Inuyasha Manga: 138 Why I Let Them Escape

That's a memoir that will be on the New York Times Bestseller List. From her compulsive fondling of a young man's ears as he's pinned presumably dead to a tree, to the defense of a known serial murderer of whole villages in his quest to recover a single shard of the Shikon no Tama, Kagome Higurashi's discernment of each situation she comes across in feudal Japan must be deep and educated. No doubt the her reasons are much more nuanced than your average insecure 15-year-old who is just really flattered by a spontaneous love declaration.

Yes, getting into Kagome's head on this matter will be all too enlightening.

A closer look at Inuyasha shows him recoiled slightly, heart pounding and sweat on his brow as he wonders why on earth Kagome could protect a guy like Kouga. To be honest, I'm not certain even SHE has any idea why. Since when do teenagers have solid reasons for doing anything, really?

Kouga pushes himself up off Kagome's lap, trembling with the effort, though he insists that his wounds aren't a big deal. He staggers toward Inuyasha as he holds his shredded arm, calling Inuyasha a wimp before he lunges for him with his one good fist drawn back. He claims that a good left hook would destroy Inuyasha. Inuyasha readies his fist too, because he's fully prepared to call Kouga's bluff, but the bullshit doesn't last long enough for them to meet. Kouga collapses, chin in the dirt, from dizziness. Kagome gapes at his fall, half-leaning forward as Kouga's tail flutters down with the rest of him.

Kouga's youkai wolves stare in much the same manner, Two-Tone calling Kouga's name in concern, and Mohawk despairing that it's no use in his condition. He's completely unable to fight, which means Inuyasha's continued advance forward with claws extended, telling Kouga to prepare to die, is going to be certain.

So Kagome tells him to sit. 

Avoiding getting too kissy with his side girl while Kagome's looking, I see.

Inuyasha-loves-the-ground jokes aside, I've noticed him making that gesture with his hands all throughout this manga, presented as a sort of reflexive thing? It doesn't seem like something your fingers should do when colliding with something naturally, so I wonder if this is some sort of bit. A cultural joke I'm not savvy to? *shrug*

Anyway, Kagome turns to Mohawk and Two-Tone, urging them to get away from there in a hurry. They seem a bit taken aback by this taking a moment to gape at Kagome, but agree nonetheless. Both of them kneel beside Kouga and pull him to his feet, barking at him to scram with them. A whole crowd of wolf youkai carry Kouga off like he's crowd-surfing into the distance. Inuyasha yells after the bastards to wait, like they would be so inclined.

Well, one of them was, anyway. Kouga demands to be let go, so he can waste the dog-turd, but Two-Tone snaps at him not to try anything like that now. He reminds Kouga that Inuyasha isn't a NORMAL opponent, because one swing of Tessaiga felled the Gokurakuchou boss when their pack had trouble with just the normal ones. One slash and the boss was torn apart.

Kouga can't argue with this, and just curses, sweating. He silently warns Inuyasha not to think this will end here, and it sounds a little like a warning to the audience as well. A big sign that says, "LOOK OUT: IDIOCY AHEAD."

... Awkward sauce. Kagome leans over ever so slightly so she can see Inuyasha's chin still propped in the dirt, and he's giving her a pretty hefty glare. Inuyasha breaks their silence by begging the question the title advertises the answer to; why did Kagome let those wolves escape anyway? She stumbles over an explanation, saying that Kouga was injured and claiming that they aren't bad people at heart.

Inuyasha fumes about her assessment at first, then sits up and gets right in her face. He asks if she wasn't at all frightened after being KIDNAPPED, a fair question. Again, she stammers, rationalizing that they protected her in general, and how they weren't completely violent or anything. Okay, Patty Hearst. Whatever you say.

Sango observes that Kagome appears to have become rather sympathetic to her kidnappers in such a short time, and Miroku assumes it would be hard to hate someone who makes grand declarations of love toward one. Inuyasha crouches in the foreground, looking surly, before he stands and scoffs. Kagome looks up at him and says his name in entreaty, asking him to wait a moment as he turns his back, but he tells her to shut it.

Miroku approaches Kagome, apologizing for bothering her when she's all BUSY and everything, but reminds her that there's work to do. She looks confused before the chopped corpse of the Gokurakuchou is shown and Kagome picks a Shikon shard from somewhere in the carnage. She and Miroku sit and take inventory, because the Gokurakuchou had one shard, and then took one from Kouga's arm as well. Sango suggests that he and his wolf buddies will come to take it back, and Miroku agrees without hesitation.

Kagome voices a concern that Inuyasha and Kouga will try to kill each other when they meet again, to which Miroku and Sango respond with a "DUH" while looking at her like she's the dumbest human being on the planet. She sweat-drops, a little unnerved by their quick, blunt answers. I guess she's expecting a little support for her delusions of civility? I don't know. Anyway, Sango tells Kagome that she should go and cheer Inuyasha up. When Kagome gives her a questioning look, Sango informs her that Inuyasha was really worried about her. Miroku says with a deadpan expression that he kinda feels sorry for the guy. Kagome turns to look at where Inuyasha is sitting, wordless but with concern.

But at least you didn't see a puddy tat.

Kagome sits next to him and he eyes her with irritation, but then looks the other way when she begins to speak. She puts on a sweet smile, thanking him for saving her and apologizing for making him worry. Like the little snot he is, he scoffs and theorizes that maybe it would have been better if he hadn't come to save her after all. Understandably, Kagome makes a confused noise, so Inuyasha elaborates that she was taken in by Kouga's sweet talk and was persuaded to beg for his life because of it. Kagome stares at him blankly, seemingly clueless about what "sweet talk" could mean, until she brings up herself the fact that Kouga said he loved her, and asks dumbly if THIS is what Inuyasha was worried about.

Inuyasha twitches and struggles to speak for a moment, and then shoots to his feet, asking Kagome what she could possibly mean by that question, and yelling that of COURSE he totally wasn't worried about it. Kagome sees right through this and knows he actually was, yet in the next panel she wonders if he could be jealous. I don''t know, can you think of any other reason that he might care so much about a potential rival and then deny it vehemently? Don't act humble now, Kagome, it just looks like stupidity at the moment.

