Inuyasha Manga: 093 Puppet

Perfect! I've had puppets on the BRAIN ever since Netflix announced that they'll be releasing a prequel to one of my favorite movies growing up, The Dark Crystal. That film was so beautiful and moving, but it didn't skimp on the creep-factor either, which made it a little conflicting to love and have nightmares about when I was a kid. Kind of how I feel about this series too, come to think of it.

Though not Naraku specifically, who is the master behind the puppet of the title. He's no Jim Henson; rather he's an internet troll who can't help but make sock-puppets to attack all the people he wants to fuck with.

Aren't you being a little premature in your relief there, Inuyasha? You should know by now not to believe someone is dead until they're disintegrated.

Still, Kagome tells a speechless Sango that Naraku is dead, while Shippou looks on in shock as well. Miroku is the only one who is skeptical, thinking that it was FAR too quick to be the death of the Naraku HE'S been chasing after all this time. Inuyasha appears to be under no such suspicions, growling as he thinks about the Naraku who killed and made so many people suffer, including himself and Kikyou. He kneels down next to Naraku's head so he can unmask him, eager to see his real face in a grim sort of way. When he does, he and Miroku's eyes widen in confusion and surprise.

Woah, no wonder he would rather wear a baboon's face...

Suddenly, the presumed corpse of Naraku moves again, standing up on its newly reanimated tentacles just behind Inuyasha and Miroku. They both look around at the sound of the body flailing around and Inuyasha jumps away just in time to avoid a couple of tentacles shooting down upon his head. They shred the ground he stood on instead.

Kagome and Shippou gape some more, Kagome's confusion keeping her speechless while Shippou shouts that the body is moving without a head in shock. The head itself sits up on the tip of its severed neck and Naraku chuckles, saying he hasn't died. Despite the obviousness of the statement, Miroku is still flabbergasted that the head is still alive and talking to them. He asks himself what's going on, recalling that Naraku's appearance was nothing like this the last time they met, given that Naraku definitely had a complete head, full of luscious locks to boot.

He doesn't try to contemplate for long, because he and Inuyasha simultaneously charge with determination toward the tangle of tentacles, because alliteration, that's why. They're both successful at hacking limbs in pieces as they dodge blows from them, but each of those limbs reforms quickly in the wake of their destruction. Sweating, Kagome despairs that the tentacles are growing back fast, wondering if this is a result of the Shikon shard he's holding. However, taking a closer look, she rules this out as a possibility, because the fragment hasn't dissolved in Naraku's body at all by this point.

Sango questions how she could have been so blind as to miss that Naraku was a vile youkai as she was traveling with him. She hadn't felt an evil aura, and still doesn't, even now. She struggles to determine just exactly what Naraku is since that lack of an evil presence is bugging her at the moment. Peering intently at the wriggling limbs of the body up against Inuyasha and Miroku, she has a revelation, shouting at them to attack the unmoving portion of the chest, still covered in baboon fur. Inuyasha and Miroku look back at her questioningly, and Naraku's severed head isn't smirking anymore as it curses them for figuring it out.

Inuyasha grunts as he runs Tessaiga right through the part Sango instructed, and just like that...

Does... Naraku have two right hands in that picture? Awkward.

Naraku's severed head sinks into the ground, and all the tentacles Inuyasha was fighting so hard before just crumble and fall around him. Shippou, more savvy to the way youkai go, much more appropriately says that Inuyasha got him this time. Kagome is gaping more for good measure as Sango remains in her pained bitchface in her lap. Miroku stares at the crumbled tentacles around him, stating in some disbelief that they turned into dirt.

Naraku WOULD be the first to invent a doll that defecates all over the place.

Inuyasha repeats Miroku's phrase as a question, prompting a kneeling Miroku holding the doll in hand to draw Inuyasha's attention to the fact that it has a strand of hair wrapped around it. Miroku explains that this is the puppet art, speculating that the hair is Naraku's own. He looks back at the discarded baboon mask and says that the Naraku they were fighting was a fake, being controlled by the real one from a safe place.

Meanwhile, back at the young master's castle...

What a piece of garbage! Send it back!

An old man bows next to the screen in front of his master's room, asking what that strange noise was. Young-master/Naraku assures the old guy that it wasn't anything, then looks over to where the Shikon fragments he gathered into a nice little pile lay in the middle of a piece of paper, congratulating himself for stealing them from the exterminators' village. He also internally gloats about he's assumed the leadership role in this castle, and now he has status backing him up. He assumes that THIS time, all his efforts should be enough. Enough for what, you may ask?

Well young-master/Naraku isn't talking about that. He's thinking instead about what further use Sango the exterminator can have for him and his mystery cause.

We rejoin Inuyasha and company at the exterminator village where Inuyasha is pissily asking what is up with Sango. He's complaining to Miroku that Sango couldn't remember what the young master looked like while he shoulders a big log burnt at one end, and Miroku tells him to just shut it and keep tidying the place up. He then reminds Inuyasha that since it's Naraku they're talking about, they can't go back until they detect more of his crimes or Inuyasha has any bright ideas. Besides, Miroku points out that Sango still has all those wounds and shouldn't be moving around a lot, even if she DID remember.

Inuyasha gets all up in Miroku's face about letting Sango stay in bed for ten days, because Inuyasha would have been up in three. Miroku says with some annoyance that if it were him, he'd be in bed for a whole month.

Kagome enters a barely livable hut in the village with a smile, greeting Sango and offering some medical attention from the first aid kit in her hands and a bucket filled with cloths. She's surprised to find the bed in there unoccupied, and Shippou lets out an alarmed shout that Sango is indeed gone.

Kagome finds Sango pretty quickly, running up to her to convince her that she shouldn't be up and about like this. Sango looks around with an almost bored expression rather than mournful, pointing out the graves. Kagome makes a questioning noise, also looking strange (happy instead of confused) and none of these expressions look right to me. Luckily, they're right as rain again by the next page, when Sango, hanging her head, mumbles her surprise that Kagome and the others dug graves for her fellow villagers. Kagome leans down, hands on her knees, confirming this with some hesitation.

She peers at Sango, speechless a moment before fretting that she's not really sure what to say, knowing that telling a woman who is now all alone in the world to cheer up wouldn't do at all. This gives Kagome an exciting idea; that they and Sango join forces once Sango is all healed up. Sango contrasts Kagome's excitement for the notion with continuing to blankly hang her head. Kagome continues by trying to sell the deep down virtues of Miroku and Inuyasha, and Shippou can't help but question her use of the term "deep down".

Sango wears a glare when she asks Kagome if she has a Shikon fragment. At first confused, Kagome pulls the chain holding her fragment from beneath her blouse, reiterating that they had recovered it from the fake Naraku's remains. Just in case you didn't realize that happened or something. Sango says that this means Naraku will come after it again, then turns her glare on Kagome and accepts the offer to go along with Kagome and her crew. Kagome gives her a sidelong stare, asking if she's planning on avenging everyone. She all but says, "well, DUH," and begins a statement about the Shikon no Tama that Kagome finishes; it was born in this village. Kagome explains that they heard about it, but trails off when she gets to the part about all the carnage they encountered when they came to the village.

When Kagome looks up, Sango is walking away, hunched. Kagome asks after her with an honorific attached to her name, but Sango tells Kagome she can call her just "Sango". Then she says she's willing to give Kagome and the others some information, since they were nice enough to bury the dead.

Just don't tell the youkai. You know what HORRIBLE gossips they can be.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I'm conflicted about Sango's realization that the imitation Naraku was a puppet after all. At face-value, it was a great way for Sango to be useful outside the fight. It shows that she's not just competent in combat and techniques against certain types of youkai, but she also has a wealth of knowledge about the obscure ways youkai can range an attack. In this way, she's kind of like a human Myouga, but specifically with battle knowledge rather than overall history.

But when you think about the WAY in which she came to her conclusion, it doesn't make all that much sense. Sango's unique in the group from this point on because she's the only one of them that doesn't have supernatural powers (kicking just as much ass as any of the rest of them too). Sensing that this imitation Naraku didn't have youki, or even the correct scent as Inuyasha might have noticed, should have been the domain of one of the other youki-sensing characters. Specifically, I would have thought Miroku would have noticed this before anyone, being as experienced as he is in feeling out energies.

