Inuyasha Manga: 215 Shiori's Barrier

Lucky. I think I could use a barrier of my own, for various different reasons. I could say it's because I'd like to protect myself from falling debris, since my parents down in Colorado recently had reason to think about that. I could say it's because people shoot each other for breakfast over here in the good ol' US of A, and I keep getting bullet-proof vests advertised to me anyway that increasingly look practical. I could even say it's because I would like to keep people 6 feet away from me at the grocery store during an ongoing pandemic, because they really don't seem to like keeping their distance. 

But really, I think the number one reason I could use my own barrier is that I'd like to walk in all kinds of weather while staying nice and dry and comfortable. A wet jacket is no fun, especially when you have to walk an hour or more for essentials.

Kiddo has amazing eyesight - I don't know if I could identify MY mommy from that distance. Odd for a bat, even if she IS only half a bat. 

A pair of huge eyes appear behind Shiori, a sight that gives seems to unsettle Inuyasha a little. Mom is still hugging the cliffside behind him, with a similar expression. Taigokumaru moves forward to reveal himself in the light, giggling that he thought he had heard some sort of noise. Shiori's mom yells his name in fresh rage.

Hmm, I guess the cliffside was a bit closer to the cave than I thought. Either Taigokumaru is dwarfing the distance with his massive size, or there's not really a clear scale here...

Mom reminds Taigokumaru of the terms under which she handed over Shiori, that he wouldn't attack the village anymore, and trails off in her accusation of him not upholding his end of the deal. Taigokumaru chuckles, and mocks her for actually BELIEVING that. Well, the innocent act didn't last long, did it? He asked if she really honestly thought that a youkai like him would keep a promise to a human like her. Says the guy who DEPENDED on her believing such a thing in order to shaft her in the first place... 

While Shiori's mom looks furious that Taigokumaru is arguing that it's her own fault he's garbage, Inuyasha looks thoroughly unimpressed by this bullshit conversation. Mom demands Shiori back and Shiori calls to her longingly, appearing only too eager to leave the cave. But Taigokumaru says this isn't an option, because Shiori has to be the barrier protector for the rest of her life. He praises her magnificent performance of the duty, in fact, following after her father in so perfect a form, you wouldn't know she's a hanyou. Backhanded compliments to encourage a child to work harder for praise and affection? The assholery just keeps piling up, doesn't it?

Inuyasha suggests to Mom that the only way to get Shiori back is by force, and she seems a bit on the skeptical side that he can DO that. Inuyasha points out that the old bat is a bit on the overconfident side (a state he would know by experience, no doubt), and he's moved in front of Shiori, so Inuyasha reckons he can take the this guy out without hurting the little girl. Clearly he hasn't broken the news to this little girl's mom that he's only here to murder her too. 

So, Inuyasha, further settling himself comfortably in the role of unthinking shooty-cutty-guy, lets loose a Kaze no Kizu at Taigokumaru in the stated belief he can just wipe him out. Wasn't there something about a big bad barrier that was tied to why you were so interested in confronting the bats from the beginning? Or am I misremembering?

Hm, guess not.

For some reason, the very character that told Inuyasha about the fabled power of this bat barrier, Myouga, bounces around on Inuyasha's shoulder in indignant shock that Tessaiga's blow has been repulsed. Memory problems EVERYWHERE! Sweating, Myouga mumbles that the Hyakki Bat barrier is terrible, as rough as the rumors indicated. 

Taigokumaru first asks who this brat who's attacking him is, then...

Inuyasha curses, perched with Mom atop the intact crest of the short cliff, which is now curved precariously over the hole cut out from under it by Taigokumaru's echolocation attack. Taigokumaru giggles some more, promising he won't miss the next time. Shiori begs him to stop and not to hurt her mother, swearing that she'll fulfill her duty as best she can. Taigokumaru asks if Mom and Inuyasha hear Shiori, because she gets it. Then he poses this bullshit question about whether they think Shiori can really be happy if she returns to the village now. As opposed to hanging out miserable in a cave for the rest of her life? She sure does have some great fulfillment prospects, huh?

But Taigokumaru is hamming it up, saying he knows that the villagers hate Shiori because she's a hanyou, and that's why they brought her to him so they could save themselves. He concludes with a phony implication that he couldn't possibly send his precious granddaughter back to that disgusting village. Inuyasha glances wordlessly at Shiori's mom, who hangs her head in shame. 

Well if that isn't more relatable the older I get.

Shiori's mom admits that Taigokumaru wasn't lying; Shiori and she are rather despised in the village. Mom says it's better in the end that Shiori is with the Hyakki Bats. Inuyasha scoffs that this is naive, and Mom shoots him what looks more like a glare than a questioning glance, such as Kagome is displaying. She's probably annoyed at how massively Inuyasha has misinterpreted her hopelessness. Inuyasha elaborates that youkai never accept hanyou as a companion, even if they're relatives. Shippou pipes up that he's accepted Inuyasha, and HE'S a full youkai, and Myouga does the same, but Inuyasha snaps that these small fry are just using him for protection in the end. 

Miroku smoothly changes the subject to how they won't be able to get anywhere if Inuyasha can't break a certain barrier. Sango asks if that isn't what Inuyasha came here for in the first place, prompting Kagome to remind the audience herself that if Inuyasha slays a youkai that can create a powerful barrier, absorbing its blood with Tessaiga's blade, the sword's power will increase and it will be able to slice through Naraku's barrier too. She knows that there's no way Inuyasha would slay a little hanyou girl, though. 

