Inuyasha Manga: 278 Reborn

Like my love of the library? I recently went there to read the last few pages of The Two Towers in the LotR series - for some reason those pages were all shredded in MY copy - and though they didn't have a physical book there for me to peruse, they did introduce me to the Libby app for my phone. When I tell you my mind was blown... Not only can I check out my library system's e-books without ANYWHERE at ANY TIME, but they also have audio books available for check out too! My husband has been voraciously consuming audio books on his commute to and from work, and I've checked out a couple of titles I've really wanted to read for an awful long time. It's the actual best, and I can't believe no one TOLD me!

I've in turn been telling everyone everywhere ever since I learned, so hopefully I reach a few people who were also in the dark like me. All you need is a library card!

But I didn't sprout tentacles and trap my (nonexistent) enemies in my body at this minor rebirth of mine, so I suppose it's not all that similar to the one talked about in this chapter.

Naraku praises Inuyasha and company for getting this far, as though his body is some kind of weird game show challenge. Which, from what I hear of Japanese game shows, actually wouldn't be too out of place. He does follow up that they didn't do quite well enough, because they're too late, and it's all over for them. Inuyasha questions that last statement, before rejecting it outright with a scoff and declaration that it's a load of bullshit. He says he'll tell Naraku when it's over - when he rips out this hentai freak's throat. 

Sango and Miroku fly by on Kirara, Sango having already thrown Hiraikotsu, after which she yells at Naraku to prepare to die. Naraku scoffs himself, even as the giant boomerang slices through one of the many tentacles/intestines throughout the massive cavern. The tentacle spews a load of acid everywhere, melting the wall of his own stomach (????) just about Miroku, Sango, and Kirara's heads, much to their alarm. 

That certainly backfired, didn't it?

Shippou and Kagome call out to each other in distress while Shippou is squeezed by another tentacle, and he is forced to pop back into his normal shape and size by its firm hold. Inuyasha yells Kagome's name, straining against his own tentacle bonds, and Naraku chuckles at him darkly, as always, calling him foolish. He asks if Inuyasha doesn't GET IT yet, elaborating the obvious fact that the whole of the mountain is his body now. 

Yeah, I don't think anyone was in doubt about that, dude. Pretty obvious. And yet he feels the need to further explain that all these "worms" are in his body. Surprised he doesn't make a note here to go out to the feed supply store later and grab some dewormer. Sango looks even more disgusted by the walls of flesh, now that it's official that they're Naraku's, directing a cringing expression at where the tentacle is coiled around her middle. Miroku sweats in silent distress, but he doesn't look any happier about it. 

Eyes watering, Shippou looks up from Kagome's arms at her and asks if this means that they really will be eaten like Kouga. This news of Kouga being consumed hits Inuyasha with some horrified disbelief, as Naraku laughs that they shouldn't be so conceited. He says there's no value in eating them - a weak little youkai (a phrase that Shippou bristles at in offense, asking if it means him), a measly hanyou like Inuyasha (who doesn't respond to the insult because he's too cool to care really)...

I don't know, man, I continue to be very suspicious of the claim that Bankotsu was ever a human. 

Inuyasha and Sango both from their respective bounds utter Bankotsu's name in alarm, while Miroku observes that he's actually dead now, tinged with some disbelief. Naraku giggles about how shocking it is indeed just how foolish humans are - even the criminal Bankotsu hung around this mountain to avenge his comrades and ultimately got GOT by Inuyasha. Inuyasha himself looks highly affronted that his win against Bankotsu is being spun in such a weird way. Naraku continues by suggesting that Bankotsu could have just run away once he had all seven of those Shikon shards Naraku handed him for the resurrection of the Shichinin-tai, and forgotten about revenge. He leaves dangling a statement about what happened instead, because the result IS right in front of them all on display.

I'm not usually laughing when I feel sick, man, I think you're experiencing another thing altogether. Insipid smugness, maybe?

Anyway, as Inuyasha watches Bankotsu's bones fall apart and tumble off Naraku's tentacle, he looks utterly scandalized now. He yells at Naraku that he's a bastard, but this, we already knew. Naraku asks what Inuyasha is so pissed about, since HE'S the one who killed Bankotsu in the first place. I don't know, perhaps it's your nasty habit of pretending that it's everyone else's fault when you take advantage of them and their relationships toward others. Just a guess. 

Naraku raises another tentacle and jabs Inuyasha in the chest with it, and for a moment it looks like Inuyasha's gotten run through. Kagome and Shippou watch in impotent horror, the former yelling his name. But when the tentacle pulls back again, it appears that Inuyasha's clothes are the only thing damaged; Naraku's curling appendage has ripped the Shikon fragments from under his collar. 

Like he's being offered an after-dinner mint or something.

The Shikon shards around him all pinwheel together an fuse, right where Naraku's chest should be, emitting a bright light as little bits of stray flesh start to gravitate towards that clearly defined center. Inuyasha strains against his bonds, but he's also keeping an irritated eye on the little transformative show Naraku's putting on.

... So, you thought putting one of the most vulnerable parts of ANY living being right smack dab in the middle of your chest was a good idea, huh Naraku? 

The new bod seems to be impressing Miroku and Sango, though, who gape in horrified awe while it continues to accrue the last of its meaty bits in a big glowing sphere. Inuyasha looks nothing but frustrated on the edge of the panel, however. Naraku chuckles at these cretins who hate him so much, taunting them for managing to get this far and being completely unable to lay a finger on him. Inuyasha clenches his teeth, but he scoffs, calling this whole show a disappointment, having been wondering for a while now what sort of incredible monster Naraku had become after holing himself up in the sacred barrier so carefully. 

A boy after my own heart, but Miroku thinks we're both wrong, blurting that Naraku's youki has gotten an incomparable amount stronger than before. He's sweating bullets too, so you know shit is bad. Inuyasha is dismissive about this "youki" argument, insisting that Miroku must be kidding. He finally tears through the tentacle binding him with his claws and bursts from it, declaring that Naraku's twisted ego and confidence just got a whole lot worse is all. He draws Tessaiga.

Don't aim for the eye dead center on his chest! Maybe a little off, you know, to account for your terrible aim and all.

Not that it's going to matter too much. The Kaze no Kizu rushes toward Naraku in his bubble of light, and he's not looking the least bit nervous. He scoffs that Inuyasha is a fool again, and says that the attack he made himself will end up killing his friends, smirking. The blow seems to bend and warp unnaturally.

