Inuyasha Manga: 253 Retreat

It's not just for zombie mercenaries. A holiday weekend is apparently an excuse to withdraw from another demonstration of an urgent problem that leadership has been refusing to address for DECADES now. I don't know how I'm supposed to reconcile these people claiming that they're caring and benevolent with them taking the first exit from actually fighting for the safety of one of our most basic institutions, but clearly I'm supposed to take their impotence in stride. Since I'm all at once sick at heart for current events, angry, and numb, I probably don't have the room to criticize the contradictory statements/actions/inactions of these metastasized dinosaurs.

Won't stop me from seething that they're taking up the valuable space that someone less corrupt could use to make lives better or less perilous.

Has Bankotsu waltzed into this fight just as blind as Elon Musk into his supremely stupid Twitter deal? WHY??? Bankotsu has the advantage of friends and a boss with a vested interest in him succeeding. Why aren't they telling him BASIC SHIT??

Ginkotsu fires his weighted wires to wrap around Inuyasha and bind him, but as Inuyasha says when he recovers from the initial surprise and calls Ginkotsu a fool, he's a bit too late. As Inuyasha's signature blast nears a gaping Bankotsu, he identifies it as the Kaze no Kizu in alarm. Oh good, at least he got the NAME of the attack from Naraku. Doesn't seem to have done him much good. He holds his gargantuan monster sword across him defensively like a shield as the blast connects with him. 

And everything behind him too, of course.

The other ongoing scuffles pause, Kouga looking over his shoulder from a distracted Renkotsu waving multiple flaming threads at him, Suikotsu glances over in confusion with Miroku joining him despite still keeping his staff raised in defense, and Jakotsu calls out to Bankotsu, forgetting all about his whip-like sword still flailing through the air over a staring Sango. Inuyasha stands at the origin point of several long gashes his technique carved in the ground, and the leveled building at their end, Kagome and Shippou wondering aloud if Bankotsu got GOT. Bakotsu's sword stands with its point stuck in the ground, a big crack in its wide face, like a cut in flesh. Bankotsu himself is nowhere in sight.

But just when Inuyasha started gloating, telling the assumed annihilated Bankotsu to suck it...

Well, the damn thing IS bigger than a barn. Even someone with aim as shitty as Inuyasha's couldn't fail to hit it. 

Inuyasha is flabbergasted as he stares at Bankotsu, who turns to Ginkotsu to praise him for rescuing his big brother. Ginkotsu gurgles at the acknowledgement, even though it's pretty clear it's bullshit, Ginkotsu's actions being well after Inuyasha let off the Kaze no Kizu. All the same, Bankotsu is now surrounded by the Saimyoushou, and he loses his patience with them, yelling that he GETS it already. He tells Inuyasha that this is it for today, and Inuyasha is all the more astonished, shouting that Bankotsu has GOT to be kidding right now. To be fair, it DOES kind of sound like a weird joke.

Renkotsu takes a swig from his gourd and spits fire at Kouga, yelling at him to move. Kouga jumps up and out of the way, still hanging up at the top of his leap when Renkotsu drives the Ginkotsu tank underneath him, to his confusion. Renkotsu doesn't give a shit, he's focused entirely on "that girl", Kagome, who is realizing that Renkotsu and his death machine are headed straight for her in alarm. He shoots Ginkotsu's guns at her, intending to get her before she blabs too much. Inuyasha and Kouga both shout her name impotently while Ginkotsu's shots explode the earth. The debris rains around Miroku, also yelling her name in concern.

That blouse is the real MVP lately, huh? I don't know how it's not only so durable as to withstand a sabertoothed monster using it as a makeshift scruff, but also not causing Kagome to be strangled in the process. 

Her bow has suddenly reappeared too, so you know shit is about to go down. As Renkotsu curses her escape from the gunfire, Kagome is back on the ground and has an arrow nocked and the bow drawn, pointed at him, shouting his name as a threat. 

Not exactly following through, though. Sadly.

Might have something to do with the rumble that she notices beneath her feet, to be fair. In the space of a panel, the ground actually starts to crumble under her, and she struggles to keep her balance as the earth threatens to swallow her up. Inuyasha yells her name again, and he must have wasted no time leaping to her side, because he's got a good grip on her shoulders on the next page. They're both gaping at the Ginkotsu tank in the midst of the earthquake, with the rest of the Shichinintai perched at various points on it, and also enduring the shaking ground. Bankotsu calls this "grandiose" with annoyance; an exaggerated repeat of Naraku's desire for them to get out of there right the fuck now.

Back at the mountain...

The babies are not having a good time. They're having a bad time. 

Kohaku twists, telling Rin she needs to get out of there now, before the youkai in the shadows find her and tear her apart. She asks about HIM, but he assures her that they won't attack him, more firmly ordering her to go. Rin stutters an affirmative, glancing back at Kohaku in worry as she runs back out of the mouth of the cave. 

Where Rin left him, Jaken is literally grovelling to Sesshoumaru, begging for forgiveness and offering the excuse that Rin ran off on him before he could stop her. Sesshoumaru glares at the misty mountainside jutting up a short distance away, silently contemplating Rin being in the barrier, like it's still in question or something. Sesshoumaru takes a small step forward and Jaken starts freaking out, waving his arms and insisting that Sesshoumaru mustn't go, reiterating what they BOTH should already know - even HE'LL be purified if he steps onto sacred ground. Sesshoumaru tells him to shut it, and to look behind him. 

Rin fades into view out of the fog, and Jaken calls to her in surprise. The moment she sees them, she breaks into a run again, happily identifying Sesshoumaru. As she draws level with them, Sesshoumaru asks for confirmation that Kohaku is inside the barrier, and she tenses, making an alarmed noise before falling into awkward silence. Jaken warns her not to lie, since Sesshoumaru's nose can't be fooled, and she hangs her head over her hammering heart, wondering again if Sesshoumaru wants to kill her friend after all. I do NOT envy this kid when she reaches dating age, because she'll be worrying about this question more often than not. Gracious, it's worse than dad waiting on the porch with a shotgun.

