Inuyasha Manga: 058 Tainted Ink

Tainted ink doesn't even begin to cover it, chapter. The ink only did the job of bringing the painter's drawings to life; everything after that is his own doing. But I mean, let's be honest, it IS a pretty tempting prospect isn't it? I'm a terrible artist, so I wouldn't be too thrilled if my drawings came to life, but if you're a good one, wouldn't you at least CONSIDER doing what it took to keep that drawing alive and produce others like it? Or if, say, RT were to come across a pen that brought her creations to life, wouldn't you be super thrilled?

... I'm imagining that world, and it isn't very nice.

Thanks for the reminder, Kagome. I'm sure Inuyasha would really appreciate you talking so casually about his weakness with this man he so hates if he were there.

Miroku says that all Inuyasha can do at his distance is decapitate the painter, and Kagome doesn't seem to like the sound of that, judging from her worried expression. Inuyasha, meanwhile, is trying to talk the painter into handing over the Shikon shard without a fuss. Too late, Inuyasha. The painter yells that Inuyasha is an idiot and an asshole for stepping right into one of his paintings. Said painting turns one of its heads and breathes a stream of fire at Inuyasha, surprising him.

Kagome screams out Inuyasha's name as he's blown backward in a ball of fire. The painter thinks the fires of Hell will burn even Inuyasha's BONES to ashes, but Inuyasha isn't quite ready to give up. His hand grips the scales on the back of the three-headed snake to steady himself and he groans as he crawls back up the snake's back.

So much for the flames of Hell, huh? He doesn't even look like he's in pain; just annoyed. Miroku and Kagome are both staring in shock at the fact that he's okay despite the fact he's burning. The painter stutters out a question about why Inuyasha won't die, and Inuyasha scoffs. He unsheathes Tessaiga in a grandiose arc, shouting that he has no intention of dying by some shitty human's hands.

Normally, people's intentions are completely ineffective against dying, but Inuyasha's will is so ironclad that death don't wanna mess with that shit.

The painter lifts an arm to shield his face in fear, backing away and pleading with Inuyasha to take anything but his life. He holds out the bamboo pipe with a shaking hand, urging Inuyasha to take it along with the Shikon fragment inside. Inuyasha stares, but hangs back as the painter says that without it, he can't control oni and is just a normal person. Looking disgusted, Inuyasha sums up the fact that this man who has killed so many and stolen entrails for his "art" is now begging for his life. I'm guessing Inuyasha is talking about those they found in the battlefield with their guts missing, because there's no way he could know about the others.

Tears streaming down his face, the painter tells Inuyasha that he's just a powerless lowly man who wouldn't have been able to do it without the jewel shard. Inuyasha looks like he reaches an epiphany as he listens. After a pause, Inuyasha puts away the Tessaiga, cursing. Miroku is amazed that Inuyasha won't kill the painter. Perhaps he let the painter realize that a tad too soon, though.

Inuyasha punches at the lower jaw of the snake head still chomping on his arm, which seems like it would be a bit counter-productive. Meanwhile, the painter is steering the creature low so he can jump off its neck and tumble to the ground. He does a faceplant in the dirt, and it's a good thing that the ground's boyfriend is way too preoccupied with fighting off those other two heads of the crashed snake to be jealous. Groaning, the painter raises his head, looking over his shoulder at the still fighting and cursing Inuyasha before limping away and leaving behind his basket of scrolls.

Finally having defeated the snakes heads, Inuyasha leaps after the painter, yelling at him to wait. Face bleeding, the painter huffs it along, holding up the bamboo pipe as though it's a precious relic. Inuyasha catches sight of ink bubbling up out of the top and shouts at the painter to let go of the dangerous thing. The painter shouts back that he won't let go because there's still something he has to do. It doesn't look like the Shikon fragment he's been using is willing to give him any more time, though.

You know something doesn't want you holding it when it cuts off the arm that's doing that offensive holding. But perhaps it just wanted to do a little holding of its own. The puddle of ink around the bamboo tube bubbles up again, making a beeline toward the painter and already beginning to close in around his feet. Inuyasha gapes at the scene, until he's brought out of his stupor by a plea.

What a way to go. Kagome and Miroku run up to where Inuyasha is staring at the puddle of ink and blood, all that's left of the painter. Miroku mutters that he was devoured by the ink, and Kagome asks why. Inuyasha says it was the blood of the painter that the ink wanted to absorb, having been made from peoples' guts.

A scrap of paper floats down near Kagome's foot and she picks it up to find that it was the practice sketch the painter had done of the princess. She realizes what his intention was, to draw the princess with that ink. Glaring down at the puddle, Miroku says that the painter was a damn fool to think that beautiful things could be drawn with such tainted ink. He said the chapter title! Good job, Miroku!

He's not in the mood to accept the honor, though, because he's too busy focusing on that tainted Shikon fragment that's so covered in evil it's much too dangerous to touch, despite how hard he worked to get it. However, as he's pondering this, Kagome kneels down and picks it right up out of the ink and blood slime, easy peasy. Miroku is shocked.

That's gotta be a punch to the gut right there.

Inuyasha whines a question about why Kagome is bothering to consult Miroku on the subject, and Kagome reminds Inuyasha that Miroku helped them out. Miroku, still looking floored, tells Kagome that she should keep it, much to both her and Inuyasha's own shock. She asks if he's sure while he thinks that he wasn't imagining it, and Kagome really just purified all that evil in the shard. She just holds the Shikon fragment in her fist with a slightly puzzled expression.

Shippou has reappeared, pissing and moaning that everyone seemed to have forgotten about him. Kagome pats him on the head and apologizes, asking if he was scared, but he doesn't seem quelled by her patronizing gesture and smile. She glances behind her where Inuyasha is complaining about Miroku burning incense and praying over where the painter perished, shouting that they don't have to do a memorial service for the dick. Miroku spouts some platitude about how people are neither good nor evil when they die, and there is only the mercy of the Buddha. Whatever bro.

Inuyasha lets out a bark of laughter, saying that this "mercy" thing is one of those concepts that he just doesn't get about humans. Miroku opens his eyes, looking a tad exasperated when he says Inuyasha's name. He's closed his eyes again by the next panel while he's explaining that if Inuyasha had intended to kill the painter, he would have done it, and the fact that he didn't do it is an example of mercy. Inuyasha looks shocked for a moment before scoffing at this notion and calling it lame.

Later on, Kagome asks if Miroku will be coming along with them, and Miroku confirms this, because it's so much more pleasant traveling with a beautiful woman than alone. Kagome glows at the sweet-talk as she walks her bike along, but Inuyasha scoffs at it from ahead.

"He LOOKS like a piece of shit, but deep down, he's not half bad!"

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I mocked Miroku's talk about there being no good or evil after death, but I think that Miroku's character is a perfect medium for such a message, to be honest. This manga will do a lot by way of making the audience question what good and evil are, what makes one or the other, and whether it even matters in the end, questions which Miroku's morally gray character will continually embody in the coming chapters. He out-and-out SAYS that the orientation doesn't really matter here, because no matter what, the dead only have the mercy of higher powers left to them at that point.

