Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 023 American Hero, Part 2

Hoo boy, my neck hurts. That is really quite the painful crick. Going from loving to hating Hanasaki's father gave me whiplash like you wouldn't believe, but the show must go on, and we have to find out just how bad the damage that daddy dearest did is. If past chapters are anything to go by, it will probably involve high-voltage tasers or other dangerous things punks seem to have by default in this world. Whatever it happens to be, Hanasaki is bound to be in a world of hurt.

Thanks dad.

We left off right about here, with Hanasaki vowing that he'll save Yuugi from those dicks he supposedly beat into submission from the night before. He inserts himself between Yuugi and his attackers, demanding that the bigger, stronger kids stop picking on his friend. Yuugi and the hoodlums are surprised, but the hoodlums are the only ones who grow grins at the sound of Hanasaki's voice. They've recognized him too.

Both hoodlums lean in to try and intimidate Hanasaki, an effort that looks to be working from how he's sweating. Hanasaki tells himself not to be scared, though he can't afford to put on his costume in front of them. Did he bring it to school with him? Actually, if he did, I wouldn't be surprised. Ski Cap Kid eventually tells Headband Kid that Yuugi and Hanasaki aren't worth their effort and turns to walk away, much to Headband Kid's confusion.

Yuugi noticed that the sight of Hanasaki's nervous, sweating face was enough to send those guys packing, and when he's asked by Hanasaki if he's alright, Yuugi can't help but mention with his affirmative that that was a pretty cool stunt Hanasaki pulled. Hanasaki just tells Yuugi to come to him for protection if he runs into any more trouble, and Yuugi lets out an unsure "okay." Yuugi notes how confident Hanasaki has become in such a short time. I don't know, there's not really that fine a line between confidence and delusion.

In the meantime, Headband Kid is whining that they walked away when he and Ski Cap Kid should have been paying him back for the night before. Ski Cap Kid tells Headband Kid to have patience, because the only thing they needed to do at this point was be able to identify Hanasaki's face. Ski Cap Kid has a plan to cash in on Hanasaki's false confidence, a mysterious plan he'll put into effect tonight.

Later, at Yuugi's house, Yuugi is putting together a Zombire figure much like the one Jonouchi assembled, because Hanasaki went and got him into Zombire. Once he's done putting the pieces together, he shakes up an aerosol can to paint it, but finds he's run out of paint. Yuugi throws a tantrum because he was so close to finishing it, and there's no spray paint left in the house, AND the stores in the area have all closed by then, so he can't buy any more. He sulks until he gets the idea to head over to Hanasaki's place to get some.

Wasn't it Jonouchi that magically produced it last time? And he's way more into actually assembling the kits rather than letting them sit in their boxes, so he might actually be a better bet. Buuuuuuuuut, the plot demands Yuugi has to go to Hanasaki's place, so that's where we're going, Writch, don't try to put logic into this!!

I have a feeling that's not a used tissue in the third member of the Turd Patrol's hand there... Also, the Hanasaki family is having an awfully late dinner if all the stores are already closed like Yuugi says. Oh well.

Hanasaki is disappointed that his father isn't quite sure when he'll be returning from his upcoming business trip, and his dad tries to cheer him up with a "rumor" he heard. He repeats the official story of how the hoodlums were beating up a kid and they were stopped by a mysterious masked stranger. He suggests that maybe it was Zombire, and Hanasaki chuckles in his head at how surprised his father would be if he knew that was actually him. Not as surprised as you might think in your naive little head, Hanasaki.

He thanks his mother for dinner and asks his parents to knock on his door before coming into his room before walking away from the table. His mother says that he's been acting more mature lately, and I'm not sure what makes her think that. Does he usually act like an ungrateful brat, or what? Hanasaki's father just laughs and asks his mom if she really thinks so, all while attributing this apparently new maturity to Hanasaki's brand new self-confidence.

Hanasaki finishes putting on his costume and starts beating up a rocking clown toy. He has to train in case those guys come back, after all, which will be sooner than he thinks. Suddenly, that wadded up something in Douchebag #3's hand comes flying through Hansaki's window.

What villainy is this?? You must hurry to save your crying caterpillar friend post haste!!! Hanasaki knows that it must have been the hooligans he's faced twice already who wrote the note and declares that he won't forgive them again. You forgave them before? Anyhow, he jumps out of his window again, this time to save Yuugi. Around a corner, Douchebag #3 announces on a walkie-talkie that Hanasaki took the bait and is on his way.

