Inuyasha Manga: 061 Saimyoushou

That's a mouthful, and unlike the previous chapter titles, this one doesn't have an English translation to go with it. In my official copy of the Viz manga, the chapter's name is "The Sting of Victory," which at least gives a native English speaker an idea of what they might expect. There's going to be victory, but it's going to sting. Other than that, there's no telling what Inuyasha's going to get up to in this one.

Well, other than getting a lot of threats from his brother.

Again, I question Sesshoumaru's definitions of words... Still, that IS a fair conclusion to draw, because I don't know how Kagome expected Sesshoumaru to stop attacking Inuyasha simply because she put herself between them. Inuyasha steps in front of Kagome as he tells her that Sesshoumaru wouldn't even hesitate to kill a girl like her, thereby rendering her ridiculous gesture moot. I don't know, Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru DID seem to lower the sword in that last panel above, even if it WAS just to tell a joke.

Have I mentioned how much I like funny!Sesshoumaru?

Miroku steps in front of Inuyasha now, saying he can't keep silent any longer with Inuyasha looking indignantly confused behind him. Sesshoumaru glares at the priest in front of him as Inuyasha gets in front of Miroku, telling him to stay out of this. Miroku points out that Inuyasha can't do this alone, but Inuyasha yells at him to shut up and not stand in front of him.

Jaken looks down from the giant oni's shoulder, seeming to recognize the priest that has appeared just like Sesshoumaru. He thinks back on when they had spoken to Naraku, who mentioned a priest that would be traveling with Inuyasha, which might be even more troublesome. Despite recalling the warning, Jaken thinks that Miroku looks like just a measly human, and offers to take care of him in place of a Sesshoumaru who shouldn't have to deal with that crap. Sesshoumaru gives the go-ahead to Jaken, wanting to see what happens.

The giant hand of the oni comes down toward Inuyasha and company while Jaken shouts that he's going to grind them into mincemeat. Miroku rips the beads from his hand, saying that he'll handle this, and Inuyasha let's him stand in front again in the interest of not dealing with the small-fry. Miroku points his holey (pun intended) palm at the oni, shouting at it to face judgment. I'm pretty sure judgment is a calculated process done by people, rather than a mindless shrinky/sucky hole in one's hand, but what do I know?

When the wind starts up, Sesshoumaru's eyes widen.

That's all you have to say, Jaken?

Kagome cheers that Miroku is amazing while Inuyasha stands sulking next to her, so she amends her statement to say that he's amazing too. Inuyasha thanks her sarcastically for the afterthought encouragement.

Meanwhile, it turns out that Jaken DID have a bit more to say on the subject of being the target of the Kazaana, screaming and pleading for this suckage to stop. It's Sesshoumaru's turn to remember when they spoke to Naraku about Miroku, who handed them the nest of Hell Insects Saimyoushou to help deal with the priest's Kazaana. Sesshoumaru pulls it out from who knows where while he's holding onto the Tessaiga he lodged into the ground to avoid being sucked in as well. Thinking that this whole affair was planned so meticulously, he throws it straight at Miroku's vacuum palm, to Miroku's shock.

Those things are SO much bigger than I remember, and too big for my fly-swatter...

Miroku stutters in alarm at the wasps head for his Kazaana in what Kagome describes as a way suggesting they're not being sucked inside, but deliberately flying in. When they enter Miroku's hand, a shock and pulse goes through him, and he closes up the Kazaana quickly while he tells Inuyasha that he's leaving the rest to him, sweating. Miroku stumbles backward and into a crouch, clutching his forearm as Kagome runs to his side and Inuyasha raises his claws to the remaining wasps. Inuyasha uses Sankon Tessou to tear them all apart, and Miroku haltingly says that the insects' poison got to him.

The word poison has Kagome leaping into action, telling Miroku to wait right there so she can run to get some medicine from her bag. Poisons and venoms usually need a very specific antidote, but I'm sure Kagome's first aid kit has something generic that can counteract a SUPERNATURAL poison for sure.

Jaken is laying across the mane of hair the oni has down its back, breathing a sigh of relief that he's been saved. Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru walks around his dead oni thing to tell Inuyasha and Miroku that it's death was quite a show. He's done watching now, though, and would like Inuyasha to just die, holding up Tessaiga as he says so. Inuyasha groans as he dips his claws into his bloody arm from when Sesshoumaru tried to melt it.

Loving Sesshoumaru's "ew" face right there. Hilarious.