The painter didn't really have much more than that in life, either, though. He was at the mercy of the ink, at the mercy of Inuyasha, at the mercy of his own desires. Only one of the three showed him any actual compassion, though, despite all the bad things that Inuyasha knew he had done, and even those he didn't. I hesitate to call the kindness Inuyasha showed the painter here "character development" because it's already WELL established that he will help others even if he whines about it later. Still, it is yet another example of how Inuyasha has a conscience that values lives, regardless of what has happened in those lives to bring them to the point of needing saving.

Just as this chapter is yet another example of how good RT is at making a reader feel for a character that's an objectively HORRIBLE person. The painter did terrible, awful things and I didn't like him at all, but I'm always somehow saddened by the fact that he had to die in such a horrible way. He had dimension and purpose with a past, which made him so much more real than a lot of the mustache-twirlers that are only too easy to produce in a "monster-of-the-week" comic like this, which makes Inuyasha's mercy toward him that much more understandable. The painter WASN'T just a blob of evil, and Inuyasha understood that LONG before Miroku explained it to him, because it was OBVIOUS.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 116 Find Yourself!

That's supposed to be a pretty difficult thing to do. Kids with the money and time often go on trips around the world lasting for months to figure themselves out. Adults spend years going through various careers, friends, families, and spouses, scratching their heads the whole way. Hell, this blog is my first proud internet undertaking, having run through a long string of pseudonyms and identities to try and find my place, and that's just ONLINE.

And we're expecting Yami to do it in the course of a single duel? Yeah. Right.

How about your amazing propensity to repeat all your past encounters, Yami? Remember that first duel with Kaiba and how he kept taking out your monsters one-by-one in the way Mai is doing? When should we start calling you Bill Murray?

Jonouchi growls angrily as he repeats the riddle, saying that he told it to Mai, and questioning whether she even knows the answer. She remains cool when she states that she came up with her OWN answer, and Jonouchi scoffs at this. He shouts that he'll answer in Yami's place, telling her the answer is "friendship", and asking what she thinks of that. Smirking, Mai says that Jonouchi's answer is incorrect, and an indignant Jonouchi stomps like a toddler while he asks what the answer is, then. Mai thinks that Jonouchi should know, given he was the one who taught her. The answer apparently lies in how an amateur like Jonouchi got into the finals, but Mai bets that her current opponent won't guess it, though.

Mai reminds Yami that it's his turn, and Yami tells himself it's no time to allow Mai to confuse him while he draws a card. He's determined not to lose the duel. His new card is the Dark Magician, which makes him pretty happy. He thinks the magician could easily beat Harpy's Pet Dragon... if the Mirror Wall weren't still on the table. Yami knows that the Dark Magician's points will be cut in half if he attacks. Congratulations on breaking the cycle, Yami! But Groundhog Day isn't over yet.

Yami looks at the Mirror Force card in his hand, thinking he could set a trap for a trap. He decides to play Mirror Force on the table face down, then plays Dark Magician in defense to end his turn. Yami smirks, silently urging Mai to attack him so all her monsters can be destroyed.

Mai declares it's her turn and draws a card that makes her harpy combo 80% complete, according to her. She's unimpressed with Yami's attempt at setting a trap for her, because she's convinced she's one trap ahead. She slaps down her next card, Shadow of Eyes, the name of which leaves Yami agape. Mai tells him that if he wants to know what it does, Yami should take a look at his Dark Magician.

Oh for fuck's sake! Aside from the fact that this is not how pheromones work... Aside from the fact that this is coming uncomfortably close to those arguments about how women PROVOKE violent attacks upon themselves... Aside from the fact that this is coming equally uncomfortably close to the same twisting of meaning that the Twilight series bestowed upon the term "imprinting"... KT COULDN'T HAVE USED THE "BEAUTIFUL TRAP" TITLE FOR THIS CHAPTER???

I have never wanted to burn the world more than when I caught sight of these two panels.

Yami translates the term "fighting instincts" to mean that he can't defend. Sure enough, the Dark Magician instinctively attacks the harpy. Boys will be boys, amirite? *gag* The magician's attack prompts the Mirror Wall to come back up, and the Dark Magician faces its reflection, halving its own attack points. Yami and the magician both look pretty sick with the situation.

Mai isn't finished. She plays Harpy's Feather Duster again to get rid of the Mirror Force card of Yami's end, rendering it unusable to him.

I'd say he thinks he's well and truly fucked, especially with only 300 points left. We DO actually get a peek inside his head, where he sums up that the Shadow of Eyes card means that his monsters can't defend and when his monsters attack they come up against the Mirror Wall. He knows if this goes on that he'll lose the game.

Pegasus thinks this harpy deck of Mai's is absolutely flawless, and he can sense the doubt and defeat creeping into Yami's soul because of it. Back at plebeian level, Jonouchi is looking downright panicked, asking Yami what's wrong again. Anzu is just amazed at how much stronger Mai seems since when she went up against Jonouchi. Jonouchi is in utter disbelief that Mai is so good at the game, and says he must have just gotten lucky when he faced her.

However, Mai states flat-out that she was playing the game as hard as she could when they dueled, and his victory WASN'T luck. YES! Finally! Someone besides me is going to explain why Jonouchi is actually SKILLED in this game! Jonouchi himself is shocked to hear it, so shocked he's silent, allowing Mai to offer him the truth that she was devastated and in denial when he beat her. She tried to turn her eyes away from the fact she lost, but she still couldn't get his voice out of her head, repeating that damn riddle. Jonouchi, Anzu and Yami all stare at Mai, while she confesses that it took her confronting her true self to finally understand what those words meant to her.

Yami looks... strangely terrified by this "true self" phrase. I don't know if he's supposed to look that way or if KT got his expressions mixed up, but... Mai turns to Jonouchi and asks him if he knows how he got as far as he did in this tournament, flabbergasting him for a moment. He begins with a slight stutter as he shouts that it was his friends who got him through, and that's how a bad player like him managed to do so well. Dude, give yourself a little more credit. Mai acknowledges this as correct, though, transforming the slightly negative slant into a statement about how Jonouchi knows his limits instead. Mai says that Jonouchi accepts his weaknesses and works hard to eventually overcome them. She announces that this is the courage of the true duelist, as Jonouchi taught it to her. Jonouchi is totally perplexed, and it's hilarious.

Mai addresses Yami when she says that the courage of a duelist isn't in victory, but in losing.

I find it awesome that Mai is telling Yami the same exact thing Sugoroku did way back before the third face-off with Kaiba. I knew there was a reason they were married in my Sims game.
Anyway, Yami realizes that it was actually YUUGI who wasn't afraid to lose. He hadn't realized or wanted to see it at the time, but Yuugi's strength had made up for Yami's weakness. Yami looks over and sees Yuugi there looking back at him, knowing this is what you can show but you can't see. His eyes flash as he comes out of his head again.

Yami tells Mai that he's proud to have gotten to fight her, and promises that this is where the real duel starts. She chuckles, because she doesn't imagine even HE can turn this situation around. Regardless, Yami is prepared to draw a card for his turn. As his hand hovers over his deck, he thinks that this new card will determine his and Yuugi's fate.

Touching, but still looking a little awkward. Can you imagine trying to jointly draw a card with someone?

