Inuyasha Manga: 024 The Broken Body

I feel those feels. I woke up this morning with the joints in my knees aching because I've been sitting for extended periods cross-legged on an inexplicably hard, creaky floor. I think I may have done some damage to myself sitting for so long, so I decided, in lieu of having an actual chair to sit on, I would set the computer on the counter and type standing. Hey, standing desks are all the rage these days in offices, right? We'll see how this works.

You know who's NOT standing right now, though?

Yup, Kagome is sitting and sleeping, pen still in hand and a sick-ass face peeking in her window at her. If she were standing, she would maybe be able to start running faster.

The sick-ass face spots the corked bottle of Shikon shards on Kagome's desk next to her and is stoked that the jewel still exists in this time period. It pushes open the window and snakes in, on an elongated neck that appears to stretch all the way into the street. The woman it possesses is probably trying desperately to scream in agony right now.

In said street, a man and woman are riding around in a sports car, and the woman is asking if this is around where that ghost is said to appear. The man says it really DOES appear, and it was once a woman who was a victim of a hit-and-run accident. The woman presses her palms to her cheeks like Kevin McCallister and says this is scary before the man tells her that he was teasing her and made the whole thing up. She beats playfully on his shoulders while she calls him silly. It's all very lighthearted and about to become super real, super fast.

Then, in front of them, they see the woman possessed by the mask, face skin stretching up and out of sight and they're perplexed. The face in Kagome's window is ripped out of sight as the car rams straight into the rest of the body and sends it flying and slamming into the pavement, bloody and broken. Well, I take it back; I DON'T feel those feels, and I hope I never will. Kagome hears the squeal of tires and groggily comes to.

The mask loops around, still snaking out from the rest of the body, which attempts to lift itself with an arm that is so broken a bone is poking out through the skin. It cracks and crackles as it comes back to its standing position and the face shrinks back down to its rightful place on the skull and I'm really grossed out right now.

Back in her room, Kagome wonders what made the noise and blinks out the window, postulating that it might have been an accident of some sort. Spot on, Kagome, well done! Back on the street, the possessed woman is limping off, and the man and woman in the car wonder from behind their deployed airbags just what the hell that was. It was you guys making your silly joke ghost story real, that's what.

Sleepy-eyed, Kagome looks at her clock and suddenly gets real awake, grabbing the clock to exclaim that it's two in the morning. She resumes her position at the desk, in a panic because she hasn't studied for her test at all.

Meanwhile, back in time...

Don't you understand Myouga?? Inuyasha LIVES for teasing Kagome! He can't even get out of bed if he can't look forward to teasing Kagome! His life is meaningless if he can't spend it teasing Kagome! What's so hard about this to get??

But Inuyasha's lack-of-Kagome-teasing-induced depression is only our focus for these two panels. We're back to Kagome in an instant, walking out of the school building after her last day of tests, stretching and repeating the happy mantra that she is officially done. Short-Hair-Girl is slumped, however, claiming that she's envious of Kagome. Headband-Girl asks Kagome if she's not always in the top 30 scores, and Kagome laughs nervously, saying she doesn't know about that math test while scratching the back of her head.

Kagome hears her name called behind her, and turns to see that it's Houjou again, on his bike and asking how she's feeling. Short-Hair-Girl whispers that it's Houjou, just in case the audience Kagome didn't recognize him from the last chapter. Houjou gets off his bike to hand her another wrapped gift, and from inside she pulls a curved strip of bamboo with a bunch of holes drilled in it. He tells her it's good for her health if she steps on it and she just kind of says okay as if this whole encounter is making her really uncomfortable.

Same thing happened to me when I was Kagome's age, because there was an exchange student who kept giving me gifts and confessed that he liked me, but I had ZERO interest in him. It was awkward sauce every time he came up to me and gave me something, because I wouldn't want to refuse the gift, and didn't want to insult him. I just kind of shyly mumbled about nothing until he went away.

Anyway, story-time is over, and Houjou is asking Kagome if she likes movies. Kagome gives him a look like she's one of those 0.0 emoticons. Houjou goes on to ask her if she might like to go to a movie just the two of them sometime, and Kagome is pulling this even weirder expression where her chin is tucked in but she's looking up at him while also hiding her mouth with the bamboo thing he just gave her. She wonders if he could be asking her for a date, because she's a girl, and questions whether anyone could seriously want to date her.

I guess Houjou goes away again, because in the next panel, her friends are all up on her and asking what she's going to do and whether or not she's going at all. Never mind, Houjou is in the next panel, but way in the background, nervously watching them deliberate. Short-Hair-Girl whispers to Kagome that she should go, because she's never been on a date before. Kagome tries to deny that she hasn't ever dated, but she has to at least admit to herself with a queasy look that she hasn't. She goes back over to Houjou and awkwardly rubs the back of her head as she accepts his offer. This is such cute teenage girl stuff, I can't even.

Houjou is STOKED, and gets back on his bike proclaiming that they'll go out on Saturday. At the mention of Saturday, Kagome looks a little like a deer in headlights because she has to go back to the Sengoku period after her tests, and a date would be completely out of the question. Later, as Kagome and Short-Hair-Girl are walking around a corner, a teacher calls for Kagome's attention to see her a moment.

The obligations for Saturday just keep racking up, don't they? Kagome slouches home, the stupid bamboo thing Houjou gave her sticking out of her backpack, and she wonders what she's going to do. She acknowledges that the make-up exam on Saturday is only three days away, having completely forgotten about the date she promised to go on too.

Suddenly, a chill runs through her and she looks up, wondering if it's a youkai. Twisting around to look behind her...

Youkai indeed. He looks plenty energetic now! Myouga would be proud.

Kagome is super excited, because she wanted to see Inuyasha. Inuyasha's eyes widen, but he takes on an unconcerned expression paired with a sweatdrop when he lies that he didn't really want to see her. When they get back to the shrine and well, Inuyasha is furious again, though. He demands to know what she wants three more days over in the modern era for, and Kagome is in a begging stance when she confesses that she can't study over in the Feudal era and she's not too terribly good at math to begin with. She tells Inuyasha that if she fails the make-up exam too, it's all over for her.

Inuyasha says no immediately, disregarding her raised hands with the laced fingers. Kagome asks him to let her stay just this once, but he's having none of it. He says there's no chance she'll get to stay, and Kagome hangs her head, all of her begging for nought. Inuyasha looks back at her to see that her eyes are hidden by her bangs and she's sighing.

Oh shit, you done it now, boy! Kagome begins yelling at him, asking how he's going to take responsibility for the fact that she'll be failing. Inuyasha leans away from her as she advances, shouting that all he cares about is finding the Shikon no Tama, but she still has a life in her own time too. Inuyasha is flabbergasted, not having been meaning to make her cry. When Kagome turns away, putting her face in her hands to weep, Inuyasha leans toward her again and tries to awkwardly get her attention. She tells him to just go away.

This poor, dumb fucker.

On a playground out in the city at night, a man in glasses is getting kicked as he sits hunched and begging his aggressor to stop. It looks like a whole group of kids stand around and watch as one of them continues to kick at this guy, who is lying in a pretty big stain of blood on the concrete. The kid kicking him makes fun of him for telling them to stop, and another calls him funny-looking. Another says he's stupid. I'm flashing back to Yu-Gi-Oh's The Cruel Gang chapters, but at least these kids aren't beating on a man in broad daylight in the middle of a mall. They're the SMART thugs.

One of the kids pull him up by the collar and another grabs the guy's wallet, remarking on how much money the man has on him. He's not going to get a penalty game for this crap though. Instead...

When they get hit by cars because you stood out in the middle of the road, yeah, they tend to break. Duh.

The kids all turn toward the limping woman with the completely turned-around limbs and are in WTF mode right now. The mask says that it's grateful for how many evil souls there are in this world.

It's got MOTHER FUCKING TEETH!! SHIT! SHIT!

The mask proceeds to snake forward and take one of these kids' heads right off, much to the shock of his buddies. The kid's body falls, and as it chews on all the hair, bone and flesh, it exposits that it needs a stronger body to take the Shikon no Tama, with lots of evil souls as food. Yum.

The rest of those kids scream bloody murder, but their screams turn to crunching and chewing sounds soon enough.