Some kind of bullshit, no doubt.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Naraku is WAY cooler when he's just a face peering out of an endless void. The moment he opens his mouth in this one he does that thing where he says a lot without SAYING anything, if you know what I mean. Mostly it was just obvious rage-fuel about how everyone is way dumber than he is and they were all going to die because they're all stupid and sentimental. I can't necessarily blame Inuyasha for falling for it, given that the understandable impulse is to try and throw some of the shade back just to prove how unaffected you are by an gloating windbag in a MUCH better position, but it's still pretty cheap. 

Especially considering how... iffy Naraku's new design is. It follows that "slightly wrong" aesthetic that the youkai in this story tend to exhibit, but in a way that is very "2000's JRPG boss". While the eye on his chest forming around his chunk of the Shikon no Tama makes a certain amount of sense, it's also an EYE, and a very large one at that. It's no spoiler to state that this thing has nothing whatsoever to do with his eventual downfall, so the fact that something that is USUALLY a big target in game design has literally no purpose other than mild creepiness here is just a tad irritating to me. 

Nice overcoat though, I guess. *shrug*

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 336 He Who Inherits the Light

It's fitting that I should be covering this chapter around when I'll be celebrating the spring equinox, starting from when all of us in the northern hemisphere will be inheriting A LOT of light over the next few months. It's not as if I'm NOT looking forward to it, because I am so tired of being cold all the time. I just need to do a lot of work in the garden, even more than last year. I have these plans to transfer some herbs to a nice little herb spiral, but I'm still very unsure of where to put it - my yard is surrounded by trees, so there's not really ANYWHERE in it that gets sun most of the day. I also have to construct my last planter and figure out where to put THAT too, so I'm just generally behind on planning for the spring and summer months. 

Not that gardening isn't the furthest thing from these characters' minds at the moment...

Priest Seto kneels on their strangely intact dueling platform surrounded by rubble, in front of a blank tablet that once held the white dragon, wondering where the fuck he even IS. Atem calls out to him from across the way, and Priest Seto looks up in alarm at the pharaoh, and it starts to come back to him how his father chose to die, dragging his soul along for the ride into the shadows. A vision of Kisara's backlit peaceful face appears to him again, and he identifies her as his savior from the shadows. 

You know, for how similar I'm meant to view Priest Seto is to Kaiba, I can't help but get a little caught up in the most bizarrely glaring differences. If it were Kaiba in Priest Seto's position here, he DEFINITELY would be smacking that offered hand away. 

Priest Seto and Atem stand facing each other, but they're really looking at the rubble as far as the eye can see all around them. Priest Seto comments on how the darkness has faded, but left deep wounds in the now calmed earth. Atem remains silent as Priest Seto goes on about how many lives they've lost and how they have to keep a light for the fallen in their hearts, while working to build a new future. Hopefully those hearts are looking a little less like fucking PRISONS to these guys, at least. Otherwise that new future's going to seem a little bleak when all is said and done.

Atem glares down at his palm for a second, though it's not clear why. Afterwards, he looks up at Priest Seto and asks him to grant him the favor of inheriting the throne and becoming the new pharaoh. Priest Seto gapes in shock at the request, having to ask Atem to repeat himself, a sweatdrop at his temple. You mean to tell me that Akhenaden didn't even HAVE to permanently scar Priest Seto in order to get his stupid fucking wish??? Priest Seto starts demanding that Atem duel him again here and now, then, because he can only become pharaoh when he's defeated Atem, apparently. Ugh, men always have to make shit so complicated.

Atem grasps the string looped around his neck in his fist and softly asserts that he does NOT have the kind of time it takes to do a whole new duel for the throne.

The absolutely ABSURD level of trauma Priest Seto has to have after all of this...

And to add to the frustration, Atem starts going on about sealing Zorc Necrophades's and his own soul into the Millennium Puzzle 3000 years before, and the ending of the conflict is different now, but his body was lost beyond this point so he doesn't have any memories after this. Predictably, Priest Seto just kinda gapes in alarm, silently pondering the pharaoh. Probably not any wiser in the "what's going on?" department, unfortunately. 

Atem appears to have pulled the Millennium Puzzle from around his neck, and is indicating that it didn't have to be shattered to defeat Zorc this time. He holds it out to Priest Seto and tells him it's the symbol of the pharaoh, demanding he take it. Atem commands Priest Seto to become the pharaoh in his stead restore peace to the land most of all, but also to... ahem, "make Egypt great again". I guess this "make x great again" phrase wasn't pegged as the fascist dogwhistle that it is today, to be fair. And I would wear a purple MEGA hat LONG before I'd so much as touch a red MAGA hat with a ten foot pole, so...

Priest Seto goes ahead and takes the Millennium Puzzle, but it doesn't look like he's really got full command over that decision. He's just operating out of shock at this point, jaw still slack with astonishment. Just before Atem disappears completely, he says he's counting on Priest Seto. Then he's gone in one final wisp of smoke. Priest Seto looks down at the puzzle in his hand, then up at the ruined kingdom he's inherited. 

Goooooooooooood luck.

I kinda wish we could have seen asshole!Bakura completely implode before poor regular-sized Bakura passed out on the table. 

A beam of light emits from the top of Yuugi's head, signaling his transformation, and when he opens his eyes again they're sharp and angular. Atem is back to sharing a body with Yuugi once more. Roomies! Anzu starts to say Yuugi's name, but Jonouchi blurts out Atem's name before she can get past the first syllable. Atem grins wide, addressing them all with joy that they got back, and gets confirmation back at just the same level of happiness. 

Something catches Atem's eye and he glances off to the side where the coffins are still sitting all in a row, though empty now. He hangs his head, reflecting on how his friends' souls were trapped in the memory world while he was playing a shadow game with asshole!Bakura. He thanks his lucky stars that they all made it out of there okay. 

Yuugi appears in his mind and welcomes him back, to which Atem responds with even greater joy than before. Suddenly, Yuugi's expression gets serious as he recalls that they found Atem's real name on this adventure, adding that asshole!Bakura tricked them into the shadow game so he could find the great power that names, rather this specific name, affords. They both look across the table at the still passed-out regular-sized Bakura. KT missed a golden opportunity to draw a little line of drool out of the corner of his mouth. For comedy purposes. 

The group rounds the table to at last go check up on the poor guy, asking his unconscious form if he's okay. Honda assures everyone that it's all good, and he's just out cold. I don't know, guys, I'd still be getting him to the doctor ASAP if I were in their position. Jonouchi reaches for the Millennium Ring that is half-buried in the sand within the diorama, plucking it out of there as if it HASN'T been housing a malevolent spirit this entire time. No hesitation touching that thing whatsoever? Really?

But he turns to Atem and hands it straight over, saying it's best if HE hangs onto it. Atem glares at the artifact, thinking about how it housed all that evil for 3000 years, and he has to seal it away again to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. HOLD UP, WAIT, Atem STILL has to seal it back up? They didn't get rid of that asshole entirely with this? Dammit, should have known!!