While Sesshoumaru is distracted, Inuyasha grabs Miroku to drag him behind the hulking oni, asking callously how long Miroku is going to sit there shaking in fear. Internally Inuyasha acknowledges Miroku is already burning from fever, likely from the poison, and wonders if this could be fatal in alarm. He deposits Miroku on the ground a ways away and orders Shippou to take care of him. Shippou asks if they aren't going to just run away all together, but Inuyasha is convinced his only option is to attack Sesshoumaru.

Fair, considering Sesshoumaru himself is shouting that it's useless to hide from the other side of the oni, swinging Tessaiga as he does so.

I wouldn't count on it, bro. Inuyasha leaps out at Sesshoumaru from the now chopped-up bits of the oni, shouting that he won't die so easily. Sesshoumaru says Inuyasha is a great big idiot for jumping out like that, and starts to swing that sword again. Sweating, Inuyasha grunts, still hurtling toward Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru is astonished to see that Inuyasha's managed to stop the Tessaiga, and even more so when he notes that it's with the sword's scabbard. He really DOESN'T die so easily, does he?

Jaken pops up out of the shredded remains of the giant oni as well, but with less gusto than Inuyasha, muttering how close THAT call was. Jaken curses Inuyasha despite the fact that he acknowledges within the same breath that his distracting Sesshoumaru with his Blades of Blood was the one thing that kept him alive. Can't blame Sesshoumaru for that, no sir. Suddenly, a hand grabs the top of Jaken's head, and uses the leverage to pull its owner, Miroku, out of the mountain of oni flesh he and Shippou were buried in. Jaken sputters and squawks while Miroku and Shippou spit and gasp for air.

Not looking any better for getting fresh air, Miroku tells Jaken that it's super suspicious this is the first time he and Jaken have met, but that nest with the poisonous insects seemed to be made ESPECIALLY for Miroku's Kazaana. He asks Jaken how this might be, and Jaken retorts that an asshole like Miroku doesn't have the RIGHT to know such things. Miroku makes a questioning noise before he punches Jaken right across the face with a dispassionate look, Shippou staring with wide eyes.

And he pretended not to know what Inuyasha was doing when he threw punches at those demons in the last arc...

On the other side of the conflict, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha continue to strain against one another, with Sesshoumaru pushing aggressive offense while Inuyasha shoves back defensively. Sesshoumaru asks with a smirk if Inuyasha thinks the sheath is a match for a sword. Through gritted teeth, Inuyasha informs Sesshoumaru that the scabbard isn't just ANY old hunk of nothing before he shoves Sesshoumaru back, shouting that it's more than capable of cracking his head open.

Sesshoumaru scrapes the blade across the sheath in order to make Inuyasha skid backward, saying that his head being cracked is an interesting prospect and he'd like to see Inuyasha try. Not that he thinks Inuyasha will be around for much longer to do so, given he's already lifted the sword to swing again. Inuyasha winces against the oncoming blow of Tessaiga, still holding the scabbard out to protect himself.

On higher ground, Kagome comes running forward, shouting Inuyasha's name, bow in hand. In a flash, Sesshoumaru's eyes widen at something striking Tessaiga's blade as he's about to slice through Inuyasha. The sword reverts back to its useless state, and Sesshoumaru's looking at it like it just insulted his mother. Inuyasha is amazed that the transformation was undone as well, attention drawn to the object that did it sticking out of the ground a ways away; an arrow.

Girl is FIERCE.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? There were more pages than normal in this one, totaling 22 instead of 18 (including title pages). This was an epic of a chapter that DESERVED that extra space too, because there was a lot going on. From Miroku and Kagome getting involved in their own ways, to the introduction to a serious handicap on Miroku's Kazaana, to the multiple back and forth visits on each character, it was quite a roller-coaster.

This one wasn't non-stop action, but the action was nicely balanced so that the non-action parts weren't boring. Every character has something to do here, when the exclusion of characters could easily have been a problem in this arc. Sesshoumaru is there for Tessaiga, and by extension Inuyasha. Everyone else is just set-decoration to him until he can see what they can do. Miroku and Kagome both perform some pretty amazing feats for him to behold, which brings them onto the antagonist's radar rather than allowing them to simply stand off to the side with nothing to do.

Miroku's inquiries at Jaken were great too. The moment Miroku got a hold of the little guy, he was interrogating him on how he and Sesshoumaru managed to come to the party armed with EXACTLY what was needed in order to incapacitate Miroku. There wasn't any waffling around THINKING and contemplating the suspiciousness of the it, Miroku just ASKED. It cut right to the chase, which is what I like to see when I'm in the middle of a chapter asking those same questions myself and also wanting to get back to the action as soon as possible.

And of course, Sesshoumaru's faces. He's got just as great a set of them as Inuyasha has. No wonder they're brothers.