Inuyasha Manga: 153 Kikyou's Real Intention

Trust her, It's not what it looks like! Haven't heard THAT one from people who have stalked and attempted to murder exes and their new lovers before. I'm sure she has a VERY good explanation as to what she thought giving Naraku a powerful object she stole off Kagome would mean for Inuyasha. I'm sure she could explain why handing Naraku the means to develop a more effective way of killing the guy he spends ALL HIS TIME trying to kill would not ultimately end in that guy getting close to if not outright killed.

I eagerly await the amount of ducking and weaving this is going to take to make Kikyou look even marginally better for it - no sarcasm tag required.

Though I have said before that Kikyou's feelings seem to be a bit more complicated than outright hate...

Yes. The answer is yes. For all functional intents and purposes, YES.

Also, the person who's calling Inuyasha's name in the last panel there is actually Shippou, who has to do it again in order for Inuyasha to open his eyes in alarm. Shippou suggests to him that he was having a bad nightmare, but I wonder if Inuyasha could really have been ASLEEP with so much internal screaming clouding his cortex. I mean, I lay awake at night pondering the horrors of wording innocuous questions to my landlord, so I assume that anything more than a waking hallucination is beyond him at this point. But that's just me.

Shippou asks Inuyasha if his wounds hurt, but Inuyasha doesn't answer. He looks over at Sango lying on her side on the other side of the small room silently, then asks Shippou where Kagome is. Shippou says that Kagome and Miroku went looking nearby for food and medicinal herbs, twisting to also look on the (genuinely) sleeping Sango. The reason she hasn't gone too is because she also has to heal; Shippou says Sango's trying to look tough, but she was whacked by Hiraikotsu after all.

Outside, Shippou holds a bucket up to the trickle of a stream out of the side of the hill engulfing the side of the house. Man, this place even has a TAP. Why is it abandoned? Man, I would KILL for a place like that if I were in a technologically desolate time per - Oh. Never mind.  Sighing, Shippou questions just what is going to happen now. What a narratively-appropriate inquiry. I don't know, why don't you ask those Shinidamachuu weaving around in the air behind you, kid?

Man, I absolutely thought a tiny child would have been able to look after and take care of our incapacitated hero who is also wanted dead by at most other characters. This is so unexpected!

Alarmed by the appearance of the flying snake-things, Inuyasha wonders if this means Kikyou is around. By the next panel, he's come to the obvious conclusion, because he begins to roll off his straw bed with a fair amount of effort. Still not as incapacitated as I thought he was, though. Using his Tessaiga in its sheath as a crutch, he half-crawls from the hut, passing an irate Shippou shouting his name because the little guy can't do much else with a couple of Shinidamachuu wound tightly around him like that.

Inuyasha doesn't pay any attention to Shippou, however, all of his concentration going toward the effort it's taking him to follow the rest of the Shinidamachuu. His head is only with Kikyou, even as Shippou yells that he shouldn't go. Kid should know this guy has a one-track mind.

Yikes. Is seeing the very person who's responsible for your fucked condition even worth it? Talk about bearing your crosses...

As Inuyasha lays with his eyes squeezed shut, energy spent, footsteps approach him. Kikyou's form appears out of the surrounding forest, surrounded by her twisting Shinidamachuu. She kneels next to him, softly saying his name, and his eyes open in response. His slightly dazed look doesn't last long, turning into a concentrated glare as he begins to prop himself on his elbows and growls Kikyou's name in return. She comments blandly that he's still alive. Yeah, BARELY.

Then...

.... Glad enough to cradle his head in a manner that can easily snap his neck if she was so inclined. Good thing she's NOT!

Inuyasha growls, surprised look overtaken by a new glare. He manages to sit up quickly enough (don't know HOW, but...) to push her away from him, holding her shoulders at arm's length, demanding to know what the fuck she thinks she's playing at. He asks if she really gave Naraku the Shikon fragment. She doesn't hesitate to confirm that she did, claiming that it'll help finish the villain off.

Understandably, Inuyasha wears an incredulous look at this. He asks what she means, because as far as he's been able to see, her gift increased Naraku's powers, to the point he's been able to create NEW youkai from his body. A good point, but the counter to it is delayed as we pan to see that Kagura is surreptitiously leans against a nearby tree, eavesdropping on the conversation. Apparently, the fact that Inuyasha and Kikyou share a relationship is news to her. The only thing Naraku told her is to follow Kikyou, the crafty woman she is, and find out her real intentions. Kudos to him referencing the title here.

Back to Inuyasha, who suggests that Kikyou gave the shard to Naraku because she wanted him dead. Phrased as a question, though, it's given a somewhat hopeful note, and gives Kikyou an opening to start denying. She insists that she won't give Inuyasha's life to the likes of Naraku, as though she has any control of how Naraku uses that fucking NUKE she gave him. She then starts lecturing Inuyasha on how he shouldn't forget Naraku is the hated enemy of the both of them. He DIDN'T forget! Did YOU???

Kagura peeks around her tree at the two, internally scoffing about how boring it is just watching Kikyou's movements. She taps her chin with the tip of her fan, pondering how Inuyasha is on the edge of death and hasn't noticed her scent. She flicks it open with the intent of getting them both with one strike. But that fan is loud in the quiet woods, and Kikyou picks up the sound, grabbing the bow from her side. She stands and nocks an arrow in one swift motion.

Was the woman who is supposed to be the fucking WIND slower at flicking her wrist than someone who had to stand, turn around and draw a bow? Weak shit, Kagura. Weak shit.

Inuyasha sits there stunned and confused by Kagura's presence and what's going on in general. Kikyou has already nocked another arrow, and says that she's aiming for Kagura's head this time. Kagura doesn't waste time now, cursing as she pulls a feather from her hair. Her flight causes a massive updraft on Kikyou and Inuyasha, but Kikyou keeps that arrow trained on Kagura. Girl isn't fucking around.