Again, we pay a brief visit to Inuyasha back in the Sengoku Jidai. What's he up to, I wonder?

He's gone cross-eyed with indignation! Oh, the humanity!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The beginning and the end are so much badassery. The way the sound effects and pictures combine to give the reader the sense of how unnatural the movement is for the possessed body was pretty great in the last chapter, but it's even better in this chapter. Because the body is so destroyed, it becomes that much more a horrific sight, and at the end when it starts consuming the gang it's so grotesque that it always leaves me flinching. No matter how evil those brats were, it was PAINFUL to watch that thing swipe off one of their heads.

That said, it was clumsy as hell for the mask to start telling these kids why it's going to eat them. The only reason it would have been talking like that in the scene was if it was talking to an audience that needs to know, and whenever that happens, it takes me RIGHT out of the story.

The filling of the chapter was more a whole bunch of teenage drama, of course. When your characters are teenagers, that tends to happen, but I don't mind it so much. I thought the pressure around Kagome promising to go on a date with Houjou AND having to take a make-up exam AND having to go back to hunt for the Shikon no Tama was an understandable corner to be in as a fifteen-year-old, and I feel for her.

I also feel for Inuyasha, believe it or not. He's in this inexpressible position of having low energy when Kagome isn't around to keep him entertained. Inuyasha doesn't understand a lot of things about Kagome, and she seems so strange to him that he pokes at her just to get a reaction. He gets a little depressed when she's not around being interesting, and life seems a little boring to him. At the same time, though, he never intends to truly upset her, because he's only teasing. It's not fun anymore if she's really hurt by it, because he feels bad when she cries too. I think we've all been having a lighthearted poke at someone, not meaning to hit any nerves, and they get really angry and sad. That's essentially what happened with Inuyasha and Kagome there.

And because Inuyasha really DOESN'T get why Kagome is so invested in her tests and exams, he's just perplexed as to why she's really upset about not getting to stay. He probably didn't understand 3/4s of what the hell she was talking about, because he's never gone to school or had to take tests. That's so far outside of his scope she may as well have been reciting Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity to him. 

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 082 Defeat the Darkness!

Isn't that a little self-defeating? I mean, Yami has used that "dark wisdom and strength" to judge plenty of antagonists thus far in the story, so he's not exactly above utilizing his own special brand of darkness as a weapon. But, maybe that's what he MEANT by that little jab at the superfluous asshole in the last chapter. After all, if there is someone who knows what it's like to exist in darkness for a long-ass time, it would be Yami, and no doubt he thought it sucked. Come to think of it, that might not have been a jab at all, but sage advice to a guy who likes USING darkness for his own ends, but has no idea what it's like to exist inside it for an extended period, being invisible.

Yeah, that's definitely a reference to Yami's actual dark powers. This darkness the superfluous asshole is using is just a POSER darkness.

The superfluous asshole bursts out laughing, though, because he's not buying such big talk from such a little man. He tells Yami he should consider his position before he opens his big mouth, because as long as his dark castle remains in play, Yami can't see or attack his monsters, and he can't lose. Yami chuckles, awarding the superfluous asshole a small speck of respect for acting like a true duelist in the single respect that he won't give up just because someone says he'll lose. The superfluous asshole scoffs, but his tune changes when Yami offers to show him the card he'll be defeated with, and he's shocked that Yami would do that.

Yami, I know you're in love with that magician card of yours, but could you STOP acting like everything you do is like pulling a freaking rabbit out of your nonexistent hat? Please?

However, the superfluous asshole looks genuinely upset by this reveal, not that Yami can see this. Yami explains that the swords' holy light holds monsters back from attacking for three turns, even the ones in hidden in the dark. When the superfluous assholes monsters are trapped in the light unable to attack for three turns, it will destroy them. The superfluous asshole is freaking out, but trying to convince himself that a card like that can't beat the darkness. Yami chuckles again and promises that the superfluous asshole will see what he means in five turns.

He then politely confirms that it was his turn and draws a card. Yami plays Curse of Dragon in defense, and also plays a card face-down on the table to end his turn. The superfluous asshole automatically assumes that it's the Swords of Revealing Light card Yami showed him as Yami points to him and repeats that that's one turn down; four more until he's beaten. The superfluous asshole's eyes bulge, cursing Yami in his head for trying to make a fool of him.

The women outside the booth tell Yami to go for it, and Anzu turns to Mai, asking if it's alright for Yami to be showing off his cards like that. After a pause, Mai's eyes widen and she thinks a single word, "maybe". Mai looks back to normal by the next panel, though, when she tells Anzu showing cards isn't against the rules, and perhaps Yami is planning on using a tactic other than cards to beat the darkness. Anzu questions this idea, and Mai says that as long as the superfluous asshole hides in the dark, Yami can't attack with cards, but there is one thing that can get through the darkness. She asks Anzu if she knows what that is.

A... glowstick?

Trash-talk! Of course! I knew that... Ahem.

Yami promises again to get Mai's star chips back as he spies them still hanging out beyond the glass. Mai, on the other hand, mentally asks Yami to show her how he duels. The superfluous asshole has that hideous grin back on when he announces that it's his turn and draws a card. It grows wider when he looks at that card and he giggles. He points at Yami, declaring he's never met an opponent dumb enough to show his cards and blab about his strategy. I guess there's no chance that there was anything he left out of his description of his strategy that could allow for an opponent to fall into a trap? No? The superfluous asshole claims he'll make Yami regret all his spoilery missteps now. Yami gives him nothing more concrete than a glare.

The superfluous asshole slaps down a card that will apparently send Yami's strategy to the grave. It's a card called "The Reaper of the Cards" and it rises out of its cardstock bounds in stereotypical reapy glory. Yami seems surprised by this card, staring open-mouthed at it as it sweeps over to his side of the table.

Anzu and Mai are not happy at the loss of the card, but the superfluous asshole is, laughing about how Yami's trump card is now supposedly gone. Then he abruptly goes from amused to confused.

Yami is chuckling again, which the superfluous asshole is super pissed about. Yami reminds him that he said the swords were his key to winning, but he never said he played the card. The superfluous asshole's eyes bulge once more, asking why his reaper isn't actually doing anything. Yami answers that it's because the card he played face down was something different as he turns it over.

The superfluous asshole is livid and speechless. Yami says that when you're playing a spell or trap card, the reaper is what you should always look out for. But because Yami takes the wise words of The Blue Oyster Cult to heart, he didn't fear the reaper, and was therefore able to find out that his opponent had it and trap it in the circle so he can play all the spell cards he wants. The superfluous asshole is practically apoplectic with rage, stuttering that Yami tricked him. Yami winks and laughs, not-pologizing for the fact that the superfluous asshole's turn ended up being such a waste.

He then holds up the Swords of Revealing Light again before he plays it face down on the table for realsies this time. The superfluous asshole growls. Yami plays yet another face-down spell card before he ends his turn. This leaves the superfluous asshole to wonder what kinds of cards they are. Uh, dude, you know at least ONE of the cards he put down. He could be thinking Yami is tricking him again, but he saw Yami go from showing the card to laying it down this time. He shouldn't be wondering what BOTH cards are once, let alone twice, which is what he's doing.

Good grief, he really is a numbskull.

Yami asks the superfluous and stupid asshole if he can see IT. When the superfluous asshole asks what IT is, Yami answers, "the rope around your neck." Yami is bringing the BURN right now! The superfluous asshole is so idiotic that he apparently doesn't understand the metaphorical nature of this statement and shouts about how it's YAMI who has the rope around his neck, not him.

Well, that's a vivid image. Apparently the superfluous asshole actually SAW it, and it wasn't just for the audience's benefit, because he starts to wonder if he was really there at the gallows. I WOULD tell Yami not to fuck with this guy's head like this, but seeing as how Yami really IS being threatened with a strangling, I'm not going to discourage him from doing his thing.

But if this guy comes back with a death theme park and a hankering for revenge, I'm going to be PISSED. That goes for the weird puppet guy too.

Yami compares darkness to a mirror that throws your fears back at you, and that fear eats people with weak hearts like the superfluous asshole for breakfast. The superfluous asshole threatens to jerk Yami's leash to a deadly capacity the next time Yami speaks, but Yami winks and cockily states that it's superfluous asshole's turn. The superfluous asshole promises to fucking murder this kid.