As Sesshoumaru watches the mist drift along the face of the mountain, he ponders youkai existing inside the sacred grounds. He thinks he's figured out Naraku's trick. Probably thinks that's impressive too. *eyeroll*

Back at the murder-castle, Inuyasha and company are still trying to keep their footing on the roiling earth, while the Shichinin-tai drives away on Ginkotsu, Bankotsu wishing them farewell. Inuyasha lunges for them with Tessaiga raised, insisting that these bastards aren't getting away, but a wall of rock juts out of the ground in front of him and blocks his path forward, to his alarm.

Not long enough of a while, if you ask me. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Kagome pulling that bow out of nowhere to fire off a single shot was still a little frustrating to me, but mostly just because it seems that it was remembered at the last second that Kagome could have had SOME agency in the situation. The retaliation against Renkotsu appears not to be planned, because there was no effort to depict Kagome with the bow consistently beforehand. The previous chapter made her a bit of a fifth-wheel, so I don't know if it occurred to RT until the very end of this one that Kagome could play any role at all. I would argue that she might still not have played a role with her minimal action anyway, considering the battle was already over and the Shichinin-tai were already on their way out by the time she defended herself, but taking another look, I do believe that single shot served a purpose. 

The Shichinin-tai as a whole were loathe to leave even at their employer's behest, but Renkotsu in particular is panicking that Kagome has the ability to BURY him just by talking to loud. It makes sense for him to take a gamble on one last cannon fire at her in order to get rid of her, because in HIS experience, she's not been able to fight much, even when she's fully conscious. But NARAKU knows what Kagome is capable of - he was blown apart once by her and is lucky to be alive. He's aware that all it takes in one arrow for her to fell yet another of his hired thugs, and having lost two already, that's not a chance he's willing to take. It's not exactly clear on that page, but I think if Naraku hadn't started shaking things up to give the Shichinin-tai a head start out of there at the very moment Kagome started to shoot, she probably would have landed the hit and Renkotsu would have eaten it. 

As usual, Naraku's meddling is keeping alive the most annoying parts of this story.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 311 The Vessel of the White Dragon

The chapter title isn't exactly a GREAT sign for the content to come, with the dehumanization baked right in there. I'm just hoping that it's limited to the characters and not the narrative enveloping the whole situation. It's one thing to have characters (WRONG characters) talking about a woman as though she is nothing more than a jar they have to open to extract the valuable substance within, and another altogether to never afford said woman the opportunity to assert herself as MORE than a jar through expression of will and human emotion/goals/thoughts/etc. It may be too early to tell yet, but I'm holding out some hope that Kisara will still be given some time to establish WHO she is so we can care about her more than the dragon.

But there's a cynical voice in my head warning me not to get my hopes up.

Why are you guys surprised? Isn't the mere rumor of this creature PRECISELY why you guys had her brought down here in the first place??

S&S expresses disbelief that Kisara summoned her ka now as he looks down at it from his harness of sticky webbing. He calls his centipede-monster Gudoul, commanding it to cut the chain his enemies hang from and send them to their deaths. While it crawls down closer to where they're dangling, because just cutting the damn chain wouldn't allow them to ruminate on the situation, Priest Seto scoffs and calls down at Kisara. She does not respond, still unconscious. Priest Seto sweats, worrying that if she doesn't wake up and make the dragon DO something, they're doomed. Gebelk and Akhenaden lean forward, the latter literally on the edge of his seat for this suspenseful (heh) situation, the former exclaiming that he can't believe SOMETHING about Kisara. He kind of trails off.

Priest Seto yells at Kisara to wake up, and still doesn't receive any response from her, as she's out cold. Gebelk shouts down from the edge of his observation deck NOT to try to wake her up anymore, though, to which Priest Seto fires back some confusion. Gebelk launches into a long explanation about how normally a person's ka (spirit guardian) is controlled by their ba (self), but he asserts that in THIS case, the dragon is Kisara's ba freed from her body. So, she's having a very visible out-of-body experience? Gebelk warns Priest Seto that the white dragon might disappear when she wakes up, because it only roams when she sleeps. 

Priest Seto interprets this to mean the white dragon being the true form of Kisara's soul. All while the slowest centipede creature ever keeps holding off on cutting that chain. S&S impatiently yells for the priest to die, but doesn't seem too frustrated with his monster's procrastination of orders yet. Priest Seto makes a nervous noise, Akhenaden calls his name in panic, both probably more concerned that Priest Seto will release the chain before the damn centipede gets around to cutting it.

Gebelk points out to Akhenaden that the dragon is shielding Priest Seto and Kisara with its tail coiled around them, and a bright ball of light is building in its slightly open jaws. Priest Seto stares in alarm at the light, questioning if it's an attack, while S&S does the same from above, recoiling from the brilliance. 

Just so there's no doubt, we're shown S&S dissolving in the blast along with his Gudoul, and even after, the white dragon just keeps vomiting fire toward the ceiling. Akhenaden and Priest Seto gape in awe and clench their teeth respectively, Gebelk the only of the three to speak words of admiration for it. The whole-ass death ray punches straight up through to the ground overhead, alarming the many guards of the palace nearby (who weren't KILLED outright, no doubt) who stutter about the pillar of light from the ground. It keeps going up, up, straight into the night sky, and it can be seen for MILES. Pretty impressive. 

Hey, she's still out, but where'd the dragon go?

Priest Seto stares down at Kisara's lolling head, looking kind of stern, like he wants to lecture her about being so sleepy or whatever. Akhenaden stares at Priest Seto in turn, also coming across as something of a glare. A good half of folks looking pretty ticked off by the recent course of events, I'd say, but the only other person who's actually awake is more on the excited end of things. As Priest Seto steps off the ramp from the arena, Gebelk gushes about how great a sight it is to his old eyes that this woman has such a powerful god dwelling within her. 

