Friend Blue Magic brought it to my attention in the last YuYu Hakusho post that I was missing the final page of chapter 8 in my recap - somehow it was missing from VIZ's posting of the chapter! I'm debating whether or not to alert them to this, as perhaps I might be putting myself in an, ahem, precarious position if they don't quite like what I'm doing here on the blog. It SHOULD fall under fair use, but there's no guarantee someone might not serve me a cease and desist anyway.
While I'm deliberating with myself, I'll quickly recap the final page of the previous chapter, just to catch us all up properly with the beginning of this one: Dai glares threateningly at Keiko, then grabs her by her chin, squishing her face in as he chuckles that she's got some guts in her and he thinks he LIKES her now. Ugh, the only thing worse than a douchebag being angry with you is one LIKING you *shiver*. Keiko's friends are horrified and wonder what they should do now.
Meanwhile, Yusuke is sitting at what looks like a pachinko machine, concentrating on fiddling with it while his over-eager neighbor asks him where he's been for the long period in which he hasn't seen him, Yusuke answering absently that he was in another world. According to a couple of exposition blurbs, Yusuke is trying to fill himself with enough worldly pleasures to last him the next month, and thinks he is doing nothing wrong. I can confirm he's doing nothing wrong.
Now, with that out of the way...
That's... not subtle, is it? XD
It's down in this half-dead hole that there's a whole cast of shady characters, sitting and crouching in a graffitied room - the walls have all kinds of goofy shit scratched into them. Clearly the place isn't actually in business, but the punk occupants have created an atmosphere with a boombox playing on the floor, at least. When the door opens and someone steps inside, the occupants turn to greet the arrival, Dai, and one of them asks who the Sarayashiki Junior High girl is. Turns out that in addition to his two flunkies, one of whom is developing a nasty swelling on his face, Dai has steered Keiko into the dungeon as well. He tells the rabble that they have to be respectful to "his girl", and offers them the chance to express their approval on his choice, which makes me throw up in my mouth a little. At least now I kind of get the "ideal girl" category in his bio in the last chapter. Explains a lot.
One of the hooligans scoffs that she doesn't look like she's ready to give up on life just yet, implying that any girl who agrees to get with Dai has done so. Shit, dude got wrecked. But Dai doesn't seem to notice, arguing that ANY girl is his once he turns on the charm. He looks over at a glowering Keiko for confirmation, but she's remembering that he threatened to "take her two friends" instead if she decided to back out of his courtship. She mutters that this sure was a pick-up line, yessiree, while he leans over to urge her to buck up, insisting they're here to party and have fun. Call me crazy, but hanging out in a rat-hole doesn't sound particularly FUN to me.
Keiko slaps Dai's hand away from her shoulder and snaps at him to get his paws off her, and his response is to seize her by her sailor ascot and drag her closer to his massive face, informing her that if he says she's his girl then that is the end of the conversation, just in case she hasn't quite realized the situation she's in. And just in case us READERS missed it, there's a recap of the previous chapter giving us all the details of Yusuke's temporary resurrection, the confrontations with Dai's underlings, and then Dai himself, all presented by an unconcerned and smiling Keiko sitting on the floor in a dark dress, as if presenting the conclusion to this two-parter. It's very dissonant.
Elsewhere, someone is exclaims Dai's name in high distress. It's Kuwabara, who has at last made it onto the scene where his friends are collapsed on the ground against a wall, and Keiko's friends are informing him that the guy who took Keiko had a REALLY big head. Mid-Sized Friend asks Kuwabara if he KNOWS this creep Dai, halting in pain through the short question. Kuwabara affirms that he's heard of Daisuke Motomoto, who is a new kid to the area, though he still has a pretty tough reputation, and the word on the street is the guy ALREADY rules the 8th grade at Kasane Junior High with an iron fist. Pigtails worriedly reiterates that Dai insisted Keiko go with him, and Mid-Sized Friend begins to explain that they TRIED to stop the guy, but trails off. I mean, the result is obvious enough.
Kuwabara declares that the only place Dai could have gone with Keiko is Cafe Half-Dead, and a serious den of trouble it is too.
Honestly, you would have been better off simply staying at the pachinko machine, buddy.