Not that Sango CAN'T have youki-sensing abilities, because perhaps that's something you can learn rather than an innate ability. Still, it seems to me that someone ELSE should have figured out that the imitation Naraku didn't have any youki before Sango really gave it much thought. After all, she wasn't expecting to feel youki from Naraku for a long time, so it makes sense that it took her a long while to realize that she didn't feel it. The others don't have an excuse.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 151 Rare Hunters!

The internet, arbiter of all useless bullshit knowledge the world over, tells me that the Rare Hunters are the mythically inspired "Ghouls" discussed a couple of chapters before by Kaiba and Ishizu. Despite how the thematic element to their name was revealed by the most inappropriate character in that room, I still think the thematic tie-in was a good one. Why did the official translation, which I am apparently presented with today, decide to go with this non-thematic name instead?

I mean, this just makes them sound like poachers instead of card-thieves.

Sure don't LOOK like people who like killing rare animals, but I'd keep my endangered species locked up just to be safe, Japan.

Speaking of Japan, we must have missed the part of the conversation where they told Lord Marik here what country Domino is even IN. Otherwise, I'd have to conclude that KT didn't think to mention it because Japan is the only country in this world aside from Egypt that matters, and that's just SILLY.

Lord Marik chuckles about how convenient it is when all your prey gather in one place. So convenient that you'd think he'd be a bit more cautious about going through with exploiting them. But NOOOOO, he thinks this is going to be oodles of fun and commands his Ghouls to unleash the Rare Hunters. Wait, so the Rare Hunters AREN'T the same thing as the Ghouls? They're just underlings? YOU LIED TO ME, INTERNET!!

Anyway, Marik tells them that the Rare Hunters should target Domino City, with no reservations about this at all. He sure is a CUNNING foe to our main characters!

At the school no one ever learns in, someone shouts about Battle City in disbelief. It turns out to be Jonouchi, demanding confirmation from Yuugi that starting tomorrow, there will be duelists getting their game on in the streets. Yuugi says that it's true to his halo of friends, and there's a lot of great duelists in town. Jonouchi clenches his fists and grinds his teeth over Kaiba not telling him, thinking he should have gotten an invitation being the #2 duelist in all Domino City. There's a poop joke here, but I'm not sure how to make it.

Honda asks Jonouchi if he's going to enter with an air of incredulity, and Jonouchi yells at him that OF COURSE he'll enter because why WOULDN'T he? Jonouchi turns to Yuugi to ask if he'll be entering and Yuugi affirms this, thinking he wants to challenge Kaiba fair and square, and this will be his big chance at that. Jonouchi is also thinking about Kaiba, but viewing his motivations for hosting a tournament with suspicion. He internally vows to stop Kaiba, whatever he's up to.

Yuugi warns Jonouchi that they can't lose a single match in the tournament, at least at first, because it has an ante rule. Jonouchi is confused by this, so Yuugi explains that you have a bet a card before you start a match, and the winner gets the loser's card, specifically a RARE one in this instance. Jonouchi is alarmed that the card has to be rare, looking sick at the notion of losing his Red Eyes Black Dragon in a duel.

Honda, being a douchebag once more, asks Jonouchi if he's sure he wants to risk having to give away the only thing of value he owns. At first, Jonouchi blindly affirms that his Red Eyes Black Dragon is a family treasure, then blurts in anger that Honda better watch what he says about him. He suddenly gets a sly, confident look when he says that it's actually great, because if he wins he'll get a whole BUNCH of rare cards. Honda warns him flatly not to be greedy. Yuugi tells Jonouchi hesitantly that there's one more condition to entering the tournament, an admission that Jonouchi regards warily.

Jonouchi appears to remember when he LAST had to handle the prototype of that machine, and he's again alarmed. Yuugi says his grandfather's shop doesn't sell the Duel Disk, but some card shops are already selling it and he's thinking of buying one. Aren't you already committed to entering the tournament that REQUIRES you to buy one, Yuugi? Jonouchi, looking determined now, tells Yuugi he's going to buy one as well, since he'll need it for the tournament.

Honda asks if Jonouchi has money and Jonouchi shouts that he doesn't, but he'll get it with willpower. Somehow. Honda wishes him all the sarcastic luck in the world. Jonouchi suggests they head back to Yuugi's place after they buy their Duel Disks, because he wants Yuugi's opinion on the new deck he's built. He put it together yesterday, but he's still not sure about it, so Yuugi agrees to have a peek once they've gotten their tournament requirements all met.

Walking down the street, Yuugi admits he's kind of lost since he's never been to the store they're heading to. Anzu points to a corner where a card shop is (the one she and Yami went to on their date?) and asks if it could be that one. Yuugi is sure that must be the one and asks Anzu how she knew about it, and sure enough, it was the one she and Yami went to yesterday. Yuugi is excited to hear it, then thanks Anzu for the previous day, because Yami appears to be feeling a bit better now. Anzu says this is good, but gets conspicuously uncomfortable when she asks what Yami told him about what they did yesterday. If you're all weird about it, Anzu, he might draw some pretty weird conclusions...

Or not. Yuugi, still all smiles, tells her he was only informed about the tournament. Anzu says a little "oh," figuring that they must not have talked about Ishizu or the stone tablet. Yuugi breaks into her thoughts about this by mentioning that something IS rather weird here, because Yami has a policy about not playing tournaments with an ante. He would say he couldn't part with his precious cards like that, along with a few other choice words...

Sheesh, I get it, I get it. I'll take good care of my fucking trading cards, manga. Shit...

Yuugi says this is why Yami never wants to take cards from other people. Though Yami could potentially end up with a ton of rare cards winning the tournament, Yuugi is convinced he must have another reason entirely for entering. Anzu was only listening in curiosity to the monologue before, but gapes in shock at Yuugi now, remembering how Yami said this is actually a battle to regain his memory.

They've finally arrived at the store they were looking for by the next panel, Anzu pointing it out a little too eagerly. As they go in, she's convinced that Yuugi will figure out what Yami is up to before too long, because their hearts are too close for them to keep secrets from one another.

Someone in the shop yells that they'll be right with the group walking in, but Yuugi takes the initiative to go right up to the counter to ask if the man behind it has any of the new Duel Disks. The man surmises they must be duelists entering the tournament tomorrow, which Yuugi and Jonouchi confirm. The cashier looks on a shelf behind him, chatting away that he's been busy with customers like them all day long, but he JUST happens to have five left. He wants to know their names, which isn't suspicious at all. Yuugi freely gives his name, but Jonouchi looks really sick about giving his, wondering if the cashier is checking some sort of blacklist.

The cashier does indeed type Yuugi's name into the computer, and confirms it's there, Yuugi with a confused question mark over his head. He's even more confused by the cashier's shout that what he's seeing on his screen is excellent. Yuugi asks what the cashier means, and the cashier says that he's only looking Yuugi up in a duelist database, which WOULD exist. Kaiba Corporation apparently went out and collected data on all the duelists in the country and sent it to hobby stores like the cashiers, data that encompasses deck-type, level, tournament record, and social security number number of rare cards. This seems like it should be illegal since Yuugi is clearly surprised and therefore didn't VOLUNTEER this information, but hey...

The cashier informs Yuugi that his level is the very tippy top, at eight stars. That's a weird number to top your scale. Yuugi blushes, all bashful at the high value placed on his skill.

"I'm proud to be able to remove another obstacle from your path, young main character!!"

Yuugi is just ecstatic that he's been given this expensive piece of equipment for nothing but being himself, as the cashier explains that Kaiba Corp sent a memo to he and the other shops selling his device that only duelists of level 5 and above are allowed to get Duel Disks. Kaiba continues to be a terrible businessman who makes terrible decisions that will only LOSE him all the money he spent developing these fucking toys.

