Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 178 Everybody Duel!!

I would, except I get headaches trying to play this game when I'm perfectly healthy. Trying to play when my head is already pounding from my illness's continued fight as it dies a horrible deserved death might very well blow my skull apart. It's part of the reason I haven't been on Duel Links for a few days, the other part being that it requires updates and I don't have a good wifi connection whenever I decide I want to open the damn app. When I'm home with the passable wifi, it's all I can do to drag myself into bed and sleep, so waiting for a data download is really quite out of the question.

And yet, somehow, reading this manga ABOUT dueling and making fun of it is no problem. Funny that.

Ah, the open road. Doesn't have much to do with dueling... yet. What ARE we getting out of this little day trip with Marik, anyway?

OH. BUTT.

Marik leans onto the handlebars of his motorcycle, mentally inviting Yami to enjoy Slifer while he can, since he has the Millennium Rod (and a butt) with which power he can make Jonouchi his pawn. He still has Yami's friend well within his second/third sight, it seems. He does even more multitasking when he shoves his Duel Disk onto his arm, with a heavy click of the activating machinery. For fuck's sake, does this kid not have ENOUGH to do??

Sitting in the Duel Disk is a deck of cards that contains a god of death and doom, Ra, apparently. The only one of the three we haven't seen yet. He prays that it gives him the strength of a king as he sits at a stop in the middle of the road, having arrived in a strangely empty city at 1:50pm. Where the hell are all the cars honking at him to get the fuck out of there?

It appears there aren't any people until you get a bit further in, milling around as the next panel speedlines through them in order to stop on one particular resident.

I hope HE'S not also standing in the middle of what should be a busy highway while he gapes in Marik's general direction. Must be some sort of special lovers' connection or something...

Turns out that Bakura isn't in the center of the road, but he IS getting called out on his sudden frozen inquisitive state. Anzu has noticed he fell behind the group and calls over her shoulder to question if he's alright. He nervously apologizes instead of answering and hurries to catch up, because the most natural response to concern is to express your regret that anyone should have to feel concern for you at all. I think I relate to this kid on a deep spiritual level.

When Bakura gets back to the group, Sugoroku is complimenting Jonouchi on how well he's doing so far in the tournament. Jonouchi agrees that he's doing really good, having already gotten four puzzle cards out of the six he needs for the finals. Anzu admits she hasn't seen Yuugi, but she's confident he's doing splendidly as well, and Jonouchi all but retorts with a "duh" when he speculates that Yuugi is probably already waiting at the finals location. He repeats his intention to face Yuugi in the tournament, and to not lose until he does so. He looks so hopeful and determined... It's gonna be a real shame when that goal of his is perverted into some weird twisted competition.

Bakura makes an offhand and off-topic comment about how the cards he's won so far are weird and scary. Jonouchi tells Bakura to shut his mouth (he's not the greatest with horror, if you'll recall), because it's not like he WANTED those particular cards. Bakura says that he actually really ADMIRES the grotesque and strange cards, and wishes he had them in HIS deck. It's all said with a twilight-zone friendly smile on his face. Creepy, and yet another reason why I relate to this kid on a deep spiritual level.

Jonouchi is floored by the fact that Bakura even HAS a deck, and Bakura whips it out to prove its existence. No one will ever question his masculinity ever again. Bakura says his deck has an occult theme, again with a very weird smile. Of course, Jonouchi recoils at the mention of the word "occult" and Bakura has to reassure him that they won't be dueling, so Jonouchi doesn't have to be afraid.

Behind Bakura, a gangly robed stranger hangs out in the milling crowd around them, head tilted and gaze blank while a giant Eye of Horus shines very conspicuously on his forehead. Most. Obvious. Stalker. Ever. So that means, of course, that no one notices him. Jonouchi is as oblivious ever, taking on an aggressive stance as he demands to know who his next opponent is.

Sugoroku says this is convenient, and he has no idea HOW convenient. I don't recall Jonouchi being told about this or anyone else mentioning it until this moment, and there's no way the guy who forgets about basic rules and recommendations just figured it out on his own. I smell a plot-contrivance again...

Jonouchi presses the "bullshit" button and turns to point out where the duelist radar is indicating. Somehow. He runs bowlegged ahead of everyone else, who look like they're still trying to get their bearings. Anzu and Sugoroku bolt after Jonouchi, the former waving and yelling for him to wait up. Meanwhile, Bakura is looking shady as he lags back at where they were all standing.

Why? Why is Bakura STILL wearing that thing on the regular??? I understand that it has an uncanny ability to turn back up and at very inopportune times, but do you know what would get that point across better?

BAKURA ACTUALLY ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE IT THE FUCK AT HOME EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.

Anyway, Jonouchi ended up somewhere I guess he wasn't expecting, both he and Anzu looking somewhat confused as they look up at the building: the aquarium. Jonouchi, Anzu and Sugoroku are all but scratching their heads at the idea that a duelist would be HERE. What? Duelists aren't allowed to look at fish or something? Incredulously, Jonouchi acknowledges that this is where his sensor is leading him. After a moment, though, he's gunning to go on in, asking Sugoroku if HE'S got the entrance fee. Sugoroku is a bit flabbergasted by this assumption, and Anzu is equally flabbergasted that they seem to have lost Bakura.

