Inuyasha Manga: 270 Unexpected Events at Mt. Hakurei

Is there anything that can happen at this point in the arc that could be "unexpected"? All this seems to be going in a pretty concrete direction, so there's VERY little that could occur that would surprise me. Unless Renkotsu succeeds in his coup attempt, Jakotsu starts flogging himself for being so abusive toward Inuyasha, Bankotsu retires from the murder-for-hire business to carve driftwood figurines, or Inuyasha up and DIES crying in Jakotsu's arms, I probably won't come close to feeling any kind of shock about what transpires. I'll still be entertained, mind, just not floored. 

See? Inuyasha is being stubborn as ever. No surprise there.

Jakotsu assures him that he won't die soon, since he'd really like to caress him for a while first. Gag me with a spoon. Inuyasha's response is a scoff, though, and with a flash from below, it becomes clear why. The moment Jakotsu got close enough, he drew Tessaiga and swung it up and around, narrowly missing Jakotsu's face, but giving a few of his bangs a trim. Somehow, Inuyasha's slash also managed to nick Jakotsu's neck a bit, and Jakotsu acknowledges quietly that it was awfully close one, to the Shikon shard in his throat that Inuyasha is clearly after, of course. 

Inuyasha has struck a defensive stance again, Tessaiga held up in front of him at the ready, as he snarls between clenched teeth that he doesn't have time to play with Jakotsu. 

Jakotsu just scoffs back at him for threatening him with that blunt sword. Nope, phrasing is no longer an option, clearly.

I mean, this doesn't necessarily mean he's not scared. Just that his "fight" response has been activated.

As Inuyasha collapses on the ground, Jakotsu steps on Tessaiga, that Inuyasha dropped in his agony. Inuyasha winces when Jakotsu seizes a handful of his hair at his scalp and yanks his head up toward his face - he leans down to meet the much weakened Inuyasha at his level so he can tell him not to pass out, because he STILL wants to see Inuyasha cry. Inuyasha's head just lolls while he hovers on the edge of unconsciousness, knowing he's lost too much blood, so he wasn't even able to do something when Jakotsu got close like he'd planned. He is majorly FUCKED.

Narrow MIST transition panel, our new favorite! Miroku is still kneeling from being tossed backward by Hakushin-Shounin's personal barrier, Sango standing defensively behind him. Hakushin-Shounin calls Miroku a mere novice whose powers are too weak to break his barrier. Miroku raises his cursed fist, acknowledging that this is evidently so, which means...

We're ripping this tree out by the roots.

Sango gapes in alarm as Miroku continues to aim his Kazaana at Hakushin-Shounin, who has been a little obscured behind the barrier that has become opaque with ripples and arcs of electrical energy. The mummy-man sits still behind this barrier, possibly because he can't really move that rigor mortis-ed body. Miroku is in disbelief that Hakushin-Shounin seems to be resisting the curse in his hand. 

But it's only a couple more panels before that resistance goes from Hakushin-Shounin's clothing being tugged toward Miroku's Kazaana, to the beads in his own hand crackling and being tugged as well, to the whole strand snapping and the bead scattering to the roaring wind. 

There goes that elaborate gilded temple. What a shame.

Sango seems a little shocked that the barrier has been broken, so I guess we know how much faith she had in Miroku's forceful technique here, lol. Almost immediately, a swarm of familiar insects appears in the sky around all the flying debris. Sango identifies them as the saimyoushou in warning, and Miroku wraps his own magic beads around him right hand accordingly, cursing.

Aw, but don't worry buddy, it seems you got the job done regardless of not vacuuming up EVERYTHING in the area. The aura surrounding Mt. Hakurei swirls, and then, with a whoosh...

She notes that the power of the sacred grounds is weakening as she pushes herself up to her feet with her bow. As she's looking at the mountain, what looks like a little lens-flare flies off of it, wavering a little. This alarms her, and she interprets it as something ESCAPING the big hunk of rock. 

Another narrow transition panel brings us back to the cave, where Renkotsu is still lurking around a bend from Inuyasha and Jakotsu's little drama. He notices that there's a bit of a rustle happening farther in the cave system, and identifies it as the youkai in there starting to make a disturbance. In the branch right next to Jakotsu, still holding up Inuyasha's head by his hair, there are a multitude of glowing eyes that have appeared there, and Jakotsu hums at them in question.

A few of the youkai slither out of the cave, further confusing Jakotsu, who knows that they should have been confined to the interior of the mountain by the barrier. Then he looks down at Inuyasha, from which a stir of power has emanated. Inuyasha's teeth and nails grow to a point again, his hair turning white, and he scoffs out his friends' names whom he was looking for on the mountain in the first place. He thinks about how he intended to come save Miroku and Sango, but they ended up saving him instead. He feels he can tentatively assume that they're safe after all. 

Well THIS assumption, at least, is fair.

As the youkai fly over and past them, Jakotsu makes the mundane observation that Inuyasha's own youki has returned to him. Inuyasha scoffs again, calling Jakotsu an idiot for not finishing him off quickly, and assuring him that it'll cost him his life. Jakotsu retorts that he couldn't help it, because he only gets "stimulation" when he takes his time cutting up pretty little victims like Inuyasha. He's also not too concerned about dying, as he's already done it once. He says it's already a huge bonus that he got to come back and meet a cute guy like Inuyasha. 

Yup, "phrasing is definitely done and over with, because Jakotsu doesn't take the bait laid out right in front of him. To be fair, this might be because of the noise from the exiting youkai Jakotsu comments on, seeing this as a sign that the fun has ended after all. He gives Inuyasha a sultry look and promises to take his dog ears as a memento. Jakotsu adds that he'll take the whole head as well, swinging his blades out once more. Inuyasha meets the lash head on, calling Jakotsu "impudent".

 If you keep walking into attacks, Inuyasha, it won't matter WHICH form you're in.

The blades are all wrapped and tangled around Inuyasha, and Jakotsu laughs that he'll be in pieces the moment the sword is pulled back. Assuming he's got this one in the bag, he wishes Inuyasha farewell, telling him that he's the all-time favorite of all his kills. Even as the blades start to dig back in and more blood spurts from around Inuyasha, he calls Jakotsu a fool now, reminding him that he's not the way he was before. 

Guess being anemic gave him an extra boost somehow? Weird.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? From Inuyasha's lines, it seems like the title refers to his attitude about the events. Obviously none of this is particularly surprising to the reader, and not just because it's me, and this is my fourth read-through of the story. The reader has a wider view than any of the characters, and there's no having to imagine where Miroku and Sango are or how they're doing. Since the entire reason Inuyasha journeyed into the barrier was because of how concerned he and Kagome were for how long their friends were in there, it makes sense that he would be a little pleasantly surprised that they were okay and kicking the ass that he can't quite manage at the moment.

I am very slightly disappointed by the end of this chapter. It's another of those classic rushed conclusions to fights that RT does when she's got to move the fuck on for whatever reason. I would have preferred a more clever move to round out the end of Jakotsu, especially considering his attempt toward the beginning to trick Jakotsu into getting a little too close. He's pulled some pretty sly and interesting battle maneuvers before, so it should have been possible. But the next stage of the arc is coming up fast, and I imagine that RT was a little rushed at the end of this one. 

