yusuke to take his shoes off and put his right heel against one of the knife edges. When Chu does the same, THIS is the result:

I don't LOVE the look of that. 

Chu tells Yusuke that they are now at the border of life and death, and the only rule is to stay within those bounds, the one who falls outside of them paying with their life. Sounds like the only difference between this and the whole tournament in general is just the smaller amount of space. Chu defers to Koto to give the signal for them to begin, and she hesitantly accepts, no doubt wondering how this dude ended up telling her how to do her JOB. 

Yusuke and Chu are smiling at one another, neither looking the least worried or uncomfortable. They appear to BOTH be in their element. Chu clenches a fist all the tighter, reiterating that this is a brawl of sheer physical strength, and he who beats the shit out of the other wins. I really don't think it's complicated enough to need multiple explanations, man. Either fight or make out already!

The next two pages are dedicated to presenting the results of a character popularity contest with little chibi representations of the characters involved - Hiei was the winner. That's not so surprising, but I'm rather surprised at Suzaku getting sixth place over Koenma and Keiko. WTF fans? Suzaku shouldn't have even been on the list, but if he was, HE should have gotten the honorable mention instead of the Toguro brothers. I mean he was several places ahead of the TOGURO BROTHERS. 

There's no accounting for taste, I guess. 

Rinku is super excited, chirping that Chu is unbeaten in knife-edge sudden death, having a surefire edge in hand-to-hand combat. Which, you know, DUH. Kuwabara is clenching his jaw and fists, but remains uncharacteristically silent, Kurama looking worried on his left, and Hiei downcast on his right. Strangely, in the stands, Atsuko is grinning in anticipation, saying that this reminds her of her SALAD days. Uhhhhh, what the FUCK does that mean??? And ma'am, that's your SON down there. Keiko is smiling nervously at her, sweating bullets in response. 

Koenma glares in silence, the "mystery" team member remains as mysterious and quiet as well. The sponsor of Chu's team nervously calls for him to nail Yusuke, since he's got a lot riding on this match, while Sakyo smokes placidly next to him. A couple of shadowed silhouettes hang out in a doorway, ones I'm not sure I'm supposed to recognize. 

Koto calls for Chu and Yusuke to begin. 

Well, at least I don't need a lot of explanation for THIS. 

Chu punches Yusuke squarely in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. His heel presses into the blade behind it and spurts blood. Chu roars and swings again, but Yusuke ducks out of the way.

This brawl turns into a clouds of blurs, cracks and whacks issuing from them. Off the edge of the platform, Kuwabara watches with teeth grinding with tension, mumbling his horror as the insistent sounds of fists connecting with flesh stream from the scene. He laments that they just keep on pounding in their absolute insanity. Hiei silently disagrees, thinking that both competitors are just waiting for an opening. He estimates the ending will be quick. 

Another roar from Chu as he punches Yusuke across the face. Yusuke wobbles backward, teetering on the edge of collapse, his heel spurting yet more blood as it drives farther onto the blade. Kuwabara cries out in protest against this turn, while Chu throws his head back and announces that opening Hiei had suggested. He rams his head down toward Yusuke with a yell for him to take this, and Rinku identifies this as Chu's signature head-butt in excitement, convinced this will end the match. 

Yusuke freezes, watching Chu's face close in on his own, grimacing for impact. 

That guy wasn't even CLOSE to being this much of a meathead. 

Yusuke and Chu remain like that for one heartstopping moment, all onlookers looking various degrees of tense while they wait to see if the battle will continue or one of them will fall. The two competitors glare at one another, but Yusuke's expression looks vastly more ALERT than Chu's. Chu starts to tip over.

Given the cracks spreading out from Chu's forehead, I'd say it's a safe bet that he's down for the count. 

Kuwabara almost looks disgusted as he wonders aloud if Yusuke really LIVED through that. Yusuke is not just alive, but grinning, telling the unconscious Chu that he forgot humans INVENTED the head-butt. Uhhhh, did they? Are we certain about this claim you've pulled straight from your ass, Yusuke? 

