Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 231 The Darkness of the Past

The past has been pretty dark, alright. From murdering convicts with impossible physics to game shop fires to card matches designed to drown the loser, Yu-Gi-Oh is no stranger to pouring a big ol' bucket of black paint over otherwise slightly tinged subjects. I don't know if this comic can cover anything with just subtle shadow - it has to go all out with its edginess, even when it doesn't make much sense.

I'd hate to know how KT would write me having to give away my beloved rosemary plant later today. There would no doubt be cards and a deathtrap or two involved.

Oh yeah, I forgot that Kaiba was freaking out at the end of the last chapter. Must be because he's never NOT freaking out. Who he's calling a "liar" here has me a bit mystified, though. The card?

He's too horrified by the information for that to be it, so I'm just going to shrug and say it's a mistranslation. Kaiba is doubled over and having a breakdown over the keyboard while Mokuba tries to encourage him to hold on... to whatever sanity he possesses, no doubt. Seto isn't listening, preoccupied by the memory of other!Marik stating that only those who have been chosen by the Millennium Items will be able to read the ancient Hieratic writing on the Ra card. He stares down at his palm in panic, ancient Egyptian Hieratic echoes in his head and he rests his forehead in that very palm, repeating the word "liar". Now he's remembering Ishizu and he examining the big stone tablet in the museum, on which the high priest facing the pharaoh was posed summoning a big white beast just like him, and again he repeats the word "liar". Dude, trying to convince yourself that all these things are just lies doesn't seem to be any comfort to you in the midst of your nervous breakdown.

So his focus seems to shift to that flash of an ancient memory he had a few minutes ago, where the priest was kneeling in front of another stone tablet with the Blue Eyes White Dragon engraved on it, holding a limp mystery lady. He wonders what happened to this past-self of his in the end.

CUE TITLE PAGE!

Just imagine the mental anguish if he had LOST the match. Probably would have ended up in another coma.

Over an image of the duel-blimp still flying over the city lights, an announcement that the first day of Battle City has officially ended calls over some loudspeakers inside. It continues with the proclamation that the four remaining duelists are entered in the next stage of the semifinals, with will begin in the morning in a third location off the duel-blimp. They're all jet-setters now. Dueling jet-setters.

Anzu, Jonouchi and Yuugi are all walking down the corridor, and Anzu expresses surprise that there's yet a THIRD dueling arena. Jonouchi muses aloud about how they left the city to duel on the ship, and now they're STILL dueling. Yeah, I'm in a bit of disbelief myself that the single day this tournament has encompassed has been so fucking LONG. Yuugi wonders to his friends what kind of place this third arena will be. Hope it's not FIJI, because how much of a bummer would it be to stand around playing a card came the whole time and not get to vacation it up?

Jonouchi says with an optimistic grin that it doesn't matter what kind of place they're headed, all that really matters is that Yuugi gets into those finals. Yuugi makes a noise of agreement. Anzu suggests that both he and Yami must be pretty tired from this eternal day of dueling, and he agrees with this as well, saying that Yami is especially tired. Anzu switches the topic again, hanging her head as she mentions how so many people have been injured in the tournament so far. You'd think they were playing rugby or something, but no, cards. Yuugi says he can't believe how violent this thing turned out to be, as if he hasn't been the center of unbelievably contrived violence this whole manga.

After a moment of silence, Jonouchi lunges forward at a canter, informing the other two over his shoulder that he's super worried about Mai, and suggesting they should visit her room right away. They agree and end up in front of door number 6, her personal room that they must have just dumped her into instead of the medical wing for some reason. I guess SOMEONE didn't want the precious babies to see the doctor's dead body yet, eh KT?

Before they open up the door, Yuugi casts a curious look to his left where Ishizu is walking down the hall toward them. He greets her with her name, and she explains that she too is worried about the young woman who landed in a coma after the duel with other!Marik. Guilty, more like. Ishizu asks if she can see Mai too.

Should have been Kaiba. If for no other reason than he has much more practice.

Jonouchi recalls what other!Marik said about how Mai would die if he wasn't defeated within 24 hours, with a douchey laugh to boot. With a determined grind of his teeth, he again internally asks Mai to wait for him, because he'll definitely defeat Marik. Or, end up just like her. Whichever.

So, you know how Shizuka just randomly showed up in the top right panel inexplicably? It was because she had to draw Jonouchi's attention by sniffing and being miserable behind him. He looks over his shoulder at her, thinking her name as she swipes her hand beneath her nose. She says she knows he told her to be strong, but she can't take it anymore. She lists Bakura and Mai, complaining that people just keep getting hurt by this tournament.