Asking if Kaiba really said that, Yuugi realizes that Kaiba must actually be weeding out the unworthy participants of his tournament. Meanwhile, Jonouchi is frantically asking what HIS level is, and the cashier types in his name to see. Seeing the screen, the cashier apologizes, because the level shown to him is a measly 2. Jonouchi is grinding his teeth at the fact that he's been appraised so low and he's ineligible, while the cashier lightly suggests that maybe he'll get into the next tournament. Until, of course the cashier looks closer at Jonouchi's entry on the screen, specifically the rare card section. It shows the Red Eyes Black Dragon, and the cashier is practically frozen solid at how rare of a card that is.

Jonouchi continues to growl about what a low-life that Kaiba is, Yuugi giving his condolences to his friend, when the cashier comes out of his shock. He somehow easily changes that 2 to a 5 on Jonouchi's page and then cheerily tells Jonouchi he made a mistake, and that Jonouchi is a level 5 after all! Oh happy day!! Jonouchi is immediately overjoyed, darting to the counter with a grin as he's presented with a Duel Disk. He lifts it high in celebration over how he's in the tournament and his Duel Disk is free too.

The cashier thanks them as Jonouchi cackles on his way out, but the cashier's face is decidedly sinister while he watches them leave.

Okay, Mordecai.

Sometime later, when night has fallen, Jonouchi leaves Yuugi's place with his Duel Disk tucked under his arm, waving and thanking his friend for giving him a whole slew of tips. He promises Yuugi that he'll do his best at the tournament the next day while they each hold up their respective decks in a sign of solidarity. Jonouchi turns and leaves with a casual goodbye.

Jonouchi's walk through the streets is lonely, and he comments on how late it is, suggesting that the time just flew by while he was playing cards with Yuugi. Someone in a barely familiar cloak enters Jonouchi's field of vision just around a corner, and Jonouchi looks a little worried. I don't blame him, because I would be, but for decidedly different reasons.

Who are actually totally different from Ghouls! Despite how indistinguishably they dress from one another. This is confusing.

Jonouchi has heard of the Rare Hunters, a gang of thieves who steal rare cards from duelists, and Jonouchi has FEELINGS about gangs, guys. One of the Rare Hunters holds his arm, sporting a Duel Disk, up as he asks Jonouchi if he's ready. Jonouchi suddenly has his own Duel Disk out of its box and on his forearm as well, vowing to take the Rare Hunters down like the crooks they are. With that, they announce their duel and boy does this take me back to Duelist Kingdom, friends. Nostalgia is a distinctly unpleasant feeling in this instance.

His opponent summons a monster called "Hannibal Necromancer" which sounds like a certain cannibal learned how to continue feeding on his victims forever or something. Jonouchi summons Panther Warrior, which he uses to slice the top of Hannibal's skull clean off. He taunts that one swing was enough to bring Hannibal down, and asks sardonically how his hooded opponent likes them apples. Said opponent doesn't answer, just playing Graceful Charity, allowing him to draw three cards and discard two. He follows up this move by playing Three-Headed Geedo in defense and grinning creepily. Jonouchi doesn't seem to notice the warning signs, though to be fair he never does, and commands his Panther Warrior to attack the Three-Headed Geedo.

It lunges forward to slice up the monster and with no obstacles. Still the hooded guy grins. Jonouchi asks if this is all he has, silently celebrating that he's totally in the lead. The hooded guy plays Graceful Charity again, and Jonouchi wonders what it is with this guy and always changing the cards in his hand. We get a peek into the hooded guy's head while he mentally encourages Jonouchi to get playing with his defensive monsters until he's prepared his hand. Because he truly IS evil, the hooded guy plays Death Hand as a pun and a card in defense. Jonouchi wonders why the dumb chicken won't attack, but apparently doesn't really concern himself with it, because he immediately makes a play of his own. A big one.

Just what the hooded guy wanted to see, I'm sure.

He asks Jonouchi if this is his rarest card, snarking that Jonouchi's arm must be heavy with the burden. The hooded guy promises to lighten that arm up real soon though, drawing a card. Then he grins even wider, freaking Jonouchi out as he says he wins.

Are Ghouls and Rare Hunters the same or aren't they?? Make up your mind, chapter!

Also, Exodia is still a boss, even when counterfeit. That is all.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The whole thing was pretty much a joke at Jonouchi's expense. First he's unknowingly making fun of himself, then Honda is making fun of him, Kaiba's having a good laugh from behind his easily editable database, and then he is targeted as a weakling by the new villains before the tournament even starts just to fuck with him even more. It was a series of escalating jabs at Jonouchi, half of which didn't make much sense within the context of the chapter.

First, Kaiba's give-away of his new technology that he spent time and money developing only makes sense if he's SELLING it to everyone who doesn't make the cut for the tournament. Then he can at least be making SOME of his development money back, but the cashier says that the ONLY people who can get it right now are tournament participants, and for free to boot. If it were really ONLY available to this small subset of the public, then Kaiba would be marking up that price like a motherfucker, but he's not. Why? Because the Duel Disk can't be out of Jonouchi's reach for the next scene to be as visually engaging as Duelist Kingdom

If you think about it, it wasn't even necessary for the cashier to give him a Duel Disk in order to inform his Rare Hunter pals that Jonouchi was walking around with a Red Eyes Black Dragon. The tournament hadn't even begun when he was accosted by the Rare Hunters, so it's not like Jonouchi HAD to be in the tournament in order for him to be a target. Kaiba giving away the Duel Disks and the Rare Hunters getting to him before the tournament started were in the chapter for the purposes of making the small part at the end look cool and of making Jonouchi lose a part of his qualification to get into the tournament to begin with.

Which basically just GIVES AWAY the future plot point where Yami gets the Red Eyes back for him, because he's incapable of getting it back himself after the tournament starts. All of this, the nonsensical business practices and attack outside tournament hours, was just so Yami could LOOK COOL WHEN HE GETS JONOUCHI BACK HIS FUCKING CARD.

I can't even with this. I wouldn't be surprised if that whole speech of Yuugi's regurgitating what Yami says about taking and losing cards wasn't just an allusion to this whole thing too, and that was the only good part of the chapter in my eyes. It delved a little into how well he knows Yami and how all of this looks kind of suspicious to him, but he also never ASKED Yami outright why he wants to join the tournament. It was kind of brilliant, but now I'm getting a little queasy wondering if it's just a front for Yami to play hero again.

You know what's really infuriating, though? Since this happened before the tournament, there was no ante, no stakes, and therefore, Jonouchi isn't bound by tournament rules to give up that rare card of his. I bet that's all conveniently forgotten by the next chapter though.

Inuyasha Manga: 092 The Scheme

Oh no. No... I knew this day would come, but... I never thought it would be so soon. Surely I haven't been figured out in less than 300 reviews! It's absurd! Impossible even! I was so close to the destruction of the internetz with my plan, but here the chapter is, exposing me! My only consolation is that it's TOO LATE! You'll never stop me now! We're past the point of no return!!

Unless the chapter title is talking about Naraku's scheme to have Sango attack and kill Inuyasha with false information.

Ahem. Forget you read that first paragraph.

Be distracted by the adorable picture of Shippou wearing Sango's mask on his forehead like a dork! Also Sango being completely flabbergasted by Inuyasha carrying her around.

She leans forward, presumably to give him a piece of her mind, and Inuyasha asks her casually if she's awake now. Sango demands he put her down and to know what he's going to do to her, when the better question is probably where he's taking her instead. Inuyasha looks a cross between confused and annoyed as he glares at Sango out of his periphery. Kagome, whom Sango looks at in shock as she realizes she's been riding Inuyasha's back right beside her this whole time, lets Sango know that they're headed to confront Naraku, who took their Shikon shard from them.

Inuyasha asks for confirmation on Sango's name, but doesn't wait for it, assuring her that if she tries anything funny, he'll drop her. Sango is indignant, and Kagome whines at Inuyasha that if he's overly hostile, Sango will misunderstand. She then turns to Sango, a hand on Inuyasha's miffed head, telling her that Inuyasha may act brash but he's also got a nice side. Inuyasha trails off in a perturbed protest, while Myouga hops on Sango's shoulder and explains that Inuyasha and company COULD have left her behind in her injured state, but didn't. Sango appears to recognize Myouga, which rules out the idea that he was secretly skulking around the village trying to find out information through spying, which is what I had thought before.

