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.