The card is Brain Control, which leads Mai's mouth to drop open in surprise as she identifies it as a spell card. Yami confirms this, explaining that the card allows him to take control of one of her monsters for one turn, and it will do whatever he asks. He chooses the pet dragon, and the hologram switches to Yami's side of the table. Mai stares in shock at the dragon before chuckling and saying that it wouldn't EVER attack a harpy, even if it is brainwashed.

Yami informs her that he's well aware of this and will NOT be attacking the harpy.

BOOM! Get ready for a siege!

Yami loads the dragon onto the turtle and puts it in attack, and this is when Mai realizes that the Catapult Turtle's specialty is bringing down walls and fortresses. She did, after all, see it in action back when Yami won back her chips from that superfluous asshole. In response to the attack-mode monster, the mirror wall appears, and Yami counts down to the launch of the pet dragon. Eventually, LIFT OFF!

So, you're saying the stakes are LOW...

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The fact that SOMEONE acknowledged that at least ONE of Jonouchi's wins in the tournament wasn't a fluke made me really happy. It's about time that someone said it, and for it to have been Mai telling the story about how she herself overcame her own insecurities as a duelist isn't just the cherry on top, but a whole other sundae. She's the one whose pride would be most damaged by admitting that Jonouchi came by his victory against her honest, so that makes the fact that she did that much more impactful.

She also made me smile when she offered the chance to Jonouchi to explain how he got so far in the tournament first. Because he could declare that his friends were supporting him the whole time, Mai could also say that it was because of his understanding of his weaknesses as a player that he could allow them to balance those weaknesses out. You can't get better at something without some conscious effort, and Jonouchi's baby steps in the right direction were only because he had his friends to guide and coax him along. Mai recognizes that, while Jonouchi may have had support and help in their duel, that help was only to remind him that he has friends showing him support, win or lose.

And since she was the one to lose that particular game, she had to realize that her weaknesses had gone unexamined like Jonouchi's hadn't. She had to take a good, hard look at who she really was and what losing meant to her before she could develop the courage it took to face that possibility again. She had THOUGHT she was where she wanted to be skill-wise until she lost to Jonouchi, until she realized she wasn't and had to continue to work for it, and part of that was gathering the courage to face herself and her limitations.

Since Yami has to keep track of TWO different selves rather than just the one, this might have proved more difficult for him. But, Sugoroku offered up another bit of advice to Yuugi before the duel too, helping him understand that he and Yami balance each other out. That should at least have prepped Yuugi from his end, making syncing up the two halves of Yuugi's personality a little easier.

In the end, learning this from Mai is really going to come in handy for the duel with Pegasus, because I have a feeling Yami and Yuugi are going to face a similar disparity in points at first to this one with Mai.

Inuyasha Manga: 057 A Painter's Dream

This probably doesn't reference the MODERN painter's dream, which would be better described as work being featured in a high-class gallery and making money from their craft WITHOUT catching a ton of flak for not having a REAL job. Yeah, sure, you're famous enough to get tons of requests to see more of your art on various websites, but when you produce prints for people to buy you're suddenly under scrutiny for e-begging and leeching. You're great as long as the product of weeks of effort is on display for FREE and a labor of love. If there's ever a price tag on it, you're a HACK! A HACK I SAY!

Ahem...

No, THIS dream has more to do with a love of hell scenes and gore. Man, if you had been born a few centuries later...

The painter's flashback now features a little inkpot he filled with the stuff he brought home, as well as some of the ink that was supposed to be there anyway, which he used to paint an oni. The oni rose from the paper miraculously, a moment that the painter describes as wonderful. Terrifying would be my first word-choice, but then again I've read "The Art of Jacob Emory". As the oni was rising from its painting, it demanded more blood and guts, which the painter was only too happy to provide.

He goes straight to describing how his frequent experimentation led to him finding out that fresh guts worked to sate his oni's hunger best. Didn't have even a LITTLE bit of a moral crisis? Okay. He assaulted a servant, a person passing by, killing them with a hatchet. Eventually he had killed too many people to remain safely in the capital, so he skipped town.

Yeah dude, she just APPEARED in front of you out of thin air. No wonder he doesn't give a shit that he's killing her with his nightly kidnappings; it just doesn't occur to him that she's a PERSON who needs sleep rather than a mere apparition.

He laments the fact that he could only have watched her from afar and never acted on his "love" for her as the person he was before, but having a life-giving brush means he can make a princess all his own. Which will demand blood and guts in exchange for sex. And he's SURPRISED that his paintings of the princess continually come out with her looking like a demon prostitute?

The painter has convinced himself that no one will get in the way of this dream; producing a sex robot that will feed on the human entrails he brings to it! He's prepared to defend it, scrolls lying unfurled around him as he stares out the window at the intruders on his solitary house.

You remember what happened the last time you cut into one of those painting onis, right? No time for reminiscence it seems, though, because Kagome notes a steady stream of the creatures pouring out of the house. She insists Inuyasha chopping them all down is getting them nowhere, but Inuyasha is also insistent that he do so. Kagome screams when Inuyasha makes a rough landing next to a sea of ink and blood he just made, glaring ahead.

Kagome says his name like a question, JUST before he collapses in another dead faint. There's no shouting him out of it either, and with so many of the ink-demons around, she doesn't know what to do. Kagome turns around as one of them is about to slice her with a sword.

Inuyasha doesn't have a moment to complain, because Miroku rips the beads off his glove to open his Kazaana, pointing it at the cloud of youkai. They feel the pull of it immediately.

The painter is flabbergasted by his oni being sucked up, and Kagome is amazed by the rear view of Miroku's Kazaana in action. I'm sure she's totally NOT looking at dat ass, though it would be so ironic if she was.

Miroku groans and cuts off the flow with his magic beads, sweat at his temple. He kneels in the grass, hunched and panting while Kagome calls his name in concern. Miroku says that his first time sucking up so much evil at once has been unexpectedly tiring. So much for the automatic assumption that Miroku is largely unaffected by his suckiness and he will be able to suck indefinitely.

Inuyasha is silently sulking that he was saved by Miroku, but is interrupted by a creaking and shaking coming from the house. Kagome wonders what's going on now.

Kagome and Miroku gape at the fleeing painter, but Inuyasha leaps after him, much to Kagome's confusion. She asks if he's okay, and Inuyasha looks over his shoulder to ask her in turn where the Shikon shard is so he can take it from the moron. She takes a moment to look, and finds that there's a familiar glow coming from the bamboo pipe hanging from the painter's right hip. She alerts Inuyasha, who jumps into action now that he knows where to aim.

He lands on the back of the snake creature, then glares down to where Miroku and Kagome stand, helpless. He yells at Miroku not to think he's the only one who can be super cool or anything. Kagome allows a small pause before she apologizes to Miroku for Inuyasha's rudeness and translates it as a thanks and "I'll take it from here" in reality. Miroku flatly says that it didn't sound at all like her sparkly interpretation. No, seriously, she's surrounded with sparkles as she says it, which I assume is supposed to indicate her genuinely being impressed by SOMETHING about Inuyasha here. Can't say for sure what.

The painter unfurls another of his scrolls with more onis painted on it, and they pop off the paper at a glaring Inuyasha. He is so far beyond caring about these inky fuckers at this point. Miroku comments that there's more like he's saying it looks like rain, but Kagome panics about how Inuyasha can't cut them or he'll be done in by the smell. Turns out, she's got nothing to worry about.

