Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 208 The Line of Fire

Asshole!Bakura is surely in those cross-hairs, but that's not news. He's been on the track to get his ass shot off since he stole that Duel Disk. It was only a matter of time, after all. So why mention it in the title unless someone other than asshole!Bakura was up against the blowtorch? Granted, this could be another of those nonsensical, meaningless titles, sounding all important but offering very little of substance that KT is so fond of.

Still, I can think of ONE person who's up there on that stage with asshole!Bakura who might get burned. As Yami holds Slifer's card in the air, summoning it along with a shitload of lightning, I can't help but think asshole!Bakura's face contains an awful lot of terror with his disbelief. So much that he might be inclined to retreat and leave someone ELSE to get burned in his place.

I don't know, what do YOU think?

Yami's bystander friends watch Slifer roar in awe, Anzu in particular stammering about this Slifer she's heard... nothing about. Still, it's pretty damn impressive, because that thing's head is about 50 times larger than Yami himself. Just its HEAD. Jonouchi gapes at Yami's god card, but on the other side of things, Kaiba is standing there with his arms crossed wearing a smirk. He's impressed by Yami's draw of a god card on his last turn, and considers him the only valid rival for the title of ultimate duelist.

He is SO up his own ass.

Meanwhile, the "mystery duelist" still in her cabin below, watches the lightning outside, identifying it as one of those god cards. She doesn't seem at all surprised that even the gods do the duelist's bidding, because duh, they're fucking cards. She also reiterates that the person who wins all three of the god cards by the end of the tournament would earn the title of KING, because they rule by DIVINE RIGHT! Get it?

Anyway, more specific to Yami, she knows that once this trial has been overcome, the king's memories will be unlocked, even stating his name. Because if anyone knows who's going to win the whole kit and caboodle, it's her. Oh, and the audience.

Coincidentally, Yami is thinking about how his memories are currently locked in darkness too, and his need to win to shed some light on them. Great timing. This thought is what steels him in the action he's going to take, or I assume so, because he's warning asshole!Bakura to brace himself immediately after.

Asshole!Bakura just stares dumbfounded at Yami instead of taking the good advice. Marik pops back into his head for a gloat, asking if things aren't looking a little bad for this asshole since he's had a god summoned onto him. Asshole!Bakura growls at him, but can't get anything out further before Marik starts evaluating the situation. He tells asshole!Bakura that Slifer's attack points depend on how many cards are in the summoner's hand, and points out that right now, Yami has four. This means 4000 attack points against asshole!Bakura's 3500 life points, much to his panic. It likely grows when Marik reminds him smugly that he's got no monsters to shield him, and he will lose when Slifer attacks.

But asshole!Bakura's eyes are bloodshot, his hackles are up, and he denies the inevitability of dying. Ah, futility. He takes stock of the fact that the monsters Yami used to summon Slifer were brought back with his Deja Vu card, and one of those monsters was possessed by the doll's spirit. According to the rules of Deja Vu, the spirit would be roaming Yami's side of the duel at this time, having been released from its host by the host's sacrifice. Asshole!Bakura's wrinkled nose turns from a grimace to a grin as he sarcastically wonders which monster the spirit should possess.

Get it? Because there's only one? Yet another thing asshole!Bakura should be ashamed of, and he's about to pile on more shameful shit on the garbage fire that is this duel. He commands the spirit to possess Slifer, and it shoots at the god-monster, buuuuuuut....

Womp womp. Marik rubs salt in the self-inflicted wound by calling him a fool for thinking a low-level nothing like the spirit could possess a god. Finally, it's starting to dawn on a sweating, teeth-grinding asshole!Bakura that this is it. There's nothing he can do.

Yami points at asshole!Bakura and states that he's won, prompting number one fanboy Jonouchi to cheer and urge his friend to finish off his... other friend. Who's not really his friend, but an evil spirit. Man, how much more complicated can this comic get? Jonouchi's assumption is that getting knocked around by a god will turn Bakura back to normal. Good to know there's still a bit of that "beat the hell out of 'em" spirit in Jonouchi yet.

As though waiting for Jonouchi's blessing, Yami announces he's going there. As he's ordering Slifer to attack, Marik wears a nasty grin as he assures a stricken asshole!Bakura that his defeat will serve the purposes of them both. Mostly Marik's though. Asshole!Bakura barks at him in anger and disbelief, but then, something weird happens?

Is ANYTHING happening right now? Did Rishid actually DO anything to get their attention or did everyone just randomly look his way?

Either his glare is an attention-getter or he ripped a massive fart, because Yami gapes at him a moment, then wrinkles the bridge of his nose and calls Rishid scum. Rishid doesn't appear at all upset by this, holding out his arm with the Millennium Rod grasped in its fist placidly. He tells Yami that he's controlling asshole!Bakura with the rod, to which Yami responds with disbelief. Yami asks if Rishid is really the one who brainwashed Bakura to be that asshole, and Rishid offers proof for his claim - the release of Bakura's native personality.

Sure enough, after a moment of asshole!Bakura hanging his head quietly...

Does Bakura just bleed MORE than asshole!Bakura or something? Why is he just now starting to hemorrhage? 

Jonouchi and Anzu freak, referring to Bakura by his first name, this as recognition that he's actually returned to normal. See Jonouchi? No god-beating required. Regular!Bakura whimpers at Yami, asking where he is and what's happening. Rishid points out how badly injured regular!Bakura is, and says that if an attack from Slifer will grant victory for certain, but may also send regular!Bakura into deadly shock. Apparently he's secretly a senior citizen. Explains the white hair, at least.

While Yami's mouth hangs open in horror at this notion, Rishid asks him if he's willing to risk Bakura's life. Yami's expression quickly turns to anger at Bakura being used as a shield by this douchebag, who turns away from the stage like it's no big deal. Jonouchi yells that this sitch isn't at all fair, and Honda shouts at Bakura to wake up, even though he already has? Dude, try to keep up, okay? I know it's difficult at times, but you're on the INSIDE, and you've gotta hold it together for me, man!

Marik praises Rishid's acting as Rishid heads toward the elevator bay at the end of the spectator pit. He's rather not in the mood for compliments, though, claiming he has a pain in his heart that's not from the wind that whips past him up here. Uhhh, yeah, wind doesn't USUALLY have occasion to reach the heart, so...

Back on stage, Yami is calling to Bakura in desperation as he continues to slump in pain on the other side of the duel. He's sweating at the possible consequences of attacking. Marik's smile at Yami's dilemma persists, silently warning him that if he hesitates to act on his last turn, the final letter will appear on the Ouija Board, and he'll lose. It's down to Yami or Bakura. Yami stares at the letters on the Ouija Board, heart thumping and perspiring. Moar Cards Guy pipes up, urging Yami to make a decision, because he only has 30 seconds left in the five minutes allotted for thinking on each turn. I feel like this may be a misappropriation of concern here. I mean, there is a kid who's bleeding and in pain in the duel right now. Perhaps a rematch is in order here? Maybe?

Because Bakura isn't the only one in distress, either. As he listens to Bakura whimper about how painful this is, pleading for assistance, Yami stares impotently. He realizes that regular!Bakura doesn't have the mental strength to withstand Slifer's attack (a determination I would LOVE to know the reasoning behind, BTW), as Moar Cards Guy shouts that there's 20 seconds left. Kaiba is losing his mind with ignorance about why Yami is hesitating here, because after all, it's not like Bakura is hooked up to a death apparatus or anything. He's only bleeding to death. It's fine. He tells Yami to finish Bakura off. Anzu is the only one with any sense when she says this is awful and someone should stop this duel, followed up with Honda's insistence that Bakura should be treated or he'll die. Yami's heart pounds some more, and Moar Cards Guy shouts that he has 10 seconds left.

Meanwhile,

Uh-oh, asshole!Bakura doesn't look very happy right now. In fact, the longer he watches his host suffer, the more upset he becomes. I guess he's the only one allowed to abuse Bakura. He growls, blurting that even HE has ways he likes and hates to win. Marik casts him a disgruntled glare, but the Millennium Ring is already glowing at asshole!Bakura's return to the forefront.

He tells Yami he'll let him win this time, so he should attack, being assured that his little gaming buddy won't die in the process. Yami calls Bakura's name, referring to the asshole, of course, and possibly poised to ask why he should be trusted. Asshole!Bakura says that he needs this body in the end, so he can gain the power of darkness. Or dankness. Regardless of how threatening these plans may be, at the moment, they're a bit further off than immanent failure.

