I'm only familiar with the millennial kind of treasure these days. My most recent acquisition was a gift my mother sent me for my birthday - a giant 8-quart pressure cooker that can also saute, dehydrate, and air fry. It's crazy exciting because I so often find myself without the time to properly prepare things like dried beans, which normally have to soak for quite a bit before they can be cooked, but this device can cook them up real well in only a half-hour, no soak required. And that's just ONE example! It's practically a whole time-traveling kitchen all by itself, but there is one small issue...
There's no space in the apartment for it.
*SIIIIIIGH*
Our next panel explains over a basic map of the relevant part of Egypt that the Valley of the Kings in a valley graveyard near Luxor, the final resting place of Egypt's New Kingdom pharaohs, between 1550 and 1070 BC. One of young!Sugoroku's guides tells him that over 60 tombs have been discovered in the area nestled west of the Nile, most of them thoroughly ransacked. But the guide says he's heard rumors that not one person has stepped foot in a particular grave for 3,000 years, the other specifying that neither thieves nor archaeologists have found it. The second guide goes on to relay another rumor - that a member of the British Archaeological Society's last words were "the shadow games" at the beginning of the century. Oooooooh, spooky.
Young!Sugoroku adjusts his hat jauntily, thinking on this phrase about shadow games with a smirk. Because he missed the part where the guy talking about shadow games DIED, I suppose. His first guide continues to lecture, stating for his information that only the one who wins those games will be able to get to the golden treasure hidden beyond them. He jabs a finger in young!Sugoroku's direction, saying that in no uncertain terms were he and the other guy fools who would throw away their lives for a game. They would lead him to the ENTRANCE to the royal tomb, and after that, it's young!Sugoroku's job to put his neck on the line to get them through to the treasure. Young!Sugoroku says he knows, and that he's not interested in treasure. The second guide eyes him silently, then suggests that they wait for sunset because grave-robbing is something best done at night... apparently.
Once it's dark out, and young!Sugoroku has been reclining on a rock with his hat drawn over his eyes as long as he cares to (decked out in full tuxedo, by the way), he asks the milling guides if it's time yet. The first hoists his bag on his shoulder as he affirms it is indeed time, and the second comments on how strange young!Sugoroku's attire is for this job as their client is adjusting his collar. Guard #2 smarms about the aspiring grave robber in his tux, and says it doesn't even suit him. Young!Sugoroku says such statements show how little Guard #2 knows; young!Sugoroku's whole life is games. He uses chess and cards as examples, talking about how he's spent pretty much all his time in gambling dens and on casino cruises, and he always does his best to treat his opponents with respect. With a grin clamping down on his cigarette, he vows that if he ever loses a game, he'll trade in his tux for overalls and collect years instead of chips.
Oh. I guess I know where THIS is going.
Guard #2 grins back at him sideways, warning young!Sugoroku that he might lose more than the clothes on his back with this game, and advises him to be careful not to join the mummies. He urges young!Sugoroku to follow, with Guard #1 already hiking out of their rest-area for the day.
As they head for the target tomb, young!Sugoroku muses on how he's traveled the world and defeating every opponent he's come across. His current quest is a legendary "game room" in the Valley of the Kings amongst game enthusiasts, and the untold honor that awaits the one who conquers the most dangerous tomb in all history.
Call me crazy, but he is REALLY convincing me this is going to be super fun. I wanna go out there and find cool puzzles myself!
Thank goodness for geocaching.
In the depths of a deepish trench, an UN-coincidentally square hole in the end of it looms before the group, which one of the guards says is their place. Guard #2 tells Mr. Mutou to go in first, and he mumbles a preparatory phrase as he holds a torch out in front of him. As he walks a bit down a passage lined with hieroglyphics, someone says that the corridor stretches for 30 meters without any traps. Yet. Young!Sugoroku eyes the pictographs on the wall, and once he's reached a gaping doorway at the end, he asserts that this is the entrance to the first room and that there's a warning carved by the door. He looks closely at it the hieroglyphs, reading that beyond this point rests the great pharaoh, and a plea to beware those that disturb him, a cursed bunch whom the gods would punish with bodily rot and eternal darkness. Guard #2 seems just as surprised that young!Sugoroku can interpret hieroglyphics as I am, and young!Sugoroku responds that he can read THOSE ones anyway.
