Even I would concede that watching the actual game would be better than that. It remains to be seen if the "Death-T" thing Seto Kaiba has planned for Yuugi and friend is just as comparatively better, though. Let's have a look.
In any case, here he is, experiencing a "sensation of death," with Yami giving the audience his insane murder grin. Oh, I missed you, Murder Grin. Why don't you show up as often as you used to? Kaiba needs to stop whining, because Yami has ACTUALLY killed people. He should consider himself lucky that he didn't end up set on fire or blown up.
WHYYYYYY???? After that nonsense with the food, I would have been out of that place like a SHOT. Sure, Mokuba probably had the door locked and guarded, but that's when you dive for the nearest phone and call emergency services to come get you because you've been kidnapped and almost murdered!
Do emergency services even EXIST in this world??
Seto shuts his briefcase with a snap, and has his head of staff dress him in a weird... fur-lined floor-length robe or jacket or something. Seriously, what the hell is that? The first inkling of Seto Kaiba's strange fashion sense, apparently. He mumbles about how he invited Yuugi and Jonouchi over and then promptly fell asleep. He says his life has been filled with sleepless nights when he's waited for morning, explaining those ever-present bags under his eyes, but he supposes it is ironic that he fell asleep and had that particular nightmare. He doesn't anticipate ever having it again after this day, though. The day of "Death-T" is finally here.
Yuugi and Jonouchi are sitting at a dining table, Yuugi asking if Jonouchi is actually okay, and Jonouchi assuring him that all he needed was a good night's sleep. How could you even sleep knowing that murder child is in the same building?? I have got to stop trying to apply my own sensibility to these characters. They don't seem to have a sensible bone in their insensible bodies.
Of all the things Jonouchi could be sulking about, he's chosen how he owes Kaiba now, for having let him stay at the mansion during the night. I wouldn't say you owe him a thing, considering it's a miracle you even made it through the night in that crazy place. Yuugi hopes his grandfather isn't worried, since he didn't tell him he was going to be out all night. He didn't even think to pick up a damn phone to call his grandfather. Maybe the mansion doesn't even HAVE a landline. That would be weird.
Jonouchi asks Yuugi what opening ceremony Kaiba wants them to attend, and Yuugi doesn't know but it makes him a bit nervous. That feeling is there for a reason, Yuugi. FIND A PHONE. Yuugi looks behind him at a man in a suit watching him and Jonouchi from the door, and says it's been like that all night, like they're making sure the two of them don't leave. He confirms that the door has been locked, so I guess I can give him credit for checking for an escape.
The old head of staff greets them from another corner of the room, apologizing for keeping them waiting. He says that Sleeping Beauty is finally awake.
Jonouchi glares at their host while Yuugi looks a bit apprehensive. Kaiba asks why they don't look happy to see him, telling them to lighten up and celebrate instead. He's being so painfully obtuse, I want to go in there and slap his stupid face. Jonouchi gives him what-for in my place, though, informing their host that they were brought there against their will, and were almost murdered by Mokuba, so EXCUSE HIM for not being delighted by Kaiba's presence. Kaiba just waves away the complaint with dismissive comments that Mokuba is just cheeky and he was just playing a child's game.
I'm pretty sure trying to kill people isn't a normal child's game, Kaiba. Jonouchi agrees with me, saying that he's upset that he almost died. Yuugi decides to change the subject, whether because he's trying to make sure that Jonouchi doesn't start a physical fight with Kaiba or he's just trying to bring the subject around to getting the hell out of this mansion isn't quite clear. Both are valid reasons. He asks Kaiba where they're going, and Kaiba answers that he's taking them to a dream-like place.
Why do I get the feeling he's actually referring to a very specific nightmare he just had?
He gestures to the door, saying they should get going as soon as possible. As they're walking to the door, the staff lines up on either side of them and wishes them a good trip. Kaiba just urges his guests along, saying he can't wait to show them the surprise. While they're in the car, Kaiba tells them that his father died six months ago and he had to take over for him. As the CEO of the company, Kaiba has been working on a dream project, and he's sure Yuugi and Jonouchi will love it. He points it out to them from the moving car - a tower that overlooks all of Domino City.
