Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 128 The Downfall of Toon World

The path to victory will be much easier to pave for Yami/Yuugi once that nuisance is gone. I can't wait to see how it's going to be done, too. Surely there's another card in Yami/Yuugi's deck that can take that sucker off the table. Catapult Turtle isn't any good, because a book isn't a fortress, but a pummeling is still in order, I think. Or perhaps a drilling. Too bad he can't just pave a LITERAL freeway through it, huh?

It would also make Yami/Yuugi the baddie, but I doubt that would be acknowledged anyway, so fuck it.

Whoops, backtracked a bit here, hang on. Pegasus says it's all in vain hiding the Dark Magician in one of the hats, since Pegasus knows all of Yami's thoughts including WHERE the magician is. A dumbfounded Yami's mind is read, Pegasus chuckles, and Yami despairs that Pegasus knows all his secrets, grinding his teeth. He squeezes his eyes shut and wonders again if there's any way to beat Pegasus when suddenly...

It's a voice coming from deep inside Yami's heart, which is a super weird place for a sound to come from. He recognizes the voice as Yuugi's, which is calling Yami into their soul. Yami closes his eyes and the puzzle flashes.

Yami appears in the hallway between his and Yuugi's mind rooms discovered by Shadi a while ago, Yuugi happily identifying him right away. He's super stoked that Yami actually heard him speak, and Yami looks slightly annoyed as he confirms this. For fuck's sake, Yami, this is really important. Isn't this the first time you've really communicated since that whole mess with Bakura's tabletop RPG? Yuugi says it's the first time they've ever met in their heart like this, and he can't believe it worked, all the while getting a glare from Yami. Stop being a dick, you idiot.

Yuugi explains that he was never able to reach Yami no matter how loud he screamed before, and he could never do anything about the feelings that Yami had been hurt in battle before, until now. It's only after this that Yami looks a little surprised, like he had no idea Yuugi was trying to contact him all this time. He asks why Yuugi called him, and after a pause, Yuugi begs to be allowed to fight too, because he insists Yami can't defeat Pegasus alone.

Yami pauses too, hanging his head and saying there's no way to defeat the Millennium Eye. A thrid pause, and Yuugi asks if it's possible that Pegasus can only read one mind at a time, and wouldn't be able to read his as well. Yami looks shocked by this idea, probably because he's surprised at how stupid he would be to have not thought of it before. He reiterates that if Pegasus is unable to read more than one mind at a time, then they can fight him with two minds.

He looks back at Yuugi, which seems to surprise Yuugi.

No point in ignoring the whole purpose of the puzzle, is there?

This entire conversation must have taken place within the space of that flash it gave out, because Pegasus is still yet to attack, saying he already knows where the Dark Magician is hiding. He asks if Yami/Yuugi is ready, then shouts at the Toon Demon to kill the Dark Magician. Its demon lightning targets the left-hand hat, and as we've already seen, the virtual smoke clears to show that the Dark Magician wasn't there after all. Pegasus is understandably shocked that the magician isn't there and he was wrong.

Yuugi apologizes sarcastically that he hid the Dark Magician in a different hat. Pegasus gapes at the "other" Yuugi, wondering if he switched personalities. DUH. Honda recognizes the original Yuugi as well, and Jonouchi gives voice to Pegasus's worries that Yuugi and Yami switched minds on him.

Announcing it's his turn, Yuugi draws a card and peeks at it before slapping it face down on the table in front of him and ending his turn. He invites Pegasus to read his mind to determine what that face down card is, asking if he can. Pegasus scoffs, his Millennium Eye flashing through his hair as he says he'll know in a moment. The Mind Scan is engaged, but...

Oh snap! Look who's all kind of sassy now!

Pegasus stares, realizing Yuugi's mind has switched out again. Yami says that it seems to take Pegasus a little while to read opponents' minds, since he was able to switch minds while Pegasus was scanning. Pointing, Yami tells Pegasus the way to beat the Millennium Eye is MIND SHUFFLE.

Pegasus's shocked repeat of the phrase in his head just proves that Yami is the king of naming things. Honda shouts that he understands now, explaining that since Yuugi/Yami consists of two minds in front and behind, and if Pegasus reads one of them they can just switch so the other can fight. Jonouchi labels this as a Two-Yuugi Tag Team, and I realize HE'S actually the king of naming things. Sorry, Yami. Jonouchi thinks all that's left to do is figure out how to get rid of Toon World.

Yami yells at Pegasus that it's his turn and to get a move on. Pegasus glares, though he agrees and draws a card as he does so. He contemplates how the Dark Magician is still hiding in one of the remaining three hats, but Yuugi is the only one who knows which one, as well as what the face down card is. Yami glares back at Pegasus, with an image of Yuugi in profile glaring behind him too.

Pegasus closes his eyes to concede that he's surprised Yami/Yuugi came up with a plan like this. However, when he opens his eyes again, he reminds Yami that as long as Toon World is active, his monsters can't attack and all they can do is hide in their hats. Yami chuckles, inviting Pegasus to go ahead and try to pick the right hat with his one-in-three chance, unless he's a coward who can't trust his own instincts without relying on the Millennium Eye. Pegasus looks thoughtful a moment before he ends up taking the bait, his excuse being that it HAS been an awfully long time since he's relied on his own instincts. He puts Toon Demon back in attack mode and shouts at it to attack the middle hat, which it strikes with a bolt of lightning.

Looks like you're a tad rusty, Pegasus. And the little snot sitting across from you is going to use that as an excuse to lecture you, though he's also sure you're aware as the creator of this game that there's always a winner and a loser. Still, Yami wants to tell Pegasus what separates the two people, which is the good judgment to assess the rules and situation and the good intuition to decide when and how to act as what makes the winner. He continues by saying that the judgment comes from experience and confidence, and the intuition from even MORE confidence. Yami asserts that Pegasus has lost his duelist's intuition because he became too reliant on the Millennium Eye for too long, becoming smug and arrogant as a result.

And you can trust there's no one who is more acquainted with smugness and arrogance than Yami.