Standing there fuming, Inuyasha continues to glare at her, so Kagome attempts to sooth him by saying she doesn't have the same feelings for Kouga. Inuyasha snaps that no one asked her about that, then sits down in a huff and demands the conversation stops there because he's fed up, despite Kagome starting to protest to his overly defensive bullshit. They sit in uncomfortable silence for a moment, Inuyasha haughty and cross-armed, Kagome looking a bit harried and tired. Only for a moment though. Inuyasha says a plain "hey" to get her attention again, and when she asks what's up, he looks her dead in the face and questions what really happened with Kouga.

Oh boy.

I-is that a volcano? Shit, girl.

Inuyasha's sweating shock at Kagome's outburst is overrun by a new wave of anger as he demands to know why she has to get so angry with him, and calls her an idiot for good measure. She accuses him of jumping to perverted conclusions as her explanation, screaming right back in his face. He yells at her to shut up again, and says he doesn't want to look at her anymore.

And just like that, Kagome's expression springs back to a mild one with raised eyebrows. After a pause, she utters a resigned phrase, then closes her eyes, brows back down again, and calls to Sango behind her. When Sango answers, Kagome asks to borrow Kirara. Sango asks where she's headed as she lays a leading hand on Kirara's back. Inuyasha scoffs and says that Kagome must want to pay Kouga a little visit.

You should be. You've already eaten dirt once today, you want another mouthful?

Shot of Tokyo. Kagome is laying sprawled on her bed and lets out a frustrated exclamation. She wonders what's up with dumb old Inuyasha, and promises to not go back until he comes to get her. But, recalling how he said he didn't want to look at her, she rolls over and presses her face into the pillow worrying that perhaps he won't be getting her after all. The cat leans her chin on Kagome's back, no doubt thinking they're just lazing about.

Back beyond the well, Kaede is confused as to why it's NEWS that Kagome and Inuyasha are fighting, asking if that isn't normal by now. The answer is yes, yes it is. However, because Shippou is young and even the most mundane bullshit is novel to him, he pouts that this fight wasn't like their normal ones.

Maybe Shippou is getting his bad feelings and his stupid feelings mixed up. I do that sometimes too.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? There's not much to analyze here, which should surprise no one, of course. This is just what it says on the tin, honestly. Girl does something that boy thinks is suspiciously kind to a guy he doesn't like, boy starts jumping to asshole conclusions while girl tries to explain her reasoning, boy refuses to accept this as the truth, girl gets angry, rinse repeat. I've already touched upon how this is just a reversal on the Inuyasha/Kikyou/Kagome issue before as well. In a way, Kaede is right; this is about as normal as it gets.

But, Shippou isn't exactly wrong here either. The shoe is on the other foot with this one, and Inuyasha reacts a lot differently to a perceived romantic threat than Kagome. While she might get mad and surly with Inuyasha, she tries to suppress that urge to scream and yell, regardless of how successful she is in the end. Inuyasha jumps straight to the confrontation, a lot eager to pick a fight. He doesn't even have the rudimentary inclination to stew in his anger rather than force it on everyone else. Once again, his social ineptitude combined with stubbornness is a big part of why this fight is so much different.

Another part is that Kagome has come to empathize with a guy who was openly hostile to them right off the bat, all the villagers he and his murdered notwithstanding. Kouga insulted him and kidnapped Kagome, and letting him escape after all that seems like she's validating Kouga's behavior. Condoning it even. It would be hard for him to separate the kind part of Kagome who is trying to avoid an injured guy from being slaughtered in cold blood (by her almost/kind of boyfriend who should not be so cold as that to boot) and the insecure part of him that can't be sure she's not just identifying with Kouga's hatred for him.

Not to mention, Kagome's explanation just... wasn't all that convincing. Perhaps Miroku's somewhat right as well. Maybe she's been swayed at least a LITTLE by flattery. Stranger things have happened.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 196 An Important Item

Pshaw. If it were THAT important, Yuugi would have arranged a will regarding its inheritance upon his inevitably young death, with a lawyer and everything. I mean, the thing IS made of solid fucking gold. Just handing it over to a near, dear friend in the moments prior to demise is not going to cut it. There WILL be disputes, long hours in court bickering over what so-and-so is entitled to under the law, and asshole!Bakura won't hesitate to drag THAT process out even more. A legal document would have been so much more cut-and-dry.

Poor planning, Yuugi. Poor planning.

"Yuugi, I appreciate the effort, but I don't think this matches the 'punk-ass street kid' aesthetic I'm trying to project here."

Yuugi explains that he's not capable of reducing Jonouchi's life points to zero no matter the circumstances, so he requests that Jonouchi hold onto the Millennium Puzzle for him. Jonouchi stares in shock, teeth clenched. He watches Yuugi slouch back to his side of the dock, both wordless, as Yuugi's chain rattles along the anchor hanging above. Mentally, Yuugi acknowledges the timer on the bomb for the anchor, which has around twenty minutes left on it, in which time it'll explode if neither he nor Jonouchi have won by that point and drop the anchor to drown them both.

But Yuugi thinks he's not going to give up until the end, even though it sure SEEMS like he's already thrown in the towel. He's still banking on bringing back Jonouchi's heart within the time limit for the chance to survive. He begs the injured Red Eyes lying on the dock to help him if it still has some power left.

So there both players are, sweating, looking ragged with rings around their eyes, though Yuugi only has 700 points to Jonouchi's 3100. Marik's apparition behind Jonouchi looks fucking furious, ordering Jonouchi to take off that puzzle and destroy the disgusting thing along with Yami's soul trapped inside. Don't know how he'd destroy the thing, necessarily, but maybe he could throw it in the water? Jonouchi grips the chain of the puzzle, pressing both sides extending from it, effectively cinching it up and making it HARDER to remove. Marik doesn't seem to notice, though, rationalizing that Yuugi's giving it to them means that he's surrendering. He's suddenly smirking again, too, which makes me aware of how many mood swings he's displayed in his short time in the story thus far. The highs and lows are extreme, dude.