Having no more patience for all this talk about how generous and kind he is, Inuyasha barks out a suggestion that they fly, thinking that he won't let Naraku escape. Yeah, you WISH this series were that short, Inuyasha.

Cut to Miroku, whom Naraku is hovering over, many intestine-tentacles whipping around with malice while Miroku and Kirara stand their ground tenuously. Naraku asks Miroku why he's surprised, chuckling. Miroku gapes, realizing half aloud, that Naraku's body is a fake. Seems real enough to throw you off your game, Miroku. Naraku has a similar sarcastic retort, telling Miroku that whether or not it's fake won't make much of a difference in Miroku's experience of it. The tentacles lunge at Miroku, eager to impale Miroku. Guess they weren't satisfied with just feeling him up like before.

Miroku grunts, shredding the tentacles with a thrust of his staff. The pieces fall to the ground but come slithering back together again like they were never torn in the first place. Miroku complains internally about the futility of his strikes, and dives out of the way when a particularly large tentacle tries to smash him, carving a hole in the ground where he once stood instead. One of the tentacles forms a clawed hand again, latching onto Miroku's ankle to keep him from escaping. Then...

I'm guessing just through the clothes, because if it were through his stomach, he wouldn't likely be having many thoughts before just outright keeling over.

He doesn't have long to worry about if the tentacle is going to probe any further, though!

Hey Naraku, what was it you asked Miroku earlier? "Why are you surprised?"

Deposited behind a tree by Inuyasha only seconds before, Kagome, Sango and Shippou peer over a mound of earth beside it at the scene. While helping keep the weak Sango steady beside her, Kagome gapes at the amalgam of tentacles that Naraku is, baffled by it. Sango is just speechless and wide-eyed.

Inuyasha turns to mock Miroku for sleeping on the job, crouching where his forceful attack landed him. When he sees that Miroku is still laying prone on the ground, severed tentacle standing were it struck his chest, Inuyasha recoils in horror as Myouga haltingly says Miroku's been struck through. Kagome and Shippou wail Miroku's name, as does Inuyasha, rushing to get to his side and asses the damage. On his way, Naraku's tentacles move to strike him too, and he's only just able to grab Miroku and dodge them. He yells at Miroku not to die, but he's pessimistic, already lamenting that he didn't get to Miroku a bit sooner.

Suddenly, Miroku starts hacking up a lung, managing to croak that he thought he had died himself. Inuyasha gapes, completely taken aback by Miroku's unexpected return to consciousness. I am a little bit too, because I'm not sure how the tentacle just knocked him out by nearly running him through. That's... not how impaling works...

Miroku grabs the tentacle supposedly sticking out of his stomach and throws it, Kagome and Shippou looking on in awe. Inuyasha examines the place where the tentacle was, noting that there's not even a hole, while Miroku milks how close of a call that was. Inuyasha knocks him upside the head for looking as dead as he looked, and Miroku grumbles that Inuyasha was the one who jumped to conclusions and overreacted. Nah, Miroku, I'm with Inuyasha on this one. You could have been less dramatic about the whole thing; you didn't even get a SCRATCH, you dick.

Uh, YEAH, Inuyasha's not the one you failed to impale, Naraku.

But Naraku wasn't talking about HIS attacks - he observes that Sango failed to bring Inuyasha down. Inuyasha calls Naraku a bastard for sending a swarm of youkai to the exterminators' village to kill them, but Naraku scoffs at this. He admits that all he did was call the best exterminators to the castle and send a little message to the youkai that the village was vulnerable. The bystanders at the tree, Sango in particular, gape at the confession.

Inuyasha spits that Naraku is a bastard again, and Miroku asks if Naraku was after the Shikon fragment in the village. Naraku says that Miroku is awfully well-informed, apparently not realizing that he's just transparent as glass. Naraku claims that taking the shard was easy in the chaos of the fighting between youkai and villager. Inuyasha cannot stop labeling Naraku a bastard, seemingly in mild disbelief, but greater anger.

Naraku's attention is drawn to Sango shouting his name, and he acknowledges her with a smirk under his mask. Sango asks for confirmation that the extermination job at the castle was also just a trap, though she already knows the answer to that judging by her rage-face. He nonchalantly says it was an excuse to lure the exterminators out so he could deal with them before they became a nuisance to him.

Sango would fuck a bitch up... IF the Shikon shard in her body didn't pop out on her way to Naraku and she didn't start feeling all that horrible pain it was suppressing. She collapses to the ground grinding her teeth, and Kagome runs to her side to hover over her uselessly. Sango realizes the Shikon fragment is gone and curses haltingly, squeezing her eyes shut against what must be a multitude of sensations, all of them in the agony range.

Naraku taunts her by saying that if she had continued to believe that Inuyasha was her enemy, she would have died peacefully thinking she had completed her revenge. That's only if she managed to kill Inuyasha in her ignorance, and I think it's safe to assume that her blood loss alone would have worn her down before that happened, dude. No matter how good she is, she's not hanyou tough.

Naraku is taken aback by Inuyasha lunging at him, which has me scratching my head. You should expect to get some retaliation when you're talking smack like he is. Inuyasha starts ranting about how Naraku ALWAYS pulls this crap, taking peoples' hearts and... he doesn't finish before Naraku starts talking even MORE crap about how this whole situation must remind him of what happened with Kikyou. Oooooh, Naraku done it now...

Inuyasha brought his A-game with the puns today, didn't he?

Holding the pain-wracked Sango, Kagome lets out a shocked noise while Shippou gapes, muttering that Inuyasha got Naraku. Naraku's head falls to the ground, Inuyasha and Miroku watching it speechlessly as it starts chuckling.

Even that terrible pun wasn't enough to murder Naraku...

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I'm torn on the exposition of Naraku's plot against Sango and the exterminators. On the one hand, this wasn't a blatant bad-guy monologue where he's just really excited to talk about his evil plan even though no one asked him in the first place. Naraku didn't say anything until Inuyasha and company invited him to, and he only gave enough detail to imply that he couldn't DIRECTLY be held responsible for what the youkai did with the information about the exterminators being away he gave them. In fact, in true manipulative style, he pulls the familiar excuse of all violent instigators that words are only words and he can't be responsible for what others do when he says things.

At first, anyway. Then when he starts blatantly taunting Sango for not CONTINUING to believe his lies to her so she could die peacefully, he gives her his entire motivation for killing everyone she knows. It was implied, didn't need to be said, and was simply clunky within the flow of the rest of the chapter. Besides, it's a little weird that Naraku would admit so brazenly that the exterminators were, or would become, a threat to him. His style strikes me as an insecure trickster type, trying to convince everyone he fucks with them for shits and giggles.

Taunting Inuyasha about the similarity between this incident and the one with Kikyou was a kind of relief for me, because it's much more fun to hate Naraku when he's just being a shitlord, as opposed to being your stereotypical mustache-twirler.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 150 The Gathering

Do you have to sound so foreboding about it, chapter? "The Gathering" sounds like the title of a science fiction horror novel that explores a dystopian convergence of alien life to wipe out the threat of humanity before it can literally destroy the rest of the universe in pursuing its selfish aims. How about something friendlier, like the meet-up, or the convention? How about "The Party" instead, seeing as how I'd like to celebrate having covered a whole 150 chapters of this manga in reviews at your point of reading? We could all dance and drink and play games and NOT think of it all as a "gathering".

I think a poll is in order here...

"The kind of Duel Monsters that continues to increase in complexity so that the chances of someone dueling me remembering all the rules are significantly lower and I become king by my own operation of a Red Queen treadmill!"

You know, I just realized that the chapter is probably named thus BY Kaiba, who probably thinks that even the word "tournament" sounds way too chummy. Becoming genuinely close to someone is likely something he has nightmares about. I'm not being facetious, by the way; given his past, it's probably a very scary notion for Kaiba to become attached to people.