Meanwhile, in the cave, Shiori sits in the growing dark, desperately wanting to see her mother. Tears brimming in her eyes, she wishes her father was alive, and wonders why he died. A blatant indication that there was a reason other than natural causes if I've ever seen one! 

Clocked in for the night shift of murder, eh boys?

The bats form a dark cloud on the horizon across the water next to the village, getting Miroku's attention when he exits Mom's hut. Sango follows him out and finishes his exclamation of alarm, identifying it as a swarm of Hyakki Bats. Mom pushes aside the mat over her door to state they're heading for the village, Inuyasha and Kagome approaching the door behind her as well. Kagome makes a noise of concern, but Inuyasha just wears a classic glare.

The bats descend as actual shadows on the village, grabbing a few free-roaming dudes and chowing down on them right then and there. Hiraikotsu tears right through them quickly, though, returning to Sango atop Kirara, who is hovering behind the gaping Inuyasha, Kagome and Miroku as they run to the scene. The human victims lay bloodied and motionless on the beach, being lapped at by the waves, and there are quite a few of them, leaving Kagome and Shippou gaping in utter horror. Shiori's mom says the bats are intending to eradicate the village entirely, which sounds exactly like what a douchebag who wants to flex his muscles would do, so that's an entirely fair assessment. 

The bat-mob comes back around to have another go at the village, and Miroku rips the beads off his right hand, telling everyone to stand back so he can thin them out a bit. He declares the Kazaana, which pulls in a stream of bats before a familiar echolocation attack shoots down from above him. Inuyasha has to yank Miroku out of its way by the back of his robes so he doesn't get obliterated. 

Typical - starts a fight and then complain when you throw a punch right back.

Mom stares open-mouthed up at Taigokumaru, as if awed by the cojones on this guy to pull this kind of assholery. Not literally, of course. I assume that's why he's wearing pants. Inuyasha yells at this bastard, but trails off when he sees that in the palm of Taigokumaru's hand sits poor Shiori, who is in shock over the village being destroyed. Taigokumaru tells her to ignore them, because they're the ones who bullied her and her mother. He urges her not to worry either.

Dunno Inuyasha, why don't you start swinging your sword at the problem like you do with every other one these days?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Taigokumaru is so frustratingly familiar - he's every scumbag emotionally manipulative patriarch whose "traditional values" form a network of exclusion that paint the outsiders as beneath everyone in a select group of elites, of which he is the leader, of course. He deals with the outside group only when he has to, and never thinks twice about waving off any complaints or outright abuses they suffer. To a rational person, it seems pointless and hypocritical that Taigokumaru would make a deal with Shiori's mom just to break it, especially when he thinks it's absolutely unacceptable that Inuyasha and co killed his family when they are the aggressors. But the classical patriarch only thinks in terms of the in-group's benefit and superiority, and more specifically, his own. Because Taigokumaru thinks of humans as a resource to be controlled rather than autonomous creatures, he doesn't feel like he owes them a fair deal; THEY'RE the ones who owe HIM the meat on their bones. He'll PRETEND to negotiate with the village for their salvation, but only to get his. After that, he'll just go back to treating the out-group like dirt, and blame their base, stupid, gullibility for believing they could be on a level to negotiate in their own to begin with.

Which is GREAT characterization for a guy who's going to disappear after this short arc (spoiler alert). I'm starting to notice a pattern in this series; the one-off mini arc characters who never show up again tend to lead more interesting and richer lives in the short time they're given, and in the meantime, our mains are sort of becoming caricatures of themselves. The latter part of that statement is kind of inevitable for a long-running series full of episodic content, because there's a tendency for the author to rely a bit more heavily on a simpler and more accessible tropes for their characters as time goes on. You can usually see the way a character has gotten less nuanced when you compare them at the beginning of the series to them at the end, so this is something you generally expect to see.

The former part of that statement is a bit of an oddity, though, because RT has a talent for creating memorable characters with very little time. It's kind of astounding how relatable she can make a one-off character in just a chapter, actually. But that ends up acting against her as the series wears on, and she's grown used to writing Inuyasha and friends with a less nuanced pen, while giving their short-lived co-stars very thoughtful and interesting development in little to no time flat. It's a vivid contrast, and not one that is flattering, to say the least.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 273 God's Sword, God's Shield

Wow, way to just give away the possible resolution right there in the title, chapter. Although, Shield and Sword really does fit the profile of most twist endings to these duels - a simple card that has unexpected twist effects in certain situations. And given it's a card that has been well-established in the series so far, I would be pretty excited to see it pop up as the unlikely hero of this duel. It would feel like another good payoff for a setup in a previous arc, and you know how much I like my setups and payoffs. 

But having them frontloaded like this? Not so much. 

Or rather, it's here to sit back and read the paper while it patiently awaits the rules to ALLOW for it to take Yami away. Lawful Evil. 

Yami clenches his jaw, reiterating to the audience himself that he can't touch other!Marik with God Slime in the way. But after a moment, he realizes that his REAL problem is the split personality of Marik. He knows that if he defeats other!Marik, the original recipe dies too; a bit of a leash on his drive to win, understandably. 