Glaring, Pegasus questions Yami's statements, which Yami answers with another assertion that Yuugi is ten times better than Pegasus when it comes to REAL confidence. Pegasus growls, eyes narrowing, but they widen again soon enough when he notes that another switch is taking place in front of his eyes. Back at the controls, Yuugi shouts that it's his turn while drawing a card. It's The Living Arrow, which he judges as a card it looks like he can use, so he plays it face down and ends his turn. Yami comes back out to inform Pegasus it's his turn again.

Pegasus gurgles in dismay, thinking he doesn't know what the new face down card played by Yami is either. Yami is thinking he has no idea what these cards Yuugi played are either, but he trusts Yuugi, even though Yuugi's image behind him appears to sport a sweatdrop and a thumping heart. Pegasus draws a card for his turn and is straight-faced as he looks at it, though he considers it GREAT.

Meh, that's not so big of a loss. The hats couldn't have even guaranteed one more turn for Yami/Yuugi anyway, if Pegasus had guessed correctly in destroying one of the last two.

Still, Yami freaks about how the Dark Magician has been exposed. Pegasus brags that Yami should see now the fact that all that intuition garbage he was spewing earlier is dumb, because real duelists use INTELLIGENCE to win without taking risks. It's Yami's turn to growl, while Pegasus calls forth his Toon Demon out of the Toon World book. Yami frets that since only a toon can beat a toon, the Dark Magician is going to die if it attacks. The Dark Magician looks just as nervous as him.

The goofy Toon Skull Demon pops out of the book like a jack-in-the-box, hovering over the Dark Magician as lightning surges out of its fingertips. Yuugi appears once again, shouting now, as Pegasus notes with shock the new mind-shift. Yuugi flips over one of the face down cards he placed, The Living Arrow. This announcement passes through a disbelieving Pegasus's mind, and Yuugi asks him if he didn't notice how Yami was trying to provoke him while Yuugi was busy drawing cards. Pegasus is flabbergasted, as Yuugi reiterates how he became flustered enough to play a card that would dispel the Magical Hats, which is exactly what Yuugi and Yami wanted. The Living arrow allows them to transfer magic and spells onto the opponent who used them, and arrow piecing the Magic Neutralizing Force means that Yami/Yuugi are giving its magic back to Pegasus.

Yeah, see, when you can't read people's minds, they tend to pull moves that you weren't aware of. Shocking.

Or, maybe he wasn't just floundering around for half the duel moaning about how Pegasus knew his every thought while refusing to actually consider what might prevent him from doing so.

So, what did I think about this chapter overall? A turn-around like this one was well overdue, which I think is why it feels so incredibly fast-paced in the last couple of pages. The pacing of the duel goes from zero-to-sixty in the space of about a page and a half, and the mental whiplash is quite the shock. I won't say that's a BAD thing, though. Sure, I'm dazed from the sudden stomp on the gas, but it makes sense given how little Yami was able to do before, and how Yuugi's solution allowed him to finally build up a viable trap. Everything HAD to happen all at once, and I appreciate how everything kicked into gear the moment Pegasus thought he had bested his opponent even without the use of his Millennium Eye.

I also appreciated the fact that the face down card that needed the least explanation was the one that was set up first and utilized last. I found myself wondering what it was just as much as Pegasus did, and when it was finally revealed to be a card that rounded out the trap so well, it was satisfying. I didn't figure it would be such a mundane card, or that such a mundane card would fuck Pegasus's points as badly as it did in conjunction with The Living Arrow, but that's what made it so interesting to see.

Now, if Yami had actually managed to LISTEN to Yuugi screaming before, we wouldn't have been subjected to his uselessness for as long as we were. Thanks for opening your ears, jackass.

Inuyasha Manga: 069 Indication

Awfully vague, aren't you chapter? An indication of what? The indication of Naraku's presence that Miroku totally ignored before? An indication to Kagome that Inuyasha isn't doing so well? Maybe there's an indication as to where Rouyakan is hiding his ipecac so that the protagonists can take it away. It would certainly be helpful to stop that guy from vomiting wolves at them every five seconds.

Hopefully Shippou can have an indication as to how he's going to get out of this fuckery.

The snarling wolves launch themselves at Shippou, who holds up a trembling fistful of leaves and grunts before he throws out his last defense.

Oooh, that's HANDY!

The wolves chomp and pounce on the copies of Shippou, giving him the chance to slip down a narrow gap between the tree and the well wall, sliding into its depths. As the leaves that once appeared to be Shippou scatter and fall, the wolves whine in confusion, looking around. Shippou laughs that they're a bunch of morons, but his head-first slide into the well brings his face straight into the dirt, knocking him silly. Seems like the wolves are in good company, there, Shippou.

He lays in a daze at the bottom of the well, the Shikon fragment he was carrying pinging as it lands on the earth next to him. It glows.

On the other side, Kagome is checking her watch, worrying out loud that Houjou will be waiting. However, she stops short on the way down the stairs leading to the shrine, twisting around to look back up them. She thinks she senses the very faint presence of a Shikon shard and whips all the way around, remembering how Inuyasha took HER piece of the jewel while yelling at her not to come back. She dashes back up the stairs, thinking he's returned for her. But, upon going all the way back to the well house and leaning to look down the well, she's disappointed to find that there's nothing in there. Kagome mumbles that she feels like an idiot now after returning all the way there.

Elsewhere, wolf and wasp parts are flying as Inuyasha uses his Sankon Tessou on them to rip them apart.

Seriously, where's that ipecac??

Inuyasha slashes through the wave of wolves once more, scoffing. Miroku is nearby with Kaede backing him while he tears through some more wasps and shouting that all this is getting them nowhere. He glares up at a drooling Rouyakan, whose eyes roll in a distinctly dazed fashion, suggesting that he's using the power of a Shikon shard. Inuyasha shouts back a word of disbelief, before Miroku states that finding this jewel fragment's location would allow them to destroy Rouyakan. I thought the Shikon fragment was merely a hypothetical here? I must have missed where that was confirmed to be the case...

Inuyasha asks where this jewel shard is, but Miroku informs Inuyasha that his insight isn't exactly the best while he watches Rouyakan drool and roll his eyes all the more. I'm guessing the pain of having the sprout eat into his skull is taking its toll on Rouyakan. Kaede says that they need Kagome's power of sight after all, which irritates Inuyasha. He shouts that they should quit their complaining, because Kagome's not there. Not since he blocked up the well and prevented her from coming back.

