Inuyasha Manga: 321 Expanding Corruption

Don't even get me STARTED on expanding corruption. It's been rapid in these parts, and it's less a corruption at this point and more like a gangrenous infection, spreading necrotic rot that makes whole parts of the shrinking whole drop off, dead. I've been trying my hardest to limit my intake of news regarding the kleptocratic devastation of every institution in my society, but even the small bits that reach me leave me trembling with fear and rage. Current leadership is both metaphorically and LITERALLY killing us, lopping off our essential limbs while assuring us that we'll be better off without them.

Bleeding out is already fast, but there's a part of me that wishes it was faster. Just declare us dead already, doctor. 

Wait, aren't we already IN "that place"?

At least the reader is pulled back a little bit so we can now follow the tardy Sesshoumaru, who is leading Jaken and Kagura through a cave that Kagura is more familiar with, but she's understandably hanging back a bit. She explains to them that her last visit was pretty painful for her, and it was a mistake for her to even try to take this path. Jaken squawks indignantly, asking if she means that this is dangerous. She snaps back that they insisted on her showing them, and she told them point-blank that there was no guarantee they'd survive. Jaken might need to clean the wax out of his ears, at least for important conversations.

Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru remains silent and staring ahead, part of the reason why it's SO easy to forget about him.

That... sure is where you are, buddy.

A voice floats out of the surrounding darkness of the cave, asking if the newcomers would like to pass. They're playing the classics in this comedy club. Jaken is clearly alarmed by this, all the more when he spies one on the right glaring down at them, and croaks in disbelief that it was the statue that spoke. Again, the question is put to them: do they want to pass or not pass? Jaken shouts that OF COURSE they want to pass, that's why they came here after all. Oops, he fell for that ol' double entendre just like all the rest.

The statues challenge them to pass, then, because they don't have SHIT to lose, being made of rock and all.

The world's deadliest knock-knock joke strikes again! 

Kagura is standing around a corner, WELL out of the reach of that light if the door opens. According to her thoughts, that the only way to pass the gateway is to kill guards Gozu and Mezu and become one of the dead. At least, LEGITIMATELY. Her memory recalls that even if one manages to get past those guards and force the door, one is bathed in that strange light she herself narrowly avoided behind her horde of Naraku youkai, and turned into stone. She's still curious enough to lean around the corner to observe Sesshoumaru, wondering what it is he'll do. 

He's pulled Toukijin, facing the giant stone guards wordlessly, Jaken whimpering his name behind his leg. Don't worry, dude, Sesshoumaru has got that "cool" armor. Almost as good as "plot" armor!

Thankfully, we've got a nifty cut trick that puts us on the other side of that gateway easily, so we don't have to go to the trouble.

If you'll recall, Inuyasha has just fallen into the mist below, and Kagome is yelling his name into it from her perch on the bone-bird. A voice from an indeterminate source chuckles that Inuyasha is dead, and it causes Kagome some alarm. She and the others look up and around to where the words seemed to come, and a swirl of miasma appears to consolidate into a large sphere behind them. It's of course Naraku in his cute little protection bubble, smirking through his declaration that he saw the whole thing. The Inuyasha group (sans Inuyasha) can do not much more than utter his name like the curse it is. 

Yeah, he's the worst. 

Naraku chuckles about how Housenki looks like he's been weakened quite a bit, and in response, Housenki sends a diamond-spike-encrusted arm up to whack him one. It indeed pierces Naraku's barrier and his torso, but his mildly amused expression doesn't change, even if the onlookers are surprised that the diamond managed to do so much. Naraku claims to see now how much greater a youkai Housenki was when he was alive and how he still has the willpower to resist. This resistance doesn't seem to concern Naraku, though, as he wordlessly forms his hand and forearm into a hooked, tentacled appendage that he stretches out toward Housenki.

Kagome blurts out an observation that Naraku is aiming at taking the Shikon fragment that's in that spot, and nocks another arrow, declaring that she'll stop him. But as the arrow sails toward the spot, she now notes that the Shikon shard has gone pitch black.

The arrow lands and Housenki's back seems to EXPLODE. Spears of diamond shoot out every which direction, Kagome screaming as they fly toward her. Sango acts quickly to shield Kagome with a throw of her Hiraikotsu, like she did for Inuyasha, thankfully deflecting some of the deadly projectiles. The rest of them are taken care of by Miroku too.

Wow, for once, Miroku has dropped off my shit-list. 

After the threat has been neutralized, Kagome wastes no time in shouting to Miroku that the corruption from the Shikon shard in Housenki has spread throughout his body. Indeed, Housenki himself seems to have turned quite dark, and it's not from overexposure to the sun. With his infuriating little evil chuckle, Naraku tells the Inuyasha group that it's all thanks to them, because it was beyond his ability to corrupt the jewel fragment when it was buried under so much diamond armor. Kagome looks pissed when she demands to know if Naraku is saying that this is all because they damaged Housenki's body.

Naraku is still laughing as he reiterates that their lot damaged Housenki, and Housenki injured Inuyasha, implying that their little fight helped to prime the corruption that Naraku introduced onto the scene. Miroku groans in disgust, and Sango muttered with irritation that the whole scenario went JUST how Naraku wanted it to. With Naraku's tentacle fingers still pumping evil into the Shikon fragment in his back, Housenki weakly says that it's all so pathetic. It REALLY is, man. 