Possessed!Jonouchi has on a little grin now too, muttering about a win while Marik mumbles in his brain that they've won as well. Jonouchi laughs, tearing the Millennium Puzzle from his neck (still cinched up, BTDubz, so I'm not entirely sure HOW) and says he wins while Yuugi stares at him. He looks like he doesn't have the energy to be much more than concerned, so this ordeal must be taking its toll.

Marik instructs possessed!Jonouchi to take apart the puzzle and throw it into the sea, convinced that this ritualistic dismemberment of Yami will ease his hatred of 1000 years. But then he tells possessed!Jonouchi to send Yuugi to hell after that, which doesn't really suggest that his hatred will be eased too terribly much by that point if you ask me. Marik makes like it's mercy, sending a friend to die with Yami so he won't feel so alone, but I don't buy it. Guy just gets his kicks from murdering by this point, I'm guessing.

Possessed!Jonouchi pops the face-piece of the puzzle off the front, with the Eye of Horus on it, and weighs it in his palm. Yuugi looks on, eyelids drooping, like he's ready to pass out. Holding out the piece and grinning on it like a weirdo, possessed!Jonouchi listens to Marik egging him on to throw that piece into the ocean, that way there can be no way to take the action back. Hmmmm, I seem to recall a similar action by Jonouchi with this VERY piece of the puzzle. I wonder when THAT happened?

I don't know, let's see if Jonouchi can fill in the blanks for me.

If he wasn't crazy then, he is now...

Jonouchi recalls the puzzle piece floating down through the pool water, which is weird because he wasn't in the pool to see that. A series of less nonsensical recollections come back to him, though, including laughing from the window above the pool that it was fun throwing the piece in, claiming that Yuugi deserves this for taking forever putting the damn thing together anyway as Honda praises him for being such a douchebag, being beaten up by that anti-bullying bully, watching Yuugi get beaten up in turn for trying to defend them, rising from the pool where he had retrieved the piece he threw, and a phrase, a riddle about something you can show but can't see.

Back in the present, Jonouchi is still standing frozen with his arm wound up for a throw, but he hums, unable to follow through. His hand refuses to move from that spot in the air, much to his surprise. He brings his fist down out of the sky, cradling it in his other hand, doubled over again. Jonouchi opens his hand to regard the puzzle piece inside.

Dammit Jonouchi, you should have gone before you got handcuffed to that anchor!

Yuugi's eyes are open wide again as he gapes at Jonouchi and mutters his name in amazement. Jonouchi holds the rest of the puzzle in one hand to push the piece he took out back into its face, then loops the chain back around his neck. Marik's pendulum points back at furious, and he demands to know why Jonouchi didn't follow his order.

Jonouchi grunts that he's a duelist, and the hatred of 3000 years, or 1000, whichever the story thinks is best I guess, doesn't concern him. He states that the outcome of the duel is all that matters, looking across at Yuugi again. Marik's brows contract in offense, and the next panel shows his overbearing presence looking down on Jonouchi with extreme judgy-face. And I do mean judgy. He decides it's not necessary to keep Jonouchi alive anymore, and he'll be the next to be gotten rid of along with the Millennium Puzzle. Wait, wait, wait! Is he telling me that it was NECESSARY to spare Jonouchi's life before?

... Why?

Whatever, possessed!Jonouchi says it's time for Yuugi to pick a card! Any card! Yuugi pauses to give Jonouchi a critical stare, though, knowing that Marik's influence has loosened a bit. With fourteen minutes left on the clock, Yuugi renews his vow not to give up until he's brought Jonouchi's heart to its senses. He shouts that it's his turn, as possessed!Jonouchi already informed him, and rips a card out of his Duel Disk in a very Yami-esque manner. When he looks at it, he appears a little exhausted again, sweating.

He manages to take stock of the field again, though, and notes that Jonouchi's attack positioned Rocket Warrior is likely to transform into a rocket again when Jonouchi's turn comes back around. Yuugi says that Yami must use the cards the same way he does, though I'm not entirely sure what that means. Regardless, he slaps two cards face down on his Duel Disk and plays Beta Magnet Warrior in attack position. With that, he ends his turn.

The next panel shows the contrasting attack points between Rocket Warrior and the newly weakened Red Eyes Black Dragon, 1700 and 900 respectively. Possessed!Jonouchi announces that it's his turn as Marik tells him to kill Yuugi on this turn. He draws a card, Marik yakking on about how Yuugi missed his chance to change Red Eyes to defense with its points this low. Possessed!Jonouchi has his own train of thought on using the Panther Warrior he just drew to bring down Red Eyes. Murder echoes through his head as he glares at Yuugi across from him. I feel like this panel isn't going well with the horror movie I watched last night.

Yuugi doesn't look nearly as disturbed as I feel, though. Good for him. He's instead giving Jonouchi a glare of his own, though not malicious in the slightest. I'm not sure Yuugi's even CAPABLE of looking malicious.

Marik impatiently tells Jonouchi to kill Red Eyes, and possessed!Jonouchi complies, screaming for Panther Warrior to attack. It jumps at the 900-point Red Eyes Black Dragon, with its threatening 2000 point dagger in hand. Yuugi grimaces at the oncoming attack, Jonouchi looks lethargically forward, and Marik grits his teeth in fury and disbelief.

Turns out that Panther Warrior wasn't heading for Red Eyes at all, but the Magnet Warrior instead. To make the situation all the more frustrating for Marik, Yuugi reveals one of his face down cards, Magic Arm, a pair of symbols on a latticed arm that he took from Jonouchi in their card exchange. Both Marik and possessed!Jonouchi look on in shock.

After the Rocket Warrior shoots right through Panther Warrior, possessed!Jonouchi notes that his panther's attack has been reduced by 1500, much like that of Red Eyes. Yuugi quickly declares it's his turn, draws a card, and offers up his Beta Magnet Warrior as a sacrifice. With this, he summons a big demon bat-winged dude called Gilfar, which freaks Jonouchi right the fuck out.

Yuugi shouts at his Gilfar to attack the Rocket Warrior.