Sure, this is a rather ominous ending, but at least the Bakura body can get the medical attention it needs now. Let's face it, this loss did all the guys in there a favor.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? A rather strange chapter just for the odd decisions on actions and dialogue throughout. The fact that Rishid just attracted attention for no reason was mystifying to me. There was just nothing that I could see actually inciting the collective turn to him when he wanted to talk. If you don't want him to talk, at least make the Millennium Rod glow or something. Not having an obvious reason for the shift in attention from the game to a spectator was jarring and bizarre.

I had a similar reaction to Bakura's sudden heavy bleeding when he came out of being possessed. I understand why it happened at that time in the story, to increase drama and tension, but it was too sudden not to question. This one is a little tricky, however, because even if an explanation exists as to why this would happen, there's nowhere in the chapter KT could have put it. It would have broken up that tension it meant to build and ruined it, so I can see where he was stuck between a rock and a hard place here.

Same with Kaiba's reaction to Bakura's situation being leagues different than the horror he had when Yuugi faced Jonouchi on the pier. At first I was a little annoyed at what I saw as an inconsistency in character, but rethinking it, I'm a little less annoyed. Kaiba isn't acquainted with Bakura like he is Jonouchi, there's not a surefire 100% guaranteed death going to happen if Bakura loses, and most importantly, Kaiba is REALLY REEEEEAAAALLY nervous about not being able to face Yami sometime in the finals. As he said before, Yami is the only one that can be called a rival, so of course he would panic at the prospect of Yami being eliminated in the tournament without getting to duel him.

Besides, the game was almost finished, and it would be a nightmare setting up a rematch not knowing when Bakura was going to be well enough to try again. And just like that, there goes your whole tournament, all that planning and the blimp wasted because of a few measly seconds...

But seriously, what's the deal behind regular!Bakura not having the strength to withstand Slifer's attack? I feel like KT is being kind of dismissive of Bakura as a character at this point. The spirit in the ring is really important, but Bakura is just along for the ride because he's the host, and it's a little sad to me. He's in a similar position to Yuugi and you could do so much with that, story-wise, like revealing complex ways in which he's fighting the ring's spirit, or have him bond with asshole!Bakura in a weird way. There may have been a hint of that in the part where asshole!Bakura gets a bit uncomfortable with regular!Bakura's suffering before he takes over again, but the dialogue indicates it's just pride and the need to be dignified in losing.

Regardless, seeing regular!Bakura's side of this relationship a bit more often would enrich his part in the manga. As it stands, he's literally been reduced to a body that the spirit of the ring needs to complete his nefarious plot, and KT already objectified the shit out of Anzu, and that was already too much. 

Inuyasha Manga: 149 Human Shield

The concept of an antagonistic group manipulating a majority of people around them to act in defense of that group despite at best not representing their interests, and at worst actively going against their interests seems AWFULLY familiar right now. You know, I can't quite put my finger on it, but it seems like the villagers have been convinced that a harmless band of people who are a tad different are some sort of threat, while the individuals manipulating this point of view stand safe behind their manufactured smokescreen. Isn't that messed up, that a whole bunch of people could be convinced that the others they have more in common with than a rash of powerful liars are enemies that must be chased away?

Glad that doesn't happen in the REAL world!

Ahh, but enough vague Marxist grumblings. Inuyasha is telling Miroku to head back to where Kagome and the other girls are. Miroku is alarmed by the order, but before he can really question what he's up to, Inuyasha draw Tessaiga. He vows to clean up the bitch. The DELIGHTFUL bitch, mind you.

She's so delightful, she doesn't even have to go on at length about her attack. Kagura just scoffs and throws some air-blades at Inuyasha as he charges headlong into them. He swings his sword to deflect them, shouting back at Miroku to just go, and Miroku turns to do just that, stammering that he understands. Kagura also gets it, informing Inuyasha that it'll do no good for Miroku to run and save them, because by the time he gets there Kagome will be an empty shell. Dammit! AGAIN? I thought Urasue would have been the last one foolish enough to try that shit, but apparently Kagome is going to have to own another dipshit today.

Ain't nobody gonna steal that girl's soul, you hear? She will fuck your shit up.

Inuyasha seems less sure, groaning at the prospect of an empty Kagome again. He silently begs her to hang on until he can get to her.

So far, she seems to be doing a great job.

No, seriously, the little girl in white looks down at the mirror in her hands listlessly, commenting flatly that the soul is overflowing from it. Still, Kanna reasons that at this point, Kagome shouldn't be able to move, so she steps toward Kagome, reaching out a hand to make the Shikon shard on the schoolgirl hers. Kagome twitches, brows drawing down in concentration and anger.

What did I say? What did I tell you?

Kanna looks around at a transformed Kirara stepping into the scene. Shippou is on Kirara's back, shouting at her not to move, or else she can get chomped on by the giant sabre-cat. Kagome squints over at him in desperation, but can only discourage him silently from letting himself be reflected in the mirror and getting his soul sucked out.

But Kanna doesn't go that route. Instead, she turns to flee, much to Kagome's consternation. She keeps her arrow trained on the retreating youkai, though, even as frantic steps echo behind her and her name is called. Miroku bursts on the scene just in time to see Kanna fading into the darkness of the house, his jaw hanging open in alarm. Kagome and Shippou call out to Miroku, the former weakly, the latter with gusto. Miroku kneels at Sango's unconscious side, saying her name, then Kagome's in worry as she begins to lose the strength to hold herself up. He begins to put two and two together, identifying the child in white as the other youkai who is manipulating the villagers.

Then he realizes someone is missing. Looking around, he asks where Koharu is in a panic. The answer comes almost immediately when Koharu addresses him from a doorway to his right. He looks over at her and says her name in return, because that's all anyone can ever say in this manga. She stares at him a moment, wordlessly. Shippou jumps in front of Miroku to warn him that Koharu has also been under control of the girl in white.

As if in response, Koharu reveals what she has in her hand.

I'm getting VERY disturbed by how much this panel resembles Kohaku's forced almost-suicide, right down to the dusting of freckles both have across their noses. It's uncanny...

Koharu brings the sickle closer to the flesh on her neck, to which action Miroku lunges forward and demands she stop. She looks up at him with a sharp glare before slashing at his arm, splattering his blood. Shippou and Kagome watch in horror, the little fox unable to do anything but, yet again, call his name.

Miroku's reaction is swift, though. He smacks the sickle right out of her hand with his uninjured arm holding his staff. As soon as it clatters to the floor, he punches her right in the gut. Instead of vomiting all over him, she just... passes out right into his arms? What? Why...? Never mind. He's looking down at her with sustained wariness, as he should because Shippou informs him that Koharu's soul has been taken by the mirror. Miroku gives Shippou a quizzical look, wondering aloud about this mirror. Instead of explaining, Shippou says that Kagome had the same thing happen to her, while she continues to sweat and strain on the floor.

As Miroku and Shippou waffle about impotently, Inuyasha is facing his own struggles.

I hope that untranslated bit isn't an actual answer. Maybe a scoff or something?

Kagura suggests that Inuyasha is unable to fight without Kagome hanging around, to which Inuyasha just twists his face to hide a silent curse. Since she controls all the wind in the vicinity, he's unable to find Kaze no Kizu, just like last time. BUT WAIT! It seems he judged too soon, because almost as soon as he's done thinking about this, Kaze no Kizu appears in front of him, much to his surprise. He wonders what's going on for her control of the wind to have weakened.

Without sparing a single thought toward the question "WHY", Inuyasha leaps to action, believing this is the time to take the opening. He tells Kagura to prepare to die, but Kagura throws him a sharp look, before the villagers on either side of the fight move in front of her in what looks like a daze. They no longer look angry, but just like shuffling old dudes. Inuyasha yells at them to move while Kagura draws another circle around herself with her fan, calling him a soft-hearted fool. He jumps out of the way of the bout of cyclones she's aimed at him, cursing her for using the villagers of a shield.

Kagura is pondering something Naraku said, which turned out to be true; Inuyasha had been aiming for the place where she had loosened her control of the wind, deliberately, of course. She comes back from deep thought to Inuyasha calling her all kinds of names, again for hiding behind the villagers. She urges him to just stop hesitating and cut her down already, along with her meat-shield.

So wait, if he just followed through on rushing to cut you with no hesitation or thought for the innocents he was killing too, that would be the SMART thing to do? Because that's the alternative to his current course of action, and doesn't really seem all that intelligent either...

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It's really fun watching Kagome be a badass, because I remember one of the criticisms of her character back when this series was popular was that she was weak. Even taking into account that she took to using the bow unrealistically fast, she's being depicted here as struggling mightily to move. She's struggling to sit up, and drawing a bow, regardless of how strangely easy it seems to her the rest of the time, has to be much harder than that. I don't care what anyone says, that's awesome.

