Inuyasha Manga: 354 Unbreakable Wall

They're all supposed to be SO unbreakable. The people who build them insist that you can't get through, but even if all of them haven't been busted through, they've at least been scaled or gone around. Within my lifetime alone, there have been many walls put up and taken down, but there doesn't seem to be much between one and the other. All it takes is a shift of mindset and the direction of effort to get from point A to point B. You know what they say - it's much easier to destroy than to create, and that aphorism applies to everyone whether they are on one side of a conflict or the other. 

I wonder how long it will be before his lunch starts to disagree with him. 

Naraku promises Inuyasha and company, whom he calls bastards, that not even their BONES will survive the digestive process of this giant oni, and they'll never get out. Inuyasha yells at him to shut up and swings down Tessaiga, letting off a Kaze no Kizu that Naraku easily rises up in his barrier bubble above. Miroku rips the beads off his right hand and points his Kazaana up at Naraku, assuring him he won't get away, which OF COURSE summons the Saimyoushou. Shippou has climbed his shoulder and warns him to be careful of the insects' poison, but Miroku insists he doesn't give a shit. Naraku looks on with mild surprise, if the exclamation mark in his speech bubble is any indication. 

The Saimyoushou fly into Miroku's hand without hesitation. 

Inuyasha calls Miroku a damn fool, which is a little rich coming from the guy who led them all into this situation so boldly in the first place. He rushes over and forces Miroku's fist closed and downward, commanding him to close the Kazaana and not to be SO quick to kill himself. As Inuyasha steps off and Miroku is obediently rewrapping his hand in the beads, Sango rushes over to fuss over Miroku, who stutters that he's fine. 

Inuyasha has gone back toward the center of the stomach where he'll have more room, holding the gleaming Tessaiga out in front of himself, the blade having taken on a jeweled, faceted shine. He declares that he's going to rip through Naraku and the oni's stomach in one go. He shouts the Kongousouha attack, the diamond spears shooting out at speed, absolutely SHREDDING the Saimyoushou.

None of us are that lucky. Though Naraku's shredded body falls away, his remaining head and shoulders chuckles evilly, and the diamond spears just lodge into the wall of the pulsing oni stomach. Miroku can only manage a noise of disbelief as Sango voices the question herself as to how Kongousouha didn't work on this massive ogre's belly. It's not convenient to the plot, that's how.

Naraku's severed hand still balances the corrupted Shikon no Tama in its palm while it floats around, waiting to be reabsorbed into Naraku. Kagome notices this, wondering if Naraku is using it to strengthen himself. She nocks an arrow and aims, muttering that she just has to purify it, but when the arrow flies, Naraku scoffs smugly.

What did you expect? He's smart enough to remember what happened the LAST time you caught his ass with an arrow. 

Outside, Kagura continues to hover by the formerly stone oni, wondering what happened to Inuyasha and company. Acknowledging that this is one of Naraku's traps, she realizes it was a good thing she didn't fly into the oni's mouth herself. 

... Maybe being inside a giant's stomach isn't SO bad after all.

Looking over her shoulder at the oh-so-familiar malevolent presence at her back, Kagura sweatdrops while Naraku chuckles about anticipating the lives of his enemies ending soon by being dissolved into the great oni's stomach. We get another view of that disembodied hand with the Shikon no Tama in its palm, though it looks rather clear this time around. Naraku estimates the Inuyasha group's power to be too deficient to ever escape this gruesome fate he's concocted for them. 

Hakudoushi rather POINTEDLY asks Naraku's floating head how Inuyasha and company even found this place in the first place, as if he didn't KNOW. Kagura sweats even HARDER, wondering if the little brat noticed that she invited Inuyasha's team here. When Naraku claims not to have any idea how Inuyasha ended up here and asks Kagura, again rather POINTEDLY, what she thinks, she unconvincingly says she doesn't know anything. If she had balls, she'd have sweated them off by now. 

You're damn right. 

Kagome and Shippou have crouched on a mound of flesh out of the pond of stomach acid in the pit of the stomach, the latter freaking out about the acid getting steadily stronger, and the former with her hand clasped over her mouth and complaining how difficult it is to breathe. Sango has dragged Miroku out of the acid herself, and has her mask secured around her nose and mouth, though she notes that the acid is coming out of the surrounding walls they're forced to huddle toward, and despairs of what this means at this rate. 

Inuyasha turns to ask Miroku if he's able to put up a barrier, and Miroku says he can, but they won't be able to leave once the barrier is up. Plus, he's not looking too terribly well right now, looking feverish and sweating. Inuyasha says he's fine with whatever he can do, as long as he takes care of everyone, but he's able to discern that the Saimyoushou's poison has really started to take effect and the situation isn't the best. Tessaiga's blade is encrusted with jewel-like faceting once more as Inuyasha thinks he can't afford to be cautious and it'll be this time for sure. Every reckless decision justifies an even more reckless decision in the future, I suppose.

With Miroku's arms protectively around the girls and young fox, holding his staff out in front of them to produce the small sphere of protection around them, Kagome calls out to Inuyasha in concern. He turns to earnestly tell her not to worry, then twists to let out another Kongousouha. The spears cluster into the pulsing stomach flesh wall. 

Okay, is there a plan B? A plan C? 

Who are we kidding, there wasn't even a plan A. 

Inuyasha curses in frustration, then looks around when the acid around his feet starts to bubble all the more, also noting how hard it's getting to breathe. It's signaled to him that the oni's miasma has started to fill the area, but I would just put it down to the natural gaseous byproduct of digestion. You're literally just smelling the beginnings of farts dude. All the undulating nodes on the walls and ceiling start to up their production of MORE acid, and as it sizzles on the barrier Miroku has erected, Sango calls his name in concern. He insists he's alright, despite the statement being halting, and his sweating, feverish appearance. Kagome even points out to him how he's BURNING UP. Internally, he BEGS Inuyasha to hurry up. 

A little acid burns through the weakening barrier and onto Sango's Hiraikotsu, both her and Kagome gaping in alarm and Kagome trailing a sentence about the state of the barrier. It starts to collapse when Miroku falls unconscious and drops the staff, whole sheets of acid raining down on what's left of it. Inuyasha rushes over, taking off his red fire-rat coat in the process with a groan. 