After all, any more panels dedicated to Inuyasha properly finishing up this conflict would cut into Jakotsu's overly-dramatic pouting in the next chapter. And how could we live without THAT?

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 328 The End of the World!!

I don't know if I have enough room in my head left to dedicate to this subject. With current world events progressing as they are, the apocalypse has been occupying more and more of my brain-space, and there's hardly a moment that it's not lurking in the back of my mind as a constant source of nervousness. But okay, I'll try, maybe if I can rearrange some priorities here. If I eat my meals a little faster, maybe there will be more time for contemplating the hideous end. I could probably manage with fifteen minutes less sleep at night too? Probably. 

Apologies, Mr. EndoftheWorld, please excuse me while I pencil you in.

At least the kiddos will get to spend their last few minutes WITHOUT this asshole hanging around. Silver linings.

The bystanders all cheer about Yuugi's win, ignoring asshole!Bakura spitting blood everywhere and disappearing in wisps of smoke, but Yuugi has observed as much. He knows that asshole!Bakura has been banished to the shadows for losing the game, not seeming at all bothered by that fact. He was a MAJOR asshole, after all.

Too bad there are several MORE versions of him both in and out of the damn game. It's real difficult to kill a douchbag, I suppose.

Yami has noticed that asshole!Bakura just grimaced, wondering what THAT'S about, while asshole!Bakura bares his teeth at the diorama in front of him. He's real pissed that the version of himself dueling Yuugi in the game was defeated, AND by a mere vessel to boot! Yami is starting to connect some hopeful dots across the table, recalling what Hasan told him inside the game, that his friends were searching for his lost name. Asshole!Bakura guesses that what he's thinking, and confirms that, yes, Yuugi and pals are very close to grabbing that old name of Yami's. This prompts a gape from Yami over the mention of his friends. 

Scowling, asshole!Bakura grumbles about how the pharaoh's name is tied to an ancient secret that Yami doesn't know about, but Yami guesses half-sarcastically that it's the key to winning this game. Asshole!Bakura suddenly gets his grin back as he admits that he WILL be in trouble if Yami learns the name, and it might just turn the tables on asshole!Bakura's advantage in the game thus far. He declares that this whole game is in fact just a big fight over Yami's true name, a battle the Millennium Puzzle has led them to after 3,000 years. Took it long enough for something SO simple, didn't it?

Yami seems in disbelief over the Millennium Puzzle leading them to this specific end, but asshole!Bakura once again confirms this. He elaborates that 3,000 years in the past, the setting the diorama before them is meant to mimic, the battle with the great evil god ended when the pharaoh sealed his soul into the Millennium Puzzle. The puzzle being broken apart for hiding also broke the pharaoh's soul and memories, and his true name was lost, supposedly forever. With an encouraging push to continue with "but" from Yami, asshole!Bakura says that Yami's "partner" appeared with the ability to rebuild that puzzle.

Asshole!Bakura draws attention to the Millennium Puzzle that he's hung over the diorama table, which he says is acting as a projector that streams forth the memories locked inside it all these years - replaying the past by shining the "light of memories" over his big ass diorama. That is... a very complicated function for this ancient artifact to have. Bad as it is for Yami, asshole!Bakura isn't about to let his buddies get to his true name, intending to slaughter them first.

Of course you do.

He calls this third power "Natural Catastrophe". I'm using a lot of scare quotes in this one, and it's unnerving me. Yami is alarmed by the use of the third hourglass, and then a rumbling coming from under the diorama, wondering warily what the HELL is going on. In the diorama in front of him, a massive sinkhole collapses into it, Yami observing that the ground is starting to sink with horror. Chuckling, asshole!Bakura drawn Yami's attention to the fact that the diorama has been built over a giant hourglass. Yami looks over the arm of his chair to find that a lot of sand is now pouring out into the bottom of the hourglass-shaped legs of the massive table. I'm not certain if there's sand sinking into the very center of the table, given int pyramid shape under the table is probably the hourglass asshole!Bakura is talking about. In any case, what a fucking bummer for regular sized Bakura. He had to have worked so hard on this and the asshole is WRECKING it!!

And whoops, are my priorities WAY off base here. 

Oh yeah. There are actual people in there.

Yuugi insists that Yami's name has to be at the back of the alcove as they reach the end of the bridge to it. Almost immediately, they all look up at the ominous rumbling that rapidly grows around them, Jonouchi letting out a questioning noise. They twist around to find the ceiling collapsing in and taking out the bridge they just crossed. Jonouchi shouts about how this means they can't go back, and Yuugi yells that the whole tomb is going down, apparently in disbelief. 

But he turns back around and expresses how they have to hurry. He leads them at a sprint into the alcove ahead of them, insisting on finding what they came for no matter what.

Good to know that Yuugi has HIS priorities in order, because at least ONE of us does.

Soon, Anzu is pointing ahead of them to a door she sees at the end of this hallway they're running down. I guess it wasn't just an alcove after all. Whoops. Yuugi yells that the name has to be in that room, and the door begins to crack open for them as if in response. 

Meanwhile, Yami is freaking out above the diorama, shouting out about his partner and everyone else in the sinking sand vortexes in the table. Asshole!Bakura says that they're all probably buried along with the tomb now, and on top of that, Yami's lost the vessel for his soul to return to after all is said and done. Yami's sweating hardcore as he bemoans to himself his loss in disbelief. Giggling once more, asshole!Bakura asserts that Yami can NEVER learn the pharaoh's lost name now. Silently, asshole!Bakura gloats that he actually already knows the name, his little fragment of soul having already found it in the tomb long before the duel with Yuugi, but HE'LL never tell what it is. He gleefully thinks that Yami can just die in ignorance. 

But his internal murmuring over his INEVITABLE victory *ahem* can only last so long. He calls out that the shadow game will continue, announcing that the catastrophic earthquake is worsening, and it won't end until Zorc's shadow power destroys the world. Yami clenches his jaw helplessly across the table.

Not only is this spread FRESH TO DEATH, that dragonish rod looks a little less like a dong through positioning alone. 10/10.

Yami, Hasan, Priest Seto, and the rest of the priests all stand with a determined air. Siamun warns them that if they don't defeat this dark god, the world will be steeped in shadows, their children and lives and souls will be sacrificed to the never-ending evil, and the war on Christmas will be intensified! I added that last part so the cons would care. XD

Yami rallies his recently unfrozen support with a call to get to work. Priest Seto calls Duos forth, Isis summons up Spiria with her own command, and Mana's magician is shown kind of hunched over? I'm guessing she's lending energy to her master again, because otherwise it's a little incomprehensible. Zorc laughs at them all, claiming that the pharaoh will crumble just like the land. Good to see his similes are a little better than his metaphors, though that's a pretty low bar to clear, honestly. 

Final battle let's gooooooooooo!

As dark clouds swirl overhead and the ground continues to fall away to time (Get it? Hourglasses!), Akhenaden laughs, demanding his opposition die along with the pharaoh's memories and fall into the shadows of regret. What was that part about the pharaoh's memories? Is he supposed to KNOW about that in the game world? Woah. Meta.