And as everyone already knows, I'm a bit more forgiving of Inuyasha's intelligence than everyone else seems to be. Granted, I mentioned that he skipped over the skepticism he should have employed when first going for Kagura's weak-spot, but I don't think it was necessarily out-and-out moronic. He's worried about getting to Kagome in order to help her, wants to wrap this up as quickly as he can, and he's been so on edge being unable to find the literal crack in Kagura's armor that his actions are in desperation more than cluelessness. And yet, even in desperation, he's still unwilling to go for the opening if it means hurting innocents. It's this heroic nobility that makes him so easily manipulated, and gives him a similar quality to the villagers here, which is interesting. They had to be robbed of their human souls in order to support Kagura's plot, and so Inuyasha would have to be in order to defeat her at the moment.

I don't much enjoy having direct access to Kagura's plan right off the bat here, since it takes away some of the mystery, but that's a minor thing.

And seriously, is anyone else a little weirded-out that Koharu and Kohaku have SO MUCH IN COMMON at this point? I'm having a difficult time determining if this is deliberate or not. If it is, there may be some point to be main about how much Miroku and Sango, in turn, have in common with one another, and how EVERYONE the main characters love are treated by Naraku. It could be making a statement of how patterned Naraku's approaches to using loved ones against enemies are.

Or, it could just be RT recycling plot elements, which is a bit of a disappointing notion, considering we're still only at the relative beginning of the series. Don't run out of ideas YET!

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 207 One-Turn Struggle to the Death!

It's been a while, but I do remember who Yami is dueling right now, so I find it a LITTLE difficult to believe that this thing is going to end in death for either opponent. I gave asshole!Bakura his distinguishing title for a reason, but that doesn't mean he's not important in the future. I've been told he's got a role to play at the end of this story, and since we're still in the meaty center of the matter here, I doubt he's kicking the bucket here. Unless he returns later as pure ghost without the fleshy body next time.

Oh man, that would actually be pretty dope. Please don't let KT be using Kaiba's bullshit wide definition of "death", PLEASE.

Oooooooh, asshole's in serious shit now. Yami's pulled out the smug-face.

Not as good as the shit-eating grin, but I'll take what I can get at this point.

Asshole!Bakura frets about the possibility of his combo being defeated in just one turn, and wonders if that smirk Yami is wearing with his piddly 750 life points is a bluff, or if there's some truth to it. If it's a bluff, it's working, because asshole!Bakura is the one sweating, even with 3700 points of padding. He considers the one face down card on Yami's side, and also the fact that Yami hasn't got any monsters on the field anymore. He concludes that taking the low life Yami has left, if he uses a strong monster to attack, he can win. Yet his current monster only has 500 points of attack. He consults his hand to see what he's got, and singles out Ghost Duke with 2000 attack points. But he's still pretty apprehensive about how well an attack with the bigger, badder monster will go over. He eyes that face down card, thinking that it might be a trap.

A foreign laughter enters asshole!Bakura's head, and an image of a grinning Marik, who mocks him for being so careful. Asshole!Bakura is so offended by this comment that his initial disbelief is soon pushed aside so he can instead threaten to kill Marik. Well shit, THAT escalated quickly. Marik isn't the least put-out, though, telling asshole!Bakura to listen to the fact that Yami already knows his combo's weak point. Though the term "weak point" is another gross insult to asshole!Bakura, he doesn't have time to do more than repeat the phrase, scandalized. Marik says he knows what that face down card is before asshole!Bakura can let drop any more death threats. Asshole!Bakura stares at the aforementioned card in shock.

Marik begins the painful and irritating process of explaining to Bakura why his strategy is so interesting - the Ouija Board's ability to reduce the time of the duel to only five turns. I guess, if you ignore how bad it is at the same time. Still, Marik praises this strategy as one of the deadliest ever.

Oooookaaaayyyyy...

But now that he's done buttering asshole!Bakura up, he's got a criticism. It's that in order for the Ouija Board to work, Necrofear has to be in the graveyard. It'll disappear once Necrofear is no longer dead and buried there. This puts asshole!Bakura in the mind of raising the dead, but not in the boner-tastic way he's normally prone to think of such things. He's looking pretty horrified at the prospect, and Marik's confirmation that Yami does indeed have a card that accomplishes that end face down is all the more devastating to his mood.

Along with mine, because even though I TOTALLY CALLED IT, I just feel all the dumber for my obvious prediction. I hope if this "twist" was done on purpose, it wasn't for the effect of making KT's audience feel clever.

Anyway, Yami just stands there, staring speechlessly, not bothering to urge asshole!Bakura along in his turn. He's being very polite in letting asshole!Bakura continue his conversation. Marik is, after all, talking again, saying that even if the big monster asshole!Bakura planned to use attacked, it would just activate the Monster Reborn card, and Necrofear would become the target thereafter, since it'll be Yami's monster from that point.

Asshole!Bakura grumbles about how he doesn't have a card in his hand to remove magic cards from the field, and it'll be just as Yami said; one turn to break the combo. Marik assures him that there IS a way to do this, but asshole!Bakura doesn't want to hear it. He yells at Marik to get lost, because he doesn't need advice. Uhhh, seems a bit like you do, dude. Regardless, he announces that it's his turn and draws a card. Wow, surprised he hadn't done that yet. He hopes this draw will change the situation he's in.

Apparently, his hopes were realized, because the moment he looks at his draw, he starts laughing like a maniac, sure that Yami won't be able to break his combo with THIS card.

Why is the translator asking their AUDIENCE for the name of this monster? It's no wonder no one was signing their guestbook and they threatened to flounce a couple of pages ago...

Things go just as presumed - Yami raises his hand and reveals his face down magic card, and his intention to use it to summon back Nercrofear, this time to his side of the conflict. Asshole!Bakura glares at his Duel Disk as it starts to issue some holographic smoke. At least, I hope it's holographic. Maybe these kids are overtaxing the machinery and it's going to catch fire. Now THAT would constitute a struggle to the death.

The image of Necrofear's card appears on Yami's side, and then the monster itself. Despite his insistence that he was falling into the trap on purpose, asshole!Bakura groans at the sight of Necrofear on Yami's side of the field, and sweats, gaping at his disappearing Ouija Board hologram as Yami announces its exit. In addition, he commands Necrofear to counter the attack leveled against him from the mystery monster above. Its eyes glow and a dark light emits from its body, disintegrating the offending monster. It only takes a couple hundred points off of asshole!Bakura, but he still has an awfully sour look on his face. Yami reminds him that his combo has successfully been broken.

And yet... asshole!Bakura is smiling again by the next panel as he draws a card. He asks Yami how he likes something else - something we can't see yet, but YAMI sure can. He's got a brand new look of horror and alarm to wear.

Hacks! I call hacks! How the fuck did asshole!Bakura manage to do that??

Instead of explaining, asshole!Bakura draws attention to the fact that Yami's side of the duel has changed too. If possible, Yami's expression becomes all the more shocked, as he observes that all his monsters are back - Kuriboh, DMG, and Beta the Magnet Warrior - in place of a missing Necrofear. A wide-eyed Anzu demands to know what this shit is, and Jonouchi says that the recalled monsters were returned. Well, I guess that is TECHNICALLY an answer to the question. Kaiba gapes at the scene, trying to determine which magic card asshole!Bakura used.

He needn't bother, as asshole!Bakura is gleeful as he promises to solve this little mystery. He reveals the card he used as...

I think I can figure out what that means. But asshole!Bakura is compelled to explain it anyway, stating it's power allows him to turn back the clock on the whole field one turn, but the cards Yami used to beat the combo are not about to return to his hand. After all, his hand and his deck aren't part of the field. Yami makes a noise of disbelief, while asshole!Bakura chuckles about how there's no way he can beat the combo from hell now. He promises Yami that he will receive the announcement of DEATH on the next turn.

You know what they say - tomorrow's always a day away.

Yami's friends all express dismay that the situation has returned to the way it was, and call his name impotently. He himself makes the trailing statement that it's his turn now, acknowledging that when it ends, the dreaded word will be spelled out and he'll lose. He currently has no revival cards in his hand. Staring at his deck resting snug in his Duel Disk, he realizes he has only one card to draw that can help now.

Jonouchi shouts at him not to give up, but asshole!Bakura is sure that it's useless and that he's won. Kaiba silently urges Yami to call on the god in his deck. With all of these various comments and thoughts flying around, Yami's hand hovers over his deck, and he agonizes over drawing the card for a moment. As he does, Yuugi appears to him to offer encouragement and tell him to do his best, because the return of his forgotten memories rely on him winning. No pressure or anything, though. :)

Yuugi insists that they have to draw IT, Yami agreeing and identifying IT as the card Yuugi helped to get.