Come on, Miroku, surely you've seen someone swinging their fists before. The only surprise should be that it was so effective, because...

If only Inuyasha knew how blockheaded the guy he's insisting give up really is.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It was interesting to have access to the villain's head for a time at the beginning of the chapter. Learning the course of events that led him to this current situation is illuminating not only in a chronological sense, but also a motivational sense. This is a man who has always been fascinated with Hell-scapes and gore, and with dead subjects rather than living ones. The irony of producing life from the depiction and propagation of death allows the painter a sense of power over his surroundings where he didn't have that power before. Not only could he commit murder as justified by feeding his creations, but he could also create MORE that would follow his orders and serve him like the god he was to them.

His treatment of the princess is also better understood, because not being used to dealing with live subjects, he's really inept at actually handling it. The painter not only dehumanizes her in his description of simply "appearing" before him like she's not even real, but has difficulty depicting her in a way that doesn't make her look demonic. It's not totally clear whether it's the jewel shard's evil that is producing this effect, or if it's just his artistic habits that are difficult to break, but it's interesting how his struggle leads to him continuing to contribute to the princess's illness. His lack of care would have ended up killing her if Inuyasha and company hadn't come along, bringing his propagation of death in service to his obsession full circle.

It's really too bad that it had to be communicated in such a clumsy way. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, granted, because it did flow into the content following it, and putting it at the beginning of the chapter made it less of a story-interruption. I also can't see how it might have been woven more discretely through the rest of the narrative, so you could also argue this was the best of all possible iterations.

As far as flashbacks go, it wasn't BAD, but it wasn't the BEST either.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 115 The Beautiful Trap!

Seriously? Am I going to have to just copy and paste the last chapter's cold open into this one? To be fair, this one isn't so much specifying MAI beautiful as it is the trap, but what about this trap is beautiful? It involves that Mirror Wall, so perhaps Yami's MONSTERS are the ones being referred to here. Or perhaps Yami himself? Wouldn't THAT be something?

No waaaaaaaaay. How could anyone have seen this coming...

Mai talks about the Cyber Bondage making her Harpy Lady stronger than ever, and that combined with the Mirror Wall renders Yami without a snowball's chance in hell.

Can we pause to talk about the fact that this equipment is called "Cyber Bondage"? Pegasus creates the cards and the art for them right? I'm a little disturbed that this came out of his head. He doesn't strike me as much of a BDSM type of dude, so thinking about it is sort of skeeving me out. And I wanted to share that with readers because misery loves company. You're welcome.

Back to the game, where Mai is giggling at Yami for falling into her trap and underestimating her. Yami growls and grumbles about this woman in his head, while Mai tells him it's his turn and that he'd better not waste it. He draws a card, looks at it, and is stoked that he drew Summoned Skull. I'm stoked too, because that has fast become my favorite card in this game. It's just so badass! And it can easily overcome the harpy's 1800 attack points, as Yami observes. Careful, boy. Remember what happened the last time you thought like that.

Too bad about that short-term memory loss, though. Yami wants Mai to watch him show her she's no match for him. Across from him, Mai judges by his expression that he drew a good card and urges him to come at her bro, because her trap is still waiting for him. Yami plays a card face down and then slaps down the Skull Demon.

Noooooooo, what an unexpected turn of events...

The Mirror Wall is back, making the Summoned Skull attack its own reflection and halve its own attack points. It's down to 1250 points, driving home the SHOCKING reality that this is in fact a PERMANENT trap for Yami. Mai winks at him, telling him he should have read the fine print.

Yami wastes a panel explaining that normal trap cards are discarded after a turn, but there are exceptions. Well no shit, we can SEE that. Mai holds up her trap while praising it as one of the RAREST kinds, a permanent thorn in the side of her opponent, appearing as long as it's on the table and Yami calls out an attack. Yami is appalled, because this means that all his monsters are as good as useless.

Jonouchi asks Yami what's the matter, because I guess he can't hear what he and Mai are saying. But after Anzu calls Yami's name as well, he clarifies that there's something wrong with Yami's fighting style, because he's attacking without thinking and playing way too fast. It's not like Yami to fall for the same trick twice. Anzu thinks it's almost as if Yami is impatient, though in the next panel he looks more constipated than anything else.

Mai hangs her head mockingly and talks about what a disappointment it is that THIS is the skill level of the great duelist she's been waiting to face. Yami growls as Mai looks back up, saying that the moment Yami sat down, she saw him being crushed by an invisible pressure. This statement shocks Yami, and he gapes at Mai while she continues. She claims that two duelists facing one another can usually feel an aura of battle, whatever that means, but all she feels from Yami at the moment is irritation, and blurts that he must be thinking about fighting Pegasus instead.

Whoops. Looks like Yami got caught in the dueling equivalent of shouting someone else's name during climax. He's certainly LOOKING like he's in that awkward position of thinking of how to explain who "Pablo" is. Mai pisses about how he thinks she's not even worth his attention, and how he's such an arrogant boy, thinking he had her beat before the duel even began. With his mind running in circles thinking of Pegasus, Mai accuses Yami of being distracted by the thought of Pegasus watching their duel. That has a rather voyeuristic tone to it...

Yami wonders if he really IS nervous because of Pegasus, while Pegasus leers down at him from his throne above.

In his defense, that is TOTALLY creepy.

Pegasus himself is silently saying that Mai is correct, because he can see into Yami's mind and answers that unspoken question plaguing him in the negative. Nope, Yami has no chance of beating Pegasus. Yami growls again and shouts at Mai to say whatever she wants AFTER she manages to beat him. Until then, they should get on with their duel already.

Mai is unimpressed with his new effort to intimidate her, saying that aggressiveness and machismo are only bluffs that men use to hide their weakness. She claims to be dead-on, which isn't a bad estimation considering how Yami is now growling at her to shut up. Totally hit a nerve there, for sure. She continues to bait him, laughing about how this is exactly why he fell into her trap.

Jonouchi yells at Yami not to listen to this provocative talk, and to howl if he's a man. Do men howl? I thought that was wolves... Oh well. Anzu suddenly has an epiphany that Mai might be trying to provoke his duelist ability that Yami has lost sight of instead of his defeat. Yami can only growl some more at Mai while she thinks it looks like he's woken up a bit, so she's ready to REALLY fight. She wants him to forget about the pressure of dueling Pegasus she can see his sharp eyes and his readiness to murder the opponent in front of him.

Sure you want to be MURDERED, Mai?

She shouts that the real fight begins now, and Yami yells back to bring it on, because he WILL win. This is more like what she had been waiting for, because if he doesn't give it his all, there's no point in beating him.

Alright! Let's get this show on the road already!

Mai draws a card as she states that it's her turn, and wonders if she should attack the Skull Demon at half its power on this round. Yami's glaring at her from across the table, and she decides she's worried about the face down card he played earlier being a trap besides. Instead of siccing her harpy on him, she plays Harpy's Feather Duster, much to Yami's surprise. She internally apologizes to Yami for getting rid of his mystery card.