Yusuke wonders what he should do, what with Keiko involved, repeating quietly the name of the place Kuwabara said they took her. He doesn't think Kuwabara stands a CHANCE, but that's just a cover for a literally sketchy fantasy in his head where he knocks out all the bad guys and explains everything to Keiko about how he got his body back for a day, while she gushes about how he's her hero, cool and great. Instead of realizing how unrealistic just about EVERY ASPECT of this daydream is, he just concludes nervously that it would probably count as talking to her. As it should. Because it would be.
He's convinced he has to save her without her knowing that it's him, and seems to have an epiphany as he looks down at the sacks in his arms, prizes he got from his day at the pachinko parlor. He rummages through it until he finds something suitable for his purpose, and I'm very VERY nervous to find out what cheap toy he could have gotten out of that bag that could disguise him sufficiently. Or insufficiently.
I genuinely envy that "Forces of Evil" shirt, and I kind of want one...
Keiko sits on a ratty sofa, quiet and uncomfortable, while one of the original two hooligans whispers to Dai around the corner. He suggests that they all "get down" with his new girl, and receives a nasty backhand and an insult in response. Dai towers over his apologizing lackey, saying that they aren't a bunch of animals and that they do things with CLASS around here. I would say that's rich coming from the guy who basically KIDNAPPED her in the first place, but he turns to Keiko and declares that all this "class" and superiority to other animals is code for "Dai first". Calling dibs is the classiest shit, guys, for real.
Dai and his underlings all converge on Keiko, Dai himself suggesting a game of "peek-a-boo" in which she lifts her skirt a little more for them. She jumps to her feet and refuses emphatically, threatening to scream if any of them come nearer. Dai points out that there's no one around to hear her, and continues to pressure her, imploring her not to be shy, though his face is wooden and cruel. In his drunken loss of inhibition (according to the small text printed over his mask of a massive face, he closes in on her with hands held up in a grabbing gesture, telling her to leave it to him. He... DOES know her skirt is way lower than that, doesn't he?
She shrieks, and to my queasy chagrin, Dai seems to be very much correct. There really isn't anyone to hear her, save a kid on the stairs who just sits there comments blandly on how it really seems to be HAPPENING down there in the "cafe". Yeah, SHITTY things are happening down there. Thankfully, this snot's head is kicked so hard that blood spurts from his nose, and he's down for the count in a second, his assailant descends the stairs coolly.
I really wish he had been sooner.
This chapter is kind of ruining my day, not gonna lie.
With a few new scratches on his face, Dai complains about how he didn't mean to hit the little wildcat as hard as he did, but she's knocked out now regardless. The shitbird who suggested they "have fun" with Keiko to begin with NOW tells Dai this just makes it easier for them to have their fun now, and there are no WORDS for how infuriated I am, for real.
In another fucking fake-out, Dai seems to be shocked at the suggestion of taking advantage of an unconscious girl at first, but he says that it's a good idea, as if it just hadn't occurred to him before. The FUCK are these BEASTS in here???? His lackeys seem to fall over sweatdropping in exasperation as Dai kneels next to Keiko. I hope our disguised avenger rips his fucking dick off.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear - said avenger kicks open the door into the broken-down "cafe", and Dai looks over, demanding to know who that is. It's someone in a cheap mask with round cheeks, a kind of bloated stereotype, who says he's just passing through. The underlings laugh HARD at the mask, calling its wearer a dope, but he surveys the scene before him and is shocked to find all the hooligans gathered around an unresponsive Keiko. He identifies her breathlessly and asks what they did to her, and a grinning Dai tells him that they haven't done anything YET, he just shut her up because she wouldn't quiet down earlier when they were gearing up to assault her.
Oh, is THAT all?
The avenger observes that she's been knocked cold, so he grasps the mask on his face to discard it since he doesn't need it anymore. He tosses it to reveal... a pair of joke glasses attached to a false nose/mustache. The auxiliary disguise practically sends the whole gang on their heads in shock. It doesn't last long either, though.
Does it matter? Fuck 'em ALL up.
The two original punks recognize Yusuke from their encounter on the street earlier, with some SERIOUS asperity. They have a bone to pick, no doubt, but what else is new. The guy Yusuke almost turned to into mincemeat promises to rip Yusuke's head off, pointing accusingly at him. Yusuke reacts with his own mild recognition and quietly kicks the guy's face in. He continues beating the shit out of the guy while the rest of the hooligans nervously watch. The comic doesn't have a panel on Dai, though, so that makes me SLIGHTLY nervous.