Then shit hits the fan.

Oh shit, someone might actually die right now.

I guess his time-travel card came back to bite asshole!Bakura, huh? And everyone else along with him, if that lightning has anything to say about it.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It's almost as if this chapter was a specific rebuttal to my criticisms of asshole!Bakura's deck being structured in the rigid way of most other villains in this series. He was able to reverse the breaking of his combo despite the fact that, by all rights, Yami had him beat there for a second. It produced a brand new moment of shock and nervousness in me, because I thought this match would follow the formula already well established, but KT blindsided me. It was a delightful surprise, I must say, because it was actually a good red herring.

A true red herring, too, because the combo really DID end up being asshole!Bakura's go-to strategy that he stuck to through thick and thin, just like the other villains. Only this time he had enough foresight to be able to include a card (or two, possibly) capable of bringing it back to him if he lost it. It's not AS rigid a strategy as the others, but it's still instrumental enough to his success that he had to keep it going with everything he had.

I'm somewhat impressed with that, and I'm ready to see Slifer in action with Yami at the leash instead of Marik. Bet you he won't be such a smug, silver-tongued douche in the coming chapter.

... But chances are I'll lose my money.

Inuyasha Manga: 148 Kanna

If anyone is wanting to convince me that there's not an over-abundance of names starting with "K" in this manga, I present to you another. Though I very much doubt anyone else is bothered by this, because I tend to get caught up on details that no one else seems to care much about. This whole blog is proof of that. Latching onto the details is actually one of my better qualities, believe it or not, because making sense of and using them in a greater context is what I do. I'm lucky enough not to miss the forest for the trees.

Miroku, it seems, isn't quite so lucky. Guy hasn't seemed to notice that his attitude toward Koharu has inspired some serious disgust in his friends. Both girls focus icy, exasperated glares on him, Sango flatly asking for clarification and Kagome advising him not to get the wrong idea about what was suggested. He pretends to be confused by the irritation shown him, but he's looking a little shifty there in the cold atmosphere. Inuyasha leans toward Kagome and tells her not to bother steering Miroku away from perverted conclusions, something I can't help but agree with. Haters gonna hate, players gonna play, and Mirokus gonna Miroku.

On the road ahead of them, shadows shuffle toward them in the night, carrying torches. Sango lets out a confused sound, and Kagome speculates its villagers. As they draw closer, this turns out to be the case, though Inuyasha's distrustful focus finds the sharp sickles and hoes in their hands. One of them shouts an order to kill Inuyasha and company, and the group raises their farm implements as weapons, lunging forward.

Inuyasha demands to know what their problem is, meeting them halfway with a punch knocking back the nearest villagers. They sit looking disgruntled and angry that Inuyasha didn't just stand there and get stabbed, apparently. Kagome wonders what's wrong with them as well, because they just look like ordinary villagers to her. An old man standing behind the clocked front line holds up his torch and commands the remaining mob not to let their sudden enemies leave the village, which another man bearing a hoe agrees to.

Sango moves forward and asserts that they're being controlled by something, but Inuyasha contradicts her by insisting that there's not the slightest smell of youkai within the village.

Turns out that those flying things in the background are Saimyoushou, shockingly. I mean, the characters are shocked, clearly, but I have the privilege of dramatic irony. Kagome looks appalled that this appears to be Naraku's doing, not that it could be anyone else, but twists to call after Miroku as he sprints off in another direction. He shouts his worry that Koharu might be rather in danger now, which isn't a bad assumption, for a guy who seemed so tone-deaf a few moments ago.

He runs back to the house where he'd left Koharu, who is lying on her face just out the door. She responds to his approach, lifting her head, reaching for him, and stuttering his name. He kneels next to her, concerned, while she explains that she lost consciousness, though she doesn't say why. As he holds her protectively, his friends run up as well, Kagome asking Koharu if she's okay. Sango casts a wary glare over her shoulder at the threatening villagers following them all up the hill, torches and implements in hand.

NOW Inuyasha is in agreement that the shambling mob seems to have someone controlling them, but Sango doesn't gloat. She merely states that they're surrounded with a scowl. Miroku is speechless a moment, until he looks down at Koharu and tells her to stay put. Though she asks after what HE'S going to do, he doesn't answer, striding up to Inuyasha while he tells Kagome to hold tight as well. She stammers an agreement.

Both boys shout back at Sango to take care of their respective ladies, much to Sango's initial alarm, and then annoyance. Her expression is flat when she wonders if it's just her imagination that they're not treating her like a woman. The grass is always greener on the other side, as they say.

Sometimes a deliberate swing in the opposite direction is just as bad, kid.

Koharu says meekly that she saw something before she fainted, describing it just as a youkai, much to Sango and Kagome's alarm. She also says that inside the house, the headman and his other staff/family have been knocked out too, lying scattered on the floor. One might have questioned how she knows this, having woken up OUTSIDE the house, but hey, I guess that's easily explained by her seeing them unconscious before she tried to flee the house in fear of what happened. But no one bothered to ask, sooooooo...

The girls all creep into the house, Sango with her Hiraikotsu at the ready as Kagome and Koharu cling to one another behind her, though Koharu warns all of them that the youkai may still be hanging out in there. Sango ponders aloud whether this is the force that's controlling the villagers, and Kagome wonders why Inuyasha couldn't smell whatever this thing is at all.

Just as Koharu feared, it was still inside the house, the girl in white stepping out from the other side of a wall with her mirror raised to reflect the investigators. Triumphant that she's found the youkai, Sango swings her boomerang, aiming straight at the girl in white. She is completely placid even when the weapon flies right up to her mirror, which she holds out to it as though she wants it broken. But much to the surprise of Sango and Kagome, a flash of light off its surface preempts a rather unexpected result.

Hooooo boy, that's gotta sting. But considering this is a weapon that regularly rips youkai in half, I'd say Sango got off rather lucky. Quite the opposite result of succeeding at BREAKING a magic mirror, so great job NOT doing that, Sango!

Kagome casts an half-panicked, half-angry look over her shoulder at the girl in white, who  murmurs her name. She's alarmed that this girl is the youkai, considering this a more surprising fact than the one that she knew her name. To be fair, since she knows that Naraku is behind this nonsense, she's probably able to extrapolate from that. She is further alarmed by Koharu curling her arms over her shoulders from behind, holding Kagome still.

And Koharu SWORE she wouldn't get in the way if she were allowed to come along with the group. Was SHE ever the optimistic one...

Underneath a confusingly rumbling moon, Inuyasha and Miroku are a bit more distracted by their own struggle. A crowd of angry villagers are lunging at them with their farm implements again. As Miroku knocks back a series of hoes and sickles, he pleads with Inuyasha to try and remember that his opponents are mere humans, and not to hurt them. Inuyasha snaps at Miroku over his shoulder that he KNOWS, as he lands a punch across some random's face. Uhhhh, Inuyasha, you may not realize that even your punches might be stronger than regular ones, so Miroku's not entirely out of line reminding you of that.

Poor zombie guy is gonna come back to a concussion in addition to himself.

Inuyasha complains that holding back is getting them nowhere, though, as there are too many people coming at them. They're distracted by a familiar voice telling them that they're too carefree.

You shut your mouth, Inuyasha! Kagura is DELIGHTFUL!

To someone who isn't fighting her every five seconds, that is.

Kagura continues to taunt Inuyasha and Miroku by supposing that if they were willing to kill all the villagers, they would have done it by now. Yeah, no shit. Inuyasha barks that she must be the one controlling the innocents, but she informs him that her Corpse Dance is just what it says on the tin - she's unable to control the living. Both Inuyasha and Miroku are in disbelief at this fact, the former realizing that there must be another youkai somewhere around, if this is true.

Again, Kagura goads the boys, estimating that Kagome will have had her soul sucked out by now. Before Inuyasha can voice a question about what that could mean, Kagura makes her challenge.

I would advise Kagura not to get TOO comfy, but I think she's not wrong to believe she's got this one in the bag. What's an Inuyasha without his Kagome, after all?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I might have thought Sango would be a little more cautious when investigating the house, ESPECIALLY on Koharu's word. I admire Sango's ability to provide protection to the girl who's getting some extra inappropriate attention from Miroku, but that nobility actually detracted a little from the story. This might have been a good place to use her fledgling jealousy in a GOOD way; prompt her to question Koharu's awakening while the rest of the household was out cold, and the rest of the village was being controlled, as well as her withholding the fact of her youkai sighting until AFTER Miroku and Inuyasha left. It might have acted as something of an asset in that particular situation, giving it another dimension in the context of the arc. Of course, that would have made the whole thing longer, and there's only so many pages afforded...