The young folk would say they were cooked, but I'd say they WISH they were cooked before they ended up in a stomach like living sushi. 

Inuyasha looks up high on the wall where the stone spears from Tessaiga mark his first attempts at busting them out of there. Shippou clings to Kagome under Inuyasha's coat and complains to her that it's difficult to breathe, while she again holds her hand over her mouth and nose and agrees. 

Notice that Sango in the panel above has lost her mask? Turns out that wasn't an oversight on RT's part, because the next panel shows her carefully placing it over Miroku's face as he winces even in his unconsciousness. Inuyasha is once more thinking that there's now no time to waste, as if there was any BEFORE this point, and twists around to demand the Shikon fragment Kagome is carrying. 

Literally the last resort. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? This is one of those that give me mixed feelings. On the one hand, this is probably the best action we've had since Inuyasha got the Kongosouha move to begin with, and it's accompanied by some real tension. Though we HAVE seen Inuyasha trapped in someone's belly before, and that particular situation was more dangerous to him INDIVIDUALLY, due to him being in human form at the time, in some ways this is worse. He has Tessaiga here, but even its newest most devastating barrier piercing attack isn't doing jack shit, and his entire team is in this belly. It's not just his neck on the line, and given his lingering guilt about Kikyou's death and what he sees to be his part in it, being responsible not only his own demise but those of his closest friends as well would be some devastating last thoughts for him. There's a lot more on the line at this point, so that amps up the stakes a bit. After 350 chapters, RT still has the ability to make me sweat for these characters. 

On the OTHER hand, the way we got here was EXTREMELY clumsy and there is still no proper explanation for the steps we took to this spot in the story. The Moryoumaru/Goryoumaru connection remains obscure, the spell to create the Rakan statues and the purpose of such is opaque, and original purpose of Naraku placing the infant in the temple with Goryoumaru in the first place is unexplored. Despite my enjoyment of the action and tension this chapter provides, I am a little frustrated that there's not a lot of lead-up to it that makes any amount of sense so far. Anyone who's been reading the blog for a while knows I love a good setup and payoff, but this seems like a whole lot of payoff to very little (if any) setup. It feels a little like my brain is preoccupied by its confusion over how we got here instead of being present in the stakes of the moment.

As a little side note, Naraku's teasing tone came dripping through the screen at me when he was "casually" wondering how Inuyasha and crew got here. Kagura has GOT to know at this point that she's in a bad place. Not that there's much of a way out of it. Much like Inuyasha's group, she's trapped inside Naraku's machinations, and her dissolution in its acidic output seems inevitable. We'll see if she can manage to wriggle free as the protagonists are expected to. 

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 054 The Vanguard Battle Begins!!

Please forgive me if my writing is at all... confused right now. We got our cat Pooka spayed and her recovery has been a whole battle of its own. Upon coming home from the animal hospital, she immediately started trying to run and jump on everything, and she stayed awake for the first two days straight wired on her adrenaline and confusion and fear. Her strict regimen of meds to keep her calm doesn't always work and she's writhed her way out of two different recovery cones AND a body suit, so our sleep has been rather patchy for the last few days in our efforts to keep one eye open and on her at all times. What's more? Our other cat Grimalkin rejected her when she came home, hissing and swatting at her, because all the smells of the anesthesia, her new medical outfit, and her own terror masked her scent enough to make her somewhat unrecognizable. It's day five and we're FINALLY making progress on that last issue, Grimalkin no longer hissing at Pooka and cuddling with her a little. A relief, to be sure, because it was a complication we were unprepared for. 

The good news through all this is Pooka's incision wound is healing well and fast, so I'm hoping we can get her out of her hated cone and suit soon. Fingers crossed!

Bet SHE'S never had to wear a cone. 

Whatever medical indignities she has or has not endured, she declares the Dark Tournament open, though I still don't know WHO she is that empowers her to do so. We're shown a snapshot of a couple of men sitting in the VIP seats, another hefty cigar-sucker like Tarukane (except with some hair) and a slim lined middle-aged sort, both wearing suits. The former chuckles to his companion that this is the best part of selling one's soul to the dark side; the regular goody-two-shoes of world will NEVER know the thrill of being able to see Hell unleashed. Don't I WISH. 

The cheapo public seats are filled with demons calling for hitting, kicking, pokes in the eye, which is... pretty tame coming from literal malevolent spirits. Did they actually come here for a screening of some Three Stooges films? Anyway, they complain that they didn't do any of that preschool violence for weeks so they could come here, because bad deeds are restricted for prospective audience attendees to the event. 

Wait, so let me get this straight: if one wants to go to a bloodsport tournament between demon combatants that promises to end in death for a lot of them, the demons who want to come and watch have to be good little hellspawn and on their best behavior leading up to it? Like they're performing goodness for Santa Claus? 

It's kind of a wonder that ANY of those seats are filled, lol. 

Looks like demons have housing issues too.

Back in the VIP seats, we're shown a man with deep lines around his mouth right down to his large chin called Sukezo Gondowara, labeled the sponsor of the aforementioned Jolly Devil Six. A thoroughly unimpressed-looking Sakyo sits next to him, yet he asks him anyway what he thinks, calling his team "the dregs of the red light district" but with the potential to be legends. He in fact believes that the Jolly Devil Six are the REAL challenge to Toguro's team, since it's his opinion that Yusuke's team will be dispatched in short order. 

Said team emerges to jeers from the crowd, who perceive the guest team has arrived, and in the process note that Yusuke is still unconscious, one of his arms slung over Kuwabara's shoulder who drags him out upright. They mistake this for a dead faint, call Hiei and Kurama human-loving bastards/traitors, and yell that there's no WAY any of them are coming out of this alive. At least, the stated HOPE is that the the "legitimate" teams chew them up and spit them out. 

Kuwabara sweats and clenches his jaw, sarcastically calling the crowd a friendly bunch and supposing its members have to let loose on SOMEONE. Kurama question their use of the word "traitors", saying he'd be offended if they weren't such low lives. Clearly he's offended either way. 