Yami holds up the card, showing her that it was Spell-Binding Circle, which would have trapped HER if she had attacked. He compliments her on her good read of him, and puts his card in the "graveyard". Mai says she's a cautious player whom Yami should try to emulate with a little chuckle. Yami shouts that it's his turn, and he draws a card dramatically rather than letting himself be provoked by her trash-talk.

He reminds himself that as long as Mai's mirror is on the table, it will pop up whenever he attacks, which essentially cuts off that option for him. Yami switched the Skull Demon to defense, following up this move by playing the Feral Imp in defense as well. Mai questions whether there's any way for Yami to win if he can't attack, but doesn't dwell on this, as it's her turn now. She pulls another equipment card from her hand, an Electro-Whip which gives Yami even more reason to grind his teeth. He wonders if she's just going to keep powering up Harpy Lady while hiding behind the Mirror Wall. It's working, isn't it?

Yup, definitely working, despite her insistence that she has more to tack on top of it. Jonouchi shouts for Yami to watch out, because Mai is inevitably going to play that harpy multiplier card she used against him. It's not clear whether or not Yami is listening; he just plays Saiga in defense, knowing full well that if he doesn't remove the Mirror Wall, Mai will simply win by attrition, much like Pegasus did Kaiba. He silently curses and sweats while he grits his teeth.

It's Mai's turn again and she draws a card accordingly. Looking at this card, she smirks, welcoming it to her hand. She tells Yami that her harpy combo is only 70% complete with this new card, but it looks like it'll be enough to beat him. Mai shouts that she's playing the harpies' ultimate servant, the pet dragon that has Yami squirming already.

Yami is justified in squirming, honestly. The sub has arrived and this is going to be some super weird porn.

Mai calls the dragon a "cutie" while introducing it as a well-trained pet. Whatever you say. She commands it to kill the demon with an attack she calls "Saint Fire Giga". Is that anything like Saint Elmo's Fire, by any chance? It takes out my favorite Skull Demon and I am a saddie. Yami, on the other hand, is just shocked and gaping.

In the wake of the attack, Mai tells Yami that there's something he's lost sight of, something you can show but you can't see.

Kind of pathetic to look so stumped over your OWN riddle, Yami.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I was a little conflicted over this one because a good portion of it was just Mai heckling Yami, and I'm not a big fan of characters just sitting and talking without much else happening in between. I find it difficult to concentrate in a visual medium such as comics when there isn't action happening while the characters are speaking to one another, so I was kind of bored by the scene. I would have preferred to have this happening over the course of a few turns, rather than between them.

That said, I DID appreciate the content of the conversation. It was a reflection on Yami's current insecurities backed up by the visual metaphor of the mirror wall reflecting his rash actions. I feel like this is the principle reason Mai was made into an older woman, in addition to her using sexual awareness of herself as a distracting factor, of course. She's also WISER than most of the people she's playing, and in a fundamentally female way. Mai has a lot of experience dealing with blustering overly-aggressive meatheads who think they can intimidate her into submission. ALL WOMEN DO, and we also all eventually come to realize that these guys are covering for their own insecurities in various situations. It's such a default for men to fall into when they're trying to regain control and confidence that it can be invisible to them.

So Mai drawing attention to it, as well as calling out Yami's insecurities about facing Pegasus in plain terms is very important, because identification of a problem is the first step to solving it. Yami's defensive mode isn't his REAL dueling spirit, and unless Mai helped Yami to realize this, she wasn't going to see that real spirit or be able to say she faced him with true sportsmanship, win or lose.

But she's also trying to tell him something else here, being a bit more coy about this particular detail. She wants him to figure it out, and has reformulated his own riddle in order to help him realize it on his own. I wonder what it is...

Inuyasha Manga: 056 Controlling the Oni

Let me guess; candies, right? Your oni monsters get oni candies that make them stronger, and evolve them into cooler oni, right? And much like the speculation around the candies in Pokemon GO, I think the speculation here is that the candies the painter feeds his oni are probably made up of some pretty messed-up stuff. I mean, what else would he be collecting the guts of soldiers his oni kill for? Unless there's one more thing about his motivations we haven't been told about quite yet...

#ArtistStruggles

He's planning on sending her one of his special chauffeurs again tonight, so he can get a good look at those eyes again, most likely.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, Miroku is asking Kagome about the suspicious painter she tells him Inuyasha and she encountered outside of town. She says he wasn't a youkai, but it's easy for her to recall how he was controlling the oni that he produced straight from his chest. Kagome begins a thought with "perhaps" and Miroku finishes it with the supposition that this human painter could be using the power of a Shikon fragment.

Just outside the door and on the walkway, Shippou sits on a surly Inuyasha's lap as he eats a little snack and asks if Inuyasha is going to join the conversation. Inuyasha scoffs, prompting Kagome to ask him when he's going to stop sulking already. Miroku asks Inuyasha what his deal is, and Inuyasha shouts at both he and Kagome to shut their mouths. Kagome insists that it should be just fine to rely on Miroku for a little while, whining about how he has such a jealous nature. Inuyasha denys being jealous about anything when he twists around to face the accusation with aplomb.

Just kidding, it's indignant rage and an unfinished insult.

Miroku grabs Kagome's hands and asks if she's really been desperately searching for him. Seeing this, veins pop out all over Inuyasha's temple, and he might have an aneurysm, guys.

Miroku looks like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar, in more ways than one, given how Kagome is pinching his actual hand. Inuyasha looks like he's in shock at this information, because I guess Kagome didn't bother to tell him where they were heading before when they caught up with Miroku at the end of the last chapter. Kagome peers at Miroku's chest, estimating he has two or three fragments, and he compliments her on her good eyesight. Inuyasha zooms over to seize those shards, but Kagome sits him before he can get close enough.

He calls Kagome a bitch, demanding to know why she kept quiet until now. Miroku leans down to tell Inuyasha he'd be a nasty thief if he stole the fragments Miroku collected all on his own, and Inuyasha retorts that he's one to talk.

The lord of the castle peeks around the corner meekly at them, addressing Miroku. He asks if the priest forgot about his plan to help the princess, who has joined him in looking in on the room of strangers with a weary expression, and I'm not sure if it's because of her illness or because she's already sick of their bullshit. Miroku assures him that they will help, so bids the lord not to worry, but the lord isn't so sure it will be okay regardless.

Miroku promises to save her, and pleads with her to be patient. Kagome also encourages her to do her best. The princess nibbles on a little snack similar to the one Shippou was eating while she closes her eyes and agrees.

Miroku and Kagome go outside to hide in the bushes and Inuyasha pops up to join them, surprisingly. Miroku asks if he's going to help them after all, and Inuyasha scoffs, denying that he's there to give them a hand. But that smell is coming closer again.

It's not a chauffeur; it's an entire freaking PARADE. No one noticed this procession coming for the princess EVERY NIGHT? I know you guys were asleep, but for fuck's sake...

Inuyasha glares at the incoming cavalry, noting its scent is the same blood, guts and ink smell that was on the painter. The demon creatures land and gently tug the princess into their wagon, urging her to come with them tonight as well. They then fly away with her looking out the back of the wagon like she's only mildly concerned or something.