Not responding, Priest Seto hands Kisara off to a couple guards, saying she's tired and ordering them to take her to her room. All tuckered out from astral projecting her dragon soul and blasting a hole through the ceiling. The guards give their affirmative, carrying her out of there while Gebelk continues to expound upon how amazing she is for releasing her very soul from her body to summon the dragon. He tries out her name for the first time, presumably because she has such great power he's moved to like, give her basic RESPECT. No one is deserving of having their name remembered unless they have an uncontrollable nuke at their disposal, I guess.

Priest Seto agrees, reiterating that Kisara doesn't know ANY of this about herself. Gebelk elaborates on his earlier assessment, saying that a person falls into a coma when the ba departs the body, and she probably doesn't remember anything from when the white dragon appears. Akhenaden addresses Priest Seto, speculating that this dragon's power might be even greater than Diabound's. Priest Seto agrees with this as well, saying that they can counter Diabound's power if they can harness the dragon. But when Akhenaden adds that the white dragon might ALSO be more powerful than the pharaoh's three gods, Priest Seto looks a little shocked by this prospect. 

Akhenaden asks Gebelk how they capture the dragon, and Gebelk reiterates that this whole incident can only mean one thing - that Kisara's ba and ka are one in the same. Akhenaden asks if this is just another way of saying that the dragon is possessing the woman's body and using her as a vessel, which doesn't SOUND like the same thing to me, but Gebelk confirms this is what he meant. Turning to Priest Seto, Akhenaden tells him that HE has to become the vessel of the dragon now, to which Priest Seto's mild surprise becomes alarm. Gebelk says that this assertion of Akhenaden might just work, and they just need to free her soul from her body.

Just because he actually said her name once doesn't mean he won't advocate for her death so you can have her soul dragon-thing. 

Akhenaden tells Priest Seto that the god will become his if he sacrifices the girl, Priest Seto looking seriously disturbed by this proposal, but doesn't argue against it. He seems to have frozen up on the cusp of questioning/defying Akhenaden again, as Akhenaden thinks at him that the throne will accept him as the new pharaoh once he gets that dragon, his Millennium Eye practically straining in its socket. 

Priest Seto turns away, looking in the direction Kisara was taken quietly for a panel or two. Then he says he thinks they're getting ahead of themselves - they need to discovered what happened to the current pharaoh first. He starts to leave, calling on Akhenaden to join him, and he kind of glares at Priest Seto's back as his son walks off. He contemplates that Priest Seto doesn't know they're father and son, and that he's already sold his soul to the shadows. Akhenaden thinks that there's only one thing he can do as a father for Priest Seto now...

"So what's a little more"? Is that what we're saying here?

By the way, speaking of finding out what happened to the current pharaoh:

Wherever it is, waking up to some dude in a cape and with unsettlingly familiar tattoos CANNOT be a good sign.

Yami's hurry to sit up twinges his right arm, which he grasps in his pain. It's at this moment when he remembers that thief!Bakura took his Millennium Puzzle, then the stranger in the mask with Millennium Item-themed tats tells him he shouldn't be moving since he was badly injured. Little late with the warning, huh buddy? He says Yami should rest and regain his strength, then gets up and starts to walk the fuck off, as though recovering is just a matter of laying there and getting some shut-eye. What about fluids? Food? Dressings for wounds so infection doesn't set in??

As the stranger starts to make his exit, Yami asks him who he is, but receives no reply. Yami struggles to stand, asking the exiting stranger to wait up a moment, and again is ignored. At least for another panel, until he decides to identify himself as the one who watches all memories. Creepy, and also a little sad, if he's stuck watching everyone else's memories instead of making his own. Anyway, The WATCHER says a great battle is about to begin, and while Yami contemplates in question this identity The Watcher has chosen, he starts walking again. Out the mouth of the cave, Yami groaning in his efforts to follow. 

It's not long before The Watcher disappears, Yami dragging himself out of the mouth of the cave he was heading for. When Yami finally makes it out, he gapes in alarm. 

Better lay down and heal up beforehand! You know, since it's apparently so fucking easy and all.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Well, I was unfortunately not wrong that the thorax of the chapter had a panel of dudes discussing murdering a woman in order to extract her soul for one of those guys' benefits. Yes, the guy this would benefit is arguing against it, but that doesn't mean much when the audience is cursed with knowing that the Blue Eyes White Dragon is commonly played by Kaiba in the future. Nor does it make up for the fact that Kisara is rendered effectively, literally voiceless in her plight by the nature of her condition, conveniently enough for the male characters discussing her fate. And the man writing her, incidentally, because the less he has to show her being an autonomous human being, the more acceptable to the audience an eventual "sacrifice" she will be. I want to point out that KT very capably introduced Mana in her first appearance a few chapters ago with a ton of personality, but Kisara has appeared several times now and has spent her scant time awake showing no distinctive traits whatsoever. I had to be generous in an assessment of her lone show of will (to die) in the prior chapter, and that was more than likely a pure projection on my part. She is literally DESIGNED to be a vessel, so any protest by Priest Seto against killing her to get at the dragon rings hollow, because her very creator doesn't view her as anything but a means to an end either.

I just have to emphasize how I'm finding it uniquely disturbing to be covering this storyline on my blog when anti-choice legislation is gaining momentum in my country. It's almost painful, and I just don't know how I'm going to handle it long-term. We'll see - I'll let you guys know if I have to take a break for a minute. 

But that aside, I'm intrigued that Priest Seto's arguments against Akhenaden's push to have Kisara sacrificed were kind of truncated again. He cited the intense passion in Akhenaden's eyes before freezing him up, but I can't help but question if there is something more sub-surface-level than that. Perhaps, despite Priest Seto not KNOWING Akhenaden is his father, is feeling a little filial obedience subconsciously. Or, maybe it's a function of the wish Akhenaden made on the Millennium Eye, making Priest Seto's refusals to follow the path to that wish coming true ultimately flaccid. Maybe both?