Anyway, Anzu and Jonouchi have turned to the sarcophagus propped up behind the unconscious Bakura, Anzu telling them to take a look at it. Though Jonouchi is creeped out by it, he does look closely at it too. 

Brace for the next quest.

The group's moving right along again, examining the diorama and its ruined little buildings. Jonouchi muses on how the temples and structures are all just rubble now, expressing some disbelief that they were actually IN there. Honda eagerly points out where the palace used to be, and Atem gazes at the spot thinking of Priest Seto. He's sure Priest Seto and the other survivors have a long hard road ahead, but he's also certain that they'll build a new world from the ruins, the light of their souls being passed through the generations. 

Uhm, I seem to recall that this was a GAME world, and that the little people in there weren't actually the folks from the past and they're just projections from the memories in the puzzle...? 

Regardless, Atem thinks he can absolutely see it now, the light of glory that shines so brilliantly. It's a vision of Priest Seto standing with his own battery of priests in a line behind him, arm raised to a crowd of cheering people below the elaborate balcony on which he's standing. Life goes on, I suppose. 

Atem sees the puzzle also half-buried in the diorama sand, him and Yuugi both regarding it while the latter thinks at the former that it's almost time. Atem agrees, then pulls the puzzle from the diorama, looping its chain around his neck. 

Too bad the trip isn't for pleasure. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? A fairly quick wrap-up, but not unsatisfying for the most part. Priest Seto kinda got shafted at the end there - as usual, he was just not given any time whatsoever to process what was happening. But at the same time it was just a little funny. Poor guy just gets the craziest shit dumped on him in some of his most vulnerable moments and no one sticks around long enough to take some of the burden off. It was probably just me, but after Atem disappeared on him, I got some major "well, this may as well happen" vibes off his expression, lol. 

The group examining every point of the "game room" at the end there was understandable, since I too would be more than a LITTLE curious about all the weird details of the place in which I'd been unconscious for the last few hours. It was done a bit awkwardly, though, coming across as almost systematic in some places in order to give Atem his final thoughts on each matter. It didn't flow in a natural way, for the most part, so I found myself anticipating the next stop on the tour the moment the one before started.

And there are a couple of things that I don't think were tied up all that well, as I probably expressed above. It's still not quite clear just WHAT asshole!Bakura is, and therefore I'm not certain why a seal on the Millennium Ring is necessary. Thief!Bakura appeared to be using the ability of the artifact to put a piece of his soul into stuff BEFORE Zorc came out. Also, thief!Bakura just seemed to be a pawn in the larger game that asshole!Bakura was playing before, and he was taken out the moment that he wasn't needed anymore, so I very much doubt that it's just HIS measly soul-piece still taking up residence in there at this point. How many pieces of asshole!Bakura are in there, and would he be capable of starting up another Zorc resurrection plan with so many pieces of him obliterated by his LAST attempt? I'm supposing that such a chance at further chaos might be what Atem is guarding against, but I would have appreciated it being worded more in that vein, just to clarify. 

Then there's Atem's fantasy of the game world continuing on through several generations as the real one might, which is kind of supported by the couple of panels that follow Atem's disappearance from it. It doesn't just collapse and end after he leaves, which has some interesting implications. Since the autonomy of the NPCs was established already, I get the impression that asshole!Bakura has created some sort of pocket dimension that continues to exist after the game based on Atem's memories is over. Asshole!Bakura ALSO established that this little game dimension is outside of time and reality, its inhabitants removed entirely from the cycle of reincarnation, and their souls going to oblivion after death in this world. Pretty dark consequences to asshole!Bakura's plan, even though Atem and company were ultimately able to defeat him and get back to their reality. I hate to know what might happen if they disassemble that diorama!

Also, can we talk about how completely callous these kids are toward regular-sized Bakura? Poor kid has been suffering under the tyranny of asshole!Bakura this whole time, has been put out more than once over all this nonsense, worked to the bone, and his own so-called friends just wave off his unconsciousness as though it's not the direct result of serious trauma? I mean, just because the guy LOOKS like the main antagonist doesn't mean that he hasn't been as much of a victim of that shit as the rest of them. 

Maybe his fan club should come in and bear him out of there instead. I'm still quite put off by the concept, but at least THEY would be a little more concerned for the dude's health!

Inuyasha Manga: 277 Wall of Flesh

Why do we build the wall? Why the wall keeps out the enemy, so we build the wall to keep us free! At least that's what I'm told by Hades. I don't think they built the wall out of FLESH, though, which is a rather soft, vulnerable substance that's notoriously BAD at keeping one's enemies out. But walls made of flesh are actually great at keeping certain things IN, whether that's to keep them nice and secure, or maybe even trapped. Perhaps an enemy too, if your flesh can incorporate a completely separate body.

Anyway, all my meandering musings about flesh walls is making me feel creepy. Enjoy this weird Inuyasha chapter!

Inuyasha is feeling a little creeped out too, but in a different way. He notes that the texture of the ground is different, or rather, the texture of the whole cave. Veins are beginning to form on every bulging, pulsing surface, and some of said surface is crawling over Bankotsu's inert half-torso. Inuyasha is real quick in identifying it as like a "wall of flesh", and saying the chapter title in record time! Unfortunately, his only confetti is whatever dust is left shaking down all around him and turning into stomach acid or something.

I have to imagine that this is like getting slobbered on by several separate Gene Simmons tongues. 

*Shudder**Retch*

As the tentacles bear him ever upwards, squishing in on him from all sides, he croaks a curse about how he can't move, adding internally that he's on the express train up toward a pinprick of light. Elsewhere in the mountain, Kouga is leading a charge inside another cave, following the pulsing that he observes has gotten louder. No chance that could just be because he's IN the mountain now or anything. He calls to Kagome to hurry along behind him, Shippou still riding the transformed Kirara bringing up the rear. 

Suddenly, Kouga twists to look down at his legs, which are sinking into the rapidly transforming substance of the cave. Kagome shouts to him in concern, because he's already waist-deep in the gross shit by the time we see him again in the next panel. He struggles against it like a quicksand, cursing and asking haltingly what this garbage is. 

But by the time she gets close enough, Kouga has already been swallowed up. Fast-acting. When her hand lands on the place where he disappeared into the floor, saying Kouga's name with alarm, she notes in confusion that it's not rock. Kagome sits up and looks above her at the rock that has been transformed, veins popping out everywhere, slowly coming to the conclusion about what the ENTIRE inside of this hole is. 

I'm going to refrain from making the obvious lewd joke here. There would simply be NO excuse for it.