Miroku hops on Kagome's bike and takes off in the direction of the disappearing princess as he says he's borrowing it. Kagome whirls around and makes a discouraging noise before starting to run after him in an effort to catch up. Yeah right, girl. Inuyasha grabs her by the back flap of her sailor blouse and deposits her onto his back, much to her surprise. While she stares curiously at the back of his head, Inuyasha says that there's no mistaking the fact that the painter is totally involved in this mess as well. He's convinced the man is using a Shikon fragment, and thinks he knows how his trick works.

Meanwhile, back at his remote home, the painter is pacing around an unfinished painting of the princess while he frets about her not being there yet. Hearing some rattling outside the room, he stops short, drops to his knees, and crawls quietly to slide aside the panel looking out of the room to see if he can't catch a glimpse of the princess.

It's not clear to the painter that the princess might be hiding her face for a reason other than fear, probably because she's always pretty scared during the beginnings of these non-consensual modeling sessions. Sweating and staring, the painter silently urges the princess to show him her face.

Oh snap! Shippou pops back into his real form as the painter throws open the door and demands to know what happened to the princess. He recognizes Shippou as having been with that "youkai brat" Inuyasha when they met before. Wow, he's super observant if he noticed tiny baby Shippou in the midst of all that hullabaloo. Bravo, sir.

Shippou is getting a little too into the role of captured spy, chuckling about being exposed and about to announce just who he REALLY is. Before he can get out his name, though, the painter just whips around and tells one of his horse-headed monsters to kill it. The monster obliges, aiming for Shippou when it swings down its crescent blade. Shippou jumps out of the way with a scream.

The painter goes back into the other room, dumping a whole pile of scrolls onto the floor. He sorts through them as he mutters how unforgivable all those who stand in his way are. Yeah, THEY'RE the unforgivable ones. Sure.

Inuyasha, Miroku and Kagome arrive outside the house, Miroku calling out that he senses some demon energy, or "youki". A swirling atmosphere like motor oil in a puddle surrounds the house, and Inuyasha announces that there's something coming right before a giant cloud bursts out of the house in front of them.

More cartoon-ception! My irony meter is exploding right now.

Inuyasha says that there's a spell controlling the oni the painter has drawn, but they're FAR from just a bluff. The painter himself shakes out his scrolls while he giggles, encouraging the drawings to devour his enemies.

"No, seriously, say you're scared and leave so that I can look more manly in comparison."

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I'm on the line between really liking the decoy-setup they orchestrated here and side-eyeing the continued practice of putting Shippou in danger. True, this plan is VERY similar to the one in which Shippou acted as Kagome's double back when they were fighting Hiten and Manten, and I didn't complain about it then. But back then, Shippou and Kagome were in danger of being killed anyway, and the plan wasn't putting him in the way of any more harm than he was already in. This plan seems just a TAD on the exploitative side to me, given that he didn't HAVE to be involved in it at all.

Not that I don't believe Shippou probably came up with the idea himself. I was already convinced that he was probably the mastermind behind that first decoy plot too, because there was no way Kagome would have known he would be capable of mimicking her appearance without him telling her his idea in the first place. Besides, he's rather desperate to be an active member of the team, and to be recognized for his ability to help in all kinds of situations. The kid has had a shit ton to prove ever since he joined up with Inuyasha and Kagome, because little kids always do. It's a natural part of the process of growing up to constantly want to be viewed as a peer of those you look up to, and a necessary part of emulation, which wouldn't exist if kids didn't have that "fake it till you make it" mentality.

And, I have to admit, Shippou would be SO ANNOYING if he just sat around doing nothing. My hatred of a useless character is so much more prominent than my outrage at these kids not taking proper care and consideration of younger kids.

Sorry Shippou. On both counts.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 114 The Bewitching Mai

Haven't we already been over this? First she's a siren without exhibiting any of the singing or distracting characteristics of one to our protagonists, and now we're calling her bewitching? She had better be playing a spell card that warrants this description during this chapter, or I'm going to be annoyed. Chapters need to stop referring to Mai in ways that are reminiscent of sexist descriptions of female allure, ESPECIALLY when they're not even relevant.

Because this first page isn't very promising on the relevancy front.

Going to talk to your grandfather about how hot Mai is? Nope, he's telling Sugoroku to just watch him defeat Pegasus to put him back in his body. Good thing too, because that would have been weird. Sugoroku warns Yuugi that the cheaters, the cowards and the arrogant NEVER get smiled upon by the god of duelists.

WHAT? There's a GOD of DUELISTS? There is a GOD who presides over this card game and its players? This theological pontification BETTER be Sugoroku losing his mind being trapped in this camera, because if it's not... that is QUITE the cosmology this universe has, that's all I have to say about it.

Sugoroku continues by telling Yuugi that a duelist should never lose their confidence or honor, but they should also be careful not to let their self esteem become pride and dig their own grave. Yuugi is speechless at this little warning, giving Sugoroku a moment to confess that he thinks Yuugi balances out Yami's heart. Yuugi asks for some clarification on this, so Sugoroku explains that whenever Yami becomes overconfident and loses sight of his true heart or sense of justice, that's when Yuugi is most needed to step in and help. Yuugi nods with a determined look on his face.

Jonouchi bursts into the room with Anzu in tow, asking if Yuugi is up yet. Just be glad he wasn't in the middle of dressing, Mr. I've-Never-Heard-Of-Knocking. He tells Yuugi he's looking awfully fly today, because he likes the bondage look Yuugi sports. Yuugi wishes them a good morning, and Anzu reminds him with a serious look that today is the day. He gives her a similar nod to the one he gave his grandfather. Jonouchi shows him a thumbs-up, asking if he's ready to head downstairs, and Yuugi loops the puzzle around his neck, elbow blocking view of his face for a moment.

Let's go see if Mai is nearly as bewitching as the title suggests!

Light streams in through huge French windows as Yami, Anzu and Jonouchi walk down the hallway and Anzu asks where Honda and Bakura got to. Jonouchi says they weren't in their rooms, and also wonders out loud where they could have gone. Yami wonders if they didn't go off to rescue Kaiba and Mokuba, which brings him around to reminding himself that HIS job is to rescue the souls that go with the bodies Honda and Bakura are likely retrieving.

They eventually come to a set of double doors Croquet is standing in front of, and Croquet tells them they have been anticipated. He welcomes the two duelists in the group to the duel room and they glare ahead.

Mai giggles, saying good morning to the boys, and Yami doesn't really change his expression from the one above. She tells him it's about time they determined who the strongest duelist on the island was, adding another giggle on for good measure. Jonouchi twists around when he hears Keith, leaning on a pillar behind them, says he's prepared to pay "Joey" back for last night if he can make it all the way to the table. Jonouchi shouts that he doesn't give a fuck if Keith is the US champion, because he's going to give him the card smack down. Keith just smirks, knowing that Jonouchi hasn't even realized he's already lost because Keith has his special card he needs to show before he can even play.

A loud noise causes Yami and Jonouchi to look around suddenly.

Again with this weird talk of dueling being backed up by some obscure divinity. I'm really beginning to think that this chapter is ACTUALLY building up a cosmology around this game.

The four finalists are all lined up; Mai, Yami, Jonouchi and Keith, and we get a close-up shot of each, though it's not really important seeing as how they're all wearing pretty much identical determined glares. Keith's the only exception, because he's smirking behind his stupid sunglasses. Take those off, you moron, you're indoors.