The unnamed announcer lady calls the two teams to the center of the arena, and they comply. 

Uhhhh... I get that he didn't want to look like a toddler at this event, but this... This just makes him look like he's high on E at a rave. 

The ticket scalper balks, recognizing Koenma despite him being "all growed up" so to speak. The little goblin-like creature scratches the back of his head in nervousness, asking Koenma if he's here to watch the bloodbath. Koenma tells him an acquaintance of his is competing as a guest, which is a bit of a COLD way to refer to Yusuke. I mean, sure, they're not FRIENDS, but surely he's more than an acquaintance! I guess "child soldier" was a little on the nose. 

With an irritated expression, Koenma chatters to this random scalper about how he had THOUGHT about ending this whole bloody spectacle entirely, but he asserts that this event vents demon stress which reduces predations in the human world. What kind of terrible "The Purge" logic is this shit?? 

Absolutely fucking wild. 

The goblin scalper calls Koenma wise, calling this place a dark sanctuary where battle is the only language understood, the law is decided by the victor, and even the noble Koenma has no rank over any other spectator, unable to object if he saw his own parents murdered. Sounds like the "poetry" of half my mediocre middle school classmates. No WONDER he's scalping tickets for some extra cash. 

Koenma swings around to leave, muttering a thanks for the laughably edgy little screed. Nearby, Botan calls to him, accompanied by Keiko, Atsuko (as I was informed in the comments of the last chapter review, thankfully!), and Shizuka. She tells him that Yusuke's team is in the arena, and the goblin scalper is taken aback by what he assumes to be Koenma's substantial harem, calling him quite the ladies' man. Yeah, the pacifier brings all the girls to the yard - triggers that maternal training, I guess. Koenma corrects him with the simple statement that they're the friends and family of the guest combatant he mentioned earlier, adding that he HAD to bring them along due to Botan's loose lipped habits. She makes the excuse through nervous laughter that she was just trying to be nice. Still, the goblin remains kind of impressed in a shocked sort of way that THREE human women had the guts to come here. 

Yusuke snores on a glaring Kuwabara's shoulder as the three members at the forefront of the opposing team glares right back, though the little one notes that Yusuke is still asleep. The announcer informs the audience with her microphone that the team captains will decide the mode of battle and what constitutes a win. Apparently, if they're unable to agree, it falls to the house rules that stipulate one-on-one matches where the team with the most victories takes the win. 

The fair-haired guy, Zeru, stares unrelentingly at Yusuke's team while Kuwabara frets that their captain is still snoozing on his shoulder. Kurama tells him that it's HIS office then, to which he responds with bashful nervousness. He laughs that he's flattered, since it means that he's Yusuke's second, and verbally throws caution to the wind before squaring his shoulders and resolving seriously to show their opponents leadership, Hiei looking annoyed at his back. Meanwhile, Yusuke has DISAPPEARED. I assume in his eagerness that Kuwabara literally shrugged him off, and he's lying crumpled on the floor right now. 

Kuwabara walks right up to Zeru, hands in his pockets. Aural tension crackles between them. Zeru downplays the importance of his opinion (somehow the captain doesn't think it MATTERS what he says), but says he likes the one-on-one battles, given that it prolongs the fun. Kuwabara agrees wholeheartedly, asserting that this is a real man's way to fight. Fantastic, they agree. As Kurama hands Yusuke back over to Kuwabra, because I suppose HE just took Yusuke for the moment it took to agree, Kuwabara is stoked at how cool the non-existent negotiations were. 

Zeru's attention is on the sleeping Yusuke, his gaze flashing after a moment. 

The fuck? Is he starting the first match already?

Kuwabara complains that Zeru's aura is hot as an oven, and characterizes this swell of power as an attempted provocation of Yusuke. The masked member silently notes that this guy is out to kill, and Kurama wonders at the fact that he hangs out in the human word despite his icy eyes and fiery aura. The implication being that these attributes would be better utilized in the demon world, Kurama questions what demonkind has come to. 

I mean, YOU'RE hanging out in human world, dude...

Kuwabara hollers straight in Yusuke's face, yelling at him to rise and shine, but it's hopeless. The kid snoozes on. Observing that Yusuke still hasn't stirred, he wonders whether he's ill or just stupid. A little of column A, a little of column B. 

The announcer calls for the first contenders to get on the field. Little Rinku saunters forward with his hands clasped behind his head, the very PICTURE of relaxation as he bids his teammates later. With the crowd roaring and Kurama and Hiei looking on silently, Kuwabara grins and volunteers to take this one. The audience screams about Kuwabara being up, yelling for him to be killed. Rinku frowns in disappointment, mentally grousing about always getting the doofuses, and how the teasing he did yesterday didn't seem to scare his opponent like he'd intended. I'm sorry, kid, you're just not that intimidating. 

Anything goes in one-on-one battles, per the announcer, who also adds that a count of ten will determine out-of-bounds and knock-outs. Rinku smiles innocently, hands now behind his back as he expresses that he's as prepared as he's going to be, no anxiety to be found on his face. When the announcer begins the match, Kuwabara confidently invites the shrimp to bring it with a beckoning motion, and Rinku complies. 

You'd think the twerp were in a gymnastics competition. 

The announcer, who at LAST introduces herself as Koto, is impressed by Rinku's supreme agility, admitting she can BARELY follow him. At some point Rinku assumes that he's darted around enough so that Kuwabara can't see him properly, but when he comes close to Kuwabara, he sees the older boy pulling back his fist in preparation. 

He lost his hat and everything!

Up in the VIP seats, the team sponsor recoils, his expression a little like Rinku's above. The cheap seats murmur in disbelief at the hit to Rinku. Kuwabara pulls back for yet another punch, telling Rinku in no uncertain terms that the gloves are off. Rinku attempts to scramble away, but Kuwabara literally delivers a kick straight to his rump as he's turned away. Kuwabara is smugly holding up a fist again when Rinku turns back and rushes him in his indignation, delivering an uppercut to the tyke's chin and sending him flying. 