Anzu is amazed that Mai was right, because Yami is putting the superfluous asshole off balance and winning just by talking. Mai marvels at how Yami's words has the superfluous asshole on the defensive and running scared even in his own territory, and recognizes it as superb self-confidence. Meanwhile, Yami demands that the moron draw a card already. The superfluous asshole scoffs and draws. He looks at the card and a giggle turns into full-blown laughter when he announces this is his ultimate card. It's called the King of Yamimakai, and it is a BEAST.

Yami can't see it like we can, but he thinks it sounds like it has high stats. The superfluous asshole continues to laugh, shouting that this is the card that's going to kill Yami because unfortunately for him, it'll be all over before he can even play his swords. Yami does what he does best and glares.

The superfluous asshole commands his king to kill Yami's dragon with and Evil Shock Wave. Couldn't come up with a better name for that, dude? The king does his shock wave, firing on the dragon, ignoring the reaper in between. When the superfluous asshole encourages the dragon to die, Yami chuckles and wags a finger at him, saying that while it's fine for him to attack, he really should have paid more attention to the position of all the monsters on the table. The superfluous asshole is dumbfounded, watching his king headed straight for the reaper trapped in the magic circle in disbelief. He reiterates that the dragon is hiding behind the reaper in order to use it as a shield. Really, no one needed that information spelled out. It was all pretty damn clear, thanks.

When the reaper is dead (heh, irony), the superfluous asshole proceeds to be flabbergasted that Yami thought far enough ahead to play the Spellbinding Circle in order to lure him into attacking his own card. Now THAT is strategy, friends. The superfluous asshole's life points drop to 1200, and Yami brags that his monster is feeling just fine.

He announces that it's his turn, and asks the superfluous asshole if he wants to see his trump card as he flips it over.

You ever seen Star Wars, superfluous asshole?

Imagine THAT, except, you know, surrounding your howling monsters in a sort of cage. Also a card.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It was pretty fun watching Yami get this dude all riled up. It's strange, though, because he's so completely confident in this particular match that it kind of takes the tension out of this big risk he's taking. He seemed more nervous in the more innocuous duels than he ever looks here, and while I realize he HAS to hold that face in order to make his mind-fuckery more effective, it's sending me some seriously mixed messages. Is he really in any danger? Why should I believe he is when he's so good at convincing everyone he's got this in the bag? It's a strange effect when you have a character who is in more danger than they have been in the entire tournament, and they're cocky throughout the whole ordeal. It almost negates all tension, which is SUPER weird.

Maybe KT thought the tension he set up was a bit too much and decided this would be the best route to tone it down? I don't know.

Inuyasha Manga: 023 The Adhering Mask

I considered leaving the title in romanized Japanese for this chapter as well, because the English translation sounds a bit wonky if I'm being honest. It's still better than the alternatives, though, because "The Sticking Mask" or "The Clinging Mask" sound even more ridiculous. Besides, if you really think of it and try to discard your immediate thoughts about self-adhesive bandages, that is pretty creepy. Can you imagine a mask that sticks to your face and won't come off?

Yeah, never mind.

I told you that you couldn't just abandon them out in the wilds like an unwanted kitten.

She's actually getting this information from a man ankle-deep in the water of the rice paddies, behind a plow attached to an ox. Kaede is holding the hand of a kid on each side, because those little bastards sure like clinging to her split skirt.The man says that immediately after Inuyasha and Kagome returned, they rushed off to that bone-eating well again. Kaede twists to cast an exasperated look behind her, which I assume is the direction of said well.

Cut to the forest, where someone is shouting at Kagome to fucking wait, and I bet I know who is is. Inuyasha (called it) yells that she won't get away as he chases her bike. She pedals hard, but shouts back behind her that she'll be back soon, just like she told him. He jumps over and in front of her right as she reaches the well and asks her won't she PLEASE think of the Shikon no Tama. She tells him to move out of her way, because she has exams the next day.

She tries to explain to him that she's a third-year in middle school and she has high school entrance exams coming up, but at this rate her attendance won't be good enough. He's not really listening.

Inuyasha says that if the well isn't there, Kagome won't be able to return to her weird country. He starts to lower the rock to smash it apart, not realizing he is SERIOUSLY playing with fire right now. Kagome tells him to sit a full EIGHT TIMES as she climbs onto the lip of the well, and Inuyasha somehow lands on his face NOT inside the well itself. I guess that wouldn't have been convenient, despite how he was positioned right over it like that...

Before Kagome makes the jump, she tells Inuyasha she'll be back in three days, and not to come after her. Then she leaps with her huge backpack and everything. And leaving Inuyasha with his face in the mud once more.

Back in Tokyo, more specifically in the well house on the other side, Souta is asking if the prayer his grandfather is doing will really work. Grandpa says it's an authentic prayer that's been handed down through the generations, so of course it will work! Authentic prayers ALWAYS work, don't you know? While he sits on the steps up to the door and watches Grandpa burn paper charms in full priest regalia, he points out that Grandpa has been praying for three days straight with no discernible success. Grandpa just keeps chanting over the well that Kagome will come back.

Kagome DOES happen to arrive at this time, and looks up in confusion when she sees the ashes of the paper charms raining down from above. Grandpa grabs a bucket sitting next to him, saying it's time for the ceremonial wine.

Yeah, your prayer sure was effective and DEFINITELY wasn't a waste of good wine that I could have used for my 100th review party. Shit.

In a taxi zooming through the metropolis, the driver asks their passenger if they're heading to the Higurashi Shrine for an early morning exorcism. The passenger, a woman carrying a box in her lap, says that's correct. A relative passed away, and she inherited a creepy mask that was never allowed out of the house before. The driver asks about the mask, and the woman tells him that it's a mask they say can only be removed in death, which is why it's known as "The Adhering Mask". This is all exposited over a picture of a woman wearing kimono in a storage house trying to take off the mask unsuccessfully. The driver is totally right when he says that sounds a bit scary.

The woman goes on, telling him that it was supposed to have been made in the Sengoku Jidai and people say it can't be destroyed by even fire. The backdrop this time is a man on horseback in Japanese armor riding through some fire.

That's totally why you're going to a shrine to have it exorcised, right? Because you don't believe all those rubbish stories, haha! Ahhhhh... Awkward.

She looks down at the box in her hands and says that the thing is just so creepy. Then she hears some scratching noises from within it that have her staring.

Up at the actual property, Kagome's mom calls to Kagome that her uniform is dry and Kagome thanks her. Had to wash all that wine off it, clearly. As she and Souta are going down the steps on their way to school, Souta asks Kagome if she didn't bring the dog-guy with her. She tells him that it was hard enough ditching him. Dog-guys, amirite? High-five, girl!

They see something at the bottom of the stairs that makes them pause. The woman is standing there, box uncovered and opened at her feet, and broken glasses lying right beside it. Souta supposes she's a customer while her hair blows across her face.

Well, I know what's going to be on the inside of my nightmares tonight!!

As they pass the woman with a wide berth, Souta says she's kind of creepy. Kagome shushes him, telling him not to be rude, but she can't help but think that the woman's face reminds her of a Noh mask, and the scars aren't very flattering either. 

At least she's not vomiting pea soup all over you.

Japanese possessions: a lot more low-key than American ones.

Wind blows back the woman's hair as Kagome takes a discrete look behind her and she doesn't see the edge of a mask, so Kagome concludes that it IS in fact her real face. The woman turns and walks away, swaying a little. Kagome has to be urged along by Souta, because she had paused to stare. You're one to tell Souta not to be rude, Kagome. Sheesh. Kagome feels a little weird, but she assumes that there aren't any demons around, so she allows herself to be led away by Souta. The woman twists to look back at Kagome's retreat.

At school, Kagome runs up to her friends and they're surprised to see her, asking if it's really okay for her to come back to school right now. Kagome's confused, so one of her friends explains that when they called to see why she's been absent so much, they heard a range of excuses from a hurt back to being in the hospital being tested for diabetes. Kagome hangs her head to hide her irritated expression as she imagines her grandfather on the phone making up those things. She wonders if he couldn't have come up with some better lies. Maybe ones that aren't so evocative of the health problems that come with AGE.

