Great, now making sure my grimy leaking nose doesn't last more than a week should seem like child's play in comparison to the victory of this child winning a card game. Irony is the greatest bitch of all.
The doll's expression gapes in lolling incomprehension while Marik fumes in a somewhat dumbfounded rage in the background. He's in pure disbelief that he was forced into a loop of action that made him run out of cards like that, that he LOST. Maybe should have considered the drawbacks of your strategy rather than how close a resemblance to a god you have, eh, Marik? Even Pandora had the foresight to research Yami's deck and strategy, but Marik couldn't even be bothered to do THAT much work, I suppose.
Speaking of Yami, he's staring at the slouching doll from a distance, reciting terrible poetry in his head about how Marik's power only seemed infinite. Something about how the god's weakness was hidden beyond infinity, or something, I don't know. Save it for the open mic night at your local café, Yami. He shifts his glare to Kaiba atop the retaining wall above him, knowing that he never would have figured it out if it hadn't been for that colossal douche.
Mokuba has one foot over the edge of the retaining wall when he jumps for joy at Yami's victory. Be careful, you little snot! I can just see him tumbling over down that wall and breaking every damn bone in his body. He just scoots, though, and manages not to break any limbs as he makes his way down to the duel-site. Kaiba stays stock still on top of the wall, as though he doesn't already tower over everybody anyway. He'd look like an idiot shimmying down that wall in his starched coat too, so it's a no-win situation.
Especially when he does that stupid giggle of his and congratulates himself on the fact that his rival has to be nothing short of the best. They continue to glare, Yami frowning, but Kaiba smirking, and thinking that it would have been pointless to date defeat him if he weren't at his level. Soooooo, when are those wedding plans, Kaiba?
Meanwhile, Mokuba approaches Marik's doll, whom I assume is abandoned due to being slumped on his knees like that, cards scattered around his reactionless body. Mokuba waves a hand in front of the doll, commenting that he's like one, and wondering if he's dead before coming to conclusion that the unresponsiveness is just because he lost like a loser. He picks one of Marik's cards up off the ground, Slifer the Sky Dragon, as well as a puzzle card, pausing to marvel at the second god card for a moment.
He straightens, drawing himself to his full (unimpressive) height in order to announce to Yami that he's the "Steering Committee Chairman" for this tournament. Is that a thing that's real? I don't know, I've never been in a tournament. Regardless, Mokuba says he's judging the ante for this duel and hands over the god and puzzle card to Yami as reward for winning. He warns Yami not to get used to it, though, because his brother is going to win it off him pretty soon. Mokuba grins, pointing and laughing, and I can't believe this shit has become CUTE over time. I'm not... I'm not even annoyed anymore! WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO ME??
Yami doesn't seem the slightest bit annoyed either, but that may be because he's pretty busy staring at his new acquisition.
In the next panel it looks like some sort of rumble is issuing from Kaiba? Maybe he's hungry? Anyway, as Yami turns to walk right off, Mokuba continues the tradition of calling his brother by their shared last name as he notes that both of them have god cards now. Suddenly, he gapes at something off panel, and I wonder if it's that he didn't realize Yami was leaving until just this second. No, Yami stops and glares off in another direction as well. Is my fever producing this chapter? What the balls is going on?
Turns out Kaiba is sliding his deck into his Duel Disk, and he says Yami knows what this means...
And since we didn't see it, I'm going to assume he scooted like his brother before, because it makes me laugh. So take that, KT.
Can you imagine this fucker throwing a tantrum on the highway, though? Pulling that motorcycle over so he can kick and yell until he's hoarse that he lost a card game several miles away? That would sure be something to witness.
Marik tells Yami that he had forgotten to mention something earlier, and Yami gives him a sharp look. Apparently, Marik is getting really close to Domino City, and once he arrives, his plan will go into motion. How this is different than the plan that's already well underway right now isn't part of his current explanation, which consists of telling Yami all about his tri-ocular vision. He's got three pictures of what's going on simultaneously in his head, a three-dimensional broadcast is what he calls it, because he clearly doesn't bother to learn what words mean before he uses them. One view is of Yami through his doll's eyes, one is of the highway and Domino beyond, and one is through the eyes of one of his Rare Hunters within the city already.
Taking after your Uncle Shadi pretty hardcore, aren't you Marik?
Marik offers Yami one more piece of information: that the Rare Hunters are aware he's coming for his friends, so they'll be ready for him. With this last word said, Marik giggles and wishes Yami enjoyment for his game before peacing right the fuck out of his doll. He collapses to his knees again, and then onto his side. Yami screams at Marik, but that dude has already hit the road, Jack. In the meantime, Yami is freaking out about Jonouchi being in danger, hunched with his fists raised. He turns to run back into the heart of the city, Mokuba calling to him as he does so, but it's not Mokuba who halts him.
At least, that's what I would have said to the guy, but Yami settles for a less obnoxious angry shout at Kaiba that the Ghouls are after Jonouchi and that he can't let his friends die. Kaiba glares, thinking on this term "Ghouls" for a moment silently. Yami takes this moment to start running again, Mokuba looking on in worry as Kaiba turns back to the wall. He scoffs at Yami's choice of friends over pride, but I seem to remember him making a similar choice back in Duelist Kingdom for Mokuba, because that suicide bid was PRETTY shameful. Even if he voices disdain, Kaiba gives Yami's retreating back one last glance.
