It took me a while to cover this one, because I didn't realize the VIZ membership I started paying for to get decent quality scans of this comic lapsed. I'm pretty sure it's because I failed to update the recent address change on my card (VIZ wasn't exactly at the top of my list of essential credit card updates), but I'm still a tad annoyed by the fact that I got no notification whatsoever. An email would have been nice so I could avoid clicking here and there on the non-intuitive website to figure out how to start paying them again. Turns out you have to click on the membership "learn more" button to be taken to a place where it will actually recognize that you want to reinstate your membership instead of start a new one.
Geez VIZ, it's almost as if you don't WANT me to pay you money to make fun of the manga you own.
We get a little recap of what monsters are out and about at the moment; the King's, Queen's and Jack's Knights surrounding Yami, and the indescribable Juragedo hanging out over with other!Marik. There's also a reminder of how many points the competitors have - other!Marik is at his original 4000 and Yami is down to 3300. In his grinning excitement, Honda reverts to the human exposition machine he's in the habit of being, cheering that Yami now has the sacrifices to summon one of his gods, while other!Marik has been deprived of his Monster Reborn so his strategy is ruined. His initial strategy, anyway. Jonouchi thrusts his fist out in a triumphant punch toward the platform, declaring that Yami has taken the lead. But a somber Anzu reminds him that other!Marik still has some face down cards, and that it still might not be that easy for him.
Also, other!Marik is still technically leading in actual points. But no one mentions that, because they're not an asshole like me.
Other!Marik grins at Yami across the platform, asserting that he's not afraid of him. He knows there's no god card in Yami's hand, since he saw Yami's hand when he played that Exchange card. Meanwhile. Yami is thinking it's his turn to attack, because other!Marik only has De-Fusion in his hand, but still he hesitates. He sees the smugly tripping other!Marik across the platform, whose sinister chuckles just don't stop, and wonders why he doesn't look worried. His god card AND Monster Reborn are both in the graveyard, so it's just mystifying to Yami why other!Marik would still be smiling. Backup strategies haven't seemed to have occurred to him. Strangely.
Tongue lolling, other!Marik throws his arms out wide and asks Yami what's wrong, inviting him to attack already with a hearty laugh. His twisted grin gets all the more intense when he thinks that Yami's going to fall prey to his god the moment he strikes.
You think?
Yami ends his turn, and other!Marik chuckles inwardly that Yami's fear saved him this time. Below, Honda wears a perplexed expression, and asks why Yami didn't attack when he might have been able to do other!Marik some serious damage. Seriously, dude? You're not exactly NEW here, so why the confusion over why Yami would want to hold back? Jonouchi sneers at him, saying that Yami's duelist instincts must have told him not to, and that he knows the feeling. I can't help but feel that there's a bit of a discrepancy in dialogue between the Japanese and English here - the translation doesn't add up with the character expressions...
Jonouchi goes on to say that it may look like Yami might have the upper hand, but he feels there's something other!Marik is hiding in the darkness surrounding them. Apparently just placing cards face down isn't enough for hiding things. Jonouchi may be giving other!Marik a bit more mystical credit than he's due. Meanwhile, other!Marik declares his turn, grinning with his hand hovering over his Duel Disk for his draw.
Kaiba asks Ishizu if other!Marik doesn't have a card in his deck that allows him to bring a spell card back from the graveyard, which seems to surprise her judging by the exclamation point she exudes alone. I guess there was a part of me who thought Kaiba wouldn't really want to chat while he's watching a duel, even ABOUT it. Still, there's another part of me that remembers he's quite the talker on the regular, so it evens out. Anyway, Ishizu confirms that this is the trap other!Marik must be planning, and Kaiba says that he knew it, an obvious deduction he really shouldn't be proud of. He knows that in his expert rules for the tournament, there's only allowed one Monster Reborn per deck, but he's also aware of one terrifying card that would let other!Marik call Monster Reborn back from Yami's graveyard as many times as he wants. Which seems excessive, but so does every card in this game these days.
Other!Marik at last draws his card, glancing at it while Yami glares at him tensely. Then the motor on his mouth starts again, other!Marik stating plainly that he knows Yami doesn't have a god card in his hand, and how pathetic he thinks it is watching him wait for that god card on every draw phase of Yami's turns. There haven't been THAT many turns in this duel so far, but go off I guess. Other!Marik says that even if Yami draws Slifer, it wouldn't do him any good, because the few cards in Yami's hands would ensure only minimal attack points. So, he generously offers Yami a gift, with so much excitement, he decides putting his card in his mouth is a great idea? So he can turn up his palm in a strange claw-like gesture? He's becoming just... utterly incomprehensible, I swear.
