Inuyasha Manga: 140 Beyond the Well

Let's see, what's Kagome's story again? Was pulled into a hole in the ground by a monster, which incidentally was a portal into another world filled to the brim with even more monsters, and she's spending nearly all her time fighting them for a shiny ball of power which could destroy the world if it got into the wrong hands. Sheesh, it's a wonder her grandfather HAS to make up all those exaggerated stories regarding her health. I could see how a tale like the former could be beyond the well, given how it resembles a fever dream.

Oh, oh we're talking about the PHYSICAL well. My bad. There is obviously NO ROOM to re-examine the series from the angle of deteriorated mental health suffering vivid hallucinations. None whatsoever.

Aw man! Is this petty bullshit from the last chapter still going on? So RT can gloss over the ending to an arc with no explanation as to how characters get from one place to another, but she has to go into excruciating detail for THIS?

And yes, I'm still on about that. I will always be on about that.

Houjou is asking Kagome to a movie, it turns out, and complaining there hasn't been a lot of free time for them to meet recently. But Kagome is confused because she THOUGHT he was dating that first-year student from what her friends showed her in the previous chapter. Said friends rush up to her now, Headband insisting that she go, while Short-Hair tells Houjou that she definitely said she wanted to go, despite a confused noise being the only thing she's had time to utter so far. Houjou asks for confirmation, but doesn't wait for it, only turning around to wave and specify that their movie date is this Saturday before he high-tails it to his own classroom. Or so I assume.

Rightfully irritated, Kagome asks her "friends" what the deal is with them making the decision for her, and Short-Hair answers that a normal guy like Houjou is perfect for her. I guess Kagome isn't fit for a little excitement in her romance, huh? Ouch. Headband lectures her on how women often make the mistake of dating the most jealous guy in town, and adding in the violence of her current partner will just muck her future right the fuck up. Kagome is recoiling in disbelief. They can't POSSIBLY be talking about the guy that you described as violent and jealous yesterday.

Kagome recalls Inuyasha yelling that he doesn't want to look at her again, and turns on her heel away from the well, refusing to go back now and risk yet another fight. Or being put in a position to apologize. You know, whichever.

Inuyasha is actually sitting next to the well too, on the other side, his chin propped on his arms crossed over the lip. HE recalls Souta telling him that Kagome was in a super bad mood, and makes a sour expression. Shippou is wearing a similar look when he pops up on another side of the well, telling him cut it out and go over to Kagome, whom he's sure will be forgiving. Surly, Inuyasha says that if he DOES go over, it would be an indication that the whole situation was his fault. Shippou states flatly that it IS Inuyasha's fault for doubting Kagome's feelings. Or rather, misinterpreting her cradling and protecting of an injured Kouga from further assault.

Recounting that Kagome did indeed protect Kouga and let him escape, even though he's Inuyasha's enemy and she had a terrible time being kidnapped, Shippou's expression becomes perturbed and he grows oddly quiet for a time. Inuyasha awaits an end to the thought, looking half-expectant, if not a little threatening. Shippou doesn't notice and meets Inuyasha's glare to question if Kagome did fall in love with Kouga after all, and Inuyasha yells not to ask HIM.

Back in Tokyo, Souta sits on Kagome's bed petting Buyo in his lap while Kagome sits at her desk. He asks what's keeping her here, and she in turn asks if there's something BAD about her being around. Then she twists to look over her shoulder and tell him that she's studying for her exams and can't always be over in Feudal Japan, looking annoyed. Regardless, Souta presses on, brave soul, asking when she'll be going. She says she'll go when Inuyasha comes to pick her up, and Souta makes the mistake of suggesting Inuyasha won't come back at all. Something snaps at Kagome's desk, whether it's her pencil lead or her concentration is unclear, and she turns toward Souta with a demon-like aura floating her hair around her shoulders. Souta is cheeky to the last, asking if he's being a nuisance, and Kagome hisses at him to LEAVE.

I can only assume he escaped with his life when we see a ticking clock in the next panel, and after that, a determined Kagome thinking this may be her only chance. She hunkers down with a pencil and workbook to get back on track with her studies, if only for just a bit. Her determination doesn't seem to last too terribly long, though, and when the moon is high in the evening we find her laying her cheek on that same workbook, passed out. She slowly opens her eyes, sits up sleepily and slaps both sides of her face. I'm guessing this doesn't wake her up, because she sits on her bed and winds an alarm clock, supposing that it would be better to pick her studying back up in the morning.

