Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 140 The Link Being Destroyed

You know, it's been quite a while since I've included a title page in the beginning of a review, since they tend to be rather useless (especially Inuyasha's *cough*). This one seems significant enough to show, however.

Yeah, my ridiculous and mocking cold-open has become the useless bauble in the face of this. There's no need to speculate, even in a sarcastic, misleading way, what this could possibly mean. I'm actually kind of freaked. Does this mean Yuugi has lost? I sure as hell hope not! Maybe Ryoji is just going to be a dickbag and go back on his word to let Yuugi have back the puzzle?

Or maybe he'll just forget he made that deal in the first place, considering his bout of short-term memory loss here. Clearly he doesn't remember Yuugi pointing out his rare black die to him mere moments ago.

Ryoji, exposition monologuer that he is, reiterates that some rarer black dice have special crests like the warp crest on the inside for those readers entering this match late. He also repeats that when two of those warp crests are on the table, monsters can be transported into the enemy's territory in no time. He's real upset that Yuugi managed to send a rare black creature over to his area before he could activate his own rare black crest in his own second rare back die. Boo hoo.

Meanwhile, Yuugi is fretting that Ryoji expanded his path to block most of Yuugi's options for expanding his, there being only one more space for him to unfold a new die. Looking at his new warp crest, Yuugi knows that he has to send his monsters through it in order to win this game. Yuugi rolls and is delighted to roll two forward crests that allows his ninja monster to move two spaces closer to Ryoji's clown!dad dungeon master. The Black Ninja dashes around the corner on the path to stand in front of the enemy dungeon master, kunai out and at the ready. Ryoji gapes, horrified that the Black Ninja is so close to bringing him down a point.

Again, cry me a river, Ryoji.

Suddenly grinning, Ryoji tells Yuugi that he's actually pretty great, because Ryoji never imagined he'd get as far as evening the score between them. Ryoji is determined not to let his newly validated opponent attack his dungeon master again, however, and throws his dice. All three land with their summoning crests facing up, and Ryoji is thrilled about those triple crests, meaning this can't be good for poor Yuugi.

Ryoji explains to Yuugi that if a player gets triple crests, the resulting summoned creature is powered up by one level. And, of course, since one of those dice he rolled is his other rare black die, Ryoji is of course going to summon that one and bring it up a level. He sets it in an area on his right and presses on its face so it reveals God Ogre level three.

Well, Yuugi's boned, and he knows it. Gaping, he repeats the name of the monster in disbelief while Ryoji begins to offer a smug debriefing on his following moves. He uses three magic crests in his crest pool to activate the diamond sword for his God Ogre, increasing the monster's power to 2000. The crests glow as they float around the little monster on the table. Why? Because it has to look engaging, even if it looks expensive and impractical in the same turn. The God Ogre also grows to several time its original die-size to tower menacingly over Yuugi's Black Ninja, because that's a thing that little toys in dice can do, yessiree.

Yuugi frets that this is bad, because the Black Ninja can't even kind of go up against 2000 attack points, but then remembers his crest pool and all those unused crests within. Ryoji orders his God Ogre to attack Yuugi's Black Ninja, and it lifts its sword to do just that, swinging down and leaving only smoke in the wake of the strike on the ninja. A smiling Ryoji thinks he's done it, but Yuugi asks if he's sure, prompting him to take a closer look.

Ryoji is taken-aback yet again for seeing unexpected something there.

Yuugi tells Ryoji that he activated three of the forward crests in his crest pool to activate the special ability of his ninja, the camouflage effect.  Because when you blend into your background, you become immaterial as well, so their strike goes right through you.

Ryoji is floored by Yuugi's ability to take fast advantage of the rules of this game to turn his crisis around, prevailing. To him, this is proof that Yuugi truly IS as great as it took to solve the Millennium Puzzle. To me, this is proof that someone needs to tell Ryoji that Yuugi's ability to solve the puzzle has nothing whatsoever to do with whether or not he can figure out the rules to his convoluted clusterfuck hack-job of a game, considering Yuugi solved that puzzle long before Ryoji's stupid game was even out.

Yuugi interrupts Ryoji's stupid, unnecessary thoughts to tell him that it doesn't matter if he takes away the Millennium Puzzle, because he won't be able to destroy the chained relationship Yuugi and the spirit inside have no matter what. Are you sure you want to describe that relationship in terms of being "chained" Yuugi? Yuugi says that he and Yami always fight together, and seeing Ryoji's gaping disbelief at this declaration, he decides to intensify how crazy he sounds by saying that he hears Yami's voice in his head. He also thinks that no matter what he has to do, he won't give up, then shouts at Ryoji that he won't be defeated.

Well, hearing voices or not, Yuugi is really following through on that promise to win.