We're thrown back into the modern era after this, where Kagome is starting to get really annoyed. She's glaring down at her paper cup, thinking that whenever she would come back home for tests and lessons, Inuyasha would come to pester her at least every three days. Now it's been a week, and Kagome hasn't gotten so much as a message from him, which he should at least have sent out of courtesy.

Kagome's name is called, and Kagome looks up to Houjou sitting across from her in the "WacDonald's" restaurant, who asks if she's alright because of how spaced she looks. Well, if WacDonald's is anything like McDonald's, and Kagome's anything like me, she might be physically ill from consuming all the grease. Kagome remembers that she's supposed to be on a date regretfully, and apologizes to Houjou, asking him what he was saying. After a small pause, Houjou asks Kagome if she isn't overdoing it, and her heart thumps as she utters a noise of confusion.

Then she trails off in a denial, wondering why that idiot Inuyasha is all she can think about at a time like this. Houjou says he can sense it, though, even if Kagome begins to tell him "that guy" isn't really on her mind.

Yeah, let's call it "poor health" that she forced herself out in spite of.

This phrase really DOES linger with Kagome, though, as she's pulling herself back into her seat. She recalls the severity of Inuyasha's wounds and considers the possibility that they haven't healed yet, or even worse than that. She tries to convince herself that there's no way Inuyasha would die, but it's no use. Fist over her chest, Kagome apologizes to Houjou, telling him that she has to go because of this really bad feeling she has.

Houjou says he knew it and offers to see Kagome home, but she tells him that won't be necessary. On the street, she twists to apologize yet again and tell Houjou to invite her out again sometime. Don't tell him THAT Kagome! He's now more sure than ever that Kagome endured unbearable pain for the sake of seeing him as he watches her leave.

Yeah, we girls are usually pretty fast when we're just not that into you. Take the hint, won't you?

Kagome runs all the way home, jumping into the well and panting as she determines that it wasn't just her imagination - a fragment is nearby. She can't see it, but she can feel it. She falls to her knees and starts digging through the dirt at the bottom of the well, groaning and muttering the question of where it is over and over. As Kagome digs, she gets all the more desperate, and the Shikon shard on the other side shines brighter, trailing from an unconscious Shippou's hand by its chain.

The wolves have found out where Shippou disappeared to and are scraping at the sides of the well, trying to claw their way in. Shippou's eyes flutter open and he groans, quickly surprised by his first sight of the wolves trying to squeeze into the well where he lays. He stutters that they found him with a horrified, trembling expression.

Kagome is scraping back more dirt with her hands, sweating and panting while she thinks that she has to get back and see if Inuyasha is okay. Her desperate face says what she's thinking; that she wants to see Inuyasha. A bright light suddenly shines from below, surprising her.

What did I tell you? Drama! Drama all day long!

Shippou jumps into Kagome's arms, calling her name. She looks pretty damn happy to see him, and relieved as well that she managed to come back. That relief is short-lived, when she sees the wolves slowly succeeding at squeezing themselves through the gap left between the tree and the well wall. Fuck.

And you know what THAT means. Inuyasha couldn't even BREAK the well properly, that's what it means.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I try not to get too far ahead of myself when I'm reviewing, because unlike Yu-Gi-Oh, I've already read Inuyasha multiple times. Still, it's difficult, because I know what's going to happen, not only in the short term, but all the way at the end. So, I'll try not to be TOO terribly spoilery for those who are reading this along with your first foray into the manga.

That said, there will come a time, WAAAAAY in the future, for which Kagome's return in this chapter will become a precedent. I understand that in the anime, they mistook Kagome's grip on the jewel being the force that brought her through it, but it turns out that's not the case at all. If it was, the fragment would have traveled to her without her having to dig for it. It was at her thought that she wanted to see Inuyasha that she was transported, which gives us some sort of indication as to how this well works, but raises more questions in the process.

For example, how did Kagome get transported that first time if her desire to see Inuyasha is what helped her through this time? A vague desire to see a guy she hadn't yet met? *shrug*

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 127 Do the Impossible!

Semantics will tell you that the definition of "impossible" is that it literally CAN'T be done, but have you ever noticed all the crap this "impossible" label gets slapped on? People say all KINDS of things are impossible, only for someone else to do it later. Possibility is just an assessment that may or may not be accurate depending upon how much vision and work we're willing to put into a project, so it might not help to be told to do the impossible either, chapter. Maybe it's a more accurate encouragement to suggest we stop thinking in the limiting terms of possibility altogether.

Not that the odds don't look particularly grim in this instance. Pegasus narrates his egg-dragon's retreat into the Toon World book that slams on its giggling face, the monster going from vicious attack to the safety from harm that is its little story book. Gaping, Yami knows he's unable to attack those monsters while they're in the pages, and that this was the strategy that beat Kaiba. But did you think of how that strategy would fuck you too when you came up against it? Nooooooo...

Pegasus puts his mermaid, now a toon as well, into attack position, ending his turn with that. As Yami glares at his hand, Celtic Guardian on top, he contemplates how any monster played in defense will only be destroyed. He decides he has to see if a regular monster can defeat a toon monster, conspicuously forgetting about the fact that Pegasus is probably reading his thoughts at this very moment. Goodness am I tired of him ignoring the problem and acting surprised when it doesn't just go away.

Yami plays his Celtic Guardian, because it has the same attack points as the mermaid and should be able to destroy Ariel along with itself when it attacks. He commands the attack, Sei Ken Zan, on the grinning mermaid. As the attack is about to land, though, Pegasus tells Yami to give it up, because normal attacks don't work against his toons' special abilities. One such special ability is in the clam that the mermaid sits within, stretching arms out to catch the blade of the Celtic Guardian's sword before it can land. Yami stares in astonishment while he reiterates what he's seeing, and the clam laughs at the equally shocked look on the Celtic Guardian's face.

Pegasus explains that his toons are malleable and rubber-like, stretching in order to dodge or parry normal attacks.

Watching his Celtic Guardian crumble into holographic dust, Yami comes to the conclusion that there's no way to hurt a toon monster. Pegasus praises Yami on his accurate assessment, that toons can only be killed by other toons, and that's why they're the perfect life-form. Pegasus realizes they're not actually alive, right?