It's Naraku's interpretation of the situation that the Shikon no Tama wants to become one, but before he can say another smug word, something he can't ignore occurs from below. 

Scene go BOOM.

Miroku recognizes this, with a little disbelief, as Kaze no Kizu, and Kagome shouts Inuyasha's name in relief and triumph. Naraku is looking none too pleased as he looks at the stump of his severed tentacle hand/fingers that were cut in the blast. A familiar figure comes soaring up from beneath the mist on a new bone-bird, sword raised. 

It's no surprise, I'm sure.

Regardless, Naraku expresses a mocking sort of mild shock that Inuyasha survived, but adds that Inuyasha's appearance suggests he was hurt pretty badly by Housenki. Sick burn dude. Inuyasha scoffs and tells Naraku that he got a little too cocky by appearing so casually so quickly, as it's exactly what Inuyasha's been waiting for. The Tessaiga grows darker as he speaks, and Kagome identifies it as the barrier-breaking Red Tessaiga, backed up by Miroku's observation that Inuyasha intends to drag Naraku out from his barrier. 

Yeeeeeaaaah, Naraku's smirk does not say, "I'm communing with a higher power."

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Once again, Naraku is allowed to be the master of the situation. His ability to manipulate our protagonists into doing exactly what is beneficial for him is unparalleled, which is becoming more frustrating as time goes on. The careful framing of the encounter as a race for the final Shikon shard has fooled Inuyasha and company in participating in the shake-down of Housenki, when the old jewel wizard would have been more than a match for Naraku without them interfering, which on its own is interesting, but it becomes less-so with some of the assisting elements. For instance, if Kikyou's warnings not to take Kagome with them and her advice with the arrow were more COMPETENT, there might have been an opportunity to develop a better counter-strategy for Inuyasha and company. 

But there never seems to be any kind of strategizing going on at all. We're over 300 chapters into this story, and Naraku has done literally ALL of the luring, had all of the home-turf advantage. It was around this time in my first reading of it when I got a little peeved that no one had even had an inkling to take a leaf out of Naraku's book and try to lure HIM into a trap yet. Considering how many times they've sent Naraku running when he was the one in control of the environment and circumstances, it couldn't be in any doubt that they would THROTTLE him if they got him in a similar bind. Granted, I think RT is trying to hint at the end of the chapter here that perhaps Inuyasha had considered a counter to Naraku's tricks when he showed up, but it's clear from Naraku's expression this is going to have very little effect. And it doesn't really erase yet another stumble into a somewhat obvious trap. 

Oh yeah, and Sesshoumaru looks high, as always. Cool, but definitely high. I'm convinced he exists purely for aesthetic reasons at this point.

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 021 The Muncher of Souls!!

Gracious, this title! On the one hand, it made me laugh out loud the first time I saw it, but that's mostly because the word "munch" is funny to me for some reason. Then, upon reflecting for a couple of minutes, I realized there are an awful lot of soul-munchers out there that seem to be chewing upon the collective spirit of mankind. Like most folks these days, I've had to get a strong handle on how much news I take in on any given day, because I feel like these actual vampires are feasting on my life force every time they do something outrageous, and I take an ENORMOUS amount of psychic damage from it all. 

The people in charge of the USA right now could definitely qualify as soul-munchers. Definitely. 

Guess you're going to have to find some OTHER means of beating him than your fists, huh?

Gouki stomps a foot that has burst out the front of his sneakers, expressing irritation that Yusuke has interfered with his feeding, as if he can claim to be starving in any capacity. He sprints for Yusuke, yelling that the human shall pay for this intrusion with his life. He's awfully angry about Yusuke physically opposing an action he seemed to take out of pure gloating to begin with. 

Anyway, Gouki clocks Yusuke, sending him flying. As Yusuke scoots and skips over the ground with the force of the punch, Gouki shrugs and scratches the back of his head in false apology, saying that it was a bit rough, because he forgot how fragile humans are. Yusuke pushes himself up with an arm, the other feeling around his ribs, coughing. He's horrified that it was this bad when he even turned away from the blow instinctively. 

Great. What a party. 

Yusuke has collapsed again, his fingers crawling through the grass in his attempts, but he realizes in despair that it's no use, he can't MOVE. He's writhing and groaning on the ground, which Gouki judges as good, but then he turns to look over his shoulder at voices floating toward them between the trees. They're shouting to each other about where the sounds of agony seem to be coming from, though they don't seem to have noted them as such, because they're inviting the others in the woods over to where their fire and beer are. Gouki curses the partiers heading their way, grumbling that he's not in the mood. 

Oddly, Yusuke seems to recognize the voice in the surrounding forest, but he's too dazed and in pain to really be able to identify it. Gouki's image blurs as he warns Yusuke to take care not to bother he and his fellow thieves again, if he values his life, anyway. Yusuke curses Gouki weakly, blacking out with the it echoing in his head. 

How convenient. But every convenience has its price, because Atsuko immediately strikes Yusuke on the top of his head as she calls him a numbskull, yelling at him in her rage that he came home a total mess, looking like he had a fight with a pro wrestler. She reminds him that he JUST came back from the dead, and demands that he stop making her worry so much, starting to bawl again. Yusuke gives her a half-hearted acquiescence, telling her to stop crying already. As if this should be a COMFORT to his stressed mother, he says that it would have been way worse if it hadn't been for that voice he recognized. 