While Yami contemplates these unpalatable circumstances, other!Marik yells at Yami that it's still his turn, calling Yami a fool in the process. Yami thought his day couldn't be any worse? Other!Marik is here to prove him wrong! He sets a face down card, then plays a monster in defense - some sort of pot-bellied lizard with scythe arms and a multi-eyed head that looks vaguely like it was modeled off a spider. He calls this new abomination Granadora, and it gives him a boost of 1000 points just for inviting him. Must have mistaken the duel for a pot luck, but at least it didn't carry in tuna casserole or something.

Other!Marik ends his turn here, thinking on his next turn, when the Phoenix will set Obelisk on fire, and takes away Yami's last god, as well as his last chance of winning. 

He sure does look enthused, doesn't he?

Honda yells some superficial encouragement to Yami from below the platform, pointing out that if Yami doesn't do something on THIS turn, other!Marik with summon Ra on the next. Jonouchi looks frustrated, convinced that something is wrong, because he's observed that it's as if Yami is pulling his punches. He wonders aloud what's the matter, if he even wants to win. Anzu, still wide-eyed and staring blankly due to sustained possession by Regular-Sized Marik, suggests there's something they're not seeing; this isn't an ordinary duel. 

Jonouchi looks around at her in alarm, realizing that Marik is talking through Anzu again, as Ishizu puts her hands on Anzu's arm in affection for her brother squatting inside her like she's a dilapidated storefront the owner doesn't pay any attention to. Marik says, creepily, that this duel is the ultimate Shadow Game (TM), to which Jonouchi responds with horrified disbelief. Marik doesn't really address this emotional outburst, continuing on to explain that both players have human sacrifices, Yuugi being one, and he himself being the other. Jonouchi is practically screaming in Anzu's ear when he demands clarification that Yuugi is a sacrifice, so if she doesn't wake up with tinnitus, it'll be a damn miracle. 

Again, Marik just kind of ignores Jonouchi, and keeps rolling along with his explanation: when one of the players reaches zero life points, the sacrifice will fall into darkness. Jonouchi has progressed into teeth-grinding worry, wondering what kind of duel this is. If he had been listening rather than shouting, he might have heard that part of Marik's reminder to the audience of what's going on atop the stage. As it stands, he's just silently insists that Yuugi not die. 

To answer this question, Marik, all you really have to do is take a look at the old inner mirror and ask yourself what seeking an eye for an eye did for YOU. 

Not much? Yeah, that's why.

Yuugi demands Yami listen to him, then repeats what Yami has already been thinking this entire time: their real enemy is OTHER!Marik, and there has to be a way they can beat the evil perverted side so the real Marik can live. I love my little cinnamon roll Yuugi, but damn if he isn't several hundred steps behind at this point. Yami is aware of the inconvenient fact that normal Marik is the one who will die if other!Marik's points are reduced to zero, thank you very much, but he's really grinding his teeth over how he's supposed to fight other!Marik. Yuugi looks like he has a bit of an epiphany, thinking there may be a way after all. I thought that was his position during this whole discussion, but let's just pretend that he was the nay-sayer for that line to make sense for a second. 

He suggests that perhaps other!Marik's weakness is related to Ra's special ability, which gains him a shocked Pikachu face from Yami. Yuugi explains that one of the three special powers Ra has is the player's ability to fuse with it, but even a god monster is still just a monster, and its fusion with the player makes the player a monster as well. Is there some sort of moral commentary being espoused through these nonsensical mechanics here or...

NAH. 

Yami thanks his dear partner for his input and draws a new card with the new hope that there may well be a way for everyone but other!Marik to pull through this. Yuugi nods with determination.

Yami plays a face down card, and summons Gazelle (looking just as opposite of a gazelle as ever) in defense, and ends his turn. Other!Marik jumps at the opportunity to remind Yami that the giant eyeball archer gets to attack at the end of his turn, commanding Bowganian to release its crossbow of pain. Unlike the Holding Pen of Pain, it kind of has to be painful. Yami takes the arrow in the chest, groaning in agony as his life points go down to 700. 

While more of Yuugi disappears in wisps of smoke, he calls for Yami's attention again, who observes his near oblivion with some panic. Yuugi insists that Yami can defeat other!Marik's evil heart, and urges him to do so. Quickly as he can, I'm sure. Yami begs Yuugi not to disappear. 

I should hope not! I didn't clock this for a non-cathartic tragedy, Yami, so don't you dare let me down!

Other!Marik laughs it up about this being his last turn, while we get a zoomed out shot of all the shit these two have filled the platform with. A fake and real Obelisk towering over everything, with TWO additional monsters on both sides. It's pretty crowded up there. Kaiba glares thoughtfully up at this mess, knowing that other!Marik is going to re-summon Ra on this turn, and wondering if Yami has any way to stop him. Jonouchi clenches his jaw in anxiety over Yami/Yuugi's situation. Possessed!Anzu and Ishizu both just... stare. 

Having given us enough of a pause to check in with the peanut gallery again, other!Marik draws a new card with the craziest gusto I've ever seen on anyone in this game. He looks at the card, and I'm sure someone familiar with this game can identify it, but I'm still a n00b, so its play will be all the more surprising for me. Joy. Whatever it is, it makes him laugh all the more, declaring that the darkness is his ally to the end and he's going to crush Yami with this card. Yami's heart pounds while other!Marik asks him if he's ready, warning him that he'll burn to death in one sweep of Ra's wings.