Yuugi knows that he only has to attack one more time to win, but a smirking Ryoji isn't planning on letting him do that. Regardless, Yuugi doesn't give a crap about revenge or hatred or this matter of the succession of the Millennium Puzzle. It's all good just playing a game against Ryoji like this, whatever that means.

Meanwhile, clown!dad has his head stuck through the wall again to spy and curses Ryoji. He questions how a little boy like Yuugi could possibly be so much trouble. Deciding that he can't stand just watching anymore, clown!dad pushes on the wall he's spying through to rotate the panel, revealing the secret door it was the whole time. Yuugi is shocked by him bursting into the room, Millennium Puzzle still dangling from his hand by its chain, screaming that he'll never forgive Ryoji if he loses to Sugoroku's grandson. At first, Yuugi notes in disgust that he's that damn clown that put him here, then that said clown still has his puzzle.

Ryoji glares over at his dad and says the word like his father burst in on a party and is pulling him back to the car by his ear. Clown!dad holds the puzzle up, reminding Ryoji that it's been twelve years since his defeat by Sugoroku over the Millennium Item. WAIT. Ryoji said earlier that the match happened before either he or Yuugi were born. I would be more inclined to believe clown!dad's version of events, but at the same time, it's been established that Ryoji has been told this story a million bajillion times. What, did he forget he's not eleven years old?

Anyway, clown!dad states that this conflict has been stirred back up, this time by a different generation. That's for that, Captain Obvious. Yuugi isn't listening, demanding that clown!dad give him back the Millennium Puzzle. Clown!dad tells Yuugi that the one who deserves the Millennium Puzzle isn't Yuugi at all, but Ryoji. Ryoji himself glares shiftily, clearly uncomfortable with this assertion now. Yuugi tries to explain how valuable the puzzle is to him, since it contains another soul, and demands it back yet again, but clown!dad refuses once more, gritting his teeth beneath his mask.

Ryoji shouts at his father that this is his and Yuugi's fight, and not to interfere again, but this just upsets clown!dad even more. He questions what Ryoji said and if his son even understands his feelings. Silently, he plans to distract Yuugi some more so that Ryoji can gain the upper hand again, by doing this:

You uh... having a little conniption fit there? And here I was making fun of YUUGI'S poop face...

Sweating, Yuugi stares wide-eyed at clown!dad, who soon takes a break by directing a malicious question about Yuugi's previous comment regarding how his separation from the puzzle won't break his relationship with Yami. Clown!dad presumes that even if that's true, he'll destroy the puzzle itself, as Yuugi yells at him to stop. Yuugi jumps out of his chair, and I can't tell if he pushes clown!dad or not, but regardless, clown!dad isn't really paying Yuugi any mind. He's preoccupied with the fact that he can't tear the puzzle apart like he wanted, and nothing happens.

Still, he thinks he'll just have to use his hatred for Sugoroku to take the thing apart, and after an inexplicable panel with speedlines and sound effect I can't read, clown!dad manages to slide a piece from the puzzle triumphantly. He continues by removing the main piece with the Eye of Horus on its face, and Yuugi is losing his SHIT screaming at clown!dad to stop. Ryoji isn't looking too keen on this horrible torture either, glaring agape at his father.

Yes, because THAT'S what Yuugi must be worried about. His hard work putting that thing together. Sure.

Meanwhile, a pair of sneakers are planted on the sidewalk outside, with their owner holding up the Millennium Ring with its pointing needle. Asshole Bakura says that something is happening to the Millennium Puzzle as he stares up at the Black Crown and thinks the king is in trouble.

Oooooh, foreboding.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Well, I have to admit that I wasn't expecting Yuugi and Yami losing their link THIS way, though I definitely should have. This was the only way it could have happened, considering how often we're told as the audience that the puzzle is a prop for a king of games that never loses. Granted, if Yuugi couldn't beat Ryoji in a game he created and skimped on explaining adequately before they started, I think it would have led the narrative in a more nuanced direction. However, this would take the story off on a huge detour to make Yuugi emotionally motivated to get the puzzle and Yami back, which I imagine would have deviated too far off the path on which KT wanted the story to go.

And that clearly involves Ryoji's sense of truth being recalibrated. He's been raised to believe that this guy who has the puzzle doesn't "deserve" it, and that HE'S actually the one worthy of wielding it. But you can see the gears turning in Ryoji's head now. He sees how Yuugi is playing, sees his ingenuity and tenacity in getting back the puzzle, and it's obvious that this is causing Ryoji to start questioning that fundamental story that his father has been pounding into his head for years. He's beginning to see why Yuugi was able to solve this puzzle, and it's becoming clearer to him that Yuugi came by this artifact and its solution honestly.

I just wish there wasn't such a huge discrepancy in WHEN this match between Sugoroku and Ryoji's father actually took place. Let's have a little consistency here, please? I hate having to scratch my head over basic temporal facts like this.