It's at this moment that Botan steps in, looking nervous, asking how Yusuke is feeling. He says he knew it was her, while his mother expresses surprise that they seem to know each other. She must step out before the next panel, because Botan explains to Yusuke that she found him by using a special compass called the demonic-aura meter, which apparently indicates the direction and distance of a nearby demon, the range depending on the spiritual power of the user. New gadget for Mr. Bond! Botan adds that she was by herself in the forest making all that noise to distract Gouki, so it was a good thing for her that he didn't come over. I guess that there weren't multiple voices after all.

Yusuke tells Botan that this situation is screwy for him, because Gouki is way tougher than he can hope to be. Botan admits to knowing this fact, and claims that the other two people are even tougher than that. Not sure how she can positively say that when she doesn't know the first thing about them, but okay. She assures him that he doesn't have to tell HER how impossible it is for him to clear the matter up in just a week. He just gives her a serious expression, sweatdropping. No dropping out of this race when there's no alternative, I guess.

Their attention is caught by Atsuko in the other room, murmuring about how creepy something happening in just the next town over is. 

Yusuke's expression sharpens when he hears the newscaster advising residents to remain alert for anything unusual. He turns to Botan and asks for confirmation that Gouki ate the kids' souls, and Botan says this is correct, repeating the fact Yusuke has already learned from Gouki himself that children's souls are his favorite food. She explains that while Gouki can go for years without sustenance, he pretty much goes ham when his appetite is roused. Botan reiterates that no child is safe when he has the Rapacious Orb and he can feed with abandon. 

To Yusuke's enduring disgust, he remembers that gleeful little comment Gouki made about how the soul wriggles and twitches in his stomach. He throws off the covers of his bed, sliding out of it as he asks Botan how long a soul can survive in Gouki's stomach. She tells him that it's a day, at MOST. Yusuke hops to his feet with resolution, and she asks just what he thinks he's going to do. He says simply that he's going to kick Gouki's ass, and when Botan protests with an incredulous reference to his condition, he snaps that he's got no choice in the matter. 

As Botan stares, he says that the soul-eating business sounds bad, given that it should prevent one from going to Heaven or getting reincarnated. Yusuke expresses a certain sober mourning for a person who would lose memories, feelings, who they are, everything that makes them an individual. He says that those kids are basically screwed unless he DOES something. Yusuke adds that he's got his Rei Gun today, so he can't lose. 

That's the most adorable name for an ability I've ever seen in a manga.

After trailing his name for a moment, Botan holds up a finger with a strange ring on it. The ring has a wide band, with little fingers superimposed equally around it, all extending toward he middle knuckle. She says it's something she hadn't meant to give Yusuke until he had a bit more experience, but since the situation is desperate, she's going to gift up this little gadget to help Yusuke's odds. It's called an Aura Booster Ring, which is capable of increasing the power of Yusuke's Rei Gun, with high energy and aura costs to make it happen. Botan warns him that it should only be used as a last resort, because while it gives a big surge of power, Yusuke will be down for the count once he fires it. If he misses, he should consider the whole thing over. She admits she's not even certain THAT will be enough to pierce Gouki's steel-like skin, though. Yusuke gravely says they'll find out.

Looks like Gouki isn't trying all that hard to hide.

Yusuke is in shock over how close Gouki is, 500 meters to the North by his and Botan's reading. He says that there's really only one place the scumbag could be stalking, and that's the playground. I hope it's not JUST a playground, because otherwise it might be a little weird for Yusuke to know exactly where it is.

At said playground, where a bunch of kids are running around without an adult in sight, the Rapacious Orb rolls on the ground and a nearby little girl in overalls picks it up with a curious look on her face. She holds it up to Gouki as he approaches her, offering it back to him and complimenting him on how pretty his "ball" is. He agrees that it's a pretty ball and thanks her, telling her that he'll take that useless soul off her hands since she did him a favor. How magnanimous. When he seizes the orb from her, it draws her soul straight from her mouth, alarming her for the split second while she's still conscious before she pitches straight forward onto her face in the middle of the playground.

WHERE. ARE. HER. PARENTS?

Gouki chuckles at the orb, saying that this latest specimen looks tasty. He looks around when he hears his name called to find Yusuke sauntering up to him, claiming they've got unfinished business. Gouki is... not exactly pleased.

Stupid, but gallant. 

That bottom panel there is the only indication that we have shifted locations, back to the forest where they have at least a bit of privacy. At least, that's what I'm assuming, because there's no word on it. All of a sudden on the next page (after another of those filler panels that is mostly empty, this time featuring the little girl whose soul Gouki just stole off to the side) Gouki has transformed and his ill-fitting clothes have shredded to almost nothing, his trousers having become little shortie-jean-shorts. He tells Yusuke that this is the LAST meal he's going to interrupt, threatening to devour him body and soul. 

Yusuke doesn't respond, all his concentration going into his plan to pull out all the stops. He throws a punch at Gouki's gut, but his fist bounces back, bleeding. Gouki says that for a detective, Yusuke doesn't do much research on his game - he informs Yusuke that this body he's attacking is hard as steel and would blunt a sword. No Gouki, it's worse than him doing no research; he has a team that gives him this information and just forgets it immediately. 

Gouki throws a punch in turn, and Yusuke ducks out of the way so it lands on a tree instead, the second that Gouki has decked straight in half. Yusuke barely avoids the falling trunk, then immediately seizes it, charging at Gouki with it like a battering ram. 