That's just a minor thing that I might have done differently, though. I did think the chapter flowed well, with the characters finally getting to engage with the new mystery that's been on its way for the past two chapters. The reasons for the group's separation was done much better than the last, giving us a sense of suspense rather than the idea that the scene is just overcrowded and we have to get rid of a couple of characters with busywork for a while. I always like it when everyone has something to do, and when the action is helping to build the stakes.

I do so enjoy watching fictional people face new challenges, much more than dealing with them myself. The latter is what the new year brings, though, so here's hoping the trials during this one are a bit more bearable than those in the last.

Happy 2019, everyone.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 206 The Battle Retold

Now, I'm perfectly fine with retrospection, but should we be visiting stuff that happened before right in the middle of the first semi-final match? Seems an awfully ill-timed reminiscence, if we're going in that direction. I mean, where are we? In a structured story with beats and a linear progression, or Writch's head where the past pops up to mock her at the most inopportune moments? What's next? Yami staring off into space while unbidden bullshit pops up in his head and distracts him from everything that's happening in front of him?

That's a bit too much reality in my fantasy manga for me, thanks.

This translation is already giving me a bit more retrospect than I cared to engage today. No exam, thank you, I'm a grown woman with no use for pop quizzes.

In case you don't remember, the chapter is reminding us that Yami has an even 2000 life points, reduced and surpassed by a smug asshole!Bakura's 2450 points. After a panel reminding us what's out on the field at this point, asshole!Bakura conversationally states that it's his turn again, while planning to lay down another terrifying card. Don't get too high off your own ectoplasm, kid. He plays his terrifying card face down and ends his turn, saying that Yami will still go down even if he twiddles his thumbs. Well, I thought you were all into playing more spooky ghost cards, and now you're just going to sit on your hands? What a wash.

Yami isn't too comfortable with this boring development, though, sweating nervously. Asshole!Bakura reminds Yami that it's his turn with a creepy grin, as you do. Meanwhile, Jonouchi is shouting from the observation pit the most obvious shit ever - that if Yami doesn't figure out how to deal with Necrofear, he's done for. Anzu too feels the need to remind us that the tables have turned on Yami. I have eyes too, you know, but that's for the double redundancy. Anzu continues in this vein by worrying about where the doll's spirit is, because of its ability to turn an attack back on Yami instead of his target. Still, Jonouchi is far more concerned about the fact that doing nothing isn't an option either, because in three turns, the duel is done regardless.

Honda seems to be the only one willing to say that Yami is going to turn this thing back in his favor without a doomsday prediction. It seems more like an affirmation or mantra than an active belief, but he says it. Yami is a bit preoccupied by the letters looming in front of him to be much encouraged by this, though. Asshole!Bakura is utterly convinced that his secret weapon would not be destroyed, so he's the only one who seems to be relaxed.

Yami finally states himself that it's his turn, and asshole!Bakura giggles in response. A visual representation of the doll's spirit weaving itself around and between Yami's monsters, looking for a new host as asshole!Bakura is aware, knowing it's the DMG that's possessed again. It's not clear if he can just see the random act of the spirit, or if he's directing it to DMG, but regardless, the fact that Yami can't see this is making asshole!Bakura giggle again.

Examining the backs of the monsters in front of him, Yami wonders where the doll's ghost has hidden itself this time. He looks between all of the holograms and decides it can't be Kuriboh, because asshole!Bakura is well aware that it's not for attacking enemies. That leaves DMG and Gamma as potential hosts, and Yami can only attack with one due to the Dark Door card. Yami considers not attacking at all and just passing his turn while he contemplates his hand, but he quickly discounts the idea. He doesn't have many turns left, after all.

So, declaring that he's not going to run just because it's risky to attack, Yami decides to take a gamble. He commands Gamma to attack, but the moment he does, asshole!Bakura reveals his face down card to be a trap; Dark Spirit of Silence. Yami is understandably freaked and shouts in disbelief, before asshole!Bakura explains that his trap turns the attack command to another monster. Three guesses as to which THAT'S going to be. Asshole!Bakura tells his new ghost to possess Gamma now, and we're well on our way to filming a new installment of the "Exorcist" series, friends!

Gamma appears to short out when the spirit leaps into him, and Yami expresses some confusion that his monster has been silenced. His panic is obvious when he realizes that the attack command will be inherited by DMG. It strikes an attack pose in accordance with this fact, as asshole!Bakura admits that the attack will never get to him because DMG is the one possessed by his other ghostie.

Of course, asshole!Bakura is laughing that all the life points Yami has lost above transfer to him, giving him a new total of 3700. This is why he's an asshole. Also the murder thing.

Jonouchi and Anzu call out to Yami, with Jonouchi grinding his teeth over how perfect asshole!Bakura's strategy is. It seems to him that there's no chance of winning. As if in response, asshole!Bakura draws attention to the fact that the third letter in DEATH has appeared above the spirit board by throwing out his arm beneath it like a showman. Yami clenches his jaw over having just two turns left.

Kaiba's expression has gone from that tentative approval to downright shock. He wonders who asshole!Bakura even IS to create such a terrifying combo, sealing Yami's every move. He's sure that the "death" will occur if the next couple of turns keep going like this. Obvious statement is obvious, but Kaiba is prepared to join Honda in the ranks of the faithful, when he decides (with way more confidence) that Yami can turn the tide again. He knows Yami won't just give up because the odds are bad. He's got a fairly recent memory to draw on for evidence, too.

The next panel shows a glaring Yami, who is no longer sweating. That we can see, anyway. It's cold up there on top of the blimp, though, so I don't know if that means anything. A giggly asshole!Bakura is trying to convince Yami that it's over, though, because his strategy has no flaws, even though I can think of a pretty obvious one right off the top of my head (*coughresurrectingnecrofearsoitcan'toperatethespiritboardandalsothedoll'sspirithastogobackwhereitcamefromcough*). Of course, I have no idea if that's where this is GOING, but the point is, the plan isn't fool proof, and maybe I should start calling this kid IDIOT!Bakura.

Jonouchi openly disagrees with asshole!Bakura now, shouting at Yami that this ISN'T over, because they still have to face each other in the final round, like they promised. Yami remains stuck in his own head, though, begging himself to think, because there has to be a way out of this.

Well, that despair didn't take long to set in, did it?

And it doesn't take long for it to lift either, because the very next panel shows Yami's re-examination of his hand and a new look at a card there that gives his pessimism pause. He decides there IS a way, and proceeds to pull the card from his hand, along with another. He plays both cards face down, ending his turn.

Scoffing, asshole!Bakura assures Yami that even if he manages to stop the completion of the word DEATH, it doesn't mean he won't die. Keep your opinions to yourself, asshole. Yami declares that he's NOT going to die, and that he's going to prevail no matter what, because he believes in the possibilities of the next turn. Anyone else think that is a sweet-ass inspirational quote? I'mma put that shit on my Mastodon account.

Of course, asshole!Bakura has to be contrary, laughing that there are no possibilities, don't be dumb. Also, it's his turn. However, after a short outward contemplation of Yami's near-death state, asshole!Bakura decides he wants to see the terror on Yami's face and ends his turn? For some reason? Is this about building suspense? Because you're playing a game, dude, not a drama. Leave the writing of this story to your author, and don't try to DIY it, okay? You're only going to look stupid.

Face overshadowed by pure intensity as he strikes a pose, Yami reveals one of his face down cards, Monster Recall. Asshole!Bakura is in disbelief over the name, but it ain't Monster REBORN, that's different. No, this one returns all of Yami's monsters to his hand, as he explains. He waves his hand over his hand, as though having picked back up his cards from the Duel Disk by magic, and who knows, maybe he has.

Now that the monsters are gone, Yami presumes the doll's spirit is wandering aimlessly on his side of the duel, though he can't see it. We're given a view of the looping ghost-streak swimming over the field, though. Yami then reshuffles his cards and draws five. He's summoned a monster in attack that he was "lucky" enough to draw from the reshuffled deck again - Kuriboh. Wait, did he say it's in ATTACK? Yes, indeed he did. Asshole!Bakura looks uncomfortable with this, while Yami explains further that this will cause the doll's spirit to use Kuriboh as a host by default, sporting a little smirk. Accordingly, the spirit bolts for the little creature, flying right into Kuriboh's face.

Then, Yami comments on how the Dark Spirit of Silence will make Kuriboh attack asshole!Bakura's side of the field. Its skeleton avatar pops out of its card to coax Kuriboh into doing just that, but this is where the pattern is broken.

Messy, but effective.