Frankly, I think you might be better off without the douchebag who insists on putting you in danger by wearing his possessed jewelry all over the damn place...

Also, she's got more immediate problems, stemming from the fact that the creepy, vacant-eyed Ghoul has followed them where Bakura hasn't. Inside his head, Marik tells him that they'll probably be there for a while, so he needs to watch them and make sure they don't get away. Is he gonna be paying that entrance fee too?

... Probably about as much as he's planning on paying all of those medical bills.

As hapless individuals continue to dive out of the way of Marik's reckless driving, Bakura is busy being violent as well, throwing a guy onto the ground from a dark alley. Don't know what he did to this dude other than that, if anything, but the guy is out cold. Bakura kneels next to him to pilfer his Duel Disk, going through his cards while he does so and cursing him for having nothing but junk. Bakura scowls as he secures his gently used Duel Disk, wondering who this other Millennium Item wielder could be.

Back at the aquarium, Jonouchi, Anzu and Sugoroku have arrived at a giant open tank with what appears to be a trainer standing in front of it, back to the audience. As a killer whale jumps out of it, the apparent trainer laughs about what a big catch it is, hypothetically speaking. This is when Anzu and Jonouchi recognize him with wide eyes as Ryota Kajiki. I'm sure you guys remember him as the guy who set out the cooking fish as bait for hungry duelists during Duelist Kingdom. If not, that just goes to show how memorable the MOST memorable of the minor opponents Yami faced in that tournament were. Yikes.

Ryota is petting on the smiling killer whale, and all I can think of is Blackfish.

Suddenly, Ryota's duelist senses tingle, or so I assume, because he turns to glare at the bleachers behind him. He loses the serious expression almost immediately, waving at Jonouchi in greeting while the whale splashes back into the water behind him. He's also doing some sort of squat-dance or something, much like how Jonouchi runs with a wide stance when he's meant to project a goofy persona. *shrug*

Jonouchi greets Ryota excitedly, asking him how he's been. Ryota asks if he remembers Duelist Kingdom, which, duh, and Jonouchi is stoked to learn this bud from the other tournament is also in Battle City. Anzu interrupts their bro-union to ask what Ryota is doing in the aquarium, since the duels are supposed to take place in the streets. Jeez lady, can't a guy take a break? Ryota is aware the duels are supposed to happen outside, but he's never been to an aquarium before.

For reals, guys. The guy who is all about fish has never been to an aquarium. It becomes pretty apparent why when he exclaims that this is a huge fish tank and he just wants to pick the killer whale out of his tank and fry him on a grill. Yeah, not appropriate. Anzu and Jonouchi sweat drop at the terms "fish tank" and "grill" in this conservationist context.

Anzu informs Ryota with some annoyance that people come to aquariums to SEE fish and not eat them, but she clearly hasn't been to the aquarium in Denver. The seafood is pretty intricate for a landlocked state, is all I'm saying. Ryota says with some incredulity that it's pretty weird for city folks to pay just to SEE fish, and he is NOT wrong. He then says he can show them all the fish they want if they come to his sea. And I'm sure he has some beachfront property he'd like to sell me in the Sahara.

Ryota turns to Jonouchi, assuming that Jonouchi must love fish more than he thought to be getting all up in the aquarium, and Jonouchi throws a mini-fit, insisting he's not there to look at fish. He shows off the Duel Disk on his arm, stating that he's there to duel. Ryota points at himself, as if there was anyone else there that Jonouchi could be wanting to challenge, so Jonouchi has to clarify that yes, it is him he's looking for.

Of course, this cracks Ryota up, because he's sure Jonouchi can't stand a chance against his sea deck. Jonouchi is hunched and fuming when he begins to give this "seafood freak" a talking to. Ryota doesn't need the lecture after all, though, accepting Jonouchi's challenge, which Jonouchi perks up at in less than a second.

Sure you guys don't want to step out of that aquarium and into the arena that Anzu suggested, the stree- oh... Oh never mind, here is probably safer.

Audience members are baffled by the hijacking of the killer whale show. One of them suggests it's an opening act, while a child tells his mommy he has to pee. Overall, they seem pretty uninterested in this whole dueling thing. Jonouchi makes the mistake of thinking the audience is his, though, and that it's not bad to be the center of attention. Any second now, the real trainer is going to come out to start the show and see these two children playing a card game right in front of the killer whale tank.

Just kidding, if there's one thing I've learned from reading this comic, it's that adults don't exist until they're incompetent or villains. Sometimes both.

Ryota holds up his puzzle cards, stating that he and Jonouchi each have four. This chapter is just FULL of conveniences, isn't it? Ryota suggests that they each bet two, so the winner can advance to the finals from there. Jonouchi sweetens the pot by proposing that they each bet two rare cards as well. Ryota must have agreed to this, because the next panel is the two of them facing off, getting ready and set for their match, with the four rare cards as ante show at the bottom. Jonouchi has put up Jinzo and Insect Queen, and Ryota a couple of cards called Fortress Whale and Leviathan. I'm gonna call him Levi.