Presumably, when Kagura has disappeared, Kikyou's expression relaxes, and she offhandedly comments on Kagura's escape. Since Kikyou didn't actually SAY anything for Kagura to communicate back to Naraku, I can see why she's so relaxed about letting the little spy get away. She's back to glaring when she addresses Inuyasha, though, but it's straight ahead as he stares up at her back. Kikyou warns Inuyasha that Naraku's powers will continue to increase from this point, and that he should avoid dying until she can remove Naraku AND the Shikon no Tama from this world.

Inuyasha frowns at her, failing to ask HOW she plans to do this, and why she has to assist Naraku in getting stronger at all. So, not obligated to give an actual explanation, she lowers her hand to him.

"Okay, I'm not willing to give away your life, so that's why YOU'RE responsible for making sure my empowering of your mortal enemy doesn't kill you. Make sense?"

And with this gesture of creepy possessiveness, Kikyou turns and walks back off into the woods, leaving Inuyasha kneeling there staring after her. Still injured, still weak, and now out in the open where he could get ambushed by any number of enemies, including Kagura, who could still be hovering around the area waiting for her to bugger off. Kikyou may not be willing to GIVE AWAY Inuyasha's life, but she sure as hell likes to just walk off and abandon it like a brand new camera in a Las Vegas bathroom.

And yet, Inuyasha wears a softened look as he ponders her name. Not a loving one, by any means, but one that isn't filled with confusion and rage like it should be.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Well, we certainly got Kikyou's intentions, the barest minimum. The problem isn't just that without the reasoning behind them, neither Inuyasha nor the audience can actually determine whether they are genuine or not. That alone presents a host of problems, from the fact that her tight-lipped refusal to explain herself should have raised at least 500 red flags for Inuyasha, to the possibility that RT is maybe buying time to actually think of a legitimate reason why making Naraku more powerful would eventually lead to his downfall. Kikyou might also have to, as a character, maintain a certain level of mystique and mysteriousness, in order to continue surprising the audience with seemingly cruel acts of antagonism.

All that aside, Kikyou's tone throughout this whole conversation is infuriating. She's so condescending and insulting, talking to Inuyasha like he needs to be REMINDED that the guy who almost obliterated him is an enemy. DUH. But she obviously knows this, and she's counting on him feeling some guilt and shame for questioning her relationship to Naraku and why she gave him the shard. Her demeanor comes across as one that suggests SHE'S insulted by Inuyasha questioning her motives for her actions, and thereby he should be ashamed for not assuming the best intentions from her, given that they both had to endure that horrible deception from Naraku. It appears that Kikyou is relying on Inuyasha clinging to their shared experience being tricked by Naraku, given that it's the only thing they really have in common anymore.

This is especially reflected in how her patronizing attitude takes on a possessive note in the end. She's reminding him here of their fundamental connection and the emotion leading up to that moment. Again, she is stuck there because she's technically dead. This prevents her from just moving on with her life like Inuyasha is, because she doesn't have a life to move on with. All she can do is try to imitate that state of being she had before the moment of her death, because the effect of time changing and evolving people just doesn't work for her. She expects Inuyasha to be this way as well, whether this is just the natural perspective of someone who can no longer experience the march of time, she considers him in the same boat as he was resurrected from her pinning him to a tree (a killing blow for any MORTAL), or because he was such a fixture in the moment she's stuck in that she can't build an accurate representation of her lost life without him. 

Speaking of Kikyou's possessiveness, I find it pretty interesting for a female character to be expressing this trait on a male character. Usually it's the other way around, so it's a fascinating role reversal. Kikyou had to do this in a uniquely feminine way, as opposed to the traditionally masculine bravado attached to claiming their lover, and I think RT really pulled it off.

She also really pulled off that pose with Kikyou cradling Inuyasha's head. I'll be honest here: I'm strangely fascinated by that panel. It'll pop up in my head as the STANDARD by which I judge art that depicts two characters in an embrace or otherwise intimate pose, kind of a measuring stick that I can figure out if something is better or worse than what I've come to think is a very fluid-looking stationary picture. Despite the fact that it's not depicting action, it's very good at showing the characters in motion in the little ways, like how Inuyasha's hands are searching to balance the pull of his head into Kikyou's lap.

Also, it's just a unique-looking embrace that feels somewhat natural. It's just a very specific example of how RT is really good at drawing characters in interaction so they don't look stiff or penciled into the arms of someone else. The figures aren't independent, but entwined. It's all very pretty.

Still, Kikyou does look like she could snap Inuyasha's neck here. I guess that's why we should trust her? Because she doesn't?

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 211 Trap World of Death!!

And here we have yet ANOTHER death trap setup. I've stopped being surprised when another threat of death comes up, despite this comic's topic of the least deadly hobby in existence. Our protagonist has acted as a living hallucinogen in to many an antag in the past, unilaterally passing objectively cruel and unusual punishments for crimes, and his friends have never called him on it. Thanks to current events, I'm well aware of what it's like to live in a perpetual surreal nightmare, and when I'm not wallowing in despair, I'm seething in rage. For a character that's not as lazy or privileged as I am, I could see how that might turn into violence.

Besides, gotta keep that tension up somehow.

Or, you could always amp things up by keeping the cards completely unreadable. That way, your audience has no way of figuring out what's going on! Brilliant strategy!

Jonouchi is disappointed that all three of his monsters had to be disappeared right when he summoned them. These are the risks you take, friend. Honda seems a bit more concerned by the fact that Jonouchi fell for "Marik's" trap. Mai yells at Jonouchi to just calm his shit as Yuugi starts to mansplain how trap cards not only have the ability to turn the tides of a duel, but also reek havoc on a duelist's psychology. Mai matches Yuugi's speech with her own assessment, that "Marik's" plan is to make Jonouchi afraid of traps to the point where he won't even want to attack. Yuugi is confident that Jonouchi won't lose his fighting spirit over a few trap cards, though. Kid's nine feet tall and bullet-proof, and he MIGHT have a head made of granite.

