Inuyasha Manga: 276 Bisected

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

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

Bankotsu is ridiculously easy to surprise.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yeah, not a TOTAL nincompoop, but pretty close. 

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

Too slow. 

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

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

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

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

Not much of an interesting strategy, though.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gross. 

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

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

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

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

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 334 The Survivors

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

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

I'm still mighty jealous, though.

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

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

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

Atem looks down at the cartouche wordlessly, pondering it.

A unique and confusing situation for all. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meanwhile...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Inuyasha Manga: 275 Bankotsu's Strength

Frankly, even if an explanation for that enormous strength is forthcoming in the next chapter or two, I doubt it will be satisfying. If it's not "surprise, he was a youkai all along" it'll likely be some flaccid handwave dismissal of the issue. So, I'm trying not to be too invested in it, even though it is really the only thing I've been consistently wondering about throughout the whole arc. I'll distract myself, by building my OWN strength! My husband and I have been riding our bikes every Sunday for the past month, and I've been able to go farther every time. Getting slowly back into shape is exciting, right?

Not as exciting as waving around an unnecessarily large halberd without rhyme or reason, but still...

Why do I get the feeling that Bankotsu doesn't have to say his prayers QUITE yet?

Bankotsu holds up his bloodied fist and calls Inuyasha a bastard, almost seeming OFFENDED that Inuyasha is going for all his Shikon shards. As if it's somehow UNFAIR in a fight to the death to take away an opponent's additive advantages. Inuyasha confirms that he fully intends to rip out those Shikon fragments one by one, but Bankotsu just smirks, cracking the joints in his upheld fingers. I'm getting whiplash from this guy's instantaneous change of attitude all the time.

Inuyasha thrusts a claw at Bankotsu, who calmly leans out of its way. Then...

Knocked back with a force that makes you skid to a stop a good distance away, with an INJURED hand? How embarrassing. 

Bankotsu tells the hanyou not to belittle him, referring to himself in the highest possible esteem in the process. He brags that there's no way he'd have been the head of the Shichinin-tai just for fun. It's his skills alone that he gives credit for his ability to manage the band of mercenaries before he was even resurrected with the Shikon shards, as he runs at Inuyasha again with his raised fist. I mean, sure, I could be convinced that he's skilled at leading a team. But I'm still bumping up against the fact of that sword being too heavy for other humans to lift. Not even the BODYBUILDER lifestyle could explain that shit.

Inuyasha manages to dodge the next punch Bankotsu aims at him, but he's blindsided by another one literally IMMEDIATELY.

Sure leaning pretty heavily on those Shikon shards in the present, though, aren't you?

As debris clatters down around the downed Inuyasha, Bankotsu scoffs that he got the sucker. Inuyasha winces, a large welt formed on the whole right side of his face, but it's not for nothing. He's mutters about how Bankotsu must have put some in his left arm too. He stands and tells Bankotsu that his style is surprisingly easy to understand, despite how sardonic and pompous Bankotsu is coming across. Probably because Bankotsu's "style" so closely resembles his own, if I had to guess. Bankotsu gets the gist, suggesting that Inuyasha is saying he let himself be hit as a little test. Once again, Bankotsu makes a run for Inuyasha with his fist raised, wondering out loud if Inuyasha will take his Shikon fragments first, or if he'll twist of Inuyasha's head instead. Bloody and bruised, Inuyasha just glares at him out of one eye.

Narrow darkness transition panel? With a rumble sound effect. We see the pathway around the pit in the mountain, with the section that Miroku and Sango formerly stood upon gouged out of it. Somewhere else, presumably further down, Hiraikotsu is sticking out of the side of the pit, the lower half of it obscured.

Don't know if the angle from the former panel really would have been able to hide THIS, but whatevz.

Sango calls down into the pit if Miroku is okay, to where he's hanging with the rope she's holding down wrapped around his fist. They must both have joints of fucking STEEL to not have their arms dislocated or broken right now. Miroku answers that he's just about okay, whatever that means, and takes a moment to glance down below him, noting a whole hill of youkai corpses collected at the bottom of the pit. He calls up to Sango to try coming down, a no doubt challenging process that is not shown.