I'm actually beginning to wonder, because the expressions on these holograms' faces have been oddly evocative lately. The mermaid's laugh is a mocking thing as she also gets smashed into the Toon World's pages. Yami internally laments that Pegasus knows all his tactics and strategies, and he can't even attack with raw force anymore. He wonders if there's any way he can win this duel. Still stuck in this boring rut, I see. Wake me when something freaking CHANGES.

On Pegasus's turn, he simply plays two face down cards and then ends it. Yami questions if they're a spell and trap card, but doesn't dwell as he calls that it's back to him again and draws a card. He knows he can't beat the toons even if he plays a more powerful monster, and he's wary of the trap Pegasus played. So, Yami puts down the Imp in defense, which is immediately met with a chuckle from Pegasus. He turns over one of his face down cards in response.

Well, that seems fairly innocuous, considering defensive monsters don't do anything anyway.

But then Pegasus informs Yami that this is a permanent trap that not only turns his defense monsters to lifeless statues, but also subtracts half their defense points from Yami's life points when they're destroyed. Of course! Of course, why WOULDN'T that be a thing? Pegasus says that in other words, if Yami doesn't want the duel to end QUICKLY, he'll have to continue to attack his toon monsters in futility. Yami gasps. Understatement of the century, I'm sure.

Pegasus pretends that he's turning over his other face down card before he forgets, but I think he just really wants to continue speaking in cliches. The card is Doppelganger, a spell card Yami recognizes as having the power to copy other cards, mouth ajar. The Doppelganger has pulled the Summoned Skull from Yami's side of the table to study it with a wide grin, as Pegasus says it will take THAT form. NOOOOO, MY FAVORITE! This just keeps getting worse.

Yami notes with shock that it's about to take shape while the Doppelganger starts to spin and swirl.

Damn... now I know how Kaiba must have felt when he saw the Blue Eyes Toon Dragon. I'm going to need to watch Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain as therapy now.

The Toon Demon is ordered to attack, and it shatters the stone imp into a million pieces. Yami's in disbelief as his life points reduce to 900. A goofy laugh escapes the demon as it's sucked into the Toon World book, and Pegasus declares his turn over when it's safely shut.

Honda, always taking it upon himself to tell everyone what they already know, says that Yami's own monster turned into a toon and attacked him. Jonouchi calls the monster a lousy traitor, asking if there isn't any way of beating those toons. I don't know Jonouchi, because everyone wants to just stand around and repeat the question, and never take any steps to answer it.

Pegasus tells Yami he believes it's his turn, with a glimmer of slyness behind him. Yami draws a card and looks at it, therefore alerting Pegasus and his Millennium eye that he drew the Dark Magician. Pegasus chuckles, and Yami glares at him, mouth slightly ajar while he contemplates bitterly that Pegasus knows the cards he's got and what he's planning. Yami looks hard at the Toon World, knowing that as long as it's there he can't win against Pegasus's monsters, but also knowing he can't defend. Yami wonders for the umpteenth time if there's any way he can get out of this.

So, of course, Pegasus answers him out loud that there ISN'T a way to get out or win. Yami's eyes widen, and Pegasus continues, claiming he can sense the will to fight ebbing and dwindling from Yami. He asks if Yami would like to forfeit the duel. Yami closes his eyes and mentally growls against the suggestion. Honda yells from the banister that he can't give up, because Yami knows he'll lose his soul if he admits defeat. Anzu reminds him that it's not just him, either, because Sugoroku, Kaiba and Mokuba are also in danger of their life's fire burning out while trapped in those cards forever if Yami calls it quits. Yami's eyes snap open again as he thinks of Sugoroku in his screen and Mokuba and Kaiba in their cards. He regains his look of determination, thinking that he won't give up.

If our will to live were infinite, we'd be immortal, Yami. But, if that's an inspiring thought to you, who the hell am I to argue?

He throws down the Dark Magician in attack, and plays it in conjunction with Magical Hats, which hides the magician immediately. He hopes to break Pegasus's telepathy with the combo, and I don't know HOW, if HE'S the one deciding where the Dark Magician is hiding and it isn't random. Pegasus smirks at the hats as he says that Yami must have hidden the Dark Magician in one of the hats in order to buy time until figuring out how to confront Toon World, but deems this action entirely worthless.

Yami sweats as he glares warily at Pegasus. Pegasus reminds him that since he CHOSE which hat the magician is hidden beneath, the Millennium Eye has access to that information too. Yami, you fuck-up.

His idiocy suggests so, Heather.

Yami despairs at how Pegasus read through his Magical Hats combo and even IT doesn't work. He squeezes his eyes shut again, thinking he can't think of a way to beat the Millennium Eye, he just CAN'T! That could NOT have been your best idea, Yami. Seriously.

As the Toon World opens, Pegasus asks Yami if he's ready, because HE is. Honda and Jonouchi call out to Yami, telling him not to give up. Anzu is especially insistent that Yami not lose, screaming that he CAN'T lose. Oh he CAN, child. But...

What's with the flash?

Pegasus laughs that the Dark Magician is nothing but ash now. As the holographic smoke clears, though, he's shocked. Turns out the Dark Magician isn't where the gaping Pegasus thought it was. He doesn't think it was possible, because he should have read Yami's mind perfectly. His opponent says he changed the magician's position by his own will. Can... can he randomly do that??

I guess if it's done by another mind entirely it's okay.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Oh thank you! Finally something has HAPPENED! At least between Yami and Yuugi, YUUGI could figure something out. I definitely question whether or not it's legal to change your mind at the last second about where your monster is hiding, because that seems like a convenient way to get around losing points at the last second. Still, it was at least something, unlike in the last chapter.

I have to say that Yami's moronic move with the Magical Hats had me pretty frustrated, though. I thought Yami was far smarter than to think Pegasus wouldn't be able to figure out where the Dark Magician was in them. I want to write it off as Yami being overcome with nerves, but consistently going for a card-based solution when he knows damn well that Pegasus knows everything in his head? I would have understood if he had tried to obscure his face or thoughts in some way, but he didn't even come CLOSE to understanding that his problem wasn't the cards as much as being an open book.