Yes, I believe we've established as much. Thank you. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I feel like the setup of asshole!Bakura's tabletop RPG here is getting even MORE complicated. Now the Millennium Puzzle is an actual projector, the legs of the table are designed as hourglasses to drain sand from the diorama, and Yami's tomb has a back door leading to his name. The complexity of this room and the diorama were already on the ridiculous side of things, but the whole setup has extended so far beyond overkill, I'm not sure there's a WORD to accurately describe it. To be fair, overkill is kind of the order of the day in most manga, and the level of intricacy involved here DOES go a long way to explain why it took SO long for asshole!Bakura to get on with his ultimate plan, even though he's been gunning for a tabletop RPG clash between Zorc and the pharaoh since early in the manga. Still, it just makes more stark the lack of elaboration of stuff like the Millennium Tome for general story development. I suppose, in a time crunch, it's probably much better to focus on the stuff that the audience came here for (games and gaming content), so I'm going to assume that this was on some level a calculation. 

But in contrast this is also giving vibes of "filler" on some level. In addition to the reiteration that the final fight is starting in the last couple of pages, the impression is that KT's planned layout had to kind of drag out the rest of the chapter so he wouldn't have to actually START that battle in the middle. Some of this elaboration on how the Millennium Puzzle and more discussion on the importance of Yami's true name feels like it's just there to fill some space. Very much in the OPPOSITE spirit of the lean, mean, fighting machine that was the previous duel arc. Especially since WHY and HOW this name is important is still very much obscure. We know it's important, I'm not sure the characters still need to be talking about it unless it's adding to our understanding of the situation somehow. 

Certainly we don't need asshole!Bakura to outright say he's not going to tell Yami the name. Uh, DUH, dude. DUH.

Inuyasha Manga: 269 In the Darkness

And there's a lot more of THAT right now, somehow surprisingly to me. I don't know how I manage to get so blindsided every single year by how early the sun goes down in this half of the year. It was understandable when I first moved up here, because I'd never been as far north as this before then. But it's been three or four years now, and I'm still kind of flabbergasted at just how soon I'm sitting in the dark these days. I must just be out of tune with nature or something.

Geez, Miroku, he asked who YOU are, not to have HIS identity parroted back at him. Did your brain fly south for the winter like mine or something?

Hakushin-Shounin replies that he is indeed who Miroku has suggested he is, creaking with every tiny movement. It's super gross. Sango supposes that Naraku must have brought the mummy guy back to life, while Miroku asks if Hakushin-Shounin did not express great virtue when he was alive by saving the people, with a bit of a petulant tone. He demands to know why Hakushin-Shounin is now working for Naraku, admitting he's finding it a little hard to believe the mummy guy doesn't know what Naraku is, despite putting up such a great pure barrier like he is.

Hakushin-Shounin confirms that of course he KNOWS what Naraku is about, but he doesn't really mind that Naraku's a big bad youkai. It's no biggie, you know? Kinda weird, considering his barrier has been working super hard to murder even benign youkai this whole time - you'd think he'd be super prejudiced against them. Hakushin-Shounin gives a rather simple answer to why he's buds with Naraku: he's just doing what he damn well pleases. Miroku and Sango stare at him, looking a slight bit confused in addition to being peeved. 

I feel like this mummy spent some time on Twitter lately...

In the meantime, a lightning-shaped strike lashes out and Inuyasha knocks it back with his sheathed Tessaiga, diving out of the way of yet another lash from Jakotsu's bendy-sword. Jakotsu pauses his assault to ENCOURAGE Inuyasha to run away some more. 

How did you become a parody of yourself so fucking fast, dude?

Jakotsu doesn't want Inuyasha to get him wrong - he thought his hanyou form was super cute, but his human form is even CUTER to Jakotsu and he just wants to SQUEEZE it. The cringe is palpable here, not gonna lie. Inuyasha scoffs that Jakotsu is one perverted weirdo, and says that everything that Jakotsu says puts him in a bad mood. Nails on a chalkboard sitch. 

Jakotsu giggles at this, not bothered in the least, and swings that sword again. Inuyasha tries again to fend off the blow this Tessaiga's sheath, but when he pushes against it, the blades bend around him and slash him in his shoulder. Glaring down at his bleeding arm, Inuyasha worries that his fire rat coat has also lost its youkai powers, not serving as armor at all. Jakotsu pulls back his blades, licking the residual blood left on the edge by his previous attack. He chuckles once more, promising to cut Inuyasha up bit by bit, predicting that Inuyasha will eventually lose his strong will and resolve. He pleads with Inuyasha to get down on his knees and cry, suggesting a fantasy phrase he could utter asking Jakotsu to cradle and comfort him or something. He's not a voice actor at a convention taking requests on stage, dude, save that stupid shit for your fanfiction. 

Inuyasha belts out a noise of refusal, and warns Jakotsu that if he keeps spouting his cringe nonsense, he's going to smash Jakotsu's head in. He lunges toward Jakotsu to make an attempt at just that, but Jakotsu slings those blades out again, declaring that he LOVES the confidence. He even says it makes him want to see Inuyasha crying even SOONER. 

That's not even pain, it's just him reacting to the fucking CRINGE, lol.

Back up at Hakushin-Shounin's temple, Miroku is beside himself, in complete disbelief that Hakushin-Shounin knows what Naraku is about and still helps him out. Hakushin-Shounin responds with a short silence at first, and then launches into a reminiscence about when he was alive; he says he saved many people without any hesitation. A purification center was built by the people who adored him at the base of Mt. Hakurei where everyone from the disillusioned to full-on criminals could come for their souls to be saved. Seems like these villagers are the ones doing the REAL work, but whatevz.

Miroku begins to ask why he's going against his adoring public now, but is cut off by Hakushin-Shounin explaining what led him to giving up his life - a years-long famine and disease outbreaks left corpses littered pretty much everywhere, represented in the panel by an arid landscape and a dead woman being devoured by crows. Hard times, to be sure, and Hakushin-Shounin also got sick while he was tending the ill in his center. He remembers lots of grieving members of the community gathered around his sickbed, grieving. Such folk asked him what's to become of THEM if he dies, and who will save them in his absence. These people are extraordinarily helpless, aren't they? Their community to ill and starving, and their biggest priority is some sort of weird spiritual crisis...

Hakushin-Shounin tells them not to worry, that he has a solution for them that he thinks will work.

"Bury me alive, that'll save your soul in perpetuity!" - An abundance of sense.

Sango reiterates his point that this is what led Hakushin-Shounin to become a living Buddha, just to show she's listening, I guess. He goes on to say that a bamboo pipe was the only thing connecting him to the world outside his grave. Hakushin-Shounin would continually ring a bell in the hole, so that the cease of that ring would indicate that he'd died to the villagers. He knew that everyone was praying for him to enter Heaven well on the outside, that they were essentially praying for him to die. At some point this really stuck in his craw, and he was plagued by doubt in his decision to suggest this in the first place, having the will to live and an overwhelming fear of the coming oblivion he'd consigned himself to simultaneously. Though he had dedicated his whole body and soul to serving the people, he questioned why he had to die for that. 

While Miroku and Sango glare in silent judgment, Hakushin-Shounin goes on to relay that his body finally expired, and had risen to become a living Buddha, just what he had intended. But his soul had been left behind in the darkness of that pit, unable to be saved. That's one hell of a contradiction of existence, isn't it? But eventually, he heard a man's voice in the dark.  

I'd probably pity them before I hated them, to be honest. Just for all that whining and crying about how they couldn't take care of their own fucking souls.