He's thinking about that engraved tablet Ishizu showed him, a place where ancient duelists and their cards slumber, as the perfect place to start his little production. He's standing outside his own building when he mentally urges all the current duelists to gather by the gravestone of their ancestors. The forced metaphors are STRONG with this one. Get it? Forced? Strong? I'm going straight to hell.

Meanwhile, Yami is standing right in front of the tablet in the museum glaring up at it. Like it insulted his mom or something.

There's something here that I didn't notice until now that I had to go back and confirm was in the last chapter - there's something on the upper part of Yami/Yuugi's left arm that looks a bit like a bandage. I think I mistook it for one of those bangles you wear high on the arm, but at the end of the last chapter and here, it started to look more and more like some sort of wrapping. Is this a remnant of Yuugi's injuries in the fire? I'm genuinely curious because I don't know what to make of it otherwise, and if you have an idea yourself, feel free to leave a comment to discuss.

Anyway, as Yami peers at the carving, he questions if it's Yuugi or not. But the more he looks at it, the more he's convinced this is actually HIM, despite the fact that the carving doesn't have the ONE feature that does distinguish him from Yuugi - the lightning bolt streaks of blond up the dark spikes of hair. Was that just a flub on KT's part?

Anzu gapes, wondering in disbelief how this tablet can picture Yuugi if it's 3,000 years old. She thinks back on what Yami said about the Millennium Puzzle, how it has Yami's mind and soul inside it, and haltingly starts to come to a conclusion about who he must be. This thought is finished by Yami out loud, when he declares that he's the spirit of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. The resemblance is uncanny, but you should be a tad more skeptical than THAT, considering this is only the first place you looked for your identity. Are you SURE you want to jump to such conclusions straight out of the starting gate, Yami?

As Anzu hangs her head, Yami chuckles, saying it's no wonder he forgot everything over a whole 3,000 years. Anzu frets about how Yuugi doesn't know this yet, when she SHOULD be fretting about how she and Yami don't know this yet EITHER. Still, Anzu is convinced that Yuugi thinks his other self will always exist in his heart, inseparable from him. If Yami wants to discover where he came from and go to Egypt to look, Anzu wonders if Yuugi would accept that.

Yami continues to stare at the carving, asking himself why his soul was in the puzzle, and why his memories were sealed away in the Millennium Items. He also pays some mind to the duelist opposite the carving that resembles him, the other duelist on it, and decides that it's clearly Kaiba. As much as I think Yami and Anzu are being WAY to hasty in concluding that the pharaoh's carving is definitely him, concluding that the other one is Kaiba is even MORE ludicrous. That could literally be ANYONE, Yami. It has no distinguishing Kaiba-like features. Kaiba doesn't have any distinguishing features himself and looks like 90% of all anime characters ever. He is unremarkable in face, so there's no reason to think that this other person on the tablet would be him.

Making a whole host of other outlandish assumptions, Yami thinks that this means his and Kaiba's current battle (which doesn't actually exist) was predicted by this stone. He wonders what this means, and immediately figures that the answer lies in his lost memories. Man, this guy is making leaps in logic all OVER the fucking place!

A shuffle sounds behind Yami and Anzu, and Yami turns to see what's making it, surprised.

Wow, you look AMAZING for being a thousand years old. What kind of moisturizer do you use?

Yami notices the necklace she's wearing and his eyes widen, identifying it as a Millennium Item. Whether it's by interpreting his obvious stare or just reading his mind like everyone else in this series does, Ishizu tells him that her Millennium Tauk allows her to look into the near future and she knew he would be visiting her. She's also seen that a great battle will be waged in Domino very soon, a statement that has Yami gaping at her in shock. Or creaming his pants at the notion that he'll actually have something to DO again.

Ishizu says that Yami came here of his own will, choosing a fate of fighting. As Yami repeats this phrase as a question, Ishizu tells him that in order to regain his memories, he has to gather all of the Millennium Items together. Well, yeah, we already understood that. Does this mean that Ishizu is going to give Yami HER item? Suddenly done being passively shocked by things he should already be aware of by now, Yami points at her and scoffs. Before he skips off to collect the Millennium Items, he wants to know if she's his enemy. She tells him that though some items have an evil intelligence in them, her item isn't an enemy of his.

Yami remains speechless after this confirmation, so Ishizu continues to speak, saying that an actual enemy will appear before him bearing the last Millennium Item. The "last" Millennium Item? I thought they were all created at once? Or are you referring to the last one that will appear in the series? How do you know that we've seen SHADI'S or BAKURA'S items yet, Ishizu? Does your tauk allow you to see that too?

But Yami doesn't ask these questions, intent instead on being a damn parrot.

Yeah, continue to repeat over and over what she just said. That's SUPER compelling.

Cut to the outside of the museum, where Anzu and Yami exit quietly. The once deserted entrance is now crowded with people, but the pair walk in silence for a bit. Until Yami says Anzu's name and reminds her that Yuugi doesn't know he went to the museum today. He asks if she can keep a secret, not wanting her to tell Yuugi about the stone tablet or Ishizu. What are you going to do if she refuses, Yami? She already knows. I guess we'll never know, though, because Anzu agrees before Yami explains that while Yuugi knows what it means if he regains his memory, he doesn't think Yuugi would be able to accept it at this point.

Anzu says that he's right, but says that there will come a time when Yuugi WILL understand, because he's a tough kid. Yami whips out his and Yuugi's deck from the pouch in his belt, peering at the cards. He muses on how he and Yuugi built the deck together and half of it are due to his efforts. Yami now seems reluctant to keep secrets from Yuugi because he thinks the cards won't trust him either if Yuugi stops. Anzu stares at the cards too, exclamation point above her head, possibly to denote how surprised she is about his flip-flopping opinions about how much Yuugi should know about this whole thing. Yami says that when Yuugi knows who his other self is, that's also when their cards will show their true power. Sooooooo... go ahead and tell Yuugi what's going on then? I'm confused. What did you want Anzu to do again? Keep her mouth shut or blab?

Yami just starts to notice as he's looking around the area that a lot of the people congregated there are giving him some strangely hostile looks. He thinks he can almost FEEL their murderous intent. Shit, are you guys going to get shanked, bro?? Nope! Instead, both he and Anzu are hailed by a friendly shout.

See? There's someone here who DOESN'T want to murder your face, Yami!

Mai opens her arms wide and asks how Anzu and Yami have been in the long while since they've talked, and Anzu answers that they're just fine, asking Mai in turn how she is and complimenting her on how great she looks. Mai hugs Anzu's shoulder and asks in a cheeky sort of way if this little outing with her and Yami is what she thinks it is - a date. Anzu turns red, muttering that it's not like that, but Mai just slaps her on the shoulder, laughing and assuring her that there's nothing to be embarrassed about because it's not like they're not old enough.

Yami seems perfectly undaunted by all of this, changing the subject casually to what Mai is doing there. She cocks his head at him, confused by his ignorance. She asks if he didn't get the info, because it would be super weird if he were here on accident. He repeats the word "info" as a request for elaboration, and Mai is shocked that it really IS just a coincidence that he's in the area right now. She's sure that he must have felt the battle-atmosphere of the square by now, with all the ne'er-do-wells skulking as they are across the panel. Yami confirms that, yes, he has sensed the presence of DUELISTS. Must be some kind of duelist AURA or something.

Mai says that these people are duelists from all over the country, who also happen to have really menacing grins. Looks more like they're planning to drag victims into an alley and shoot them than duel them, but hey, what do I know? Mai explains that over the past few days, some invitation or clue started circulating online and in card magazines, urging people to go to where ancient duelists and their cards slumber in the stones at a certain date and time. Since now is that time, Mai reckons with some excitement that they're supposed to announce the biggest duelist tournament ever in Japan here. Yami smiles at the notion of a duelist gathering.

Never heard of that middle guy before. Some famous duelist HE is...

Mai side-eyes Yami, thinking that his duelist instincts must verge on psychic if he just happened to show up here. In the next panel, those instincts appear to be going haywire as someone walks up a few feet behind him.