The next we see of the two is when they're walking at the bottom of the pit, over the countless youkai bodies strewn about. Sango trails in her awe of how many there are, and Miroku sees this as confirmation that he was correct, and this is precisely where Naraku rearranged his body. The movement of a pale, fleshy, infant-like form catches their eyes off to the side, and they gape in horror at it, mostly speechless until Sango asks rhetorically what the hell it is. It's joined by a few others crawling around over the youkai corpses, just like it, prompting the comment that it's not just the ONE.

I hope that vegetable soup I had last night is enough nourishment for the next day or two, because this shit is making me lose my appetite HARDCORE.

Sango hesitantly calls these lumps of flesh, and Miroku agrees, thinking it's almost as if something is trying to be born. I know that knowledge of how conception and birth was on the scarce side back in the day, but even a cursory observation of nature should tell you THIS is not how that shit works. 

Outside the mountain, Kouga has discovered yet another entrance to the cave system, which he calls Kagome over to. She flies over on Kirara, confirming that she can feel the presence of a Shikon shard. Clearly nervous, Shippou asks Kagome from her side if they're going in there, and says they've GOT to, and FAST. Not only does she sense the fragment, but that it's becoming more and more corrupted every minute. 

Meanwhile, Inuyasha and Bankotsu are lunging for each other again.

Am I going to have to separate you two?

Inuyasha's arm seems to twinge painfully, and he internally curses for his strike losing in the simultaneous blows. In his momentary distraction, Bankotsu punches him HARD yet again. 

Getting some deja vu here.

Bankotsu sarcastically asks what the problem is again, saying he's even going out of his way to use his left arm to punch Inuyasha, claiming that should make it easier to take the Shikon fragments? To deduce they're in there, maybe, but he's already DONE that. This is less taunting and more nonsensical than anything. In any case, Inuyasha groans in response - his face is all KINDS of banged up now. Bankotsu lifts him out of the rubble by the collar and punches him AGAIN, asking if he's finished already. He drops Inuyasha on the ground, and Inuyasha falls like a sack of potatoes. A SILENT sack of potatoes. 

Complaining about what a disappointment Inuyasha is, Bankotsu says he thought the hanyou would have been stronger than this. Then Bankotsu lifts Inuyasha once more, by the throat this time, assuring him that he has no interest in torturing the weak. In fact, he has no interest in weak guys at all. Bankotsu demands that Inuyasha die, just before a "WHACK" sounds in the SFX.

Shame the shards that were helping him brutalize you before are still in his left arm, though. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I continue to be MAD underwhelmed by the fight between Bankotsu and Inuyasha. I don't even know if this can properly be CALLED a fight at this point. They both just keep pulling the same moves on one another, until Inuyasha just lets himself be pummeled for the sake of getting close enough to slowly take shards off Bankotsu. Nothing new or clever. It's tedious at best, if not a little upsetting watching Inuyasha get the shit kicked out of him. 

The strength of the chapter once again lies in the more interesting things happening on the periphery, more specifically, Miroku and Sango's exploration of the pit. The youkai corpses aren't exactly new either, and reminisce on the whole Kodoku situation, but those creepy little flesh-lumps? An odd mystery element that shakes things up a little, considering this is certainly NOT how Naraku's new form coagulated the last time. When they saw his face in the midst of the darkness in the pit last time, it was fully formed, and didn't even have so much as a sweatdrop to indicate effort. Clues that point to these things being somewhat separate from him. 

And the weird wriggling motion the flesh-lumps are implied to make in the chapter? Thoroughly disturbing. I always love when we can return to the horror elements in this comic.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 333 In the Name of the Pharaoh

Guys, guys, exciting news! I have found a kindred spirit! While browsing Tumblr for some Sims 3 custom content (because I'm basic, I guess), I stumbled across a user named hopefulstarfire, who has recently started a little Yu-Gi-Oh review project much like this one. It's a podcast called "Court Jester of Games" in which they recap and give thoughts/opinions on the Yu-Gi-Oh manga. I haven't listened to all of the episodes they have up yet, but I have listened to a couple of them, and they're VERY fun! I've added their PodBean link to my list on the right side bar of the blog, so if you can, head on over an show them some love! 

I thought they couldn't fly inside the tomb? Didn't Jonouchi try that? Or is this just them being launched into the air from the erupting ground beneath them?