As she stands, gaping and in mild shock, Shippou suggests that they're also going to be eaten, clinging to her blouse in fear. She admits she doesn't know, but says they're already inside anyway, so she starts to pull Kirara farther along into the cave with the stated intention of them going after Kouga. Shippou is NOT down with this making a noise of disbelief before he scrambles up to her shoulder instead, eyes watery while he asks where Kouga was supposed to have gone. Kagome says she cane feel him, or rather the Shikon shards in his legs. She can sense them moving through these walls of flesh, DIRECTLY toward the polluted jewel she's felt since they were outside the mountain. 

After a few steps, Kagome pauses at a sizzle sounding under her shoe. She hears the same noise when a drop of something falls from the ceiling and burns into her sleeve. With renewed alarm, she identifies the substance as acid, glancing around nervously at all the slimy film forming on the flesh around her. A drop of it falls onto Shippou's tail and he yelps in pain, and Kagome cries that it's dissolving while the sprinkle from the ceiling increases. Kirara acts quickly, seizing the back of Kagome's sailor blouse once again as she tries to encase Shippou in the protection of her arms. 

Best kitty.

Kagome twists to call up to Kirara, but she hangs her head again in a suppressed cough, learning that the noxious air going into her lungs is painful. Kirara's paws sizzle as well when they touch down to push to a higher speed. Next thing they know, Kirara is bursting out of the cave into a wider chamber in the big fleshy mountain, Shippou crying out in relief that they got away from the digestive tract. Kagome agrees weakly, throat probz still sore from the miasma swirling around in there.

Kirara sets down on a relatively level lump sticking out from the wall, one that apparently isn't secreting acid. Kagome thanks Kirara and looks around, trying to identify where they are. Shippou calls for her to look up where he is, at ceiling filled with what looks like a load of fleshy popcorn, slowly dripping out of a clear malleable amniotic sack. Gross. 

Shippou guesses that they're youkai, but Kagome says that this doesn't quite seem the right category to put them in. From the other side of the fleshy barrier, they hear someone commenting on their voices, correctly identifying them as Kagome and Shippou. Kagome makes another confused sound, watching the tip of something poke through the fleshy popcorn barrier of hell.

Well, the gang's ALMOST back together again.

Kagome's happiness at reunion is short-lived, as she immediately wonders where Inuyasha is, since she can't see him up there with her other friends. She asks them if Inuyasha isn't with them, and Sango responds with a confused sound. There's no time to clarify the situation - a sudden shudder shakes all of them. Kagome clings to Kirara's neck, Miroku and Sango jostled off the edge of their perch in the lumps of popcorn baby flesh. Kirara is fast to fly out and catch them, both landing sprawled on the back of the giant cat. Kagome is supported by Shippou, who strains to keep her aloft in giant balloon form, stuttering that he has her. She acknowledges this in a similar halting manner, too shocked to be overly grateful at the moment, I'll warrant.

She sees something over the side of Shippou's round form, alarmed to regard a wriggling mass of tentacles rising from the dark depths of the mountain, which she vocalizes in disbelief. It shoots up past her and Miroku and Sango in a HUGE hurry, giving Kagome a good view of its tightly wound limbs as it rushes ever higher.

He really passed out, didn't he? You think it's the G's those tentacles are pulling or the fact that he's lost probably a third of his blood? 

Either way, his eyes flutter open at the sound of Kagome screaming his name, then a voice that mocks his paralysis and being trapped inside the speaker's body. Inuyasha looks around to where he hears his antagonist, and no one will be even a LITTLE shocked to find out who it is.

Shouldn't you be happy? You've been trying to get to the guy for the last several chapters.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It escalated things really quickly, but in a very satisfying way. I always love it when this series returns to the horror elements that were more prevalent in the beginning, and we get a lot of really creepy moments in this one. Between Inuyasha and Kouga getting trapped in flesh-prisons, Kagome, Shippou, and Kirara almost getting dissolved by acid, or the general body horror in which they are all caught up in, the chapter pretty consistently made my skin crawl. Reminds a little of the more unnerving content of the "Mystery Flesh Pit" website: https://www.mysteryfleshpitnationalpark.com/ .

But the detailed mapping and thought-out design of speculative biology is missing in this chapter, of course. There isn't a lot of indication HOW the "landscapes" of Naraku's flesh mountain work as a body, and even less indication of what purpose the tentacle appendages serve on the INSIDE of it. Being a shapeshifter, I can imagine that Naraku has some control of the location of his organs and such, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. Just one more example of how RT neglects her world-building in very conspicuous ways.

At least Inuyasha and company aren't PAYING for this dangerous and deadly exploration of a massive body nobody (even the author) has any understanding of. If Naraku were TRULY evil, he'd be selling tickets to his victims like the capitalists interests of The Mystery Flesh Pit. XD

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 335 White Dragon, Black Magician

Ooh, that would be a really fun custom chess set. In fact, I think I've coveted that very thing some time ago, browsing the web for cool stuff. There's probably a plethora of chess sets out there that have a fantasy theme like that, replacing the classic characters with mythological creatures and figures, and maybe even a couple with a Duel Monsters as the pieces. I tried looking something up a moment ago, just for funsies, but I only saw folks dreaming up what their conception of one might be, along with others saying that it would be too niche of a product to get off the ground. I have to admit that I agree with the second camp, but I do like to imagine it - perhaps Atem as king with his classic monsters making up the black set and Kaiba/Seto as the king with his own classic monsters making up the white set. 

And you know he would be down with that arrangement, given Kaiba's background in chess, and white always going first in the traditional rules. 

Whatever. May as well duel over a gas station burrito for all the "king" title means at this point.

Priest "Seto" muses about how "they" say only a king has the power to summon a god, but declares he ALSO has a god at his disposal. I thought the god dictated divine right, not that divine right dictated over the god, but everything is going all topsy-turvy this late in the game anyway, why not this? Atem looks a little mystified by the claim on a god, so Priest "Seto" draws his attention to the stone slab behind himself and says a white dragon god is sealed inside it. This definitely rings a bell for Atem, whose eyes widen as he regards that white dragon, the god in the slab. 

Moving on, Priest "Seto" says Atem was able to defeat Zorc by combining all his gods into Horakhty, but he's very confident that the white dragon will surpass even THAT power. He offers to show Atem, with a classically creepy little smirk. Atem yells at him that they don't have time to fight one another, as the High Priest of Darkness is still alive. Ooooh, he hasn't figured it out yet? I mean, to be fair, Priest Seto normally acts like a bit of a jerkwad, so it's not really a surprise that he might not be able to tell the difference at a distance. 