Uh, Yusuke, how many more demonstrations do you need that this guy's skin isn't going to give to most weapons?

Gouki grips the log, which is grating against his abs like Parmesan, scoffing that Yusuke just doesn't get it. He swings the trunk at Yusuke and whacks him back with such a force that I'm surprised Yusuke doesn't end up unconscious. Like the trooper he is, he shakily pushes himself into a squatting position, internally cursing over the fact that his only chance is the Rei Gun, but he's not even sure that will be enough, having the same doubts at Botan. The panel is focused on the ring she gave him as he considers a viable target on Gouki's tank of a body - the eyes - but admits to himself that he could only get one at EXTREMELY close range. Then, Yusuke has an epiphany around that very phrase.

Without waiting for an answer to his question of whether Yusuke has said all his prayers yet, Gouki bids him to die.

Oof, that looks like it hurts. 

While Yusuke is lying there, Gouki stomps one of those massive feet on his back, drawing a cry of pain from the boy. Gouki DROOLS over the tone of Yusuke's voice, which he says is dripping with fear and pain, admitting that it's making his mouth water, because Yusuke can't SEE that from his vantage point. 

Meanwhile, Yusuke's back emits some awful crackles as Gouki grinds his foot into it, and Yusuke in turn emits a piteous yell. Gouki smarms about how Yusuke's back is creaking like it's going to snap, claiming this is a beautiful sound. See above GIF. 

But ANOTHER snap sounding behind Gouki catches his attention, and whips around to see a young boy in a baseball cap who's been unlucky enough to stumble on the scene. The boy recoils and cries that Gouki is a monster, literally, who immediately labels the boy as a witness. Some pressure must have been taken off the groaning Yusuke, because he's at least stopped screaming, thankfully. Though he resumes almost immediately in order to lift his head and issue a warning to the boy to run away NOW.

This is not the kind of child predator that this kid was warned about. 

Gouki lands right in front of the kid, cutting off his escape, and the boy gives a terrified peep as he cringes away again. The giant ogre kneels to examine his trembling prey, saying that he's actually quite delighted that this very young and deeply frightened has come along, a soul steeped in delicious fear. It takes Yusuke a moment, no doubt due to his abused torso not being able to belt out the way it could before, but he stutters out his protests on the boy's behalf, demanding that Gouki let him go. Gouki is already drawing out the kid's soul through his gaping mouth though, the Rapacious Orb in one hand and the other hand holding the child steady by the neck and shoulders. He warns Yusuke that he's next, but Yusuke's groan of despair is more on behalf of the other kid's soul than the impending loss of his own.

The young boy collapses on the ground on his front, with a vacant gaping expression, while Gouki burps. Yusuke squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his jaw in his grief. Gouki turns back to him, griping about how Yusuke is still defiant even though he can't move, but assuring him that he'll soon join the little boy's soul in his stomach. Comforting, I'm sure. He seizes Yusuke's head and yanks him up to look him in the eye, mocking Yusuke for being so puny and troublesome at the same time, Yusuke unable to do much but gurgle in response. As Gouki opens his drooling jaws, he estimates that Yusuke's soul should be well-marinated by now, and lunges with the announcement of his intent to dine.

Reflexes of a CAT, this boy!

It turns out that Yusuke is perfectly capable of talking, and he says he was just waiting for Gouki to open his big fat mouth. Gouki inarticulately glugs at him as Yusuke holds up a ringed finger gathering a shining aura, and he asks if Gouki's INSIDES can handle a sizzling dish that his OUTSIDES might endure with ease. 

Ah, the old glutton finally found something he couldn't swallow. Don't read any double entendres into that. 

A group of tailed lights rise from Gouki's obliterated head, and Yusuke counts them as they fly off, concluding with a sigh of relief that all five are present and accounted for. The kid that just collapsed sits up a moment later, sputtering incoherently. Yusuke places a hand on each of his shoulders and tells him to relax, assuring him that they were just shooting for a movie, but also warning him not to go TELLING anyone about this odd experience of his. He punctuates this last point with a rather frighting sharp-toothed curling grin, and the boy is clearly trembling again when he agrees not to say a thing. No doubt he's not certain if he's speaking to yet ANOTHER monster.

Better hope that the other two thieves are a bit more fleshy and soft. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I really liked Yusuke's creative problem-solving in this one, it came across as a genuinely clever process of elimination. Knowing that Gouki's skin was impervious, it would naturally occur to Yusuke to aim for an eye, but it immediately struck him how small a target it would be that might not even bring the giant creep down. It was a stroke of genius to prop Gouki's mouth open with a stout branch from the demolished tree as well. Of course, it came with a LOT of risk, given that he could have gotten his arm chomped off in the process, or may have even died before he had a chance to face that wide mouth target the way he wanted, so there was A LOT of luck in addition to strategy involved. But it did strike a really nice balance, and kept the tension high throughout the fight.

Skipping over Gouki and Yusuke's trip back to the remote woods to fight kind of made my brain itch? I understand why it was necessary, given Gouki's aversion to having to "clean up" after an exposure, and the unlikeliness that there could be anything happening during their return that would interest the reader, but I can't help it. I'm still imagining the awkward silence the whole way, or the lame-ass insults they could shoot back and forth as they hike up to the remotest spot they could. It's such a conspicuous hole in the continuity that I'm having trouble NOT filling it with stupid garbage, lol!

