Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 161 The Fatal Duel!

Okay, I think it may be important to explain to whomever has named and/or translated this chapter what WORDS mean. You can't just toss a word in there and be satisfied that it SOUNDS ominous. Choosing the correct word for the particular concept you're trying to get across is one of the most difficult parts of writing, and if it's not KT just skipping over that process for the sake of expediency, it's the translators not giving a fuck what the meaning of the word they translated is. Either way, I very much doubt that "fatal" is an appropriate word here, because I very much doubt that anyone is going to die in this card game.

Therefore, I'm itching to find whoever's responsible for this and throw a dictionary/thesaurus at their face.

When more than one of a card is manufactured and sold, that tends to happen. Does Yami understand how economics work? Maybe Kaiba would have been able to put on his professor-business-owner hat if he hadn't gotten a bug up his ass to make sure he had or destroyed every copy of the Blue Eyes White Dragon ever made.

Pandora wags his finger at Yami as he says that there's only room for one magic-themed duelist in the world. Alright, so EVERYONE is really bad at understanding the whole "multiple cards manufactured and distributed" thing. Well, so much for economics. With Pandora's magician behind him, he announces that whomsoever wins this match will earn the title of Master of Magicians. There sure are a lot of titles to be won in this tournament, aren't there?

He goes on to discourage Yami from running away from the duel, but Yami pulls out a card dramatically, suggesting that he's not planning on it. He holds out this card to reveal both the card and the hologram form of HIS Dark Magician, shouting that he accepts Pandora's challenge. Yami's non-evil magician smirks it up behind him. As you do.

Pandora praises Yami on his proper spirit as well as his kindness in accepting the duel... Yami's kindness toward himself anyway, because Pandora then implies force would have been used with the opposite response. Then Pandora says it's an honor. What's an honor? Not feeling the "need" to force a child to play a game with you? You've got a very funny definition of honor, there PAL.

According to Pandora, the small shop is too tiny to have a proper duel, so he tells Yami that he prepared a duel arena in the basement below. That doesn't sound like a horror show at all! It's looking like Yami is finally beginning to get a little suspicious when Pandora leads him to a set of stairs (or a set of stairs drop down in the middle of the floor, it's not exactly clear). Yami peers down after Pandora descending them, looking a little hesitant while Pandora warns him to mind his step.

As they enter the dark underbelly of the shop, Pandora tells Yami that he had plenty of time to prepare something special and exciting for Yami, because Marik let him know that the boy would be heading his way. Yami widens his eyes at the mention of Marik, reciting all those things he knows Marik to be (leader of the Rare Hunters and owner of the last Millennium Item) in his head. Almost as if he has an audience that may contain new members to remind of these facts!

You know, Yami, you really should have KNOWN that would be the answer, considering how you and Marik spoke the LAST time. In fact, I'd almost go as far as to say that Pandora is openly making fun of how fucking DUMB that demand was just now. To make it even dumber, Yami looks taken aback for a moment before suddenly remembering that Marik is able to control his underlings through possession. This is either because watching someone flop around and project an unfamiliar voice is super forgettable, OR he has even MORE to remind that somewhat new audience of in the chapters they may have missed.

Yami wonders if Marik could be watching him right now, a paranoid thought that is odd for someone who is so comfortable addressing an audience every five seconds. Pandora has led Yami to a fancy door with a big question mark on it and OMG is he the RIDDLER??

It's like they're fucking TWINS.

Anyway, Pandora says that this is his underground lair duel arena, and standing next to the door like it's his mom and he's introducing her.

"No, wait, sorry, wrong door. This is actually my hipster curiosity shop."

Yami looks around to note that there are lots of stage magic props mixed with occult paraphernalia in there, and likens it to a bad dream. Yeah, one in which some dude is trying to convince you that he's a 10th degree Kabbalist wizard with the power to levitate, but you know he's never even TRIED to learn Hebrew or read the Torah. Oh shit, never mind, that's REAL LIFE asshole crap. I get those two mixed up all the time.

Pandora says that a conjurer has many powers, from simple card tricks to the ability to bring nightmares to life. I guess I know who to blame for my above mentioned problem, then. When he and Yami are standing on opposite sides of the table in the center of the room, Pandora goes on to say that this should be a worthy stage for their magicians to duke it out. Implying, of course, that this is a place where REAL magicians would like to hang out. Now isn't THAT pathetic?