With an empathetic air, Naraku waxes poetic about how pitiful it is that this man was revered as a saint and couldn't allow himself any fear or doubt, but no one else gave any thought to him or his needs either. Hakushin-Shounin's much anguished soul is shedding a veritable river of tears as he presently reflects on the fact that HE never could have articulated that point. Naraku tells him not to deceive himself, asserts that he wanted to live, then invites him to come with him to LIVE the life he never got to. 

Well, your ass sure isn't any Monseigneur Bienvenu, if you know what I'm saying.

Miroku is literally the first to admit that he's no saint or a man of excessive virtue, so he says he has NO intention to judge Hakushin-Shounin. But he DOES express the intention to take down the barrier that's protecting Naraku, mainly with a lunge forward with his staff extended to pop that motherfucking bubble. Hakushin-Shounin warns him that his barrier will not break, its brilliance increasing as the attack advances on it. Miroku grunts when he's forced backward with an electrical energy crackling around him, winding up on his ass and cursing while Sango rushes to kneel next to him in worry. 

Yet again, we find ourselves back in the caves with Inuyasha, who is bloodied and breathing hard, striking a wide stance to keep his footing with less precious energy. Jakotsu, by contrast, doesn't have a scratch on him, and is chuckling that the way Inuyasha is panting has gotten pretty nice. Around a bend in the rock walls, Renkotsu peeks and is disappointed to see that Inuyasha hasn't even been able to wound Jakotsu a little bit like he'd hoped. 

Renkotsu might have bet on a lame horse. Then again, he himself seems to be a lame horse, so...

Silently complaining that Inuyasha can't land a SINGLE hit, Renkotsu thinks it's inevitable that Inuyasha will be tortured to death by Jakotsu. Jakotsu himself says to Inuyasha that it's about time they embraced, observing that he's fetchingly smeared in his own blood. Inuyasha groans, stumbling off as his many wounds ooze, clutching his way along the cave wall while Jakotsu follows him leisurely like the creep he is. His attacker chuckles that he's not getting away, fully getting us back to the fucked-up horror roots of this comic.

I am more disturbed by this than ANY monster youkai RT could throw at me. Truly.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I like the characterization of Hakushin-Shounin, as a balance of supreme spiritual power and supreme selfishness. It's not clear if the population of Mt. Hakurei was REALLY as helpless as Hakushin-Shounin is making it out to be, but I think it's very likely that we're dealing with an unreliable narrator here. He strikes me as someone who is both framing himself as so central and necessary to the function of the community that he HAD to become this permanent fixture in it, and simultaneously at the whims of the unfeeling, insensitive jerkwads that make it up. His narrative certainly does bring up a question of his patronizing nature: did he end up encouraging everyone around him to rely so heavily upon him that they thought they couldn't get along without him, OR were the people a little too independent for his ego's liking so that he felt it necessary to suggest to them that they needed his help for all eternity?

Either way, I don't buy the entirety of his story, but I do buy his FEELINGS on the matter. There have been many times when I've felt that the people around me were taking more than they gave without regard to my needs, and I've also been in the position of thoughtlessly receiving grace where I could have done to give a little something back. Often we feel like we can't complain when we're taken advantage of, because there's this expectation that our motives should be based on pure altruism or we're doing things for the wrong reason. In fact, it is entirely reasonable to want some reciprocity and not feel like we're putting all of the work and maintenance into relationships with others in our community, but we're often made to FEEL like Hakushin-Shounin, that not being willing to give up our very lives for our neighbors who never seem to return the favor or even pay it forward somewhat taints your deeds. Solidarity with others is important, and helping out people who might not be able or willing to help you is necessary for a functioning society, don't get me wrong. But at the same time, feeling like you are pouring your entire self into making others happy without others seeming to care whether you live or die can be a HEAVY emotional burden. 

Hakushin-Shounin's mistake here, the difference between a little healthy selfishness and full-on destructive selfishness, is allowing Naraku to convince him that a malicious backlash/punishment is the same as true absolution. Once again, Naraku shows how emotionally COMPETENT he is, even more so than our main characters, in speaking to JUST what is ailing Hakushin-Shounin and telling him it's OKAY for him to be feeling what he's feeling. He's right! It IS natural and good for Hakushin-Shounin to feel some bitterness and resentment toward a community that was so blind to his needs as a human being. Where the manipulation comes in is the definition of "living" Naraku is providing; doing whatever Hakushin-Shounin "wants", following whims that seem suspiciously to align with JUST Naraku's goals, perpetually remaining resentful and hateful toward a group of people who are long dead by now and aren't being hurt at all by his actions. That'll show 'em.

And this, more than anything else before in the story, so clearly defines WHY Naraku is bad and wrong. He seems to be so impressively in tune with a range of emotions, both positive and negative, and he also seems to accept them in a surprisingly mature and wise way as just... NORMAL ways to feel. But instead of acknowledging and letting go of these emotions in that Buddhist sort of way that helps one toward enlightenment, he USES them to justify cruelty and sustained anger. He takes notice of them in others and manipulates them in one way or another, twisting this emotional normalcy into a malignant force for his benefit. This chapter just showcased an especially clear example of that, in my opinion.

My only real criticism of this chapter is a familiar one when it comes to Inuyasha - the structure could have done with less switching back and forth. It easily could have been reworked so we didn't keep hopping between scenes. But I do think that the connection between these two scenes is significant in that it's made so painfully clear how dependent one is on the other. While Miroku and Sango are standing and listening to Hakushin-Shounin's tale of woe, Inuyasha is getting ripped to shreds. It really pushes home the point that Inuyasha's survival is riding on Miroku and Sango taking down that barrier, and the longer it takes, the worse things get for poor Inuyasha.

The dramatic irony to that fact isn't helping my anxiety about it either.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 327 I Won't Give Up!!

Not that this is an option or anything. There's just some things you HAVE to do, damn near unbearable tasks that are nonetheless necessary for life to go on. For most of us, these are adulting things like vacuuming and sending out all those emails you've been avoiding for work. I just spent the better part of an HOUR doing the almost impossible puzzle of sticking hours on viable projects with enough funding for my fucking timesheet. How I managed to finish the damn thing, I have no idea, not when I wanted to throw up my hands at every turn and simply quit. I guess I just wanted to get paid more.

Yuugi's goal of helping Yami with all that unfinished business of his is similarly overriding whatever urge to step back from the fight he might have. And similarly scaled for the higher stakes, of course. 

I gotta admit, me not getting one paycheck would be a little bit less devastating than this.

Of course, Yuugi adds the part about black box asshole!Bakura chose eliminating his graveyard, which means he's the only on who has to discard anything, a pretty terrible combo by his estimation. He wonders in desperation if there's any way to get out of this, as Asshole!Bakura reminds him it's his turn. Without acknowledgement of this, Yuugi announces that he draws, looking sheepishly at his new card, Magic Barrier. Thankfully, asshole!Bakura doesn't open his fucking mouth to declare yet ANOTHER effect of his strategy, like he's done the last couple of turns. Still, Yuugi broods on what it is he should do. 

From the sidelines, Anzu despairs over the fact that Yuugi has to discard even more cards if he plays another monster. Jonouchi adds that The Narrow Corridor on asshole!Bakura's side means that he really only needs two monsters to defend his whole side of the field, no matter HOW many monsters Yuugi plays. As I pointed out in the last chapter, Honda also draws attention to the fact that asshole!Bakura only has to wait for Yuugi to run out of cards in his deck. Then he wins by default. 