Koto dutifully counts out the seconds Chu has been down, and when she reaches eight, Chu's fist clenches. He's still down when she calls out a ten, though, and declares Urameshi the winner of the match. She also announces his team the winner overall, with a score of 3-1. Kuwabara lets out an aggressive celebratory shout, shaming anyone in the audience who might have thought their team would fold at the start, as if HIS wasn't that match at the beginning that might have given the crowd a false impression of weakness. The rest of the team remains silent, much more dignified, but also strangely tense. 

Rinku runs to Chu's side, calling to him, only to remark that he's out like a light. He puzzles over his unconscious teammate, claiming Chu's head is hard as a rock, and wondering aloud how a mortal's skull could knock him out. 

Not trying to yuck your yum, buddy, but... what the fuck? Rinku stutters in the affirmative, thinking that the "combat junkie" label Koto slapped on this guy doesn't BEGIN to cover it - Yusuke defies description according to this kid. 

Meanwhile, the crowd is PISSED. They're characterizing the Jolly Devil Six as bums who were all talk, angry that they had the audience rooting for them. Are these demonic dudes seriously being Tyra Banks right now??

Awkward.

The stadium is buzzing with angry shouts from demanding blood to a refund. With a disgusted look, Kuwabara calls these fickle, fair-weather demon hordes, but Rinku seems to be taking it in stride, saying they should let these cowards who haven't got the nuts to fight themselves vent. This kid is pretty based. 

Not sure about that reaction, though. 

Surrounded by his surly, mute team, Yusuke yells at the crowd that if they want a piece of any of them, they can come on down. He promises to knock every one of their heads in, one-by-one, asking who's first. Kuwabara amends this promise to include the REST of them, but otherwise remains stoic, which is somewhat out of character for him, lol. Though there are grumbles, no one from the stands takes up this generous offer. Rinku seems in awe of this human, Urameshi, the barely conscious Chu whose arm he's holding stares into nothing. 

It's not long before the humans down in the arena are advised not to get cocky, and save their ferocity for the next round. This coming from the cowardly crowd is truly hilarious. The unfamiliar silhouettes in one of the tunnels leading to the stands are watching the commotion. One of them tells his companion, Karasu, that the braggart screaming at the audience is Yusuke Urameshi and they'll be facing him before long. Karasu asks if that's so, and it seems to him...

Ohhhhhhh, it's the Toguros! Don't know about this guy with the mask and tiny glasses, though. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? There's really not a LOT to say here. Yusuke and Chu's battle narrowed down to just regular fisticuffs, and that doesn't present us with new information about them. We already knew that Yusuke was a bit of a nut for fighting, and it was absolutely something one could infer about Chu based on his bar-brawler affect. I will say that it seems like Yusuke is really energetic here despite draining his aura in the first fight he's done for the tournament, but that's probably just because he had that LONG nap beforehand. Refreshed and ready to go!

I suppose it was a good introduction to the new character up in the last panel, and any new readers who might be happening upon this comic late. The scene where the team was all assembled in one place again was fair too. I imagine these mangaka get pretty decent at reiterating basic biographical and plot information in new ways as time goes on, just enough to keep anyone jumping in at odd times. An interesting skill, to be sure. 

Those demonic spectators don't seem as indiscriminate about their gore as they looked at first. Here I was thinking that they would be gunning for any and all killing, but the FOUR deaths on the Jolly Devils' side isn't satisfying to them at all! Interesting that they were so disappointed that it wasn't the humans in particular splattered all over the ring. 

Inuyasha Manga: 359 Hitoukon

Apparently, this chapter title means "Roots", which I hope is someone's name or SOME kind of proper noun. I've never been much of a fan of scanlators keeping random words untranslated, especially when it comes from a language that is not based in the same writing system as the target language. I mean, you took the time to convert the kanji/kana characters into the alphabet, it would be the same amount of work to go the rest of the way and just translate the word. Even when I was learning Japanese for a while, I didn't appreciate this, because it certainly didn't help me learn. It just seems like a flex on the people reading. An extremely SHALLOW flex. 

To be fair, "Root" would be a pretty cute name for a dog. Even a giant wild mountain dog. 

