Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 050 The Millennium Enemy, Part 1

To my fellow Americans, Happy Independence Day! To anyone else visiting my blog from anyWHERE else, Happy Monday!! This is also a special day for another reason: this blog starts a new arc today, and not just any arc. Because the title contained the all-important "Millennium" word, I was naughty and looked ahead a tad. This chapter not only marks the beginning of the end of this particular section of Yu-Gi-Oh, sequestered off from the "Duelist" saga by American publishers, it's also the introduction of another very important character in the entire series.

I'm talking, of course, about a new transfer student that a girl runs into the classroom to gossip about with her girlfriends. Said girlfriends are intrigued, wondering what kind of person he is. No one knows much, except that someone has heard he's SUPER cute. Yuugi is sitting at his desk as he overhears the news that he's getting a new classmate and is also interested. When a teacher leads him into the classroom, a couple of girls up front are dazzled by him, so I guess the rumor about him being handsome is true. The teacher introduces him as Ryou Bakura.

Yuugi seems to think he's dreamy too. The teacher wonders where he can seat Bakura and notes that there's room next to Jonouchi. Jonouchi is so enthusiastic about this that he's waving and calling out. Sheesh, Van Halen was right - everybody wants some. But Jonouchi has to shoot a glare at a girl who tells Bakura to watch out, because Jonouchi is known as a bad apple around these parts. Bakura doesn't seem put off in the slightest, sitting down and greeting Jonouchi cordially. Jonouchi grins at Bakura and suggests that they be friends. Bakura just smiles in response.

Some time later, I'm assuming after class, Jonouchi introduces Bakura to Yuugi, Honda and Anzu, who are all excited to meet him. Bakura asks Yuugi about the game shop his family owns, and Yuugi asks Bakura if he likes games. Bakura answers in the affirmative, citing a board game called "Monster World" as his favorite.

Gee, Yuugi, you didn't imagine that Bakura would have liked to explain it, given it's HIS favorite game? No? You're such a know-it-all.

Bakura is not as offended by Yuugi's game-splaining as I am, apparently, and is impressed with his level of knowledge of games. Yuugi just looks embarrassed. Jonouchi says that the game sounds really interesting and suggests they all play tomorrow at Bakura's place, but Bakura only stutters out an agreement. He looks down, and Yuugi makes a mental note that Bakura doesn't seem as enthusiastic about the idea as he should be.

Bakura recovers from his funk fairly quickly, though, as he remembers that he was meaning to ask Yuugi about the giant gaudy puzzle around his neck. Yuugi explains that it's the Millennium Puzzle, found in a Pharaoh's tomb in Egypt. Bakura asks if he can take a look and Yuugi hands it to him to hold. Bakura begins to say that he also has... something, but suddenly stops as he doubles over and clutches his chest. Yuugi asks Bakura what's wrong, but Bakura lies like a rug, denying anything is up as he hands Yuugi his puzzle back. He's not sure what it was, but the unfamiliar feeling in his heart concerns him.

Don't worry, Bakura. Yuugi just does that to people. Then they want him to be around all the time. Just ask Jonouchi.

Is... is creating fan-clubs for classmates a thing in Japan? Because I don't remember anything like that popping up in any of the high schools I went to in the United States, and I went to THREE. Even if I DID see something like that, I'm pretty sure I would be creeped out, because that's some creepy shit. Are they going to be asking for locks of his hair next? Sneaking in his window to watch him sleep?

And all Jonouchi can say is that he's "popular." Yeah, "popular" is not a term I'd use for a victim of stalking. If I wasn't familiar with the role he played in the rest of this series, I would be afraid he'd turn up in a ditch somewhere down the line. Jonouchi doesn't dwell too much on his envy of Bakura's inappropriate attention from the girls, because Yuugi reminds him that he seems like a nice guy. Jonouchi agrees, thinking that they'll all be really good friends. Yuugi asks Bakura, in his head this time, to play "Monster World" with them. This panel is just taking up space, honestly.

Bakura looks listless and bored as the girls surrounding him point out the toilets and the music room. He just affirms that he's listening as he thinks this isn't really interesting to him. Which part? The tour or the girls? The group walks past a shadow in the hall, which turns out to be...