This is demonstrated by the next panel, where Jonouchi is directing an unearned smirk at "Marik". "Marik" continues to glare at Jonouchi wordlessly, while Jonouchi points and rants at him. Jonouchi tells the "tattoo freak" to listen up, because he wants to insist that the prior turn was just to test out "Marik's" abilities. That's right, Jonouchi is claiming to have purposefully fallen for the trap, and that he FELT like falling for it. This posturing and gum-flapping is SURE to convince "Marik" that his opponent is one step ahead. Furthermore, Jonouchi suggests that "Marik" should be happy, because he's the 21st person to get him serious about a duel.

He's been COUNTING???

Surrounded by spectral fire, Jonouchi insists that it's all for real now, and his duelist fighting spirit is at the maximum. Honda wears a look of combined skepticism and embarrassment while pondering Jonouchi's phrasing, but Yuugi praises Jonouchi's spirit. Head made of granite. Kaiba agrees, thinking that Jonouchi's idiot's brains can't recognize the greater ability of their opponent.

Is that really the WORST of the dramatic draws, though? I think you can do worse than that.

Arguably, he does. He just announces the placement of a new card face down on his side and ends his turn. Jonouchi grinds his teeth in frustration at another trap card, and Yuugi can't help but wonder whether "Marik" even HAS monsters in his deck. Asking if "Marik" is too scared to attack, Jonouchi demands he stop playing trap cards and slings around insults. At least, that's what I THINK the word "insults" in brackets means in the speech bubble.

"Marik" merely states that it's Jonouchi's turn in response, so with a disgusted groan, Jonouchi draws a card aggressively.

And with that, Jonouchi deflates slightly, lowering his eyes to his hand as he admits to himself that he can't attack. Another groan later, he pulls a card from his hand that he also puts face down on the field and ends his turn, trying not to come across as defeated. Yuugi praises this move, because Jonouchi would surely have fallen for a trap if he had attacked. According to Yuugi, Jonouchi must wait for his chance, but even Yuugi has to question if that chance will even come, or if there's a way to escape from this web of traps.

Whether or not this can be considered much of a "web", so much as a simple thread from boring the shit out of one's opponent until they attack to profit, is debatable. Regardless, Jonouchi points an impatient finger at "Marik" and reminds him that it's his turn. "Marik" plainly states that he's ending his turn without doing anything, causing Jonouchi to once more grind his teeth as he realizes that "Marik" is waiting for him to attack. Every moment makes Jonouchi all the more irritated by the inaction. Yuugi is worried that Jonouchi will lose his cool, because that's obviously part of "Marik's" plan.

Jonouchi draws his card and plays it, summoning Rocket Warrior.

Ho don't do it.

As expected, "Marik" activates one of his traps, Psyche of Ujat's Eye. Not only is it a mouthful, but "Marik" says it allows him to control the attacking monster. Jonouchi wears a dopey gape like this wasn't the most obvious consequence in the world, as "Marik" orders his Eye to target Jonouchi's monster. Yuugi takes up that all-important mantle of Captain Obvious by alerting us all to the fact that this will cause Jonouchi's monster to attack his other one. I guess KT wanted to switch it up from poor Honda this time. He needed a bit of a break.

But what's this I see on the horizon? Jonouchi's determined expression returned as his Rocket Warrior heads toward his Wyvern? He discourages "Marik" from even thinking about it, turning over his own trap card, Monster Box. "Marik" is stunned into silence, noting with surprise that a weird little Whack-A-Mole box has appeared surrounding the Wyvern, with its head popping out of one of the holes in the top.

Grinning and chuckling, Jonouchi informs "Marik" that Rocket Warrior has lost its target. Know-it-all Yuugi looks just as shocked as Rocket flies right at the hole that the Wyvern has ducked out of and collides with the box. For a moment, "Marik" dares to wonder if the attack landed.

OH MY GOD. The ho did it.

While "Marik" stares at the utter failure of his trap card, Jonouchi cackles with delight that his monster is unharmed. The next speech bubble is a little difficult to parse, because the bottom of the page has been cut off. Either Jonouchi is reminding "Marik" that it's his turn, OR he's gloating that this turn was where "Marik" got to fall for a trap. Either way, "Marik" glares at Jonouchi silently, as Jonouchi goes on and on, rambling about how he now knows the weakness of the trap strategy, the composition of "Marik's" deck being mostly trap and magic cards, and something about what he can do without monsters on the opposite side. Honda doesn't look too confident that he'll be able to do what that is, making a skeptical face at what he sees as a waste of energy. Whatever Yuugi says here, I don't even know.

Can't be too important, right?

I'm certainly less concerned once I see the next comment from "Marik", who seems to be asking when Jonouchi is going to realize he's STILL fallen for a trap. As Jonouchi widens his eyes in disbelief, the real Marik smirks assured that Rishid's game with Jonouchi is nearly done. Meanwhile Rishid explains that while Jonouchi is correct, his deck IS mostly composed of trap and magic cards, there's a monster in there summoning those cards. Uhhhhh, unless he's referring to himself (and given his past comments indicating he doesn't seem to be taking much pleasure in doing the nasty things he's doing, I could see that), I don't see how cards can summon other cards in this game. Doesn't seem to be how the game works.

He's not elaborating on that bit, though, so I'll have to continue scratching my head as he tells Jonouchi that his deck will be the ultimate once he overcomes the little limitation Jonouchi himself mentioned. Jonouchi also looks on the confused side of shocked as he considers this notion of a monster summoning cards. It looks like Yuugi has an idea what this is, but he's not spilling the beans, trailing off instead. Great, the ONE time I could have used a drawn-out explanation, and he seals his expository lips. Thanks.

Thankfully, "Marik" himself is activating his trap now, so I don't have to endure the round-about suspense anymore.

Uhhhh... come again?