Yami runs between buildings in a desperate bid to find his buds, but to no avail. All that surrounds him are strangers. He reflects on how big the city is, and wonders where Jonouchi can be found within it. He eventually comes across something of more immediate concern, though.
Yami wonders if these are Rare Hunters, which, duh, but decides in record time that he doesn't care. He tells them to move their asses out of his way. The one on the right says that if they let him pass, Marik will kill them, then the one on the left says that besides this, if Yami refuses to duel then, then Jonouchi's life will be forfeit. Okay, maybe these guys don't fuck around after all.
Yami growls at the two, who proceed to... argue over who should duel Yami first, playing rock-paper-scissors in order to decide. Well, never mind on my previous assessment. They're just as doofy as I had first assumed. This is what I get for giving assholes a chance. Should have learned my lesson after that guy who gave me creeps in college ended up stalking me...
Growling in frustration, Yami fumes over the fact that the more time he wastes here, the more danger Jonouchi is in. Of course, the doofus-duo continue to throw down the same moves for rock-paper-scissors each time they shoot, accusing each other of pausing or something occasionally. Yami tells them to hurry up, and they apologize to him, explaining that they keep tying the game. It's a regular comedy of errors. They are starting a new match when they're suddenly shocked by the appearance of something off-frame.
But no, seriously, Kaiba's coming to the rescue AGAIN?? This is TWICE. In a ROW. I mean, is this even a cold as much as a dramatic shattering of my worldview? I thought I knew this douchebag and now... Well, all I have is a runny nose.
The two morons consider this offer, complete with doofy expressions as they work out the logistics of a tag duel. Meanwhile, Yami is staring openmouthed and speechless at the cross-armed Kaiba. He tells Yami not to get the wrong idea, because he's just fulfilling one of the purposes of his tournament here by eliminating the card-stealing scum that are the Ghouls. It's not like he's helping Yami and his stupid friends or anything. Pshaw. Pshaw, I say!
Yami smiles at him, probably having gotten the very idea that Kaiba told him not to. Across from them, the Doofus Twins have finally deliberated enough on the subject and decided to go ahead and do this tag duel thing. All of them already have cards set and everything when they declare the start of their duel, which doesn't seem right...
Doesn't matter, since Kaiba says this will be fast, and demands Yami watch him. I wouldn't bother, Yami. I mean, the guy probably thinks his toilet time is newsworthy, so this isn't likely to be as impressive as he thi-
So, what did I think of this chapter overall? What the hell, Kaiba? Why won't you just let me hate you? And that goes for the BOTH of them, elder and junior. They've both become endearing to me, and I'm really becoming annoyed with it. Every time Seto Kaiba helps out Yami, you know it's not pure altruism; he is doing it because it benefits him in some way, big or small. Here you can kind of glean that he's teaming up with Yami in order to speed up the process of finding those friends, so that Yami won't be distracted by their safety while dueling him. He knows that if he wins when Yami's head isn't fully in the game, the victory doesn't mean anything, tying into his statement above that if his rival wasn't on his level (in sound of mind just as much as skill), then beating him means nothing.
And yet, Kaiba puts forward this weak-ass "don't get the wrong idea" schtick as well, a thing someone says only when they don't want to be viewed as a big softie when they're being a big softie. There is at least SOME understanding inherent in Kaiba's decision to help Yami find his friends, because he wouldn't be savvy to the fact that Yami wouldn't have his head in the game without knowing they're safe if there wasn't. So, that's a SMALL, MINISCULE amount of empathy Kaiba feels like he has to cover up. It's a tiny bit of weird insecurity, but I keep latching onto it because it's the only method by which I'm allowed to really connect with Kaiba as a character.
As for Mokuba, he's just a typical ridiculous little boy at this point, and I have to admit he kind of reminds me of the kids I used to counsel in the summer recreation program I worked for a while back. He's become really easy for me to like despite his... creepy debut in this manga.
Other than that, My big issue with this chapter was that really strange page in the middle there, when Seto was rumbling, Mokuba and Yami looked up at him without a single thing indicated to draw their attention, and Seto showed up at the bottom of that retaining wall with no coverage of him getting down. It was just a sloppy page altogether, considering the pages around it weren't showing any problems. I don't know if this one was just the last one made and rushed for a deadline or what, but it was far below the standards of quality that KT has set.
Although, since it's the lowest in quality I've seen in 177 chapters, I've got to admit that he could have done SO much worse.
While it's only two pages in the manga, Yugi and Kaiba vs. Wingus and Dingus was a duel that was shown entirely in the anime. It was still pretty short, though.
ReplyDeleteEven odder, the anime decided to make the change that these two were actually the two masked Rare Hunters that show up later.
To be fair, these guys DO look an awful lot like the masked ones who show up later, so I can see combining them to neaten up the field, so to speak.
DeleteKaiba screwed the rules here -- a few chapters ago Marik established that you need to tribute three monsters to summon a god card but here we see him summon Obelisk without tributing a single one.
ReplyDeleteI was going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume we had skipped over all those extra steps in for dramatic effect, but I'm done giving that guy the BotD. Dude's cheating at his own tournament!
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