Jonouchi mutters something about Kaiba being popular with children. Kaiba looks at Yuugi over his shoulder, telling him that this park doesn't open officially for another three days, but some kids have been invited to play for free today at the ceremony. He wants Yuugi and Jonouchi to have fun too. Yuugi and Jonouchi wonder if they had completely misjudged Kaiba while I'm getting the creepiest Stepford Wives feeling of all time. OF ALL TIME.
NO! No, I won't be tricked! What have they done with the REAL Kaiba?? He's a robot created by a gentleman's club isn't he? ISN'T HE???
Ahem, excuse me. The kids all file into the building, pointing out all the fun things they see. Kaiba tells Yuugi that his dream was to give kids a fun place like this to have fun, and that's what his project is all about. Yuugi thinks he might have been hasty in his judgment of Kaiba, and he joins Jonouchi in starting an excursion into the gaming paradise before them.
Just then, someone calls out to Seto.
He says all of this with a creepy villainous grin, which has not escaped Yuugi's attention. He wonders which smile really represents the actual Kaiba. Kaiba invites Yuugi to see the rest of the park with him, but as he leads the tour, his expression flattens out. He proceeds to show them a series of high-tech gaming machines, including a motion ride that leave Yuugi and Jonouchi awed by how real the virtual reality looks.
Kaiba tells them that there's even more; a special attraction that he's prepared especially for Yuugi and friend. Yuugi is flattered that the attraction was for him, saying it's too much as he hears yelling somewhere. Kaiba chuckles creepily as he stops at a set of doors in front of them, and says the attraction is on the other side. He tells them they have a front-row seat and encourages them to enter.
They walk into an arena area where kids are gathered in the bleachers cheering for Kaiba, and there's a box in which a table and chairs are set up.
Sugoroku realizes Yuugi can't hear him, but he's desperate to communicate some important information. Kaiba kidnapped him the night before. Darn, my guess is trash. Anyway, Sugoroku is relieved Yuugi is alright, but that's only for now, because Kaiba has something else planned for Yuugi specifically.
Yuugi is discouraged from entering the box where his grandfather is being held as Kaiba walks into the arena himself and the crowd goes wild. They're screaming that he won't even break a sweat, and that he's the best, as fans do, while Kaiba is finally taking off that stupid-looking fur-lined coat. He's taking it off in a weird, inexplicable way, though. It's kind of... curling around him or something?
Seto has an internal monologue about how Yuugi made him experience defeat for the first time with their last game, but he vows to get back his pride today. Yuugi's death will be icing on the cake for him. Yuugi is still calling to his grandpa though he knows how useless it is by now, and Jonouchi is wondering what the hell Kaiba's got up his sleeve.
Kaiba addresses his audience by saying that he's been challenged to a Duel Monsters match by Sugoroku, who supposedly claimed to be a master of the game. He encourages everyone to sit back and enjoy while Yuugi sputters out the terms that he just doesn't think go together very well, like his grandfather and Kaiba. The crowd is collectively laughing at Sugoroku's apparent hubris because he can't possibly win, haha! Sugoroku is in the booth sorting through his cards, making a silent promise to Yuugi that he'll win.
Yuugi notes how serious his grandfather looks as Kaiba enters the box. He tells Sugoroku to use his strongest cards and not to hold back, to which Sugoroku replies curtly that he intends to give it his all. He put the Blue Eyes White Dragon card in his deck, after all, and once he draws that, the game will be all over. Kaiba starts the duel with a reiteration of how many life points and cards each player has, followed by "Game start!"
He lets Grandpa know that the booth they're seated in was constructed for this game, and warns that it might be a little intense. Sugoroku looks confused, but doesn't ask questions. Seto explains anyway by playing a Cyclops card.
For the second thing only. Not the scaring an old man part. That's still a dick move. Especially since Sugoroku mutters that this game can't be very good for his old heart. He takes his turn, followed by a series of attacks and defends that are not elaborated upon. Sugoroku attacks Kaiba with a Hobbit, which shaves down Kaiba's life points by five hundred. The crowd is actually pretty impressed how Sugoroku is holding his own, but they're still convinced Kaiba will win.