Fuck, one of those two things better happen soon! I'm getting super antsy here!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? All of Jonouchi's refusals to take opportunities to hurt Yuugi or beat him seem to have given Yuugi a new lease on life, given that he starts to perk up quite a bit after each one. Every time, he reiterates his insistence on fighting to his last life point, and bringing Jonouchi's heart back, and every time that affirmation gets a bit stronger. He doesn't seem nearly as willing to bite the dust as he did in the previous chapter, so I get the impression that he's starting to see how effective his efforts really are, and how successful his experiment is. He may even be coming to figure out that Jonouchi's increased disobedience might be signs that he finds Yuugi too valuable to let go of. Which is a seriously happy thought to me in the midst of this miserable mini-arc, let me tell you.

What Jonouchi's tiny acts of resistance also give me is a sense of intensity to this struggle. With how slow the progress is, you would think it would get a bit boring, but instead, you're struck with awe at the simultaneous dissemination of two facts. The first is that Marik is not a weakling. His influence is strong, and it's taking every ounce of Jonouchi's energy to fight his suggestions. Even in his disobedience, he still has the surly attitude given him by Marik's unbridled hatred seeping into his brain. The second fact is that Jonouchi's affection for Yuugi is too strong to be poisoned by that same hatred, and that hatred is LOSING. Because of the slow nature of this defeat, though, we're seeing a really intense psychological battle.

The only real issues I had with the chapter were the physics of taking off the puzzle, and Marik's statement that he would no longer try to keep Jonouchi alive. The second more so than the first. Again, why would he be TRYING to keep this pawn alive to begin with? Did he think he would just continue to use Jonouchi as a pawn after this point, much like his "doll" from before? A possibility, but after he decides he's not interested in saving Jonouchi for uncertain nefarious purposes in the indefinite future, why did he even have him continue to duel? Why not just wait out the clock? What does it matter at this point? All the people he hates, both directly and peripherally, would be dragged into the sea if he just had Jonouchi sit back and refuse to take his turn.

Of course, given how hard Jonouchi is fighting him right now, that also wouldn't work, but it would make sense for him to TRY that track, at least.

Inuyasha Manga: 137 A Strong Man

Uh-oh, is insecure in their masculinity? Did somebody get their pride hurt in a pointless pissing contest? Unless, of course, the pissing contest is interrupted by an issue a bit more pressing. Can't imagine what could be more pressing at the moment, though. There's only a murder-bird wandering around free. That shouldn't be an issue, right?

Here I am being sarcastic again. And I don't even have any bread to concentrate on this time. Darn it.

... Girls, girls. You're BOTH pretty.

Kouga lands in a crouch and palms on thighs, way behind Inuyasha because Inuyasha just charged right underneath him when he jumped in the air. Inuyasha growls and whips around when asked what he's so pissed off about. He says that Kagome would be happier if she came with him, rather than with the weak Dog-Turd. Inuyasha insists that the idea that Kouga is stronger than him is laughable, but he doesn't LOOK like he's about to bust up.

Kagome yells up at them to stop fighting, because she hasn't been hurt or anything.

"I don't care whether or not you're all right! It's all about pounding my chest like a movie gorilla!"

Kouga is thinking along the same lines, wanting to waste Inuyasha to ensure Kagome doesn't have any inexplicable lingering feelings for some other guy. I hate to tell you, bro, but you have NO IDEA how feelings work if you think they disappear the moment the person they're for bites the dust. Ignorance never stopped morons, though, and Kouga cracks his knuckles in preparation. What is it with all these dudes and cracking their knuckles anyway?

With a grin, Kouga bids Kagome just wait a little longer to be free to fall in love with him. Kagome is dumbfounded, wearing a blank expression and speechless. Sango delivers the greatest understatement of the chapter by calling Kouga a "pushy" guy, and Miroku corrects her, saying it's just that Kouga has a very envious attitude. I would use the term "entitled little piss-ant", but that's just me.

Inuyasha has veins popping all over his head and is grinding his teeth. He mocks the way this bastard Kouga says Kagome's name, and then leaps at him, screaming not to call to Kagome with such familiarity. Tessaiga cleaves a load of rock, but Kouga has jumped over the blow again, hanging in the air as he scoffs at Inuyasha. He's undoubtedly seeing the problem Inuyasha has had with his aim for the ENTIRE SERIES.

One point to the guy in the furry skirt.

He readies the arm sporting the Shikon fragment and threatens to take Inuyasha's head clean off, but Inuyasha barely dodges the blow. Below, Kagome is struck by a sudden feeling, and yells at both the guys fighting over her to watch the fuck out, because she senses a Shikon fragment right above them.

See what happens when you're distracted by petty bullshit? You get attacked by giant demon bird things. That's what happens.

The next panel shows what the page above leaves out, the headless torso still streaming blood from its severed neck on the right side of the living twin, who's screaming about how someone killed him. Kouga is somehow caught unawares, literally, by the giant teeth of the bird body of the vengeful torso above. His arm spurts blood, and Two-Toned yells Kouga's name at the sight while Kagome gapes in horror.

The newly lone gokurakuchou promises to bite Kouga's arm off, but you get the feeling Kouga's not really listening because he's being dragged through the sky by his arm and his elbow pointing the wrong way and oh shit the pain. All he utters is a groan, though. He swings a leg up and into the teeth pinning him and shatters them with the extra strength of his kick, calling the gokurakuchou a bastard in the process. More like only child, but do they even have a word for someone without a brother like bastard? I don't know why they would.

Kouga yanks his bleeding arm from remaining teeth, and a small glow is left behind. It's the Shikon shard, that Kagome describes to a gaping audience as having been taken, but I feel like it wasn't so much as fortuitously scraped loose. Ah, the inexact nature of language. Kouga falls, bouncing off the side of the mountain as he goes, and lands smack on his back at the base with Kagome leading the charge to his side. She and his wolf pack are calling his name in concern, but he pushes himself to his knees and yells at them not to come near him. Kagome protests that his injuries are too terrible NOT to flock to while the wolf youkai all gape at Kouga in confusion, but he explains he's the gokurakuchou's only target, and it's heading down for another attack.

The gokurakuchou chuckles, planning to eat both of Kouga's legs now. No doubt the yummy magic rocks in each one are his motivation.