A boy on a bike rolls on up and asks Kagome if she's feeling any better. Her friends gush about him being Houjou from Class B, but Kagome doesn't look so much excited as bewildered. He says it must be really hard for her to have gout at such a young age, and Kagome has to hide another exasperated look as she mumbles that gout isn't it. Seriously, everyone should have suspected that Grandpa Higurashi was using his own experiences as a base to lie through his teeth at the mention of fucking GOUT. Houjou says he knows he can't do much to help, but he hands her a package that she unwraps to find contain a pair of sandals. He says they're for her health and she should wear them as he rides off. Kagome seems genuinely perplexed.

Her girlfriends surround her like a pack of wolves, interrogating her about whether or not she's dating Houjou. Kagome tells these assuming assholes that she doesn't have time for that nonsense. One of them says that it's obvious Houjou is into Kagome, while another says this is quite the shocking information. Why? Because a guy is interested in Kagome? You're a shitty friend, Barrette-Girl.

Yes, I realize I could use the name the anime gave her, but since she's pissing me off and I'm not reviewing the ANIME here...

In the classroom, Kagome is STILL being harassed by these douchebags. Short-Hair-Girl asks if Kagome isn't interested in Houjou at all, and as Kagome tries to protest being put on the spot like this, Headband-Girl asks if it could be that she actually already has a boyfriend. Actually, Headband-Girl starts the question and Barrette-Girl finishes it, like they're movie-twins or something. The point is that they're all completely interchangeable and don't matter in the long run.

Anyway, Kagome says that she is ABSOLUTELY NOT dating someone else, thank you very much. Geez, defensive much, Kagome? Short-Hair-Girl leans invasively on Kagome's desk, asking if she REAAAAALLY doesn't have a boyfriend and Headband-Girl does the same, asking what Kagome's type would be if she did have one. Guys, is it really so hard to believe that Kagome just isn't interested in dating right now, or what?

Exasperated, Kagome leans her head on the heel of her hand and says she doesn't know. Then, in complete opposition to that statement starts listing off all the qualities she WOULDN'T want: selfish, violent, malicious. She WOULD want someone kind and obedient, though, so that's something. Nothing like having someone who will be at your beck and call, right?? She has her fingers laced in front of her chest like she's praying when she thinks that this description is someone the exact opposite of Inuyasha. He scoffs, even in her head.

Meanwhile, back in the village...

Kaede just wants his whiny ass to leave. He's probably been complaining to Kaede all damn day about how Kagome was so out of line sitting him despite the fact that he was threatening to destroy her only means of getting home. What a horrible person Kagome is! /sarcasm

We return to Tokyo again, at nighttime when Kagome is seated at her desk hunched over a workbook and claiming that her body can't take much more of this before she ACTUALLY gets sick. At least your grandfather won't be lying this time, eh? Kagome places a finger on the stoppered bottle holding their only two fragments of the Shikon no Tama so far and wonders just how long this will go on. I'd say about ten to twelve years, kiddo.

Kagome starts to daydream and sigh, but then snaps herself out of it when she reminds herself that her math test is tomorrow and that's certainly not her best subject. Soon she's napping at her desk though, like the crappy math-student she is.

I guess it's a good thing Kagome managed to get some sleep in now, though, because she's got a LOOOOOOONG terrifying night ahead of her. May not be THIS night, though.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? These early interactions between Inuyasha and Kagome are great because they're still in that stage of denial of wanting to be around each other. I wouldn't say that they're full-on in love yet, but they definitely feel a bit more comfortable interacting with each other and being around one another than they would like to admit. Their chemistry is really clear; working together in their high-stress job is making them dependent upon one another really fast.

Inuyasha has become so used to Kagome being around that he's trying to prevent her from going home, and in an especially dramatic way. I'm not talking drama in the sense of mourning her absence, I'm talking in the sense of a toddler throwing a fit. He's trying to keep her attention on him and whatever HE wants, and because he's not all that great at expressing himself, he's just doing so in a way that he knows will work - irritating the HELL out of her. It also helps that he clearly finds getting her riled up is amusing, judging by that stupid grin on his face while he was holding that boulder over the well.

Kagome, on the other hand, is a more subtle kind of immature in regard to Inuyasha. She will deny she wants anything whatsoever to do with him, but he IS always on her mind. So much so that she's using him as a base to decide what she would want in a boyfriend. Granted, she lists qualities that are the opposite of Inuyasha's, but he still pops into her head first and foremost as a fundamental example of a boy.

The horror elements of this chapter were spot on, but they were put on hold for the scene at the school where Kagome is being interrogated by her friends. Yes, I DID like that the characters got to have this conversation to start indicating the way in which Kagome thinks about Inuyasha at this stage, but it ended up bringing the main plot of the chapter to a screeching halt. I wonder if that scene couldn't have been delayed until an arc came around that could better hold it, or been altered in some way to incorporate Kagome's thoughts on the weird woman. Besides, there's an entire day there in between when the woman was possessed by the mask and when her head showed up in Kagome's window.

What has it been doing this whole time?

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 081 The Invisible Cards

Can we just admit we've been here before? This is the same freaking concept as the one governing the ocean battle! Yami may as well be dueling Ryota again! In fact, I wish he were. One: Ryota was fun and a cool dude. Two: the idea of "player killers" put out by Pegasus to try and beat all the duelists before they can get to the castle is self-defeating and it makes NO FREAKING SENSE. Three: the only way it WOULD make sense is if all those player killers were targeting everyone BUT Yami, because that would INCREASE Yami's chances of getting to the castle himself, which Pegasus clearly WANTS because he undoubtedly wants that damn puzzle.

In fact, let's just replace the term "player killer" with "superfluous asshole" for this review, shall we? They're synonymous anyway.

And yes, that IS the official translation again, but it was actually posted on the manga website I'm using, so I didn't manage to get that file working. My bad.

Yami and the superfluous asshole sit down across from each other in the duel box, arms crossed. The superfluous asshole says that his friends are absolutely right, and that Industrial Illusions sent him to be superfluous. But he insists that he's not just ANY superfluous asshole; he's a superfluous asshole of darkness.

Yami wonders what exactly the point is to Industrial Illusions hiring outside interference to fuck with the rules of their own tournament. This is the best question anyone has ever asked in this whole manga so far.

The superfluous asshole reiterates the rule of collecting ten star chips and advancing to the finals, but he also informs Yami that there can only be FOUR finalists. Yami ruminates on this, doing the math in his head. 40 duelists started out on the island, each bringing two star chips (not counting Jonouchi, which actually makes the number 41, but there were still only two chips between them at the beginning). There being 80 star chips in total on the island, if only four finalists can make it with ten chips each, that means that there is another 40 chips out there that it's the superfluous assholes' jobs to steal.

WHYYYYYYY though? Why are there only four finalists allowed? Why CAN'T there be eight??

This question isn't answered, at least not on the next page, where the superfluous asshole is bragging about having taken the lives star chips of eight people tonight alone. He says that Pegasus's most important command is to take Yami out of the game, though. Again, this makes no sense, because Pegasus should be ENSURING Yami gets into the finals. But whatever, the superfluous asshole is surprised there's such a large bounty on such a tiny kid, promising to take it all for himself with a giggle.

Yami reminds himself that the moment he loses, Pegasus gains control of Kaiba Corp and that's supposedly the whole reason the tournament exists. As long as you forget you share something very important in common with Pegasus, namely the possession of a Millennium Item, but hey, what do I know?

The superfluous asshole says that if he beats Yami right now, the whole tournament may as well end. He chats on about how Pegasus is kind of stingy and won't pay up on the prize he promised if he can help it, even though he can totally afford it. Mai and Anzu look appalled, Mai asking if they're all just Pegasus's guinea pigs. I don't know if that's really an appropriate term here - more like a means to an end. The superfluous asshole continues rambling about how after he beats Yami, he and the other superfluous assholes will take out every last duelist on the island to make sure no other independent competition like Yami ever arises again.

Yami chuckles, saying he's sorry to burst his bubble, but he won't lose and the superfluous asshole is dreaming if he thinks he can win their game.

If you have cards, then you're not using your BARE HANDS Yami. Seriously, is being around this failure at life bringing down your IQ or something?? And speaking of the failure at life, you shut up, superfluous asshole. I'm already sick of your shit.