Well, at least it'll be a mercifully quick death.

Other!Marik reveals his face down card as Monster Reborn, surprising no one.

Dude constantly talks about how much he loves darkness, but he's always summoning the firebird god of the SUN over here. The symbolism is getting a bit confused here...

Ra rises up to hover over Obelisk and scream at it a bit, until other!Marik commands it to burn the other god to ashes. Then the flames rapidly descend upon Obelisk. Yami reveals HIS face down card too, while Obelisk is BURNS over his head. Other!Marik, cupping the air with clawed fingers and eyes/veins popping in pure insanity, insists that nothing Yami does will matter, Ra will obliterate any monster, even a god. Obelisk seems to fade in the crackling flames, and other!Marik begins to declare it dead... but that pop to his eyes takes on a new connotation when he realizes he has to reassess his impression of the situation.

Now I know why that damn card is banned in TCG. I'm sick of looking at it at this point.

It's a BIG reason for Yami's friend's to celebrate, though. Honda and Jonouchi both raise fists for Yami, the former saying he should have KNOWN Yami also had a Monster Reborn in his deck, and the latter explains with jubilation how Yami brought back Slifer in defense to take the attack from Ra. I'm actually glad for the narration of what's happening, because the above picture didn't really communicate it well, even if it was pretty dope. Slifer collapses in front of Obelisk, and Yami reiterates that the Obelisk standing tall and strong behind him is, in fact, unharmed. Yami takes a moment to seriously appreciate that he's escaped Ra's attack... this time. Kaiba giggles internally over Yami challenging Ra with Obelisk as a sword and Slifer as a shield. 

Shows ME for making assumptions in the cold open!

Ra is sucked back into other!Marik's Duel Disk, going back to the graveyard, as other!Marik states. He spends a moment to slouch quietly, before chuckling darkly. Yami is disturbed by this amused reaction to his clever escape. 

I don't know, do you think it's some sort of surprise attack? Because that's what I'm barely able to read on the card.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It focused, to its strength, on the balancing act Yami is performing in trying not to lose, but also trying not to win so he doesn't kill the original recipe Marik. I think re-framing this conflict around that in particular helped to bring the duel back into sharp relief with a very simple contrast; what Yami NEEDS to do, versus what he WANTS to do. The stark appearance that these two things are in opposition to each other not only ratchets up the tension by pulling the protagonist in two different (apparently) directions, but it also makes me really excited to know just what Yami's solution is. It was a great move for KT to withhold that information from us as the audience until later, because I'm just ITCHING to read that next chapter in order to find out what it is. 

As frequent and egregious as KT's bad habits are in this manga, I can't help but appreciate that he somehow ALWAYS manages to put them aside when he needs to the most. It's one of the things that makes this story hold up so well over the years.

Inuyasha Manga: 214 The Hyakki Bats

I don't care or know much about sports, and the Superbowl has only caught my attention lately as anything OTHER than an annoyance because What We Do in the Shadows has provided me with a beautiful alternative term for it (the Superb Owl Party is a GOAL when the pandemic has finally made its exit). All that said, this title immediately put my mind in the realm of a baseball team name. Just think of it; not only could they have a purple and black color scheme for their uniforms, and a cute bat silhouette for the logo, but also the inherent pun when the team is batting would be gold. They would HAVE to have either the best or the worst batters in baseball, but either way, I would live for it. They would be my TEAM, and I don't even DO that. 

What did you expect? If Naraku doesn't evolve like a twisted Pokemon to withstand all the revenge attacks coming from every angle imaginable, he would kick the bucket, and RT would have to milk a new cash cow. 

While Kagome wraps up Inuyasha's torso in gauze within Kaede's hut, to the left of Kaede, Sango, Miroku and Shippou seated around the central fire pit, Miroku confirms that Naraku has certainly gotten stronger. He also informs Kagome that Naraku is different from Inuyasha - instead of losing his youkai powers on a set day of the month, Naraku makes a conscious choice about when it's going to be. Sango reiterates that this means they can't know when it'll happen, and Miroku looks crestfallen when he admits that he thought they might have been able to defeat Naraku if they could correctly determine when he was inert, but no dice. 

Inuyasha scoffs, asking Miroku what is up with his negative expression. He says that whenever it is, they do know that there is a time when Naraku is inert, and until that time, his plan is to just get stronger than Naraku. Seems like he managed to figure out what I was getting at in the last chapter recap; he DOES have many more days than Naraku's ONE to get his sorry ass in shape. This haughty positivity, but positivity nonetheless, leaves Miroku in awe. He comments on how optimistic Inuyasha can be, only to have Inuyasha get in his face about what that's supposed to mean, and Sango mutters a question to Kagome about if this means Inuyasha ALWAYS intends to come across optimistic and positive. 

Kagome says she has no idea. She's just here for the dog ears, it seems. 

NARROW SKY TRANSITION PANEL!

Okay, which water god is THIS little precious baby being sacrificed to in this poor-people version of the litter from 100 chapters ago?

... Definitely doesn't look like a water god.