Never mind, there's no time! We're back with them when they're about to get another dose of pure fire, and their hands are joined in a classic sports huddle as they try to imagine the characters they saw in the tomb. Trying to really VISUALIZE them reproduced on the cartouche. Their eyes are all squeezed shut, sweatdropping with the effort. 

Yami suddenly notices the cartouche tugging around his neck, slightly inclining toward his meditating friends. I grasps the chain to pull it up and peer at the pendant, and indeed, what was once a smooth blank surface is starting to manifest some clean lines. Yami realizes that this is it - the hieroglyphs are starting to appear on the cartouche. 

Has there ever been a kid that needed his own name written down for him THIS badly? 

Zorc is still hanging out, by the way. He INSISTS he's going to shatter their dreams with his shadow power, and their pathetic attempts to save themselves ends now. He stretches out his hands once more and lets loose yet another Zorc Inferno, but literally no one is paying ANY attention to him. Yami's friends have opened their eyes to look over at him when he yanks the cartouche and its chain from his neck, holding it out to his left dramatically. 

Then, when he's pulled back the cartouche to hold it close to his chest, a vision of his pharaoh dad appears and tells him that justice is in the name of the gods. While Yami acknowledges his appearance in astonishment, his father continues by reminding him that the pharaoh is the EMBODIMENT of the gods, and instructs him to unite the three hidden gods in the name of the king. Jonouchi, Honda, Anzu and Yuugi all stare at Yami, Yuugi in particular showing the beginnings of joy as he looks at his other self. 

Awwwww, he's got lots of birdies in his name. 

Yami stands up and stumbles forward, his friends standing aside for him to step toward Zorc, to whom he announces that the seal has been broken and he finally knows his own name. Zorc yells at him that it's useless, and he should just die already, but Yami clutches the precious cartouche in his fist, meditating on it with his eyes closed himself. He prepares to declare WHO HE IS, at last.

Whew! Glad he's not the one who knocks, you know what I'm saying? 

... I've never seen that show. *awkward fidgeting*

This declaration is like a wall on which the inferno just splats dead. He's in disbelief, describing this as his attack being swallowed by the light. Meanwhile, Yuugi and friends gape at Atem, repeating this real name, Yuugi in particular awestruck that this is his other self's real name. I'm already having to repeat this guy's correct name in my head over and over just to get it right throughout the rest of the chapter. 

Suddenly, Yuugi looks down at his arm, where his Duel Disk is apparently trying to get his attention. He notes with astonishment that a few cards are flying out of the deck in there all on their own. They arrange themselves into a pyramid formation above his head, where he discovers that they are in fact the three god cards. Points of light shoot out of them and higher into the sky, attracting EVERYONE'S attention, even Zorc's. He looks up and wonders what that light is about.

Atem shouts at him in answer that this is the power of unity, allowing him to call forth the power of the gods with his friends. Zorc is actually STUTTERING, denying haltingly that Atem CAN'T, but is soon made to cringe at the erupting light around him, complaining in even more disbelief that it's breaking through his shadows. Atem commands him to gaze upon the three gods, just as authoritarian as any true king. He's really grown into this role, for sure.

Pulling out ALL those stops! And he's not even DONE. Atem immediately announces that in the name of the king (his own, of course) he's fusing all of them together into one. 

Is his her design kind of melded with the ground, or is he she just not fully manifested yet?

Not that it matters. Either way, Horakhty comes across as almost bored, despite the fact that this is the coolest fucking scene anyone could be summoned into.

Not so much as a change in expression as he she explodes Zorc. *see comments for explanation on the strike-throughs!*

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It felt so... short. But not in a bad way, more like a CONCISE way. A vast majority of this comic is so cluttered to varying degrees with unnecessary dialog that it's a little bit of a relief to just have the pictures do the talking whenever KT chose to let them. I'm very glad that this was one of the moments he chose to just let speak for itself for the most part, because the emotions here... even though the chapter felt short, the emotions were BIG. Almost bigger than I was prepared to handle. 