Pegasus announces that the one who survives his hunger games tournament will be given a champion's prize, and offers to give them a preview.

He's got an ACTUAL treasure chest full of fucking jewels and coins. I just... This has definitely reached POE'S LAW levels of unmockability. I mean, the joke is right there, but I can't make it, because the comic already has!!

Jonouchi stutters out a repeat of the amount of money being offered up through his huge grin, but is distracted by wondering offhand how much that is in yen. He must have decided it doesn't matter, because in the next panel, he's put back on his determined face and assumes that this will be enough money to save Shizuka for sure. Keith internally chuckles, thinking it could be worse. Meaning, of course, that he's seen BIGGER prizes in his illustrious career. I can't wait for him to begin negging Pegasus with this tactic.

"Your prize is DECENT, but my ex-enemy threw a tournament with a prize of over a million."

Mai has laced the fingers on both her hands and lifted them right next to her starry-eyed expression as she declares that all that cash is going to be hers. One of the Secret Service Servants flanking Pegasus tells her to hold her horses, because one doesn't get the money JUST by beating the other three duelists in the finals. The other SSS says that one has to also beat PEGASUS in order to win the money. Pegasus backs his ass up into his stupid throne, wondering aloud who will beat him and saying he looks forward to knowing with a chuckle.

Yami grits his teeth, knowing that Pegasus doesn't have any intention of parting with the treasure chest, assuming that he won't lose with his Millennium Eye. However, Yami is also sure he can't lose either, thinking of Sugoroku, Kaiba and Mokuba. He assures himself that he and Jonouchi will win the glory, and that he's coming for Pegasus.

You realize that you and Jonouchi can't BOTH win, right?

Just to show Yami swirling around the jacket he turned into a cape like an idiot.

Croquet steps up to the competitors, asking to see the cards showing they have the right to duel before they begin. Yami holds up The Honor of the King's Left while Mai does the same with BOTH of her cards, and Croquet thinks this all checks out. He doesn't bother to ask where Yami's other honor card is, but if he did, I guess Jonouchi wouldn't be able to go on, so...

Jonouchi cheers that Yami better win while Anzu hangs out next to him looking constipated. Was she there the whole time? Or did Jonouchi wander on up to the banister overlooking the table to stand next to her? *shrug*

While setting their cards on the table, Mai tells Yami that it was her dream to face him on this island and win. She proceeds to wonder if this dream will come true, because Yami is her ideal opponent and everything in her dueling career has been leading up to this moment. Your chances are less than zero, girl. The GOD OF DUELISTS has willed it so that Yami won't lose. Yami, meanwhile, hopes that Mai won't take it personally that he's about to steamroll right over her in order to get to Pegasus.

Mai notices that his expression looks a bit impatient, and asks Yami if fighting her is just an irritation for him. He doesn't answer, and she notes that he's not even looking at her, probably because his heart's already set on his duel with Pegasus. She pretty sure that this lack of focus will work in her favor, though, because the game isn't so easy to win if you're not really paying attention.

Why would she do that, Yami? The whole point of that trick was to distract her opponent with trying to figure out what she was doing. You already know what she's doing, so it wouldn't even work.

Also, Mai says she doesn't need tricks anymore, and thinks she only needs working eyes. Mai is reflected in one of Yami's eyes as he thinks that she's no match for him. Mai apparently realizes that he's considering her as just that reflection, but is convinced that there's something he doesn't see, so he can't beat her. She goes first, slapping Harpy Lady down on the table. The little hologram that comes up giggles at Yami, who thinks this is all just standard fare for Mai. He supposes she's using the same deck as before to power up that one card.

Uh, duh, Yami. No one was supposed to have more than one deck with 40 cards on the island. Did you forget?

Jonouchi thinks Mai's use of the Harpy Lady is just funny, because even HE won against it, so how can Mai think that shit will work on Yami? Mai says that she's not quite done with her turn, playing one more card face down on the table and winking. Yami has another of those exclamation points above his head to indicate surprise behind his static face while he observes this. Looking at his hand, he finds Gaia, one of his best cards in his hand, with which he can beat Harpy Lady easily.

He announces that his card is Gaia as he plays it, then commands it to attack Harpy Lady.

Set yourself up for that one, didn't you Yami? He somehow missed all the trap alarm bells that usually go off in his head though, and is flabbergasted by this Mirror Wall. Mai explains that as soon as he attacks, the shining wall blocks it. Gaia is reflected in the wall, and because Yami can't stop the attack no matter how panicked he looks, Gaia's charge is on his own reflection. As a result, Gaia's attack points are halved down to 1150, leaving Yami in shock.

Now that it's Mai's turn again, she throws down an equipment card to play on her harpy.

Ironic, given that she just played a mirror as her trap. Seeing is kind of the purpose of that tool.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? As predicted, this chapter had NOTHING to do with Mai being bewitching whatsoever. In fact, none of the male characters seemed to notice all her bare shoulders and cleavage any more than they noticed Keith's annoying habit of wearing sunglasses indoors. They treated her just like everyone else in the room, which was... awesome, actually. That's what a screaming feminist like myself likes to see! No one gives her a second look or comments on her dress, and no one treats her any differently than they would anyone else because of it.

It's actually miraculous that we've gotten from a point where Anzu is inexplicably subject to tons of sexual assault in Death-T, to having a female character being treated like a HUMAN BEING by other characters. I LOVE IT! Too bad the AUTHOR of the thing couldn't take a cue from his own characters and refrain from commenting on her apparently "bewitching" properties when it isn't appropriate. Oh well, it's no more ridiculous than that same author deciding that it wasn't enough to create a popular card game, but a RELIGION surrounding it.

Speaking of which, let us pray. God of Duelists, thank you for your justice, and for shining your light of equality upon this duel.

Amen.

Inuyasha Manga: 055 Pocket Oni

Oni that can fit into your pocket, eh? Do they come in card form too? Or did Kagome bring her favorite hand-held Nintendo system so she could catch the little guys in the Fuedal Era? Is she trading them with the local villagers and training them in gyms? I'd mention the stops where she can pick up their little prison spheres too, but since this chapter came out LONG before the "GO" installment of the game, I'm fairly certain we can avoid making that comparison.

Not that this could be any sort of reference at ALL to Pokemon or anything.

I don't know, Kagome, it's hard to imagine that it could have taken you more than 560 chapters to collect and destroy the Shikon no Tama, regardless of who was working with whom.

Inuyasha leaps ahead, shouting that he smells ink, and ends up causing someone to shriek for help. He's gripping a struggling messenger by his collar with one hand while he sniffs at the letter that messenger was trying to deliver with the other, identifying it as the source of the smell. When Kagome catches up, she tells Inuyasha to sit, who asks what she's doing. She reprimands him for attacking an ordinary person, looking over her shoulder to apologize to the already fleeing messenger, trailing his unfurled letter in his wake.

Kagome turns back to Inuyasha, asking him what his hurry is, and Inuyasha shouts that she should already know. The rampaging youkai had not only left behind corpses with empty chest cavities, but also the scent of ink, and Inuyasha complains that if they're careless, Miroku will get away with all the Shikon fragments this case will yield. After a short pause, Kagome asks if Inuyasha hates Miroku THAT much, and Inuyasha answers with another question about whether she actually LIKES the lecherous bastard. Completely straight-faced, Kagome states simply that she LOVES Miroku.