Yami stares, gaping, as other!Marik (card now removed from his mouth, thank goodness) announces he's going to play a card that helps them both. It's "Card of Sanctity", letting both players draw until they're holding six cards. Other!Marik demands Yami give thanks to the god of his opponent for his blessings as he replenishes his hand. With a little smile, Yami promises other!Marik that he'll regret this. They proceed to draw cards.
I guess that'll do it for the both of them. That title won't be made a liar, I see.
Yami announces his turn, draws a card, and notes he has seven cards in his hand, meaning Slifer will have 6000 attack points if he summons it now. Other!Marik wonders if Yami will do it, sneering at him from across the platform and looking quite the opposite of worried. He doesn't have to wait long for Yami to ask his noble face cards to be his sacrifice dramatically. The king, queen, and jack are all surrounded in a virtual whirlwind while Yami slaps his Slifer card on his Duel Disk.
KT is having a shit ton of fun drawing the divine cards once again, and I am NOT complaining.
Slifer roars with its big main mouth right in other!Marik's face, and he responds with an excited grin and a greeting that suggests he's been waiting for this moment. Honda cheers that Yami did it, Jonouchi identifies Slifer as Yami's card in jubilation, and Anzu states the wowing 6000 points it has as an exciting highlight. The epitome of shallow commentary, and I should know - I've been doing this for a good five years now. Jonouchi adds an elated comment that other!Marik is dead, and Yami has already won. What is that old saying about counting chickens before they're hatched?
Kaiba stares intently and Ishizu does the same, with a little silent appeal to Yami as well. What looks like steam seems to issue from between Slifer's clenched fangs as Yami asks other!Marik if he's ready, though I don't think the question is sincere. Other!Marik hasn't even begun to answer when Yami, arm curled into a determined fist, tells Slifer to go get him.
Don't worry, Yami, you know other!Marik doesn't pass up any opportunity to run his smug, twisted mouth. He says this card allows him to use a spell card from Yami's graveyard, namely his newly discarded Monster Reborn. What a shock. He calls to the great god that sleeps beneath the earth, imploring it to be reborn as a fiery phoenix, and mumbles a bunch of Ancient Egyptian to drive home his point. While he grins in creepy self-satisfaction across the platform, Yami stares in shock.
Other!Marik laughs like the maniac he is, a surge of flames erupting behind him in the shape of a giant bird. As if we can't see this very thing happening on the page, Yami (or who I'm assuming is Yami) narrates how other!Marik has used Ra's special effect and summoned it in Phoenix Mode. Ra's not only manifesting as a gigantic pillar of fire, but it's also absorbing Slifer's lightning, and the attack isn't getting through at all.
And cue Yes's Roundabout and a "To Be Continued..." ending card.
So what did I think of this chapter overall? Aside from the god cards making their debuts, there's not much here. Not that I don't ADORE the theatrics of each appearance of these over-powered things, but it's very much style over substance. There's not any forward motion on any character in this chapter - Yami and other!Marik appear to be going through their mechanical motions without any real focus on their respective "sacrifices". Other!Marik's taunting of Yami regarding his lack of a god card in the middle there is rather stale for how often he pulls those faces and weird gestures, and Yami doesn't emote much in this one. Yami's friends and cheerleaders don't say a THING we don't already know, and they're pretty much making appearances to remind us they exist at this point.
The only thing that was "surprising" in a sense was Kaiba making casual conversation with Ishizu, and that's only really because she seems mildly shocked that she's being spoken to. Kaiba addressing her to confirm his suspicions is only surprising in his lack of a typical scornful tone while addressing anyone. But, given that he's not trying to hide his self-doubt and insecurity in his relationship to others behind a sarcastic veneer, I'd say it's not that big of a deal.
I don't want to say this chapter is boring, but it's not exactly the kind of content I'm going to remember tomorrow either.
Man, Marik is such a boring villain compared to Pegasus. Literally all he knows how to do is summon Ra five million times, which he only gets away with because it bullshits a new power every time. At least Pegasus had backup strategies when his Toons got destroyed.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget other!Marik's OTHER skill: weirding everyone out and acting like a pervert to distract people from how crappy a duelist he is.
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