After Yusuke is all done, holding the pulverized dude onto his knees by the collar, he asks his punk audience if anyone else wants some, because he's prepared to do the same to ALL of them. Suddenly, each and every one of them grows a spine all at once, after one of them expresses doubt that he could take ALL of them. With a rallying cry, they attack together.
It's no surprise to anyone that this is an all-out brawl. Some guy hits Yusuke over the head with a bottle and instead of passing out, he just gets angrier, turning to send the guy flying with a powerful punch, yelling that it hurt. It seems it was filled with something too, because he's dripping and complaining about how cold the beverage is. He also laments how it was such a waste, because apparently it was a high-quality brew as well, possibly able to taste whatever it is as it drips down his head and into his mouth. Yusuke suggests they all stick to EMPTY bottles from now on, for goodness sake.
In an attempt to make lemonade, so to speak, Yusuke resolves to slick his hair back into his signature style with the drink he's wearing. It causes that spark of recognition to return to the original two punks he met on the street, one of which repeats that he KNEW Yusuke was familiar. Granted, Yusuke's hair is not perfectly slicked, but sticking out in spiky cowlicks every which way, a few stray locks still hovering over his forehead. He bets with a little grin that he looks a fright while there's a confirmation that he's indeed the infamous Urameshi. There's a cry of disbelief, that they heard he was DEAD, that it has to be a look-alike, or a twin brother or something.
Yusuke has his thumb pointed toward himself with his tongue out, and I'm not sure if he's making a childish face or licking his thumb or something. Anyway, Dai has reappeared, claiming not to care if it's a doppelganger or whatever. He admits to punching Keiko, asking what it is to Yusuke-or-otherwise. Keiko appears to be stirring on the floor behind Yusuke, and he grumbles, several veins popping on his head as he says to Dai that he was just curious as to who had the death-wish. He explains that Kuwabara is the only one in the area stupid enough to pick a fight with him, and that must make Dai either dumber than Kuwabara, or VERY new. I think it's been established that he's new, but Dai doesn't make much of an argument either way. He just tells Yusuke to shut up and bring it.
An affirmation later, Yusuke lunges forward, much faster than Dai expected, clearly. Dai does not get out of the way in time, and Yusuke plants a headbutt right in the middle of his skull, which already hurts Dai enough to make him stumble and cry out in pain. But Yusuke is already pulling back for a punch, his fist making an audible arc in the air.
Forget a glass jaw, this guy has a glass HEAD.
The hooligans are FREAKING OUT about Yusuke taking out Dai with just two blows, acknowledging that this HAS to be the fabled Urameshi after all, back from the dead. That's ONE way to make yourself into an urban legend. The hooligans all scram in a hurry, whether afraid of a beating themselves, the ghost they're facing, or both.
As Yusuke mumbles about what a bunch of morons they are, Keiko sits up with a groan, hand on her bruised cheek. She looks around in Yusuke's direction and utters an exclamation, which causes Yusuke to turn and face her as well. They stare at one another, Keiko raising a finger to point, and Yusuke covers his own gape with his hand, in horror over her seeing him.
Yusuke sighs in relief at the close call he had with almost having to TALK to Keiko. This is SUCH a weird rule...
Meanwhile, Kuwabara has at long last arrived outside "Cafe Half-Dead", stuttering that he's outside the enemy stronghold. He's wearing a sash tied around his forehead and has a big stick in his hand, but he hesitates, realizing there's probz a lot of enemies in there. Fair, this ain't no video game, after all. He also thinks about how they'll all play for keeps, the fight won't be easy, and he nervously worries that he might not make it, heart pounding in mounting fear. But then he smiles, comforted by the new notion that if he DOESN'T make it, he can take on Urameshi again in Hell. A strange silver lining, but whatever gets you through it.
Someone calls out his name in exasperation that he FINALLY showed up, and Kuwabara's eyes fairly pop from his skull. It's Yusuke, climbing the stairs with Keiko draped over his back, complaining that Kuwabara took his sweet time. Kuwabara is... understandably shocked and confused, asking in quick succession why and how after yelling Urameshi's name in alarm.
Then there's THIS panel:
Uhhhhhh... Is this just a "dude" thing I don't understand? Is it just meant to represent the chaos in his head, or...? What's with the weirdly happy lady?