It becomes just a tad more clear when "Marik" explains he's put three of these types of monster/trap cards on the field, so they all flip in response, allowing "Marik" to summon three monsters. Yuugi and Jonouchi stare in alarm as the hologram cards issue holographic smoke, responding to "Marik's" request that they come out. A tangle of twisting necks, heads and swords are cut off by the edge of the page that Jonouchi gapes at, astonished by the simple fact that "Marik" has summoned three monsters in a solitary turn. Yuugi, being oh so helpful once again, identifies this as "Marik's" true trap technique, and "Marik" himself declares Jonouchi has fallen into his hell-trap, that he refers to as "endless despair". Not only is this misspelled, but there's a strange part in parentheses that says something about not being able to win, "kinda".

Yeah, KINDA takes the bite out of this next image as I have to waste all my cognition trying to figure out what the fuck that means.

Which is a shame, because that is SUPER DOPE.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? A lot of things impacted my reading of this chapter that had nothing to do with it, which is a bit disappointing. Not only was the translation here a bit on the cryptic side, but I was sick over the weekend, and it took THAT much more energy to really try to figure out what it was saying. Between the dialogue being cut off at the bottom of that one page, and just the odd choice of words of the translator, I'm not sure I've been able to squeeze all of the meaningful content out of this chapter that I should have. The translator is obviously not fluent in English, and may not be fluent in Japanese either, so most lines had me cocking my head for several minutes trying to reason out what the hell was even being said.

The fact that this translation exists at all is far from a bad thing, and it's better than me having to buy the official translation plus a scanner at my own expense in order to analyze it for free on this dinky blog... but I have to point out that my own analysis is going to be rather limited due to the limited amount of content I've been able to get from it.

It also seemed so much LONGER for its unreadability. This is one of those chapters that covers barely more than a couple of moves, so I was already going to have a problem with how much the action was drowned in useless dialogue, mostly delivered by Yuugi. I feel that a lot of the time, just a reaction shot from the bystanders would have been enough to get across their presence WITH Jonouchi's struggle, along with your occasional word of encouragement or worry. Unfortunately, KT seems to have fallen back on his habit of providing TOO much supplementary explanation with his pictures, presumably because he doesn't trust his art to speak for itself. I might even argue this is part of the reason why the translator had so much trouble putting out a readable chapter, having to do a lot of unneeded and even reiterated translation for words they may not have necessarily have been able to easily understand. When you're squeezing so much bullshit into speech bubbles that a translator can't figure out what you're trying to say, it might be time to take a step back.

The good news about this chapter is that it is clear in ONE way, at least, and that's in how competent Jonouchi has become at anticipating an opponent's moves. He's not nearly up to scratch with Yami and Kaiba, but he's come a long way. The obstacle he faces at this point isn't so much a defect in strategy or intelligence as much as it is in patience. He's just naturally a more action-oriented guy, so it takes a lot more effort to overcome his nature and think several moves ahead like the other two focal duelists. His counter-trap was actually really good. He just didn't anticipate that counter-counter trap, so this is one of those growth-centered duels for him, encouraging the stretching of his skills.

It's always much more interesting to see than the peaked skills of Yami and Kaiba. That's what saved this monster of a read for me, personally.

Inuyasha Manga: 152 Fired Arrow

Not much of a surprise there. Kagome wasn't ever going to try to weasel out of taking action in favor of pissing and moaning at Naraku that he's a garbage person. There is a rather long list of people I could go to in real life to watch impotent whining about how horrible someone is, in my own sliver of the political spectrum alone. As much as I love a good piss and moan about the evil in my world, it's so systematic that it becomes rather frustrating that the piss and moan is the most one can do. It's nice to be able to retreat to a fictional world in which evil isn't untouchable, is condensed into a single target, and that target can be obliterated by one fired arrow.

What a lovely fantasy.

I've never seen the old "I'm rubber, you're glue" defense used so literally before. Come to think of it, that's probably why Kanna looks like a school-child. Makes sense.

Kanna lifts her mirror and the arrow arcs straight into it. Kagome flinches back from the burst of light resulting from the collision, but it quickly dies down, the mirror appearing out of the intense glare without the arrow anywhere to be seen. Kanna looks down at it blankly, while Shippou gapes in a trailing question about the missing arrow. Kagome, mouth also hanging open, works out that her arrow was actually swallowed by the mirror. Kanna just thinks that it couldn't be bounced back.

Regardless, the mirror's surface ripples as it chooses Kagome as a target, reflecting her image leaning in the dirt. An aura of energy surrounds Kagome and she looks uneasy at the stirring in her. The aura starts to be drawn toward the mirror, creating a wind that whips her hair as well, and Shippou reiterates in alarm how the rest of her soul is being sucked out due to her appearing in the mirror. Thanks for the reminder, Shippou, I'm sure Kagome is very appreciative of that description of the horrible thing that's happening to her, AS IT'S HAPPENING.

Kanna holds the mirror dutifully as Kagome's soul rushes into it. Shippou pulls Kagome's sleeve, urging her to run away, but she's not convinced that's necessary at this rate. She thinks that if the mirror could have taken in her whole soul, it would have already, so she stays hunkered down with a determined glare on her face. Probably couldn't have run anywhere either, even if it was the best course of action, to be fair.

At this point, Kanna is trembling as her mirror continues to be bombarded by more soul. Naraku asks if she's the one shaking the mirror like that, but Kanna turns her head to tell him that it's the other way around, and the mirror is no longer responding to her commands.

And you spent all that effort collecting them too.

Cut to Miroku, who is actually still fending off that hoard of soulless villagers. Oh yeah, that's a thing that was happening... I may not have been paying attention to him, but he was paying attention to what was going on behind him. Or maybe all the souls flying around is difficult not to notice, because he shouts about it as he whacks a weapon out of an old man's brittle hands. The souls jump every which way from the mirror, but a good hunk of that mass lands on Kagome, who flinches at its impact.

The rest of them head out toward all of the brainwashed villagers, and they look like they're trying to dodge their own selves, funnily enough. Kagome pushes herself into a sitting position with more strength this time, noting that her soul and those of the villagers have returned. She shouts at Miroku to use his Kazaana, and he rips the sealing beads from his right hand without question, warning Naraku that this is the end for him.