Inuyasha gapes at Kagome a moment, who follows this comment up with the reveal that she was very obviously joking. Still, Inuyasha is freaking out over her statement, trembling as he wonders if it's really and truly like THAT. She shouts at him that he should listen to her all the way to the END of her punchlines next time.

Speak of the devil...

Dammit Miroku, what lowlife piece-of-garbage thing did you do now??

Oh, they're not referring to him. They're talking about some guy they're kicking at on the ground, calling him nasty for peeking at the princess who has covered her head with a kimono AND a parasol, attended by two others huddling around her protectively. Sheesh, does she really need that much shelter from some guy's EYES? I mean, yeah, being leered at is no fun, but it's not like it's going to ruin her or something.

The guy himself stutters that he only looked because the princess is so very beautiful. Does he really deserve to be beaten up for looking at someone he finds attractive? I mean, really? The villagers all gather around to handily identify this guy as a foreign painter called Koutatsu, who came to them from the capital. Miroku peers at this painter and it seems to him that Koutatsu has been driven mad by some obsession. How do you figure? Is he doing anything mad right now? All I see is a dude getting beaten up for looking at somebody, which seems to me like the actual madness, but what do I know?

We get a closeup on the princess this whole issue stems from, peering from under her hood and asking the villagers to stop being so cruel to the poor guy. Miroku stares.

Oh, I get it, she's just really sick. THAT explains all the sheltering measures they're taking.

Miroku looks down at the guy who was beaten up for daring to look at her royal highness, who's staggering to his feet. His attention is drawn back to the princess when she coughs and one of her attendants asks if she's alright. Miroku decides it's more important to help out the girl first, despite the fact that the painter guy could use some more immediate assistance. But, hey, what do you expect? Miroku's decisions on which problems deserve more attention are dictated by the dowsing rod that is his boner.

Koutatsu slinks out of the village on a lonely road, cursing the jerks who dared to damage his drawing. He silently calls them idiots, saying that they don't know anything. He brings out his drawing from beneath his collar to view, which is a pretty accurate view of the princess from many a different angle. What was described as just LOOKING earlier seems a bit more like STALKING here when he says that the princess is beautiful in the daylight as well. Now I'm beginning to see what those dudes beating Koutatsu up were so upset about. Koutatsu rounds out his creepy statement by stating that the princess will be all his soon.

You no longer have my sympathy, man.

He's seized by the back of his collar by a quite familiar hand wearing a bell sleeve.

He sounds an awful lot like a teacher who caught a kid vandalizing the side of the school...

Kagome is riding up, saying that Inuyasha is at this interrogation shtick yet again. Koutatsu asks Inuyasha what it is he wants, because he's just a painter. Inuyasha makes a sound like he doesn't quite believe THAT, because he smells ink, yes, but there's also something else. He tells Koutatsu that he reeks of blood and guts, which makes Koutatsu gape before he shoves Inuyasha and tells him to get away.

Inuyasha declares that Koutatsu won't escape as Koutatsu seizes both sides of his collar to pull open his shirt.

Kagome skids to a stop on her bike, the brakes squealing. Inuyasha has leaped out of the way of the arm, and now faces a huge body attached to it, an oni holding a crescent-bladed staff and looking like something straight out of a painting.

Koutatsu has used this distraction to run over to a nearby boat in a river and hop inside. Inuyasha notices this and shouts at him to hold up. Kagome looks at Koutatsu in disbelief, questioning what's going on and if he's actually a youkai. As Koutatsu pushes off from the bank and away, Kagome thinks he has to be human. Meanwhile, Inuyasha is still dealing with the sudden oni appearance, dodging another of its blows from the crescent blade this time.

From a gaping Kagome's shoulder, Shippou cheers Inuyasha's direct hit. Inuyasha smirks, scoffing about how the enemy just had a big bod. Said enemy collapses in a shower of blood, catching Inuyasha off guard and burying him in it. Kagome and Shippou stare, Shippou surprised to see that this blood is BLACK. Well, on this side of the manga, ALL the blood is black, unless the pages are colored, so forgive me if I don't really see the difference.

Inuyasha sits in a giant pool of the stuff, spitting curses and the black blood that managed to make its way into his mouth.This is why you shouldn't be shouting your head off when you're slicing up enemies, bro. He stares at his hand covered in the stuff, haltingly identifying it as ink mixed with blood and guts. Then he collapses in a dead faint, causing Kagome some surprise. She runs to him, asking what's wrong and lifting Inuyasha up out of the muck. His eyes are swirling in his disorientation, and Shippou says it's because his nose is too sensitive, the stench getting to him.

We rejoin Miroku at the castle, asking the princess about the horrible dreams she's been having at night. He sits in front of her and who I assume to be her father looking at her in concern, and tells her to recount what's in these nightmares. She says that they start with demons coming to the castle to take her away to an unfamiliar mansion. She's put in a room all by herself, but she can feel someone else watching nearby. The man sitting next to her says she's being steadily worn out by these dreams, and wonders if she's being haunted by a youkai.

Miroku strokes his chin as he gives his professional opinion that this is indeed the case. He asks the lord of the castle to leave him and the princess alone for a while. By the next panel, the lord has unwisely left his princess with the priest, who scoots real close to her as he bids her not to worry, assuring her that he will definitely save her with his houriki powers. He has a proposition for her in return, and while she clearly doesn't see where this is going, we all do.

Goodness, this joke is already getting old, even to the established characters.

Inuyasha asks if Kagome is REALLY going to trust the lecherous asshole, and Kagome answers that it's only because Inuyasha was all out of wack from the oni's blood earlier. Miroku tells them that it was awfully clever of Inuyasha and company to find him there. The princess wonders who all these new people are.

Hey, where did that stalker guy who had the oni in his pocket get to?

He's been COLLECTING the guts. Man, he really IS nasty.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The beginning was a little obscure in the details. It makes sense that Koutatsu would be beaten for his stalking habits after he himself explains what they did to his painting shortly thereafter, but it wasn't clear while it was happening, which makes Miroku's conclusions a little out-of-nowhere. If the princess's attendants had been shown damaging Koutatsu's drawing THEN, rather than us just hearing about it second-hand from Koutatsu, then not only would Miroku's diagnosis of him have been justified, but we would have seen first hand what they were beating him for. It was a very clumsy introduction for an author I KNOW could have done so much better.

That said, I'm still pretty impressed by Koutatsu as an antagonist. His humanity and frailty is set up early on, which makes him that much more repulsive. He's just a regular guy who's let his distant admiration of a woman turn into outright obsession, with which he justifies TERRIBLE things. There's really nothing scarier than a human being letting themselves be consumed with their more selfish urges to the point of hurting the very people they want contact with the most.

I'd also like to mention how great it is that RT didn't have Inuyasha and Miroku working together right off the bat. It makes sense that these two characters would clash at first, and would need to ease into being outright allies in the beginning, especially since they started out as antagonistic forces at first. It's more realistic to have them make it into a competition to start out, and then eventually come together in the interest of expediency.