Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 219 Game of Darkness!

I kind of wish I was more timely in covering this chapter, what with the new and final season of Game of Thrones coming out and being ripe for all the jokes. Then again, there's already recaps of each episode on NPR that have made all those jokes, everyone else has pointed out the rogue Starbucks cup in a shot multiple times, and I don't even watch that show anymore. Too much creepy incest/pedo shit for my taste. Even worse in the books.

All in all, I think I can afford to mostly ignore Game of Thrones, even if its tagline is more apt than ever for Yu-Gi-Oh as well. Marik has certainly been trying to honor a "you either win or you die" dichotomy.

Considering he's failed to follow through on the last murder plot, I don't know if I should be particularly worried for Mai.

Mai is certainly worried for herself, though, as Marik promises to give her the worst feeling ever. His less-than-threatening vocabulary is made up for by the darkness he's spreading with his evil magic wand, and Mai looks around in panic, wondering what's going on as she notices that everything is being engulfed in darkness. But Jonouchi and friends also come to her attention, cheering for her to win, much to her surprise. They stand with determined looks on their faces, and Mai hangs her head silently. Perhaps the first indication that she regrets acting like such a douche earlier?

Nope, she turns and starts scolding Jonouchi for not doing what he was told and staying back. Mai shouts that she's used to fighting alone and demands that he leave, but Jonouchi tells her not to push herself too hard. He says they recognize her as a great duelist regardless of her bluster, and a friend. She's rendered speechless again for a moment, then scoffs and her only retort is "whatever" and a toss of her head. Totally.

Marik scoffs too at the concept of their friendship, and looks forward to having the honor of sacrificing Mai in front of all the spectators declaring their friendship. How this would be an honor isn't clear, but I have to admit I don't give a shit. It's at this point that our spectators just start to notice the dark fog covering the platform. How observant of them. Honda says its as if the fog is clogging his throat and it's harder to breathe. Jonouchi says that even the field is covered up. You don't say! The focus of everyone and the main even happening right now is covered in dark? Why do you suppose....???

However hesitant he is to name this phenomenon, Yami seems to know that this is a game of darkness. Marik is convinced that Yami should know what this is too, which he connects with thoughts of hatred that are like, and I shit you not, "having a dark layer of darkness in the dark night." Dark-ception? I don't know, but it is absolutely ludicrous. Anyway, Marik says that these dark dark dark thoughts are the opening for the game of darkness, presumably also talking about Mai's insecurity about her friendship with Jonouchi and company as well as his own issues. One of these things is about a billion times worse than the other, but sure, you can create a false equivalency there. No problem.

Yami notices the Millennium Rod in Marik's hand and realizes that this is the tool with which he's creating the game of darkness, and yells at him to stop. But Marik ignores him, focused on his own inner musings about how the darkness has swallowed up his hatred, and it won't be released until he sends Yami into the darkness too. What, is Yami a laxative to your severely constipated-with-hate darkness? Marik's weird mental meandering gets even weirder when he thinks that Yami should know the darkness is hungry, and he'll feed Mai to it as a sacrifice. Seems like she would just add to the constipation, though, what with not being the one the darkness needs to release Marik's hate. Maybe he's just thinking that Mai is the one thin mint that will pop that darkness like a balloon?

Gross. Half-digested hate.

Yami warns Mai that this duel is dangerous and will cost her life if she loses, insisting that she back out while she can. Mai fires back that Yami must think she's an idiot, because he has to know as well as she does that backing out of a challenge she's already accepted is shitty enough that she may as well be dead instead. Damn girl, you're just escalating at record speed today, aren't you? You'd think she was trying to reach the other side of the solar system by the end of the arc or something. Yami shouts her name in concern, but she just smiles and assures both him and Jonouchi that she's going to win no matter what happens, because she's fighting for them too. Awwww. it's almost as if she didn't just tell the both of them off for trying to cheer her on in the last chapter.

Yami still looks upset and tense at this response, but Jonouchi is all for her confidence, declaring that she can win, and she's back to being the Mai they know and love.

To what end, though? If the only thing that will release your intense hate is to make YAMI a sacrifice, then what the fuck is Mai's sacrifice here going to do to help with that goal? Or are you just feeding a beloved pet with her? I don't understand the point of ANY of this.

Yami remains speechless, though troubled by Mai's stubborn intent to see this duel through. Jonouchi isn't looking much more enthusiastic, but more accepting of the obvious fact that they're not going to be able to stop any of this. Yami just thinks that Mai HAS to win this. Boy is EVERYONE here going to be disappointed.

Mai lifts her Duel Disk on her arm at the ready, and declares that she's coming for Marik. Marik says that their game of darkness can begin. Honda and Ryuji call encouragement to Mai, while Yami wonders exactly what I am - why is Marik doing all this? But all he can really do is think at Mai to be careful at this point.

Mai announces that it's her turn, and summons a muscular woman in a bone-bedazzled bikini holding a big blade - the Amazon Swordswoman in attack. She also sets a card face down to end her turn. Smiling, Marik says Mai's name, drawing her attention to something she should have noticed coming out of her chest.