At least, not until the end. I'm supposing that Yami is just too focused on card-based solutions that he didn't consider the fact that the Millennium Puzzle's powers of uniting a team could have been used to fight back against the Millennium Eye. Yuugi, on the other hand, isn't so constrained. Must be his ability to balance out every aspect of Yami, including his stupidity.

Inuyasha Manga: 068 Torn Barrier

Oh boy, does THAT sound like a terrible description of a woman losing her virginity in a fanfiction. I had only just started reading and writing the stuff very recently, and it has already put me off of it forever for a whole host of reasons. But here I am, weeks after swearing it off for my own sanity, cursing myself for ever poking my curious nose into that cesspit. Wretched Writch's mind is forever stained and she's gagging at a perfectly non-sexual title because someone's sex-ed classes were either inadequate or didn't penetrate their thick skull.

I've no one to blame but myself.

"I am far too cool for your mansplaining bullshit, Miroku."

The pack of ravenous, three-eyed wolves starts as an amorphous shadow in the sky, but their slobbering mugs quickly come into view. Kaede tenses up, saying that if they get any closer, they'll fall. They don't just fall, but smash headlong against an invisible barrier in front of her which crackles at their contact with it.

That seed isn't the only thing that grew; Rouyakan is SO much bigger than he was before. Must be that Shikon steroid power.

Within the hut, plastered with charms to prevent Inuyasha from getting out, Shippou looks out the window, alerting the other occupant that that guy Rouyakan from the other day has arrived. Inuyasha kneels shirtless, clutching Tessaiga like a crutch as he asks for confirmation that he was the flat-faced wolf youkai. Shippou informs Inuyasha that Miroku and Kaede have put up a barrier to hold him off for a time, but Inuyasha is grabbing his fire-rat robe with his free hand.

Outside, Rouyakan demands to know where Inuyasha has gone. Sweating, Kaede silently confirms that her and Miroku's barrier is shielding the hut and Inuyasha from any youkai eyes. Miroku is wondering what the hell happened to Rouyakan, because he's completely different from before. While Rouyakan continues to bump against the hissing barrier, Miroku wonders if he's borrowing the power of a Shikon shard.

Naraku characterizes this barrier as quite shrewd as he crouches behind a nearby tree to watch the whole spectacle. Regardless, Naraku can still see through it to the hut as he peers beyond the staggering Rouyakan, even if it is a misty imperfect image. A spear flies toward Kaede from Naraku's hiding place and Miroku jumps up to protect her. She shouts that he mustn't move, for the sake of the barrier, but how she thinks that her dying isn't going to fuck up the barrier just as much as Miroku moving to save her, I can't say. She's having an uncharacteristically stupid moment, clearly.

Yeah, that was ALL you, buddy. *psst* Don't tell him that it was actually Naraku, guys.

Rouyakan wastes no time shoving his fists through the roof of the hut, crumbling it between them. Miroku and Kaede shout Inuyasha's name in concern before a flash accompanies a vertical slash up Rouyakan's snout. Blood spurts from the wound as Rouyakan screams, and Inuyasha lands crouched before him, holding Tessaiga up above his head with an arm blocking his face.

I'm actually beginning to think Kagome was right about that persecution complex she mentioned a few chapters ago...

Rouyakan charges Inuyasha, yelling at him to give up and die. Inuyasha leaps up and swings Tessaiga down on Rouyakan, whom he tells to shut up. One of Rouyakan's hands slap onto the flat of the blade, astonishing a groaning Inuyasha before he's flung back by the force. Kaede looks downright panicked that Inuyasha has been sent flying, but Miroku's expression is more on the disgusted side when he says that Inuyasha is all talk and his strength hasn't returned yet.

Inuyasha crashes into the ground, shoulder first. The Shikon fragment that he took from Kagome goes flying, and he gasps at it as it lands out of his reach. Rouyakan sees it too, observing that it's a big chunk of the jewel, lunging for it.

I can't decide whether Shippou is brave or stupid. Rouyakan shouts at Shippou that he won't get away, vomiting a fresh wave of three-eyed wolves at him. Shippou freaks out and screams, eyes bulging and welling with tears while he flees all the faster. Miroku rips the beads from his right hand, warning Shippou to take cover so he can use the Kazaana. A buzzing sound behind him stays his hand as he glances into his periphery fearfully.

Those things are going to be the biggest pain in the ass...

Miroku wraps his beads around his right hand again and scoffs, knowing that if he sucks them in, he'll be poisoned. He holds his staff out in front of him defensively against the pack of demon wolves, telling Inuyasha this doesn't look good, which Inuyasha knows, facing off against Rouyakan. Jeez, Miroku, what IS it with you and stating things everybody already knows today?

Meanwhile in Tokyo, Kagome says she's on her way out to her mother and brother. Her mother asks her to tell Houjou "hi" for her, and Souta seems a little surprised that Kagome has a date while he wears Buyo as a hat. 

Child, what even ARE you?

On her way past the well-shrine, she pauses and gripes silently about how Inuyasha hasn't come to pick her up yet. She goes in and jumps down into the well that will no longer transport her through time, saying that she's going on a date, asking the ground beneath her sarcastically if that's okay. Silence. Melancholy as ever, Kagome gazes up at the ceiling and supposes she'd better get going.

Here's your cue, Miroku! Pop in and tell Shippou that he's doomed!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Inuyasha and friends are pretty straightforwardly fucked. Naraku has managed to ruin the entire setup of protection around Inuyasha with one spear, because it makes sense that a spiritual barrier wouldn't help much against a non-spiritual weapon. The fact that the spear was slow enough to allow Kaede and Miroku to exchange as many words as they did was a little pacing error that hit me hard within a chapter that was so well-paced throughout the rest of it, so that was a little jarring. Otherwise, there's not much to say about how Naraku managed to box in the protagonists, because it was all explained very well within the chapter.

I do have ONE question, though: why didn't Miroku immediately investigate where the spear came from? If it were me, I would have been all over that clue to Naraku's presence. And if he's there to initiate the raid, but having Rouyakan do all the heavy-lifting, it should be obvious that Naraku isn't prepared for a face-to-face confrontation. He would have been at the very least SEVERELY injured under a full strength Miroku.

