Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 250 Light from the Future!!

Kind of? I received an invitation to tentatively return to work this week, so my employers feel like this whole virus thing might be blowing over. They suggested that I just do one day a week until I'm comfortable making it more, which is mostly fine with me. I'll still be wearing a mask the whole time, and keeping at least six feet away from everybody. Yet, it's still enough of a light at the end of the tunnel that I'm actually EXCITED about getting up early to go somewhere for work in the morning. Go figure, my weeks on end in my apartment managed to make my anxiety-ridden ass MISS going out in public. Never thought I would ever say anything close to that, but hey, strange times.

It's helped to have a sense of normalcy from my media to keep me grounded.

Characters collapsed as the result of losing a magical card game? Just another day ending in "Y" for Yu-Gi-Oh.

Tears stream from Shizuka's eyes as she screams out her brother's name, a sweating horrified Honda yells out to his friend as well, and Anzu's eyes well as she gapes at Jonouchi's prone form. Mokuba also looks on with shock, but there's not so much as a twitch in Kaiba's impassive mask. Keep in mind that this is a guy who, the previous DAY in this tournament, found it completely intolerable that either Yuugi or Jonouchi should die in a duel. What's character consistency again? Because it is TOTALLY NORMAL for competitors to collapse in a dead faint during a game, Moar Cards Guy gestures to other!Marik, announcing he's the winner. I would ask why we're not QUESTIONING how accepting the tournament establishment is with all these casualties... in my naive days before I saw with my own eyes that the people in charge of my own non-cartoon world were so willing to let people die happily if it meant the continuation of the status quo that benefits them. Now I'm wiser, but no less completely appalled.

At last, we get a look at other!Marik, who you would think would be ecstatic at his de facto victory, but he's wearing a rather disturbed expression as well. The bystanders all rush the platform, running to crowd around Jonouchi, Honda kneeling next to him to lift his head and shout questions about his condition. As they continue to inquire and shout at a guy who clearly can't hear them, other!Marik stares unseeing at them, grimacing.

Apparently, there's literally nothing more disgusting than the thought of being beaten by Jonouchi, not even vomiting in your own hand. The disdain for Jonouchi seems to get weirder and weirder as time goes on.

Other!Marik wipes his mouth with the back of his hand with a huff, regrowing his maniacal grin as he chuckles - he trails off in a semi-confident statement of Jonouchi's condition, which looks pretty dire. Honda grabs Jonouchi by his collar, yelling his name, and it's at this moment that Honda realizes in shocked disbelief that Jonouchi isn't breathing. Yami, Shizuka and Anzu react with frozen bulging eyes over varying expressions of horror. Mokuba breaks from his placid brother, shouting over his shoulder at Seto that it really looks like Jonouchi is hurt as he runs to the scene. He turns to Moar Cards Guy to demand that the medics be called immediately and Jonouchi be carried down to the infirmary, because it clearly did not occur to the lone adult in the vicinity to do that shit automatically.

Shizuka kneels next to her brother and lifts a limp hand by the wrist, calling his name over and over. Honda continues to hover over Jonouchi, shaking him by the collar roughly in lieu of CPR, screaming at him that he has to wake up. He threatens to kick Jonouchi's ass if he doesn't get up, as if Jonouchi is just lounging in bed on a school morning and refusing to rise and shine or something. Yami stands by, still frozen in his horror, with Yuugi's image looming behind him, a tear in his eye and in denial that this can possibly be. But Jonouchi remains unresponsive, and Yuugi's spirit crunches down in an upright fetal position, hands on his head, bawling in anguish. Tears are now even streaming down Honda's face, saying that this can't be. Shizuka cradles Jonouchi's hand, sobbing into it. Anzu cries into her hand nearby. The most Kaiba can muster is a small frown as he acknowledges that Jonouchi fought until the end, and finally accepts him as a true duelist in death.