Sugoroku's monster is attacked by a dragon of some sort and Kaiba announces he loses three hundred life points, all while Sugoroku's heart pounds hard. Kaiba brags about his new advantage, but Sugoroku just reminds him that he hasn't won the game yet. Yuugi can see there's no clear winner quite yet, but he encourages his grandfather to keep going.
Sugoroku thinks that Kaiba is pretty good, but the weakness in his game is that he doesn't use very many magic cards. Sugoroku draws a new card, looks at it, and says that he's won the game. He shows Kaiba that he's drawn the Blue Eyes White Dragon card and tells Kaiba that when he plays it, the game will be over. Kaiba seems strangely straight-faced about this information, and pulls a card from his own hand to play as Sugoroku chuckles. The laughter doesn't last long when Sugoroku sees what's being played and he starts sweating again. Kaiba claims he'll play another of these cards the next turn as well, all while Sugoroku becomes more and more upset.
He certainly has a talent for drawing really creepy smiles, though, because LOOK AT KAIBA RIGHT NOW. Is that where Yami's murder grin migrated when he got tired of wearing it all the time. Shit, boy, that is fucked.
Yuugi is shocked that his grandfather lost the game, but Sugoroku is just wondering how Kaiba managed to grab so many copies of this rare card. As if he's a mind-reader, Kaiba begins pontificating on how he was only able to find four people who had the Blue Eyes White Dragon card: people from America, Germany, Hong Kong, and Sugoroku himself. He goes on to say that since none of them gave up their cards willingly, he had to persuade them with bankruptcy, Mafia hits, and instigating suicide. Sugoroku is appalled, even more so when Kaiba takes his Blue Eyes White Dragon and shreds it with the declaration that this is Sugoroku's penalty game.
As Sugoroku mourns the loss of his treasured card, Kaiba brags in delight about how he's the only one in the world who has the card now. He let's Sugoroku know that he's giving him one more penalty game, though, and turns the holograms up to eleven to torment Sugoroku. Seto laughs maniacally at Sugoroku's terror, calling it a virtual reality "sensation of death." Now with 10,000% more douchebag!
Sugoroku is screaming and Yuugi calling out to him desperately as Kaiba exits the booth.
Is it possible that Kaiba managed to bribe his way around any standards of decency? I suppose, but not to the degree that he's making MULTIPLE people suffer like this. Maybe this is a lot like the sweatshop problem - he outsources his testing to where the national ethics standards aren't a problem, and proceeds to fuck over third-world denizens like they aren't even actual people. That's the only way I can POSSIBLY see laws and the enforcement of such coexisting with this bullshit.
I'm not even allowing myself the COMFORT of believing he's lying to Yuugi here. He's capable of it, sure, but I don't see why he would lie about this because it wouldn't benefit him in any way. In fact, he gains more satisfaction from this being the truth than it being a lie, and from that smug smirk on his face, I'm not holding out much hope for it being untrue. He even elaborates further, saying that if the holograms aren't stopped soon, Yuugi's grandfather will be crippled.
Yuugi can only stare in shock as Kaiba tells him that if he wants the simulation to stop, he'll have to agree to participate in Death-T, a death theme park that was constructed especially for Yuugi. Yuugi grits his teeth and glares.
So, what did I think of this chapter overall? There is SO much to talk about here that it's really overwhelming. There was a LOT packed into this twenty-four pages, and I'll have to spend a lot more time on the analysis of this one than I had originally planned.
Let's start with what isn't working here. Back in the Cruel Gang chapters, I mentioned the lack of adult presence that could have prevented much of the plot. This chapter is breaking my suspension of disbelief in the same way, except it's a lot stronger here. You can clearly see in my recap above that I was mentioning how they should have been looking for a phone, calling emergency services or the police every few sentences. This plot only works if those things don't exist, or characters are actively prevented from accessing them.
Yes, Yuugi DID say that they were being watched and the door was locked, but that bit of exposition to the audience would have been a lot more believable if the audience actually got to SEE Yuugi and Jonouchi trying to find a phone and get out of the mansion, only to be stopped. This is a classic example of times when showing is more valuable than telling. Telling is a tool to use when the information cannot be shown, or would be better glossed over for the sake of flow. Yuugi and Jonouchi trying to escape their kidnapping, however, should not have been glossed over because it was a fundamental reason as to why they would have STAYED in a place where they had almost been killed. Escaping isn't boring morning routine. It's not a character brushing their teeth. It's a desperate action that needs to be shown in detail to understand the dire situation that the characters are in. If it's not shown, that dire situation is downplayed, and I start thinking that maybe the characters don't care about their lives or are too stupid to recognize the position they're in.