He giggles at a glaring Yami, and both of them slam their respective decks on the table. Pandora suggests that they both shuffle their cards now, this moment determining whether they can draw their magicians or "die horribly". His words, not mine. Pandora proceeds to shuffle his deck shotgun-style, which Yami informs him will damage his poor cards. Pandora says that he's used to this way of shuffling, so he don't give a fuck. Gee, I wonder if this flagrant disregard for the condition of his cards will help establish further dismissive attitudes later in the duel.

Yami and Pandora trade decks to cut each other's cards at Yami's offer, and Pandora recites an old saying of gamblers about trusting friends, but always cutting the cards anyway. After a quick cut, a smirking Yami repeats the word "friends" as a question, and apologizes for not intending to make friends with ghouls. Pandora doesn't seem too choked up about this, given his chuckle, but he says it's a pity anyway. He wants to demonstrate how they're really blood brothers now that they're committed to dueling, and tugs on that chain hanging from the ceiling near his side of the table while yelling that this is a nightmare show with Yami as the star.

A resounding clack later...

Pandora points to his ankles to indicate that he has them too, so they're in the same boat and neither can escape. What better way to show how you're really the same? Except Yami is pretty pissed that he's in the situation to begin with, but he doesn't have time to finish his half-begun protest; Pandora has too much to say. Pandora yells that Yami will now witness the greatest show of the century: Pandora's escape from the jaws of death.

Aren't you being a little theatrical here? You're just locked up, you're not going to d-

Oh. I stand corrected. Ignore that, uh, embarrassing rant in the cold-open, would you?

So, what are these house rules? While Yami stares in shock down at the whirring saw blade, Pandora draws his attention to the numbers indicated just below the track for the blade, indicating life points. Since the tip of the spinning saw is just at the 4000 mark, a sweating Yami correctly deduces that the saw will come closer and closer as points are whittled down until... well, Pandora finishes for him the appropriate sound effect, wearing a gruesome grin. He gleefully says that this is a nightmare game where the loser's body is sawed apart.

Whatever happened to those fun, wholesome penalty games, guys?

I guess they were never very wholesome, were they?

Pandora now tells Yami to look down at the foot of the bench behind both their ankles. A box displaying life points on top of it has suddenly appeared where it wasn't before. Did it just pop out of the floor, or...? Pandora describes the box that will unlock their shackles when the enemy's life points it displays hits zero. At that point, it's designed to open and let the winner escape.

Yami lets Pandora know that all this elaborate setup to kill the loser of this duel makes him look like a wild nutcase, and Pandora is not interested in making a case otherwise. He launches into an explanation of the myth of Pandora's Box, holding all the misfortune in the world, until a woman opened it and unleashed evil and suffering, leaving only hope after she had slammed it shut. He says that in their case, the KEY in each of their boxes is hope, but it'll only come out for one of them.

Okay, fine, take all the analysis for yourself. It's not like I really enjoy that part or anything...

Pandora lets out a maniacal laugh, and Yami glares, hunching his shoulders and grinding his teeth? He asks Pandora if this is fun to him, to which question Pandora responds with a mocking "cme again?" gesture. Yami is patient enough to elaborate, asking again if a duel that kills people is really FUN for Pandora, and Pandora responds with an affirmative, because he'll be the winner. That doesn't actually explain things, you know. If I were stuck in a duel to the death and won, I still wouldn't find it fun. I'd find it distinctly UNfun.

Yami calls Pandora filthy scum, which doesn't wipe the psychotic grin off his face the slightest. When he receives no reply, Yami raises his Duel Disk fist, promising to take Pandora to the very edge of his life. All while spectral fire covers him, apparently.

Oh, is that not a table? Is it really just this weird... tile on the floor between them? What even IS this dumb room?

4000 points are displayed for both players, and Yami declares that he's going first. Fair, since he should be granted at least a LITTLE courtesy being a prisoner now and everything. Pandora shouts to draw five cards, which was unnecessary, but thoughtful, I guess. If he expects Yami not to know that little rule. Or maybe he's just reminding himself, I don't know. Pandora fans his hand out in front of him and grins again.

You see, he's already drawn a Dark Magician, lucky for him. Though in his mind he admits it's not just luck, because his magician ass knows a few tricks to cheat at cards, making it simple to draw whatever he wants from his deck at any time. The next panel lists six different ways to distinguish cards from the back as per Pandora's thoughts, but Pandora's particular technique for his Dark Magician was to shave down the card so it's JUST smaller than the others. He has three such copies of the card, and he set up the deck so that Yami would naturally put a Dark Magician on top when cutting the deck. His aim in this, apparently, is to teach Yami the hard way that no one outwits a conjurer, at least when death is on the line. He emphasizes this by looking at the cutting-edge situation he himself created. Sooooooo, did you just arrange the saws because you needed to rationalize the cheating you wanted to do, or...?