The crowd is now roaring with insults for Rinku, claiming they've never seen anything more pathetic, asking who sent the little runt into the ring anyway. From the sidelines, Kurama says evenly that Kuwabara can be surprising, and his love of fighting was apparent in the times he's spared with the tough. Hiei seems overall unimpressed, and asks Kurama what's with all the samurai posturing Kuwabara is doing, since he SHOULD have finished this with his aura sword by now. Uh, dude, weren't you listening? He LOVES fighting. Are you in the habit of rushing shit you love? 

Although, it does feel pretty scummy watching a huge teenager beating the shit out of a tiny baby child like this...

Rinku clutches his stomach and makes a noise like he's fighting back vomit. Kurama looks pleased, convinced Kuwabara has got the kid and this is it. As Rinku falls backward and Kuwabara dashes at him, Kuwabara says he's not into torture, so he's going to make this quick, promising Rinku he's going down for the count. 

But Rinku smirks slyly and flits away before Kuwabara can land a new punch. Kuwabara looks dumbfounded, and even more shocked when Rinku reappears behind him with the stated hope that Kuwabara enjoyed his moment. Kuwabara just begins to turn when... 

Oof, that sounds like it hurt. 

Kurama gapes in horror, the crowd drones in shock, and Zeru just... stares, as usual. Rinku once more clasps his hands behind his head and saunters off, a giant smug grin on his face. He's following up on his trailing comment earlier about hoping Kuwabara enjoyed his moment, declaring it now over with a laugh. He also asserts that he could have taken him out from the first moment, but asks where the fun is in that, echoing my point from before. Finally, he discourages the announcer from doing a count at all, because he's pretty certain he broke Kuwabara's neck back there and the teenager is well and truly dead. 

Hiei smiles creepily, thinking the little grease ball Rinku ALSO enjoys a fight it seems. The audience pumps fists and heaps praise upon the little dude who appears to have won. For a brief second, anyway.

Look whose moment is over NOW. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Forget Yusuke, poor Kuwabara has the weight of the WORLD on his shoulders throughout the whole beginning of this thing. He's forced to be interim team leader because Yusuke just CAN'T rise and shine, and that means negotiations that he was not all too prepared for, and then stepped in to take the very first round of the match. Sure, it seems to be going about as well as you might hope, but it all still looks ABSOLUTELY exhausting. Kurama is BARELY picking up any slack by taking Yusuke off Kuwabara's hands for a moment there, and Hiei is FULLY committed to being as hands-off as possible until his round starts. Granted, I expect it from Hiei given his character, but Kurama's refusal to take damn near ANY responsibility this situation is a little disappointing.

The background on this tournament we get through Koenma and the scalper's conversation is pure comedy. The suggestion that demons who value blood and destruction above all else can not only be expected to not partake in those things themselves just so they can vicariously watch others do it, but they actually DO IT? But it makes the reader question how much of this blood and destruction mentality is natural to them and how much is learned. If they can refrain, then it implies that it's not an intrinsic part of how they function. Between the necessity of eating SOULS for some of them and the ability to just NOT hurt humans, what IS the basic nature of these creatures? That might be as impossible a question to answer as what the basic nature of HUMANS is. 

And why shouldn't it be impossible to answer? We're the one's who invented "demons" after all.

Inuyasha Manga: 353 Stone Oni

All these haunted garden statues are giving me the creeps, but the chills they offer aren't nearly enough to overcome the heat of this year's El Nino. Our nearest city experienced record highs for this time of year, and as the summer wears on, things aren't liable to get much better. I'm perpetually freezing to death on the regular, but even I was too warm. Though our house manages to stay fairly cool even on hot days, this fact doesn't do much to curb my spiking climate anxiety. 

We'll see if throwing myself into another review does the trick.

Maybe Sesshoumaru could lend me a little something to take the edge off, if all else fails.

Jaken glares at the youki crystal he's holding up in front of his face, reporting that it's not reacting at all. He turns to Sesshoumaru and asks if Kagura was making up her story about Naraku's heart being here, but Sesshoumaru is lost in his own analysis of the environment. He can smell Inuyasha's former presence, as well as something else that he doesn't even identify yet in his HEAD.

Not for long, obviously. Once the group gets closer to the treeline, they find the shredded remains of myriad youkai shredded and chopped, which disturbs the SHIT out of Jaken and Rin. And that's not the ONLY thing. 

Someone's been exhumed. 

As Jaken and Rin cower behind Sesshoumaru's furry shoulder ornament, the former asking what the deal is with all the dead youkai, Sesshoumaru comments rather on the fact that someone seems to have been buried in this spot. He suggests it was THAT person who was responsible for all the carnage around the empty grave. I mean, okay, but dead people don't usually just get up and start killing youkai. Maybe since he (along with plenty of others in this story) is familiar with zombies menacing an area by this point, he's less concerned with the "HOW", so much as the "WHY". If he's concerned at all, of course.

As Jaken sidles up to the corpse of a giant eyeball with legs and hums critically, Sesshoumaru resolves silently to remember this scent. Given historical precedent, he probably has no doubt it will pop up again. 

Narrow transition panel to Inuyasha and company racing at breakneck speed over a rocky landscape, Inuyasha himself complaining about how they really got delayed, Kagome clinging to his back with a concerned look. On Kirara a short way to the rear, Miroku tells Inuyasha there was really no way they could have left Goryoumaru unburied to give chase right away. Kagome adds that their new knowledge that the baby is Naraku's heart on its own is valuable, but Inuyasha interrupts her to snap that it's not GOOD enough. He is, after all, a man of action. Inuyasha insists that they have to find the heart before Naraku can hide it somewhere new. 

A narrow shape in the sky hovers in the distance as they fly through a jagged canyon. 

No surprise that it's Kagura, as Kagome identifies from their advancing position on the ground. Inuyasha looks a little mystified by her just hovering there, and from Miroku's shoulder, Shippou recalls that she was going to follow-up on the location of the baby. That's not how I remember her parting words to go after Hakudoushi and Kanna, but I suppose the implication could be there. Miroku wonders aloud if Kagura is INVITING them to follow her. What OTHER reason could she possibly have to sit there stationary in a visible spot waiting for you to catch up? 