I'm not really sure if the above declaration is out loud or not, but regardless, Atem appears to be getting the picture. He regards Priest "Seto"'s eyes, half rolled back behind heavy eyelids, much like someone ELSE we know, and can see in them that Priest "Seto" is just not himself. He considers the concept of Akhenaden's evil consciousness, so MAYBE he's getting at the very least some psychic vibes or something? I have no idea.

Priest "Seto", one track mind that he has, announces that he'll defeat Atem here and now and become the king of the shadows. 

Your wish sucks bro.

The real Priest Seto just kind of hunches over, staring at the void he's been thrust into listlessly, addressing his father helplessly. Akhenaden recounts that he removed the white dragon god from Kisara and put it in the tablet, all so Priest Seto could be king. Priest Seto squeezes his eyes shut and groans, but Akhenaden pays no attention to this; he demands that Priest "Seto", the body he's puppeting anyway, destroy the pharaoh with the white dragon. 

Priest "Seto" declares the start to his so-called duel, but Atem shouts at him to stop, that he's being controlled. Ignoring Atem's observation, Priest "Seto" bids him to behold the way his god's power makes the heavens shake. A column of light forming into a pair of wings erupts from the top of the steaming tablet, and Atem beholds indeed, eyes popping at the formation of that white dragon he knows so well by now.

Hmmmm... Is there a FEMALE version of Frank Sinatra? I feel like my whole "ol' blue eyes" joke just doesn't work anymore.

Priest "Seto" laughs maniacally, arms swung wide. An arm raised to protect against the wind, Atem grunts, thinking that the magic of the white dragon is pretty powerful. He's also convinced he has no choice but to fight, so he summons up Dark Magician in his own giant stone slab behind him. So nice of Priest "Seto" to set that all up for him. When Mahado pops onto the scene, he's immediately floored by what a monster he's facing, sensing the power to rival the gods. He also notices that Atem's ba has nearly run out from his battle with Zorc, so he can't even summon THOSE anymore. Mahado wonders just how much he can fight with what's left in him too. 

Atem advises Mahado not to aim for the dragon, but the stone slab behind it, to which little trick Mahado agrees. Priest "Seto" commands his dragon to attack the pharaoh's servant, calling the blast that issues from its mouth the "Reign of Destruction". I can't complain, it's not a half-bad name. As the blast barrels toward him, Mahado resolves to put all he has into his own ONE attack.

I feel like this is a BAD plan. He must be really tired from narrowly avoiding the end of the world. 

Mahado shouts at the white dragon to begone, his blast on its way straight to the tablet from which it's manifesting. Priest "Seto" lazily observes where he's aiming, but adding that he's a bit too slow through his creepy smirk. Mahado suddenly freezes, looking shocked and agonized, Atem also flabbergasted. The slab behind him explodes from the white dragon's blast, alarmed that the Dark Magician's tablet was destroyed first. Mahado dissolved while muttering about how Priest "Seto" aimed for him, his slab, so much faster, while Atem calls to him in desperation. 

Priest "Seto" chuckles across the way over how Atem has lost his last servant. But Priest "Seto"'s monster and tablet appear whole and undisturbed entirely. I guess Mahado's attack dissolved along with him. Seems cheap, but okay. Atem stands hunched, but still looking determined and glaring at the hissing dragon across from him. 

You guys seen that new meme where the stick figures are leaping off the cliff to ring the bell that owns the libs?

Yeah. Same energy.

Atem talks to Priest Seto, not Priest "Seto", asking if he can hear his voice. The real Priest Seto seems to stir in his weird mind headlock. Atem says that even if he's defeated by Priest "Seto", there's no way he can become a TRUE king as long as he's ruled by darkness. Priest "Seto" asks for clarification, and I have to admit that I too am very interested to know the logic behind this assertion. After all, there have been plenty of kings in the past that were definitely not directed by sunshine and rainbows. Atem yells at Priest "Seto" to take his light, and kill him if necessary sure, but the important part is to take his light. He adds that he wants Priest "Seto" to ask himself what kind of king he is, if he shines with pride in the prison of his soul. Man, it's just really sad that EVERYONE seems to view Priest Seto's heart and soul as a fucking prison, himself included. 

The real Priest Seto's eyes bulge at the call to... something, but Akhenaden is asserts that nothing Atem says can help, and yells at him to just die. Priest "Seto" demands that his white dragon go forth and kill the pharaoh. But the white dragon doesn't do it. The white dragon just stays still. Atem gapes, Priest "Seto" asks why in horrified bewilderment, and Akhenaden from within demands to know why the damn dragon won't attack. Priest "Seto"'s face further contorts with anguish as the next part comes. 

Looks like she doesn't want ANY part of this shit. And I do not blame her. 

As Akhenaden wonders where in the WORLD the dragon went, some new rays of light penetrate into whatever dark cavern of Priest Seto's soul he's got them both holed up in. He looks up and is bewildered by the light shining in, and Priest Seto manages to lift his head enough to give it a look as well. When Akhenaden begins to see the explanation for it, he's in utter disbelief.

Well that's one way to grab a guy's attention.

And another entirely to waste his shitty father. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Yeah, there was definitely supposed to be more here. It has the distinct feel of something that WAS more epic and grand, but was cut off at the knees before it could walk out on stage. Still, it does make SOME sense that the battle is so short, given how little energy Atem has left after fighting Zorc. Since this particular part of the story HAD to be truncated so much, this is probably the best place to put it, given how limiting Atem's exhaustion would have been to his functioning in a long duel anyway. 

I do like how, once again, this ending kind of rhymes with what we've seen from the Blue Eyes White Dragon before - this monster has been known to refuse to work for those with which it's not particularly aligned. Or rather, for MOTIVES it's not particularly aligned. I recall criticizing the first instances of Blue Eyes taking itself out of the fight, when Kaiba had stolen it from Sugoroku first and when the ventriloquist had stolen it from Kaiba later, but I'm reconsidering that criticism. Maybe the card not working has LESS to do with the bond or loyalties it has, but the VALUES that it is enforcing - encouraging righteousness and denying lashing out in hatred, even when the wielder is in pain. It still doesn't explain why the Blue Eyes White Dragon doesn't refuse to participate in the duel SOONER; even here it destroys the Dark Magician pretty readily before it turns on Akhenaden. But it does make for sounder structural integrity of the whole connection between Kaiba/Priest Seto/Kisara/Blue Eyes. 

It's a shame that the only strong will and agency Kisara expresses in the story is only AFTER she's died though. And without precedent, it seems to come out of absolute nowhere. If she had been allowed to act on her own even just a LITTLE before...

Oh well.