You know where YOU should show up, Kaiba? A hospital, because there's something that looks super broken and painful about the way you're standing right now...

Mai murmurs to Yami that word on the street is Kaiba was the one to spread that little clue she was talking about before everywhere. From this small hearsay, Yami is able to deduce that Kaiba is the one hosting this tournament. Never mind that he doesn't know if what Mai heard is at all accurate or not. At least, not until Mokuba starts shouting his head off about how it's just like his big brother planned for a crowd of duelists from all over the country to turn up here. Kaiba then begins addressing said crowd in an authoritative voice, yelling at them to listen up and informing them that the day after tomorrow will see the beginning of a new Duel Monsters tournament.

Tuesday? Really? Don't most of these little bastards have school and such... Oh. Yeah, nevermind. Fuck it.

Ryuzaki shouts that it's on, trying to make his excitement sound like determination. Kaiba explains that there are two conditions to enter this tournament of his, one of which is that contestants must have a 40-card deck with at least one rare card. The second condition is that they must also have one of his (likely exorbitantly expensive) next generation Duel Disk, which he displays for them on his arm. Talk about arm-candy!

Everyone behind Yami oohs and ahhs over the strange piece of machinery, but Yami just crosses his arms to hide his curiosity over the new design. Kaiba says that the winners must get the losers' rarest card in a duel, an ante that Yami is even more intrigued by, as Kaiba explains that this also means the winner of the tournament gets everyone else's rare cards. He's wearing a smarmy smirk as he says so, looking all kinds of smug because he thinks it'll be him. Everyone else in the crowd is convinced that win will be theirs too, shouting and carrying on about how those cards are going to them. Another dude asks where this tournament will be held.

Yeah, that'll go over REAL well with all those poor souls who managed to make it to adulthood and run the damn economy by actually going to WORK on Tuesday.

So, what do I think of this chapter overall? I'll start by saying that I think it was a good move making Yami show up to a meeting that he was meant to be at without even realizing it. It's intuitive and shows very well this concept of his fate that he only partly controls. At first I thought Ishizu's comment about Yami choosing his fate was somewhat contradictory, but this incident makes it exude a certain amount of sense. While there's an invisible force pushing him in the a certain direction, he also consciously made the decision to go along with it and work with the current. It's kind of contradictory to Kaiba, who's fighting that current, but is being swept up in it anyway by his own desires to acquire more power (cards) for himself and his self-interested ends.

But, that's the only praise I can really put on the chapter. Every "discovery" that is made by Yami and Anzu is on assumption alone. There is no real logic to it; there are so many gaps between the information they're given and the conclusions they reach that they're better called CANYONS. Even if they SUSPECT that their determination is the correct one, they can't make that claim for sure because there's too much data missing. All they have is resemblance, which means that their conclusions are foregone. Though they're ultimately RIGHT, it doesn't change the fact that they shouldn't be so ready to go with it until they have more of a clear line of reasoning. Since they didn't wait, Yami sounds nothing but arrogant and delusional here.

It's almost like he read the script. Hey, Yami, did you read the script?

Inuyasha Manga: 091 Distrust

Uh, yeah, the amount of distrust floating around was already well established in the last chapter. Naraku pretty much oozes suspiciousness, so much so that I suspect it's the main ingredient in that miasma he's always spewing. I bet you can downright SMELL nefarious purpose on his breath when he talks. Or McDonald's. I always get those smells confused. A confusion that might go a long way in explaining why so many people are tricked into doing Naraku's bidding.

I'm just saying, if it smells like someone had McDonald's for lunch while they're telling you to do something, RUN.

Worst. Potluck. Guest. EVER.

Inuyasha rushes forward, shouting that Naraku won't get away, but he and Miroku are suddenly accosted by a wave of miasma from Naraku as he continues to retreat. He flies off, cloud of grossness spiraling behind him while he informs Sango that he'll be waiting for her at the castle, instructing her to kill Inuyasha and then come back. Sango glares up at his shrinking trail of miasma, wondering for the first time if she can really trust Naraku. What tipped you off that he might not have your best interests at heart, Sango?

Kirara pads up to Sango gingerly, and Sango looks at her with surprise before kneeling down to pick Kirara up. Stroking the cat as it hugs her shoulder, Sango is relieved to know that at least ONE of her loved ones made it through this ordeal. Still, she's more than willing to send Kirara off rather than keeping her close, the latter of which would be MY instinct. I'm no warrior, though, so... Sango is glaring at Naraku out of her periphery as she mutters some instructions to Kirara; follow Naraku and kill him if he does anything weird.

Does wearing a baboon mask when baboons aren't indigenous to Japan qualify under that definition? Because it sure would under MINE.

Kirara appears to have a moment of wide-eyed comprehension, then...

Kirara is a BOSS.

Inuyasha makes to go after Naraku as well, telling him to just fucking wait, but Sango's boomerang hurdles across his path so he's forced to lean out of the way of the flying debris it carves out of the ground. Inuyasha looks over his shoulder and groans at the arc it takes to land back in Sango's hand. Sango claims she's going to exterminate him right here, eyes still narrowed and menacing despite her suspicion of Naraku. Inuyasha calls her a bitch for still being stuck on this notion of killing him, but she isn't listening. She trails off in a speculation of what will happen if she doesn't finish him soon, while lifting Hiraikotsu over her head and making for another attack. She knows she'll die soon, and doesn't want her time to run out before she can carry out her final mission.

Sango flings her boomerang at Inuyasha again, forcing him to back off once more. Frustrated, Inuyasha throws Tessaiga straight out in front of him, blade pointed straight at Sango's footing.

She can't quite reach it before Inuyasha gets all up in her face, saying that since she's lost her weapon, it's his turn. Sango throws her poison beads again, but Inuyasha takes a swipe at a strap holding her mask to her head and it pops right off her face. Her eyes widen and she immediately covers her mouth and nose, shocked that she lost the mask. She's even more shocked when Inuyasha grabs her hand and pulls her out of the poison cloud of her own making. Sango is downright flabbergasted that the guy is saving her, but decides not to believe it, since he's the bastard that destroyed her village.

Now that's just ungrateful.

Inuyasha's annoyance increases by about 300% by this point and he calls her a bitch again while he glares. He yanks the sword from his arm, asking how she can STILL not see that she's been deceived by Naraku. He also questions if she even knows she's covered in her own blood. Apparently she didn't, because she shakily asks what he means, which she can see when she looks down to where blood has already dripped into the ground where she's kneeling. Sango lifts her hand and examines it, wondering how, since she doesn't even feel any pain. Couldn't POSSIBLY be that jewel shard you agreed to take from Naraku, could it?

Kagome runs up to Inuyasha to fuss over his injured arm and ask if he's alright, to which he shortly states that he's just fine. Sango still sits on the ground in front of him wordless, her sword stuck in the ground behind him so she can't reach it. After a moment, Sango collapses right onto her face, making Shippou and Kagome freak a little. Kagome drops to her knees beside her, hands hovering like she doesn't know what to do, Shippou shouting that Sango is dead. Kagome insists that Sango has only fainted, but she looks too nervous to be sure.

Inuyasha kneels down next to Kagome to look closer at Sango, and Kagome informs him that Sango has a Shikon shard in her back. Speechless a moment, he eventually realizes this must have given her the strength to fight, though he had known she was badly injured from the smell of her blood since the beginning. He curses Naraku for his intentions to make Sango fight until she died.

Meanwhile, Miroku is running after Naraku's cloud of concentrated nefariousness, shouting that he won't lose sight of that bastard. Just then, however, Miroku skids to a stop in front of a deep fissure in the ground that he can't jump over and he curses. It just isn't his day. Or IS it? He looks up to see something flying overhead.

SUCH A BOSS.

Miroku leans forward and thanks Kirara for giving him a lift, and together they rapidly gain on Naraku. It appears Naraku has noticed this, though it's difficult to tell with the mask, and doesn't really matter anyway. Miroku yells Naraku's name and proceeds to bitchslap him across the baboon face with his staff regardless, slicing through one of those douchebag wasps in the process.