Inuyasha and company are listening silently to the claim that this was definitely some youkai, wearing serious expressions. Afterward, while Inuyasha is on his hands and knees sniffing the ground in the forest, Miroku admits that this probably has nothing to do with Naraku, but he doesn't want to pass it by. Kagome asks Inuyasha how his olfactory investigation is going, and he responds with a hesitant question of whether this is really a youkai whose trail he's following. Miroku makes a surprised noise, and Sango asks what he means. He turns to inform them that there's no smell here except that of a mountain dog. 

A narrow sky transition panel takes us to a village, probably a different one than that which engaged the Inuyasha Crew's assistance. A man in a high lookout post rings an alarm bell, yelling that a mountain dog has come. A mother lunges for her children playing outside, urging to hurry and come indoors, but she only just embraces them when she twists around at an alarming growling sound behind her. 

Holy FUCKING shit! Is THAT what they mean by a mountain dog???

We get a close-up on that branching scar-like thing around this giant dog's eye. Then it suddenly drops the corpse of the woman in its mouth as it lunges for the other woman and her children, who hunches down over the kids to try and protect them from the oncoming threat. Clearly this attack ISN'T just because it's hungry.

A weight on the end of a chain flies straight forward, embedding right in the dog's eye surrounded by that strange scar, before it can reach the mother and children. As you may have seen coming, the other end of that weighted chain, a sickle, soars toward the dog next, a familiar black-clad boy directing it from the chain's center. The sickle slices straight through the dog's neck as it roars, which is pretty impressive, considering how much smaller the tool is than the animal. I really don't know HOW that would be possible without a bigger blade and a lot more force.

But okay, more unbelievable things have happened in this comic, so what the hell. 

Kohaku walks forward silently, saying nothing in response to the mother's stuttered gratitude. She then screams when the severed head of the dog shudders all on its own. It catapults in the air, rocketing off into the distance. Kohaku curses and runs after it, into the forest, keeping his sickle-chain at the ready as he looks around cautiously through the trees. 

Great, he's got the poor kid farming for XP. 

Kohaku twists around at the sound of something coming at him from behind. The head of the dog's head chomps down on Kohaku's arm before the boy can react, but he's able to pull his bleeding limb from the front teeth's tenuous grip, crashing to the ground. Again the head flies for him, but he's prepared this time, once more slicing straight through the offending skull. It once more lands in the dirt, and this time the scar around the eye starts writhing, bubbling up out of the dog's flesh. A strange, branching entity rises up out of the head and flies to escape. 

It really does look like a bunch of tree roots, huh?

Kohaku watches with mouth agape as this creature splashes into the river and starts swimming upstream like a spawning salmon. He runs after it along the back of the river, thinking it's trying to escape him into the mountains. 

Back in the village where he left the headless giant dog, Inuyasha and company have arrived, asking the villagers who did this as they're tying ropes around the dog's body to drag it away. As if Inuyasha couldn't SMELL Kohaku there. Haltingly, one of the men says that it was just a kid, but he says that he had the same style of clothes as Sango, indicating her. She looks taken aback while another man asks if this was a friend of hers. Kagome and Shippou gape, the former immediately wondering if it's Kohaku. DUH, girl. 

Another interesting question: why was Inuyasha pretending not to know it was Kohaku? Weird. 

Cut to the woods where Kohaku is picking through felled trees and branches, having lost the trail of the creature. A noise off-panel alarms him yet again, and he automatically throws his sickle toward the source, which he didn't realize at first is a boy with his own sickle staring with mouth wide open up the hill at him. Alarmed, Kohaku pulls back on the chain in a hurry, re-routing the path of his sickle upward where it slices through a low hanging branch. The kid continues to gape at all this like a fish, until someone calls to him, calling him Daichi. A man with a bundle of twigs tied to his back comes onto the scene, Daichi identifying him as his dad, and he peers at an awkward and silent Kohaku. 

You could say that, though Kohaku doesn't even offer that kind of vague answer as Daichi's smiling father finishes tying the bandage around Kohaku's arm. He does give his thanks, though, while he thinks hard about how he MIGHT still find that weird root-like youkai. He's on his feet and halfway out the door to do just that when he turns and thanks the father and son again, informing them he's on his way now. Daichi's dad seems confused by this, and sets his hands on Kohaku's shoulders, bidding him to wait, because night will be falling soon. He invites Kohaku to stay in their home for the night, Daichi affirming from the fire in the center of the hut that this is a good idea. Sleepover! Kohaku doesn't answer straightaway, looking hesitant. What's wrong, kid? You in some kind of hurry?