The woman at the head of the procession yells up at the winged giant that it's a promise - she'll give up her daughter to him, and in return, he won't attack the village anymore. He leans down so his massive leering face is almost level with hers and giggles that it's a promise. I'm sure the foreboding laughter isn't in any way an indication that he doesn't take his promises seriously. 

Mom turns to the girl on the offering platter, of a sort, and tells her to go to her grandfather now, a very... angry look on her face. Shiori, as she's been called in the previous order, protests that she would really rather not go, because she's scared of her grandfather. The various men who were carrying her earlier have lowered her to the ground, kneeling as they beg her to leave, for the sake of the village. 

So, she walks toward her monstrous grandfather, looming over her even as he's crouched as low as he can go on the ground. Shiori turns to address her mother, who is clutching some kind of leaf to her chest. Probably a symbolic thing I don't know the significance of, but if anyone reading this has an idea, leave me a comment! Mom thinks that this way, Shiori will be able to be happy, the definition of which doesn't usually include living with a terrifying giant grandad without a mom in my experience. But, I guess whatever convinces her that she's doing the best for her kid instead of making both of them progressively more miserable. 

We cut to the open maw of Toutousai's dope skeleton home, where a Kirara changed to her sabertoothed form sits patiently out front. Inside, Toutousai repeats back a request to teach Inuyasha a tough-ass attack that can cut through the strongest barriers, seeming a little confused. Inuyasha asks if Toutousai wouldn't obviously know about one of those kinds of attacks, and demands that Toutousai tell him this information he's already convinced himself the old man has this instant. While he hammers at a blade on a stone in front of him, Toutousai states that there's no attack that's so convenient as that. There certainly was one convenient enough to rip apart the dragon monster that killed Inuyasha's dad, but I guess we're willing to WORK for our bread this time, huh?

Toutousai suggests that Inuyasha should take it slow and steady, practicing his swings properly, complaining that the youngster is rather impatient. When he looks over to where Inuyasha was sitting, having not received a reply, he finds that Inuyasha has disappeared. Toutousai exclaims that Inuyasha has left already, most likely the moment Toutousai didn't hand him the answer he wanted. Hasty indeed. 

Inuyasha is flying down the mountain astride Kirara with his arms crossed in a huff, pouting about there not being any move so convenient as the one he needs. His expression goes even more sour when there's a sucking sound at his neck. He slaps the spot it's coming from and pulls his hand away to let a flattened Myouga flutter down into his palm, greeting him cheerfully regardless. Don't know how the physics of Myouga's descent into Inuyasha's hand on the back of a speeding flying cat works, but okay. 

After Inuyasha acknowledges him, looking somewhat surprised, Myouga perches on a bead of Inuyasha's necklace of punishment and states that he heard Inuyasha's conversation with Toutousai earlier. No comment on the rude eavesdropping, but Inuyasha exclaims in disbelief when Myouga mentions that while Toutousai said what he said, there is ONE way to go about this barrier-breaking business. 

That's a weirdly specific power for BATS to have... Maybe some kind of extrapolation on echolocation? *shrug*

Myouga says that there's been a protector of the barrier for generations, and tells Inuyasha that he must slay whomever is the protector now. Inuyasha looks on with intensity as Myouga explains that the blood from a youkai that could raise such a powerful barrier needs to be sucked into Tessaiga. Apparently, Tessaiga can absorb the powers of a strong enemy when it cuts them, which was totally a thing from the beginning, right? All those times that Inuyasha was slashing at enemies and cutting them before he learned Kaze no Kizu, he has their powers now. Right? This totally isn't exactly what Toutousai said didn't exist a few measly panels ago - a convenient power that allows him to get his sword to counteract whatever he needs it to defeat in the future, a "get out of jail free" card that allows him to just absorb anything that will win him the battle with ease. 

RIGHT?

Anyway, Inuyasha questions none of this, because he's a stupid teenage boy who is excited about the implication that his sword can get stronger. 

And the scene shifts once again before we can think too hard about any of this. 

At least they're not giant?

After yet another narrow sky transition panel, someone yells about a lying bitch who deceived them, and it's Shiori's mom, knocked to the ground by punches and smacks. As she sits up to glare resentfully at them, what looks like the ring-leader of the mob surrounding her mockingly repeats the terms of the trade of Shiori for the Hyakki bats leaving the village alone. He reminds her (because there's no way she doesn't ALREADY know this) that many more have been killed since that bullshit deal was made, then accuses her of being an accomplice of the bats, or at least as good as. That's about as over-baked as an excuse to abuse a woman can be, dude. Just admit that you and your boys feel too weak to attack the bats and are projecting your impotent aggression onto a more helpless target to give yourselves the illusion that you're big strong men defending your village. 

He and the other village men raise their makeshift farm-implement weapons to charge at her - there's one with a HARPOON who gives a rallying cry to get her. But she never gets GOT, shown as surprised at the whacks taking place over her shoulder nowhere near her. 

With a cocky little grin, Inuyasha demands that they tell him where the nest is, while his friends cluster around Mom. Kagome kneels on one side of her, asking if she's alright, and Miroku kneels on the other side, lecturing the men beaten by Inuyasha that ganging up on a woman is cruel. Free and clear to gang up on other men, though? The mob-leader tells Inuyasha they don't know where the bats are, and to ask the fucking woman they tried to murder earlier. Another man takes it upon himself to spill the tea on how, despite being human, Mom got it on with a Hyakki bat guy and had his child. He calls her a "stuck-up bitch" too, just to drive home how bitter he is that she didn't choose to have babies with his classy ass instead. As Mom sits there stewing and glaring, Kagome and Miroku gape at her, the former thinking on this concept of a child with a youkai. Well hot damn if THAT doesn't sound familiar!