Shippou and Kagome lean forward, the latter wondering out loud if the bad guys were gotten. Unfortunately, as the final wisps of his miasma disappear into the air, Naraku says that Miroku was too late. And a stupid giggle, too. Miroku is stunned for a moment before re-wrapping his Kazaana, cursing Naraku for being so fast at escaping. It's like his one real talent, dude, you've got to hand it to the guy. He would have been long dead by now if he hadn't known when to fold 'em.

What he's NOT so great at is knowing when to shut his yap on a cool one-liner. No, he has to go above and beyond by projecting his voice over the bastards that he'd like to let know that he's leaving with their lives for now. Methinks thou dost protest too much. He also addresses Inuyasha specifically, bidding him not to forget...

I guess, but look on the bright side! It's in better shape than you! At least it's still in one piece.

For now.

The villagers all grumble, stumbling around and complaining about the feeling of a vacant head. You sure that's anything new? One guy asks what the hell they're doing there. Koharu wakes up too, leaning on her elbow to put a hand on her head. She wonders aloud what happened to her after she collapsed, then finds a crinkling piece of paper in her fist, one of Miroku's paper charms. As the rest of the villagers examine the trenches dug into the ground and speculate with alarm that they're claw marks of some giant monster, Koharu stares wordlessly around her, clutching the paper charm to her chest.

Don't get all hung up on Miroku, girl. Go find someone who gets to know you a bit first.

Among some rusting trees, our heroes have found yet ANOTHER disused hut sitting half-buried in a hill beside it to which they have retreated. Seems to be one to rest in every few feet or something. Inside, Kagome dabs at Inuyasha's face bloody face with a cloth as he lays sleeping. She leans over him, whispering his name in concern. Miroku advises from his seat behind her that Inuyasha shouldn't be moving around for a while with those bad injuries. Kagome makes an uncertain noise before turning to Sango and asking if her injuries are alright.

Sango is at least awake to answer, so that says leagues already. She assures Kagome that her wounds are "just about" okay, but she's more concerned if Kagome is sure that Naraku has collected most of the Shikon no Tama. Kagome and Miroku look on wordlessly, but they both remember Naraku's most chilling statement as he held out his significantly larger Shikon shard; Kikyou was the one who gave him the majority of it.

Kagome wonders WHY Kikyou would do such a thing, considering the shard has increased Naraku's powers a ton. It seems unthinkable that Kikyou wouldn't have known it would give Naraku an advantage, so Kagome is leaning toward the interpretation that Kikyou wasn't ignorant. From there, Kagome has to assume this means that Kikyou doesn't care if Inuyasha gets killed, while she looks down at the bloodied guy in her care. His eyes are open now, but he doesn't say anything, pondering Kikyou too.

It's Valentine's Day, friendo. She could have any number of reasons for wanting you murdered.

Inuyasha further wonders where she is now, which is a segue over the hills and through the woods, not to grandmother's house, but one outside which a few injured soldiers are hanging out. Their wounds have been bandaged and one of them is propped on a crutch.

Yup, that's the serene expression of a woman who is plotting the death of her ex-boyfriend.

Kikyou kneels next to a couple of men sitting on a mat, asking how they're faring. One of them identifies her as Kikyou, as if he has a possibly new audience to alert, and the other answers that they're feeling much better. She says she's glad to hear it, but then her smile drops and she looks around, distracted.

In the next panel, she's left her patients and headed down a cobbled path into the forest adjacent. When she's sufficiently concealed, she glares into the trees and asks whomever is there to come out, because she's known they were hanging around for a while now.

And now, she's wearing the annoyed face of a person who's sick of this idiot acting like he's dropping gossip in middle school.

"Herher, I heard from Amy who heard from Helen who heard from her cousin that Duncan doesn't LIKE you anymore..."

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I'm always delighted when Kagome gets to out-tough everybody and save the day. That being said, the reason she was able to do this is still a bit obscure. I've concluded this "large soul" deal must be a function of a reincarnation-based cosmology, which might go toward explaining why some people would have greater spiritual abilities than others, due to their multiple accumulations of experiences in the cycle. I could be totally wrong here, though, and I really have any evidence to back it up - I only know that Kagome is the reincarnation of another powerful priestess, and her power seems to have compounded. RT hasn't expounded upon how the cosmology in this world works, and I again must stress that the rules seem to fluctuate, due to the mythological structure of the content. Since this story reflects mythology and, yes, fairy tales in its construction, I'm willing to be a little forgiving on the inconsistencies. It's not meant to make all that much sense, in my opinion, since it relies just a little on the dreamlike quality of the setting and character archetypes.

Whether my interpretation is correct or even really fits is beside the point. I feel a little saddened by Kagome's hold-out here, because of how little of it was in her control. The last time she stood up to Naraku, she was in full badass mode and blew him away. In this instance, she just had to withstand the storm with an advantage that wasn't accumulated or earned, but innate. Maybe this was the point - the survival wasn't earned with skill, but stolen with a birthright the villain didn't anticipate, and only when no one could really fight. It's obviously not supposed to feel like much but a function of fortune, and perhaps rock-bottom has been found. I mean, if the only reason you're alive is because your friend's soul was too big for a magic mirror's stomach, your skill and strategy may be severely lacking.

Not that skill and strategy can overcome Kikyou's giant middle finger to Inuyasha and co, though. Granted, I don't think it's a DIRECT middle finger, since her ultimate goal appears to be, as I mentioned, to restore a warped sense of balance in the world. The jewel is SUPPOSED to be whole and/or gone from the world, she AND Inuyasha are meant to be dead in her view, and Naraku is SUPPOSED to be stuck in immobile obscurity in his half-actualized state.

Funny thing about "supposed to be" though, is that it can never actually "be" because it's always in the past. And unless you're Kagome... WELL, I'm guessing that's another reason altogether for Kikyou to be jealous of her reincarnation. 

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 210 The Shrine's Trap!