Again. For the final time, I'm sure. ;)

Other!Marik has recovered from his unique shock and laughs psychotically once more, calling all of the mourners fools while he reminds them of what's currently staring them in the face; Jonouchi is dead, another sacrifice to the shadows. In his fit of renewed giggles, other!Marik asks who's next, but no one responds, least of all Yami, whose head hangs to hide his face. Kaiba turns his frown to Yami now, looking a tad more contemplative.

Kaiba, can you stop making this about you for FIVE FUCKING SECONDS, PLEASE? Foolish of me to ask of a spoiled rich kid, I know. Kaiba goes on to say that other!Marik may have beaten Jonouchi, but Jonouchi DID force other!Marik to show his hand, including the god card in there, and it's all Kaiba needed to know. Though other!Marik's back is turned, Kaiba holds up a card from his own deck cocks a smile, telling other!Marik that the god's defeat is there. Other!Marik just scoffs and wishes him luck. We get one final look at Kaiba's face, even if it's not giving much more information than... well, he's still holding up that card so it half-obscures his cheek. Whatever.

A smattering of medical personnel start carrying Jonouchi away on a stretcher, his friends trailing along with the urgent doctors shouting urgently to get him to the medical wing. Except for Yami, of course. He stands watching the grim parade until it's off the platform and out of sight. Moar Cards Guy, unable to read the motherfucking room, announces with a raised ridged arm that the next duel in the semi-finals will take place in an hour. Maybe I should rename him Card Nazi, given his lack of discernible humanity in dealing with these children, and the repeated Hitler salute. Yami doesn't seem to react at all to the proclamation, so Kaiba calls out to him.

"Just pop a Xanax and get back to it! That's what works for my employees."

I swear, the parallels between Kaiba's callous disregard for everyone around him and that of the current leadership of the United States continue to be STAGGERING. Yami slouches off, broken, as Kaiba thinks that he'll be waiting. I hope Yami stands up his sorry, insensitive ass. Fuck this tournament.

Back at the blimp, in the medical room, Jonouchi now lies in a hospital cot. Honda demands to know how he's doing, and the doctor lists all the signs of death - the lack of breathing, EKG flatline, heartbeat stopped. Shizuka refuses to accept it, begging the doctor to save him. She kneels at his side, her head buried in her crossed arms, saying his name over and over, wailing. Ishizu stands behind her and lays a comforting hand on her shoulder as she sobs. Honda just leans on the aluminum head of the cot, slumped. Yami stands turned away from it all, a distant, vacant look in his eyes. Ishizu glances back at him, watching him walk numbly back through the door.

I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't pick up a deck of even normal playing cards ever again after this, Yami, to be honest.

Yami grinds his teeth in frustration and grief, thinking it's all over. He recalls the time at the very beginning of the tournament, so very long ago (for me, at least), when Jonouchi asked Yami if they could duel at such a time when he could call himself a true duelist. It led to the promise that kept Yami going through Battle City, Jonouchi constantly on his mind. Yami wonders what his lost memories or the god cards matter now, if THEY were what he lost Jonouchi for. Yuugi's image is next to him once more, hands raised in a calming gesture, but soon he's dropped them in defeat while Yami squeezes his anguished eyes shut. They snap open again and Yami growls about the one thing keeping him going, his hatred for other!Marik, whose smug face fills his head. And Yet, as Yami lands a fist on the wall in front of him to lean on, he asks himself what's left after that, since Jonouchi is... he can't bring himself to finish the thought, and frankly, neither can I.

... Okay that's spooky.

The ghost of Jonouchi's voice comes to him this time, surprising him again, triggering the memory of earlier in the day when Jonouchi asked him what a true duelist is. Ah, better times. Yami seems to contemplate this until a little beam shines up at him from below. He looks down in alarm to find his pocket is emitting a distracting-looking light, and curious Yuugi asks what it is. After confirming that it is indeed coming from his pocket, Yami sticks his hand in there and draws something out with a fine chain attached.