By the next panel, they've migrated to another little cluttered hut, in which Shiori's mom asks what Inuyasha and crew intend to do when they find the Hyakki Bats' nest. They are all seated around the central fire pit like they were in Kaede's place, where Inuyasha makes a mockery of the question before he bluntly states that they came there to bust those bats, of course. Mom is shocked by this, and Miroku bids him to hold off on the violent talk, because he wants to address the references earlier to handing Mom's daughter over to the bats. 

He kind of trails so she can jump in and explain what that's about, so she begins with the fact that the Hyakki Bats have nested in the area for a long time, and are terrible buggers that swoop in from the sky to suck the blood of human and animal victims. Think those vampires from The Lost Boys, but... you know, more like genuine bats. But she identifies one alone who was different - a darker-skinned fellow with pale hair, much like little Shiori, who wore his bat wings in a fashion resembling a long cape; again reminiscent of a classic vampire, which is reminiscent of a bat. It's basically just a cryptid based of the cryptid based on the animal. This guy, Tsukuyomaru (with a "dono" suffix added onto the name for good measure), didn't kill humans, and he persuaded the other bats not to touch the village after his daughter Shiori was born. Kagome begins to ask why they were still attacking, and Mom says it's because there was no one to stop them after Tsukuyomaru died, so they renewed their attacks. 

Must have learned his negotiating techniques from the mob... or oil companies. 

Mom says Taigokumaru also mentioned that he and his son had been guardians of their bat barrier, a generational responsibility that is passed down in their particular lineage which Shiori has to inherit. This information takes Inuyasha aback, and Miroku has to ask for clarification that Shiori is a hanyou. Inuyasha wonders aloud if a hanyou kid can have so much power, and after a short pause, Mom observes that Inuyasha looks like a hanyou himself. She suggests that he should understand from experience that hanyou aren't necessarily inferior to youkai, OR humans. Inuyasha listens to the big neon flashing POINT with a placid expression, but Kagome is clasping her hands in admiration for Mom and her non-racist message. 

Myouga appears on Inuyasha's shoulder, asking Inuyasha how he's considering this, and Inuyasha responds with some uncertainty. Meanwhile, Shiori's mom continues, saying that Shiori has the power to fulfill her role in the succession of the barrier - the primary reason for all of this. Mom tearfully claims she thought Shiori would be better off living with the bats, and that the village would be safe, but the Hyakki Bats ultimately broke their promise to her. 

Woah! Okay, that was abrupt, but now we're here I guess. And without a moment to adjust either.

What's wrong, Inuyasha? The thought of murdering a tiny baby a little icky to you?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Shiori is probably the cutest little character I have ever seen come out of this series, and I instantly fell in love with her from the first time I read this chapter. I think I just really adore RT's little girl characters, because they always tend to get cute designs, but also manage to be distinct characters who are endearing and lovable in their own ways. You'd never mistake Shiori for Satsuki, but I love them both so much and they are just the sweetest babies. Just precious.

The struggle presented with her and her mom is also deeply compelling, because they are caught in a supremely vulnerable position between the hateful abusive villagers and the uncaring abusive Hyakki Bats. The latter won't keep their agreement with Shiori's mother, because they don't consider her on equal terms with themselves and will do what they want without anyone who can stop them, as she put it. The former attack Shiori's mother when the bats continue to hunt them, because they are powerless against their real enemy and want to take out their frustration on a scapegoat. This situation is relatable and does a lot to communicate both Shiori and her mother's characters quickly. Shiori is shy and hesitant, while her mother is bitter and forlorn from the constant resentment of her family from all sides. They resemble a more desperate version of Jinenji and his mother.

As much as I love Shiori and am very intrigued by their precarious circumstances, I'm less impressed with the rest of the chapter. The "I'm out of time, gotta wrap this up" ending to it was jarring, and Tessaiga's previously unmentioned power of absorption is... very poorly executed, if I want to be nice about it. I would assume RT wrote herself into a corner with Naraku's stronger barrier and this was the only way she could think to write herself OUT of it, except that barrier business is HARDLY what I would call a "corner" in writing terms. It could have turned into one, but there is no immediate need to address the issue of getting through Naraku's barrier, especially when the protagonists can't even FIND him most of the time. Not only could this be put on the backburner while they collectively figure out more reliable ways to seek their villain out, but I don't see why Toutousai's advice couldn't be used to enhance Tessaiga's already developed set of powers. I genuinely don't understand why a brand new power has to be introduced when Kaze no Kizu and Bakuryuuha couldn't just be tweaked a bit with a similar quest to the one Inuyasha has found. 

Also, why wouldn't Toutousai, Tessaiga's swordsmith, not be the one to tell him about the absorption power? Was he just there to be an unnecessary naysayer? What exactly was the purpose of him telling Inuyasha that there was no convenient way for him to break really strong barriers when RT literally walked that back a few panels later? Make it make sense!

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 272 Unbeatable?