Yuugi declares he's placing a card face down, then says he's attacking two of asshole!Bakura's shield monsters, using his Silent Swordsman and Magician monsters. While they lunge forward to fulfill the command, Jonouchi shouts at Yuugi not to do it, since asshole!Bakura will just summon more when they're taken out. Asshole!Bakura grins wickedly, asserting that actually, it's about to get even WORSE for Yuugi. 

His monsters having hacked, slashed, and blasted the shit out of asshole!Bakura's shields, Yuugi asks aloud if he got them, like it would really make much of a difference there. With a card held out triumphantly, asshole!Bakura tells him he'll "get it" all right, saying he activated the spell card he's brandishing before Yuugi's attack landed. Yuugi stares in horror.

Oh hey! I do love a callback. Even if it is significantly grosser than the original was. Ugh.

Appalled that there are TEN of these awful mannequins now, gaping in alarm. Jonouchi grinds his teeth with horrified frustration, fretting over how bad this is because there's twelve monsters on asshole!Bakura's side of the field now whether Yuugi defeats two of them or not, and with the three on Yuugi's side, that's a whole 15 monsters in total. Anzu asks if he means that Yuugi has to discard fifteen cards at the end of this turn, like she even NEEDS to, but Jonouchi goes ahead and answers her in the affirmative. Honda exclaims is disbelief that Yuugi's deck will be obliterated by the next turn at this rate. 

Yuugi hangs his head, staring at the floor with an expression of hopelessness. Asshole!Bakura asks if Yuugi is done with his turn, telling him he knows what to do if it is. Asshole!Bakura demands that Yuugi take 15 cards from his deck and put them in the graveyard, his grin that much more vile. Yuugi sweats BULLETS.

Bummer bro. Confidence pretty much decimated, Yuugi peeps after a small pause that this is the end of his turn. Asshole!Bakura chuckles that Yuugi can't break through his weird fence of mannequins, and he doesn't need to to a single thing to win, just sit back and wait. Still, he expresses a desire to drive his metaphorical knife deeper into Yuugi's heart, and maybe twist it a little, for the lulz. So, he summons another doll, this time just the head, but with gross tentacles and a lump of metastasized flesh on it, called "Necroface". It's just in defense, and asshole!Bakura does nothing further before ending his turn. He gloats to Yuugi that this is it, and the precious cinnamon roll has just one more turn to look back on his life before he takes a dirt nap in this shitty game. Asshole!Bakura laughs at Yuugi, whose expression is downcast and unnerved. 

Anzu calls out to Yuugi in disbelief and concern, Jonouchi mumbling a curse and asking how Yuugi's supposed to climb out of this hole. Yuugi himself squeezes his eyes shut, the knowledge of what losing this shadow game will mean weighing on him; he'll disappear and won't be able to help Yami anymore. That second part seems to be worse than the first to him, honestly. As he stands motionless against the horde of dolls tangled on asshole!Bakura's side, face downcast, Jonouchi shouts at him that he's a duelist and that he's not to give up until he draws his last card. Yuugi's eyes spring open at the identification as a duelist, looking back up with renewed determination. He recalls that his other self never gave up until the very end, no matter what happened.

I swear, when I started reading this comic, I never even IMAGINED that Yuugi's little poop face would ever pump me up the way it is right now. This is inspiring!

Yuugi announces his turn with renewed vigor, drawing a card. We get a clear look at it before even he does, some dragon or something, I'm sure it won't be important. Asshole!Bakura is giggling as usual, but when Yuugi throws his phrase of "this is it" back at him, asshole!Bakura's eyes snap open in time to see Yuugi sacrificing two of his monsters, Silent Magician (we hardly knew ye) and Marshmallon.

Is this the long lost sibling of those god cards, or WHAT?

As the 4th god card up there leans down and snarls at asshole!Bakura, his bloodshot eyes bulge at it in turn, in disbelief that it's really there. Jonouchi exclaims in awe that he's never seen that dragon before, while Yuugi tells asshole!Bakura that the ONE thing that could break this "undead locked" strategy happened to be sleeping in his deck, conveniently enough. Hunched and looking oh-so frazzled, asshole!Bakura repeats this phrasing about the one card that can defeat his strategy weakly. Yuugi confirms that this is indeed the end of their little match, declaring Gandora's special magic attack - for half of Yuugi's life points, Gandora will destroy all monsters on the field, and it will head on out to the graveyard after it's done. At least, that's what it says on the card we're shown.

The jewel-like bubbles in Gandora's hide start glowing, surely a sign it's powering up. A sweating asshole!Bakura stutters that this can't happen, citing that it would even destroy Yuugi's monsters (the remaining ones anyway), but Yuugi appears unconcerned by this. Rather smug, actually.

Suicide dragon activated. 

Asshole!Bakura shields his eyes from the brilliant explosion, and the flying pieces of mannequin being flung about, grunting about all his shield monsters being gone. Honda worries from the sidelines that Yuugi's monsters have been destroyed too, but Jonouchi points to a tall figure moving in the cloud after the destruction, completely awed. 

Silent Sword, level 7, slashes up asshole!Bakura, who spits blood between clenched teeth as his life points drop to zero. He just barely manages to get out half the question as to WHY Silent Sword was still out on the field and not destroyed like the other monsters, so Yuugi explains to him that he used a little spell card he placed in wait ages ago, Magic Barrier, to make Silent Sword immune to any magical effect. 

With this, asshole!Bakura dissolves into wisps of smoke with a defeated growl. One soul fragment gone, about a zillion left to get rid of. *sigh*

Ah yes, the kind of smile that says "I murdered an asshole today and have no regrets". Just another glorious achievement that will make Yami proud. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It felt so... short. Not just the chapter, but the little "duel for the name" sub-game it caps off. I expected this duel to last so much longer than it did, but that's really only because the others before this one tended to drag on a bit, and have a bit more padding than needed. I think, in KT's haste toward the end of the story, he managed to pare this match down to a lean size, keeping the meaningful bits and trimming that fat. As a result, though it feels UNEXPECTEDLY short, it still feels as long as it NEEDED to be to get its point across and still be entertaining/tense. I very much enjoyed it.

I only have a couple of minor criticisms about the chapter's prompt termination of the duel. The first is that Gandora seems just a tad too conveniently OP for this particular purpose. Considering that Yuugi had the ENTIRE Duel Monsters collection at his disposal to put into his dream deck here, it's just a little on the unrealistic side that he would happen imagine that one to fill out one of the 40 cards he's allowed here. Too much unrestricted choice could have easily led him to make the wrong decision and leave that one out. One COULD of course make the argument that he was paying attention during asshole!Bakura's Battle City duel and imagined this strategy as a possibility when choosing his cards for this one, since he had the advantage of hindsight where asshole!Bakura did not, and we've discussed in the comments of the previous chapter how asshole!Bakura's strategy in the past tournament meshed really well with the one he used in this match. To me, that breaks my suspension of disbelief just SLIGHTLY, but it would lend even more credit to Yuugi's dueling chops. After all, he really trounced asshole!Bakura early in the duel, proving that he was NO stranger to how his opponent played the game. 