Yami apologizes to the destroyed Kuriboh, because who can stand destroying that widdle face? Asshole!Bakura groans in disappointment, before reminding Yami in an effort to take back the shifted tone of the match that the letter "T" has risen over the field now, meaning Yami only has one turn left. A cocky Yami points at asshole!Bakura, stating that he said before that he only NEEDS one turn to defeat this combo.

You didn't say that, Yami. Stop making shit up.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? This one was surprisingly fast-paced, at only 17 pages rather than the usual 20. Reduced by a whole three, there wasn't a lot of room for the usual fluff, even if it did contain a little bit of it from the bystanders to the duel. It flowed well, though, so my suspicions that there are missing pages from this one are a bit lessened, though it's clear the translation wasn't produced with too much care. Granted, this translation isn't as bad as some we've seen here on the blog, but it's still quite rough, and I can't be 100% sure that pages weren't left out in haste or carelessness.

If I can be reasonably certain that this is the whole chapter, though, I think it was a good move on KT's  part, and hope the rest of the chapters are reduced in size too. A writer should rarely indulge their fluff, because it takes away from the flow of their action scenes, breaking them up. What little there was did just that, since we had to keep going over to see the reactions of the side characters who weren't contributing in any way. Yami wasn't even responding to encouragement, which would have been SOMETHING. He was too distracted, and therefore the peanut gallery's input wasn't having any effect.

It's due in part to having too large a cast having nothing to do while the main is engaged. This is a problem I've mentioned Inuyasha has as well - everyone else standing around commenting while one guy does all the things. At least RT can manipulate the plot a little to mitigate this effect to some degree, giving some of her characters stuff to do that's interesting as well. Unfortunately, locked into a tournament format where all the characters not fighting are going to be watching the fighting, KT has less freedom here. Still, I think it's best if he cuts down on getting the perspective of the side characters as much as possible. If they have nothing to really contribute to the narrative, it's not productive, and just a LITTLE annoying.

And maybe come up with some relevant titles? This one doesn't really fit the content, although maybe that's just the translation...

Inuyasha Manga: 147 Koharu

And here we have yet another "K" name, and one letter away from the name of another established character, no less. What is it with all of them? Is RT just fond of the sound this part of the syllabulary produces? Is it that averages in the language dictate most names in Japanese start with it? Is there a story hidden behind it like a series of lost loves or possible baby names that were never used? Or am I just picking them out as unusual because I'M obsessed with the sound, and there are actually no more "K" names than those that start with other letters in this series?

If anyone wants to do a statistical analysis of what letters the names in Inuyasha start with, then... well, congratulations on putting more effort into this question than I ever wanted to.

Look at these edgelords, cursing up a storm to sound all threatening. What are they, twelve?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get the fuck on with this shitty fucking recap of this fucking manga.

Fuck.

A guy is sitting on the horse's back, bandaged with his arm in a sling. Whichever bitch they're searching for better watch out, because this guy tells the search party to break her limbs when they find her. One of them stutters out an affirmative, seeming not to be really down with that kind of brutality.

Crouching in some tall grass in the water next to the bank, a girl peers at the river next to her. She's shivering, clutching herself and wondering what it is she's going to do with tears in her eyes. Well, hopefully NOT get caught by a freak who wants to break all your limbs. Unfortunately, it might already be too late. A couple members of the search party appear to have spotted something in the mist, a figure kneeling by the water to dip a container into it. They all identify her as Koharu and charge at her, the front man swinging a big pole at her. She flinches back out of its way, of course, and whacks her would-be assaulter over the head with her bamboo container. He's more dazed than hurt, looking up at the woman he attacked in confusion.

Because the girl who is still crouching in the tall grass isn't the one whose standing over him now. In fact, the girl in the grass is looking out at the commotion she can doubtlessly only hear with some confusion. The rest of the front man's search party has caught up to him now, including the man on the horse, who demands to know who this new bitch is.

A bunch of assholes, of course. Sango seems a little skeptical of their status as regular humans, despite their scruffy appearance. I'm guessing she's just trying to insult them, because there's no way that Sango would mistake an inept group of fuckboys for youkai, even if the line can be blurred at times.

The guy she hit with her bamboo container stutters that this woman isn't Koharu, but the guy on the horse doesn't respond. He's staring at Sango with wide eyes when he comments on her beauty and commands what once was a search party to be a kidnapping party instead, and take her back with them. I almost feel sorry for these doofuses surrounding Sango with their impotent sticks raised, because the guy on the horse isn't going to be the only one all bandaged when she's through with them. But the girl in the tall grass starts to stand, because she doesn't know Sango's badassery, and is willing to reveal herself if she can at all help the stranger not be kidnapped.

She's not as fast as Inuyasha, who leaps out of nowhere to punch the teeth out of Sango's attackers. Literally, a tooth flies out of one dude's swollen face. As the guy on the horse stares in shock, Inuyasha correctly pegs him as the leader and sinks a fist into his face too. When Inuyasha is finished beating their heads in, the whole group splashes away, the horse galloping off ahead of them in the opposite direction while the minions apologize for the case of mistaken identity and assure their gross lord that he'll be okay.

The girl from the grass steps up to Sango with a meek greeting and Sango assumes she must be the one those men were really after. She tells the girl not to worry about them now, as Kagome and Miroku descend the hill behind her, asking what the hullabaloo is about. Miroku's appearance is of particular interest to Koharu, whose heart skips a beat at the sight of him.

Koharu was glomping BEFORE it became a problem at conventions. Better recognize.

She seems to recognize that he's having a little trouble placing her, so Koharu tells Miroku her name, and he takes just another moment before smiling and recalling "that one time". He returns her embrace as she gushes about how it's been three whole years, and Miroku says she looks really different. Sango looks on, speechless, while Inuyasha wonders if they're friends. Kagome whispers to him that it seems like a more intimate relationship than that.

In the following panels, Koharu describes how she lost her parents and siblings to war, and was found by Aburachouja, who made her work hard labor from morning to night. In the flashback, her slightly younger self leans on the tops of small barrels, crying. She recalls being hungry and tired, and the crying was a daily practice. But then Miroku, looking strangely the same as he does now, offers her some food. He'd been called to the village for an exorcism, but he was the only person who was nice to her. In her flashback, he asks how old she is, and she answers that she's eleven.

Aaaaaand, we all know where THIS is going.

Oh, I think you KNOW the answer to that question, boyo.

Just in case he doesn't though, Kagome and Sango scurry back for the latter to call him a beast, and the former to berate him for even saying such things to children. YOU'RE ALL CHILDREN. All you little fucking bastards... Anyway, both girls fall over in comic shock when Koharu clasps her hand and tells them how happy she was to be asked such a question. Miroku also has a little bit of a sickly reaction to her statement, even before Kagome sits back up and looms over him, demanding he take responsibility for his actions. Actually, when she does that, he looks a little confused and somewhat cautiously says that he hasn't laid a finger on Koharu yet. Sango asks angrily if he's sure about that, and Miroku echoes their protests that Koharu IS a child, after all.

Then way make the proposition in the first place? What, are you just staking your claim before anyone else beats you to her? Man, you are gross.

Koharu says that Miroku soon left the village, but promised he was come back to take her away. However, she's had a recent bit of trouble with her kidnapper's son, who's been leering at her around corners for a little while now while she's been working. The young Aburachouja aimed to force himself on her the night before, and a sympathetic Kagome asked if that was when Koharu ran away. Koharu answers that she took the chance to run after beating him unconscious with a piece of firewood, explaining the bandages. Good girl. Kagome accepts the story with a little bit of a nervous grin. Hey, whatever gets her away from a rapist.

Koharu presses herself against Miroku again and begs for him to take her with him. He says her name, but trails, looking like he's thinking of some way to let her down gently. She argues that she's got nowhere to go, and besides...

She's even doing the "clasping hands" things right back to him, haha!

Later, Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango are sitting on the steps up to some building or other. Inuyasha informs Miroku that under no uncertain terms is he to understand that they can't bring the girl with them. Miroku agrees, while Sango eyes him from her periphery. After a pause, she spits that they can't just abandon the girl either. Miroku also stands by this assessment, stating they'll have to keep her close until they find a place for her to live. This, of course, makes Sango all the more sour, and she snarks that of COURSE they have to shelter and protect the one he asked to bear his child, even if it was a joke. Miroku tells her it's something he always says when he meets a new girl, and Sango OF COURSE has to match this with a slightly delayed comment that he hasn't said it to HER at all.

So, after a moment the two staring at one another blankly, Miroku grabs her hands and apologizes for his negligence, Sango shouting in his face that he doesn't have to say it at all despite this being exactly what she wanted, obvi. Inuyasha is in the background, eyes just about rolling out of his head having to witness this garbage. Don't get too smug there, kiddo. I seem to recall you and Kagome saying and doing some pretty stupid shit in the awkwardness of your relationship. Whole chapters have been dedicated to them, of which I have complained extensively.