It's the same issue with Kaiba's comment about how they tested the hologram death simulation and people lost their minds. Yes, I came up with a plausible explanation for how that could happen, but I shouldn't have to make up headcanons for the actual material to make sense to me. It should be internally consistent and make sense without my racking my brain for understanding.
That being said, this line is also really important to understanding Kaiba's actions here. When Kaiba made his debut in the manga, he was a little card-stealing shit who pretended to be chummy with others in order to use them to get what he wanted. He was NOT, however, a guy who kidnapped people, built deadly theme parks, or tried to give old men heart-attacks. This is an entirely new level of crazy that Kaiba's showing here, and there's a hint in his talking about the test subjects going insane that might tell us why.
He says that just ten minutes in his Duel Monsters penalty box is enough to drive someone nuts. Yami put him in the penalty game illusion for several HOURS. If Kaiba's reproduction of his "sensation of death" is at all accurate, that means Kaiba himself was probably driven to madness in the first ten minutes of Yami's punishment, and only continued to get high doses of crazy consistently for hours afterward. It also means Yami is INDIRECTLY responsible for this.
Not just this, either. He's responsible for Kaiba going to the lengths he did to get the other three Blue Eyes White Dragon cards. I wanna say that he's also responsible for Kaiba's hostile takeover of Kaiba Corp which induced his father's suicide, but because of the unclear nature of how time passes or has passed in this comic, that's difficult. Six months may or may not have passed since the duel between Yami and Kaiba, but considering how much Yami's punishment worsened Kaiba's already horrendous personality, let's just say I'm on the suspicious side.
Regardless, we can say that Yami is at the very least responsible for Kaiba's most recent psychopathic actions, and this makes me a happy reader in two ways: the first is that I'm stoked we have an antagonist's motivations for escalation being competently hinted at. Obviously, the surface reason for all of this pomp and circumstance is that Kaiba wants revenge, but Kaiba's "ten minutes to crazy" explanation gives the revenge plot he's concocted so much more dimension. He's not only recreated the circumstances of his defeat to his own benefit, but he's also been mind-fucked so thoroughly by Yami that he's proposing stakes that aren't nearly in proportion to his lost pride.
The second way in which I'm happy is that all of this is due to a miscalculation on Yami's part. He may have seemed good at doling out judgments and punishments in the beginning, but it's clear that he's messed this one up, BIG TIME. In Chapter 6's analysis, I think I might have gotten ahead of myself in assuming it was meant to show Yami was getting out of control. In this one, I don't know how I could draw any other conclusion. This is very clearly a punishment gone terribly wrong, in the sense that it ended up hurting more people than Kaiba, and came back around full circle.
I wonder how Yami's going to handle this. Will he be able to fix what he broke? Well, I don't think the answer to that question will come in the next chapter, but I can't wait for it regardless.
I can't help but feel Kaiba is being genuine when he's talking about the children at Kaiba Land earlier in the chapter. It's nice to see he has some good traits.
ReplyDeleteGranted, he still went through the trouble of inventing super realistic holograms just to bully an old man, so he's still kind of a dick.
I absolutely believe that he's genuinely interested in those kids having a good time. He was an orphan himself, and since he had such a rough time of it, it makes sense for him to want to give kids in a similar situation some good memories to carry with them instead of just shit.
DeleteIt's funny, Kaiba really isn't a complicated kind of guy. He's just so traumatized by being let down and abused by the people he relied on most in his early childhood that he's shunned positive interpersonal relationships altogether. It's clear that he's so out of practice when it comes to empathizing with other people, that he's automatically a douchebag to everyone around him. But the moment he catches a glimpse of how someone else's situation could be much like his own, it's like flipping a switch. Suddenly he's an intensely sensitive and empathetic person for a moment or two.
It's like nothing I've ever seen in a character, and I really have fun reading about it. Granted, Jonouchi is my favorite, but Kaiba isn't far behind him in terms of relatability.