But the superfluous asshole isn't listening to me. He CONTINUES TO SHOOT HIS MOUTH OFF about how night falls quickly on the island, there's no sleep for duelists, and while they sleep with their guards down his darkness destroys them. Fuck, is this shitty-high-school-slam-poetry time or are you going shut your fucking mouth and play a card game?? For fuck's sake!!

He giggles and refers to Mai as an example and I'm screaming. Yami looks at her too, and she hangs her head. She thinks about how she lost to the superfluous asshole, is disqualified, has to leave the island, and can't fulfill her dream of dueling Yami. Don't feel too bad Mai, you never would have won anyway.

Yami tells her not to worry, because he's going to get her star chips back for her. Mai wonders why Yami would do something like that for her, while Yami turns back to the superfluous asshole and calls him a blockhead. He declares that attacking under cover of night is a cowardly thing to do and the superfluous asshole is no duelist to him. Also, he burst into someone's tent, and that's just a shitty thing to do. The superfluous asshole is so OFFENDED that Yami would think he's not a real duelist, but the more he blabbers instead of plays, the more I'm inclined to also think he can't duel worth a shit. He reminds me of those hit-men Kaiba hired for Death-T; ALL TALK.

Yami promises to teach the superfluous asshole that a thief like him can't take the life of a real duelist. The superfluous asshole growls and mutters in indignation, but Yami is already making his bet all six of his star chips. He orders the superfluous asshole to bet the eight he took from Mai, and to make up the difference...

There the little drama queen goes betting his freaking life again... Because the superfluous asshole sensibly doesn't believe Yami, saying that talk is cheap, he wants to do something in lieu of a guarantee. Out of a little spring door in the wrist band holding the chips he has, a lasso-like thing shoots out at Yami.

HOLY SHIT HE REALLY IS GOING TO TRY AND MURDER THIS CHILD!! If Pegasus isn't under investigation for international crimes before, he will be after this famous kid disappears on his island...

Giggling, the superfluous asshole says that when some duelists flee from them, he and the others use the wire to make sure they don't get away. This is a seriously fucked scene. Holy shit, this is rape but with card games. He hasn't given his consent for this, superfluous asshole, you need to back the fuck up!!!

The superfluous asshole is giggling again when he says that Yami and the other duelists aren't even people, but just prey set loose on the island for he and his bros to hunt. The parallels to literal rape just keep accumulating and I don't know what to do. The superfluous asshole promises to strangle Yami to death when he loses, maybe twice for the two star chips Yami couldn't bet. I'm actually becoming slightly queasy here.

Mai growls and asks how low they can get, and a shocked and appalled Anzu yells out to Yami. Yami is calm, however, when he agrees that the superfluous asshole can have his head if he loses. GULP.

This is seriously fucking sick, guys.

The superfluous asshole draws his cards with a grin, Yami with a glare. Anzu mentally begs Yami to win from the other side of the glass. Mai claims she doesn't care about herself, but she wants Yami to win too because his PRIDE AS A DUELIST is on the line! Yeah, haha, that's SOOOOOOO much more important than the fucking death wire he has around his fucking neck! Are you HIGH, Mai????

Ahem. The superfluous asshole chats about Yami being awfully popular with the girls there to cheer for him, but he says he's got a friend too, which happens to be the darkness itself. He plays his first card with that insufferable grin.

A swirling black consumes the superfluous asshole as he giggles that the darkness is gathering. Yami calls out in confusion, and the superfluous asshole explains that his castle has the power to bring back the primordial darkness that existed before the world. Uh, are you talking about space, man? That's still around - it never left. Yami is panicked by the fact that this darkness is covering his opponent's side of the table. He leans forward, but can't see the superfluous asshole's cards, and can barely even see much more than his beady little eyes shining out of the black.

Mai tells Yami to watch out, because the darkness defeated her harpies. HE KNOWS, MAI! Otherwise he wouldn't be trying to win all your star chips back right now! I started to kind of sympathize with you in the last chapter, girl, don't make me start to be annoyed by you!

Yami scoffs at the eyes and white grin he can see out of the dark. The superfluous asshole giggles as he informs Yami that his cards don't get their field power bonus at night, but darkness cards get infinite strength. Here we go with this "infinity" concept being misused again. The superfluous asshole commands Yami to play a card so the darkness can bury him.

Deciding he'd better be cautious because he has no idea what the superfluous asshole is planning, he plays the Celtic Guardian in defense. The superfluous asshole plays a card too, though it's too dark around his side of the table to make it out, and calls out an attack. Yami wonders what the superfluous asshole played, because he can't see it, but it doesn't matter. The superfluous asshole calls out a "Dark Absolute" attack and it destroys the Celtic Guardian with some snaking tentacles of death. It doesn't reveal itself.

Yami hunches over the table, glaring across it with one narrowed eye. Anzu yells Yami's name and Mai grinds her teeth at how dirty the technique of the superfluous asshole is. The superfluous asshole isn't concerned with how dirty he seems, because he's laughing, urging Yami to see there's nothing he can do. Yami grits his teeth.

You suuuuuuuure you don't have anything, Yami? I'm not entirely convinced of that.

The superfluous asshole snaps at Yami to play another card, and while he's doing so, he thinks that there HAS to be a way to get rid of that castle. He sets down the Winged Dragon in defense. The superfluous asshole and his invisible monster's eyes glow out of the darkness. He tells Yami that he's not going to attack on this turn, because he's elected to play another monster in the dark instead. Yami has to wonder, yet again, what monster this is, because all he can see is its eyes gleaming. The superfluous asshole giggles again, thinking that Yami is blind and helpless and his creatures are waiting in the dark to bite him.

Yami looks between the eyes he sees in the dark, and considers the possibility of shedding some light on the darkness in another way. He's not sure it will work, but he decides he has to try. I assume that Yami turns his monster to attack position before he orders the Winged Dragon to attack.

But did you recognize them? That's the real question.

The superfluous asshole thinks Yami's attack is hilarious, because Yami can light up the darkness for an instant, but can't attack at the same time. Yami admits mentally that the superfluous asshole is right, and when the fireballs go out, he still can't aim at what he can't see. But dude, you CAN see the eyes, and you can aim at those, can't you?

Logic aside, the superfluous asshole attacks again, taking out the Winged Dragon. Yami's points go down to 1600, but he remains stoic. The superfluous asshole brags that the darkness is his home and as long as it's around, he's invincible. Yami chuckles, and this baffles the superfluous asshole. Yami explains that while the superfluous asshole is happy now, he probably wouldn't be very happy to be there forever, even if it does cover his nasty-ass face. Yami laments the fact that he'll have to see that nasty-ass face again once he beats him.

Oh snap. Yami holds up a card, saying that it is the key to ending the superfluous asshole's life in five turns, and I think I can see some little swords on it. The superfluous asshole thinks this is impossible, but he looks worried anyway when Yami tells him to get ready. He'll be showing him some real darkness soon enough.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Well, I can say I haven't been so horrified by the content of this manga in quite a while. The fact that Yami is restrained in a way that the opponent threatens to actually KILL him with later is, quite simply, a kind of horror I wasn't expecting by this point. I mean, the fact that they're participating in a CARD GAME TOURNAMENT right now kind of makes this kind of violence almost COMICAL in conjunction with it. I don't understand why this guy is so ready to murder this kid if he loses, and if the lack of fully developed villain motivations in the past, I don't expect to. Ever.

This is frustrating in the midst of the other really irritating fact that this enemy exists in the first place. I know, I know, he said that Pegasus is stingy and wants to take out Yami early on so that his goons can take out the rest of the tournament contenders and not have to pay out. This would be an okay explanation IF Pegasus didn't say himself that he wants Yami to make it to the castle. I also keep bumping up against the fact that Pegasus has a Millennium Item, and that CAN'T be insignificant to this arc's plot.

If it is, I'll eat my hat.

Inuyasha Manga: 022 Pleading for Life

I'm pleading for a CHAIR at this point. I still don't have anything in my new apartment that I didn't bring with me in the car, and the movers just called to to tell me that I still have another WEEK before the furniture comes. The floor is too hard for my bony, non-existent ass and my back is killing me.

But hey, at least I'm not Inuyasha right now.