Elsewhere, Kagome is hanging with Koharu, confirming that Miroku is her first love. They squat on the bank of a stream while Koharu affirms this, telling Kagome that she thought of Miroku every single day. She daydreamed about someday meeting him again, the thought sustaining her through every possible hardship. As she examines her reflection in the river, she says she's happy enough that she wouldn't mind if she died. I mean, part of dying is not really minding ANYTHING anymore, so that's of course a given.

In a nearby copse of trees, the child decked out all in white with the mirror we saw at the end of the previous chapter is lounging on a tree branch. She has the aforementioned mirror propped in front of her, but it doesn't display her reflection - it shows Koharu's in the river.

"This livestream is boring. Unsubscribed."

In a village, someone is determining that Koharu is indeed quite the unfortunate girl. It's an old man that Miroku is speaking to, asking if he can charge her to his care. The old man smiles kindly and agrees, but elsewhere, Koharu is trying to persuade Miroku's companions that she'll definitely not get in their way, begging them to let her stay with them. Inuyasha is obstinate that no means no, arms and legs crossed in a double blocked pose. Kagome is more gentle, trying to explain that Koharu would be in danger with them, even as Inuyasha bluntly commands her to give up this pleading and stay where she's at.

At that moment, Miroku descends the hill toward Koharu, announcing that he's reached an agreement with the old guy. Koharu hunches, dejected by the reality that this is happening JUST when she's been reunited with Miroku. Later, they sit together, Koharu looking awfully tiny resting against Miroku's chest as he sits with his arms draped around her and a leg on each side. In spite of the intimate pose that Koharu's expression reads as FAR too innocent for, Miroku is trying to explain to Koharu why she can't come with him. He says he wouldn't know how to protect her in battle, the youkai after him being awfully difficult to deal with. He claims, all the same, that it will be painful for him to be separated from her, resting his cheek on the top of her head.

The rest of the group is examining this scene from a distance, Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippou all leaning toward it in curiosity. Sango is the only one who has her back turned, glaring in Miroku and Koharu's direction through her periphery. Inuyasha wonders out loud if this act of Miorku's is supposed to persuade Koharu to stay, and Kagome admits it seems more like a seduction. Sango bitterly comments that clinging to Koharu like that will just leave a lingering affection, only to find Inuyasha has redirected his curious stare at her. She asks him what he's looking at, and he in turn asks if he's been imagining that she's been a tad on edge lately, wide eyes innocent. This doesn't stop Sango's assurance that it's just his imagination from being somewhat... threatening.

Yeah, the spectral flames aren't really putting out that "totally cool" vibe you want to be true.

In the evening, the old man, Sonchou-sama, apparently, is thanked for his sheltering of Koharu, and is implored to take good care of her. Sonchou asks if they're leaving already, inviting them to at least stay the night. Miroku declines, stating the longer their stay, the greater Koharu's pain will be. Didn't seem to care much about that when you were cuddling her before, huh? The rest of the party observes this exchange silently, Sango sullen in her speechless state, and Kagome noting sadly that Koharu isn't coming to see them off.

No, she's crouched in a room somewhere crying. She looks up suddenly, though, as if sensing Miroku's impending departure, suddenly regretting her isolation from him. Eyes still welled with tears, Koharu calls his name, bolting out the door. In the black of night, though, she is met with the white form of the girl with the mirror.

Was unsubbing not enough? Did you have to knock the poor girl out too? Overreaction...

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It was a refreshingly fair and accurate representation of a situation that I see a lot of stories TRY to portray and FAIL at, all the time. A lot of narratives taking place in historical settings treat child brides and grooming as a sort of set dressing, like their players are engaging in a simple tradition rather than a complicated socioeconomic push that has a lot of layers. RT seems to have come close to giving us a true emotional representation here, though, even at the expense of a main character's innocuousness.

Because let's face it, Miroku did not come out of this chapter looking good. Not even okay. He's a giant asshole here, taking advantage of a young girl's vulnerability. He's absolutely engaging in grooming behaviors, his every physical contact with her is a draw meant to keep her attached to him, even as he's promising his friends that he's letting her go. Everything from his position as a priest (a class of people across cultures who have been known to take habitual advantage of their positions of authority, sexually and otherwise) and his not insignificant seniority (at least in the context of Koharu's developmental stage at this time) suggests that he's preying on her loneliness and the fact that she's been extensively abused.

Why he's doing this isn't clear, because he doesn't appear to be doing it out of maliciousness. But given how Miroku usually relates to those of the opposite sex, he may not know how to interact with Koharu in a way that's not overtly flirtatious. There might be a clue in the Aburachouja character at the beginning of the chapter being so willing to trade the girl he was pursuing for a strange girl he had just seen at the drop of a hat. Even nowadays, we have an overwhelming subset of men who believe that they can't be friends with women, that the only way to relate to them is in a sexual way because of the myth that women's minds work in a completely different ways. This attitude would have been all the more prominent in this period, when women were property and not really considered more than commodities.

Sango is, of course, an OBVIOUS foil to this view of the fairer sex in her time, being strong, capable, and smart in her own right, an expert in her profession. She's also closer to Miroku's age and maturity level than Koharu, whom she shows some clear signs of jealousy toward in this chapter. Over the rest of the series, we should all keep this in mind when we watch the romance between Sango and Miroku develop, because Sango's role in his life is going to cause somewhat of a schism between how he sees women now, and how he sees Sango later. Koharu is a symptom of Miroku's habitual misogyny, but Sango is him throwing out his last pack of cigarettes, so to speak.

As for Koharu herself, it was heartbreaking seeing her moon over this guy she barely knew as a symbol of a happier life. Miroku really kind of screwed her over with the stupid little question he brushes off as something he says to ALL the girls he meets. He may not have understood how alone and desperate Koharu was at the time, something he might have learned if he had bothered to spend the time getting to know Koharu that Kagome was throughout the chapter. But, of course, that all-encompassing assumption that women are only for flirting was probably all the thought Miroku put into that, if any.

I know Kagome doesn't confront him about this later, but I like to think she gives him a long lecture about it at some point off-panel. Headcanoned.

Also, does it strike anyone else as a little creepy in a way that Miroku came on to a girl whose name and age resemble that of Sango's brother now? Is it just me?

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 205 The Undying Grudge!

Didn't they have a movie about a spirit with an undying grudge? I'm assuming so, anyway, judging by its title. I watched that film once, but I don't remember what started that infamous grudge, so I can't very well say. I think it was something about a well? Or was that a different movie? I don't know, angry ghost children all look the same to me by this point, and asshole!Bakura promises to blend just as well as the others.

What with his use of similarly creepy/irrelevant imagery in his hauntings. Although, at least in this case, the irrelevancy of the imagery is understandable in the context of a card game.

Asshole!Bakura laughs like mad as Necrofear just floats there looking creepy, and Yami glares. He's staring at the monster that has been summoned by sacrificing the souls of three already dead monsters, admitting to himself that there's something VERY worrisome about this thing. Kaiba is watching from the side, internally articulating what Yami can't quite coherently reason out; asshole!Bakura spent an awful lot of his life points to summon this thing, so it stands to reason that Necrofear has a pretty devastating special effect. He mentally tells Yami to be careful.

Though their respective panels facing off show Yami with his full 4000 point and asshole!Bakura with a measly 750, Yami is the one sweating as asshole!Bakura grins deviously. It's still his turn, so he puts one card face down on his Duel Disk before he ends it. Yami stares, wary of the fact that asshole!Bakura isn't attacking at the moment. It could easily beat his current monsters, but asshole!Bakura has abstained for some reason. Yami wonders if it's because of his own face down card floating next to him, but asshole!Bakura continues to give him a wicked grin across the field. Yami sweats some more, trying to divine another reason for the lack of action. Nope, sorry Yami, you may have breezed right past your chance to take asshole!Bakura seriously.

Yami declares his turn and draws a card, watching it leave his deck in his hand. He knows he's still unscathed with his full 4000 life points and acknowledges "Ryo"'s 750 points left. I put quotes around the name because it seems a bit wrong to refer to the asshole with the normal one's name. But hey, I'm not the guy's supposed FRIEND or anything. Yami decides to keep attacking, and sacrifices Baphomet in order to summon a monster capable of the job, slapping her card on his Duel Disk.

2000, by the way. I had to crop them out to combat the angle of the panel. All this technology and my blog can still only display square images.

Despite asshole!Bakura's insistence that DMG isn't going to be able to touch Necrofear, Yami says they'll see. He asks if asshole!Bakura has been watching his face down card that must have been assumed to be a trap. Asshole!Bakura is taken aback by the implication that it ISN'T a trap as Yami points, preparing to reveal the card.