There is no questioning of young!Sugoroku's implication that he is not, in fact, a linguist with several degrees, and just happens to have gained a momentary understanding of a complex writing system as if by pure magic. Not when they could be leaning their torches through the doorway ahead to see what they're in for.
Lovely. But that's just the entryway to this den of horrors.
I mean, from this distance it DOES look a little less terrifying.
But the guides don't get our cool birds-eye view. Guide #1 starts freaking out about this being the place where people die, and suggesting they back the fuck outta there with their lives. Guide #2 whirls around and shouts at him to shut up, refusing their ability to back out now. When Guide #1 starts to protest, revealing that Guide #2 is his brother, Guide #2 lowers his voice to whisper that they're not in any danger; they'll let young!Sugoroku solve all the puzzles and then they'll take the treasure at the end. Easy peasy. Guide #2 also flashes the butt of a revolver from the mouth of his satchel, nervously chuckling that Guide #1 needn't worry, because he'll use it if he needs to. Guide #1 gulps and stutters his agreement NOT to run screaming from the joint.
Meanwhile, young!Sugoroku has been pondering the labyrinth ahead, stroking his chin as he wonders what kind of puzzle this is, because it's obviously fatal to just charge ahead. Guide #2 reaches out to Sugoroku, urging him to hurry up, but before he can shove him into action, his step forward in on a small button in the floor that clicks ominously. A moment of confusion is replaced by horror when the doorway behind them is closed by a falling spiked block, with more spikes springing forward from the side facing them. More spikes ease out from the slats in the wall, and the whole wall starts moving toward the wannabe grave robbers, to their utter terror. No hanging back and waiting for young!Sugoroku to do the work for them, it seems. Guide #1 yelps while his brother snaps at young!Sugoroku to get moving. And the spikes inch ever closer.
By sheer necessity, Mr. Mutou dashes onto the path in front of him with determination.
The one before young!Sugoroku isn't a stiff mannequin either. It leans down to aim a smooth cross-slash at the intruder, who has to lean back precariously over the precipice past the edge of the path. He rights himself an takes a step back, exclaiming that the statues are attacking with swords. Young!Sugoroku sweats and grits his teeth, worrying that if he doesn't think of something soon, he and his guides will all die.
It's implied that he dodges past the first statue, because in a future panel a statue is behind him, and leans away when the new ancient automaton in front of him pushes forward, whipping its swords around so fast that they're blurred. He complains that he can't dodge as many as are pressing in on him from the many branches ahead, and Guide #2 in turn complains that they're running out of room at the entrance, urging him to do something. Young!Sugoroku tells himself to think in his panic, and in the moment of concentration, he notices that the automaton has frozen again with disbelief. Mr. Mutou looks down at his feet, where his left foot is firmly standing in front of his right. He thinks it can't possibly be THIS, but when he looks back up at the still statue, he decides it has to be.
So the "game" is on par with not stepping on the cracks or the floor is lava? Strangely juvenile...
Young!Sugoroku twists to instruct the guides to keep their left leg ahead when they walk on the path, warning them that the statues will attack if they lead with the right leg. While Guide #2 immediately steps onto the path, reminding himself carefully that it should be his left foot forward, his brother whines that he doesn't walk like that. Young!Sugoroku snaps that they should just do the damn thing, with the understanding that this game was designed to test the humility and wisdom of intruders. And also their balance, what with having to lean skirt around the edge of statues while always keeping their left leg in front of them just to get anywhere.
When he's reached the other side, he notes the next door is overshadowed with an ornate statue of the pharaoh as Horus over it, the "opener of the way" as he puts it. Young!Sugoroku turns to shout at the guides to watch their step. Guide #1 is still flinching back from the frozen automatons around him, squealing in fear. He panics, claims he can't, then dashes forward, and is quickly skewered by a statue both in front and behind. Guide #2 calls out to his brother in horror at his fate, calling him Mushara. Good to know the guy actually had a name. Gives him a little dignity as he slumps over the swords sticking out of his chest and back.
Doesn't mean you have to be a dick about it. Dude just lost his BROTHER - have a little compassion.
Then again, he IS waving a gun in your face...