Because for some reason I thought Atem learning his true name would be a SIMPLE matter. I guess it didn't occur to me, someone who has known her name and identity for her whole existence, as that big of a deal. But seeing Atem triumphantly declaring who he was to a dark adversary, using that true identity to banish that adversary, his friends marveling over this supposedly "simple" announcement in pure awe, really gave me a whole new perspective on the matter. As a moment it was so powerful that it destroyed any notion I may have had that the reveal would be a little anticlimactic; it really was anything but.

I've known what Atem's real name was since I started this blog, because by then it was just common knowledge on the internet. No avoiding spoilers when something is a good decade old. Still, it's proving difficult for me to switch after so much time calling him something else, which is the only part of this kind of situation that I'm semi-familiar with. But our main character being empowered to embrace his true identity, standing proud in the face of a malevolent force meant to destroy him makes some slightly parallel circumstances much more accessible. Granted, this declaration of true identity is less about correction and more about recollection, but perhaps if any of my readers are trans, they might let us know if the chapter resonates in any way with them. 

And I'll remind you once again to check out the podcast "Court Jester of Games" if you can spare a few minutes to listen, I'm quickly becoming a fan!

Inuyasha Manga: 274 The Two Auras

I had to look up an alternate title for this one, because the scanlation I have is called "The Two Kehais". Not only did our translator decide not to translate a word that has a few pretty close English approximations, but they stuck an "s" at the end of the word! Apparently the integrity of the Japanese language needed to be preserved here, but it's okay to modify it to indicate a plural in English. This is one of the stranger translation oddities I've seen; a weeb-flex that swerves at the last minute. Was the translator just unwilling to commit or something? Low-key bizarre.

Followed by high-key terrifying. 

Just as Miroku identifies Naraku in alarm, a crescent-shaped projectile descends on them and slams into the side of the pit close to where they stand, destroying the railing along the path. Miroku and Sango lunge to the side to avoid the attack, and Kagura smarms from above that they'll lose their heads if they look down constantly. Now Miroku calls Kagura's name as well, sense of alarm smoothly transitioning from one troubling presence to another. Sango, on the other hand, went straight back to looking down into the pit to keep an eye on Naraku, and she draws Miroku's attention to the fact that their ultimate enemy has disappeared. There's a hopeful note to Miroku's comment that Naraku is running away, even now, perhaps thinking that maybe good conclusions about Naraku's level of strength might be a bit lower than feared. 

He demands that Kagura tell him if Naraku is still "imperfect". She understandably has to ask for some clarification.

There are an AWFUL lot of assumptions at play here, Miroku, but I'm sure that you'll be revealed to be right regardless, as has precedent. 

He concludes that Naraku's goal here should be (based on his assumptions, of course) to recombine his body into a stronger configuration. Kagura drawls an apology that she hasn't been told a thing about their purpose here, given that Naraku doesn't trust her and all. She suggests that Kanna, who stands next to her quietly, should be asked instead, but asserts that Kanna won't talk. As a final suggestion, Kagura says that Miroku and Sango can determine for themselves what Naraku's deal in the mountain is, by heading below. She helpfully offers to assist, swinging her fan at them aggressively. Such a generous gesture. 

Several of her wind blades practically carve their section of the path out of the side of the pit, and it wastes no time in tipping away from the rest of the rock, Miroku and Sango sliding immediately toward the yawning abyss below.

On their way to a meeting with the boss. 

Nearby in the caves at the base of the mountain, Inuyasha is lunging forward with a battle cry, Tessaiga raised. Opposite him, Bankotsu rushes for him too, a little smirk planted on his silent mouth. They both clench their jaws as they cross swords, Bankotsu's swipe repelling them back from each other significantly. They shrink behind the broad sides of their weapons while the fire from the attack blasts them, Bankotsu casually scoffing over his dangerous oopsie-daisy, like he made a mildly embarrassing typo in a corporate presentation. 

It's raining burning rock, but that's just a little mistake, lol. 

Inuyasha continues to be frustrated, fuming about how this is going nowhere. He wishes that the jerk Bankotsu was a youkai, because that would allow him to pulverize the snot with his Bakuryuuha. But since Bankotsu is human (a fact that is not the least bit evident enough for us to remember by ourselves), that's not possible. Ah, the conveniences of merely calling your obviously demonic character a human...