Oh good! I've always loved Indiana Jones throwbacks! Except that fourth movie about the aliens shiny rock skulls or whatever. That was pretty bad. It was also an official production, so it just goes to show that you never can tell the quality of these things by the people producing them. If Lucas and Spielberg could screw up basic archaeological adventure so royally, who's to say that KT here couldn't make a better comment on the concept. Even in the context of a card game, I'm hopeful. After all, how much worse could it get than alien skulls made of crystal?

Although I have to admit that the translation might dampen my enthusiasm for possible shrine traps. I can't be sure I'll be able to figure it out when it happens, not when Jonouchi is here at the beginning talking about "gaps" in friendships that never existed in the first place. Was the translator getting a bit too literal with idioms or is this just nonsense?

At least the image of Jonouchi furiously shuffling "Marik's" cards and jutting his chin aggressively at his opponent is clear all by itself. "Marik" doesn't look intimidated in the slightest, stoic as ever, but Honda is grinning down in the spectator pit. He says it's been a while since he's seen Jonouchi this pissed off, and Jonouchi's anger has never lost him a fight. Yuugi tacks on the qualifier that this has in the past only applied to street fights, though. Mai ignores this talk, encouraging Jonouchi to stay focused.

She notices how unimpressed "Marik's" glare is down at Jonouchi as the latter postures, and judges this sanguine self-security to be genuine. She thinks "Marik" must be very good. Or not swayed by obvious peacocking bullshit. Mai urges Jonouchi not to let his guard down. I don't think he's going to have much of a problem focusing, though, because he's still glaring up at "Marik" as the continues shuffling those cards, even as Moar Cards Guy tells him that's enough and to go back to his side of the field.

While Jonouchi heads to his end of the platform, he grinds his teeth, insisting he has to beat this guy. He turns to face "Marik", still radiating rage. On the other side of the platform, Mokuba asks his big brother for confirmation that this guy "Marik" really has the third god card. Kaiba says that this is what he's heard, but until he sees it for himself, he's not really willing to say either way. Again, he internally characterizes Jonouchi as a lab rat - one that should show some ability to force "Marik" to use his god card. If only Jonouchi knew how generous Kaiba's thoughts about his dueling abilities actually are. But I suppose that's why Kaiba isn't saying any of this out loud.

But before THAT, some comments from the peanut gallery! Honda cheers Jonouchi, Mai shouts that she won't forgive him if he loses, and Shizuka encourages her brother to do his best. Yuugi internally urges Jonouchi to beat this asshole who forced the two of them to fight, while at the same time acknowledging the troubling fact that Jonouchi's best card, Red Eyes Black Dragon, is now in his custody. This, in Yuugi's opinion, weakens Jonouchi considerably. Don't be so sure, kiddo. He made it THIS far without Red Eyes.

Jonouchi himself seems to be rather confident, after all. He promises Yuugi to beat this dude and get that god card. Unfortunately, the wind is not on his side, gusting right in his face and whipping his cards from his hand. He looks over his shoulder at the cards blowing out behind him in anxiety, Yuugi and Honda mirroring his expression below. He manages snatch the cards back out of the air, even catching one in his teeth, as he leans precariously over the platform railing. My heart is hammering as hard as his as he thinks about how troublesome and dangerous it would be for his cards to get lost. No shit, son. DO remember that you're on top of a flying BLIMP, please!

Ryoji hangs his head in shame, as do Honda and Yuugi, the former of which mutters that he can't watch this anymore. The ladies on the other side of them are still staring at the scene though, Mai in anger while she barks at Jonouchi to pull himself together, and Shizuka in admiration of her brother's nice catch. The scene just amuses Kaiba, whose entire motivation in placing the arena on top of the blimp is being fulfilled. He reiterates in his head how the enemy is meant to be the wind blowing away one's cards as well as the opponent. What purpose does this serve? To be annoying, of course! Kaiba's specialty!

Yuugi has raised his head again, silently urging Jonouchi to calm his shit. Jonouchi himself bows his head in a moment of meditation I didn't realize he was capable of, trying to recenter and concentrate. When he's done, his first move is to play a card, as one does.

I don't know, those gears seem awfully bound up in a lot of armor...

After a moment of looking at his cards and choosing one, "Marik" slaps a continuous magic card on his Duel Disk. Jonouchi reads the name of the card, Shrine of the Pharaoh, with some confusion. As the image of the card on the field starts to smoke in holographic manifestation, Yami and Mai gape at it in disbelief.

"Marik" describes the building as a trap for invaders, enabling him to place two traps per turn. This is utterly shocking to Jonouchi, who's probably not sitting very comfortable on his gambling themed deck right now. "Marik" of course takes this time to place two cards on his side of the platform face down, and promptly ends his turn. Jonouchi stares at these two cards, groaning in trepidation, and "Marik" smirks at him, asking if he has the courage to enter this grand temple.

... Is there a snake pit?

Yuugi begs Jonouchi not to mess around with those cards, because they're obviously traps. Interestingly, what tips him off is not the card "Marik" played that specifically allows him to play two TRAP cards, but the fact that "Marik" has no monsters in play. Talk about taking the scenic route in logic. Jonouchi groans some more and sweats, while the real Marik continues to mentally encourage Rishid to use traps to get at Jonouchi. What the fuck do you think he's DOING, bro?

Yuugi's eyes widen at the big ornate box sitting on the dais in the shrine, the one that's leaking holographic mist. He supposes that there must be something asleep inside being guarded. It IS rather ominous. Jonouchi doesn't notice, though, declaring that he's not going to be cowed that easily with his eyes crossed. He holds his free hand up to his mouth to cover a cheeky giggle, because Jonouchi isn't afraid. No, Jonouchi has no fear, because *giggle* he has Hurricane in his hand, which he can use to return all magic and trap cards to the owner's hands. Can't wait to see how he's completely blindsided by an inability to use this one, folks.