Kagura herself notes that the group below has seen her and that it's coming over. On the ground, Sango expresses some suspicion about how much of a distance Kagura is keeping from them, and Miroku interprets this as a lack of courage to guide them directly. Kagome seems to agree with this assessment, reminding them that Kagura told of how Naraku has a grip on her heart. All Kagura can think is that these bastards better do a good job, because she's not interested in dying in vain either. 

Another narrow transition panel leads us to another view of the massive stone oni from below.

Had to get out of the canyon to look the thing in the mouth. 

Without ANY hesitation, it seems, Inuyasha encourages the group to enter the statue, and he receives no argument either. Kirara follows him into the cavernous mouth of the carving, like it's some kind of cheap Halloween attraction. They've got more guts than me, that's for sure. I hope they don't LOSE them in there. 

When Shippou DOES ask if they're going to be eaten as they start to approach the throat and he takes a last nervous look at the gaping mouth behind them, Miroku assures him that it's just rock carved to LOOK like an oni. He should know that this is no guarantee of safety, but there's literally nothing else he can do while actively entering the statue than trust that it won't spring to life. 

Inuyasha pauses at the back of the mouth, commenting on the deep shaft descending into darkness from there as he gazes down it. Kagome thinks she can sense something down there in the dark, and at the same time, Inuyasha's nose twitches, picking up a scent. Once more, he tells the group to press on, jumping into the hole. 

This carving is REALLY realistic. Look at those BONES. 

After letting Kagome off his back into the ankle-deep questionable water at the bottom of the "cave", Inuyasha advises her to keep close, and she stutters her agreement. She says his name with some concern when he draws Tessaiga, but he just screams out into the cave to the bastards he KNOWS are there, letting off a Kaze no Kizu at the wall. A silhouette, all tentacles and spines, emerges from behind the crumbling divide. 

Yeah right. $50 bucks says it's a fucking puppet or something. Nothing less will buy me a tank of gas these days.

Inuyasha is clearly suspicious of the obvious as well, asking what's going on for Naraku to just stroll out here like this. I mean, he WAS behind a wall... Miroku interprets this to mean that the Shnooky heart was already hidden elsewhere, while Naraku asks Inuyasha what's wrong with him that he's not the LEAST bit happy at finally cornering his hated enemy. I doubt anyone would be HAPPY to see you under ANY circumstances, dude. 

Naraku (or his proxy, as it may be) holds out his hand, palm up, to surprise the Inuyasha group with a the almost complete Shikon no Tama, dark as a lump of coal. Kagome has her brows drawn down in anger, noting that its evil aura has grown stronger still than the last time they encountered it. Naraku appears at first to be offering the jewel as a parting gift - before their journey into the afterlife, at least. But then he clarifies that he MEANS the Shikon shard Kagome already carries. How can you give someone something they already HAVE? 

Who knows? He doesn't really bother to elaborate as the Shikon no Tama in his palm pulses and crackles. 

This doesn't look good. 

Shippou and Kagome both shriek in pain, jerking their feet out of the "water" with urgency. The newly pulsing walls glisten, secreting more moisture that drips down on the group's collective heads, Sango shouting in alarm that this is ACID. Outside, Kagura is shocked by the oni statue throbbing before its eyes spring open, looking malicious in its new vitality. Despite Kagura's disbelief, it has indeed come to life. 

Hakudoushi hovers at Kagura's back while she's distracted with horrified fixation on this giant creature into which she's led the Inuyasha team. He smirks at her. 

And where does THAT get you when your hand just dissolves seconds later, dude?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Inuyasha's pursuit of Naraku has always been SOME level of reckless, but it has reached a whole new level in this chapter. From snapping at Kagome that just having the information they've gained on Naraku's heart isn't enough, to automatically diving into the most suspicious mouth-shaped cave in the history of ever, to vowing to grab the Shikon no Tama off Naraku basically even when he would fucking die in the process anyway, he's so eager to solve this Naraku problem as fast as possible that his brain is fully off. No strategizing anymore. Not even the beginnings of strategizing. Just lunging for what is most likely, if historical precedent is any indication, not REMOTELY close to the throat. The desperation for any kind of strike at this purely malevolent force that has taken so many lives and been so destructive is potent enough that it doesn't seem to matter to Inuyasha though.

But you know, I can't really blame him. I'm tired of Naraku's shit too. Every action of his is more outrageous and heinous than the last, and you have to wonder how he's gotten away with it all having pissed off so many people. I suppose his only saving grace is that all those people he's pissed off so thoroughly are distrustful enough of EACH OTHER that they aren't ready to enter into a real alliance to take his horrible ass out, and some part of that is by design. Keep everyone fighting amongst themselves and even when they realize they have goals in common, they can't quite bring themselves to join forces because the prejudice is so deeply ingrained. 

What do you mean? Of COURSE I'm still talking about Naraku. Who ELSE could I possibly be talking about?

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 053 The First Opponents!!

My opponents are far less deadly ones, but in some ways, more frustrating. I've got a couple of creative projects at the moment that have stalled, one of them being a cat toy that I've sewn for my niece. It's mostly complete, all I really have to do is embroider on the nose, but it's proving to be the most challenging part by far. The fabric is a sort of "furry" polyester stuff, and embroidering the eyes over the top of the little hairs sticking out every which way was already quite difficult. The thread I have for the nose is similar ENOUGH in color to be a bit of a challenge to see the thread in the fur, and that makes it VERY challenging to see where the last stitch was placed and where to put the needle next. I keep setting it aside to think on what I'm going to do next, but my husband's trip to visit his sister an her family is a month away, so I'm kind of running out of time now. 

I would NEVER be able to maintain the grueling training regimen over two months straight for a tournament that Yusuke has with how many breaks I have to take, so I suppose I should consider myself lucky. 

I can't IMAGINE who else would have that particular skill! XD

Once again, we see the pirate captain of the boat announce that Urameshi's team is taking the 16th spot in the tournament, and Kuwabara runs to greet the masked member as they step off the platform. He gushes that the attack was ACE and welcomes them to the team, but is eager to ask just exactly who they are. Before he can FINISH the question, however, the masked member points up over Kuwabara's head and he turns to see a whole horde of demons leaping for him from overhead, to his horror. These demons declare that they don't give a shit about the rules, and are motivated to kill the winning team for the fame alone. 