That'll show 'em! Or it would if Naraku didn't just EXPLODE at that kind of violence.

Yeah, I'd be disturbed too if my enemy turned out to be made of a million different branches of mutated intestine. That's what that looks like to everyone else, right?

Until each end of those intestines forms itself into hand tipped with sharp nails and proceeds to lunge at Miroku and Kirara. Death by aggressive groping would be a poetic end for Miroku, despite how he's shredding the intestine-arms that come at him with his staff. Unfortunately, Kirara doesn't deserve this, and is the first of them to be tangled in the web of limbs, by the throat no less. Miroku's left arm is caught next, though I'm not sure why, since it wasn't the arm that was tearing up Naraku's intestine-limbs.

Miroku and Kirara are slammed to the ground by the tentacles coiled around them.

Sentient organs that grope and grasp. It's like looking in a MIRROR, isn't it?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? This chapter really puts a spotlight on just how far Inuyasha's compassion stretches, and it's pretty far. He's in a frustrating situation, having to focus on Sango's attempts to kill him despite his urge to chase Naraku, and all because Sango believed Naraku when he said that Inuyasha killed her village. Sango is forcefully diverting his attention and doing it out of having been duped no less, but Inuyasha never becomes truly angry with her, just annoyed. He showed enormous restraint against someone who had outright hatred for him, someone it would be all too easy to go too far in defending himself against because she was really trying to hurt him.

Sango's situation of being injured and deceived by Naraku must have struck a mighty chord with Inuyasha, considering Kikyou's final situation was so similar. It makes sense that he might be thinking along these lines, and showing restraint with Sango out of empathy, especially considering his face when looking over the collapsed Sango. All that said, knowing Inuyasha's hatred for being inconvenienced and his easy provocation into a tizzy, it's amazing to know how far he can stretch that phase of displeasure before becoming outright angry.

Also, how smart he can get in the heat of battle. It's was a pretty good idea to force Sango out of the line of her weapon's return. Not sure I could have thought of it.

Actually, I'm certain I COULDN'T have.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 149 A Place to Belong

Oh great, I'm going to be hit with a ton of angsty bullshit, aren't I? Let me be honest; I just celebrated my 29th birthday on the 30th. Though most people still mistake me for a teenager (sometimes to seriously CREEPY effect), I'm LOOOOONG past the perpetual brooding about why I exist and ponderings about where I belong. This might be a little difficult for me to wade through, mostly because my default answer to those questions nowadays amounts to:

Well said, Morty. Well said.

But, since Yami is the literal center of the Yu-Gi-Oh universe, I have to admit that answer doesn't apply, and there IS something to his pontifications on our first page.

Whatever helps you sleep at night, kiddo. It's not like you're going to be ill-adapted for ANY inevitable change now that your mantra basically glues you to the present situation. No cause for concern there.

Ahem.

Anyway, it's Sunday, according to a label on a panel showing the outside of Yuugi's house/Sugoroku's game shop, not that you could tell from people leisurely strolling about and kids playing outside instead of stuck in a school that remains strangely devoid of teachers. Inside Yuugi's room, he's looking consternated as he complains he can't decide which of his new wrist adornments look better on him. As Yuugi peers in the mirror, desperate to figure out which bracelet to wear, Yami appears behind him, asking why he's up so early looking at himself in the mirror and if there's something wrong.

Yuugi smiles and tells Yami he asked Anzu on a date today. Yami winks and tells his partner to go for it, but Yuugi corrects him, saying that HE'S not the one going to see Anzu today. Perplexed, Yami gives Yuugi a questioning looks while Yuugi winks back at him, giggling. This can only mean trouble...

I'd be nervous too, girl. Yuugi's plotting, Yami's clueless, and you've got a weirdly unfinished shadow hovering around your feet there. What, did KT just give up on it or something?

Anzu thinks back to the previous day at school, where Yuugi asks her if she is free on Sunday. She repeats the word "free" as though THAT'S the confusing part of the question. Perhaps because she's always chained by her narrative function of eye-candy and she wonders if he's asking if she ever gets a breather from it. Yuugi confides in Anzu that Yami is in low spirits lately, and he won't tell him what's wrong, but speculates that Yami might feel better if he goes out with Anzu. Anzu is immediately a stuttering mess, but I guess that's how she accepts invitations to go out, because here she is, honoring the sudden specific request to meet at Domino station at 10 am.

Looking around, she blushes as she catches sight of someone clad in especially fetching black leather today.

I imagine he was thinking this is the closest he'll ever get to going on a date with Anzu himself. Don't know why he cares, since he obviously has his intense bromance with Jonouchi going for him, but whatevz. The real question is what the translator was thinking leaving that speech bubble up there blank. Couldn't have put an exclamation point in there or something? Sheesh.

Anzu silently tells herself she can do this, just before Yami asks hesitantly where they're going. She suggests with a slight stutter that they go for some tea at the Red Bubble Tea Shop, and Yami complies without so much as an affirmative. At the shop, they sit at a table with beverages, Yami staring out the window while Anzu continues to make suggestions. She bought some tourist magazines that have some ideas, and tells him they could just walk about the place, or go play at a location she points out in the periodical. No dice. He just sits there, arms and legs crossed, not saying a word as he gazes out the window.

Yami, I get that you were tricked into this and don't want to be here, but you could at LEAST not passively hurt the girl's feelings. Whatever happened to that attraction you expressed for her in the early chapters? Or was that only when she was asleep and not talking? *shudder*

Anzu wonders why he's not saying anything, internally complaining that she's getting a headache. Perhaps brainfreeze from the bubble tea she's sucking down in order to further offer conversation that's not being maintained? Yami continues to give her the cold shoulder, but Anzu tries again to start a dialogue, this time giving him a compliment on his cool new bling. Yami raises an arm to look at the bangles and hums, saying he didn't choose these bracelets, and that Yuugi has no taste when it comes to accessories. The first time since they were at the station that he opens his mouth and it's to talk smack about Yuugi. I'm getting less and less sympathetic for this douchebag for the awkward situation he was forced into. Say something NICE for once, you ingrate.

His date insists that the bracelets really ARE cool all the same, and Yami decides to tell her how long Yuugi spent staring in the mirror and picking them out, just to be a little douchier. Then, he tells her he's surprised, because Yuugi spends far too much time worrying about the feelings of others while not expressing his own. Anzu becomes a little meek when she tells Yami that Yuugi worries a lot about him all the time. Yami doesn't have anything to say to that, apparently, he and Anzu spending a moment to stare each other down. He looks at the table to see one of the magazines in front of him and sighs a little. He draws a parallel between their uncertainty on where to go for their date and his general uncertainty on where to go with his future/past, which only perplexes Anzu, because she's not familiar with the latter issue worrying him at the moment.

Yami is smirking as he wonders what kind of person he is, really. A garbage one. Clearly. And it's not because he doesn't know where he came from or where he wants to go now. Regardless, he's again trying to convince himself that staying in this same place just as he is suits him just fine. Anzu speaks up, having gleaned a little of what he means from his wistful attitude, and tells him that she herself doesn't know were to go; in fact, no one really does. She says that even though nobody knows what's ahead, they should keep on going, head held high and believing that ahead of them is a place they want to be. Yami appears a little surprised by this, maybe because Anzu's wording makes her advice actually sound really terrible, but she keeps on keeping on. Anzu reminds him that she wants to study dance in New York when she graduates high school, and with his hum acting as noncommittal encouragement, she explains that as they sit there she gets closer to that goal second by second and minute by minute. She begins another thread of her argument by pointing out that time has a limit, but then stops.

This statement has reminded her that YAMI'S time with them has a limit too, because his Millennium Puzzle will someday have to go back to where it came from. She's brought out of her dark reverie by Yami reciting a quote, presumably from Yuugi, telling her not to worry and that her dream will definitely be reality someday. She smirks, saying that hearing these words from Yuugi has made her feel more confident, but she also knows it's not easy to make her dream come true. Still, she wants to believe her dream will come true, even if the odds are slight.

Well, that's one way to seize the day, isn't it?