One silhouette on a... platform next to a body of water and a train track, not sure what this little enclosure is... lets another silhouette spray painting a skull and crossbones on a wall in on the news. Ski Cap Kid pauses in his artwork and tells Headband Kid to go ahead and proceed to Phase Two. Headband Kid takes out his phone and calls up Hanasaki's dad, telling him that he's interested in playing their superhero game again, but this time their reward has to be 500,000 yen. They've gotten a tad greedy, and if that greed isn't sated, Headband Kid is willing to flip the script on Hanasaki and kill him instead of letting him win.

It seems that there is a limit to how much money Hanasaki's dad starts to sweat at spending on Hanasaki, and this is getting close. The hooligans see Hanasaki in his mask at the top of the stairs leading to their platform, and bid Hanasaki's dad goodbye with a reminder of their ransom and a threat of putting Hanasaki in a hospital. Hanasaki doesn't appear to hear any of this, as he's asking where Yuugi is in his confident hero-speak. The hooligans just chuckle.

Turns out that Yuugi is just fine, and reaches Hanasaki's house with his intent to grab that paint. When he asks if Hanasaki is home, however, his father looks distressed. He just says his son's name at first, but then shows Yuugi the crumpled up note that he retrieved from Hanasaki's room, asking what he should do.

Uhhh... CALL THE POLICE. You know where these kids are, you know that there are only two of them, and this is officially a hostage situation! You call the police! You don't ask tiny little teenagers what to do, and you certainly don't allow them to see the ransom note so that they could potentially go there themselves to do something stupid get justice!

Mr. Hanasaki is the most incompetent father in fiction I've ever SEEN.

Am I going to have to bring back that "ho don't do it" joke?

Cut back to the platform, where Hanasaki is getting punched by the hooligans. They mockingly ask him what's wrong as he's wondering where all the power he seemed to have the night before went. Ski Cap Kid feels like breaking some hearts tonight, but not in the usual way. He tells Hanasaki that his dad paid them to pretend to get beaten up by him, and some indication of surprise comes from Hanasaki at this, though I'm not sure what it is. He is, after all, still wearing his mask.

Hanasaki says they're lying in a small voice at first, then repeats the phrase in a battle cry that becomes a scream as Ski Cap Kid sprays the aerosol can at the eye holes of the Zombire mask. Hanasaki rolls around in agony over the assault on his sight for a moment before being kicked by Headband Kid, who asks sardonically how a shrimp like Hanasaki could beat them in the first place. Hanasaki can do nothing but groan.

A much more welcome silhouette appears at the top of those stairs, telling the hooligans that they've picked on Hanasaki quite enough, thank you very much.

What are you doing, man? What do you even have to lean against?

At first, Ski Cap Kid seems flabbergasted, and asks if yet another fakey fake superhero has shown up. By the time Yami gets down the stairs, though, Headband Kid and Ski Cap Kid seem to think this game thing sounds like a fun idea. Yet another example of how Takahashi doesn't seem to want to give his villains actual motivations for participating. All he does is have them go along with it like they don't have the all the leverage in the situation already. THEY NEED REASONS, SHOW ME WHAT THEY ARE.

To make matters that much worse, Mr. Hanasaki appears to have followed Yami down the stairs. Not only has he deemed showing up at the ransom drop location with the POLICE too risky, but he has tagged along with his son's friend. It doesn't even look like Hanasaki's dad was the LEADER of this escapade; he followed a sixteen-year-old boy to get Hanasaki back.

WHAT IS THIS MAN'S PROBLEM??? Does his irresponsibility know no bounds??? After this is all over, SOMEONE take Hanasaki away from his unfit guardian! Please!!

Hanasaki's dad goes over to kneel next to his son and help him to his feet, asking if he's okay. Yeah, thanks dad, that is so much more helpful than getting the police to arrest his kidnappers. What an idiot. Ski Cap Kid flicks his cigarette at Yami, asking him if he really thinks he can take on all three of the hooligans. I think all three of them could have been taken on by the police, that's for sure.

Sorry, I'm not going to get over the fact that there is absolutely NO reason why the police can't be here right now. None. Zip.