I'm stoked by Botan rescuing Yusuke at the start of the chapter, but her continuing to show up in the flesh is raising some questions for me. Why HER, specifically? She's a spirit guide to newly deceased souls, which seems like it would be an awfully full job all on its own. Is there no one else to help Yusuke? Are there no other Underworld Detectives he could shadow, or spiritual guides for them that can give him his pointers and gadgets? It's SUPER weird that there are like THREE people in the whole of both worlds that can be involved in this, and none of them are very good at fighting or apprehending criminals. 

Lastly, I know that there's a cultural difference regarding how much autonomy children are given in Japan versus the USA - in Japan, toddlers are allowed to go to the store by themselves and run errands for their parents all the time and this is considered pretty normal. Japanese cities are actually walkable and you don't have to dodge cars constantly (ironic, given the very beginning of this manga), but there's also a preponderance of safety officers and other authorities about that make it harder for kidnapping to occur. I realize that my personal reaction of demanding to know where these kids' parents are all the time is mostly due to the fact that I live in a hell-country that is built for cars and our police let kids be gunned down in their presence all the time, if they're not being child predators themselves. 

But, really? NO adults around at all? NONE? Not ONE? Weird.

Inuyasha Manga: 320 Inadequate Arrow

Arrows are generally pretty dependable, as far as projectiles go. As long as you've got a bow, you should be able to fire them off at will, and it's a skill issue as to whether or not they strike the target. Unless we're talking about one that is made out of brittle materials, has a tip that's made of rubber or something. Hopefully the whole thing isn't completely flaccid, but if it is, there might be a few additional problems to address. Problems that are pretty inconvenient to pop up at this critical moment. 

Inuyasha, always such a delightful young man.

Housenki invites Inuyasha to TRY and take the Shikon shard out of him while a darkness spreading through his diamond body, as Sango observes. Miroku says that the corruption from the fragment must be spreading, likely the conclusion that they're all coming to. Myouga begs Inuyasha to hold back on Housenki, given that he's a friend of Inuyasha's father, and he's not a bad youkai. My father's friends weren't "bad guys" either, but that didn't stop a couple of them from being assholes to my sister and I. 

Inuyasha raises Tessaiga again in preparation for attack, saying that if he could beat the guy by holding back, he absolutely would. He swings, letting loose a Kaze no Kizu.

The bystanders (by-fliers?) gape at the smoke and mist shrouded scene - it's impossible to see exactly how the attach landed at first, even for Inuyasha, who questions from his perch on the back of his skele-bird whether he got him. But as the smoke clears, another of those glares from the diamond armor of Housenki flashes at him. 

He can't aim worth a damn, but his dodging is top-notch.

It's shocking to Sango, Miroku, and Shippou that Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu had no effect whatsoever, per Sango's outburst expressing as much and the agreeing gapes from the others. I guess Myouga wasn't kidding about that "hardest jewel in the world" thing. Inuyasha grunts as he sets down on Housenki, continuing to avoid diamond spears thrusting out of his new perch. He manages to look up just in time to see a set bearing down on him from above, and lunges out of the way before they crash into Housenki's own body. With his initial momentum, Inuyasha makes for Housenki's head and body, thinking he has to get near that fragment somewhere in there. He was going to need some luck to begin with, considering Kagome is going to have trouble directing him to it from that distance, but Housenki's mouth is filling once more with diamond spikes, aimed straight at Inuyasha.

Sango throws her Hiraikotsu in aid, blocking some of the onslaught of spears from reaching Inuyasha before it returns to her. Hovering nearby, Kagome is thinking that they have to do something to stop Housenki's attacks, and when she sees the dark glow indicating the corrupted fragment just behind Housenki's head, she determines that it might be helpful for her to try and purify that Shikon shard. She nocks an arrow and aims, convinced she can probably do it through this means, and fires striking precisely where she had seen the fragment with an impressive flash of light. Inuyasha ducks to avoid the wind and diamond fragments flying in all directions. 

Dammit, is this guy invincible or what??

Kagome is taken-aback by how her arrow DIDN'T purify the shard she shot. Sango cries that the arrow didn't reach the Shikon fragment, and Miroku is in awe of how that body of Housenki's is like armor. Worse than that, it's LITERALLY armor. Myouga pipes up from Kagome's shoulder again, saying that it's actually more problematic than they're aware; Housenki is a greater youkai who lived to an advanced age, so Kagome's spiritual power is actually LOSING to his experienced youki. 

After a short pause, Kagome suggests to Myouga that she just has to increase the spiritual power. She begins to draw the arrow Kikyou gave her from her quiver with the intent to use Kikyou's power combined with hers. 

Did... Did Kikyou program an electric shock into the arrow to keep Kagome from using it before she's supposed to???

Inuyasha gapes up at her in surprise as she cradles her hand to her chest and questions why that would happen. With some disbelief, he thinks that Kikyou's arrow rejected her. Inuyasha recalls how Kikyou told him to hand the arrow to Kagome, saying that it was up to Kagome whether she used it well or not. 

Inuyasha wonders what this means, if it's impossible for Kagome to use the arrow, and is at last interrupted in this wild speculation by Housenki vomiting more diamond spears at him. He groans, holding up his arm against the onslaught, which makes that fire-rat robe of his so much more impressive if it can block that kind of attack. While he's glaring at Housenki, he notices that more diamond spears are growing out of the spot where Kagome's arrow struck, at angles to cover over the area. 