Guide #2 demands he keep moving, gun still pointed at young!Sugoroku's face. So they head down another hieroglyphic-lined corridor, until young!Sugoroku pauses in front of a new threshold, labeling it as the second door. Guide #2 gulps as young!Sugoroku leans in to read another panel of explanation by the new passage. He reads flawlessly yet again, that the "ka" sealed in the stone would judge him, and the cowardly will be eaten by demons, while the courageous are shown the way. Upon stepping cautiously through the doorway, he notes that there are a line of stone slabs acting as another path over ANOTHER pit, because that is just how ancient Egypt DO, apparently. Love their bottomless pits, they do.
Young!Sugoroku also notes a glimmer across the room, excitedly pointing out to the guide behind him a light in the tomb. Guide #2 says it's the shine of the gold treasure sitting right there, then demands young!Sugoroku get going over that bridge and show him where it's safe to step. As young!Sugoroku makes his way down the path, he tells the guide over his shoulder to just not let his guard down. With a deranged grin, Guide #2 thinks Mr. Mutou should heed his own advice.
Young!Sugoroku walks slowly and carefully over the carvings, sweating the closer he gets to the other side. He considers the few steps he has left before he conquers the shadow games. It was ONE game, and barely even what I would call a game, but sure. You sure conquered them shadow games, bro. Gun still raised, Guide #2 observes with a grim smirk that it looks like young!Sugoroku is going to get across safely, and assumes there's nothing wrong with the bridge, that it must be completely safe. This conclusion convinces Guide #2 that he doesn't need young!Sugoroku anymore.
Oh shit! Sugoroku took a shot in the dark!!!!
Young!Sugoroku begins to topple over the edge of the path, and is able to grasp the edge of it with ONE HAND at the last moment. Guide #2 says he'll see him in Hell as he saunters on past the man he's essentially murdered toward that gold he's got such a hard-on for by the look on his face. Young!Sugoroku strains to hold his grip on the edge of the bridge, his eyes squeezed shut as his face is pressed against the ancient stone.
Suddenly, a pulse sweeps through Guide #2, and the path around him starts issuing smoke, to his confusion. He asks the tomb what's going on in terror, a deep rumble emanating from beneath his feet.
... No name for cowardly Guide #2.
It's not clear that young!Sugoroku noticed ANY of this, what with putting all his concentration into holding onto the path with his uninjured arm. And feeling sorry for himself for coming so far, wondering if this is the end for him. Suddenly, he's alarmed to see a shadowed figure in a cape looming over him on the path. It has familiar spiky hair.
Oh hey, I recognize this guy too! But what the hell did he just call my boy Sugoroku? What is a "Siamun"?
Young!Sugoroku's eyes widen, and after a small blackout period, he wakes back up lying face-down on the stone bridge, somehow having escaped falling into the pit over the side. He groans pushing himself into a kneel and holds his wounded shoulder. He wonders who in the world - I'm guessing both in terms of who pulled him out of that mess, and/or who was the guy in the cape. He shuffles the rest of the way across the bridge with the torch that was lying next to him, conveniently still where his gobbled-up companion dropped it. Also conveniently didn't catch his fancy coat on fire.
He approaches the stone pedestal at the end of the room, where a shining box is giving off a golden glow.
So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I'm kind of blown away by the fact that Sugoroku got a hold of the Millennium Puzzle in such an active capacity. Usually the older characters on the periphery of the younger mains aren't really given much of a backstory, and if they are, it's one that contributes to the main plot in a passive, unimpressive way. Not only does Sugoroku pull some badass stunts in this direct predecessor to the main story line, but he mentions himself that he's been a traveling gamer for years before this point, having all kinds of adventures that have NOTHING to do with what is going on outside of this flashback. To imply that Yuugi's grandfather spent his life before Yuugi was a gleam in his un-shown father's eye winning games around the world is refreshing, considering how the universe up until this point has revolved SOLELY around Yami and company.
And it only now occurs to me that there were more hints than this one that Sugoroku was not just a collector and connoisseur of games, but messing around with some dangerous shit for a long time - he knew an awful lot about that dragon card game when Imori came to appraise it, so it's not as if that wasn't a sign that Sugoroku has seen some weird shit. But this chapter was the first blatant confirmation that Yuugi's grandfather has been in the very midst of that weird shit back in the day. You get the distinct impression now that he hasn't just heard the legends; he's lived them. I'm not kidding when I say I kinda want to see THAT manga, because it opens up a whole new set of possibilities for a story centered around games.