Inuyasha Manga: 276 Bisected

Right in half! I kind of wanted to bisect my husband's old laptop, since he just got a new one and all. The old one was quite the troublemaker for a really long time. It took forever to boot up, practically ALL of its RAM would be tied up into loading a single webpage, and any video game project he was working on was liable to be corrupted for seemingly no reason. It got to the point that he was cursing the damn thing out every single day for something or other. One day I told him to just bite the bullet and order a new gaming laptop, since we luckily have the extra funds. He's been pleased as punch with the one he picked ever since it arrived, and hasn't been upset even ONCE.

He wouldn't let me cleave the old one in half, though. Seems he still has a use for it.

Bankotsu is ridiculously easy to surprise.

Inuyasha closes his bloodied claws around the Shikon shards he ripped out of Bankotsu's throat. Once again, Bankotsu looks utterly scandalized and enraged, calling Inuyasha a bastard. Inuyasha delivers a kick to Bankotsu's midsection and sends him flying against the wall opposite. Nice to see that Inuyasha can get in a shot likewise every once in a while. As Bankotsu hits the rock, Inuyasha stands, counting FIVE Shikon Fragments he's gotten so far. He announces that it'll be all over for Bankotsu when he takes the shards in his left arm. 

Don't know why he didn't go for those before the ones he just took - Inuyasha's already looking quite bruised, and Bankotsu wouldn't have been able to keep punching with his NECK.

He must have updated his vision board before he came into the cave. 

Inuyasha tells Bankotsu what he's saying is futile, and even if by some fluke he makes it out of the fight over Inuyasha, there would be no way Naraku would let someone else carrying Shikon fragments live. Though he DOES admit he has no idea what promise Naraku made to Bankotsu, he lets hang the implication that whatever it was, Naraku lied. Bankotsu just smiles silently, thinking back when he woke up to a voice bidding him to awaken, saying he'd been given another life. Naraku's hand withdrew from Bankotsu's neck but his form still hovered over him as he informed Bankotsu that he would work for him, and would be allowed to keep him new life for all eternity. 

Wow, Naraku didn't even TRY to make that convincing, did he?

Inuyasha bets that the Shichinin-tai are just a makeshift strategy for Naraku, merely a shield for him. I don't need to repeat how much effort Naraku put into this whole plot, do I? Convoluted, sure, but certainly not "makeshift". Bankotsu smirks, generally displaying a "so what" attitude about the idea that he and his buddies are mere pawns. He tells Inuyasha that the Shichinin-tai were originally soldiers for hire, used at the leisure of warlords, and cornered/executed when they became a little too dangerous to their employers' tastes. In other words, he's kind of used to this dynamic, and it hardly surprises him. 

Inuyasha looks on stoically at Bankotsu as he admits to NEVER trusting Naraku. Well, at least he's not a total nincompoop. He does think of himself as his own man now that he's alive again, though, despite the fact that he's been spending his time as "his own man" deferring to another just like he did in his former life. As Bankotsu gets to his feet, he declares that he'll murder anyone who gets in his way, including Naraku. 

Yeah, not a TOTAL nincompoop, but pretty close. 

Another pulse rocks the cave, and while Inuyasha is distracted a little by the falling dust from the ceiling, Bankotsu scoffs again, moving swiftly to the side. Inuyasha looks around with a sudden realization at Bankotsu's sword, that he just now remembers also has Shikon shards in it. 

Too slow. 

Bankotsu doesn't even bother pulling the sword out of the ground, just drags it into an upward slash bringing a bunch of loose rocks with it, directing a new attack toward his enemy. Inuyasha draws Tessaiga with difficulty again just in time to hold it up in front of him and split the blast on either side of him with the blade. 

Doesn't stop him from getting slung into the wall AGAIN, though. 

As he bum-rushes Inuyasha for the umpteenth time, Bankotsu yells that if he were his opponent, he would have landed the finishing blow without hesitation after taking the shards out of his neck. It really speaks to SOMETHING about Bankotsu's character that he's willing to give his enemy ideas like this - not sure if it's stupidity or overconfidence, but it's SOMETHING. Inuyasha groans, still lying against the crater he made in the stone while Bankotsu swings, declaring that soft guys like Inuyasha just don't have the right to live. 

But Inuyasha is back on his feet again, running at Bankotsu, reminding him of what he said before (and demonstrated far more than was necessary): he's really strong at taking hits. 

Not much of an interesting strategy, though.

Inuyasha grunts against the force of the blow pushing back his sword, and Bankotsu demands to know what's wrong, asking if he doesn't have the power anymore to bring out that Kaze no Kizu attack. I have to assume Bankotsu's prior attack has subsided, because the next couple of panels show them both holding up their weapons, preparing to swing again, and a yell-bubble between them saying that this is the end. They must have decided this simultaneously, so on the same page they are on this drawn-out stalemate of a fight.

Next, Bankotsu loses his sword, as Inuyasha's slices him through, from left armpit up to right shoulder. 

Is this the bisection? Huh. I always thought that to bisect was to divide into two EQUAL parts, but maybe I'm a little fuzzy on my definition...

Bankotsu now sees that all this was so Inuyasha could finish him off for certain. How that's connected strategically to getting his ass punched into walls every five seconds is beyond me, I guess. The right hand that is no longer connected to the part of Bankotsu still housing Shikon fragments (and by extension the rest of his body) collapses into bones just like his friends did, flesh dissolving away from it like dust in the wind. Inuyasha still holds Tessaiga in the position in which he followed through on his slash, silently watching his opponent MOSTLY crumble. 

Inuyasha is alarmed by yet another pulse in the caves, the fallen Bankotsu unresponsive to it. I was expecting him to "black knight" this shit, but it appears that the shock of being separated from a good majority of his body has put him out. 

Suddenly, the stone under Inuyasha's feet turns... squishy, and slurps around his soles. He looks down, clenching his teeth at the ground that he perceives is a bit more active than before. It begins to bubble up around the edges of Bankotsu's blade. 

Gross. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? A fittingly dull end to a dull confrontation. Honestly, it's probably for the best that RT put this fight out of its misery here, because it just felt like her heart was NOT in this until the very end. She wasn't too terribly convincing in her attempt to assure us that Inuyasha was just using his ability to take hits as a viable strategy, and I'm not sure if it's because it just on the surface doesn't make all that much sense, or if her one half-hearted attempt to portray Inuyasha as halfway competent in a while was in the midst of him getting the shit knocked out of himself. Maybe both. Either way, for a threat that took so long and so much effort to overcome, Bankotsu and the Shichinin-tai sure went out with a fizzle.