Shizuka begins to cry, saying this is not the kind of world she wanted to see. Anzu and Jonouchi both look impotently at her as they mumble her name. Ishizu hangs her head in silence while Jonouchi apologizes, cursing. When she speaks up, it's to say that no matter what happens, humans can't run or hide from reality. CLEARLY she isn't familiar with the United States' climate-denying current administration. Ishizu states that wars and suffering are common in the world, and these kinds of events only repeat themselves over and over again over the millennia.

Yuugi's poop-face has returned! Now if only Yami would gives us a big grin... but no one seems to be in the mood for that right now.

Ishizu included. She starts going into the history of her own family, since the beginning of Egypt, those of the Ishtar bloodline sacrificing many a thing to protect their duty. Yuugi wonders about this bloodline, rather than the real question - what the hell this duty even IS, really. Ishizu is one step ahead of ME, though, in hinting that it's to protect those powerful objects the Millennium Items. As Yuugi stares at her, speechless, she casts an obvious glance at the puzzle hanging from his neck.

She looks back at Shizuka, to assure her that even in this world filled with tragedy, there are still people extending their arms toward the bright future they want to see. Shizuka raises her own pitiable gaze to note that Ishizu has some pretty sad eyes herself. It's at this point that Yuugi steps forward to say that Ishizu must be Marik's older sister. She doesn't answer, so Yuugi plows ahead with a question he hopes she can answer; why Marik is so intent on killing them, and why other!Marik in particular wants to take away the lives of innocents.

Considering how the pharaoh chose to share Yuugi's body to share, she bows her head in understanding and elects to tell them all about the Ishitar family tragedy. This ain't no National Lampoon tale. It takes place in an underground crypt, where Ishizu explains the family would protect a total of two Millennium Items and the memories of the pharaoh. They'd live down there with these items, away from human civilization, because spending generations locked up in the dark DOESN'T sound like the best way to become morlocks.

Over another panel of baby Marik crying into his hands as his back bleeds profusely, Ishizu tells of the savage ceremony that the heir to the family had to go through, having the pharaoh's memories carved onto his back. In addition, any contact with the outside world was expressly forbidden. She says this was her little brother's life. Ishizu tells everyone that the tragedy happened five years ago, one year after Marik's ceremony.

We're in full flashback mode now, watching Rishid ring out a damp rag into a bowl of water and carrying both past an open door, where his douchebag adopted dad is writing in a book at a stone desk by a flickering flame in a small oil-dish. He calls out to Rishid as he passes.

Ooh, feeling a little less douchey today, I see!

Rishid answers that Marik still appears to have a fever, but if he keeps resting quietly, it should go down by the morning. Adoptive dad asks if that's so, so I guess Rishid feels emboldened to talk a bit more, encouraging his dad to get some rest too, because he and Ishizu will look after Marik. Rishid answers to his name being said by adoptive dad once more, only to be rewarded with the guy yelling at him that he's been told not to let his annoying face-tattoo be seen. And the non-douchey moment is over.

Rishid turns his head and apologizes, sweatdropping. He continues on his way with his head hanging after douchey!dad reminds him that he shouldn't think pulling a stunt like the face-tattoo would make him the heir to the Ishtars, because he's still just a servant. You're a capital guy, douchey!dad.

Later, he stands behind Ishizu sitting next to Marik's bed, where Marik sits up demanding that he and his sister go somewhere together. Ishizu looks around and holds her forefinger up to her lips to shush him, reprimanding him for talking too loud. Marik tells her not to worry, because their father should be asleep by now. Ishizu just looks down in worry. Marik reminds her that they planned a lot for this day, him faking and fever and sleep, so they can sneak outside later and their douchey!dad will never know. She in turn reminds HIM that if they're found out they're in huge trouble for breaking one of the all-important Ishtar laws. Again, Marik tells her not to worry, and looks to Rishid to confirm that he'll be there taking care of everything. Rishid agrees, though he looks a little shifty about it. The older kiddos seem a lot more aware of the danger than the baby one.

Or he's just too intent upon getting a glimpse of the outside world, no matter what. Tunnel-vision from living his whole life in a cave, no doubt. He's BEGGING Ishizu for just this one shot, but she stays silent, hesitant. Rishid steps up to assure Ishizu that he'll take care of everything after they go, he just wants her to grant Marik's wish. Finally, Ishizu looks up at Marik and promises that they'll go out and have fun once the sun has risen. Marik's gives her his own sunny grin, but she cautions them that they only have two hours and have to come back once the time is up.