And I also had to laugh a little at the strange Watcher telling Yami to rest up for his big battle, then just up and fucking off. It probably wasn't supposed to be funny, but man, there's something amusing about this big buff masked guy totally failing to actually do anything useful and then disappearing. Just the chortle I needed after being infuriated for a good portion of the chapter, honestly.

Off-topic digression - happy birthday to my mother today! <3 <3 <3

Inuyasha Manga: 252 Border of the Sacred Ground

Must be nice to even HAVE sacred ground at this point. Where I'm standing, there are literally no boundaries that people won't cross these days. Sometimes you even have to avoid actively SETTING your boundaries, or stating outright what they are, because you'll get a swarm of contrarians knocking at your door trying to lecture you as to why you're wrong about putting your boundary where it is. And what's worse? It's a lecture you've heard about a million times and it's not even all that compelling. But you have to listen to it, because these invaders won't get the hell up out of your SPACE!

Ahem. Sorry, I've been having to respond to an awful lot of failed debate-bros these days. It's gotten to me.

And the debate-bros aren't the only ones getting repetitive. How many times have we seen THIS before?

Inuyasha and Bankotsu cross swords and neither one budges with the pressure from the other. Miroku exclaims that they're locked together in combat, Sango in disbelief that they seem to be equal in strength. Kouga stands to the side with a bored expression - he clearly cannot give two shits about this. Renkotsu speeds at the peanut gallery from the flank of his Ginkotsu tank, asking why they're standing there making observations so carefree. Renkotsu and I agree that no one should be standing around doing nothing during a fight? Just for that, I'm going to look up his name's meaning real quick. 

The "Ren" character means to "metalwork, shape something over a fire". Not exactly a pun, but not super lame either, and fitting in that he seems to have metalworked his own "silver" teammate. I'll take it. 

Ginkotsu gurgles and fires his back guns, forcing Miroku and Sango to lunge out of the way. Inuyasha looks over his shoulder, calling out to Kagome in panic at the explosion in her direction. Bankotsu slams him with his giant sword, putting him on the defensive while advising him to just worry about himself. Inuyasha holds Tessaiga up to shield against to blow, grunting with the effort. 

Well, except for the fact that you're treating her like her legs are broken. That probz stings a little.

While reassuring himself silently that Kagome is okay, Inuyasha threatens Kouga that he might compliment him for saving Kagome. Cruel and unusual, for sure. Once Kagome is safely on her feet again, Kouga yells back not to talk down to him like that. He then turns back to Kagome and urges her to go hide somewhere, citing the Shikon shards in his legs as what the Shichinin-tai are really after. She stutters out a protest, focusing in on Renkotsu, who she remembers taking the small vial of Shikon fragments she had before her near-death experience. She blurts that he still has them, which was a BAD idea.

Renkotsu realizes that Kagome can see the shards he stole from her gleaming from beneath his breastplate. He curses, knowing that Bankotsu wouldn't let him off lightly when he finds out that he's been keeping them to himself. Unless he kills the witness, of course. Renkotsu is poised to fire that cannon right at Kagome again when Kouga speeds toward him, announcing his intention not to let "Baldy" fire. 

Miroku observes that Renkotsu is off the cannon now, rushing toward him, Kagome insisting that they have to get those fragments back. But Miroku doesn't get very far before Suikotsu takes a swipe at him with his not!Wolverine claws, driving him back. As Miroku holds up his staff across his chest defensively, Suikotsu announces he'll be Miroku's opponent this afternoon, like a good host should. He takes another swing at Miroku with his claws, admitting that he's always hated doctors and priests. Miroku points out that Suikotsu IS a doctor, but Suikotsu doesn't seem to give a shit about the facts of the matter. Big surprise there.

Meanwhile, Jakotsu is looking disappointed with his sword propped on his shoulder, complaining that everyone is already doing what THEY want and leaving him with a mere... Sango. Sango sarcastically asks for forgiveness for being left-overs, a statement that's a little overdue in my opinion. Jakotsu continues to whine, this time that it's not worth it to take his time against a woman.

We DON'T cut to Kagome holding Shippou awkwardly in the middle of this fight, without a sparring partner but unable to just kind of LEAVE, and I think it's a missed comedic opportunity. 

Inuyasha and Bankotsu are grinding their swords again, and it's not nearly as homoerotic as its should be. Bankotsu says that Inuyasha is, as expected, much tougher than a human, but he does wonder aloud why Naraku couldn't defeat Inuyasha. He asks snidely if this is all Inuyasha's got, but instead of bristling at the insult, he focuses in on the "Naraku" mention. He asks again what Bankotsu knows of Naraku's location, but Bankotsu just smiles enigmatically.

Back at Mt. Hakurei, in the misty atmosphere...

EVERYTHING is big to you, tiny person.

And yes, those are Jaken and the two-headed dragon laying on the ground there, Jaken groaning about pain in the next panel. Rin turns and asks him what's wrong, having been too busy marveling at the grand mountain that she totally overlooked Jaken's pissing and moaning, apparently. Squinting, Jaken indicates that this is sacred ground, so he's convinced that a lump of evil like Naraku can't possibly be in a place like this, and wonders why Sesshoumaru is checking this area out. 

Sesshoumaru himself appears to be a ways away from them, circling the mountain in the mist. He's not showing any physical signs of discomfort, but he does think about the holy barrier and how he can't get close. He had followed the underling Kohaku's scent here, but it looks like he's not getting to follow it to its source. What a shame. 

We're back with Rin and Jaken after another narrow sky transition panel, as is tradition. Rin rocks to and fro on her backside, commenting on how late Sesshoumaru is in coming to get them. Jaken is just thinking about how much he'd love to get the hell out of here. In front of Rin, a human shape appears out of the fog. 

Kohaku is SUPREMELY lucky that the only one who sees him skulking around is the harmless little girl who wants to be his friend. 

Knowing that this is definitely Kohaku, Rin stands up and runs for him. Jaken notices this despite his agony and calls out to her, but he has to get up and follow her when she ignores him. He yells that she can't go off on her own, or Sesshoumaru will scold him, before getting what looks like an electric jolt to his outstretched arm. He falls back, sweating and heart thumping wildly, holding up his singed sleeve and stuttering that he got DANGEROUSLY close to being purified.