You know there is, girl! Myouga told you, and as we've discussed, Myouga is a crafty little devil. Kagome asks Myouga if they'll be able to save the lord and all the trapped girls when they drive Tsukumo no Gama from the lord's body, and Myouga confirms this, saying that the demon is still a toad, and toads are especially vulnerable to heat. His plan is to pour a ton of boiling water on Tsukumo no Gama, and Kagome considers this a moment while Inuyasha lays bleeding on the floor behind her. Maybe think of getting everyone out of the line of fire first, Kagome?

Myouga goes on to say if she douses Tsukumo in boiling water, he'll flee the lord's body because it's so unbearable. Kagome looks annoyed as hell when she asks Myouga how he proposes that she start boiling water in a place like this. Myouga says that boiling oil would work just as well and Kagome yells that the oil idea is just as useless. Myouga must be hallucinating by seeing an abundance of water and oil everywhere in the damn room. Senile old fart.

Tsukumo no Gama's tongue wraps around Kagome's ankle while she's arguing with Myouga.

How she's still upright when being held by the LEG here, I'll never know.

Nobunaga shuffles over to Tsukumo no Gama, holding onto his injured shoulder until he restrains the frog by gripping him under the arm, telling his lord to stop and not do this. Tsukumo lets go of Kagome, who slams down onto the floor. Kagome sits up and looks behind her at Nobunaga, who tells her to find some water and boil it while he holds Tsukumo no Gama.

Inuyasha groans as he regains consciousness and pushes himself up, and Kagome says his name as though she's surprised he's waking up. Inuyasha claims that he was lying there listening to the stupid idea the whole time. He was just resting then, I guess. Kagome kneels next to him, fretting over his wound. Inuyasha just scoffs, saying that he was a fool for having mercy on the frog, then stands and raises Tessaiga again. He tells Nobunaga to stop shielding Tsukumo no Gama, but after a bewildered moment, Nobunaga stutters at Inuyasha to sheath his sword. Nobunaga reminds him that the lord's heart is still in the body.

Temper rising along with his voice, Inuyasha threatens Nobunaga with death too if he doesn't get out of the way. Nobunaga shouts that Inuyasha mustn't do that, and Inuyasha tells him that if he doesn't want that he should step aside. Nobunaga refuses, because if there's a small chance that the lord can be saved, he won't sit back and watch him die. Even if he wasn't a lord, Nobunaga wouldn't want him to perish.

Surprise! You're a decent person! Still, Inuyasha, Kagome and Tsuyu all stare at him and say his name in hushed tones as though he's a two-headed cat or a saint. Not sure which. He says that in this age of violence (that he shouldn't be able to reference as such because he has no other frame of reference for human culture) he might be made fun of and thought naive, but he feels how he feels dawg.

Inuyasha says fine, to which remark Nobunaga gives him a dumbfounded noise. Sheathing Tessaiga, Inuyasha says that he won't raise a finger to help, in the interest of seeing how Nobunaga manages to carry out his ideals. Nobunaga looks relieved and thankful when he asks if Inuyasha understands how he feels, while Tsukumo grunt-chuckles in his grip. Tsukumo easily fligs his arm back and strikes Nobunaga to the ground, thanking him for pleading for his frog-life. Kagome stutters out a plea to Inuyasha, who has sat his ass down and crossed his arms. He says that if he helps out, the lord dies, and that's the end of it.

Nobunaga leans up from his position on the floor and begs Kagome to hurry. She grabs Princess Tsuyu's wrist and pulls her out into the hallway in search of something hot. She thinks of fire and asks Tsuyu if there's a torch somewhere, but Nobunaga's monkey leaps ahead of them before Tsuyu even answers.

Back in the room, Nobunaga is getting yet another razor frog tongue to the arm, Tsukumo yelling that he's in the way.

You see Inuyasha's face? That is the face of a man who has had it up to HERE with this crap.

While Nobunaga lays in front of Inuyasha and groans, Inuyasha wonders if the idiot has been brought back to Earth yet. He sees Nobunaga open his mouth to speak, so leans in curiously. Nobunaga sticks to his guns, telling Inuyasha not to kill Tsukumo no Gama. Widening his eyes in surprise, Inuyasha continues to marvel at Nobunaga and his lofty notions.

Meanwhile, Tsukumo no Gama is shuffling down the hall after Kagome and Tsuyu, croaking that they won't get away. Kagome looks back and is horrified that their pursuer is gaining. The monkey (whose name I just refuse to learn no matter how many times I've seen it) is hopping back toward them from ahead in the corridor, holding a dish with a lit wick up above his head. Kagome congratulates him on work well-done, until he hops into her hands presenting the dish and it looks awfully small to her. I don't know what you thought he'd bring over, but it was never going to be a bonfire, Kagome. That dish is already about half his size, so I'm kind of impressed he managed to bring something THAT big.

Whoops, all that shit Inuyasha was complaining about Kagome bringing is all over the place now. What a mess.

Before Tsukumo no Gama can reach the kneeling Tsuyu, Inuyasha jumps in front of him, glaring. Kagome looks around from the floor in her face, identifying him out of the corner of her eye, apparently. Inuyasha cracks his knuckles while displaying them to Tsukumo, telling Kagome not to even bother spouting any more ideological drivel at him. Kagome begins to cry, because she's super attached to her ideological drivel.

Nobunaga crawls pathetically up behind Tsukumo no Gama, but at least he's being quiet for once. Meanwhile, Kagome stops crying upon seeing a can of hairspray that landed in front of her. She excitedly thinks that she CAN drive the frog out after all, and pushes herself into a sitting position, holding the dish of fire as Inuyasha promises to kill Tsukumo and leaps toward him.

That's using your head, girl! Of course, you're also destroying the ozone layer, but when you're also creating an infinite time loop with your adventures, that's small potatoes comparatively.

A frog-like spirit-ghost-thing flies right out of the clothes of the lord, and Kagome is amazed at the fact that she did it. As he's flying off, Tsukumo no Gama displays a prominent sparkle from his ghost form. Kagome alerts Inuyasha, and he leaps into action, saying she doesn't have to tell HIM twice. He pulls out a simple Sankon Tessou with claws on this one, shredding Tsukumo no Gama and catching the Shikon shard out of the air when it falls.

Nobunaga gives Inuyasha such an intense look of admiration as he says his name that I'm almost convinced they're gonna make out. Inuyasha looks over at him in confusion, probably wondering if there's anything in his teeth. Nobunaga grabs Inuyasha's hand and thanks him for his restraint. I'm sure Inuyasha would very much have appreciated YOUR restraint if you hadn't been so eager to hold his hand, Nobunaga.

Nobunaga states that the groaning, moaning lord is safe because Inuyasha was patient enough to wait for the demon to be driven out before killing it.

Nobunaga is man-crushing on Inuyasha so hard right now, and all because he doesn't get the whole subjugation-necklace thing.

Kagome walks up and tells Inuyasha to just leave it be. Meanwhile, Tsuyu calls out to Nobunaga from a little ways away. His heart hammers as he looks back at her and says her name too, title and all. She stumbles to her feet, tears in her eyes, and it appears that she's going to happily leap into Nobunaga's arms, but he falls over trying to embrace thin air. She was actually running toward the lord, whom she squeezes while she thanks Nobunaga for protecting him.

Suuuuure does... Awkward sauce...

Beneath a tree shedding cherry blossoms all over the place, Kagome raises her canned tea to the fact that they successfully saved all those girls and stopped Tsukumo no Gama's assholery. She asks if that isn't super great, but when she looks at Nobunaaga expectantly, he's sitting some distance away off the picnic blanket she and Inuyasha are sharing, staring the other way. Monkey atop his head too, can't forget that. Kagome encourages him to cheer up, but Inuyasha comes right out an calls him an idiot for defending the life of his romantic rival while almost getting himself killed.

Nobunaga hangs his head, chuckles, then lifts his chin again to look at the sky. He says Inuyasha's absolutely right, he's a moron. Inuyasha will say one thing in favor of Nobunaga's stupidity, though, and that's that it managed to save a man's life. Nobunaga looks back at Inuyasha with a smile, thinking that it helps to hear that. He stands with the help of a walking stick and says he feels a lot better.

Or, Inuyasha is just a REALLY slow talker.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It was a solid wrap-up compared to the last arc, but this arc also didn't require complicated rituals to get in and out of situations. All it needed was some good-old Kagome ingenuity. It was a very creative solution to the problem and I liked the throw-back to the beginning of the arc when Inuyasha asks why Kagome brings all this stuff with her every time she comes across time. The answer here is you never know what you might need.