I did appreciate the slight digression regarding how Bankotsu felt about his new boss Naraku. It makes sense that Bankotsu would be more than suspicious of Naraku's intention for himself and his mercenaries, given his past experiences. It's also understandable, given his glut of confidence, he'd consider himself more than capable of taking out Naraku before he got those Shikon shards off of him and turn him back into a corpse. All the same, I have to wonder, even if Bankotsu were able to kill Inuyasha AND Naraku to preserve his new eternal life, would he really have been the "free man" he thought he was? We know the old patterns both Kikyou and Hakushin Shounin fell into, performing the same old actions of service as they did in life because as members of the "undead" community, they exist outside of time, unable to evolve and grow anymore. And he DID rather quickly take up under Naraku's orders despite not believing for a second the half-assed promise of getting to keep those fragments. I can't help but assume, even if he managed to bury his current enemies, he would have just found a NEW daimyou to kill for.

All the same, I never wondered for a second if Bankotsu trusted fully in Naraku or his promises. That was a question that had already been addressed in a somewhat minor way with at least ONE question as to whether Naraku was trustworthy. I think it was fairly obvious that Bankotsu was going to be wary of Naraku, just from the tiny tidbit we got. The one burning question I had never got answered; how in the actual fuck was Bakotsu able to wield his blade, and the other members do clearly INhuman actions despite supposedly being fully human? I guess it's just taken for granted that we would accept the unusual strength and abilities/morphology of the Shichinin-tai as quirks without thinking too hard about it.

It's no secret that I had next to no faith that RT would address this glaring issue with her supposedly "human" villains. Being burned and lacking trust in a suspicious party after the fact seems to be something Bankotsu and I have in common.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 334 The Survivors

Count me among them. I live to see another week, but unfortunately my fight isn't quite over. Professional despair is looming over me and I'm at my wit's end with a worsening cyclical problem at work. Thankfully, my sponsor with the company should return from vacation next week, so we should be able to have a little talk about it then, but in the meantime, I'll have to gather my arms - an updated resume and receipts. Lots of receipts.

Not as good a negotiation to the end of my troubles as an almighty creatrix, but better than nothing.

I'm still mighty jealous, though.

The flaming viscera of Zorc rains down around them from the sky, which is GENUINELY kind of disturbing, but most of the lookers-on are smiling wide about it. Jonouchi's elated comment is a very bare-bones mention of how Horakhty beat Zorc. Atem is the only one not grinning or gaping, but I think he's just being stoic. Watching part of Zorc's skull burning away upon reentry into the atmosphere or something, Atem considers how the demon god born of the darkness in peoples' hearts has been defeated, but also acknowledging that there are an awful lot of people (Shada, Kalim, and Siamun being the principle examples he thinks about) who lost their lives. He hangs his head.

As he continues to cling to the chain dangling the cartouche from his fist, Horakhty addresses him from above, citing his name as both the identity he had lost and also the spell to drive back the shadows. He looks up at her, looking somewhat surprised, while she informs him that his power alone wasn't enough to break the 3,000-year seal. She at last drops the straight face and puts on a little warm smile when she tells him that the people who fought for him, the friends who care about him so much, were the true keys that unlocked his long lost name. He smiles too, agreeing wholeheartedly, holding up the cartouche clenched in his fist. 

The friends she mentioned surround him, cheering; Jonouchi yelling that he did it, Anzu asking if he's okay, Honda admitting that the Zorc thing had him scared for a while, but he always knew their pharaoh buddy could defeat him. They ALL call him Yuugi. Atem makes an awkward, hesitant noise, and the excitement drops into uncomfortable silence for a moment. Yuugi sheepishly recalls the obvious, and Jonouchi interjects boisterously his recollection that Atem isn't "Yuugi" to them anymore, but has got his own Name. Yuugi suggests that he can't call Atem his other self anymore, but Atem stutters in alarm that it's okay, he doesn't mind, they don't need to call him by anything else. Anzu disagrees - she says he's ATEM, and that's his real name. 

Atem looks down at the cartouche wordlessly, pondering it.

A unique and confusing situation for all. 

Yuugi himself is thinking the whole thing over too, smiling at Atem, acknowledging that this all means he's him, and Atem is no one else but himself too. He has to admit that he feels a little sad about this, but he knows this is just... how it had to be. Yuugi just keeps on smiling, which isn't a bad way to handle the whole thing, honestly.

Atem thanks Anzu, saying the cartouche she got saved him. As he looks at it some more, this time in his palm, Anzu blushes and says she GUESSES that's so. Come on, girl, take credit - it was a DAMN good idea! Suddenly, Atem looks back up at his friends and addresses the others, declaring that he couldn't have defeated Zorc if they hadn't found his name. He says thank you to all of them, allowing himself a little grin of gratitude again. Jonouchi asks Atem (correcting himself halfway through calling him Yuugi again) what he expected, their friendship being valid no matter where they are and what anyone's name is. Yuugi says that Atem's name changing doesn't make a THING different. 

A rumble surrounds them and the ground shakes some more. A guard approaches Atem and informs him that the earth still quakes even though Zorc is dead, another shouting that the area is still dangerous. Atem looks over and calls to Isis and Mana, asking them who else is left of their company. 

I'm not going to lie. I completely forgot about those guys, lol. 

Atem twists around to cast the heaving landscape a suspicious glare, wondering if Akhenaden is still alive. He turns back to Yuugi and friends, telling them that he has no idea what's going to happen in this world and that they need to leave ASAP. He asserts that they don't belong in "ancient Egypt", and that there has to be a way for them to get out of there. Yuugi protests that Atem must come with them, expression collapsing into anxiety, Honda looking about the same next to him. Atem refuses, reminding them that this is the world of his memories, a world he has to see through to its future. Before Yuugi can voice his clear alarm, Atem tells them not to be afraid, assuring them that he'll get back to them no matter what, urging everyone to go back to the real world and wait for him there. Jonouchi affirms the order, and says Atem better come back to them, which Atem responds to with his solemn promise. 

The ground is still rattling around around them, by the way. It sure is polite letting them get on with their conversation like it is, though. Yuugi and company start to run, with the shouted intention of getting the duck out of fodge. Isis bids their backs farewell, Mana beside her thanking them for lending their assistance to the pharaoh and themselves. Yuugi twists to direct a goodbye back at them before he and Atem's other friends all rise straight up into the sky toward the tip of the inverted pyramid they came from - the puzzle hanging over the diorama.

Atem looks over his shoulder to watch them go, then looks forward with a determined glare. He's still feeling the "pulse" of the land (not sure if that's the quaking or somewhere beneath it...), and concludes that the shadows still linger. He starts running as well, thinking about Priest Seto. 

I was starting to wonder if this image would ever pop up again.