The second criticism is just a missed opportunity: When Yuugi is discarding a stack of cards, we can clearly see the one on top of the pile. This didn't HAVE to be anything special, but I just think it would have been a really cool setup for bringing Gandora back from the graveyard at the end of the game. What can I say? I love my setups and payoffs.

Inuyasha Manga: 268 Hakushin-Shounin

There's something almost eldritch about the prospect of coming face-to-face with whatever is generating a significant power or obstacle in your life. There's so much of our existences that are out of our individual hands, conditions that are set up and maintained by entities with a limited tangible presence, but an ENORMOUS reach. Thinking about how damn near everything in my life like the clothes I wear, the air I breathe, the food I eat, has been manipulated in some way by the flow of money/power between strange unknowable wealth machines instills in me a deep cosmic horror. 

Maybe meeting a mummy with the power to generate a mountainous purifying barrier that is so indifferent to the actual virtues and sins of the people it judges is similar. Smaller in scope, but ultimately in the same vein.

We're so sorry that your lazy ass has to do just a little more work, Renkotsu. 

He supposes that there was an advantage for Inuyasha being a hanyou after all, what with his youki being the only thing that disappeared in the barrier. Inuyasha scoffs that his body actually feels a lot better thanks to his youki being gone, and this irritates Renkotsu, who pisses about how Inuyasha isn't one to "talk small". That's a strange way of putting that Inuyasha has decided to speak on this as more of an advantage than not, but I don't know if this is just a more direct translation that doesn't go over well or if the translator themselves mangled the sentence. Either way, Renkotsu tries to re-frame this transformation in a negative light by pointing out that Inuyasha is nothing more than a human brat now, while firing a shot from his cannon. Inuyasha runs to just avoid the projectile, his maneuver on the less... springy side now. 

As he books it in the midst of the flying debris from where the cannon fire hit, he thinks he doesn't have the time to worry about Renkotsu now, resolving to run until he finds his way into the mountain. Hopefully he doesn't just follow your ass in there while you're blindly navigating the interior of a mountain you aren't familiar with in order to find your friends/Naraku. This is definitely the best way to prioritize your current issues, pal, FOR SURE.

Narrow... sparkle transition panel, I guess. Sango opens her eyes with a groan and is quick to notice that Miroku is lying sprawled on top of her with alarm. 

Why is it always just when you think things can't be worse?

Sango stammers at Miroku, who remains passed out. She pulls herself out from beneath him only to cringe at a stab of pain in her abdomen, remembering that she was hit by Hiraikotsu. The youkai hovering close by rustle at her while she leans over Miroku and tries to shake him awake, and notices the beads unwound from around his hand. Enduring another stab of pain, Sango is looking disturbed about the story she's able to derive from this visual, that Miroku opened his Kazaana and took in the saimyoushou's poison. More urgently now, she shakes him and calls for him to wake up, but he remains unconscious. 

Shaking, Sango wonders what she should do now, on the precipice of death as she is, muttering at Miroku in fear. Tears well up in her eyes and one drops, splashing on Miroku's cheek. For some reason THIS manages to wake his ass up, his eyes opening and a moan escaping him. Sango addresses him with some relief, and he sighs in relief upon seeing her, haltingly saying he's happy she's awake. Sango looks back over at the threateningly close youkai, only to turn back in yet more alarm when Miroku suggests to her that SHE can at least go forward. She snaps that she won't, stuttering that they have to go together, but he raises his cursed fist to state that he's more or less done too much. 

While there's no question as to why they haven't died together ALREADY with the youkai right outside the door, so to speak.

After a moment of silent NOT dying, Miroku starts to wonder what's going on. He comes to the realization that slowly starting to feel better, and sits up with an arm around Sango as an anchor. Sango addresses him questioningly, and Miroku poses a question of his own: why aren't the demons hovering nearby attacking them? Coming down from her drama high, Sango twists to look, trailing in her notice of the same thing now that Miroku's said something. A tentacle extends from the crowd of minor youkai and stops dead when reaching a point in front of it where it crackles and pops. 

Sango articulates that it's been purified (or narrowly avoided such) in tentative disbelief, Miroku observing that they can't seem to enter. He realizes that they've entered a space of sacred ground again, being so strong as to even purify the saimyoushou's poison in him, presumably why he's feeling a bit better. Miroku stands with a little effort, inviting Sango to get going with him, nodding ahead of them and asserting that there's something there. Sango asks for confirmation that he's alright, and Miroku gives her his assurance, joking that they failed to die together. 

The drama drug really punched a hole in her memory, didn't it?

There's a rumble elsewhere on the mountain, where Inuyasha is half dodging, half being thrown from an explosion from Renkotsu's cannon. Renkotsu saunters through the mist toward Inuyasha with a chuckle, wondering aloud how long Inuyasha will be able to run. With Inuyasha backed up against a sheer cliff of rock, Renkotsu adds that they've found themselves at a dead end, but Inuyasha notices a breeze whooshing between two rocks behind him.

Renkotsu yells at him to die, as you do, firing the cannon yet again. There's another explosion of rock and debris from the cliff face, and when it clears, Renkotsu strolls up to the newest crater he's made in the stone, supposing that it's all over now. But the black stain on the cliff shows no remains, and Renkotsu is at first puzzled by the lack of a body. He soon figures it out, though.

Gotta admire the squeeze Inuyasha was able to perform there. That doesn't look easy to get through.

Guess who strolls up now? Jakotsu greets Renkotsu and asks him what he's up to, an inquiry that is answered with his own name drawled back at him. He tells Renkotsu that he heard from Bankotsu that Ginkotsu has been blown up, and Renktosu confirms this, revealing that he heard from the same source that Suikotsu bit it too. After a pause, Renkotsu asks the INCREDIBLY suspicious question about what happened to Suikotsu's Shikon shard. Does he think he's being at all subtle here? I sure hope not. Jakotsu airily responds that he handed the thing over to Bankotsu, the "duh" on the end merely implied. With a hum, Renkotsu considers how Jakotsu isn't a very greedy guy.

Well, in the specific case of Shikon fragments, anyway.

Renkotsu becomes quite nervous, because it's bad for him that the Shikon shards are being accumulated in Bankotsu's hands, and he supposes that Jakotsu's fragment will soon be joining the rest of them. Before he resolves not to let that happen, of course. With a sly grin, he tells Jakotsu that ACTUALLY, some very interesting things are going down. 

Cut to Inuyasha trotting aimlessly through a whole-ass cave system, light from the moon streaming in through cracks similar to the ones he squeezed through to get there. Inuyasha is impressed with how deep this hole has gone into the mountain, wondering if it leads all the way to the center of the mountain. Suddenly, he hears a swish in the air behind him and leaps out of the way just before something slams into the ground where he stood. He looks to where the blow came from as a voice says it's JUST like Renkotsu said. 

THIS is where the greed manifests. Right here.

Jakotsu giggles that he's super happy, while Inuyasha grasps the still sheathed Tessaiga in front of him for its protection. He remains warily silent, Jakotsu continuing on to say that he's been waiting an AWFUL long time to have a shot at getting him. It's entirely obscured which of the many ways he could mean that phrase, but at least it's clear from Inuyasha's grimace that he is here for NONE of them.

Another narrow sparkle transition panel leads us to Miroku and Sango running through more barrier mist, until they find themselves among the grand pillars and railing where Kohaku, Kanna, and Bakotsu were hanging out a few chapters ago. Sango is in awe that they had ended up in a place like this, Miroku commenting that it looks a lot like one of those mountain temples. Miroku silently adds that this is an intense purity, seeming to indicate that they've reached the very heart of the sacred grounds. 