Yami looks down at the lit cigarette at his feet, right next to the aerosol can that Ski Cap Kid must have set down at some point. Yami picks it up and says that it's all he needs for their game. The hooligans take out knives and tell him he's being awfully careless in choosing his weapon. Yami starts to run, and the hooligans give chase, all around their little enclosure, while Yami sprays his paint on the ground. He zigzags here and there and everywhere, dodging all of their stabs at him, all while spraying the can in an unbroken, though cornered line around them. They curse his agility, and grasp of the concept that a straight line is the shortest distance between two people. Ski Cap Kid wonders if this is a game of tag, and for all he knows it could be. He didn't bother to ask what the game is before he started playing, did he? He calls to his fellow hooligans to get in front of him and push him to the edge of their enclosure.

Hanasaki's dad is leading him up the stairs from the enclosure, out of danger, asking if he's okay. I'm surprised that he didn't just stay down there dumbfounded, with how stupid he's been so far. Still, a little responsibility this late in the story isn't going to redeem you, Mr. Hanasaki. After all, the police still aren't here, and you're leaving your son's friend with the dangerous thugs you led to target them in the first place.

Hanasaki says he's fine other than his eyes watering. Man, that must be even worse with his contacts in. His vision should be blurred beyond making out vague shapes at this point, but he still manages to see Yami still on the platform below, ducking the bad guys. He's shocked that Yami is "fighting" for his sake. It looks more like running to me, Hanasaki.

Hanasaki's dad holds out his hand for his son to take, stating that they're going home. Hanasaki's still got that mask on, but when he looks back at his dad, he's got that lightning background behind his head, so we know he's intensely upset at his father's intention to just leave Yami with the hooligans. Mr. Hanasaki is insistent that Hanasaki take his hand, but Hanasaki just stares through his mask.

Not to mention, you'll just be abandoning a friend whom your father inappropriately encouraged to come to save you. That's just a shitty thing to do.

As Hanasaki's dad stares at the son who turned out to be a much better person than his influence should have allowed, it looks like Yami has been cornered by the hooligans. Ski Cap Kid tells him to prepare himself, but Yami just laughs.

The cigarette burns down to the paint, and it sets the entire line on fire. Yami calls it the "Maze of Fire," which sounds scarier than the Halloween corn maze I visit every year, that's for sure. Because the hooligans were each standing on an end on the path, their feet catch on fire too, leaving them screaming.

Yami, your murder grin is back!! I missed it so! It also makes me not quite believe that they'll be okay if they escape the maze, but the next panel shows them each jumping into the water on the other side of the platform, so I guess they ended up being alright after all. Except for those nasty burns, of course, but they deserved it a lot more than Christian Slater in Chapter 6 did.

Hanasaki runs up to Yami, apologizing for how he had to save him, and how he's apparently an idiot. Well, I mean, fair, you're not ten, so you should have been more than capable of picking up on the fact that those other kids were faking being defeated by your incredible power. However, I think we know who's really to blame here.

It was your moron of a father, who only just now realizes as he picks up your discarded mask that the mask was actually hiding the real hero who was willing to take on three douchebags to save his friend. Too bad the only reason he felt he had to do that was because Mr. Hanasaki was such a bad, dangerous guardian.

The last panel shows Hanasaki slumped in shame, saying that he'll never be a real hero. Yami tells him that he will. He's obviously got more potential than SOME people.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It only worked because the only adult in the situation was at best incompetent. If Hanasaki's dad wasn't such a failure as a parent, this whole situation could have been avoided. As to whether or not Mr. Hanasaki's character works as THIS incompetent, though, I'm not quite certain. I mean, the last chapter was alright in making his level of idiocy believable, but I feel like this chapter took it over the top. Where I was just BARELY able to suspend my disbelief that Hanasaki's dad would be stupid enough to give out Hanasaki's name and the location of his school last time, I just can't understand why it wouldn't occur to him to call the police here. And the fact that he didn't put his foot down and forbid Yami to come along was bad enough, but the additional fact that he looked like he was straight-up FOLLOWING Yami to the ransom drop was just... That's a level of stupid that goes beyond plot convenience. It is contrivance to the max.

Not to mention, Takahashi spent so much time setting up the drama of Mr. Hanasaki's stupidity, he cut off giving the villain's motivations AGAIN. I'm getting tired of antagonists that seemingly have no motivation to go with the plot other than deciding out of the blue that it'll be fun to play a game with mini-Saw. I'm also not certain that aerosol paint would quite go up in flames like it did here, but I know less about the flammability of paint than of alcohol, so I can't speak beyond my mild skepticism.

I guess the poor set-up and development isn't just for one-shots, huh? Yikes, this was bad.