As Bankotsu doesn't have any youkai energy, despite being an evil zombie, the Bakuryuuha wouldn't be able to engulf and send back his enemy's youki. Inuyasha silently complains about how this was all Naraku's fault, with his forethought and cleverness in using HUMAN ZOMBIES as a nice offensive shield. He and Bankotsu keep staring at each other over the burning rubble while Inuyasha internally curses how there's no way to end this thing in one shot. Gee, dude, thanks for the whole PAGE of explanation. Can't imagine why it might be necessary to go through all that info in a series of though-bubbles. 

It's almost as if one can sense their audience getting annoyed. 

OUTSIDE the mountain...

So you're saying this guy still hasn't taken a bath?

Kagome pulls up level with Kouga on Kirara's back, telling him she feels the presence of a Shikon shard from two different locations, at the base of the mountain and the center about halfway up. When Kouga repeats the part about two different locations in disbelief, Kagome clarifies that the one in the center of the mountain seems like a big "clump" to her. He asks if she's suggesting it's Naraku, and Kagome responds that this is probably the case, though she seems rather on the subdued side in her reaction. I can't blame her, I really would not be looking forward to meeting up with the smelly weirdo myself.

Kouga affirms that he's caught the message, loud and clear, telling Kagome to lead him in the right direction. Then he inexplicably rockets on ahead, leaving the rest of them far behind even his dust-devil. Two-Tone questions why he's going so far ahead of them when he expressed a wish to be shown the way, but Kagome doesn't really bother to note the contradiction. She urges Kirara forward at greater speed to follow Kouga, her mind on... other issues.

Fair, we ALL remember the disaster that happened when you guys split up even a little bit the last time.

We're back in the caves again with Inuyasha and Bankotsu, the latter of which is again swinging around his massive sword in a circular motion. He asks Inuyasha what his problem is, given Inuyasha hasn't followed through on his aim to destroy Bankotsu yet. Inuyasha leaps up and toward the fiery attack, much to Bankotsu's shock, kind of pushing through the top middle. Bankotsu calls him a stupid bastard for this, now wondering out loud if Inuyasha had forgotten how his ass AND sword got knocked back just a moment ago. 

Inuyasha just scoffs in response, having SHEATHED Tessaiga, his fingers clawed at his side. Bankotsu is distracted by his own bewilderment over the sword being put away. 

And with that single swipe, inuyasha was able to free two whole Shikon fragments embedded in Bankotsu's arm. Where has that bomb aim been this entire series, Inuyasha???? He's been holding out on us the whole time!

Bankotsu's sword has gone flying, and as Inuyasha lands a distance away with the Shikon shards clutched in his fist and a trail of Bankotsu's blood following him the whole way, that sword lands point first in the rock floor of the cave. Bankotsu holds up his bloodied arm, finally looking a bit sour when he calls Inuyasha a bastard. Sorry bud, but you peaked when you held up an arm that was pure bone. Coolest moment, never gonna top it. Inuyasha holds up the Shikon fragments in response, reiterating how Bankotsu DID indeed have some of them inserted into his swingin' arm, something Inuyasha had his suspicions of since Bankotsu was SO much stronger than before. Bankotsu's good-natured chuckle is back, and he calls this a fluke, and suggests that Inuyasha is just lucky. I don't know, seemed like pretty solid logic to me, but I guess Inuyasha's reasoning isn't meant to be viewed as logical. 

I bet if MIROKU said it...

As if your weapon isn't a bit out of reach now. But, knowing how many superhuman advantages RT has given these supposedly human characters, I wouldn't be surprised if he's able to just will it back to his hand with The FORCE or some shit.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I share Inuyasha's attitude about his battle with Bankotsu; I find myself NOT very invested at all. It's strange, because this one has been building the whole arc, and I would be even MORE upset if THIS battle didn't happen than I had been when the confrontation between Bankotsu and Renkotsu hadn't happened. But the rising action doesn't appear to be accelerating at all here. RT keeps cutting away to more interesting and suspenseful character interactions, and even when she's depicting the main event, she spent an entire PAGE on Inuyasha's inner thoughts on why he couldn't just wipe this dude out with his ultimate attack. I'm almost convinced that RT HERSELF wasn't interested in developing this fight, and she struggled with filling it out appropriately. 