Kuwabara dives out of the way as the masked member leaps upward without a single word or cry. Several demons also raise their weapons in preparation to bring them down on Kurama and Hiei's heads, announcing their plans to slice and dice. The two do not appear at all intimidated by this, Hiei observing that it seems they're up for a match themselves, but saying it's better than just sitting around for the rest of the trip. Kurama agrees, holding up a rose.

Of course, there's a couple of demons advancing on the sleeping Yusuke as well, something that Kurama notices with alarm, but without the flexibility to lend his aid, it seems. The demons creeping up on the sleeping kid chuckle about him being dead to the world, and dead for REAL here in a moment. Kuwabara has noticed too, lamenting that Yusuke is so out of it that Akiko Matsumoto (someone I'm unfamiliar with) could be singing directly in his ear and couldn't wake him. The demons menacing Kuwabara tell him that this is the least of HIS worries.

Kuwabara resorts to something he considers overkill in this moment, manifesting an Aura Sword in both hands, calling this "Double Sword Fencing". He wildly swings these at the attackers, yelling at them to clear off or they're hamburger, but one of Yusuke's assailants is unperturbed, declaring that he's taking Yusuke's head and the fortune he assumes comes with it. Aiming a blow from overhead at the sleeping teen, the demon yells at Yusuke to die, and for a split second, Kuwabara thinks he's too late. 

But the demon's isn't the hit that lands.

Caught him in the WRONG dream. 

Kurama is amazed by how Yusuke appears to train even in his SLEEP now, so the regimen has become instinctive. Damn, and here I was thinking that Yusuke had been woken up and was just slow to realize who his attacker was. Kuwabara notices that Yusuke was referring to an "old biddy" in his tirade, and realizes, perhaps a bit late, he had been training with the shrimp boat sensei Master Genkai this whole time. He looks over at the masked member as he does so, who is fighting off their own attackers, delivering spinning kicks with hands clasped behind their back to every demon that comes near. 

Kuwabara dismisses his notion that the masked member could be HER, assuming that she wouldn't risk her neck. The question isn't whether she WOULD but what incentives could induce her to do so. But Kuwabara is already moved on to wondering who it could be OTHER than her though. 

Alright, if you don't want to take the evidence head-on, suit yourself.

The pirate captain is standing on his platform surveying the giant brawl from above and humming in thought. He mutters that Mr. Sakyo was right, and random thugs just seem to annoy the Urameshi Team. It had been the captain's intention to see their potential, but the members of the team are barely giving 10% effort.

 

That font is but ONE of those horrors, I'm sure. 

Zoom in on that claw of rock that is such a distinct feature of the island, in the crook of which sits a big boxy building. The team of protagonists are dropped off in front of a rotating door, Kuwabara holding upright a still zonked Yusuke, and their car zooms off. Somewhere. As if there could POSSIBLY be anywhere else to go on this rock. Kuwabara looks downright in awe of the ritzy place they've been dumped off at, and is no doubt even more so when a man in a suit stiffly greets them as honored guests and offers to take them to their room. 

They are led through either a lobby or reception area with a milling crowd, all looking on the fancier, dressed-up side. Kuwabara regards all of it very weird, and asks through clenched teeth if this is the Dark Tournament, disbelief and even some disgust framing the question. 

I don't know dude, it would be hard NOT to have a pretty good idea what you were in for, going to an event like this. Especially with all the rich psychos standing around. 

As Kuwabara stomps by, dragging the unconscious Yusuke along, he fails to notice a couple of familiar people in the crowd. Keiko and Botan ALSO overlook Yusuke and Kuwabara, though the former is clearly looking for Yusuke when she demands to know WHERE the boy is from her companion. Sweatdropping, Botan urges Keiko to calm down, but Keiko rounds on her, asking how she can possibly calm down when they almost DIED because of Yusuke. She insists they have to keep track of Yusuke's location, his actions, and the surrounding circumstances so that they can be ready, and it wouldn't be easy to argue otherwise, even if I wanted to. Botan doesn't appear to want to either, as all she's doing is assuring Keiko that she knows, and trying to get her to keep it down. The surly Keiko just expresses her intent to whup Yusuke when she finds him.

Botan acknowledges that Keiko probably had to be plucky and fearless, growing up with Yusuke. The girl reportedly didn't even BLINK when Botan told her about the tournament, and just demanded to be taken there. Shizuka must have made a similar demand, because she's there too, a chandelier being excitedly pointed out to her by... Keiko? I'm unsure who else it's supposed to be, but the hair looks much longer, the blazer either differently colored or gone altogether, and a chandelier seems an ODD thing to focus her attention on at a time like this. Botan looks on this strange behavior from what looks to be an entirely different person with worry. 

Anyway, we jump to a door labeled 404, and the stunning view from the panel of windows looking out at the island behind it, along with a host of beds and other furniture. Though we don't see him, Kuwabara's character voice is clear when he enthuses about how posh this room is and what a great vacation spot the island would make. If, you know, it wasn't exclusive to a bunch of rich thugs and their sick gladiator games. 

Kurama and the masked member perch themselves on opposite ends of an L-shaped modular couch, Hiei restlessly stands off to the side, and Kuwabara sits on the edge of a bed where he's dumped the still conked Yusuke. A man with a room service cart enters and leaves a cup of tea for each of them, even sleeping Yusuke, but Kuwabara views the cups with suspicion, suggesting they might be poisoned. Kurama and Hiei have taken up cups themselves, the former explaining that it's unlikely because of how the tournament organizers want them all to be at their peak potential for a show of maximum combat. Hiei adds that the hosts are particularly interested in seeing them in action before they're torn limb from limb. Kuwabara pops open a sealed canned drink, saying it never hurts to be careful, so he's sticking to his OWN beverages. He's WELL prepared, I see. 

Kurama says this is precisely what's odd, because Yusuke is still asleep, but HIS cup is gone. Kuwabara looks around at Yusuke in question and he snores, STILL completely out of it. 