His reasoning? While Kagome's first arrow didn't reach the Shikon shard by itself, it's not like it had NO effect. So when Kagome fires her second, non-Kikyou, arrow into the same spot as before, a few sparks of purification winking off the diamond armor, Inuyasha leaps at it with Tessaiga raised over his head with the express intent of striking there as well. 

The peanut gallery collectively gapes at the spikes having broken, while Inuyasha himself quickly observes that he's got his chance to grab the Shikon fragment out Housenki's back. Housenki drawls that they're all a bunch of fools, and proceeds to whack Inuyasha with a diamond-studded arm. It looks like it REALLY hurts. Inuyasha flies backward, groaning, his face bloodied and eye winced shut.

You were aware the whole time that you weren't acting completely on your own will? Asshole.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I'd like to start by addressing some science here, interestingly enough. Yes, diamonds are hard, in the sense that they are very resistant to being warped or changed in their crystalline shape, but they're not exactly tough. They can be broken very easily along their cleavage points. This is why having a diamond hammer wouldn't work super well, but diamond saws or other cutting implements are extremely useful. That makes this chapter somewhat compliant with the science, though it may be in an accidental way. You can see that Inuyasha's last attack does manage to shatter the diamond spikes covering the Shikon fragment's location when Kagome fires on that place to mark it, demonstrating the brittle nature of the stone - whether that is meant to convey the actual physical behavior of diamonds or if it's supposed to show how strong Kagome and Inuyasha can be in their combined attacks isn't clear, but I'm choosing to go with the former interpretation to satisfy my own knowledge of geology, lol!

Kikyou's arrow preventing Kagome from drawing it was both annoying and somewhat logical, if the contradiction makes sense. Kikyou told Inuyasha that the arrow's tip was coated in Onigumo's grave dirt like always, so it's clear she MEANT it to be used specifically against HIM at the right time, not anyone else. Using the arrow here would be an awful waste, considering who it was optimized against. STILL, Kikyou did say that it was up to Kagome whether she would use it to greatest effect, and that can't be true if it's repelling her hand whenever she tries to use it in a way that Kikyou wouldn't want her to. The line about it being up to Kagome was more cryptic and dramatic, but it was literally a LIE, and she should have told Inuyasha straight up that the ARROW would determine when it was best used, and not Kagome. Now the poor girl is feeling more confused and inadequate than ever, and I'm lamenting yet again how Kikyou is being written in a way that is FAR beneath her dignity as a character. All to further push a boring rivalry that doesn't need to be a thing. 

The girls do not need to be fighting! Why are we doing this???

Finally, this is, to my memory, the second time Myouga has mentioned AGE as a multiplier on youkai power, the first being way back when they faced that toad youkai who possessed that lord of the castle. I really would like to know more about this, because Myouga and Toutousai have both cited relationships with Inuyasha's father, so they are also fairly old. Toutousai has already proven that he can kick some ass when the occasion calls for it, but I am wondering about Myouga. The little flea has been arousing my suspicious for some time, because he really does seem to know more than he's letting on like... 90% of the time. Are there some devastating powers he's hiding somewhere about his tiny person? 

He's getting ALL the side-eyes from me. I don't care if the narrative never takes it in that direction.

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 020 The Deadly Trio

These things always seem to come in threes, don't they? People talk about the "dark triad" of toxic personality traits that seem to be inexplicably attractive rather than repulsive, and the three big bigotries that seem to always come as a package deal (racism, homophobia, and misogyny). As a personal example, I find that if I'm suffering sufficiently from one difficulty, like an illness, two others often pop up to keep it company. They say three's a charm, but I'll be damned if it isn't also a curse just as frequently. 

I don't know, maybe look for the guys sporting horns and fangs? 

I swear, that was a joke, but when Yusuke continues scanning the crowd, he's taken-aback to spot a guy with a heavy frown and a square-ish head sporting literal horns. Yes, they're fairly small, two of the larger on either side of the forehead at the hairline, two smaller slightly positioned closer to each other and lower, and another popping out of the hair in his widow's peak, in the center of them all, but they're noticeable all the same.

The other two seem to be more incognito at least. 

Sweatdropping, Yusuke wonders if it could be these three he's looking for, because they seem to be real chummy. He acknowledges that the shorter one and the one with the flowing locks are pretty normal-looking, but the horns on the bigger dude remind him of his first encounter with underworld forces when he first returned to life. Yusuke takes a step in their direction, but is immediately distracted by a knot of people forming behind his back, who are muttering about a kid who collapsed, asking each other if he's sick or something. Yusuke casts them a critical look while the suspicious three continue strolling off. 

Cut to the Spirit/Underworld!

Wait, I thought they were ALL criminals, but two of them haven't even been convicted of anything??? Must be using the infamous fascist USA definition of the word "criminal"...

Botan is apparently reciting all this from a notepad with leaves folded over the top as she's gotten done covering the information on them. At this point, she suggests to Koenma, with all due respect, that she thinks this is a VERY bad idea. She says that Yusuke is no match for these villains, and they don't know the first thing about Kurama and Hiei. FINALLY, someone is pointing out how insane it is to be putting a greenie on this dangerous errand. 