To put him even more out of his area of expertise, he starts presuming he knows what his opponent is thinking. Jonouchi assumes that "Marik" is waiting for him to attack in order to activate his traps, so Jonouchi decides not to attack. He assumes that "Marik" thinks he's going to summon a powerful monster in this turn, but that's not what he's looking to do. Jonouchi's plan is actually to let "Marik" lay down more trap cards, filling up the whole field with them, so then he can play Hurricane to wipe them all out. Only after this power move is he interested in using a monster to attack, a technique Jonouchi is convinced is perfect.

Somehow, I think he might come up against a few roadblocks on this seemingly smooth road to victory. Maybe it's the fact that he's the only one of four duelists so far to have trouble holding onto his cards, maybe it's that Jonouchi's duels never give him a dignified struggle like the other two main duelists, but I've got a definite feeling.

In accordance with his plan, Jonouchi summons Panther Warrior, but ends his turn immediately afterward, not attacking. "Marik" in response lays down two new cards and and ends his turn too. While Yuugi is distressed by "Marik's" strategy to forgo using any monsters in favor of traps and magic, Jonouchi is certain that he was right, and there's a field full of trap cards in front of him. He summons another monster, which I had to confirm with Google is Swordsman of Landstar, because it's not translated in the chapter. He's got a total of 4000 attack points between all of them, just as he was aiming for. He thinks that if he activates Hurricane now, he can beat "Marik".

After a pause, Jonouchi declares that "Marik" fell for his trap. His opponent is still pretty stoic, so it's difficult to see if he has a reaction to this "news" at all.

Well that didn't take long, did it? "Marik" informs Jonouchi that his trap failed as the hologram of Hurricane disperses before Jonouchi's disbelieving eyes. Now comes the actually correct assessment of what an opponent was thinking: "Marik" says that Jonouchi thought his trap cards would activate upon an attack, but what "Marik" was REALLY waiting for was for Jonouchi to play a trap himself. Close-up on Jonouchi's widened, shocked eye as "Marik" continues, telling him he knew that Hurricane was in Jonouchi's hand, because he wouldn't have summoned all those monsters without playing a trap in between without being sure that Hurricane would take care of all of the traps on the field. "Marik" asks if Jonouchi really thought such a primitive strategy would have an effect on him. He probably shouldn't have, to be perfectly honest.

"Marik" sticks out his arm and introduces the trap that JONOUCHI fell for, a card called Judgment of Anubis. All of Jonouchi's monsters are pierced through by multiple shafts of light.

And just like that, the goofy atmosphere is gone.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I'm a little annoyed by how the trouble duelists should have holding onto their cards is only brought up with Jonouchi. In the last duel, the windy conditions were only posing an issue outwardly for the spectators, and it isn't even mentioned for the duelists themselves. I asked above what the purpose of this mechanic of the tournament is with a bit of sarcasm above, but I really am wondering why KT wrote this in if it's ONLY going to affect ONE character. It seems a wasteful write-in for a lazy joke, its sole purpose being to emphasize how ungraceful Jonouchi is in comparison with the other competitors. It's especially irritating when anyone who's been in a high place (say, the top of Pike's Peak for instance) can tell you that the wind is a huge issue, and it would be an even bigger one if you were moving. The wind shouldn't just be challenging, it should be impossible, but if KT were going to downgrade it to the former, he should have made it so for everyone, and not just for just one as a punchline. DO SOMETHING IMPORTANT WITH YOUR WINDY DUELING PLATFORM, KT.

And who knows, maybe he will. I don't hold out much hope, though maybe I should. After all, Jonouchi has had the confidence of not only Yuugi in this chapter, who also thought that Hurricane was a winning strategy and was just as surprised as Jonouchi that it was thwarted, but KAIBA too. Now, the translation here is obviously not the best, so I can't be CERTAIN that the wording of Kaiba's statement above is accurate to how he views the situation, but it did look a lot like he was suggesting Jonouchi had the skill to force "Marik" to play his god card. It would make sense, too, considering he saw Jonouchi putting up one hell of a fight against Yuugi right before the semi-finals began. Or, parts of it at least. If this interpretation isn't relying too much on faulty information, it's not insignificant. Sure, Kaiba still doesn't consider Jonouchi a rival like Yami is, but he doesn't consider Marik to be a rival worthy of him either. That Kaiba would think Jonouchi is skilled enough to keep the guy with an entire organization for stealing the best and rarest cards for themselves on the ropes instead of just losing instantly, that's not exactly an insult.

Especially when Kaiba has no trouble throwing him direct insults all the time anyway.

Inuyasha Manga: 151 Shikon Light

Ugh, don't talk to me about bright round objects right now, no matter how small. The one in the sky kept me up even though I was desperate to get more shut-eye, every day all week. At first, waking up at four in the morning every day and going to bed at ten in the evening didn't seem so bad, but I think it's finally catching up with me. I can't wait for daylight to become even LONGER, so I can't even get in that nice hour-nap before the sun busts in my window to harass me. I mean, how much worse can a struggle over a glowing bead be than tha-

Oh. I'll just... see my whiny ass out.

Miroku asks Naraku who the dames are, the little and the big. Some kind of underling? Naraku answers with a, "what good will knowing do you, since you're going to die anyway," response.  Classic. But Miroku doesn't want to hear that cocky shit, he just wants to know if the little girl Kanna also has a scar shaped like a spider on her back, like Kagura and Naraku himself. Naraku looks slightly taken aback at first, if not a little irritated, but congratulates Miroku for observing THAT much at least. He tells Miroku that the two ladies were youkai born from himself, identifying Kagura as wind and Kanna as nothingness.

This explains the lack of smell, presence or youki to Miroku, as well as the fact that Kanna wasn't noticed until she had incapacitated them. Like carbon monoxide with a mirror. Naraku was experimenting with how he might hotbox Inuyasha and ended up creating a youkai, I guess. Miroku hones in on that mirror, where he knows Kagome's soul has been trapped, and wonders what he will do, knowing only the possibility that will come if he can get Kagome's soul back.