Kouga demands to know what Dog-Turd is doing, and Inuyasha twists to snap at him to shut up and be overawed by true power. Well, isn't YOUR ego big for a guy who just couldn't manage to get a hit in a couple of seconds ago? Inuyasha holds a wide stance with Tessaiga held out in front of him as the gokurakuchou speeds down at him.

He smells the youki, which the chapter defines of youkai energy, being carried, and therefore senses the method that brings out the technique he just learned. He's still at the stage where it's really new, and he's got to go through every step in his head, so it doesn't come as any surprise when he has to say the name of it at the end as he's following through on the swing of his sword.

That's the face of a guy who realizes he narrowly avoided a really fucked up end.

Kouga's wolf youkai are in awe as well, recapping the gokurakuchou's split into a million pieces through their wide gapes. As the gokurakuchou's flesh rains down in front of him, Inuyasha scoffs. Now that the interference has been eliminated, he swings around, ready to finish settling things between him and Kouga. His invitation to continue their business isn't received well, though.

I can't IMAGINE why, Miroku.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? As annoyed as I am by the continued high school boy awkward fight, I can't help but be a little intrigued by the the triangle set up here between all three players. Kouga has picked a fight with two enemies, one of which he takes seriously, and the other he doesn't. The one he doesn't take seriously can't lay so much as a scratch on him while they're scrapping, and the one he does is quick to injure him and get one of his valuable assets in the process. All of this suggests that Kouga was right to consider the gokurakuchou the bigger threat, but then the LESSER threat swoops in and takes out the bigger one with a single move.

These separate fights aren't really about who's stronger, as the title misleadingly suggests. This isn't Dragonball Z, after all. It's about what the fight is worth. When Kouga and Inuyasha are grappling over Kagome's affection, the stakes just aren't there, for anyone involved. Kagome said herself that she's not hurt, so there's no reason for them to be pissing at each other. They only continue to do so because Inuyasha is already riled up and Kouga is trolling him. Neither one of them have any reason to give it their all.

But the gokurakuchou is really going for Kouga's life. That's where Kouga's drama is, and that's where he's got the most to lose in terms of his actual ambition. In turn, if Kouga is killed by the gokurakuchou, Inuyasha won't get to defeat Kouga in any capacity, so he has to get it out of the way in order to pick up where he left off. Since this is a real life-or-death situation, the stakes are a bit higher, and Inuyasha can actually put in more effort.

Not to mention, the audience has already been presented with Kouga's characterization, giving him the reason to be at their current fighting ring to begin with. If Inuyasha just mowed him down in the middle of the war Kouga started, it would just make us like Inuyasha less rather than establish who's stronger. Gotta keep our main character in good standing with the readers.

As for how Kagome ended up sticking up for the injured Kouga and Inuyasha got so flabbergasted... I think that's an explanation that will go better at the end of the next chapter. Drawing all I can from just two panels when I know damn well that a whole chapter covering just this subject is coming up next would just be silly.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 195 Decision of Another Yuugi

Wait, there's ANOTHER one?? How many Yuugis does there have to be? There's already one to win all the duels and one to be the sweet cinnamon roll that is overcome with social anxiety, so seems like we should have our bases covered here. What, do we need one more to second-guess Yuugi-prime's decisions some more or something? Or did we just need a new personality to clean the bathroom?

Yes, yes, I know I'm still working with the translation of a translation here, and my sarcasm may be a little unfair. Still, I've got to take openings for jokes where I can, especially when things are looking dire.

And boy are they looking dire. The panel following this one features possessed!Jonouchi still grinning, scoffing at Yuugi and telling him his attack was useless, despite his points being reduced to 3100. He threatens to use his next turn to use an illegal magic card and wipe out the rest of Yuugi's life points. Why he still needs to clarify that the cards he's using are illegal is beyond me. Maybe he thinks it makes him sound edgier? Breakin' the law? I don't know.

Yuugi, with his 1300 life points, stands staunch and with a determined look on his face, though the smudges beneath his eyes make his prior tears obvious. He's also still wearing his puzzle, so we can recap that dramatic moment when he refuses to let Yami take over again in his panic about Yuugi being in danger. Yuugi takes the puzzle off and gives Yami one last statement: to let him duel to the very end. Yami is clearly terrified, calling to Yuugi desperately.

Instead of dropping the puzzle in steely defiance, Yuugi cradles it in his hands and starts to explain himself. He recalls how he made a wish on the Millennium Puzzle for a friend, and received Yami's courageous spirit in his mind, and making his friends thereafter. He questions whether he would have still been a coward had Yami never come into his life, a worry that's been plaguing him for a long time. He says that this is the reason why he has to use his own power to bring Jonouchi's heart back.

Yami calls to Yuugi once more, looking shocked and horrified, but Yuugi once again requests that he just be still and watch. Yami is practically screaming at Yuugi that this duel is crucial enough that he could lose his life along with the duel, but Yuugi responds calmly that he understands that well. He will believe in Jonouchi until the very end regardless. Yami quiets down a moment, looking somewhere between crestfallen and surly. Then, when he opens his mouth again, he can only tell Yuugi that he HAS to survive.

Yeah, he sure needed advice on that, bro. Great use of your potential last words to him.

Nevertheless, Yuug agrees with a curt nod, but still clings to the Millennium Puzzle's chain. He thanks Yami, but acknowledges that if he keeps the puzzle off of him, Yami can't interrupt him by exchanging minds unexpectedly.

Shit, you say it like that and he sounds like a fucking parasite. It seemed more like a symbiotic thing to me, but I guess you would know better than I would...

He looks extra constipated when he states that it's just his duel from now on. Yami must have been the laxative in this relationship. Yuugi's poop-face sure looks a whole lot more intense whenever he's out of the picture. Possessed!Jonouchi complains about how long Yuugi has been ignoring him in favor of deep thought, and suggests that he can think about it after he's died. I guess that's a variation on the "sleep when I'm dead" saying. Except it's stupid and makes no sense.