But I guess Miroku just had to waste his time stating the obvious during this chapter. Dumbass.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 126 The Perfect Defense

Defenses aren't easy to set up or carry out. You have to present your research and ideas in a cogent, competent way while presenting yourself as a peer and authority in your field. Of course, Yami has that second part down, but that won't do him any good when he hasn't even DONE any research and shrugged his shoulders with the declaration that he'll figure it out in the eleventh hour. Whether you're defending your dissertation or defending your monsters, try not to be as unprepared as Yami, because a PERFECT defense is a bit beyond his reach at this point.

It's usually the committee members that are asking the questions, Yami, and none as stupid and obvious as that one.

Pegasus taunts Yami for wasting his turn, and starts talking about how many variables there are in the game to think about between the cards and when to attack, the road to defeat being littered with tiny mistakes here and there. His lecture has Yami looking apprehensive enough before Pegasus asks to say one thing; that he NEVER makes mistakes. Yami growls at the sense of absolute confidence Pegasus is emanating, knowing that he can't win if he can't break free of it. He slaps down the Stone Golem in defense and ends his turn abruptly.

Yami's friends yell at him to look out while Honda curses the fact that Pegasus is already on the offensive. Jonouchi gripes about the lousy Pegasus claiming he never makes mistakes like he's a god or something. While Bakura isn't quite prepared to call Pegasus a god, he says Pegasus IS the creator of Duel Monsters, so OF COURSE he would be a master of the cards. Add to that the fact that he has the Millennium Eye to read the minds of opponents...

Jonouchi shouts at Bakura that he had better not be suggesting that Yami can't win the duel, and a taken-aback Bakura starts stuttering that he's not, but he knows that if he were in Yami's shoes he wouldn't be able to think of a way to win. He quietly questions if there even IS a way to win, sustaining Jonouchi's anger. Jonouchi tells Bakura to just watch, because Yami has a Millennium Item too, and it won't lose to some dumb eye.

Honda says there's only one thing they can do now. All four of the supporters are shown watching the Yami in the foreground from their perch, each knowing they have to believe he can win. Yeah, Bakura. Get with the program.

Pegasus says it's his turn again and draws a card, places one face down in front of him, and then plays...

You think Yami is a little perplexed by how innocuously cute that egg is? He's recovered from that by the next panel, yelling that it's his turn now. While Yami is beginning his turn, Pegasus internally chuckles that he can see Yami's cards, the Millennium Eye flashing through his curtain of hair to scan Yami's mind. This scan reveals Yami examining four cards: Imp, Magical Hats, Spellbinding Circle, and Celtic Guardian. Yami pauses to draw a new card and smiles when he looks at it. Pegasus probes more to find out what that smirk is all about, and finds that the new card is Summoned Skull. YES! My favorite!

Pegasus is kind of souring my happiness with his smile reflecting Yami's though, while he contemplates the new card. A small panel depicting one of Yami's eyes widening alludes to some sort of surprise.

That's got to be the most invasive feeling in the world, especially when Yami realizes that there's nothing he can do about it. He glares across the table at Pegasus, who LOOKS like his one visible eye is closed and his head is lowered. But Pegasus looks back up at Yami with a small smile back in place, silently chuckling about how it's too bad for Yami, because his tactics for this turn have been predicted.

He thinks that Yami will play Spellbinding Circle face down, then Summoned Skull in defense to try and tempt Pegasus into attacking, and this is exactly what happens, right on the money. Yami puts down his Spellbinding Circle, seen by the readers through the bottom of the table rendered temporarily transparent for them, and the Summoned Skull in defense. Yami says his turn is over, and Pegasus accepts this with a compliant thought that he'll fall into Yami's trap. He places his own face down card, visible as Trap Displacement to the audience in the same way it was before, and he supposes they'll see who is trapped in the end.

The panel AFTER this has Pegasus saying that it's now his turn again, so did he just lay down a face down card before that? Not that it wasn't already his turn before, but I don't know why he would be saying it now? The order of events here is just a bit strange.

I'm sorry, I just can't take that thing seriously when it's wearing its eggshell like a hat and diaper all at the same time. That's just...

Yami reveals his Spellbinding Circle to block Pegasus's attack and hobble his egg-dragon, the holographic version of the card appearing in front of the skull demon to intercept the dragon's blast. Pegasus performs an exaggerated gesture of despair at wondering what to do, right hand cradling the side of his head as he groans that Ryu-Ran loses 700 attack points. The egg-dragon is shown with the Spellbinding Circle around its midsection, and all I can think is it now looks like it's wearing a floating pool ring. Jonouchi cheers that Yami trapped Pegasus's monster, but Yami isn't sure it could have been that easy, or even that the trap worked.

Now that it's Yami's turn, though, he puts Summoned Skull in attack mode. Why are you failing so majorly at trusting your instincts in the final stretch, Yami? The Summoned Skull holds up its clawed palms to call forth its lightning, and launches it at Ryu-Ran just as Pegasus shouts that this is the target Yami has chosen. Pegasus chuckles and turns over his Trap Displacement card with flourish.

Yami is horrified that Pegasus managed to deflect his trap, while Pegasus explains that his card transfers the Spellbinding Circle to one of Yami's monsters instead. Of course, the Summoned Skull is now wearing the circle, and its attack stats lower to 1800, which Yami narrates unnecessarily afterward. You'd think he wouldn't WANT to reiterate how he's losing, but...

Anzu despairs at Yami's latest loss, Honda growling out that Pegasus knew what Yami was going to do yet again. Jonouchi curses Pegasus's unfair advantage and asks how Yami is supposed to fight him, and Bakura makes the depressed assessment that not even Yami can stand up to Pegasus's powers. He's immediately accosted with various shouts that they can't be in give-up mode, Yami would never give up, and somehow mixed among them that Anzu is right. Oh, oh I see, one especially elongated spike of the shout-bubble is pointed in her direction and supposed to indicate SHE said they can't be in give-up mode. Gotcha. Not exactly clear, but I gotcha. Glaring with determination, Anzu thinks at Yami to hang in there and not lose.

Pegasus mockingly asks if it's his turn already and draws a card. Yami is stuck on how powerful the Millennium Eye has shown itself to be, and that there must be a way to defeat the Mind Scan. But because it's still working on him, Pegasus answers him aloud that no, in fact there is NO way to beat the power of the eye. He begins to philosophize about how games are a contest between two minds, and if you can master and understand the opponent's territory, their mind, you win just like in a real-life battlefield. He tells Yami that he doesn't have the power to infiltrate either mind or world of Pegasus, and offers to show him this harsh truth right now, pulling a card from his hand with a smirk. Yami sweats and gapes as Pegasus plays his next card.