When she lays down, she sighs happily that real bedding is great, and claims not to sleep well on the other side of the well. Kagome immediately walks that back, blinking and fatigued, knowing that it helps to know that Inuyasha is watching over her. She closes her eyes again, wondering what he's up to right about now.

Apparently creeping on you. Literally.

Kagome is fast asleep, and Inuyasha seems a little incredulous by this fact. This was clearly an unintended creep about. He sits on his haunches next to Kagome's bed, looking irritated, but his expression suddenly gets the slightest hint of a blush in addition to surprise when Kagome says his name in her sleep. She turns over and he leans closer to her, examining her closed eyes when she says his name again. He concludes that she really is talking in her sleep. He wonders if she's having a dream about him, staring in some fascination...

... And then he goes down face-first into the carpet when she says sit. He pops back up, shaking his fist, thinking she's a bitch, and wondering just what kind of dream she's having. Probably the kind where one is just going about life as usual, you know. Kagome's ticking alarm clock starts beeping, startling an already on-edge Inuyasha even more into recoiling in an exaggerated flail.

Kagome, rubbing the sleep out of her eye with one hand, moves with the other hand to smack the snooze tab. When her hand just hits the table, she blearily peers at the place where it was, mumbling that it's gone.

In any other context, this shit would be a PARADE of red flags.

Back at school, a confused Houjou is confirming something about "urgent business". Kagome, head bowed slightly in apology, says that it's the reason she can't go to the movies on Saturday. She says sorry and Houjou hangs his head too, disappointed, though he claims to understand. Kagome stalls and waffles as she tries to encourage him to go to the movies with that freshman she saw him with the other day instead. When Houjou expresses all the more confusion, she asks him if it doesn't seem to him that the girl likes him an awful lot, and Houjou responds with a happy dismissal of this statement as silly. He asks if this was what she was "worried" about, so now it's her turn to be puzzled.

Houjou comes right out and says that he doesn't intend to go out with anyone else. Ooooh, boy, you're going to be VERY lonely, then. Kagome is too shocked to interject with the reality that she's just not that into him, so he's got room to continue to talk about how her perceived jealousy makes him a little happy. Trying to correct him doesn't do any good, because even when she starts to say that's not what she's saying, he waves goodbye and assures her that he's going to invite her out again in the future. Sweatdropping heavily, Kagome mentally describes him as "strong". Yeah, strongly stupid.

Still, Kagome can't help but think it would be nice if Inuyasha had so much confidence. Seriously? You want him to be a dunce in ANOTHER way? I guess the grass IS always greener on the other side. Speaking of both grass and the other side, Inuyasha sits on a patch meadow overlooking some farm plots, sighing. He perks up when Kagome approaches from behind, though, turning to nervously confirm it's her. She giggles and says she's back.

Kagome sits down next to him as he stares at her, wide-eyed and speechless.

... Well that was unexpected. Kagome freezes in shock, jaw slack. Inuyasha asks her what's with her expression, muttering a supposition that she really is angry about it. Kagome stutters that she's not angry at all anymore, but Inuyasha presents her with the evidence for how it's actually his fault, which is the remains of her crushed alarm clock. Double unexpected.

Kagome clarifies sheepishly that he's claiming fault for the alarm clock, and Inuyasha remains speechless and surly a moment before looking away and asking haughtily if there's anything ELSE he should be apologizing for. Sighing, she says that there's not really anything, in her mind dismissing the whole damn thing.

She's got one intention now that she's FINALLY back.

Well it's better than another screaming argument and a mouthful of dirt after being told to sit. Count your blessings, Inuyasha.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall. More of the same from last chapter. This is cute and all, and I'm not going to pretend that there isn't a place for this content in this manga, because it brings a little light-hearted comedy and fluff to the world. However, two chapters in a row of this kind of fluff strikes me as excessive, and even to a degree masturbatory. I didn't need to know every tiny little detail of how these two worked past each other's stubbornness in order to reach a place where they're back to the romantic status quo. Like I said in the previous post for this manga, this space could have been used to add details where we DID need more elaboration on how they managed to get out of various messes. This is pretty minor compared to nonsensical and abrupt endings for other arcs.

One of the things I can say I thought was interesting about this and the previous chapter, though, is how the reactions of Kagome's friends really put Inuyasha's actions into perspective for her in a positive way. Again, she has a lot of context that they don't, and their strong negative opinions on him forced Kagome to defend him both to them and herself. Otherwise, she may never have reached a point where she believes by the end of this chapter that he didn't have anything to apologize for. She finally recognizes that he's just an insecure boy who hasn't got a lot of options for expressing that.

It at least allows her to let this whole thing go. Just imagine how many MORE of these chapters we would have to endure if she didn't.