When Jaken looks back up, Rin has disappeared from his view, and he is panicking.

Rin has followed Kohaku into a spooky kind of cave, another thing she's failed to note, calling his name. Kohaku looks around in alarm, and turns to ask Rin what she thinks she's doing here, but she happily suggests that they can have another chat. Her expression falls when she admits that they parted on rather... strange terms the last time they saw each other, and it kind of bothered her. Proving once again her precious cinnamon roll status and further demonstrating why Sesshoumaru has taken her under his wing. Who WOULDN'T want to protect this adorable baby? 

Kohaku urges her to go, tells her this isn't any place for her, then whirls around at a rustling noise behind him. Countless eyes and barely visible outlines that are definitely NOT human lurk farther in the cave, producing a strange rumble in their activity.

Shortest. Chat. Ever.

When we switch back to the castle where our mains (and Kouga) are still fighting the Shichinin-tai, there's a rustle sounding over it, which apparently isn't just the wind in the trees. It's a cloud of Saimyoushou, that Bankotsu pauses in hacking away at Inuyasha's sword to glare at over his shoulder. As the wasps approach even closer, Shippou points out from Kagome's arms that they're Naraku's, because we needed to check in on them to assure the audience that they're okay. Kouga also identifies the Saimyoushou as he dodges a shit-ton of fireballs from Renkotsu, who also pauses to look around at the insects. He can apparently understand them, silently questioning their order to withdraw and wondering if something has happened. 

But Bankotsu tells the BEEEEEES to shut it, because he intends to finish off this bunch. As he lunges back at Inuyasha, he says he would have liked to have take his time a little, but as per his employer's demands, he tells Inuyasha to say his prayers. 

That should have been your FIRST go-to, kid. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? While I'm glad that most of the team aren't bystanders in a battle between two guys like is so wont to happen in the bigger main groups, this pairing-off of opponents came off as awkward in a couple places. Kouga's defense of Kagome against Renkotsu was rather organic, as was Suikotsu cutting off Miroku from aiding Kouga's fight against the guy with the jewel shards. In addition, Suikotsu's joke about how he hates doctors and priests fueling his assault against Miroku, and Miroku's perplexed response was kind of funny. I also like the added implication that Suikotsu's murder personality resents peaceful authorities that might repress his homicidal impulses, including his more docile side. 

But the joke regarding how Jakotsu is disappointed in not getting to fight the one he wants again, and that the only one left for him to fight is a woman to boot, chafes a little in an unexpected way. Sango is very often the most sidelined fighter of the group, and now RT seems to have made that into a punchline instead of fixing it. Yes, if she had been the one to heed Kagome and try to go after Renkotsu, being cut off by Suikotsu, there would have been fewer jokes to make, but it would feel less like an insult to one of our mains. 

And can we talk about how Kagome seems to have been deliberately cut out of the action, and inconsistently drawn with and without arrows/a bow? This has happened a couple of times before, and it bugs me more every time. There's only one shot in this chapter, on the second to last page, where a bow is visible on her back, and intermittently throughout she has and does not have arrows. Drawing her at any point without these tools not only makes her look stupid, but it makes her a liability where she could easily have been an asset. There is no reason she couldn't have been taking cover and acting as a sniper to her team other than RT wanting to stick useless romantic drama between Inuyasha and Kouga in there. And then after that little joke fell flat on its face, Kagome is just standing around doing nothing, sometimes and sometimes not carrying arrows. Sure, the rest of the group is engaged with the fight, but Kagome being relegated to the sidelines so visibly, and inconsistently with her weapon as well, makes it all the more obvious that she COULD have been involved, but RT refused to LET her. 

Harmless passive baby RIN had more to do in this chapter than Kagome, and that's not saying anything nice about how RT has delegated roles in this one. Not that I don't ADORE Rin trying to to restart a friendly interaction with Kohaku, but...

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 310 The White Dragon Awakes!

SOME kind of dragon has awoken, for sure. Facing the overturn of Roe v. Wade here in the United States, an uproar has risen on multiple fronts. Not only did we have the expected protests and rallies in just about every city in this country, but plenty of general anger around the anemic response of the establishment. You've got a lot of the Republicans grousing about, ironically, the privacy of the fucking supreme court being violated with the leak (all when the leak was likely done by one of their own to lock in the five votes to overturn Roe v. Wade). Then you've got Democrats, namely Biden, saying there's nothing to do but vote for pro-choice representation in order for wombed-voters to hang on to their right to bodily autonomy, like he's using his Republican colleagues as a loaded gun to "persuade" people to continue to vote for them in the midterms. Yes, American politics really ARE this fucked up, in case you were in any doubt. At this point, we've entirely abandoned the pretense that we are a democracy. The metaphor is dead. 

And here I am, praying to every god who will listen, that this is the last straw, and we don't stop agitating.

I have a nasty feeling that this chapter is going to be INFURIATINGLY relevant.

Though she's clearly curious as to what it means that she has a god, she doesn't ask when she turns to Priest Seto. Instead, she thanks him for saving her and offers him her eternal gratitude, bowing her head. He asks what her name is, and she answers that she's called Kisara. At last, she has an identity! Everyone's getting names now, glorious! Priest Seto ponders her name and how she's the one who has the white dragon, wondering how much untapped power she has inside her. 

Much like the priests after they sat down, Kisara only NOW seems to notice the massive floating monsters fighting just off to her left - her peripheral vision wasn't working, but her hearing made up for it at a roar from one monster. She recoils, asking Priest Seto where he's had her brought, what this place is, in a panic. Gebelk informs her that this is an underground prison, more specifically the arena where the monsters in men's hearts have free reign. 