Surprise! Another antagonist teacher! What's wrong, dude? Pissed off that Bakura is shattering your delusion that underage girls are more interested in older authorities than boys their own age? One of the girls even curses the guy, whom she identifies as a gym teacher named Karita. Karita recognizes Bakura as the new student, and says that he heard Bakura was a trouble-maker at his last school. Bakura seems surprised by this assessment, but flinches when Karita pulls on his long, luxurious locks.

Karita is going to take it upon himself to make sure that Bakura follows all school standards, the first of which is a rule against long hair on boys. But Yuugi's liberty spikes are a-ok? The girls wail out Bakura's name as he's being harassed, but can't do much else. Still yanking on Bakura's hair, Karita warns him not to think of himself as special. If he cuts his hair by the next day, Karita will consider him a REAL student of the school. He finally lets go of Bakura's hair and walks away laughing. As one of the girls asks Bakura if he's okay, another calls Karita a piece of trash. Cheers to that, girl.

Bakura tells his fans that he's okay, he just needs a quiet minute alone. In the bathroom, he leans on a sink in front of a mirror, groaning and clutching his chest again. He can't figure out what the pain in his chest is all about, but he knows it started when he touched the Millennium Puzzle. Suddenly, he hears a chuckle behind him and swings around, but no one is there. He wonders if he imagined hearing a voice or is dreaming. Do you think you passed out on the floor or something, kid?

Bakura begins to unbutton his uniform while musing on the fact that Yuugi's puzzle looks an awful lot like...

He must have been pretty jingly when he walked, then.

After school, Yuugi and friends catch up to Bakura at the campus gate. He greets them awkwardly, and Yuugi says that his posse wanted to go over to Bakura's place to play his game tomorrow, but suggests they can play at his own place if Bakura is uncomfortable with them coming over. Bakura looks uncomfortable regardless, and Yuugi notices, asking if Bakura would rather not play at all. Bakura denies this, saying that he really DOES want to play "Monster World" with them, but he still looks a little forlorn. Finally, he says that he has a confession.

At his former school, he had friends whom he played the game with a lot, but these friends ended up in comas lasting to this day after playing with him. Bakura knows it's a little difficult to believe, but he insists that this was the common denominator between all of their conditions. Yuugi is shocked, but doesn't say anything as Bakura goes on to explain that he transferred schools because people started to avoid him when it kept happening. He's living alone, away from even his family now.

OHHHH, that's why he has a fan-club! He's a classic harem protagonist! He has that gig on the side, I'm sure.

Bakura says he really wants to play games and be friends with Yuugi and pals, but he's decided he can't risk playing the games anymore without losing friends, so he has to avoid them. Bakura turns around and runs off the campus, saying goodbye as he does so. Yuugi calls out to him, but he doesn't come back. Yuugi thinks he recognizes the side-effect of falling into a coma after playing games. *wink wink nudge nudge*

Later that night, Bakura is at home, writing a letter to what looks like someone named "Amane," a sibling. Another giggle erupts behind him and he twists in his chair, remembering it from before. The voice asks if Bakura can finally hear him, but Bakura just panics, asking who's there. The voice is jubilant that it can finally communicate with its master. Oh day of days! The voice wants to celebrate, because he's finally found the boy with the Millennium Item after 3,000 years. It speculates that it was because of this boy that it and Bakura are finally able to talk to each other. Meanwhile, Bakura is freaking out, clutching his head, and asking who the voice belongs to and where it's coming from.

The voice finally responds directly to Bakura instead of just talking past him. It says that it's the other Bakura, from inside the Millennium Ring.

OH SHIT! OH SHIT! THAT'S NOT RIGHT! Yami doesn't treat Yuugi like that! The other Bakura is a DICK!

Bakura commands the voice to disappear, but the other Bakura doesn't think that's a very nice way to talk to it. It's not nice to stab peoples' chests with little dangly cones, either, but that didn't stop you, did it, Other Bakura? Apparently, Other Bakura is having fun, and doesn't want to go anywhere. He's also been working to grant all of Bakura's wishes in order to have leverage in their relationship ever since Bakura got the ring. After all, Bakura DID wish to keep playing with his friends in "Monster World" forever, so Other Bakura made that wish come true for him. Bakura wonders what this means, and the Other Bakura says he'll understand one day.