A slurp sounds from the other side of the room and the CONSCIOUS team members all jump out of their seats and face the direction, alert for a possible emergency. It seems there's still some suspicion in the more relaxed Kurama and Hiei after all. 

Where did this little baby child come from???

Unsurprisingly, I'm not the only one with that question, Kuwabara also demanding to know who he is. He suggests that the kid must have hidden somewhere, and Kurama adds that he came out and took the cup without them noticing. An awkward hypothesis that seems to be born out of paranoia alone. As he squats on one foot while balancing the stolen teacup on the tip of the other, the unknown child assures them that he just came through the door like they did, but he "forgot" to knock. I don't believe THAT for a second.

The kid removes his hat out of cursory respect while he introduces himself as Rinku, from Team Special Ops. Who NAMED your team? General "I Almost Joined, But" Blood Agent? Then he calls his group something even CUTER than that, the "Jolly Devil Six", when he tells them that they'll be the opponents of Team Urameshi in the first round of the tournament tomorrow. Oh give me a BREAK. 

Kuwabara gets stuck on the number in that adorable little moniker, asking if there isn't supposed to be FIVE to a team. Rinku asks if they didn't know they could bring a BACKUP if one of the main team dies in battle, then brags that all six of HIS team are so super tough that they played rock-paper-scissors to decide who was to be on the main team and who was going to be backup. 

Yeah. Lucky THEM. 

Kuwabara grinds his teeth in barely contained anger, internally promising to demonstrate actual funny to this kid who's playing at it in a minute if he doesn't shut his trap. But because he's a child, he can't stop running that motor on his mouth; he says it's just a fact that they'll be eliminated quickly, telling them that the captain of the previous winning team nominated Team Urameshi as guests, but after seeing them himself, Rinku reckons he could take their whole group himself in an elimination match. There's a parenthetical bit here explaining what an elimination match is, one person fighting a team one member at a time until he loses and his next team member takes over or beats the whole group, but I'm not sure if this is Rinku talking or just an aside note. I'll interpret it as a part of his dialog because it's in the speech bubble and seems like the kind of over-explaining a precocious little shit would do. 

Either way, someone else nearer the door tells Rinku that this is QUITE enough of his babbling. Kuwabara and Hiei turn their heads in the opposite direction to find a new intruder into the room, this one a fair-haired man in a black T-shirt with large muscles, feet and arms crossed in a closed off, but relaxed pose. Kuwabara complains about yet ANOTHER lurker, someone he's SURE wasn't there before. Hiei has to admit to himself at least that this new guy slipped by HIM too. Rinku runs to the man, calling him Zeru, and apologizing for getting carried away due to his excitement about all this tournament stuff. 

Zeru turns to leave with his tag-along kiddo and wishes the occupants of the room a good evening, because by this time tomorrow, they'll be like those tea cups. What does he mean by that? Kuwabara and Hiei look back at the coffee table with alarm, on which the remaining cup has been cleaved in two. The question of when that happened hangs in the air, but Yusuke snoozes on, oblivious to all. 

As they continue on their way, presumably back to THEIR room, Zeru ponders aloud whether the sleeping one sensed that they didn't intend to attack or if it was something else. Rinku chirps that it was probably just that he's a loser, but Zeru doesn't seem so sure. 

They may not have been invited to amuse YOU, but ALL of you were invited to amuse SOMEONE. Maybe you should keep that in mind, dude. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Yusuke fighting in his sleep is pretty funny, but I can't help worrying about how effective his rest is going to be if he keeps having to waste all the energy he's regaining from sleep defending himself every five seconds. Doesn't seem sustainable, especially if they can expect to be attacked by random eliminated teams when they hear who the snoozing team lead is. Just add them to the obstacles stacked on the tall tottering Jenga tower that this team is working with. Learning from what looks like a TODDLER that they could have a backup along is like adding insult to injury too, though to be fair, the fifth member seems to have been hard ENOUGH to come by. These boys are COOKED, as the young folk say. 

With such a rocky start to the whole tournament, it's no wonder paranoia is high, and not just the obtrusive kind that Kuwabara expresses. Hiei and Kurama also look quite on edge in this chapter, despite both being willing to drink the tea they were given. Each was surprised by the actions taken by the intruders into their room at different points, completely overlooking them because of the sheer speed with which they were committed. Given how fast these two have been known to attack, especially Hiei, the intruders must be orders of magnitude faster to pull that off right under their noses. OR Kurama and Hiei are just orders of magnitude more distracted/nervous, take your pick. 

And as the cherry on top of the whole situation, Keiko has managed to bully Botan into bringing her and Shizuka to the tournament. Adding them in complicates matters a bit, because we've seen that the demons on the ship were able to sniff out humans, so Keiko might just be putting herself in MORE danger by being there to keep an eye on the situation with Yusuke. 

I hope she at LEAST saves the whupping she owes him until AFTER the tournament. He doesn't need another person beating up on him right now, lol.

Inuyasha Manga: 352 Death of Goryoumaru

I initially misread this title as "Death of MORYOUMARU", which just goes to show how ready my brain is for these two identities to be reconciled. I stopped counting how many times I had to check to make sure I was using a "G" instead of an "M" in the previous chapters, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn I switched the latter for the former a few times without realizing. The names are just SO similar in pronunciation and romanized spelling that I forget who's supposed to be who. Oh well, at least this particular problem will soon be a thing of the past, if I can count on the "G" to be well and truly dead. 

And what greater honor can there be than your final moments being captured in full color? Goryoumaru is a lucky* guy!

* - read HEAVY sarcasm into this word. 

Kagura looks silently on as the kids sputter in horror and shock, calling out to their idol. Goryoumaru groans, stumbling back, and opens up his youkai arm to shoot the light youkai at Hakudoushi, only to find that it bounces straight off the little asshole's barrier. He seems GENUINELY shocked that his attack didn't land, and to add insult to injury (quite literally), Hakusdoushi drawls that it's a rather BORING one. This kid could kill with his shitty attitude alone. 

Inuyasha's sense of smell is SHARP today, because he looks around from the cave's macabre contents from the OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN.

Damn son, you're on target today!