My only issue with the climax is that it was awfully convenient that the lord didn't sustain painful burns from the implementation. One could hand-wave it away as Tsukumo no Gama having overtaken the body so thoroughly (the lord had even had the appearance of a frog for a while) that he was the only one that really got blasted by the fire, but the whole point of the plan was to make the LORD'S body uninhabitable for him. Of course, one could also say that while Tsukumo no Gama was the only one blasted with the fire, he left behind the body to flee from the heat faster. That could be it.

I'm going to miss Nobunaga. He was hilarious throughout the whole arc, and he was a real good sport too. Most of all, though, he chose to protect life all throughout the length of his appearance. He didn't do it because the lord was important to him, he didn't even do it because he was important to Tsuyu. He did it because the lord was a human being and didn't deserve to die trapped in a malevolent possession. The lord was as much a hostage as the girls, and Nobunaga recognized that and negotiated for his release well. Even Inuyasha has to compliment Nobunaga at the end, because even though he still thinks of Nobunaga's actions as stupid, that's only because they didn't take the path of least resistance. It would have been EASIER to just kill the lord along with Tsukumo no Gama, but Nobunaga didn't want to take the easy route. He wanted to take the RIGHT route and protect the lord's life over what is simple or even his own feelings.

He may not have gotten the girl, but he stood up for others and his own ideals, and that's pretty fucking hardcore. Respect, bro.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 080 The Man Who Came With the Night

That's right, the sun was setting at the beginning of the previous duel. That's kind of worrisome, isn't it? All these kids, staying outdoors alone at night on this strange island. Our protagonists have no food, no water, and I'm guessing none of them thought to pack a tent or something for shelter either. What if it rains? Or what if some local predator finds them? Of course, I haven't SEEN any wildlife so far on the island except for those fish that Ryota caught, so maybe that particular danger they could avoid pretty easily.

At least, the four-legged kind of predator.

Why in the WORLD would Pegasus have needed to set loose a massive man to terrorize tiny gamers?? And I know it was Pegasus who orchestrated this, because the gloves this monster is wearing have spaces for plenty of chips, and who the hell else would have manufactured something like that for him? Especially when this tournament is supposed to be hush-hush? I would assume this is another of those inexplicable assassins trying to take Yami out and defy all the logic of Pegasus trying to get Yami into the castle, but the guy's talking about ALL the duelists, so I don't know.

Anyhow, let's get back to our heroes, shall we? One of them is howling through the trees that they're hungry, and I bet I know which one. Jonouchi asks what time it is, and Bakura answers that it's just past eight at night. Yuugi marvels at how fast it got quiet and dark. Honda remarks upon the fact they haven't seen many duelists out recently, and Jonouchi tells him that there aren't many who would duel when it's all dark out like this. Then he complains that he's still hungry. Called it.

Jonouchi stands up, raises his fists, and yells at the moon that he's more interested in food than star chips at this point. Yuugi is quieter when he agrees, saying he'd much prefer potato chips to star chips now. Anzu admits that she's dreaming about a bath right now, thinking about how much suckier this place is compared to the resort fantasies she was having about it before they got there. That's where high assumptions get you, Anzu, remember that.

Jonouchi kneels on the ground to pick and eat a mushroom he sees and his friends all clamor to stop him, as a figure approaches their circle.

Those are starving CHILDREN you're mocking there, Mai. I hope you're proud of yourself.

Jonouchi flies into an angry tirade, asking Mai what the fuck she thinks she's doing there. She doesn't answer, just gushes about how good her chocolate bar is, and how she'll trade it for Jonouchi's star chips. He yells that the star chips are his life, so he'd never do that, and Mai winks, assuring him she's only joking. She says if she was really that low down, she wouldn't have made enemies of them in the first place. Jonouchi scoffs and mumbles at her not to fuck with him. Mai's still winking when she tells him not to look at her with his starving expression like he's going to bite her, this time with the other eye. Jonouchi is not amused with her unfunny cannibalism joke and gives her THAT look.

Mai is STILL WINKING when she asks for a truce for the night, saying that they're all adults duelists here and they need a break every once in a while. You're the one who wandered into their group being a snarky bitch, Mai. Seriously. Yuugi amiably says that she's right and they ARE pretty tired as Jonouchi looks on with disdain. He's thinking that trusting Mai doesn't really feel right when Mai takes off her backpack and offers them the variety of food in it, some of which can be cooked if they get a fire going. Yuugi is super excited by this prospect as Honda leans in for a closer look at the bag, looking ravenous.

The bag is dumped and it does indeed contain a whole ton of things. Jonouchi's tune has changed pretty quick, declaring it all awesome. They list a tent, a lantern and the food and announce that she has everything. Anzu asks her if she really brought all this herself and Mai responds that it makes sense for her to bring this much because all the duelists are strangers she can't trust. She follows this up by telling the boys that it's their job to cook, like she's TRUSTING them to do a good job or something. Yuugi enthusiastically agrees, but Jonouchi looks ruffled in the background.

Bakura tells them that he's pretty good at cooking, so he can take it from here. That does make sense for someone who lives alone. Mai tells Jonouchi to fetch them some water, and Jonouchi flinches over the bucket he's got, grumbling about having to take orders from Mai. Honda reminds him that they're doing this for food, and tells him to just fucking chill. Yuugi talks excitedly with Bakura about how awesomes their camping adventure is going to be as they do the prep work. Mai is off to the side, observing with some confusion how different Yuugi seems from the rumors and how he looked that afternoon.

Anzu glares at her from behind, suspicious about how different Mai is acting as well. She asks her why she's being so nice to them, and after a short stare, Mai giggles and says she's a girl too, and 24 hours goes by pretty fast. Anzu stares in surprise, and Mai turns back to the commotion the boys are making. She's dumbfounded that she's the only one astounded by the fact that these little twerps were so quick to accept her into their fold. She's always been alone until now.

She tells Anzu that they're a strange bunch, and asks why she hangs out with the boys. Anzu doesn't understand why Mai calls them strange, but answers that she hangs out with them because they're all friends. Mai seems almost disappointed by this response, but doesn't press Anzu. Instead, she confirms Anzu's name, and tells her that she's welcome to take a shower with the private tent and shower head once Jonouchi and Honda come back with water. Anzu thanks Mai with enthusiasm and Mai says there are some things only women understand.

I guess I'm womaning wrong, then, because I've gone a few days without showering and been absolutely fine before. Granted, I was in field school, and the option wasn't really available, but, you know...

In the shower, Anzu ruminates on how nice this is of Mai. At first, Anzu thought of Mai as just a pain, but it seems to her that even SHE has a split personality, like Yuugi. Mai, meanwhile, stands guard outside, telling the boys they won't get dinner if they even THINK about peeking on Anzu. Jonouchi sits at the recently started fire moping and telling himself to just deal with it a little longer. What's your problem, Jonouchi? Were you planning on violating Anzu's privacy? Why would you be pissed that anyone's telling you not to??

Bakura calls bon apetit, and everyone compliments him on the meal, which he thanks them for. Mai encourages everybody to eat up for energy in dueling tomorrow, and Honda is only too happy to take the order. Jonouchi reminds him that he doesn't even play the game, and he just laughs in response.

Yuugi turns to Mai, saying that since she already has eight chips, she might be the first to reach the castle tomorrow. She takes the friendly small talk to a serious place when she states that she'll eventually fight Yuugi too. Yuugi looks slightly put off by this threatening comment, and Anzu tries to suggest Mai forget the dueling for now. Mai refuses, though Anzu reminds her that they're under a truce right now. She doubles down, saying being a duelist means that everyone is an enemy in the morning.

Jonouchi glares at her over his plate as he chews and Yuugi gives her a mildly consternated expression. Mai stands up and turns around to leave, thanking Bakura for the food. She pauses to invite Anzu to bunk with her in her tent, because you never know what will happen with dudes all over the place. Jonouchi is again irritated by her statement, and presumably the implications. Jonouchi, you once stalked Anzu to her secret job because you thought she was prostituting herself to old guys, so you don't really have any room to be indignant that anyone might suspect you of impropriety here.