Oh no, no chapter, you've got to work a little harder than that to make me think this is a hopeless deal. Yami has spent this entire manga squeezing himself out of the corners KT has written him in, so the inevitability of his eventual win is fairly certain at this point. The only real question is what loophole in these weird rules he's going to exploit to get there. My money's on some under-powered monster paired with a strange enhancement to piss other!Marik off with its offensive simplicity. 

Yeeeaaaaah, I don't believe that for a second. 

But Yami himself seems to be leaning toward convinced; he looks upon this immortal god slime with disbelief, and to be fair, it does kind of resemble an eldritch horror. Below the platform, Honda curses about how bad this is, spelling out that Yami can't scratch other!Marik as long as the slime god is there. Jonouchi wonders aloud nervously if Yami couldn't stop it from regenerating somehow, while Anzu looks on with worry next to him. Kaiba doesn't look surprised in the slightest, convinced that other!Marik knew Yami would summon Obelisk and it was all a ploy to get that immortal slime god onto the field. While contemplating how this strategy managed to render even Obelisk powerless, Kaiba wonders if there's any way for Yami to bounce back from this. 

Yami growls in impotence, ending his turn. 

Other!Marik sure looks proud of himself for just creating a sustainable stalemate. 

He declares it's his turn in that case, and draws a card, looking at it only to let out a sinister chuckle as he adds it to his hand. Meanwhile, Yami's mental wheels are spinning. He knows that other!Marik must be using the slime god as a shield as he waits to draw a card that will let him bring back Ra AGAIN, and Yami is certain that Obelisk will die if this is allowed to happen. He also knows that getting rid of the slime won't damage other!Marik, so he's wondering just what he can do now. Other!Marik assures him that there's nothing for him to think about; he should just sit back and wait for the darkness to come, because it's all he CAN do. The existential terror is real, and things get even creepier when the Original Recipe Marik opens his one remaining eye from his ghostly perch in the space next to other!Marik. 

Other!Marik asks Yami if he's ready, giving no actual impression that he cares. He plays a face down card, and summons in defense a big armored eyeball with spikes and arms to hold a crossbow that he calls Bowganian. It's not really an... intimidating specimen like his other creepster monsters have been, but it's got a crossbow, so I guess that's cool? Yami seems pretty taken-aback by it, and it becomes clear why this was probably a good reaction to have when other!Marik reveals that it does 300 points damage every turn it remains out and about. Still not very impressive, but that other!Marik has been pretty sneaky with those face down cards thus far, I suppose, so the anxiety is understandable.

With that bombshell dropped, other!Marik ends his turn, and Yami sweatdrops as he begins his by nervously drawing a new card.  

A way more intimidating monster right there, little heart emote and all. Although the next panel decided to get right up its little skirt to give us a panty-shot, just so it could switch me over to grossed-out instead of in awe. Dick move, panel. Dick move. 

Yami thinks he needs to defeat Bowganian right away before it can get a shot in, of course, so he sics Dark Magician Girl on it. DMG points its wand at the giant eyeball archer and casts Black Burning, but other!Marik discourages the speed with which Yami is targeting Bowganian. He reveals his face down card, big surprise, to be another slimy cog in his perpetual garbage machine: the permanent trap Jam Defender. Yami despairs that THIS card had to show up as the slime god thrusts its gooey hand in the path of the blast, protecting Bowganian, just as other!Marik explains it will do with every blow thrown at him. 

Ol' God Slime is right as rain in the following panel, good as new, while Yami stares in frustrated horror. It's a little like the look on my face every time I see one of my Trump-supporting family post something on social media.

Other!Marik reminds Yami that this is just like their previous duel, where Jam Defender cannot die, and neither can his monsters, even when punched by Obelisk. He seems to have learned that that the "infinite" card portion of that strategy was a bust, thankfully. Anyway, he spells out that as long as his slimy defense lives, he and his monsters are 100% unkillable. Peachy.

The next panel shows that Yami's points have dropped to 1300 and Yuugi groans in discomfort as more of him disappears, Yami calling to him in worry. This is one of those times when I actually could have used a little dialog mentioning where that whole 1000 points was coming from. Is Yami still paying for the Devil's Sanctuary? I don't think so... While I'm puzzling this out, other!Marik DOES remind us that his giant eyeball is aiming its crossbow at Yami so it can take another 300 out of him before the end of his turn. It fires a "Crossbow Bolt of Hell" (no lie), which strikes Yami in the right side of his chest, and straight out the back. At first wide-eyed with gritted teeth, Yami doubles over and groans much like Yuugi, who gets to be the one to call to HIM in concern this time. Yami asks Yuugi if he's alright instead of addressing his own pain, thinking he can't allow Yuugi to die. Meanwhile, other!Marik is ranting and raving that gods and pharaohs bow before him because even THEY fear their death. He has officially entered peak arrogance zone, and that is never the greatest place for villains to be.

As Yami wonders what he can do some more, and other!Marik laughs, the original Marik's glazed eyes fix on Yami and appears to think REAL HARD at him. Jonouchi shakes his fist at the stage, complaining that Yami can't do anything against the slime and simultaneously demands Yami get it together, while Anzu snaps to sudden attention beside him. Her blank, wide gaze stares ahead, and struggles to call to Yami in a voice that isn't her own.