They quickly reach the dais on which the mummified monk is sitting, his hands crossed in front of his chest with beads hanging off of them. Sango identifies the Sokushinbutsu with alarm, Miroku addressing him directly as Hakushin-shounin. 

If you want to abuse the word, maybe?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? One of the things I keep being reminded of as this story goes on is that one of its key appeal factors is how accessible its characters are. They feel like genuine people, react to things in genuine ways, and in this particular case, fail to be logical in a very believable manner. Inuyasha convinces himself that his top priority is still just to find his way into the mountain, ignoring the fact that whether he keeps trying to discover a cave or stops to face Renkotsu, he has no good options in this situation. In his human form, his only weapon a sword that will stay a blunt rusted slab, he's not got great odds in a fight right now. Still, running to seek the way into Mt. Hakurei with Renkotsu on his heels doesn't afford him any better chances either, as is emphasized at the end of the chapter. It wasn't Renkotsu himself that followed him in there, but he's forced to confront the fact that ending up wandering in a strange cave system has probably TRAPPED him more than anything. But ultimately, it was understandable why this might have seemed the better option when he made his decision, especially when he ended up being pushed further into it by his very environment. 

It's also somewhat understandable that Sango doesn't IMMEDIATELY clock the fact that the youkai are hanging out, but not advancing at first. She wakes up in pain, Miroku is unconscious from saimyoushou poisoning, and she sees a mass of youkai nearby - right off the bat the situation is hopeless and fraught enough that it's no wonder her mind immediately jumps to the conclusion that this is the end. Miroku doesn't figure it out right away either, just as discombobulated as Sango and with just as much reason to look at the youkai sitting just within view and assume they're about to attack. His first clue as to the truth of the matter was that he was starting to feel BETTER from the deadly poison, an internal barometer that Sango didn't have. It was a clever, straightforward way of helping two characters who were too injured and afraid to take careful notice of their real situation.

My only real question here is what the STRUCTURE of this barrier is at this point. Is Crazy-Eyes up there producing a smaller, more concentrated barrier around him and his isolated temple, and then a thinner bubble of a barrier surrounding the whole mountain, with Naraku and his youkai hanging out in between? I'm not quite clear on how this works, but it doesn't surprise me. Just as it's one of RT's great strengths to make her characters accessible and understandable in very important ways, it's one of her weaknesses not to give the mechanics of these things much thought.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 326 Gather, Ghosts!

Little bit late, isn't it? Halloween season has already come and gone, the jack-o-lanterns have done their jobs and chased the roaming malevolent spirits away, and they've returned to their tombs as per tradition. Now we're calling them back out to gather? Can't we just let the dead rest instead of insisting they entertain us for all eternity? Is this just a thinly veiled metaphor for my own tendency to drag out and painstakingly reread all my old favorite stories that have long since become irrelevant to the world's literary focus? 

... Maybe?

At least these story-ghosts won't scream in my face in frustration over their limbo state, though.

We see again asshole!Bakura shielding his eyes against the explosion that reduces his life points to 2900, before Yuugi announces that it's not over yet. Asshole!Bakura grits his teeth as Yuugi informs his Marshmallon that his opponent is wide open at the moment. It opens that creepy upside down smile to reveal two rows of sharp teeth, flying at asshole!Bakura to chomp down on the guy's raised arm and take his points down to 2600. Asshole!Bakura looks... less than happy over this. 

While some wisps of smoke clear (not digital in this particular case, since their Duel Disks are purely imaginary here), asshole!Bakura scowls about Yuugi putting up an awfully big fight for being a mere vessel. I have a feeling it's just NEVER going to hit him that his view of "vessels" is reductive, even when he loses this thing. Yuugi just glares at him back wordlessly, because there's clearly no point in trying to talk to the guy.

Jonouchi and Honda pump their fists in the air and cheer about Yuugi tearing that jerk apart, but Anzu is strangely silent. She's looking at Yuugi and thinking about how Yami was always the one who fought the duels before this moment, but now Yuugi is the one who has to fight to save Yami. Observing the determined glare on Yuugi's face, she assumes he must be thinking about how he has to be strong, has to help Yami back to the place he belongs, etc. It's not a bad assumption, just a little simplistic.

But not nearly as simplistic as the other boys - Jonouchi gushes over how Yuugi hasn't lost a single point yet, and is kicking butt... until Honda points out the evil grin that's spread across asshole!Bakura's face. Honda asks with suspicion what this guy is up to, a question he no doubt won't have to wait long for an answer to. Asshole!Bakura giggles that the vessel knows how to play cards too, as he now sees. Yuugi frowns, looking a little put-off by the epithet he's been given, as asshole!Bakura says that any duelist will get a high when facing a truly worthy opponent. But, too bad for Yuugi, asshole!Bakura characterizes himself as just a killer, prepared to get HIS high when he's watching Yuugi bleed to death. He then promises to show Yuugi a battle worse than anything he can imagine, but fails to specify in what way. I can't EASILY see asshole!Bakura giving Yuugi such a bad challenge that Yuugi ends this thing with all his point intact and bored as fuck, but the way he's been playing so far...

What the fuck is this weird Conjuring shit?? We even get a good close-up on the chubby doll faces that definitely live up to their "accursed" name. 

Jonouchi, of course, recoils, pointing and asking what the deal is with the creepy dolls with their red and black gift boxes. Asshole!Bakura asked Yuugi which of the boxes it'll be for him, since they both have to choose and he's going first, warning him with his despicable grin that one of the boxes is cursed. Yuugi thinks in alarm on this "cursed" business, asshole!Bakura thinking that the red box gives life to the player who chooses it while the black one casts a curse over the field of play. Thanks for reiterating what it says on the card, dude, appreciate your panel filler. Yuugi takes a moment to wonder which box he's going to choose, red or black, then comes to a decision on the red box, which he points out. 

Asshole!Bakura must have been gunning for that curse to begin with, because his grin doesn't waver as he acknowledges the choice, and that the black box is his. Jonouchi grinds his teeth while he worries about what's going to happen with the red box Yuugi picked. Asshole!Bakura urges them all to just wait and see, with Yuugi regarding him in pure suspicion. The ribbon unwinds and the red box opens up of its own accord, blasting plumes of smoke into the air. Asshole!Bakura points at Yuugi with a gameshow host smile, saying he chose wisely, because every card placed in either of their graveyards henceforth gives him 200 life points, a permanent effect. 

Jonouchi hoots in celebration that Yuugi hit the jackpot with that one, Honda joining him in his elation, but Yuugi is still looking VERY wary as he asks asshole!Bakura just exactly what the BLACK box does. Asshole!Bakura chuckles, thanking Yuugi for the curse, to which Yuugi responds with alarm. Unable to help himself, asshole!Bakura proceeds to let them all know that the black box destroys the player's graveyard. 

Yuugi's jaw is slack with shock at this pronouncement, Anzu wondering what that even MEANS. The black box at last opens to answer, plumes of smoke rising into the air before Yuugi's alarmed gaze.