It's a spell card, appropriately picturing a spell book on the cover, called Magic Formula. Asshole!Bakura seems rather bewildered and upset by this reveal, or the fact that DMG is hovering in front of the hologram version of the book, flipping its pages eagerly. Not sure what he's so offended by here, but whatevz. Yami explains that once DMG has finished reading the book, she will be even stronger than Necrofear. Knowledge is power, after all. Jonouchi calls for Yami's monster to crush the creepy one asshole!Bakura summoned while asshole!Bakura growls with anger and nervousness.

Yami commands DMG to attack Necrofear, and that's all folks.

Uh-oh, judging by Yami's face in that final panel, this may NOT be all. Indeed, despite Necrofear dissolving into nothing and asshole!Bakura's life points dropping to 450, he's LAUGHING. What's so funny? Well, according to asshole!Bakura, he's thankful his card has been killed, because now its special effect comes into play. Yami is shocked by this assertion, or perhaps the fact that Necrofear's spooky doll still hasn't disappeared yet. It's unclear whether the creepy laughter in the panel showing this is from it or asshole!Bakura as well.

Either way, asshole!Bakura launches into an explanation about how when Necrofear is sent to the graveyard, the soul residing in the doll it was holding is released, which has no parallel whatsoever to the Millennium Items and their owners, nope. The hateful, vengeance-seeking soul of the doll wanders the field looking for its next host, asshole!Bakura says. Following this tale as though it were instructions, a cloud wiggles out of the STILL dissolving doll and zips around the field. How long is this effing doll going to take to get out of here, huh??

No matter. The point of all this is that Yami isn't going to know which of his monsters this wayward souls possesses... until it's too late! Bwahahahaa! Sorry, I got caught up in the campfire tale mood here.

Meanwhile, Yami is on his side of the match assuming he had to have defeated Necrofear, and that there are no changes to his monsters. That he can SEE, anyway. He knows that if he can attack asshole!Bakura directly with his Magnet Warrior, he'll win. So, he does just that, the fool, commanding Gamma to get over there and slash the last of the life points out of asshole!Bakura with the Magnet Sword.

What could go wrong?

Yikes, that thing hasn't brushed its teeth in like... ever.

Yami hunches over with an arm up in front of his face, realizing that something had just popped out of Gamma to attack him. To top it off, he lowers his arm to see that Gamma has stayed exactly where he was before the order, having not attacked asshole!Bakura at all. Yami gapes as Bakura chuckles smugly, stating that Gamma is possessed by the spirit of the doll Necrofear was carrying around. It's only too happy to attack when its told, but it attacks the master rather than the appointed target. Yami is appalled that an invisible enemy has possessed his monster, but asshole!Bakura declares he's not done yet. He tells Yami that the attacked player loses half the attack points of the possessed monster.

Shown with some weird cracks or lines down the length of his face that I can't figure out, Yami is accompanied with a panel showing that his points have dropped to 3250. And asshole!Bakura is STILL not done, because there's one more piece to this that's the sweetest part for him personally - he absorbs the lost points from Yami to increase his own strength. 1200 isn't a ton, but better than 450, for sure, and he has a celebratory laugh for it.

Yami continues to be shocked at asshole!Bakura's absorption of his life, seeming to still be adjusting to the fact. But wait! There's more! Asshole!Bakura is now possessed by the spirit of Billy Mays, advertising his occult deck as so much more than what Yami has seen. He doesn't even have to call NOW, because Yami already called way back when he directed DMG to take down Necrofear. Turns out that he also activated a trap with that move that asshole!Bakura had yet to mention. Ugh, add-on items. Looks like asshole!Bakura has adopted the Amazon method of maximum profit.

Shock renewed and enhanced, Yami must watch in alarm as asshole!Bakura reveals said trap card with glee.

It's not "butt" is it? Because that's usually what I get when my friends and I drink wine and push around a planchette.

Asshole!Bakura tells Yami to take a good look and watch what letter it chooses, as it's pushed around by Necrofear's burning spirit. After a short journey over the board the planchette comes to a stop over the letter "D". So, not "butt", but we're not out of the dirty words woods yet. A grinning skeleton appears over the board, holding up a spectral paper with "D" written on it. Yami notes the letter's materialization in the air, sweating.

Smug, asshole!Bakura spells out the rest of the word that is to be spelled: DEATH. He says that after five turns the rest of the word will be hanging in the air, and that's when Yami will be eliminated. So, this is like the OPPOSITE of hangman? While asshole!Bakura giggles, Yami is taken aback by this news. Anzu asks if this means that Yami only has four turns left, and Jonouchi freaks out about the implication that Yami could lose even if he has points left once the planchette spells its ominous word.

Kaiba has stoically revised his opinion of the guy he very recently thought of as a weakling. He's now impressed that asshole!Bakura managed to possess Yami's monsters, steal his life points, AND put a time limit on the game, all at once. Before you make asshole!Bakura your new crushemy, Kaiba, do consider that it only took the playing of TWO overpowered cards to do all of this crap, not even combined in a complicated or unexpected way. It's just kind of cheap. But Marik supposes it's a strategy that asshole!Bakura had all along, so I guess I'm the only one who isn't all that impressed with this.

Maybe asshole!Bakura's next play will move me over to the tentative approval club. He's saying, once again, that he's not done and there's much more to his occult combo, after all. He slaps down a spell card called The Dark Door, which widens Yami's gape. It means that he can only attack one monster per turn, much to his dismay. Asshole!Bakura doesn't pause to mock, playing a zombie type crawling up through the floor called Earthbound Spirit in defense, ending his turn.

Yami is less enthusiastic, in fact rather slow, in announcing his turn. He takes stock of the situation, that there's only one monster he can attack and that Gamma is currently possessed by the doll spirit, and all this leaves him with only one choice. Yami begins by summoning Kuriboh in defense, then moves to commanding DMG to attack the Earthbound Spirit with Black burning. Asshole!Bakura has stopped putting on his poker face at this point. I guess there's no point in pretending that this will go well for Yami.

Well, that asshole didn't say the doll's spirit COULDN'T possess a different monster in a different turn, to be fair.

Yami doubles over and stares wide-eyed at the life points leaving him (looking more and more like actual life the further we get in this story, mind). He's down to 2000 points now. Asshole!Bakura chuckles that he "forgot" to tell Yami the doll's spirit changes hosts every turn. With a grin, he warns Yami to choose his attacking monsters carefully if he doesn't want them to tear him apart. Ah, all this withholding of critical rules really takes me back to the beginning of the manga. Nostalgia.

Clenching his teeth, Yami stares with wide eyes at asshole!Bakura, who draws attention to how his life points have grown again - they're at 2450 now. Another spectral paper held up by a grinning skeleton emerges in the air, displaying the letter "E", which asshole!Bakura also directs Yami to notice. He points at Yami, declaring that Yami's life ends in three turns, and all Yami can do is growl.

Moral of the story? Try not to underestimate people who make it into the finals of a tournament you know through personal experience takes a lot of shit to get to.

And don't trust Bakura. That fucker never leaves his fucking posses jewelry at home.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? As I indicated above, there's something really cheap about how much asshole!Bakura can do with this central card. It follows the established pattern for the villains in this story, which is an over-specialization, relying on one card that seems to do it all for them. The obvious problem with this, of course, is what I've already mentioned - the card is just overpowered and doesn't represent much balance in the rest of the game. Granted, this one has a significant cost tacked onto it, and a strict condition, but that in itself should make it impossible to summon. If asshole!Bakura draws it later than the first five turns in any duel, it becomes a space-hogger and doesn't do anything. And then, when he does draw it at the right time, his strategy is so transparent that there's no way that anyone NOT following a script wouldn't have realized something was up with him summoning all these weak-ass monsters and not allow him to summon it anyway.

But since everyone is following a script in this case, we get an unrealistic propulsion of a villain like asshole!Bakura into the finals.

Because here's the second issue I have with the pattern KT continues to propagate: these bad guys are too dependent on one card and its minor supplements that only work with IT. I seem to recall a time (don't ask me when, my memory isn't THAT accurate) when I talked about how Yami's success comes in part from his adaptability. His strategy can go in many different ways, depending on the situation. That's what makes it fun watching him win over and over again, since the fun isn't dependent on if but HOW he wins. Not giving him opponents that are JUST as adaptable, that consistently rely on one card that Yami will eventually figure out how to destroy is a little limited in how they can impress me. Perhaps that's the reason why I'm still not joining that tentative approval club.

But the horror imagery isn't bad. I thought it was fun.

That is all.