Why are you surprised, Yami? It's not as though you couldn't figure this was going to come up at some point in your duel. Though maybe it's apprehension more than shock, because Yami seems to recall pretty well that in addition to the caricature transformation of Pegasus's monsters into toons, only other toons will be able to kill them. Pegasus shouts at what he has elected to call his Manga Ryu-Ran (irony) to attack the stone soldier sitting in defense on Yami's side of the table. With its cartoonish hands extended, it hits the Stone Giant with whirling tendrils of wind, and once it's finished, guffaws before the Toon World book slams shut on it.

LOUSY within academics, though.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Its lack of real progression made it boring as watching paint dry. Despite a few plays being made and Pegasus chipping away at Yami's points, nothing HAPPENED. In order for progress to be made in a story, something has to change, either within the outer plot or the internal state of a character, but this chapter was just working the entire way through with the status quo set up in the last one. Yami repeatedly noted that Pegasus was reading his mind, but continued to operate in his usual way without even TRYING to figure out a way to counteract Pegasus's power. He just kept doing the same shit over and over, with different cards.

What's even MORE disappointing? I think this chapter was SUPPOSED to make the reader nervous, with all its references to the seemingly insurmountable power presented by the Millennium Eye. It's a HUGE obstacle, because it brings up the question of how you're supposed to even THINK about counteracting someone probing your brain; they're right there reading THOSE thoughts too. And the fact that Yami didn't preemptively consider this SHOULD have made his situation now all the more tense for readers.

But having him acknowledge his seemingly hopeless situation without trying to take SOME kind of action to mitigate it is dull. Yami and company saying over and over again that Pegasus is reading his cards and mind isn't making me bite my nails, it's making me check my watch. This normally proactive character who usually at least TRIES something by this point is being weirdly passive and uninteresting.

It doesn't help that my favorite card is officially eliminated from this duel now. I miss you already Summoned Skull. 

Inuyasha Manga: 067 Two Eras

Hasn't this tale already been told? I could have sworn that I've already read about the worst and best of times, something about an age of wisdom and foolishness, epochs of belief and incredulity, seasons of light and darkness, a spring of hope and winter of despair, everything and nothing before us, and going to heaven and hell all at the same time. Is it just me, or does that all sound awfully familiar to anyone else?

Darnay and Carton will be played tonight by Kagome Higurashi and Kikyou, respectively.

Looks like Kagome isn't any more of a fan of softball in gym class than I was when I was her age.

Wait a moment... Is that seriously a gym uniform??? She's not going swimming, she's playing a game that may require her to SLIDE. I don't know how any of these girls are supposed to play properly when they risk serious bruising and scrapes from doing so. Who came up with this stupid idea?

Kagome isn't much concerned with that, because she's too busy going over how Inuyasha yelled at her not to come back and pushed her in the well while she called his name three days before. That is a POWERFUL preoccupation she has there. She wonders if Inuyasha meant for them to never meet again as she sighs once more, and someone calls her name. Accompanied by Short-Hair, Headband excitedly thrusts a thumb behind her, telling Kagome that Houjou from Class B wants a word.

I see Houjou gets to dress like a normal person playing baseball... *grumble*

He looks a little worried when he asks Kagome if she actually has other plans, because she doesn't answer right away. She hangs her head thoughtfully, saying she doesn't have any solid plans, trailing off when she thinks that by then, Inuyasha may have come to pick her up. Because her friends are eavesdropping gossips, Headband calls for Kagome to go for it from a distance, with Short-Hair reminding Kagome that she stood Houjou up last time. Kagome and Houjou both look mortified, asking at the same time how Short-Hair knows that.

Short-Hair comes and collects Kagome for a whispered heart-to-heart, steering her away from Houjou with an arm around her shoulder and a command to come with her a second. She tells Kagome to just DO IT, but Kagome wants to know why she should. Short-Hair whispers a question about if her suspicions that Kagome likes someone else are correct, and Kagome sweats, caught off-guard. Kagome blushes as she's flanked by both other girls while they present their evidence; she's been sighing a lot lately, and hasn't been worried about her studies.

Her protest that these things are just them trails off, because she remembers once more how it's all because Inuyasha hugged her so tightly back then. Short-Hair points an accusatory finger at Kagome and says it must be unrequited love. Kagome is alarmed, and shouts at Short-Hair that she must be kidding, because who would want a selfish, violent guy like THAT? Houjou wonders to Headband who Kagome is talking about, and Headband has no clue.

Kagome, I don't know if you should be leading this guy on just to try and prove that you're not hung up on Inuyasha. That can only end in heartbreak.

Back at the shrine, Kagome is visiting the well-house again. Her backpack is deposited on the steps leading down to it as she leans both hands on the edge and glares into it. She wonders why she had to be thrown around by Inuyasha's selfishness anyway, though I'm not entirely sure what that means. After a pause, Kagome jumps into the well, landing crouched with her arms straight out in front of her. It looks pretty impressive, actually.

Buyo has jumped up onto the edge of the well to meow at her down there, her first sign that she hasn't gone back in time. She wonders out loud if it's really no good, retreating back into her head as she balances on her knees and wonders what Inuyasha is doing now.

Lucky audience that we are, we get to travel to Kaede's village in Kagome's place, and see a hut that has been sealed up from the outside with those sticky charms Miroku has been known to use in his fake exorcisms. Someone inside demands that the door be opened while thumping on it, but that's not going to happen. Inside, Shippou tells the literally kicking and screaming Inuyasha (because his hands are tied) that it's no use, all those charms sealing youkai like them within the hut. Inuyasha wants to know why he has to be sealed up in the first place, and yells through the sweat pouring down his face that he'll find Naraku and kill him. He repeats the demand to open the door.

A plea for Inuyasha to be quiet and go to sleep stops Inuyasha's struggle cold. He looks behind him to find that Kagome is asking him to confirm his wounds haven't healed yet, looking worried. Inuyasha stares, heart thumping and stuttering her name.