Priest Seto looks down at Kisara's face, thinking that the light which destroyed the evil god cannot reach his heart, presuming that the world will never truly be bright for him again. Dammit, is the story going to make his grieving a PROBLEM for everybody? That tracks. Priest Seto wishes for Kisara to forgive him, admitting to himself in this moment that he never wanted to let her go, likening his own heart to a prison in which he wanted to lock her up, as the one point of light in the darkness of his soul. After the really painful edgy middle school poetry, Priest Seto concludes that he didn't want Kisara's spirit ka, her dragon creature, but HER. Considering her expression in death is something akin to a kissy face, I'm sure she felt the same way. Inappropriate, yes, but this is literally how she's drawn, and it's uncomfortable. 

Suddenly, Priest Seto becomes alarmed while contemplating Kisara, hearing her voice calling to him. Her voice suggests that he let her protect him with the light of her spirit. He just responds with her name, so I'm not sure if he's agreeing to this arrangement quite yet.

Meanwhile...

Have you been stumbling around in the background whining this whole time?

He makes some more gurgling noises while oscillating like the madman he is, raising a clawed hand and declaring that now the only thing that can defeat the pharaoh's gods is his son Priest Seto. I... thought that was what you were trying to set him up for this whole time, but I guess that was just the backup plan? I am so confused right now. 

Anyway, he turns to Priest Seto with claws outstretched, shouting at him that he's destined to be king and that he must kill the pharaoh, as well as steep the world in shadows. Dude has been drinking too much KoolAid to snap out of the cult mindset even when his big bad leader is dead. Priest Seto looks around, jaw clenched, strangely lucid about how the shadows of hatred fill his heart for this man who calls himself his father. He squeezes his eyes shut, haltingly reasoning that no matter what form this guy takes, he's still his father, and Akhenaden too, whom he swore fealty and owes so much. Uh, what? You said before that you're actually sworn to serve the pharaoh, not the guy who brought you up in the priesthood. What happened to THAT fair reasoning???

Out loud, Priest Seto makes a GOOD point, finally: that Egypt is in ruins, everything is fucked, so what does it even matter anymore? Who gives a shit about killing a king and having power over a wasteland anyway? Akhenaden takes off his mask, revealing his wrinkled emaciated face and his one remaining eye glowing blank opposite the Millennium Eye. He asserts that with his son's power, he can erase the stain of failure in their blood, which I SUPPOSE is supposed to be an answer for why he still gives a crap about Priest Seto ruling the husk of Egypt instead of Atem? 

So, what exactly what Akhenaden's blood failure here? Being born second? Being the brother of a king and being raised in a royal family where he and his family want for nothing as well? Having a long and comfortable career in the head priesthood? Performing a dark blood ritual that created artifacts which were instrumental in almost bringing about the end of the world? No doubt that last one - just couldn't QUITE get the apocalypse to work out. 

Man, if only his privileged ass had the GALL to whine about his "fail blood" to people who have REAL problems. That might be entertaining.

Priest Seto just grimaces at his terrible dad, the ellipses over his head indicating the lack of words to really address the dipshittery he's having to listen to. Akhenaden says that Priest Seto's flesh and blood are a part of him, and his last gift to him will be to give Priest Seto his soul, a strange and shocking statement to his son. Akhenaden declares his love for Priest Seto from the bottom of his heart, while Priest Seto stares in alarm at Akhenaden stepping backward over a chasm in the ground behind him. With a final yell, Akhenaden calls to the blood in Priest Seto's veins to flow with his love, and boil with his hatred of the pharaoh.

"Aw Dad, you shouldn't have! No, really, does this literal curse come with a gift receipt?"

Into a palace that's in complete shambles, Atem runs calling for Priest Seto. He stops, looking on in alarm when he sees the tall form of Priest Seto standing with its arms crossed in front of the stone tablet that now has the form of a familiar dragon etched upon it, saying in calm delight that he's been waiting foe the pharaoh. 

Priest Seto's eyes are blank, but he's grinning, chuckling about what a tragedy it is that the palace has fallen, and Atem is now a naked king without wealth or power. Atem gapes.

A kingdom without wealth or power? Yeah, that's totes worth it. *eyeroll*

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I'm really seeing what KT was talking about in his quote regarding wanting to elaborate a bit more on Priest Seto's "rebellion" against the pharaoh. This is where all the stress fractures from the timeline squeeze are turning into some WIDE cracks. There's unfortunately not enough development of character motivation here - how Akhenaden's resentment over not being pharaoh turned into pure hatred and the irresistible urge to overthrow his nephew, how Priest Seto keeps flip-flopping between the reasonable conclusion to resist his father's unhinged demands and the urge to obey and respect the man who got him where he is. Clearly there was WAY more planned in that department, but a lot of it had to be cut so most of what's left comes across as abrupt, to say the least. 

Thankfully, there are enough indications of how the characters' minds are supposed to be working that I MIGHT be able to glean what KT meant to get across. For instance, Akhenaden's claws, his inhumanly contorted face as he speaks, points to him being more Zorc than human at this point, so Zorc's hatred for the pharaoh might have permanently melded with Akhenaden's deep resentment. Priest Seto was showing odd signs of being subconsciously influenced by his father's demands for a while before this, unable to refuse despite his personal convictions on his own. For whatever reason, whenever Akhenaden was around and telling Priest Seto what to do and what the plan was, Priest Seto is struck dumb and incapable of expressing his own will. I suggested a couple of possibilities, from the more mundane explanation of him being subconsciously deferential to his dad, to the idea that perhaps the Millennium Eye was influencing the both of them to try and fulfill Akhenaden's wish. These are just guesses, mind, I don't have access to KT's true intent, but they seem plausible in the absence of more concrete explanations in the truncated text.

There is one kind of BLARING indication of one of the things that left Priest Seto vulnerable to possession though - losing Kisara. He even says outright that the light of the creatrix can't even touch the shadows in his heart right now. While I see how the emotional turmoil of Kisara's death could be an interesting catalyst for a downward spiral, it would be much more understandable if the mourning was overly extended and the pain was festering instead of getting easier to deal with. As it stands, Priest Seto has been mourning for about FIVE SECONDS before his dad comes waltzing up and possesses him, and that makes it look more like the negative emotion of mourning is the problem instead of its mishandling. This comic kind of already has a problem with toxic positivity and presenting negative emotions as something to be denounced instead of helpful indicators for healing, so that's not GREAT. 

Also, it's such a shame that this keeps happening to SETO of all the characters. For fuck's sake, it's no wonder this guy has such huge issues across lifetimes! He's never allowed to just feel his feelings and DEAL with them!

But I at least wasn't frustrated by the beginning of the chapter. Seeing everyone stumble around trying to get Atem's name right and generally be cute was super wholesome. But I am VERY anxious to learn what happens when Yuugi and company gets out of the diorama. How PISSED is asshole!Bakura going to be? What kind of SHAPE is he going to be in???

Not the kind for closing the coffin lids on our heroes, I hope!