Yeah, so annoying for offering another girl a safe place to spend the night in the midst of a group of guys she doesn't know wouldn't pull something gross when she's asleep. I assume Jonouchi is one of those guys who assumes that women go to the bathroom in groups because they want to gossip rather than live by the adage that there's safety in numbers.

It's about 10:00 pm, Mai's tent is quiet, and the boys sit some ways down the hill. Jonouchi lays down at the base of a tree because he's stuffed, satisfied and can sleep anywhere now. Yuugi takes out the digital camera that holds his grandfather and tells him about how he managed to get 6 chips today. Sugoroku congratulates him on a job well-done. Yuugi goes on to tell him that tomorrow is the last day and he'll get into the castle, beat Pegasus, and save Sugoroku. Sugoroku wishes him a good night's sleep, Yuugi tells him goodnight, and then puts the camera back in his pack.

Yuugi is the worst grandkid! Sugoroku must have been bored as FUCK in that bag all day and he'll be bored as FUCK the whole night! Dammit, at least set him out so he can look at the scenery or something!

Yuugi looks over and sees that Honda and Jonouchi are already passed out, and says to himself that he's pretty tired too. He yawns and stretches as Mai is walking by, apparently on her way back to the tent. Once she's inside, Anzu asks her if she's always worked with cards. Mai tells Anzu that she was once a casino dealer on a world-traveling cruise ship, seeing rich opponents with cards, experience, and a desire to make a quick buck. They all fell for her aroma card trick, and she eventually came to hate people, who always seemed to be motivated by greed and money. Given her previous confession that she was in the tournament for the prize money, Mai must be operating under a pretty intense self-loathing too.

Anzu looks surprised by Mai's comments but doesn't say anything, allowing Mai to drop the real reason she came to the island. She wants to restore her pride as a duelist and a woman and also rediscover something that used to be important to her. I don't know if you're going to restore your woman pride by manipulating post-pubescent boys over a trading card game, girl, but whatevz. She says that looking at Anzu and her friends has her strangely reminiscing.

Face red, Anzu asks Mai the same question I am; what the hell does that have to do with anything?? Mai says that her woman's intuition is never wrong. Is this part of her woman's pride? Who knows. But I'll tell you what's NOT part of that woman's pride: minding her own damn business. She says to Anzu that she already told Yuugi while she was passing earlier that Anzu wanted to meet him at the cliff nearby and talk. Anzu looks mortified and asks Mai to wait a second while Mai is encouraging her to go through with the set-up and asking her if she wants some perfume.

Anzu finds herself giving in and walking out of the tent while Mai lays out the front of it to remind her of one more tiny thing.

Mai, I have no words to describe your level of creepy.

Anzu slouches off toward the cliff, muttering about how unbelievable it is that this serious conversation is going to happen and she can't think of a single thing to say. She fails to notice the mountain of a man approaching the tent perpendicular to her, wearing his huge boots surrounded by that spectral fire that usually shows determination.

Mai scratches the back of her head in the tent, admitting that she almost feels bad for making Anzu blush like that. She supposes that back in the day she might have reacted in a similar way. But then...

WRONG! IT'S SCHWIFTY TIME TODAY!!

I'll be playing Mr. Bulldops today, guys.

Cut to Yuugi walking along the cliff, wondering what Anzu wanted to talk to him about. She emerges just then from the trees, waving and greeting him sheepishly. He asks her what the deal with calling him out there was, and she's blushing hard when she stutters that she just wanted to talk about old times.

Sorry not sorry, because this picture is way adorbz.

Anzu asks if Yuugi remembers when they met in elementary school. She says that he gave her a video game that she was no good at and she got so frustrated with it that she broke it. Apparently, this was funny to even minier Yuugi and he bought her an easier game the next day. That is the cutest freaking story and I can't even with it.

Present Yuugi is looking down at his knees, though, not responding. Anzu asks him what's wrong, and he says it's how she feels about Yami, claiming it's okay and he gets it. Anzu looks shocked, then Yuugi winks and says that he'll call Yami out from his heart so Anzu can talk to him instead. Anzu goes from shocked to heartbroken while Yuugi grows silent in an effort to call out Yami. She grabs hold of his shoulders and tells him that it doesn't matter which Yuugi it is. It's Yuugi's turn to look shocked. She says while it HAS been that way, she doesn't want Yuugi to think it actually matters which Yuugi it is because they're both Yuugi.

I feel like I should be warming back up to Anzu with this, but I don't know... seems like she's that friend who always tells you that it's fine doing anything, but actually has a very specific other thing in mind...

They hear a scream from behind them and Yuugi identifies the voice as Mai's. She's in a booth with the asshole who burst into her tent earlier, mourning the deaths of her harpies by an attack called "Death Silent Burn". Her opponent laughs, saying that his monster is invincible when hidden in darkness. Mai's life points are down to zero and she can't believe she lost. So much for women having the advantage in any game played at night, eh Mai?

Smirking, the guy she's playing ruminates on how darkness gives his cards power, and Mai thinks about how the darkness hides his monsters and makes it impossible attack. Sounds an awful lot like another duel strategy that we saw earlier in the day... Her opponent demands all of her star chips because it's the rule. She's disqualified.

Mai squeezes her eyes shut and refuses to believe it, just as Yuugi and Anzu run up, calling her name. Mai's lumbering opponent pushes himself up from the table as Mai calls back to Yuugi. Yuugi wonders who the opponent is, and he laughs, pronouncing that his orders to beat Yuugi at all costs will be easy to fulfill. Mai warns Yuugi that the guy is another of those player killers whose job is to go around stealing chips from duelists. Yuugi repeats the term in his head, looking at the man in open-mouthed shock.

Putting Mai's chips in his oversized cuffs, the man demands a duel from Yuugi as well, convinced he'll eliminate him just like Mai. Yuugi and Anzu look devastated at Mai's disqualification while Mai hangs her head and confirms that this is as far as she goes and talks of dropping her dream of dueling Yuugi. Yuugi stares open-mouthed until the player killer orders him to get in the battle box and Yuugi turns a glare on him instead.

OOOOH! Snap! Better bring an extra large paddle to this party!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I really enjoyed watching Mai and Anzu interact outside of the dueling context. They are probably the only two women on the island, and seeing them bond a little is a treat. Anzu's suspicion of Mai dropped pretty fast, but it was in a realistic way, because Mai answers her suspicion with the simple fact that underneath it all, she's a girl. They're able to talk to each other on that level from that moment on, because Anzu isn't an opponent. She doesn't play the game. This makes her the perfect person for Mai to spill it all to, because she doesn't have to view Anzu as a threat so much as an adorable little sister.

This chapter also clears up Mai's motivations a little bit more in some subtle ways. It appears to me that this new information points to her just saying that her goal was the prize money to begin with because she thought that's what everyone else was in it for. Her game is playing to expectations, as she's done before with her femininity. She let's others expectations of her (being girly, unable to put up a good fight, superficial interests and shallow personality) be their downfall. They underestimate her, and she walks away with a win because of it.

But when Jonouchi asked her why she was in the tournament, it was a question she was surprised to be asked, so we can deduce that she's never had to answer a personal question like that before. Since she's so guarded already, she doesn't want to tell him the truth, she just throws out the most common motivation there is because she's expecting him to fit into that mold as well. When he doesn't, tells her that her reasons are shallow and lets her know why he's there, she's miffed because she doesn't like being thought of in the terms she sees everyone else. More importantly, though, she loses to him due to her every assumption about him and how he operates being false, just like how others lose to her. That's why she's so obsessed with the riddle he posed to her at the end of their duel, because it makes him seem stranger and less shallow than he first appeared to her.

Regarding the moment between Anzu and Yuugi, it left me WANTING to be back on Anzu's side, but there's something about her wording that seems more like not wanting to hurt Yuugi's feelings than how she really feels. Granted, she told that story from elementary school with a lot of fondness and she wasn't even the first one to bring up Yami, so it's not like this is damage-control or something. Still, her saying "it has been that way" gives me the distinct impression that she WOULD actually prefer Yami romantically and is just settling for Yuugi by saying he's "okay".

There may be another interpretation of that, but I'm not seeing it. I suppose it's possible that there's more context and meaning behind those words in the original Japanese. It just seems a little "meh" to me is all.