But asshole!Bakura assures Yuugi that he doesn't have to be afraid, because these ghosts can't attack or defend at all, so they're not dangerous. It's no wonder Yuugi has a bad feeling about this, though, because there's not a chance in HELL that asshole!Bakura doesn't have a card handy that will change that "not dangerous" status around. 

Asshole!Bakura places another card face down, and then plays a monster in defense called "Necrosoldier", which just looks like another toy tin soldier type with a popgun propped on its shoulder and a sword in the other hand. The only thing to distinguish it as mildly creepy is its beady black-ringed eyes, which honestly doesn't hold a candle to Marshmallon's upside down razor smile. How is ONE of Yuugi's monster's outperforming the entire spooky lineup of asshole!Bakura's themed deck on the horror front? He must feel so embarrassed right now...

Except that when he ends his turn, he's still pretty cocky as he thinks that he's going to rip the word "victory" from Yuugi's mental dictionary. He's just really good at hiding his embarrassment, I presume. Yuugi wonders what he's up to before he starts his own turn, but he doesn't get to utter another word before asshole!Bakura interrupts him to inform him that his declaration means he can activate Necrosoldier's special ability. Ugh, I'm beginning to see why asshole!Bakura and Zorc Necrophades are so chummy. Neither one of them can seem to shut their TRAPS for two seconds. 

Anyway, asshole!Bakura explains that his Necrosoldier loves him some company. You know, like misery. Since there's only one of them out there during asshole!Bakura's standby phase, another one can appear - which it does. There are two of them now, much like the twin dolls, because asshole!Bakura's garbage always seems to come in twos. Yuugi notes that the attack and defense of these soldiers are both zero, but he's damn sure they're going to be trouble. On the other hand, he's able to announce that his Silent Swordsman advances to level 5 on this turn, raising its attack points to 3500. He knows that with those two shield monsters on asshole!Bakura's side, he can win this thing if he can manage to summon one more monster here. 

Shit. He jinxed it.

He summons up Silent Magician, which is another of those neato leveling monsters that asshole!Bakura hates so much, a short little dude with a white robe outfit and a staff similar to the Dark Magician. Jonouchi and Honda express their excitement over Yuugi's upcoming monster combo attack that is TOTALLY gonna get asshole!Bakura. Totally. Asshole!Bakura responds to all of this with a flat expression, which should have been a tip-off, honestly. Instead of reading the signs that he was so good at doing before, Yuugi instructs his Marshmallon and Silent Magician to attack the Necrosoldiers, and Silent Swordsman to take down asshole!Bakura directly. The monsters advance rapidly, and disturbingly, in the case of Marshmallon.

Don't we all wish, Yuugi. Don't we all wish.

Asshole!Bakura activates a trap card, stopping the sword falling on his head midair at the last moment, something that doesn't escape the gaping Yuugi. Grinning, asshole!Bakura adds that this is a permanent trap called The Narrow Corridor, negating a third attack from the opponent, should one occur, of course. While asshole!Bakura mocks how this is too bad for his enemy, Yuugi scoffs over how his third monster couldn't attack, and he won't be able to attack with more than two in the future, because this is a permanent trap. 

Jonouchi curses over how close this was to being a victory for Yuugi, but Honda points out that asshole!Bakura has lost his shield monsters, predicting that Yuugi will definitely win on the next turn. Dammit Honda, stop jinxing this shit for us!! Yuugi ends his turn on a less than celebratory note. Asshole!Bakura's face is practically splitting for how wide his grin is, thinking that once he plays this next and final card in what he calls "the ceremony of death", there's no stopping it. Congratulations on finding the ONE situation in which that phrase would not be a gross and absurd over-exaggeration, well done you dork. 

Yuugi sweats a little as he waits for asshole!Bakura to begin his turn, and he's not making it easy on him. Asshole!Bakura drags the start to his turn a little as he slowly pulls out a permanent spell card from his hand and pronounces that he's playing it directly.

I thought at first that this wasn't great, but then Yuugi thinks about how this must include all the monsters floating around in homeless wandering about because asshole!Bakura got rid of his graveyard, and now it's dawning on me that this is DEVASTATING. Yuugi is sweating pretty hard when he realizes that this is a terrible combo for him. 

Anzu looks to Jonouchi to explain why this is so bad, because she observes that asshole!Bakura has to be taking a big risk as well, since they both have to discard their decks. After a moment of speechlessness, Jonouchi tells her to trust him that this is particularly bad for Yuugi, because asshole!Bakura doesn't have a graveyard to discard his cards TO. She's suddenly hit with the reality that this means Yuugi is the ONLY one who will have to discard cards, and Jonouchi draws out an agreement with her new horror. He counts the "ghosts" on asshole!Bakura's side of the field for a total of six monsters out there, and six cards Yuugi will have to discard each turn, and it will be even MORE soon. Yuugi stares down at his Duel Disk in alarm, with the knowledge that asshole!Bakura is trying to destroy his deck. 

Asshole!Bakura starts to pull a card from his hand, proclaiming he's going to move on with the game while all this shit sinks in. He summons another doll, a "Necromannequin" with its articulated limbs all misassembled limbs and two heads (one of which is sprouting another arm) sticking out at odd, vaguely horrifying angles. Asshole!Bakura informs Yuugi that it's his turn now, adding that another Necrosoldier shows up with the beginning of Yuugi's portion of the round. Yuugi recoils a little, since the new count is EIGHT monsters, EIGHT cards he'll have to discard every turn, and it'll get even worse if he summons more. 

I know what I'D do, but it would probably involve me losing and dying, so... don't take advice from me. Ever.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? At first I was thinking the success of asshole!Bakura's strategy entirely depended on Yuugi picking the red box, which would be a bit of a gamble on his part. But I figured out a bit later than I should have that it doesn't ACTUALLY matter who's graveyard is destroyed, because it would fuck over Yuugi no matter what. If Yuugi had chosen the black box, and his graveyard was destroyed, he's not losing monsters at the rate that asshole!Bakura is. That means that asshole!Bakura would have fewer cards to discard by the end stage of his strategy, AND would be getting paid in life points when he discarded them, which would mean he would be racking up points while Yuugi couldn't touch him with his strongest monster due to The Narrow Corridor card. The only question here is what the cap on Silent Swordsman's leveling up is, but whatever it is, there's still plenty of opportunity for asshole!Bakura to get rid of it in various ways. It's a little more challenging for him, but only a little. 

As it stands, all asshole!Bakura needs to do in this case is run out Yuugi's deck. By then it doesn't matter how many life points Yuugi has accumulated through the red box's gift, he automatically loses, as has precedent in Battle City. 

This is... far more impressive a setup than I had assumed at first. Not just because BOTH choices of Yuugi's were clearly thought-out to some degree do solidify the legitimacy of this as a viable strategy. There's also the GREAT work of establishing Yuugi as a contender here, really showing off how good and competent he is, and making it look for all the world that he had this thing in the bag... and then pulling the rug out from under him. And US, as an audience! I'm in awe of how intense the struggle has become over the course of just this one chapter. I expected the tension to rise to a degree, but by showing how great Yuugi is at this game, showing how much asshole!Bakura seemed to underestimate him, and then showing that asshole!Bakura CAN adapt and is prepared to face a greater opponent than he had at first anticipated with an actually pretty firm strategy that could ultimately benefit him either way is damn near GENIUS. 

I'm genuinely floored. This could be one of the greatest chapters in this story. I certainly LOVE it like it is.