Possessed!Jonouchi declares his turn and immediately launches an attack at Yuugi with a card that apparently produces enough light to wash out Yuugi's terrified face in the next panel. It's the fireball card again, falling from the sky and engulfing Yuugi at possessed!Jonouchi's command to directly attack. Yuugi is knocked back, screaming, while his life points go down to 700. A dazed Jonouchi is listening to Marik's commands in his head once more, just more iterations of the same "kill Yuugi and let him and his puzzle drown in the ocean" bit.

Yuugi continues to tumble along the dock, making me wonder just how long the damn thing is, as Mokuba shouts his name.  Kaiba chances a concerned look over his shoulder and is shocked to see that Yuugi has gotten rid of that puzzle, and of the OPINION that he has to lose now that he's not wearing it. Fuck you, Kaiba, I disagree.

Smoke streaming from him, Yuugi lays dazed on his shoulder, pretty beat up. Jonouchi stares at him listlessly.

I don't know, Shizuka, you tell me.

She remembers how baby versions of herself and her brother used to walk along these streets, and tilts her head up toward the buildings around her, really wanting to see the city again. Meanwhile, Honda and Ryuji are talking. Honda tells him about his deduction derived from hearing the ship's horn; he thinks their friends are at the docks. He's concerned about the distance, though, and leans closer to Ryuji to ask if he can pay for a taxi, reminding him who paid for their trip into the city. Ryuji protests, because he paid for all of his own travel, thank you very much.

So, Honda tells them that they'll have to walk otherwise. Shizuka identifies this as a 40-minute walk, or thereabouts, and she doesn't seem happy about it, what with all the exclamation and question marks attached to the statement. Ryuji asks Honda which of them will carry Shizuka, and their eyes immediately flash in imminent competitiveness. They agree to decide by a game of rock-paper-scissors, though it's not clear whether the winner or loser is going to carry Shizuka - I guess it might depend on how much they like her.

Right as he and Ryuji shoot, Honda plays scissors, but is distracted by a laughing behind him, and doesn't see Ryuji play paper. He tries to place the familiar voice as he looks back, but is suddenly infuriated that Ryuji is showing a fist and declaring himself the winner. Honda of course sees this for the cheating it is and demands that they have an immediate rematch. They never get to start this one, though, because the voice Honda thought was so familiar before speaks again, claiming to own a very strong deck. Honda looks over to a large crowd from where the voice is coming and is in disbelief when he sees the person it's attached to.

How great she is indeed. So great that even SHE admits she's a bit behind...

But it looks like she's got all the puzzle cards she needs, because she's got her head bent over her Duel Disk, muttering a question about where those finals are. Presumably because she faked it until she made it, Mai looks around BEFORE Honda calls her name. She grins at him, remarking on the long time it's been, and then her eyes get really wide and excited when she asks about how Jonouchi's doing. It's kind of adorbz, but I don't think she would like the truth at the moment...

Honda says with a level of seriousness that he's across town, and their current group just got here. He nods toward Shizuka and says they're going to visit Jonouchi with her. Mai gives the girl sitting on the bench with the bandage around her eyes a somewhat critical look, but has indeed identified her as Jonouchi's sister. After all, she does recall that Jonouchi was going to use Duelist Kingdom's prize money for his sister's eye surgery, and there's no better reason for Shizuka to have her eyes bandaged.

Mai says she understands Honda's "feeling" on the matter, whatever that means, and announces she's going with them. Honda looks surprised, but not more than Ryuji, who is confused as to just who the hell this is anyway. Instead of sticking around for Honda's explanation on what we already know, we follow Mai over to where Shizuka is sitting, where she leans down and says her name gently. Shizuka recognizes her as a woman, but she doesn't question who she is beyond that. She just gives her the polite go-ahead to say her piece.

Awwwwww! Mai never fails to remind me why she's grown on me. I guess I can ignore her weirdness in referring to a baby teenager as a man.

Shizuka gapes as she listens to Mai's assurance that Jonouchi is indeed fighting for her somewhere in the city. Then Mai decides she wants to shame Shizuka, stating that it's a pitiful thing that Shizuka isn't willing to open her eyes. Slipping down my likability scale pretty quick, there, Mai. Still, Shizuka seems HAPPY here, and agrees, which wouldn't be MY reaction to someone insulting me to my face, but who am I to judge?

After this confusing interaction, Mai starts to walk off, telling the boys to follow her. She leads them to a shiny dark convertible parked on the street, which amazes and shocks both Honda and Ryuji. They have to ask the obvious, if this is HER car, and she responds from behind the wheel that Battle City is just a playground to her. She's kind of slipping back into that creepster she was back at the beginning of Duelist Kingdom, isn't she? Talk about nostalgic regression...

Back at the dock, Yuugi is pushing himself to his feet, groaning, while possessed!Jonouchi looks on listlessly. Marik chuckles evilly from afar, probably at the gulf that has formed between Yuugi's and Jonouchi's life points. He admits that the Red Eyes Black Dragon is giving him some difficulty, but he's got a way to get rid of it. Yeah, good luck getting the guy who couldn't even TAKE the card DESTROY it. That'll go over well.

Yuugi finally staggers to his feet, stuttering Jonouchi's name.

Looks like there are some unrealistic expectations on both sides of this equation.

Possessed!Jonouchi says that his turn isn't over yet, clearly not prepared to listen to anything. He slaps Rocket Warrior onto his Duel Disk and launches into a long explanation about the special ability of this monster - turning into a rocket to attack an opponent. You'd think that would be all that needs to be said, but there's more, apparently. In its rocket form, Rocket Warrior can attack monsters much stronger than itself and not be destroyed, inflicting damage of its own.

Yuugi isn't listening to this long-winded masturbatory bullshit, drunkenly swaying this way and that as he mumbles Jonouchi's name and something about if he keeps the Millennium Puzzle. It's all very nonsensical. He shuffles forward toward Jonouchi, but Jonouchi is shouting at Rocket Warrior prepare for launch attack. Like a cute little Transformer, it folds and tucks in on itself to form a cylinder and ignites at the bottom. Jonouchi commands the rocket to head straight for Red Eyes Black Dragon, and its trajectory is true. The dragon screams.