Because of course the killer whale would jump at that exact moment with no provocation. But I love how that kid in the upper left just gives no fucks. He came here to see a killer whale dammit! It's all he cares about!

Proof that this world doesn't ENTIRELY revolve around card games. Just mostly.

Jonouchi thinks that if he wins this duel, he can fulfill his promise to Yami. Ryota thinks about the rumors he heard that Jonouchi got pretty far in Duelist Kingdom based on pure luck, and he'll get to see for himself how Jonouchi really is. And with that, Jonouchi declares he's going first. He plays a face down card, giggling behind his hand about how it's Chasm with Spikes, just giddy with the prospect of Ryota falling into the trap by attacking. He also pulls another card out of his hand to play in defense, Swordsman of Landstar. Ryota hums, frowning.

A grinning Jonouchi is already plotting his next move in the next panel, a sacrifice of Swordsman of Landstar to summon Giltia the D. Knight. What does the "D." stand for? Probably not what you're thinking. I'm not sure if I want to give credit to Jonouchi for trying to think ahead in this duel, or yell at him for not considering what could happen between the end of his turn now and the beginning of his next. I guess I'll reserve judgment and let Jonouchi think that it's on for the time being.

Ryota laughs, declaring it's his turn, but he becomes somewhat reserved for a moment when he considers Jonouchi's face down card. He decides not to rush it, and plays Flying Fish in defense instead. If only Pegasus could be around to see how Dr. Seuss this all just got. He'd be so happy...

Jonouchi asks Ryota if he thinks he can fight him with fish, because in contrast, there's some super strong warriors up in Jonouchi's deck. Jonouchi even offers to show Ryota, though I'm pretty sure he was planning being showy anyway, with the flourishing way he's drawing a card. He does exactly what he planned, sacrificing Landstar to bring Giltia out.

... That... is about par.

Ryota recoils, having not been aware that Jonouchi is into tentacle porn such gross monsters. In his defense, this IS Japan, after all. Meanwhile, Jonouchi is hunched in what looks to be embarrassment. I too am embarrassed, for poor KT, who appears not to have remembered his own rules for how Parasite Paraside works, because in the last duel it appeared it had to have been DRAWN before its effects were forced on the player. I guess now it just has to be around or something.

The kids sitting on the bleachers are laughing or questioning what the hell that thing Jonouchi summoned is, and all the while, Anzu and Sugoroku look on with an ill sort of pity. Ryota claims this is quite enough, thank you very much, and activates a trap called Torrential Tribute, washing away the monstrosity with a wave of water. Ryota slouches as he stares dumbfounded at Jonouchi, thinking that this is the easiest duel he's ever played.

Outside, guess who pulls up to the aquarium on his bike to greet the two Ghouls standing guard near the entrance? No, it's not Ashley Katchedourian. It's Marik, whose minions proceed to tell that they've been waiting for him, and the guy he's looking for is inside. No shit. Marik grabs his Millennium Rod from his belt loop at the back and proceeds to think that anyone who touches it will become subject to his mind control powers. Is that killer whale audience in his head now? What's he telling himself this for?

Anyway, Marik is convinced that Jonouchi will soon be his, and I was only kidding about that porn thing earlier, guys, I didn't realize it would be a plot point. What next? Someone needs to pay for pizza and doesn't have any money?

No, something much more forced.

I'm sure that plan DOESN'T involve bondage, no siree.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It seemed incredibly LONG to me. Yes, part of my taking a while to come out with this new post was due to recovering from illness (which makes the cold open a rather moot point, pun intended), and another part is that I'm finding it difficult to concentrate in the mornings anymore. Still there was a big part of it that has to do with the fact that KT has fallen back on his old habit of throwing in too much dialogue and not enough actual action. When Marik arrived at the aquarium is a prime example of things that don't need to be said at this very moment, if at all. Marik was watching through the eyes of his ghouls, so you would think they'd know better than to tell him information he, and more importantly, WE, already know. And the condition of touching the Millennium Rod in order to be affected by its powers is useful to know, but it might have been better conveyed through other means later on.

Earlier in the chapter, we got information that was kind of vital to our understanding of what was going on, like the duelist locator on the Duel Disk and Bakura's possession of an occult deck of cards, but it was given a little late and in the wrong context for it to be a proper set-up. If we wanted that duelist locator to be a thing Jonouchi eventually used, that information SHOULD have been given to him a long time ago by someone who wouldn't forget to take a card that actively hurts him out of his deck. If Jonouchi is too oblivious to get rid of Parasite Paracide, he's not going to figure out that there's a duelist locator on his complicated dueling machinery by himself. I just don't buy it.

What we have in this chapter is multiple examples of rushed and inadequate explanations for how everything is falling into place, and I'm forced to think that KT just didn't bother to think about how he was going to get everyone in their proper roles until the start of this very chapter. That's troublesome for immersion because a reader can be thrown out of the story by the author making it painfully obvious that they didn't think about how the characters would get where they needed to be at this point. It's pretty sloppy.

But hey, Marik running over random citizens is pretty entertaining, eh?