But concerning THIS manga, I am still VERY interested to learn what "Siamun" means. I doubt very much it's a translation issue, since professional translations rarely mangle names that badly. My guess it's some sort of title, or the name, of whomever Sugoroku is the reincarnation. After all, Yuugi and Kaiba can't be the ONLY ones with a spirit connection to Yami's lifetime in ancient Egypt - no doubt we'll see Sugoroku and a few other characters' likenesses show up in the near future. I think I remember that's how it was when I watched the show, anyway.
It's been a while.
I appreciate we do get to see one of Sugoroku's old adventures. Clown Dad hinted at a previous one, and I think the anime also had him on one with his friend who gave him his copy of Sinatra.
ReplyDeleteBut why did Unnamed Asshole have to backstab a guy who already said he had no interest in the treasure? He played himself!
Oh yeah! Clown!dad DID imply pretty heavily some sort of dangerous misadventure! I forgot about that; maybe because clown!dad is forgettable as all hell.
DeleteThis is why Unnamed Asshole didn't get a name - clearly he didn't deserve one. Still, if I had to figure on some sort of REASON for his behavior at the end, it might have something to do with how he blames Sugoroku for his brother's death for a moment there. That in itself isn't a reasonable conclusion, but grief isn't known for how rational it is.
Honestly, I'm actually curious if Sugoroku tried to solve the Millennium Puzzle. We never see or hear of him trying and he had it for decades, way before Yuugi ever came around. Given how much Sugoroku loves games and how similar he and Yuugi are, I find it hard to believe that he didn't even try at all. From the first chapter, Yuugi said (if memory serves) that he found it sitting on a shelf in his grandfather's shop, so it seems like at that point Sugoroku wasn't actively trying to solve it or had interest in doing so, which is weird. We also hear from Clown!dad that Sugoroku (at the point Clown!dad knew him) still had his tux and was still in gambling dens as a gaming master and that he had the Millennium Puzzle at that point, so I'm curious as to whether Sugoroku tried to solve it. Yuugi tried for 8 years without giving up, so frankly, I kind of expect the same from Sugoroku. But we don't hear about his attempts (if any) at all or why he seemingly left it alone by the time Yuugi came around.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see a series centered around Sugoroku, like a prequel to Yu-Gi-Oh!. Frankly, I think Sugoroku's time as a traveling gamer would allow for a whole new set of possibilities for a story centered around games, as you said Writch. If anything, I think it would have allowed KT a lot more in the way of a gaming story than Yuugi's escapades in high school, not to mention KT could have avoided earlier issues with the lack of adult/police presence that broke the believability of his story in many places, or at least could have had an easier time coming up with plausible work-arounds.
Then again, KT did originally conceptualize Yu-Gi-Oh! as a horror story, which probably works better in a high school setting. Idk, between that and the Shonen demographic the story is aimed at, that probably motivated KT to set the story up the way he did.
In any case, it would be really cool to see more of Sugoroku's life from before he settled down in overalls and collected years instead of chips. :^)
I definitely believe that Sugoroku had to have tried at SOME point to solve the puzzle himself - you bring up a good point that he didn't trade in the tux for the overalls until long after that puzzle came into his possession (probably not even immediately after he went gray), so he had plenty of time to mess around with the thing. It would be so interesting to know how often he fiddled with it, when he decided to give up, or whether he had a hunch that it wouldn't be him that would end up solving it. But this is Yuugi's story and I doubt very much that there would be room for his reminiscences to fit naturally into the narrative as it stands.
DeleteThe only way to get the level of scope we seem to want is for Sugoroku to have his own manga, but alas... manga heroes tend to skew younger, lol!
That's true, it would deviate from the narrative too much and this IS Yuugi's story. Given how much Asshole!Bakura talked about Yuugi being the one chosen to solve the puzzle, I guess it's safe to say that Sugoroku must've realized that he wasn't the one to solve it at some point. Actually, I remember Yuugi telling Clown!dad that he was angering the puzzle by stealing it and trying to solve it himself, so it seems like the puzzle itself has a will of its own (apart from Yami) so it's possible the puzzle communicated to Sugoroku that it wasn't his to solve. Still, I really would like to see more of Sugoroku's life as a traveling gamer, but as you said, that would have to be for another manga.
DeleteOr a fanfiction. It's up to us now!
Delete