Outside of Kuwabara's head, he's sweatdropping and freaking out, haltingly trying to get out a single question about what's going on while wondering aloud if Yusuke wasn't dead just like he thought. After pulling an RT (narrow sky transition panel!), Yusuke finishes explaining his WHOLE story so far to Kuwabara. They walk along, Keiko still hitched on Yusuke's back, Yusuke explaining that he can come back one day each month, but he's not allowed to talk to Keiko as a rule. Kuwabara is silent, no doubt still absorbing this shocking information.
Yusuke warns Kuwabara that it's better for Keiko not to know about all this stuff until he comes back for good. Still sweatdropping, but looking a little calmer, Kuwabara agrees that they don't want there to be a slip-up. Indicating Keiko with his thumb, Yusuke asks Kuwabara to let her think that HE'S the one who saved her this time, and as Kuwabara accepts this request as the least he can do after what he's been told, Keiko opens an eye surreptitiously.
GIRL HAS BEEN AWAKE THIS WHOLE TIME!!!
Kuwabara adds that Yusuke owes HIM too - a cold one on his next return. Yusuke is struck by the simplicity of this return favor, offering to let him win their next fight as well, but Kuwabara turns that down flat, much more interested in beating Yusuke one day fair and square.
Back at Yusuke's house...
In the stretching silence following his crawling back into bed, he's got his arms folded under his head and he struggles against a nervous energy. He wonders how long Keiko is going to be out, mentally complains about being bored, and has to remind himself not to dare get up. But eventually, he does start to get sleepy, and by the time Keiko sits up, he's passed out once more, snoring a bit.
When he opens his eyes again, he's sitting cross-legged in the air next to Botan, just like before, expressing some initial confusion while Botan welcomes hims back with a "sleeping beauty" epithet. As if this isn't EXACTLY what he should have expected, he points at himself, incensed, and asks if he's back to being a ghost. Botan confirms that all his exercise must have worn him out, and he slept the rest of his time back in his body away. There's a note on the panel that it's actually the next evening. He starts tantruming about how he only got to spend like five or six hours goofing off, and Botan asks if that isn't enough for him.
He gets a look at his body below and leans down toward it, wondering what he's seeing. Hanging upside-down, Botan happily informs him that Keiko sort of... left him a note of her own.
Well, it's a good thing that the afterlife is sticking to the letter of their rule instead of quibbling over semantics...
So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It got really rough there for a few moments, and I'm not talking about Yusuke beating in hooligan faces. Sexual assault, attempted or otherwise, in stories of all stripes is a tricky subject to navigate. This attempt wasn't outright offensive like some have been, but it's not great either. Once again, this frankly terrifying experience of Keiko's centered on Yusuke's rescue of her instead, and that's just never going to make for the kind of gravity with which this subject should be treated.
I was surprised that Kuwabara was so reluctant to go into the hooligan den and kick some ass, hesitating as long as he was. In the previous chapters, he almost gave me the impression of someone who had a THING for getting his ass kicked. Not sure if that fetish is for getting beaten up by Yusuke in particular, or if his recent stint in academics is giving him pause in deliberately seeking head injuries, but he seems to be a bit more discerning here. It almost seems out of character, though, considering his established values - I would have thought he'd be a bit quicker in going to defend a poor girl taken captive, despite the risks to himself. It's a toss-up, and I'd love to hear from readers on what you all think as well!
Finally, Keiko's move to pretend to be passed out is interesting, mostly because it's not exactly clear WHEN she truly regained consciousness. Was it at the moment she groaned just before Yusuke took out Dai? She could have recognized Yusuke's voice right then and made a conscious decision to stay silent until she could get a good look at him and determine what to do next. Was it just before she pointed out the fire, and she really was just groggy and right between conscious and unconscious at the time? That would make her misdirection to the fire behind Yusuke less calculated, and more about her not quite knowing what was real and what wasn't until she she was fully awake during Yusuke and Kuwabara's conversation on the way back to his house. Was it not UNTIL she was on Yusuke's back homeward bound when she woke up for real? Not sure, but these are all interesting possibilities.
And let's just be real, the name of that "cafe" is just such a whack in the face when our main character is between worlds as he is - what an absurd self-referential goof! I love it.