Yami shouts at Pandora to get ready, because it's his turn. He plays a face down card and Alpha the Magnet Warrior, a robot-looking thing with a preponderance of curved Acme magnets lining its limbs, in defense mode. It kneels behind a shield, and Yami ends his turn. Pandora announces it's his turn, summoning Legion the Fiend Jester in defense, its long limbs folded in a kneel as well. He looks at the Dark Magician in his hand and chuckles, knowing that he just needs one more monster to sacrifice according to those super expert rules in order to bring his favorite card into the game.

Back to Yami again, as per his own declaration. He glares at Pandora for a moment before informing him that he's not going to attack this turn. Well, yeah, your monster is in defense, Yami. Did you forget? Instead, Yami is going to play a spell card, much to Pandora's shock. Smirking, Yami pulls the card from his hand and it's...

Oh, stop whining! You've got two more magicians in your deck, I don't know why you're being so dramatic. Pandora's eyes are practically popping out of his head at the thought of losing that ONE Dark Magician, though. Yami scoffs and "guesses" that Pandora had Dark Magician in his hand after all, by the look on his face. Oh, and because Yami isn't a fool that duels a conjurer without taking precautions against cheating, apparently. He explains to Pandora that he knows someone who shotgun shuffles their cards doesn't care about hurting them, and deduced that Pandora wouldn't think twice about cutting or marking his cards from that cue.

Pandora points a shaking, furious finger at Yami, disbelievingly accusing him of knowing this trick when he cut the deck. How DARE he know about something you wanted to use to fool him!! What a lousy guy! Yami just chuckles again, drawing a new card. Wait, didn't he already draw a card at the beginning of his turn? I guess not, because the page where he begins his turn shows him rearranging his hand, but not drawing any new cards. Odd.

Anyway, Yami says that his turn isn't over yet and proceeds to reveal that face down card he set earlier: Brain Control. Pandora is APPROPRIATELY shocked at this one, asking himself a panicky question of whether or not Yami will control his monster. Uh, why would he play the card otherwise? Get your shit together, Pandora.

The Fiend Jester reaches out to Pandora as its pulled away from his side over to Yami, and that's kind of sad. It looks genuinely upset at being taken away. Yami proceeds directly onto the sacrifice that puts a swirl of wind around each monster before...

Well, that one seemed to be pretty broken up about leaving Pandora so that it could be your sacrifice. But I don't know if cards respond to abuse in the varied and complicated ways humans do, or if Pandora bothered to mark that one. Things to ponder.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Looks like KT went back to his roots and reminded us of what this story is really about; the protagonists being targeted with extreme violence because of some minor perceived slight. It's fitting that I should be covering this chapter at this time, given the news in the United States as of late being inundated with internal conflict, incited by a hate group whose only problem is that SOME people in the country aren't white enough for their tastes... I don't want to get too political on this blog, because that's not what it's for, but currently reading a story that has its protagonists confront extreme violence leveled against them on a regular basis and WIN is really important to me right now. Knowing that Yami is going to get through this with all his limbs, and that sweet Yuugi is probably going to find a way to save Pandora from the problem of his own making, is just right. Thank you, Kazuki Takahashi. I know that I've been ripping your story apart since day one on this blog (literally), but just because it's imperfect as all stories are doesn't mean that I don't find HUGE value in it. If I didn't I wouldn't have bothered to cover it here.

On a lighter note, I also really enjoyed the harkening back to Yami's extensive knowledge of general games and cheating. He's shown twice before that he understands how people can tip the odds to suit their own ends in games and is very good at shutting that shit down. Even though the manga's focus is on Duel Monsters now, it's nice to be reminded that Yami has expertise in ALL games, and is very adept at making sure that others are playing fair, just like in the old days. There are a LOT of moments in this chapter that really remind me of past scenes in the comic, and it's kind of got a weird nostalgic feeling to it. Not bad weird, but good weird.

Pandora himself blurted out the story of the actual myth here, much to my annoyance, so I won't cover that here. Besides, we won't get a good sense of how this Pandora compares to the one of myth until we start to understand his underlying drives, which we haven't gotten to just yet. Since he mentioned that it was a woman who opened the box in the story specifically, though, I'm willing to bet another fridged chick is going to crop up somewhere in there. Mark my words.