He agrees, and the next page sees them walking up a set of stone steps, as Rishid stands back in Marik's room over an obvious forgery of his body stuffed beneath his blanket. There's no possible way this can go wrong. When Marik exits the tomb, he grins up into the sunlight, and present-Ishizu says it was the first time Marik had felt the sunlight over his whole body in his life. In the memory, he's got his arms stretched wide, as if the hug the damn thing.

Careful kid, so many people is how I became a misanthrope.

Ishizu spots the edge of Marik's back-tattoo over the top of his collar, and readjusts the garment to hide it. After giving her a questioning look out of his periphery, he points and suggests they go over there, exalting in how busy it is here. Ishizu warns him not to touch anything in this surface world with his hands. No doubt that would make this immunity deficient little twit REALLY sick. He says he knows, but I don't believe he does.

He's frolicking through the crowd, pausing when he sees someone step on a discarded magazine. He kneels to pick up the book someone dropped, saying that it's unacceptable for people to just be walking all over them. I was surprised Marik would be a bibliophile, until my idiot brain remembered that there was likely no other form of entertainment in his childhood. Marik brushes the magazine off, and starts flipping through it, amazed that the pictures in it look so much like the real thing depicted. It's so cool to him that my jaded old heart feels a little jolt of childlike wonder.

Marik comes across a picture of a man riding a motorcycle that catches his fancy in particular.

Marik's expression suddenly turns morose, and he shares the dark thought that he's never going to be able to ride a motorcycle across the land if he keeps living like he has. Ishizu doesn't have an answer, just a morose look in return. Until she spins around and tells him that it's time to go. Marik complains that it was awfully fast and pauses to look back down at the magazine in his fist for a moment. It's a moment too long, because Ishizu snaps back at him that they had a deal about only two hours. He says he knows their deal, but bids she let him tear out the page with the motorcycle so he can bring it home. He's already well on his way to extracting the page, before he's even finished asking for permission. Hey, what happened to that bibliophile sentiment that torturing books isn't nice, young man? Did it just fucking evaporate when you were overexposed to the sun?

Probably.

Marik promises he won't let their douchey-dad see the page. Meanwhile, through the crowd, that piece of shit SHADI appears, walking up to the siblings on their way home. Hopefully he can resist the urge to stick his key in their faces and traumatize them by walking right into their fucking heads like he's paying rent. He makes a cryptic statement to them about how the spirit of the pharaoh will soon awaken, which alarms the both of them, not least of all because a strange man has just decided he's entitled to their attention. Little do they know that this is just how things work in the overworld.

Ishizu demands to know who this guy is, and instead of answering her, Shadi says THIS:

Seriously, Shadi, how are you MORE of an asshole every time I see you? Your talent for being a pain in the ass never ceases to amaze.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Despite Ishizu's muted demeanor, she's really easy to sympathize with. In fact, it may be BECAUSE of her more withdrawn sorrow that I find her a little more believable than Kaiba at the moment. I'm just so used to him overreacting to everything by this point that I can't take him seriously anymore. I can't help but think that whatever he's freaking out about isn't going to be as big a deal as he's making it out to be, even though I'm aware through the flow of the narrative that the rising action is heating up. Kaiba just kind of FAILS at making me feel it.

Ishizu on the other hand starts out the chapter on the right foot by being possibly the most considerate of ALL the characters in the manga thus far. She's fast making up for her inaction from the point at which they all got on the blimp, and her defeat might be the reason for that. Because she didn't win like the Millennium Necklace led her to believe, she's becoming more aware of what Kaiba indicated at the end of the duel: if she just WAITS for the future and doesn't take an active role in creating the one she wants, she's got no hope. This also goes a long way to explain how her bitter assessment of the world, being a stage for the same shitty things happening over and over again, ends with that light note to Shizuka that there are always those who reach for the kind of world they want to see. Ishizu now understands that THOSE are the people who break the cycle, grasping for a better world instead of just waiting for the circle of misery to start back up once more. Those are the people who are going to break the cycle of horror that has plagued her family lately.

Which might also be part of the reason she decides to tell the story of what happened. Providing context to those who've proven to have a lot more gumption than she might undoubtedly help them to figure out how to fix it. She's no longer in a position to do anything, but if someone else knows, perhaps it'll help them to do so in her stead. At the very least, it might prove a cheap therapy session.

Also, baby!Marik all bright and starry-eyed over the outside world kind of melted my heart. It was a little adorable. I better be careful that the little fucker doesn't worm his way into my favor like those treacherous Kaibas...