As he's pondering, though, Naraku is on a completely different topic - commanding Kagura to cut off Inuyasha's head. Kagura casually asks if Naraku is taking it with him, like it's an umbrella or something, as Miroku and Shippou gape in anger and shock, respectively. Naraku giggles about his plan to show Inuyasha's head to a certain woman.

THAT woke him up. Miroku is somewhat surprised that Naraku is talking about Kikyou now too, but his attention is drawn behind him where Inuyasha has squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. Shippou calls his name, and Miroku expresses relief that he managed to survive. Shippou turns to look at Tessaiga lying in the dirt trailing from Inuyasha's palm and concludes that it must have protected him.

Miroku hears a noise to his left and sees the re-approaching crowd of controlled villagers with their farm implements upheld. Naraku tells him that his opponents are the villagers, and invites Miroku to fight as hard as he likes, leaving out the obvious fact that this is just a distraction anyway. Miroku groans with disgust and a little nervousness.

Kagura doesn't wait long to raise her fan and declare she's taking Inuyasha's head without hesitation. She sends a single wind-blade toward his throat, and Shippou shouts Inuyasha's name in desperation. The little guy doesn't leave the big guy's side, even though that huge blade would slice him right in half along with Inuyasha's neck.

But it wasn't meant to be. Some other projectile intercepts the wind-blade mid-air, dissipating it instantly. A confused Kagura wonders what the hell that was. Three guesses.

This girl is FIERCE.

Her energy is just pretty limited right now. She lowers herself to the ground next to Inuyasha and Shippou, belly-crawling toward the former as the latter says her name. Inuyasha's weak address of Kagome takes a moment for him to croak out, but Kagome is still able to let out a sigh of relief that Inuyasha is still alive. In true canine fashion, he has the spirit of Charlie B. Barkin.

Charlie actually DID die, though, so perhaps Inuyasha could do with not following TOO closely in that spirit.

Kagura starts heckling Kanna, accusing her of failing, and asking why Kagome's still moving if her soul had been stolen properly. Naraku gives Kanna a bit of a dirty look as well, but Kanna doesn't answer Kagura's criticisms. She just looks down at her mirror silently, where a light glows from the surface. Naraku reads the wordless reaction pretty well, taking this to mean that the light is actually Kagome's soul OVERFLOWING from the mirror, too massive to be devoured fully.

Kagome has propped herself on one knee in front of Inuyasha's beaten body, bow drawn again, even though her arm is shaking with the effort it requires. Naraku acts rather impressed that she has the strength left to draw her bow. She doesn't give a shit, promising not to forgive him for doing such a horrible thing to Inuyasha. Naraku just scoffs.

As they face off, Kagome strains, eventually coming to see that a light from the Shikon jewel is shining from his chest. What's unbelievable to her is that it's gotten bigger than when she saw it last, so she confronts him about it, asking where he got a shard like that. Inuyasha and Shippou listen with questioning looks as Naraku recalls with irritation that Kagome can see the shards. He takes it from under his collar and holds it out in his palm, asking if Kagome really wants to know who gave it to him.

Kagome gapes in horrific epiphany long before Naraku confirms her suspicions. In fact, while he's looking forward to how soon it will become whole now. Yup, only four hundred chapters left now. Like the blink of an eye. Kagome recalls when Kikyou's Shinidamachuu hovered her over the crack in the earth, Kikyou herself having taken the large Shikon fragment off her at the time. She looks utterly shocked at the notion that Kikyou would give that shard over to Naraku.

Naraku says he doesn't have any idea what Kikyou was thinking by handing the fragment to him either, but...

Drama bomb.

Naraku chuckles, telling Inuyasha to hate Kikyou if he's going to hate anyone for this. Inuyasha directs his eyes in Naraku's direction, but otherwise remains speechless as Naraku continues to comment on the terrible way in which he was beaten, citing it as a consequence of his enemy's acquisition of this much of the jewel. He's wearing a smug smile, surrounded by his two new offspring.

Kagome makes a noise of disgust and pulls back even harder on her bowstring, spitting that everything he says gives her the fucking creeps. Naraku doesn't say anything in response - he just tells her to go ahead and shoot after a small pause. Inuyasha stutters at her not to shoot, trailing off in a description of what Kanna's mirror will do. Shippou has to finish for him, relaying to Kagome how Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu was bounced back by the reflective power of the mirror. He suggests that an arrow fired could be bounced back as well. Naraku questions whether it's even worth it to fire an arrow for that measly Inuyasha's protection at all, anyway. What a fine, upstanding guy whose opinions are worthy of respect. Cue my eyeroll.

But Kagome isn't at all hesitant about protecting Inuyasha. She's not even worried about the arrows being reflected back at her.

Kagome is so fierce, she doesn't need proper grammar. Eat it.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? That image of Inuyasha lying helpless on the ground is just as visceral and horrifying as it was in the last chapter, even though he's conscious in this one. In a way, his consciousness adds another element of hopelessness, because you know he's INCAPABLE of getting up. He has a habit of pushing himself beyond physical limits in situations of serious danger, and he can't even move more than an inch when his head is about to be cut off. He's completely incapacitated here, and it's terrifying.

And yet, this gives Kagome her opportunity to shine, and shine she does. It becomes more clear here than ever before that she and Inuyasha have a deep stubbornness in common, so strong that they will push through the most devastating circumstances in order to protect each other and their friends when everyone else can't fend for themselves. If anyone ever wondered why they're so into one another while also fighting all the time, let this be the answer to your questions - both of them are too stubborn to give up on ANYTHING, people, situations, feelings and arguments alike. They just don't quit. It makes for a little irony too when you realize that Inuyasha left Kagome behind at the house to protect her at the beginning of the arc, only to need protection from her later when she turns out to be an unlikely savior.

One thing I don't get though is Kagome's large soul. Is this part of Japanese folklore? What gives one a massive soul anyway? Is it similar to an old soul in reincarnation parlance, or is it just that her soul has more power behind it? I assume there's a reason other than "everything is bigger in Texas protagonist". But who knows?