As he giggles over this, Kisara is in utter horror over the concept of these monsters and their ongoing battle just a short distance away, which suggests that she really has no clue there's something in her heart too. Gebelk asks why she's so surprised anyway, suggesting that she HAS to know she's got a ka in her soul too. She questions this "ka" term, insisting that there's nothing like that inside her, and Priest Seto is in mild disbelief that she doesn't know about her own ka. He lectures her on how all living things have energy that normal people can't see, and some can give their energy physical form with the power of their soul, called "ba" by folks like him and "monsters" by folks like her. You know, ignorant twits (/s). Priest Seto tells Kisara that she has this power as well. 

WHO says this? The one guy who saw it? Shada? Seriously, this is a pretty shaky "they".

Gebelk turns to Priest Seto and suggests they get on with testing the extent of the woman's power right now, by making her fight in the arena with the prisoners. His gummy smile surpasses the creepy murder grin of Yami way back in the beginning of the manga, and that's saying something. Kisara and Priest Seto are alarmed by this suggestion, the former considerably MORE SO, obviously. Gebelk raises his hand as if preaching and says that she will involuntarily summon her ka when she's scared out of her wits, a prediction that should NOT be a surprise to anyone who listened to this guy wax poetic about his process of elimination before. Still, Priest Seto leans half out of his seat, demanding to know if Gebelk is SURE, because he thinks that if Kisara doesn't even know what a ka is, it's unclear how she's supposed to control the thing. Gebelk doesn't actually explain how, just insists that it should be a simple matter for her to defeat the ka of a mere criminal if she really has a godlike ka. Priest Seto protests that she might DIE, because he still hasn't grasped how this freak doesn't CARE yet. 

Not that Priest Seto cares much more, of course. He's only concerned about the pretty girl's life, as opposed to those of the ENTIRE population of prisoners in this nightmareish gulag. 

Akhenaden sides with Gebelk, agreeing that they should test the power of this god ka. Priest Seto gives Akhenaden a horrified look, reminiscent of the one Akhenaden gave him when he was talking about torturing guys to build up their ka. The tables sure have turned, haven't they? Akhenaden reminds Priest Seto that the palace is wide open to attack and they have no gods to protect them without the pharaoh. He insists that they need to make a NEW god as soon as possible, listing anarchy, death and destruction as the consequences if they don't. Oh no, not ANARCHY...

Priest Seto stares, slack-jawed, observing some sort of passion in Akhenaden's eyes that he can't identify. He also finds himself completely unable to talk back or argue, and he has no idea why. Meanwhile, Akhenaden is silently DEMANDING that Priest Seto become a vessel of the gods. It's pretty intense. 

While Priest Seto is still silent, Akhenaden orders the guards to put the woman into the arena. A couple of them grab Kisara with an affirmative, and Priest Seto quietly gives her the obvious advice to get ready, addressing her by name as the least kindness he can offer her. A gang-plank unfolds and extends to slap down on the rickety walkways of the arena, and the guards shove her onto it, ordering her to get going. 

Yeah, I'd shit my pants and die. I'll admit it.

The two prisoners, long and lanky, short and stocky, both panting, look over at Kisara with bewilderment until the latter suddenly realizes she's a girl. L&L wonders out loud if she's a prisoner too, but S&S expresses his lack of care for the matter. He reasons, without the slightest irony, that if she's in there, it means they can do whatever they want to her, then suggests they take a little break from hacking away at each other. 

Kisara recoils in fear as their monsters turn and approach her, their masters laughing. Gebelk also giggles gleefully while Priest Seto growls in frustration. Gebelk reiterates his prediction that she'll unconsciously summon her ka when she's flooded with fear, and her desire to live will make that ka strong. The monsters start for Kisara, and she just stares at them, even as Priest Seto silently demands that she whip out that god of hers NOW.

No surprises there - valuing your own life is somewhat impacted by whether others do too, and so far, there's been only ONE guy who has "kind of" shown any concern for whether or not she dies.

Speaking of, that one guy summons Duos and directs it out toward the arena, in front of Kisara. He fairly DEMANDS to know why she won't summon the white dragon as he runs to put himself in front of her as well. She doesn't answer, seeming a bit dazed at her latest near miss at death. Priest Seto yells at the prisoners to knock it off, Gebelk and Akhenaden calling out to him in alarm. L&L chuckles about a priest having joined them, S&S relishing the opportunity to repay him for all the shit they've been through. And now they're speaking MY language! Target the bourgeois establishment religion pampered fucknut! Bring that oppressive piece of shit DOWN!

Priest Seto glares at the prisoners, Kisara just staring in shock behind him. L&L has taken note that the woman can't control her ka, and suggests to his ally of convenience that they might have a shot if it's just two against one. The prisoners send their monsters at them again, yelling a command to die. Priest Seto grabs Kisara's wrist, thinking he has no choice but to abandon his plans to let these scum live, since he has no choice. I don't know if I would be labeling the guys who were forced to fight each other in there as the "scum" in this situation, dude. They might be super shitty, but the only reason they're here in the first place is because you wanted to figure out ways to train up nasty ka...

Oh, don't get your boxers in a twist, Akhenaden. His new crush might have suicidal tendencies, but your son doesn't.

See? He's... well, he's hanging from the Millennium Rod barely hooked onto the chain there, so maybe he's not FINE, but he's ALIVE at least.

Priest Seto looks down to urge Kisara to hang in there, asking if she's alright. She doesn't answer, head bowed and eyes closed, and Priest Seto concludes with a mild scoff that she's fainted. What makes this all the worse is that S&S is bragging from above - suspended from a thick gluey stretch of web-material, chuckling that it was a close call, but his ka can luckily spin spider threads. It seems to have been suspended in air as well, presumably by the same trick. S&S thrusts his thumb toward it and invites Priest Seto to look what happened to his ka as well.

Duos has been bound up and cocooned as well, at the business end of the nightmare-fanged caterpillar monster. Priest Seto groans about this setback of Duos being captured, and it's about to get worse. That fanged circular mouth is descending toward him down the chain, ignoring his ka for a bit meatier of a meal. Priest Seto clenches his teeth, bracing to be eaten, but the dangling Kisara below starts to thrum with a strange energy. 