The funny thing is, if she wanted to push the pause button more effectively, she could have inserted some explanation for why Bankotsu, and by extension his band of mercenaries, were so much more youkai-like than they really should be. I keep waiting for some kind of background from Bankotsu about why he's ALWAYS been so strong, why he's able to hold up that universe-sized sword, perhaps why the face paint they use seems to work on WILL alone, but there's been nothing so far. If RT HAD to bring the action to a screaming halt the way she has in this chapter, I would have much preferred to hear about those things, rather than what looks like a mere excuse in the face of a demonstrably youkai-ish character that is human in name only.

I also found Miroku's assumptions about Naraku's motivations a little more annoying than I probably should have. It's becoming one of my peeves in this story when characters just HAVE critical information about what's going on without having earned it, and this is striking me as another example of that. Given the amount of planning that this whole setup had to have taken, as I've detailed before, and the sudden surprise Inuyasha's barrier-breaking move was to Naraku, it just doesn't add up that he did this in response to his loss at that time. But there was no room to question the multiple logical steps skipped in this conclusion of Miroku's, and we're meant to just accept it as a perfectly reasonable one. I mean, RT could at least have made him mention how similar this setup was to the Kodoku situation that happened earlier. Then it might have at least more supporting evidence, as opposed to Inuyasha's simple deduction being brushed off as luck so that we don't make the mistake of thinking of him as smart or something. Sheesh.

This is why I appreciate Kagura's admission that she just doesn't know what Naraku's motivation or aim is, because he doesn't tell her anything. It's not immediately confirming Miroku's suspicions, and also doesn't give her additional information that she really shouldn't have. Makes her a little better in that regard. 

But only a little.

Unrelated tangent: wishing my husband a happy 34th birthday today! I sure do love that man o' mine!

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 332 The Stone Slabs of the Modern World!

It does seem like the modern world has its own versions of "stone slabs" sometimes. I mean, in the United States, we already have a whole subsection of Christian culture that constantly relates everything back to a reference to the ten commandments of the Bible, but that's certainly not all. Our founding documents are rarely ever read widely, but people still reference them like they're unquestionable holy writ. I don't know if it's because our country is relatively young compared to most of the rest of the world or not, but there's a weird impulse here to legitimize any opinion/position on most public topics with the invocation of our older writings like as if they have been handed down from on high. And that's just one example of this strange behavior.

But I have a feeling that the modern slabs the chapter is referring to are going to be more positive associations than otherwise.

Honda calls to Yami to hang in there, but he calls him "Yuugi", and with Yami himself uttering a cry of Yuugi's name to our the non-pharaoh in surprise, it might get a little confusing to figure out which of these guys people are talking to for a minute. Jonouchi just tells Yami not to worry, that they'll take it from here. Yami looks up at them in a daze, mouth ajar as he considers his partner and the others standing in front of him, having come to defend him. 

Anzu kneels next to him to try and gently prop him up, repeating Honda's advice to hang in there. Yami just mumbles to her to be careful, and that Zorc is strong. At the very least, he's strongly annoying with his constant yapping. Anzu looks closely at his unfocused gaze at the ground and her assessment isn't good; he's hurt pretty badly. But she ALSO notices the cartouche that she gave him back in the museum, dangling from around his neck. That'll be AWFULLY important, I'm sure.

Yuugi and Jonouchi glare up at Zorc, the former with a grimace, but the latter grins in contrast to the sweat at his temple when he scoffs that this guy is a big one. Zorc responds with his own scoff that the pharaoh still has allies, and that they're fools to stand against him. Yuugi downright screams at Zorc that he won't let him hurt Yami anymore, referring to Yami as "the other me", a phrase that Zorc repeats back in question. It's only a moment before he figures out what this means: they're not from Egypt, not memories from 3,000 years before, but new memories made by the pharaoh since awakening in the modern world. Jonouchi yells up at him that they're not memories at all, but his real honest-to-goodness friends. Regardless of the distinction, Zorc doesn't really give a shit - he says that no matter how many of them side with Yami, they will never win the battle of memories, and will just die along with the pharaoh.

He is just DRIPPING badassery at this point. Kid is on fire!