A narrow sky transition panel takes us back to the giant dog head lying there where Kohaku left it, still showing signs of where the branching youkai hung out around its eye. Inuyasha has led the group to the spot, where Miroku observes that this creature was finished off here, but Inuyasha says he just DOESN'T get what Kohaku is supposed to be doing here. It just looks like regular youkai extermination to him. Even though earlier he claimed that the dog just smelled like a regular dog and NOT a youkai before. 

Thankfully, Sango is about to address that very angle, kneeling next to the head as Inuyasha asks her what's up.

Finally, a professional assessment of what actually matters.

Sango suggests that the youkai she's talking about is probably a "hitoukon", informing Kagome that it's a grass root youkai when she asks about it. Damn, there are youkai of LITERALLY EVERYTHING, aren't there? Sango says they have possessed animals and humans, and they primarily feed on human blood. No shortage of carnivorous plants for us here.

In the little father and son's home, Kohaku's clothes are being scrutinized for how odd they are. Hey, some of us are eccentric dressers, deal with it. The two hosts and guest sit eating around a big bowl of what looks to be stew, cozy as can be. Daichi's dad asks if Kohaku does some sort of side-show, which seems a little rude, but Daichi himself gushes about how great Kohaku's sickle chain is, inquiring about who taught him how to wield it. After a short pause, Kohaku bashfully claims not to remember, though in his head he credits his father and everyone in his village. 

Later, the moon has risen high in the sky, and the three of them lay sleeping under the same cover. Daichi sits up, rubbing his eye sleepily, and goes outside to answer nature's call. The branches above the tree trunk he's watering rustle, and he looks up in alarm. 

Seriously? You're going to ambush a guy while he's taking a piss? That's even more rude than the dad was before!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I'm glad that there seems to be a reason for leaving the word "roots" untranslated in the title! But I found this one a little weird, due to the number of questions that kept popping up and breaking my immersion. Inuyasha seems genuinely surprised that Kohaku is behind the beheaded dog, despite using his nose to lead his team straight to it. RT has forgotten Inuyasha has a super-smeller before, but I can't quite recall a time when she forgot in the SAME chapter where he's actively using it. That's really awkward, and doesn't indicate how well she's managing her story and team. 

In addition, she seems to be running out of innocuous stuff to turn into youkai, and this is her most awkward idea yet, I have to say. Not that I think it's necessarily a terrible idea in and of itself, because I think there's a way to turn something as unthreatening as a grass root into something terrifying, but I don't necessarily think it was pulled off here. It comes across as more goofy than anything else, even in the final two panels of active possession, which were the spookiest by far. The giant dog it was possessing was frightening enough by itself without being possessed by... grass. 

That was another oddity that kept probing at my brain: it was an AFULLY big dog, bigger than all the humans, but there's no indication that it grew or was considered abnormal in size at all, nor did it return to a more normal size once the parasite youkai was gone. Am I meant to believe that these giant mountain dogs are THAT fucking huge?? Absolutely wild.

One thing that I'm digging about this chapter is Kohaku getting a little positive socialization in. Daichi and his dad seem genuinely kind, patching him up, letting him stay with them for the night, feeding him. It was so touching that there was no doubt it would turn sour, and in such a way as to further convince Kohaku that he's unfit for human companionship. He'll blame himself and his being there for Daichi's possession, and get away from them as fast as possible to relieve them of the general tragedy he brings to these happy situations. Though Naraku's commands to him don't have a THING to do with this particular incident, he is out on Naraku's orders, chasing the very youkai that is possessing Daichi, which will be enough of a link to trigger his perpetual guilt around the horrible things happening to people he comes to care about. 