She's still out cold, so it's not by conscious decision when a winged light bursts from her body. S&S holds up an arm in front of his face to block out the brilliance, wondering what it is. Priest Seto and Akhenaden stare in shock, and Gebelk is agape with alarm, what he was waiting for now manifesting before his eyes. 

Well... That's a CHOICE. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I find myself more and more these days making interpretations that I'm pretty sure were not intended by the authors of these stories. In this case, I'm pretty sure that Kisara's bowed head and resignation to death was meant to be considered noble, but I'm tempted to look at it as surrender to the repeated attempts of a cruel world to get rid of her. This is a woman who came into the city from the desert, dehydrated and weak, and begging for water. We don't know where she came from before, but the implication is that she was cast out for the same reason she was rejected by the city-dwellers - her appearance makes the superstitious a bit nervous. When a person has a rickety or nonexistent support system and is acutely aware that a good number of people would prefer they don't exist, they value their lives less. There's less fighting spirit, less will to live, so Gebelk's certainty that these qualities would bring out her ka was a big miscalculation. This lady had no opportunity to develop a defiance and violent assertion of existence like these big, strong, MALE prisoners did; they didn't start out with a very VISIBLE disadvantage that other people could dismiss them over from the beginning. They were able to blend into and function in society ENOUGH that they developed a sense of their place in it and believe that they had some kind of value, enough to try to sustain themselves with crime (if they were arrested in good faith, of course). Kisara, on the other hand, is not known to have committed any crime, and depends upon the generosity of others in order to sustain her. When your very existence is a crime, you don't really feel like you're ALLOWED to sustain yourself.

But, as annoyingly serendipitous as this is with the subject matter of the cold open, I feel like the above is a generous interpretation in the end. The framing suggests that she's meant to be feminine and demure first and foremost, rather than an active participant in her power. I'm reminded strongly of Cyndia with her excessive bows, who was stuffed in the fridge so that Pegasus could have man-pain motivation to be the Duelist Kingdom antagonist. This seems to be a recreation of THAT dynamic, except now we get to SEE the plot device not playing an active role in her fate. Hell, Kisara HAS to be unconscious, the very definition of inactive, in order for the story to happen. That kind of deliberate disempowerment of a female character is so blatant and forced that I think KT deserves an award for how hard he had to try to make sure Kisara is as passive as possible despite being vessel to an EXTREMELY powerful force. It would genuinely have been easier for KT to have given Kisara an active role in about a dozen different scenarios I can think of off the top of my head. But, I suppose if he did any of THOSE, she couldn't have been a personality-less walking ka tablet that Priest Seto can redeem himself of his prior cruelty through saving over and over again. It frankly underestimates how interesting BOTH characters can be by squishing them into these insultingly stereotypical hetero roles. How boring. 

ON THE OTHER HAND... Obviously by this point, the pressure is mounting on KT to wrap this story up. He's stressed, he's unwell, possibly coughing up blood by this point, and simply exhausted because he has so much to do that he can't sleep. I can imagine someone in that situation, writing this character, wistfully wishing that he could sleep and all his shit would get done ANYWAY. I'm not saying that Kisara is a vicarious wish-fulfillment character written by a man who was also at the time the vessel to something far more powerful than himself that his employers were exploiting for their own gain...

... But it's interesting to think about.

Inuyasha Manga: 251 Clash

This is kind of a bad time for a "clash" for me, Chapter. I'm still recovering from some sort of weird stomach bug - nope, not Covid, thankfully. I was concerned at first that it might be, because I felt very much like I did when I got my vaccine booster, lots of body aches and chills. Even though I didn't have a cough or any other tell-tale signs (loss of smell/taste, headache, etc.), I decided to get tested anyway. Meanwhile, my body aches morphed into vague aches in my midsection, and then cramping in my stomach. The test came out negative, and I'm feeling somewhat better, but I'm still being woken up in the middle of the night by sudden stomach cramps, decreasing in severity of course. I don't know WHAT I put in there to make it so upset, but the whole ordeal has exhausted me and butting heads is something I'm a bit ill-equipped for as a result.

So much for my two-year streak of not getting sick.

Well, look who's getting along again! That's a relief at least.

In addition to the big presence of Shikon aura Kagome's feeling, Inuyasha smells fire and blood, so he's certain they're headed for the Shichinin-tai. Indeed, straight ahead, there's smoke climbing from behind the walls surrounding the castle raided in the previous chapter. Maimed corpses lay beneath charred wooden beams, eyes still open wide to the horror of their final moments. Among the carnage, Bankotsu complains that there's not a single woman left alive. 

I thought Jakotsu was supposed to be the ditzy one, but here he is steering the topic away from the pettiest whining I've ever seen a character make in this comic. 

Jakotsu asks if it's really the best time or place to be sitting and drinking sake, increasing my sense that things are all topsy-turvy for a moment, until he follows this up by expressing a desire to see Inuyasha again as soon as possible. Oh good, they're just silly together. From across the courtyard, Renkotsu lectures Jakotsu for being impatient, reminding him that Inuyasha has a good nose. Bankotsu agrees, wearing an easy smile while propping his cheek against the heel of his hand, speculating that the others will just follow the smell of blood on the wind right to where they're sitting and waiting. 

Just when he's finished saying this, a whirlwind appears along a nearby retaining wall, something Suikotsu and Renkotsu note with only the mildest interest. A familiar figure is leading it as he sprints forward with determination. 

Do you really need confirmation at this point? 

Bankotsu notes aloud that the wolf arrived before the dog while Jakotsu asks Kouga casually how it's going, and Kouga expresses some frustration that they're so FUCKING relaxed right now. He demands to know where Naraku is, since he's aware that these bastards have been hanging around the villain. Instead of answering the question, Bankotsu scratches his head and comments one how many enemies Naraku seems to have, as if it only just occurred to him. He turns to Jakotsu and admits he has a bad feeling about this, asking if Jakotsu thinks they can trust Naraku. Jakotsu says it's no good asking HIM, reminding Bankotsu that he's the only one who's met the guy. 