Koenma is sweating pretty profusely as he agrees with Botan, saying that he had PLANNED to start him on easy assignments and let the boy work his way up to the more challenging ones, right and proper. But he insists that there's no time, because they've got to get going on this shit. Does the Underworld only have ONE detective? Generally there's a whole department of them... 

Botan hesitantly asks how much time they DO have, and Koenma announces that they have one week in human terms, pointing with authority at... nothing. Sweating now too, Botan yells that they can't do this in one week. Koenma murmurs that they have to, because his Daddy Dearest gets home from a business trip in one week. Wait, I thought he was back. Did he immediately leave again? Botan gulps at the invocation of the REAL King Enma, whose very hairy and tusked face looms behind her to illustrate just how scary the dude is. 

Apparently, the three stolen treasures are among King Enma's favorites in the Underworld, so the prospect of him getting home and finding out they've been stolen is what has Koenma sweating so hardcore. Botan asks if this means big trouble, and Koenma confirms that his dad's rage will embrace Heaven and Earth, resulting in earthquakes, natural disasters, the usual fare when he gets pissy. There's a comment of resignation that you can't stop an old man when he's angry. Even in spirit, men are clearly not encouraged to manage their own fucking emotions. Koenma predicts a bigger shake-up than the great Kanto earthquake in this case, possibly the eruption of Mt. Fuji, and he says that's just the collateral damage, because their punishment will be worse. Botan can only make an incoherent nervous noise, but why would SHE be included in this? Was SHE in charge of guarding the damn treasures?

I'm sure it'll go over well.

Scene shift to the human world, among a forest of bare trees. It appears that Hiei is relishing the nasty-ass crimes they can commit with their cool new toys they stole. He holds up the Conjuring Blade, expositing about how it can turn any human into a demon, Gouki's Rapacious Orb that the big guy is holding up can suck out human souls, and the pocket-sized Mirror of Darkness that Kurama frowns down at in his hand emits a great power during the full moon. Thanks Hiei, it's almost as if you have an audience to tell these things or something, how convenient. 

He's still gushing about how he can create an army of man-eating beasts with the sword he holds, and Gouki readily offers to feed it with the souls he gathers with the orb. 

He certainly looks a lot less enthused than the other two.

Hiei and Gouki react with shock, the former asking if Kurama is ditching them, and he unapologetically says that's exactly what he's doing. Hiei calls Kurama a wimp who's gone soft since he started living among humans. Gouki expresses the opinion that Kurama shouldn't be able to just walk off with a split of the loot, holding out his hand and demanding the mirror. Kurama coolly tells him that he'll keep the mirror, because he needs it for something. I mean, why the hell else would he steal it?

Gouki's ire has been raised, and after muttering that Kurama always had a smart mouth, he pulls back the hand he had extended for the mirror into a fist, winding up for a punch. Kurama seems perfectly prepared to just take the hit, as Gouki announces that the smart mouth has been asking for this very thing, so maybe he agrees? 

It looks like "Go ahead, bozo" comes from Gouki, but I'm not sure if it works in the context of the conversation. Besides, the next panel is this one:

Yeah, that previous quote definitely came from Yusuke.

Gouki is thoroughly distracted, asking how Yusuke knows about the treasures, and I THINK it's Hiei who asks who Yusuke is. The speech bubbles aren't the clearest in this section with the clutter of characters. Anyway, Yusuke mumbles about how he didn't think he would find these guys as soon as he has, then points a thumb at himself, declaring to the clowns that he's Yusuke Urameshi, Underworld Detective, and they're under arrest. 

Unsurprisingly, Gouki appears a little confused by the title of "Underworld Detective" so Hiei says that Yusuke must be the Underworld's new bounty hunter. He expresses some incredulity over the strange fact that Yusuke emanates no power whatsoever, and Gouki asserts that he could off Yusuke with one hit. Yusuke is a little irritated that his introduction was not impressive in the least. Hiei thinks that perhaps, since Yusuke was chosen by the Underworld, he could have hidden qualities in addition to the obvious arrogance. He leaps into the air declaring that if Yusuke IS indeed trouble, it'll keep. Not sure what that means, buddy, but cool. Hiei must have disappeared in the speed lines, because Yusuke is astonished by how he just leaped straight out of there. 

Kurama quietly thinks that he'd best avoid trouble too, and starts walking off. Yusuke notices, however, and starts after Kurama, ordering him ineffectually to hold it. But Gouki intercepts his path, telling HIM to hold it, because it won't take three of them to handle him. 

I think this might be over exaggerated a little by the fact that Gouki isn't wearing clothes that FIT.

After a filler panel showing Hiei admiring that sword he stole on the left side of a white void that takes up literally HALF the page, Gouki says he's going to have a quick snack first. He raises the orb in his fist again, which Yusuke correctly identifies as the Rapacious Orb, and sticks a forefinger and thumb through its membranous skin as he exposits about how this very useful item sucks out human souls. Again. 

Gouki pulls his fingers out of the orb again, dragging the tail of something pinched between them. He says that before he had this baby, he always had to rip apart human bodies to get at their souls to eat them before. Yusuke gapes and sweats at the salivating Gouki, who is complaining about the "off" flavor that the dismemberment of the soul's body would impart, and how he would have to dispose of the carcass afterward. Gouki's drool drips out the corner of his mouth as he gazes hungrily at the little glowing tailed ball of light, saying that the orb ensures the soul comes out fresh and sweet, without any fuss, and he can have as many as he wants. 

