Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 117 Running on the Edge!

You do have to hand it to Yami, he DOES know how to ride that line. There's nobody better at it: getting his life points down to nothing and then sitting tight in order to turn his luck right on its head. Jonouchi really is learning from the best, but he's still at an apprentice level yet. Mastery is still a long ways away for him, and even then, Yami's level in the skill is godlike. Seriously, if he were in a literal competition of running on the edge (think Assassin's Creed shit), he would inevitably have the ability to stand on walls in order to beat opponents.

No, that WOULDN'T be your whole plan, would it? Too simple for the Desmond Miles of the Duel Monsters. Mai looks surprised he even had a plan at all, which is fair, considering the last chapter had him looking confused and lost for most of it.

Yami explains that when Catapult Turtle launches a monster, it takes half the monster's attack points off the owner's life points. Mai splutters at this, but doesn't manage to spit out a full complaint before Yami points at her and says that 2300 attack points will be taken off her life. Uhhhh, I think you mean 1150 life points, Yami, because 2300 was ALL of the dragon's attack points. Luckily, the game can do the math Yami apparently forgot to, and takes Mai down to 850 life points instead of down to less than zero, though Mai looks more sweaty than grateful at this point.

In disbelief, Mai mentally recounts how Yami managed to use Brain Control to destroy two of her best cards and cost her so many life points. Glaring, she admits it was a pretty brilliant combo. Yami smirks. Jonouchi cheers that Yami can still make a comeback while Anzu observes that he looks different, like all his doubt and impatience has gone and left his former glorious determination. Pegasus doesn't look too stoked about this change in Yami's heart he's perceiving, but he can suck it.

Yami thinks at Mai that she and Yuugi made him realize only resolve gives a duelist true strength. He's certain that his resolve will be tested within this next turn.

Mai draws a card with a declaration of her turn, pondering attacking the turtle that was stuck in attack after Yami's move to bring Yami's points down to zero and win. She worries about the face down card he played before, though, thinking it might be a trap. Since she doesn't have any more feather dusters in her hand to take away the threat, she wonders whether or not she should attack. Arms crossed, Yami smirks at her from across the table and silently urges her to attack him. Mai's sweating, but it seems like a big fat bluff to me. We'll see how this goes.

Who has shadowy eyes now, Mai? Is he using special violent pheromones on you?

Mai states that she's not going to attack during this turn, because she's still got the advantage even if she doesn't and she'd rather not risk it. Instead, she's going to play a nice spell card on her harpy.

Mai, you want to SCARE him, not inspire him to masturbate furiously under the table to your winged girls.

Yami apologizes to Mai, NOT because he got his hands too sticky to draw any more cards, but because he would have lost if she'd attacked him. Called it. Mai is shocked, watching him turn over that face down card that was actually Monster Recovery, a spell card that allows him to refresh his hand. Mai stares, surprised it wasn't a trap, while Yami says she lost her chance at winning. Mai mentally congratulates him on a killer bluff, because she isn't fooled by just any.

Fat chance, girl.

Apparently, the Shadow of Eyes card is still on the table and Yami knows it'll force him to attack next turn, as well as the fact that he can't do anything with the cards in his hand. He announces that he has no choice but to play Monster Recovery, returning his cards to his deck, shuffling it, and drawing a whole new hand. He prays he can draw a card that will win, but looking at all the cards he drew, he's disappointed by there being none that can beat three harpies. Sweating, he wonders what he can do, while Mai brags that her Triangle Attack can do 2700 points of damage. Paired with the Shadow of Eyes card, it forces opponent monsters into attacking, so she has him pegged as the loser already. Yami is starting to think he might be finished too.

Yet again, Jonouchi pipes up to ask Yami what's wrong, and encourage him not to give up yet. Anzu yells that Yami shouldn't let the sleazy harpies have their way with him, which sounds like the plot to a porno. Yami gasps as he has an epiphany about the Shadow of Eyes, and he determines that he's still got a shot at winning this thing. He grabs a card from his hand and slaps it down as Mai's still boasting about how it's all over for him. She shuts up and her eyes widen when she sees what he's played.