They're already racing through the woods in the next panel, Inuyasha carrying Kagome on his back and the rest of the group riding Kirara. Kagome asks if this scent he's picking up comes from Goryoumaru's temple, and Inuyasha affirms as much, clearly not overly communicative in his hurry. 

At the temple, Hakudoushi hovers in the air above a kneeling, DYING, Goryoumaru. He groans, but he's surely trying to stay conscious as long as possible. Impressive, considering the wound he just got in his NECK. Hakudoushi laughs at him, promising to return that exact boring attack back to Goryoumaru. A bubble swells out of the side of Hakudoushi's barrier, shining at a horrified Goryoumaru, but at that moment Inuyasha and group soar over the temple wall and Inuyasha himself yells out at Hakudoushi. How far away could they have POSSIBLY been??

Hakudoushi glares over his shoulder at the intruders, grumbling about these bastards still hanging around. The bubble that was aimed at Goryoumaru now protrudes toward Inuyasha.

Better the things should be misdirected at people who can actually get away, I guess. 

Not that he looks like he's going to last much longer anyway. He's slumped over on the ground, blood soaked down his front as the children he'd recruited gather around him, crying out to him in distress. Hakudoushi looks back down at him and scoffs, swinging that naginata at him again. A splatter of blood, shocked and horrified looks from Inuyasha and company, a surprised gape from Kagura, and Goryoumaru's head rolling off later, it's clear that the dude is gone. Kagome is in disbelief over this, but hers isn't the only stunned reaction to the compounding circumstances. 

Too bad we can't give the girl a prize for her shoddy detective work. 

Kagome draws attention to Kanna, and Sango identifies the infant as belonging to Naraku with equal shock. Hakudoushi steps up to Kanna's side, telling Kagura that he's leaving Inuyasha's group to her, to which command she gives a glower. The barrier reappears around Hakudoushi, encompasses Kanna and Shnooky as well, and lifts them up and out of there swiftly. Inuyasha declares that they won't get away, drawing Tessaiga while he lunges in their direction and releasing a Kaze no Kizu. 

Then why kill him?

Inuyasha makes a sound of confusion and Kagura just stares up at her hated fellow offspring. Once the barrier bubble disappears into the distance, Inuyasha turns to Kagura and demands to know just what the FUCK is going on. She snaps at him that he should be able to tell by looking - until this very moment, Naraku hid his heart in the temple. Inuyasha repeats the principle word in disbelief, Miroku asking if this means the baby is this so-called "heart". Sango murmurs behind Miroku about how this is just the same as another time, and when Miroku turns to hum in question at her, she recalls the time Princess Abi attacked a human castle with her "birds".

Who could forget such trauma?

Kagome asks Kagura why she's telling them this, and Inuyasha bluntly adds on a question about how she's still alive after being shot through the chest directly with one of the blasts from Goryoumaru's youkai arm. Kagura barks that she doesn't know, but mentions the fact that her heart is still in the possession of her jerk of a spawn point. Starting to pick up on the extent of her lack of connection with Naraku and his underlings, Miroku asks her if this means she attacked the temple to try and find Naraku's heart. 

Kagura glowers at him in clear distrust, and after a pause refuses to answer with anything but a vague verbal shrug. She seems to realize that her standing around chatting with a supposed enemy is probably a bad look, so she turns and pulls a feather from her hair, saying she's going after Hakudoushi and Kanna, and bidding the Inuyasha group not to get in her way. Indeed, they watch her shoot up into the sky and disappear, Miroku muttering the observation that Kagura intends to betray Naraku. Nooooo, you don't say. You truly are the SMART one, aren't you?

Kagome recalls how Hakudoushi said Goryoumaru didn't know anything and wonders about the implication that Goryoumaru was just being used. His headless body is currently surrounded by the horde of children he'd recruited for youkai-slaying, which the whole Inuyasha party appears to notice with a grave frown at once. 

Another day, another funeral. 

Miroku advises the little child soldiers that they should leave the temple ASAP. The morose children begin to give a half-hearted protest, but Inuyasha tells them they'll do as Miroku says if they value their lives, pointing out that the youkai have started to gather again because they too seem to have noticed that Goryoumaru is gone. Kagome adds that even if that weren't the case, the youki surrounding the temple would attract them anyway, though she keeps to herself that it's the Rakan statues radiating the energy. Some of those very statues sit just at the tree line, several of them basically right next to the grave and the incense wafting off the lit stick atop it. 

Meanwhile...

She's looking DANGEROUSLY eager right now...

Kagura silently approaches a sphere in the distance that I assume is Hakudoushi's barrier, and some jagged barren mountains. She seems to express some surprise since the former, but perhaps it's more for THIS sight:

Related to the Rakan statues, by any chance?

Kagura spies the white form of Kanna in the open mouth of the oni, carrying Shnooky, who in turn grasps the fuyouheki.

I don't know, how did you rushing into the last known location of the infant without a plan or preparation go for you the previous time? 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I love how Kagura didn't even bother to PRETEND to fight Inuyasha and company at this point. She's locked into following that baby to the ends of the earth, and has thrown out even the thinnest of covers. All she has to do here is resist the urge to get Naraku dead as soon as possible, and she is absolutely failing. Sad as it is to admit, Sesshoumaru was right, and she really should take his advice and assumed that Naraku was soon to be onto her traitorous behavior, if not already so. Of course, I can't really complain if her recklessness leads to interesting results. 

I do think it's weird that the last chapter was spent investigating the strange origin of these creepy temple statues, and are then introduced to a massive creepy statue at the end of this one. The statues depict different things, and there's no way they could have been created in the same way, but I find their proximity suspicious, even if I don't recall there being any concrete connection between them. We'll see if there is, since the weeds of this part have been impenetrable for me up until this point. In the past, I just went around them and scratched my head with a shrug, assuming there was just subtext in there I didn't get. Maybe there still is, but THIS TIME, I have a comment section, so feel free to enlighten me!

As for Goryoumaru, I don't really have a eulogy for him. He was a weird, problematic dude, but I do feel bad for the kids who to some degree relied on him for safety and shelter. I still think you were a fundamentally bad dude, but RIP I guess.