They walk down the street until they see a place that Yami expresses interest in entering: a shop that specially sells trading cards. By the time he's bought a pack or two of cards, he's looking much happier, much to Anzu's bewilderment. The pack he opens contains "Hand-Sealing Sword of Light" which is probably SUPER different from Swords of Revealing Light. Yami seems stoked about it anyway, excited about how good a card it is and telling Yuugi about it. Anzu says she's happy for him, and he asks where they're going next.

She points to a place down the way that she suggests they head to, an open faced arcade with a big flashy sign over the entrance. Once they're inside, Anzu remarks about how long it's been since she's been in an arcade, and Yami passes up a perfect opportunity to tell her the story of the last time when HE was in an arcade, getting stolen from Yuugi yet again and being won back by Jonouchi. Instead, he just talks about how there are a bunch of games he hasn't seen before. BO-RING.

As Anzu shouts that some dude is super good at some game we can't see, Yami's attention is drawn to an area of the arcade that has an awful lot of folks crowded around it. It's an elaborate dance game like DDR, and a guy is getting his dance on as the crowd looks on, furiously moving his feet to the instruction of the machine.

Didn't your mama ever tell you to be careful what you wish for?

Yami is pondering the dance battle game with a smirk, Anzu commenting that there's still a spot left up there. Sounds like she's trying to subtly encourage Yami to try it out, but Step Johnny seems to have heard Anzu's statement over the music and bleeping of the dance machine. He asks if SHE wants to compete against him, much to her and Yami's irritation. Yami tells her she doesn't have to compete, especially against someone like Step Johnny, but Anzu smirks as she starts to remove her jacket. She says she can't refuse a DANCE competition, and she would totally ignore all his objections to it anyway. Regardless, he starts to call her back while she heads up to the stage, urging him not to worry.

Excited shouts accompany Anzu's standing on the button pad next to the one Johnny is already occupying. Johnny proposes a bet to her, and she makes an uncertain sound. He leans over all slimy-like and tells her that if she loses, she has to go out with him tonight. I'm about to ask why he hates himself enough to think of going on a date with him as a penalty for losing a game, but then he leans closer and suggests that it's BECAUSE she wants to lose and be his date that she decided to challenge him to begin with. Uhhhh, I think you might not have a good grasp on chronology here, dude, considering you only proposed the bet AFTER she agreed to go up against you?

That aside, Anzu thinks the guy is just all-around foul, and shouts that he's making her angry. He doesn't answer, and the both of them focus on the screen while the machine gives them the cue to get ready. After a moment, it announces their battle is a go, and Johnny does this weird thing where he holds up his hand and it looks like he's shielding his face? I don't know. Anyway, they start flailing like nobody's looking, even though their audience is captivated by their sweet moves. All I see is the two of them in various strange poses, because the motion is somewhat difficult to parse in a comic.

In any case, it looks like Anzu has begun to accumulate some fans at a certain point, who tell her how amazing she is and not to lose to Johnny. Johnny is sweating up a storm, glaring at Anzu and thinking she's no ordinary person. As Yami stands off to the side with his arms crossed and a smirk, Anzu smirks as well, determined glower in place. The crowd cheers about their progress to the third round and Johnny's falling behind.

That's... a weird way to fall off that machine... It's even weirder in the next panel when he's still ON the machine as Anzu stands with her hands on her hips looking down at him triumphantly.

Oh well. Yami seems impressed and Anzu seems worn out but proud of herself, just before we leave the arcade. Anzu stretches, saying that she feels a whole lot happier after that, and more capable too. 100 yen well-spent! Yami leans on some railing overlooking the ocean and after a pause wonders aloud what his own capabilities are. A shot of the Millennium Puzzle hanging around his neck leads into Yami outright telling Anzu that his current self exists inside the puzzle. She's wide-eyed and speechless at this comment, so Yami continues.

He says there is a place where the seven Millennium Items are kept, and the puzzle is from that place. So, that's one question answered, Yami! You know where you come from! Good job! He suggests that if he goes there, he can learn something about himself, like why he exists and where he should go next. I'm tempted to place the GIF from above down here too, but it might be a bit overkill. Anzu is hanging her head quietly when Yami says that if he doesn't go to find himself in Egypt, then things can stay the way they are, just fine.

Anzu asks him haltingly if he really believes that, which surprises Yami somewhat. In his head, he's thinking that he WANTS to know who he is and which place he should go. Out loud, he says that if things remain the same, he can stay in Yuugi's heart forever, something Yuugi hopes for too. Anzu is quiet again, affirming to herself that both Yuugi's care about each other a lot. She begins a thought about being "really" something-or-other, but we may never know what that is. When she looks up, she's grinning, stating confidently that two hearts be damned, Yuugi has to count on his own. She encourages Yami to be honest with himself, and Yami stares at her a moment before admitting that there's one place he wants to go.

Oh good idea Yami; take your date to relive some horrible trauma. While Anzu looks up at the building with a concerned expression, you can almost SEE the PTSD coming on. Yami insists that there could be a clue to his past here, and Anzu absently goes over the words "Yuugi's past" in her head, probably REALLY concentrating hard on not showing that fight or flight response. Yami continues, stating that he knows he should go here, but a part of him is resisting it, afraid. Yeah, that's kind of rational, in this case.

Still, Yami smiles at Anzu, saying that he's made his decision because he met with her today. She smiles back silently, and Yami again goes over those burning questions about who he is, where he comes from, and where he's going in his head. He starts toward the building, suggesting they go, and Anzu repeats her advice to hold his head high and stand tall while she jogs toward the museum as well.

Useless panel is useless. Thanks KT.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Despite my jokes about my intolerance for teenage angst, this chapter was really satisfying regarding Yami's internal struggle. Yes, most angst is boring and often insufferable, but his isn't, because it's only too legitimate. After hearing Pegasus's appraisal of the Millennium Items as containing "evil" spirits, and especially after having dealt with a legitimately evil spirit in the ring before even that, Yami has a good reason to be nervous. And that's not even to mention all the not-so-nice things he's put the villains of the series through. He probably has a harder and harder time thinking of himself as essentially good the more he thinks about all of these factors. I know I have the same problem, despite the fact that I've never done half the shit Yami has.

His real dilemma here is whether he bites the bullet and figures out who he is, for better or worse, or he continues to share an identity with someone else. This dilemma is presented VERY well, because Yami has said many times that it's fine that things stay the way they are, but each time the context around that phrase changes the essential emotion behind it. Each time you get MORE of an impression that despite Yami's fears about finding out who he is, not having his own past and identity is a whole range of negative as well, from resigned to bitter to even frightening in its own right. It may be "fine" that things stay the same, but it's not great. It's not even good. It's stagnation and the uncomfortable notion that he'll be spending the rest of his time with Yuugi as just one of his accessories; Yami would NEVER be his own person, separate and complete in his own right.

I don't know about you, but that scares the HELL out of me, which is why it's actually kind of understandable that Yami was acting like a brat at the beginning of the chapter. Not only is he used to only being in control of he and Yuugi's body when they're playing games, but he's also used to being cooped up in that mind room, brooding about the frustrating fact that he has no idea who or what he is. He's scared and nervous and uncertain, not to mention not really in his element playing a game, so it's natural that he would be a bit distant and defensive. Again, this is something I myself do all the time.

Anzu's handling of the situation was really kind of brilliant, because she basically pushed him to make decisions all day long. They were little things, like picking where they went and what they did, but they helped really get him into the mindset of solving his bigger problem: deciding if he was going to find out who he is or continue on the path he's already traveling. She also demonstrated to him a decision that further defined the kind of person she is. Yami pointed out that Anzu didn't have to go up against Step Johnny, and in fact she could have walked away without it having any effect on her whatsoever. She could have decided that things were okay they way they were before her dance battle. But, she decided to go for it anyway, even though there was a chance the whole thing could turn out negatively for her. It was a smaller decision than Yami's with a lot less at stake, but she did manage to show that moving forward is worth it.

If only those panels on her dance battle hadn't been so clunky, though. Maybe a blurred limb here and there to imply movement? No?