The rocket flips a u-ey back toward Jonouchi, leaving Red Eyes with a meager 900 point attack power, and pops out its limbs and head once more. Beyond Jonouchi's malicious front, Marik is gleeful that Red Eyes has lost one of its wings. It's not so scary anymore now that it's so close to death. The dragon has collapsed onto the pier, and Jonouchi faces it wordlessly, while we only get a look at the back of his head.

Yuugi is still limping over to Jonouchi, who stands with his shoulders slumped. When the panel finally features his face, he's bug-eyed with teeth grinding, one of his hands clawing at the air in front of his chest. The pain he's feeling overwhelms every other thought, and he clutches his forehead. He wonders what the hell this agony is. Yuugi inches closer, speechless, still half-conscious.

He stutters Jonouchi's name again, and Jonouchi answers with a doubled-over groan. He looks absolutely TERRIFIED by Yuugi's continued approach, because his eyes are practically popping. Maybe it's the puzzle he's freaking out about, because Yuugi holds it out, saying he doesn't want it to sink with him into the harbor.

I understand you can't take it with you, but you do realize no one else is going to be able to use that thing, right Yuugi?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It was really hard to get through this chapter for a myriad of reasons. I'm currently trying to establish a writing habit for my original work, which is exhausting me in a way I wasn't prepared for. Because it's really difficult for me at this point to go from my story to writing about the stories of others, I kind of put off trying to finish this post. I also came off a rare four-day weekend with my husband, and he makes it difficult to concentrate on anything other than him.

Mostly, though, I feel like I failed at explaining something in the last chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh I covered. I didn't articulate Yuugi's feelings very well, and I wasn't sure I would be able to here, either. But part of my own articulation of a concept the chapter covers partly depends on how it's articulated in the chapter as well, and I think this chapter was more explicit in how Yuugi regards this situation and his place in it. Because of this, I think I can more accurately disseminate what he's feeling as he's going through this.

Here's the thing: no matter how much Yami expresses the need for Yuugi to survive this duel, no matter how hard Jonouchi worked to get Yuugi out of that fire, Yuugi's disregard for his own life persists. It's not just that he thinks he's worth nothing or his life isn't worth living without them, he actively demonstrates that he thinks his life is worth LESS than that of the people around him. This is the ultimate reason why he says he can't bring Jonouchi's life points to zero. It's not just that he can't bring himself to beat Jonouchi, but that he doesn't believe that he's worthy of taking Jonouchi's life points at all - that's something that YAMI was supposed to do in the tournament. He's trying to preserve a loop he thinks he was never part of, and doesn't really deserve to be.

This is another reason why Yuugi hands the puzzle off to Jonouchi at the end of the chapter, even though Jonouchi wouldn't really be able to call out Yami without Yuugi. He's still got the idea stuck in his head that Yami is infinitely more important than him, not only on the grand scale, but also to all their friends. His "power" in this instance is the ability to sacrifice himself and leave the people whom he believes are TRULY important intact.

And because this chapter is so much better at getting that message across than the previous one, my heart is breaking even more than ever for Yuugi. He AGREES with Marik, who thinks he's just a vessel without the slightest importance, and Kaiba who thinks he's got no skill without that damn puzzle! It's painful to see how little regard this kid has for himself, because I happen to know from personal experience that it takes ENORMOUS effort to overcome this level of imposter syndrome. I'm only NOW, at 30 years old, starting to seriously battle my own issues with this sense of hopeless self-minimizing.

This duel isn't about trying to survive a hopeless situation where you're pitted against one of your friends. It's about dealing poorly with a hopeless situation in which you're pitted against YOURSELF. Being set up to fight a friend is just the ideal backdrop for understanding how small Yuugi views himself in comparison to those around him. His feelings of inadequacy are running his choices here, they're going to kill him, and he WANTS them to.

I think I need a moment to punch down my intense personal connection to this conflict right now. And a pint of ice cream. Shit.

Inuyasha Manga: 136 Three-Way Battle

Oh yes, this will go exceedingly well. Two guys bringing their personal pissing match into an actual war with actual stakes couldn't possibly go wrong, could it? I'm sure that these young bucks won't have any trouble putting aside their differences to unite against a real threat so their rivalry doesn't have to detract from their common goal, right?

Is my sarcasm coming across too strong? My bad, let me switch to a different topic that I'm not so sour about to tone this shit down for the coming chapter.

... I baked some bread. Wanna see?

There, now that I was able to step back, my cynicism should have lessened a bit.

Nope. Nope. This is going to be just as stupid as I think it is.

As if Kouga thinks he wasn't being antagonizing ENOUGH to a guy who already wants him dead, he adds on a little "unless" statement to the effect that suggests Inuyasha doesn't have the guts to fight him if he fucks off with Kagome. Of course Inuyasha has to retort, saying that the one who should be running away is Kouga. And because he doesn't want to be beholden to Kouga's schedule, he leaps up the mountain against Kagome's warning shout, telling Kouga to wait right where he is to get wasted. In the death sense. Not the... drunk sense.

Kagome looks terrified by another wave of oncoming gokurakuchou, but Inuyasha has no trouble dispatching them with just his claws, yelling at them to get out of his way. This doesn't seem to ease Kagome's level of concern, and it can't help that Mohawk and Two-Toned are trying to drag her off to someplace safer, since their current location seems to be increasing their chances of getting carried off by demon bird things. Imagine that.

Something else slices through a couple of birds in the air as well, and Kagome gapes even as she shrinks back in horror. She needn't be so scared, though.

Surely you SAW that the weapon taking out the birds was Sango's Hiraikotsu? What was with the terror a panel before?

Miroku trails off a question about what's happening here when he observes both wolf and bird casualties on the ground as he and Sango run toward Kagome. Sango finishes her question, much more direct, but Kagome is in "I'll explain later" mode when she tells them that they have to focus on getting rid of that flock of gokurakuchou still hovering threateningly behind her. Miroku begins to uncoil his sealing beads from his right hand, assuring Kagome she's been understood and that he's ready to clean up.

The few wolf youkai left alive begin to gather, asking who these people are and telling them that this is no place for humans. Miroku responds by ripping off the final loop of beads and yelling at them to get back if they value their lives.

Be impressed by this while you still can, because the usefulness of this curse's days are numbered.