Well, looks like Shadi isn't the only one who wants to invade Yami's mind room. Other Bakura's in such a great mood that he thinks he'll pay his rent once more today, and Bakura asks in a panic what he's planning on doing. Other Bakura's only planning on serving his master, who was humiliated by Karita, and probably doesn't want to be bald. Bakura tries to tell Other Bakura to stop, but with a suggestion that Bakura should get some rest, Other Bakura disregards that particular wish.

Ewwwww, those dangly things are still embedded in his skin...

The audience doesn't get to see the game, but Karita is looking in shock at a pointing Other Bakura as he shouts that it's time for a penalty game. Other Bakura didn't even bother to button back up his shirt before he went to challenge Karita, I guess. Karita screams, and the next panel shows his body lying on the pavement with Other Bakura shadowed and hovering over it. Other Bakura holds up a miniature doll that looks an awful lot like Karita as he laughs, explaining that Karita's soul is now trapped in it. He'll spend the rest of his days as a game piece.

The next day, Yuugi worries about Bakura not coming to school. They're all standing outside an apartment building, the one Jonouchi says that Bakura is supposed to live at. How would he know that? Bakura was only at school for one day, and he wasn't keen enough on anyone coming over to give out his address. Did Jonouchi ask those stalker club members for it, or did he BECOME one of the stalkers?

Jonouchi thinks Bakura is at home being depressed, and Honda agrees. Jonouchi declares that Bakura is their friend, and they need to play the game with him to show him all his friends in comas are just coincidences. Since Jonouchi hasn't been really understanding of the concept of "consent" in the past, it doesn't surprise me that he would essentially suggest overriding Bakura's will on this matter. Someone mentions that Karita is also in the hospital in a coma, but that has to be a coincidence as well. Jonouchi doesn't give a crap about him anyway.

The friends walk up to Bakura's door, a door that it's still suspicious they know the location of, and Yuugi rings the bell. Bakura opens the door just a crack to see who's there, and is greeted by four friendly faces. Bakura's mouth hangs open as he identifies them, and Jonouchi says they're at his apartment to play games and Yuugi follows up with the suggestion that they play Monster World. Bakura is upset, and begins to tell them that they can't do that, but in the blink of an eye, that changes.

Yeah, Yuugi, that must have been your imagination. Just like how it was your friends' imaginations when they saw YOUR face change all those times.

Other Bakura breathes a sigh of relief that he was able to step in before Bakura could drive Yuugi and friends away. He reprimands Bakura for being so rude to guests who come over to play his game, giggling in his head. Other Bakura tells Yuugi and pals that he thought they might show up, because they're such good friends. Jonouchi is just in awe at how nice Bakura's pad is, wishing he lived alone in such a swank place. Bakura tells them he set up the game already and everything, while he leads them into the room where it's standing.

Heeeeeeeeere we go.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Bakura and his relationship with the ring is so DIFFERENT than that of Yami and Yuugi. The Other Bakura calls Bakura his "master," but I'm pretty sure he's being facetious, because he proceeds to subdue Bakura and do what he wants pretty easily. He's definitely taunting Bakura with his new strength in overpowering him.

And this IS new, because in spite of the problems Bakura had before with his friends mysteriously falling into comas, it doesn't look like he had any problem with blacking out or anything like Yuugi's dealt with so far. The only side-effect was his friends collapsing while playing Monster World, so up until this point, Other Bakura was relatively passive. He didn't have the power to take over his host body like Yami has had all along, so I'm guessing Other Bakura is right when he speculates that it was contact with the Millennium Puzzle that allowed him to talk to and possess Bakura.

This gives me the impression that the puzzle might be the centerpiece to all of the items, and able to activate them in some special way. But in thinking that, I'm wondering about Shadi. He seemed to have complete control over his item, which was curious in itself because half the time he didn't even seem to HAVE a body, let alone a host. Do all of the items have spirits sealed in them, with some stronger or weaker than others? Do all of the items need chosen hosts, and are those hosts connected with the spirits in the items in some special way like Yuugi seems to be connected to Yami?

These questions aren't going to have an answer for a long time, I'm sure, so I'm not holding out for one in the next chapter. Still, they're things to think about as I move forward with this project.