It's Mystical Elf in defense, which confuses Mai into asking how he can possibly be in defense, given her Shadow of Eyes is still on the table. She answers it herself when she realizes that the elf has BOOBS, and is therefore not subject to the pheromones that attract the opposite sex. I guess if she were a lesbian with a penchant for bondage, all bets would be off, huh? Mai internally moans about how Yami managed to escape her womanly wiles yet again.

Maybe he just not that into you?

Yami says his turn is over, while Jonouchi comments on how he's still on the run from Mai despite surviving another turn. Anzu thinks Mystical Elf won't last more than one round, probably because Mai won't be able to stand having anything on the field not attracted to her. She does look pretty annoyed, though she's muttering about Yami's tenacity more than anything else. She smiles when she says his struggles will end soon, though, pulling a card from her hand. It's Monster Reborn, which she uses to bring back to life one monster, a move that has Yami sweating again.

The pet dragon reappears on the table, and stronger than before at 2900 points because there's two more harpies than there were when it made its debut. Yami is seriously freaking out about that number, but he doesn't have much time to fret, because Mai's about to attack.

Is that blast triangulating from each of their vaginas? KT needs to learn the difference between power coming FROM femininity and drawing undue and inappropriate attention TO femininity.

Yami grits his teeth as his elf is wiped out, Jonouchi calling out his name. Mai shouts that it's Yami's last turn, so he may as well get on with it. While Yami grinds his teeth at the table, Mai triumphantly thinks about how even HE is at the mercy of her powerful monsters, so she's won. Yami's hand hovers over his deck, and he knows that his fate rides on the card sleeping at the top. Hey, at least this time you're not going to be tortured into insanity if that doesn't pan out, right?

Oh yeah, there's everybody else to worry about too.

Mai starts pontificating on her plans for the prize money, one of which is taking a trip around the Mediterranean, but she trails off at the sight of Yami's new play.

Just another day running on the edge.

Jonouchi cheers and Anzu shouts happily that Yami still has a chance, while Yami explains to Mai that she can't attack for three turns now. Information she was probably well aware of, but mansplaining has always been Yami's specialty. Mai chuckles, wondering if this is Yami's dying throes, or if it's the rekindling of his Duelist Fire (TM). She's content waiting three turns to find out which it is. Yami tells Mai that his battle flame never goes out.

Then do it already! Now I'M the one who's getting impatient.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? While this duel IS taking forever, at least I can take solace in the fact that this particular chapter didn't contain NEARLY the amount of talking that the previous ones did. It was mostly straightforward in how the characters faced each other, now that Yami has gotten his groove back. While it was very interesting to see him vulnerable in that particular way, I'm glad we can get to the point where the dueling is the main focus, because Mai talking Yami through his insecurities made everything go twice as slow.

But, I really have to address how annoyed I am with the increasingly feminized attacks Mai is pulling here. Yes, I understand that weaponized femininity can be a form of empowerment, and I have seen this done well. HERE, though, I feel like it's more a ploy to draw attention to the fact that Mai is female than to really give her an edge. It's the "fake gamer girl" argument personified, like she's only there to be noticed and acknowledged by the men in the room for being so cool and into games. Being hyper-feminine in a fem-fatale way seems almost like she's emphasizing her femaleness as SPECIALNESS, and that's just playing into this stereotype that women just want to be treated superhuman for being women.

I could be looking at this the wrong way, but having been a woman in predominantly male spaces for a good portion of my life, I find my instinct was to MINIMIZE my femaleness and NOT draw attention to it. Again, I know there are women who do the opposite, and that is just as valid a response. Still, I can't help but wonder how much more interesting a statement this weaponized femininity would have made if, say, she were the shy, dorky type instead.  

Food for thought.