Marik identifies the connecting rope as the "life line", which Mai repeats incredulously. Marik explains that she'll feel the pain of her monster, and it's the most terrifying and painful part of the game. He seems pretty excited by the prospect, what with his declaration that this is going to be better than any of the duels they've had before. Mai is put off by the pure insanity she sees in Marik's eyes but Marik don't care. He's too busy taking his turn.

Something tells me you're going to make MAI perform the demonstration for how this connection affects a player.

Mai just glares at Marik, evaluating that he's got the upper hand in terms of attack points. She's probably factoring in her own face down card, which would explain why she's not looking terribly nervous, even when Marik starts describing the game of darkness being a world of illusion and seduction, offering to show her the fun only duelists can have in the dark world. Is he... is he coming onto her?? Ugh, what an unpleasant thought. Where's my mental floss?

Marik declares an attack, and Mai seems pretty pleased by this. As Marik's Executioner thrusts a wrist-blade in Amazon's face and he shouts at it to die, Mai thinks she's got him, and activates her trap card, Amazon Phalanx. Marik chuckles at this, which is weird, because a whole team of backup bow-women firing arrows at my own monster wouldn't be so funny to me. But hey, different strokes and all. Then the arrows are shown embedded in the shins and knees of the Executioner, and the giggling suddenly makes sense.

Figures Marik would find something so lame funny.

Mai says the Phalanx not only stops an enemy monster in its tracks, but also reduces the attack points by 500, so she tells her original Amazon to attack.

Yes, Marik's head DOES look like it's at a weird angle, and yes, it is EXACTLY why you think it is.

Oh man, that is SICK! I have to admit that I am 10,000% more awake than I had been in the previous two duels. Not gonna lie.

Marik's right hand holds up his head so he can see the cards in his left as he reveals that the special ability of his Executioner is to allow him to play any magic or trap card directly from his hand. While he mulls over what to choose, Mai's friends shout to her from below, asking if she's alright. Normally, I would point out that Marik might need the concern a bit more, having become the Headless Duelist from every cheesy ghost story that likely exists in this world, but from their point of view, he appears whole. Not a scratch on him.

Honda says that whatever happened to make Mai freak out is pretty weird, and Anzu elaborates that all they've been able to see are Mai and Marik in normal upright dueling position. As more general encouragements are shouted to Mai, Yami is looking almost as distressed as she is, because he's certain that in the game of darkness, she's seeing some serious shit right now. It's like she's on shrooms and he's trying to figure out how to bring her down from the bad trip.

Marik has meanwhile chosen the card he's going to use - Life Rope. He says it not only brings his monster back, but gives it 800 extra attack points, for the price of discarding his hand. Mai is still freaking on the other side of the platform, eyes bulging, because THIS GUY'S HEAD JUST FELL RIGHT THE FUCK OFF. Marik decides he's going to set it back on his shoulders again, and as he does so, asks Mai why she's so scared. He mentions that it was HER monster that cut off his head and it was super painful, as though any of that should make her LESS scared. However that's supposed to work, it's not, especially when he follows up with the promise that he'll deliver twice the amount of pain on her as payment.

A promise he makes good on right away, ordering his newly revived Executioner to attack and kill the Amazon with its claw-like wrist blades. It slashes the Amazon across the chest, digging deep tracks diagonally across its torso. Mai is frozen in absolute terror.

... Shit, did I just enter some kind of horror film?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I think this is my favorite in all of Battle City so far, and I'm not even kidding. I was expecting something of a throwaway mini-arc, a few chapters of nothing substantial, since we all know the outcome of this one, and the falling-out Mai had with her friends was kind of tossed in the previous chapter. Boy, was I blindsided by what this turned out to be, though. I can't overstate how in AWE I am.

Not an insignificant part of this is the horror aspect turned up to 11, because everyone knows I love me some horror. It's the KIND of horror as well, Marik manipulating Mai into seeing things that no one else can see and feeling pain for essentially no reason. The misfire of Mai's pain receptors might seem like the bigger issue here, but in all seriousness, I'm more disturbed by concept of her hallucinations, and it being a such a giant degree of separation between herself and her recently reconciled friends. In a sense, it's a "be careful what you wish for" cautionary tale. Mai insisted and insisted she was alone, didn't need anyone else, and could face anything by herself. Now that she's facing something that no one else can, she is for the first time in a a place no one else can support her through - her own head. No matter how much Jonouchi and company want to help her, they can't experience anything happening in the illusion, and therefore are totally ineffective from the outside.

Mai's literal mind-over-matter approach might be the death of her, because KT really upped the stakes on this one. Marik presents the loser's death as an inevitability, so there is a CHANCE she might not make it through this. Knowing Marik's track record for getting his shit done, though, I'm willing to bet there's a bit of wiggle room in this, even if this Marik is several times as evil as the other one and managed one insignificant kill. Still, it is very nice to see KT making the effort and not just rush through this one in order to get to past the more predictable content. He made it interesting, and that's commendable.

Plus, I'm really enjoying the parallel between Marik's projections being fake but their effects being real, and the way the Duel Disk does the same thing with the monsters in the game. Not sure if that was intentional, but it's entertaining. Really makes bolsters my growing opinion that the Duel Disk is like an eighth Millennium Item or something.