Kouga again demands Naraku's location, dangling a nonspecific threat for if their hiding him. Before he can be ignored again, Kouga lunges and declares he'll waste them, but when has it ever been THAT easy?

Gracious, I wish I could be that laid-back. 

Kouga calls Jakotsu a moron, and claims he's already seen through the bendy-sword trick, but no sooner do the words come out of his mouth when he has to leap to the side as an explosion blooms next to him. No surprise that it's Renkotsu manning Ginkotsu's guns, muttering his disappointment that Kouga dodged. When Kouga looks up from his crouching position after his evasion, Bankotsu is standing with his entirely oversized sword propped on his shoulder, observing with amusement that Kouga is fast. He deduces that it has to be the Shikon shards in Kouga's legs giving him the extra boost in speed, then swings down his massive sword, saying that Naraku asked him to get those shards too. 

With a shiver, Kouga becomes alarmed by his opponent in a split second.

He's convinced THIS guy is different from the others, but he doesn't elaborate on WHY just yet. It probably only just starts with the sword that's bigger than him.

In mild annoyance, like he's suffering the slightest of inconveniences, Bankotsu tells his brothers not to let Kouga get away. Ginkotsu answers with a gurgle and another blast from his guns, which Kouga leaps away from again, grunting at the debris chasing him through the air. Bakotsu swings his sword again, demanding he stop struggling. 

This is getting downright Freudian.

Bankotsu hums in confusion as the sword in his hands shakes with the force of Inuyasha's strike, and Inuyasha lands a distance away with Tessaiga still raised in front of him and Kouga, the blade trailing SMOKE. Jakotsu cheers Inuyasha's name in his excitement, and Inuyasha yells at him to shut up, Kouga glaring over at Jakotsu as well. 

Bankotsu identifies Inuyasha with a smirk, saying that he has some ridiculous power. Ironic coming from a guy who's shouldered a blade that looks to be longer than Inuyasha and Kouga together are wide. Inuyasha also acknowledges Bankotsu as the last of the Shichinin-tai, but he seems far less pleased about it. He does work in a dig about how Bankotsu and the rest of them are ganging up on the wimpy wolf Kouga, though, so he's having a little fun, I'd wager. 

Kouga knocks him in the back of the head, asking who he's calling wimpy, and they start screaming at one another, Inuyasha yelling that Kouga was about to get his Shikon enhancements stolen, and Kouga denying that he could ever be that dumb. Meanwhile, the rest of Inuyasha's group runs into the courtyard, Miroku calling out to Inuyasha and Kagome noting with concern that Kouga is there. 

Oh shit, Jakotsu forgot to tell him about the extra piece on the board, didn't he? I guess it doesn't really matter at the moment, though. 

The Inuyasha assemblage mirrors that of their enemy's, it's namesake calling the Shichinin-tai bastards. He promises to send them back to their graves, after they've been running rampant all this time. In response, Bankotsu vows to have his revenge for Kyoukotsu and Mukotsu, the shards in his neck glowing ominously. Miroku's got his Captain Obvious on again when he mumbles to the girls that it seems the one with the great halberd is the leader. Kagome remains quiet, but Sango also observes that Bankotsu seems to be the youngest. Must be a case of "biggest sword makes for best leader" logic, huh?

Suddenly, Kagome blurts out at Inuyasha to be careful - she's noticed that Bankotsu has three Shikon fragments in his neck. Bankotsu doesn't deny it, and tells them that they're actually those of the fallen brothers he mentioned earlier. Inuyasha just glares as Kouga supposes THAT was what made Bankotsu so much more formidable than the others. I don't know, man, he didn't have the Shikon shards when he wielded that planet-sized sword BEFORE his death. Guess again.

And then they didn't stop hacking at one another for another 20 chapters. XD

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I came away from this feeling strangely envious of how chill and carefree our villains are as a whole, which fittingly clashes with how much I loathe their lack of regard for every life they come across. Granted, they have just come out of a decade-long death, so there might be a level of thinking that death is just... not that big of a deal at this point, but there's also plenty of evidence to suggest that their attitude about life and death was comparable to what it is now. In particular, what stands out to me about Bankotsu's outlook is how much he's just treating this like a JOB. A job he very much enjoys, doing what he loves for a living, can't deny that, but a JOB nonetheless. He only targets the castle because he wants his sword back, he views being served sake by women as a perk of a job well-done that he was denied, he chats with his "coworker" about whether or not their boss should be trusted, while part of the job he was hired for stands right there no less. This seems like familiar patterned behavior to me, the kind of routine that a worker in ANY career falls into when they have been at it for a long time. More specifically, it's the paradigm of reporting to and getting orders from a boss and having all of your actions dictated to you. In their lives before, the Shichinin-tai were mercenaries, soldiers for hire that took the violence to another level, but we get no indication from the legends surrounding them that they ever went against the job perimeters and went for the guys at the top, just that those lords who hired them got a little concerned that it might happen one day. I'm getting the distinct impression here that Bankotsu and his band were just far too comfortable to rebel, and continue to be to this day, to the point of just taking the first job offered by the guy who revived them with minimal questions. Back to the old grindset.

Reminds me a bit of Kikyou, who has also attempted to re-enter her old comfortable habits and profession after she was revived, multiple times. It never works out for HER because she is stuck in a limbo of frozen time, unable to grow and learn because she is no longer in the realm of progression like a normal person. Something interesting could be done with these characters if they are forced to confront the fact that they are unable to expand their experiences or operate outside of the paradigm they knew in life, much in the way Kikyou has been.

But then again, Kikyou's already filling that niche, so we probably don't need to cover that ground again.

I'm going to ignore the growing issue with Bankotsu being human in name only, because the characters are, and I'm sick of going over this in damn near every analysis of chapters. If they don't care, then neither do I, but I am still rather annoyed at RT for it. Clearly she's been drawing superhuman battles for too long and simply can't figure out how to do a fight with an especially competent human killer involved. A dead shame.