The quality of these scanlations are quite fuzzy, and I think it's likely to be their condition from now on. I believe I've entered the point in my downloads where I was grabbing the translated files back when they were first coming out, and they were being hastily scanned and sloppily posted to satisfy a rabid fanbase. Apologies for that - they're at least readable for the time being. Hopefully they stay that way, even if they aren't as pretty as some of the previous pictures!

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 059 A Close Game!!

My husband and I had one of those recently. He's on a racing game kick and downloaded a few to play, so I was helping him test them out, even though I haven't played one of those in a while. It's hard for me to play the competitive games since my drive for competition is close to nonexistent, but it's fun to unlock all the characters and upgrades and such. The two of us were neck-and-neck in one race, when he hit one of the tricks left behind by one of the robot racers, and I thought I was home free for first. He not only caught up, but it was a photo finish - he nosed ahead of me after ramming into my side just before the finish line. 

It was an incredible comeback, and inspired me to go for broke in the next race. After all, NEAR nonexistent isn't NONEXISTENT. 

Great, there's more opportunity for Chu's foot to punch through him like it's done to the platform there. 

Kuwabara has a fist raised and a grimace on his face, but his dialog suggests he's pretty stoked with how Yusuke blocked that powerful kick with just one arm. Must be the arm he's whipping around in circles up there. I have to guess because I certainly didn't see it, lol! Yusuke lifts his OTHER hand, forefinger extended toward Chu in that classic gun shape, tip glowing. Chu looks... confused. 

Yusuke suddenly swings his arm up and points in a random direction, firing off that Reigun shot at a point high behind Chu's head. The top wall of the stadium explodes above the spectators, a MASSIVE chunk flying off in a could of debris. Sure hope Keiko and his MOM aren't near that section. 

Not QUITE to revolver capacity, I see. 

Koto calls Yusuke's display of his own ace sportsmanship to a fault, which is probably an accurate description. It's something she claims has never been seen in the history of this tournament. Kuwabara yells that Yusuke is an idiot, and asks if his long nap addled his brain. It SHOULD be the other way around, but maybe Yusuke is wired a bit different. 

Chu laughs that the nap probably DID have a negative effect on Yusuke's cognitive function, but he professes to like the kid anyway. He must have laughed TOO hard, because he starts to stumble on his feet, belching and expressing some worry. Chu says that he boozed pretty hard while he was sidelined and now he's starting to feel it. Only NOW??? He strikes a semi-wide stance, reaching for the right side of his belt as he informs Yusuke that he also has a specialty. The tiny bottle he pulls from it looks absolutely MINISCULE in his huge fingers, and he identifies it as "Orgesbane", from the demon world, which packs a hell of a punch. He knocks it back like a shot, and Rinku warns everyone to clear the deck.

A pulse thumps through Chu, and he throws back his head, barking several hoots like battle cries. 

Is that some sort of an attack, or does he just think this is a big joke? 

Rinku looks absolutely tickled when he reminds everyone that he warned them, and admits that it's a bit gross, but apparently there's a PRACTICAL reason for the flatulence. He says that Chu always has the clear the "sluices" so the full effects of inebriation can set in. I guess the metaphor of a gate to control the flow of water works... if Chu has constant diarrhea. Anyway, Rinku tells them that they'll REALLY see something now, as the Drunken Fist ritually summons Chu's true self to the human realm. Chu's true wracked with permanent diarrhea self. 

Yusuke just glares, but the exclamation point in his speech bubble indicates some alarm. Kurama says from the sidelines that the sour alcohol smell is fading, the alcohol itself blending with a strong demonic aura. Chu sighs that it's all better now. Oh goodness, I hope he didn't do himself a TERRIBLE mischief. 

Of COURSE this personified nausea's technique is being compared to iffy carnival candy. 

Hiei mutters that he should have FIGURED Chu was an aura alchemist, given how he was creating an alloy mix of alcohol and his pliable demonic aura. But it ain't no philosopher's stone he's producing between the palms of his hands, though the energy does seem to be coagulating there into a spherical shape. Kuwabara tensely observes that it looks a bit like the Reigun's effect, and Kurama agrees, adding that it packs in just as much power. As Chu and Yusuke race parallel to one another, each sporting their own personal energy blast, Kurama says that Chu seems to have worked out the formula in no time. 