Better yet, Shippou, maybe you should try not to be such a creepy fucker with a transformation like that. "Shall we sleep together..." That is downright gag-worthy.

Miroku appears, observing out loud that Inuyasha still won't settle down. Inuyasha calls him a bastard while he and Kaede slip through the door, and he reminds Inuyasha how much trouble they went through to protect him with the wards. Inuyasha makes a lunge for the door while it's still open, claiming he's getting out of there, but Miroku holds him back with his staff. Miroku asks Kaede to stick another charm on the door, and Kaede complies, already halfway there.

Claiming to understand Inuyasha's impatience, Miroku tells him it's impossible nonetheless. They have to wait for Inuyasha's wounds to heal completely before they can make a move. Inuyasha has calmed down enough to have shrugged out of his shirt and laid on his belly to exposed his back wound to Kaede to treat with whatever's in that medicinal jar she's holding. She asks if Inuyasha really takes Naraku so lightly as to take him on injured like he is, because it seems to her that his concern for Naraku was why Inuyasha trapped Kagome on the other side of the well. Inuyasha remains silent, but looks thoughtful, while Shippou watches him and wonders if that's what it was after all.

Miroku glares at Inuyasha, saying that he really doesn't want to lose his life needlessly, so Inuyasha needs to recover quickly. Inuyasha twists to shout at him to stop talking like that, sitting up in a cross-legged position, and informing him that this is why he's vowing to fight from now on. Miroku looks amicable when he tells Inuyasha he has to go to sleep quietly now, but that changes pretty fast.

I'm sure a kick in the head will make him understand just as well as it WON'T fuck up the healing that you're supposed to be encouraging. Miroku's supposed to be the smart one too...

Later, while Inuyasha and Shippou lay on the fire-rat robe spread out beneath them to try and get some rest, Shippou says he wonders what Kagome's up to right now, earning a sidelong glare out of the corner of Inuyasha's eye. He calls Shippou a stubborn brat, and tells him to just forget about Kagome already, still rolled over and facing away. His expression becomes softer when he thinks that as long as Kagome is ALIVE somewhere, it's fine by him, because he wouldn't be able to stand it if she (Kikyou included) died again.

In a large cave among some rolling hills, Rouyakan is asleep on his back, snoring among a stash of vases and skulls. Looks like SOMEONE had a good time last night. A silhouette appears in the mouth of the cave, backlit and foreboding. It's Naraku shrouded in his baboon cloak, snapping some of the bones on the stone floor with his step into the cave as he bids Rouyakan to wake up. Rouyakan blearily blinks open his eyes, muttering in question.

"Don't you fucking KNOCK?"

Naraku says he must have overestimated Rouyakan, considering he was unable to kill a single wounded hanyou. Seems you're super slow to have only noticed that DAYS after the fact, Naraku. Rouyakan tells Naraku to shut it, because that job wasn't anything like he thought it would be. He asks Naraku why he doesn't kill Inuyasha himself, if he hates the hanyou that much, and Naraku explains that he's in the middle of a transformation that makes it impossible for him to make any moves toward that goal as of yet. However, he's sure that right now is the easiest time to take away Inuyasha's Shikon fragment.

Rouyakan isn't interested, because there's nothing in it for him, and no reason for him to risk his life again. He tells Naraku to go home, because he's ready to head back to dreamland to sleep off that hangover pounding in his head. He didn't explicitly SAY anything about a hangover, but I think I'm safe in assuming. Naraku holds up a flowering seed, and in the next panel, the SFX depicts Rouyakan bloody murder screams emanating from inside the cave.

That's... weird...

Naraku informs him that the rice seed newly planted in Rouyakan's forehead has a Shikon shard in it, and left alone, its roots will eat away at Rouyakan's head. Sweating, Rouyakan clutches at the air around his head in desperation and confusion, before Naraku warns him that pulling the seed out by force will kill him. Rouyakan stutters at Naraku to take the seed out, and Naraku says he'll do THAT when Inuyasha has been defeated.

Rouyakan's response, word for word:

Naraku doesn't reply that he's an asshole with an Uzi, though. Instead he bids Rouyakan not to get angry, because the Shikon shard inside the seed will make Rouyakan all the more powerful, and he should go to use that increased strength on Inuyasha before his wounds have healed.

In the hut, Shippou is snoozing on the sleeve of the fire-rat cloak while Inuyasha is laying on his side beside him, coughing softly.

Rouyakan might not have much work ahead of him after all.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Kagome and Inuyasha really are two peas in a pod, aren't they? Kagome may be more eloquent in expressing herself, but her denial of having feelings for Inuyasha is just as vehement as Inuyasha's of having feelings for her. She's not any better at arguing against them either, and ended up getting herself into a date that she had no desire to go on because of it. Her denial seems to be based less on bravado and more on the fact that she doesn't WANT to be into a violent selfish guy. It's a valid concern, for sure, because violent selfish guys don't have a great track record of treating their partners with respect. Still, Kagome isn't afraid of Inuyasha when he's in a bad mood, and doesn't take any of his shit, so I don't think there's much to worry about here.

The obstinate Inuyasha needing to be literally locked up in order to keep him from chasing after Naraku while seriously injured was strangely delightful to me. Like Miroku, I can understand his frustration, but it's endearing to know just how much the people around him care to make sure that he heals proper before he goes out to fight full-strength. He's in a worse way than he cares to admit, and his friends know him well enough by now to figure out how bad it is, even if he's not coming out and saying it. Of course, at this point in their relationship, I believe Miroku when he says that he's making sure Inuyasha heals simply to ensure that he doesn't have to give his life needlessly as well. Still the seeds of friendship are blooming.

Speaking of which, I'm fascinated with these tools Naraku's been using to coax and (in Rouyakan's case) trap his pawns into trying to murder Inuyasha. How does Naraku come up with these ideas? Does he test them out on unwilling subjects like some sort of mad scientist before he gives them to the people who are going to use them as weapons in his war? Or is he just talking out of his ass when he gives such precise descriptions of what they'll do?

And when the seed was inserted into Rouyakan's head, why did the panel feature the outside of the cave instead of the action itself? Usually when the cutaway and scream device is used, it indicates a scene change, but this one just split the scene right down the middle. It was super jarring and took me right out of the chapter. Had me scratching my head a bit, I have to admit.