... I'm beginning to think Anzu NOT having her autonomy overridden by weird ghosts and magic Egyptians is a personal affront to KT. But this gives a whole new meaning to her "spirit" shirt, so, points for the lame medium joke, I guess? I hope that wasn't unintentional. 

Ishizu gapes at Anzu, thinking Marik's name. Other!Marik scoffs in her direction, looking quite irritated that the original recipe was hidden in her too. He seems fairly certain that the scraps of Marik inside others will die too once the original hung up next to him is gone. He does nothing at Marik, through Anzu's mouth, starts to explain that he swore revenge on Yami for killing his father, that being the reason he formed the Ghouls in the first place. Been a while since we've heard tell of those guys; I had almost forgotten they existed. But Marik/Anzu admits he didn't know the truth. Yami stares while Marik/Anzu points at the other!Marik standing on the platform and names HIM as his father's killer. J'ACUSE! With full prejudice. 

Jonouchi is leaning in front of Anzu with his hand waving in her face, saying her name questioningly during this dramatic moment too, by the way. Just gonna let THAT hang out there like an insensitive comment at a funeral.

Other!Marik inserts a pinky into his ear to clear it out facetiously, adding a sarcastic "who, me?" comment for good measure. He chuckles, refers to Marik/Anzu as Mr. Main Personality, and lectures him on how he really should have realized that before his evil counterpart took over his body. Now, other!Marik says Marik will just have to take his guilt to the grave. Marik's single eye in the air next to him promises silently to take other!Marik with him, but other!Marik apparently can hear his ghost thoughts, which to be fair isn't totally unbelievable since they're the same person and everything. Other!Marik claims it's impossible for anyone to destroy him, with more laughter tacked on for good measure. 

Ishizu hurries over to Anzu, addressing Marik, while Jonouchi is apparently still trying to get Anzu to snap out of it and listen to him. Anzu hangs her head as Marik apologizes to his sister through her, but Ishizu is only interested in the confirmation that it's really him. He bypasses this and asks her why she didn't tell him that that he was the one who murdered their dad, and she looks crestfallen, then pitiful as Marik implies that she had to have known that it was his and the family's fate for him to fight Yami in Battle City; he questions if the Millennium Necklace didn't tell her. Ishizu makes a desperate denial, saying that even if he was obsessed with revenge, he had to keep living, and that was the ONLY fate he wanted for him. Soooooooo... yes, huh?

Marik responds that he's not strong enough to keep HIM at bay forever, and he'll have put an end to his entire existence in order to not let this happen again. Ishizu grabs Anzu by her shoulders and shakes her, not willing to accept this decision of Marik's. But this isn't up for debate - he addresses Yami next without another word justifying it to Ishizu. 

I'm pretty sure EVERYONE knows that, friend. So, unless you have some specific advice on HOW Yami is supposed to accomplish this, could you maybe let him get on with it?? 

Other!Marik tells his better half to give it up, that he's foolish, hopeless, that he should just die and there's no way for Yami to beat him. Typical blustering bullshit from someone whose fragile ego needs constant reassurance, even if it's only from his own big mouth. Yami, who has been facing where his friends were clustered beneath the platform behind him, turns again to glare at other!Marik with determination. Other!Marik suggests that they continue with an indulgent grin, before announcing his turn and drawing a card. He takes one look at it and only grows more pleased with himself, if that's POSSIBLE at this point, because it's the card that will finally put Monster Reborn back in his hand. 

He plays it immediately; no need for beating around the bush this late in the game, thankfully. It's called Magical Stone Excavation, the instructions for which let the player exchange two cards in their hand for a card from the graveyard. Yami knows he finally did it, even before other!Marik declares zealously that this will allow him to get back Monster Reborn. Heart hammering, Yami stares at other!Marik licking his lips with anticipation of special summoning Ra on his next turn. 

Yuugi insists from his binding next to Yami that there has to be a way, and Yami says he knows, his glower turned to maximum intensity. He thinks this is his last gamble. Other!Marik commands Yami to look at the darkness looming right in front of him. 

Meanwhile...

Well HE looks well-rested. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Very glad that Marik got to confront his sister about what she had to have known about him the entire time, and even MORE glad that she didn't actually DENY that she had kinda seen all of this coming. I still maintain my skepticism that the Millennium Necklace actually shows the future as opposed to whatever future result is most advantageous for it to show Ishizu, of course. But the fact that KT didn't pussy-foot around the obvious issue of her having an item that shows her the future on its surface and not communicating certain "fates" of her brother's to him is fairly well-handled, I think. I'm impressed that KT didn't fall into his habit of overdoing the dialog - there was only so much Marik and Ishizu could discuss while surrounded by virtual strangers and not having a lot of time, so a lot of what COULD have been drawn out in painful detail was truncated and never verbalized. It leaves a good amount to the imagination and makes the conversation a bit more believable, as well as giving it some unexplored depth. 

I'm sure my readers have noted how very tired I'm getting of Anzu having to be the one possessed so often against her will, though. It seems super unfair that everyone just decides to take her over whenever it's convenient, and doesn't even ask, even after all this time. The OTHER hosts have regained quite a bit of agency over the course of the story, so why not her?? Folks need to start giving that girl a lot more respect. 

If they CAN'T afford a temporary host a little autonomy, why can't KT switch it up every once in a while. Honda's kinda standing around most of the time, not taking an active part in the card game plot. Why not use him? Just a thought.