Yuugi recalls that Ishizu gave it to them, holding it out and saying it belonged to them now, with its power to see the future. Yami is also reminded that Ishizu said the necklace was losing its powers, and consequently wonders why it's glowing. Without waiting for an answer that no doubt won't be forthcoming, Yami clenches his fingers around it and closes his eyes again. It's light shines out of his fist all the more, but Yami keeps his eyes shut.

The Jonouchi in his mind tells Yami that THEIR Battle City isn't over yet, and this snaps Yami's eyes back open in astonishment. With the Millennium Necklace still clutched tight in his palm, Yami marvels at the vision. He opens his fist where the necklace lays without an inordinate amount of shine. Even though the Millennium Necklace was supposed to have lost its powers (supposedly), it managed to show him this lovely little vision. He enfolds it in his fingers again, and promises Jonouchi he'll believe in this future. With this affirmation, Jonouchi's EKG registers a little blip.

Oh, Kaiba will be just TOO tickled.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I honestly don't know where to start. There's so much devastation here that it's hard not to be overwhelmed, especially when mass real-world death has us all in a semi-permanent state of shock and bereavement. I've made it no secret that Jonouchi is my favorite character - his character arc and growth are relatable while his personality is lively and fun - so seeing him limp and lifeless throughout this chapter is like being punched in the gut over and over. I'll admit, I wasn't too worried at first that Jonouchi was really dead, but there was a point when I had to ask myself if he wasn't ACTUALLY gone, and it freaked me out. For all my expectation that KT couldn't POSSIBLY kill Jonouchi off, for all my smug assurance that there was no way this story could escalate to THAT level of grim, there really was a brief, terrifying moment when I thought my favorite character was well and truly gone. 

Until the end when Yami got his vision, the EKG showed some activity, and it was obvious that Jonouchi would rise again regardless of how many minutes the poor guy's brain has been deprived of oxygen while everyone was sobbing over him. That aside, you have to hand it to KT; the guy sure can milk the feels if he's determined enough. He has my congratulations.

Speaking of milking the feels, the characters couldn't have been more genuine in reaction. The various levels of breakdown according to personality and relationship were stunningly depicted, from Shizuka's utter despair to Anzu's disbelief and horror, to Honda's threats turned weeping and unsteady frame needing something to prop him up to keep him from collapsing. Their grief is REAL and your heart breaks a little for all of them. Of course, we can't forget Yami and Yuugi, whose reactions are distinct despite their closeness in sharing a body. While Yami's is more frustrated and dwelling in violence, gentle Yuugi is more apt to cry and perform soft gestures, balancing Yami out. I kind of feel like Yuugi's grief was just a BIT overshadowed by Yami, so I would liked to have seen more from his side of this. Still, I think the expressions for all of them were unbelievably moving. Even other!Marik's brief "near defeat experience" and subsequent high off of escaping a horrible fate he himself orchestrated was understandable. Just ask adrenaline junkies - there's nothing that makes you feel more alive than almost dying.

The only one that was underwhelming was Kaiba's. There's precedent for him being horrified by the prospective death of a competitor, in this very tournament no less. So why did he not have at least a fraction of that baseline compassion here? It's weird that the guy doesn't seem to have ANY character consistency, just doing and saying whatever crap KT thinks is needed to move the plot forward. Not to say I don't think that his callous and insensitive bullshit doesn't FIT for a power-hoarding capitalist, but I would like to see him more REGULARLY portrayed as such if KT wants him perceived that way. None of this wishy-washy random moments of humanity garbage.

Lastly, can we just appreciate how the Millennium Items now seem more than EVER to be manipulating the shit out of everyone here? I don't believe for one SECOND that the Millennium Necklace was losing its power; it was just working selectively to show Ishizu, and now Yami, what they wanted to get them to act in the way that is most conducive to the plot. And dammit, if that necklace has to bring the recently deceased back from the dead in order to get what it wants, SO BE IT.