Chu asks if Yusuke is ready, and Yusuke affirms that he's that AND able. Again, Chu's foot punches a hole in the platform below as he pitches his energy ball with a grunt, and Yusuke fires off his own through his finger gun, letting out a yell. 

Both shots pop out of existence, cancelling each other out. Hiei declares it a tie. When Yusuke and Chu are suddenly standing face-to-face again, Kuwabara notes that they both rushed in toward each other after their shots. Clearly they were prepared for the blasts to meet and wink out. They're punching each other again, each of them landing at least one hit, as far as I can tell, though that isn't much in this blur of action. If Koto isn't doing her job of narrating this to the audience, at least Kuwabara is, stating that neither of the combatants are blocking, just punching, and it's an all-out BRAWL out there. Hiei drawls that each one is looking for an opening to fire at the other, because at this close range, one shot would be deadly. 

Kurama isn't the only one who's noticed - Chu realizes that this is his chance, and quickly builds a big ball of energy that practically obscures his own midsection. Rinku calls this massive blast "The Blockbuster", Hiei says it's a huge amount of explosive aura that Chu will pay for if the fight continues beyond this point, and Kurama thinks that Yusuke WILL countering it, but that means they'll both be mauled. HOW that would happen remains to be seen, but in fairly short order, thankfully. Chu tells Yusuke to eat this blast, knocking it forward with a powerful hit from his elbow/forearm.

No kidding.

Kurama thinks in alarm that the Reigun can't counter this shot, while Hiei is far more evenly tempered when he thinks that Yusuke landed badly and won't have a chance to dodge. He seems totally neutral on the prospect of Yusuke dying, which, considering the situation they're all in, I suppose is a good thing. Kuwabara, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of placid - horrified, he shouts that Yusuke is going to GET it. 

Regardless of all the doubt of his teammates, Yusuke raises his finger gun to point straight into the oncoming blast. Chu grins, quite confident that because he put all he had into this shot, the Reigun is no match, and Yusuke may as well SPIT at it for all the good it'll do. Yusuke, of course, goes ahead and shoots, surprising Chu with the rapid fire. Kuwabara is even more anxious now, yelling that BOTH of them are going to get it, because Yusuke's shot went directly THROUGH Chu's.

I suppose Yusuke has finally met his match. Kuwabara must be SO jealous. 

When the smoke clears, Koto remarks that BOTH competitors have vanished, wondering aloud if they both dodged or got knocked out of bounds. Her question is answered with the former when she perceives some panting behind her and whirls around to find them STILL facing one another down there. She notes they're still standing, but quite scuffed up, though. No surprise there. 

Sweating, Chu suggests to Yusuke that he just used his fourth shot, and his aura is spent, so there's nothing left but normal human strength. Smiling through his huffs, Yusuke affirms this. A wobbling Chu freely admits that it's the same for him. After a short pause, they both start chuckling. Koto herself is grinning too over them being stalemated and laughing about it, and says she'll never quite understand what makes true combat junkies tick. 

Once the giggling session ends, Chu says they have to settle this regardless, and Yusuke agrees.

Sounds just as unhinged as anything ELSE that's happened thus far. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The tone continues to be considerably lighter than in the previous two fights, and surpassing the level of levity from the first one. Kuwabara and Rinku's match was comedic in parts to be sure, but there was much more suspicion and enmity between the two, with Rinku genuinely trying to kill Kuwabara. The tension of the tournament was maintained in that less friendly attitude - in this chapter, that tension is somewhat interrupted. 

Because Chu and Yusuke are having much more fun in the ACT of fighting, as Koto points out by labeling them as junkies for combat. Who wins or loses is less the point than the violence itself, the ongoing evolution of a fight, action and reaction. Koto says she'll never understand it, but I think I see in here the shadows of an almost zen philosophy around being in the moment instead of trying to focus on an uncertain outcome or expectation. What matters is the reality of the NOW and immersing oneself in it regardless of the seconds that follow it, because true presence is what allows for the optimal response to current circumstances. 

But maybe that's just me. 

Interesting that the two HUMAN fights have thus far been the more amusing, and the two demons on the team carried much more seriousness. Not sure what to make of that, honestly.