Yusuke recalls the shouts of the people in the busy square, who were all in a confusion of what was wrong with the child who collapsed. He shouts that he bets he knows where the soul Gouki has in his grasp came from, and Gouki confirms that he got it fresh today. He drops it on his tongue and, just as he says, gulps it down the hatch. As Yusuke stands frozen in horror, Gouki gloats about how he likes the way a live child's soul wriggles and twitches in his stomach.

Were you ever in any doubt?

Just name your fists "Ipecac".

Gouki goes down like a sack of rocks, and Yusuke looks down on him laid out on the ground, scoffing at this so-called demon he's been able to knock out with so little effort. Yusuke looks over his shoulder to where the soul is floating through the trees, and thinks with relief that it seems to be okay. Suddenly, a looming presence at his back cause him to turn and jump back to put some distance between himself and the newly risen Gouki. 

Gouki is smiling, at least, telling Yusuke he's pretty good for a human. Smirking with a hint of nervousness, Yusuke repays the compliment by saying that Gouki TALKS pretty well for a demon, and adds that with how hard he hit Gouki, the demon shouldn't even be able to stand. With a mocking question as to whether that's so, the already straining fabric of Gouki's shirt shreds when his muscles bulk up even further in an instant. Yusuke's teeth are clenched and eyes bulge as he watches the horns on Gouki's head lengthen, his teeth grow and sharpen, and a load of hair sprouts from his shoulders, like some sort of werewolf transformation. 

Thanks Yusuke, but I think I lost my appetite. 

A tremendous whoosh is produced by Gouki's arm as he swings it at the flabbergasted Yusuke, who barely avoids the blow that crashes through a tree trunk instead. He doesn't quite escape it entirely, though - we see that Gouki's claws have ripped through Yusuke's uniform in parallel shreds. It doesn't look like there's any blood, so maybe he's managed remain un-wounded through pure luck there out pure luck. Although, he did get a nasty scratch along his cheek.

Gouki squeezes his fist to shatter the tree trunk he's already splintered, offering yet another compliment to Yusuke about how quick on his feet he is. Yusuke yelps that Gouki is a whole-ass monster, and is fully convinced he's screwed because he stands exactly ZERO chance against a thing like that. When he catches sight of his own finger, he remembers that he has the spirit gun, but is demoralized further when he realizes the end of his finger isn't glowing. This is when he recalls what Koenma said about him getting one shot a day. He laments the fact that he wasted that shot on Iwamoto earlier today as the collateral damage of the tree finally creaks and falls upon Gouki turning around. 

Iwamoto ruins everything again. I hate that dude. 

Worse than that. You've been dead before - this is the threat of oblivion. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I was... not impressed, for a few reasons. What I liked the most about this installment is the lampshade hung on Yusuke being sent to confront three opponents who may be too much for him to handle. It's legitimately funny that Koenma's motivations for this are absurd in their depiction of King Enma, who is characterized as a danger to the world for such small reasons. He may as well be a giant toddler, just like his son. This sadly doesn't interrogate the destructive issue of outsized male rage, but it does present it as somewhat ridiculous how easily a KING OF THE UNDERWORLD can fly off the handle due to a perceived loss of control over objects in a vault. 

It's all downhill from there, unfortunately. We get sparse biographies of our three antagonists, and two out of three of them have NO CONVICTIONS. All the same, Botan speaks of them all as though they're crazy dangerous, though there is absolutely no evidence of anyone but Gouki being truly a threat at this point. It strikes me that this might be because YT is planning on making Hiei and Kurama main characters fairly soon, and doesn't want to give them pasts from which they will need SIGNIFICANT redemption, at least not yet. At the moment, though, it's just a very conspicuous contradiction in characterization. 

I'd like to also talk a little about the PAINFUL exposition in this chapter. I was literally wincing when Hiei started talking about each of the items they stole and what they do. Way to break my immersion, dude, acknowledging my lurking there and listening to your conversation like that, because there's no way that Kurama or Gouki have no idea what their artifacts do or why they have them. It's additionally weird that Hiei doesn't elaborate AT ALL about the reason he gives for stealing the sword to raise a demon army. That'll probably come up later when Yusuke confronts him one-on-one, but here, it's just odd that he would be so specific about the artifacts' powers, but not about why they stole them in the first place. 

Then there's Gouki. He's Co-Captain Exposition here, explaining mockingly to Yusuke how he eats souls and why it's better than he can get them through the orb instead of ripping apart their bodies, which is a little clumsy, but fine. I'm mostly just wondering throughout the scene why he cares to tell Yusuke ANY of this, although I suppose I can see it as something of an intimidation tactic. But my real issue comes from when he says at the end of the chapter that he likes the flavor of pain and fear in his fresh souls, even though he just got done telling us that he doesn't like the flavor of the ones where he has to dismember the victims. Which is it? Because it seems very much a contradiction in what he claims he likes. 

Finally, the chapter doesn't look the BEST. There's a whole HALF A PAGE dedicated to a mostly empty filler panel of Hiei, who has left the scene entirely. And that static image of Kurama up there? It kind of looks like a teenage fan who only just learned the basics of drawing anime figures from one of those goofy "How to Draw XYZ" books you can get at craft stores. I mean, YT could have at least drawn him half-turned away and waving to make the panel slightly more dynamic, but no. It just looks flat and boring.

Yeesh, the disappointment. This one must have been under a major time crunch.