Up near the peak of the outcrop, the bosses of the gokurakuchou conference on getting the fuck out of here. One of the twins wants to do something first, though, and lunge straight for Kouga to swallow the wolf youkai brat and his Shikon shards in one gulp. That mouth taking up most of its body is opened really wide and ropes of drool are being blown into the back of it by their momentum and all I can think is that there is not enough room for a stomach back there.

I mean is the stomach actually located up in the human torso portion of their bodies? In that case, if the big mouth gets something big in it, how can it be swallowed upward without gravity helping? Is there a place in the top where especially big prey gets stored in order to break down before being sent to the stomach? These guys must not have to eat very often if that's how it is...

Shit, I need to come back up from this rabbit hole before I get seriously lost.

Kouga jumps up out of the mouth's path and grins, claiming he was waiting for them to get close to him like that. It doesn't take much for the head gokurakuchou to tilt up and lunge again, though, threatening to eat Kouga up once more.

Awww, that wasn't such a bad plan, either. The head gokurakuchou chuckles at him for wasting his time while he clings to the side of the mountain, looking decidedly less cocky now. But one panel later, it's their turn to look shocked.

I don't know, when he started ripping a giant bird's wing from its body like a BADASS. Or a psychopath. Or both, not sure.

Regardless of his initial confusion, Kouga grins and says he's not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, in not so many words. He uses the distraction Inuyasha created to move in and knock the head clean off one of the twins. The other twin immediately reacts not with shock or horror, but rage, roaring about Kouga's NERVE at killing his brother. In his anger, he steers the rest of the bird body toward the mountain peak and zooms right at it, to a dangling Inuyasha's surprise.The remaining twin smashes into the peak, the rock breaking and flying everywhere. Inuyasha winces against the flying debris, grunting.

Kagome shouts Inuyasha's name and the wolf youkai shout Kouga's, as Sango explains to... someone that the gokurakuchou is trying to smash his attackers on the rocks. Thanks. I surely couldn't have figured that out for myself. The gokurakuchou flies through the hole it made in the mountain, heading right the fuck out of here. Kouga pops out of the smashed rock on the mountain, cursing about how the gokurakuchou is fleeing.

There's a point at which trying to intimidate someone becomes a little desperate, Inuyasha. You passed that point MILES ago.

Yet he insists on turning the desperation up even more. He tells Kouga that in no uncertain terms does he give a shit about that weird bird thing, and all he cares about is murdering Kouga right here and now. Kouga, looking more uninterested in Inuyasha's posturing than ever, scoffs and says that he owes Inuyasha for helping with the monster bird regardless. He also mentions something about searching for Kagome later, and I THINK it means he's going to let Kagome go with Inuyasha for the time being, but I'm not sure because the translation is grammatically strange.

Whatever he's saying, Inuyasha is pissed that he's still going on about it, and Kouga shouts back at him that OF COURSE he is, because Kagome's HIS woman and he's not going to let anyone else have her. Inuyasha is thoroughly shocked, but he's not the only one.

If I had a dime for every time men just decided what was going on between us without consulting me...

Same situation for men who going behind my back to ask my male buddies what my sex life was looking like, which is why it comes as no surprise when Miroku asks a tied up and disoriented Shippou what the REAL story is, because he and Sango apparently don't trust what Kagome has to say about the matter. Shippou is understandably upset that the first thing they ask him after finding him bound is about Kagome and Kouga, and Miroku barely walks back his insensitivity by asking Shippou if he's not alright then. You seem SO concerned. Dick.

Inuyasha fumes as he stands hunched behind Kouga, muttering that this guy is saying some AWFULLY irresponsible things. Kouga doesn't seem all that concerned, and snaps back a question of if he has a problem. He then confesses boldly that he's in love with Kagome. Looks like SOMEONE has conflated love with giddiness at using the talents of others for their own gain. Inuyasha is taken aback by how shameless this bastard is, shaking in both rage and discomfort while Kouga lists off all of Kagome's good qualities: can see jewel shards, has guts, and is fairly good looking too. Kagome is ENCHANTED by this list, practically sparkling with sudden admiration for her captor (and the slaughterer of at least two villages). Miroku flaps his hand at her dispassionately, looking pretty exasperated by her 360 degree turn on the matter.

Sooooooo... should we not be concerned with the escaped bird coming back any second now, or what?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I think I sprained my eyeballs rolling them constantly while reading this, and yet, I'm not sure the ridiculousness here was avoidable given all the events leading up to it. Inuyasha and Kouga were already at odds since the beginning, so Kouga's decision to steal Kagome (both physically and affectionately) out from under Inuyasha's group was bound to give their rivalry an even more heated element. There's also not much about Kouga's demeanor here that is genuine in his confession. He's not showing any tell-tale signs of being infatuated, like being nervous or dreamy or concerned with Kagome's feelings towards him. If he just seemed like he was making the economical and practical decision in declaring Kagome his own personal shard-detector/woman before, here it seems like he's embellishing on that decision for the purpose of riling Inuyasha up. That adds a layer of comedic undertone that you don't often get from these "two or more people fighting over a common love-interest" subplot, so I can appreciate it on that level. The fact that Kagome buys into it is all the more amusing.

But I keep bumping up against this wall decorated with a flashing neon sign that reads, "OPPOSITE KIKYOU ALERT!!!" Something about this just smacks of some need RT felt to include someone for Inuyasha to be jealous of on a similar level to Kagome's jealousy of Kikyou, because hey, she's an attractive girl with options, right? And there's no way that Inuyasha would ever consider Hojo a threat if he ever even knew the guy existed. Gotta have someone out there who can give Inuyasha a real run for his money!

The problem with this is that Kouga ISN'T on par with Kikyou when it comes to an attachment. Kagome doesn't have history with him, she hasn't sacrificed anything for him, and he hasn't done anything of the sort for her either. It's all a big show for the sake of giving Inuyasha a taste of that burning inadequacy that Kagome feels when they encounter Kikyou.

Which I suppose may be the whole point. If there's anything that can bring into stark relief the fact that Kagome's jealousy is pointless, it would be this. I just know that's not what the fans read into this reaction. Believe me, I've looked. And I am scarred.