Zorc says that in that case, Yuugi can die BEFORE the pharaoh for all he gives a shit. Whether out loud or in psychic connection, Yuugi addresses Yami to tell him that the Duel Disk held up on his arm contains the deck that Yami himself built, the one they fought all those duels together with throughout the series. Yuugi had to switch it in after removing the deck that he SPANKED asshole!Bakura with, of course. Yami stares in awe, his gaze much more focused now. Yuugi asserts that each card in their shared deck is filled with their spirit, and suggests that they fight together, which Yami agrees to wholeheartedly, probably on both counts. 

Hey man, YOU had zombie armies, it's only fair. 

Jonouchi announces that it's his turn, narrating his draw from the deck in his Duel Disk. Zorc seems kind of confused that the ka seem to be sealed in the little pieces of paper Yuugi and Jonouchi are using, wondering if these could be the stone slabs of the modern world. Congratulations Zorc! You said the title! Though, considering how much you flap your gums, it was only a matter of time...

I guess Jonouchi is taking a while to make his move, because Mahado takes a moment to fly up next to Hasan and deliver the hopeful message that they might still have a chance to defeat Zorc. Hasan appears surprised that Mahado's there - must have missed the last page for some reason. Mana's DMG flies up on Mahado's other side and asks her master if he can feel the strength of their ba, and Mahado affirms that their desire to protect the pharaoh is joining into a brilliant light around them. Indeed, Yuugi, Jonouchi, Anzu and Honda are putting out a pretty strong collective aura. 

At last, Jonouchi is ready to summon his monster, bidding Zorc to take a look at it. 

Pretty standard, but I'm not complaining.

Yami marvels at the returned Red Eyes Black Dragon. I guess it HAS been a minute since he's seen it? Meanwhile, as she stands guard over the concentrating Mana, Isis wonders who these strange people who can summon ka to protect the pharaoh are. People who were totally invisible until now, I guess. 

Zorc takes on a slightly mocking tone when he expresses surprise that those of the modern world can also summon ka, but Yuugi and Jonouchi aren't willing to let him get out another stupid word. They both command their monsters to attack, Red Eyes firing a Black Fire Bullet and Dark Magician a Magic Blast simultaneously. Zorc groans, but I'm suspicious of how genuine the distress is. Yuugi and Jonouchi are stoked at the direct hit, asking aloud if Zorc is dead yet.

Oh. Oh boys. Did you think it would be that easy?

With Mahado and Red Eyes looking on in anticipation of the results of their attack, the smoke clears from around a chuckling Zorc, who says that whatever that was won't work. 

Imagine being destroyed from a blast of dragon inferno semen, lol. Actually, I shouldn't poke fun, there are undoubtedly people who would be totally into that on the internet.

All our characters flinch and groan as the blast hits them, which is quite mild in the grand scheme. Hasan has his wrists crossed in front of him, grunting as he swears to protect the pharaoh until his strength gives out. He puts himself in front of everyone else, arms spread wide now to absorb the worst of the attack. Red Eyes Black Dragon unfortunately burns away anyway, much to Jonouchi's dismay that it happened in just one blast. Yuugi screws his eyes shut tight against the intense fire. Honda asks of his friends a frankly DISTURBING promise that they not die before him, a single line that forces me to do a double-take on his whole character. Anzu is just thinking of Yuugi while she's drawn more like a blushing love interest than a girl in genuine danger. What is with everyone making me uncomfortable right now??

Hasan calls everyone his friends as he bids them to listen, and because their eyes were mostly shut until now, there's a shout of surprise that he's shielding them, probably from Yuugi (not sure, though). Not responding to this revelation, Hasan tells them that they won't win against the strong Zorc with just cards, reminding Yuugi and company that their mission was to find the pharaoh's true name in the tomb. Jonouchi calls out that they KNOW, and they found it indeed, prompting Yami's eyes to widen, and I'm assuming there's a renewed hope in there now. He certainly doesn't look listless anymore. Jonouchi clarifies that of course the name was written in Hierglyphs and they couldn't read it, so they committed the characters to memory, BURNED in there, by his description. Hasan urges them to make the pharaoh SEE his name, as the only way to get this advantage rolling.

WHAAAAAAAAAT?????????

No Hasan, why did you have to secretly be that BAG OF DIIIIIIICKS?

On the other hand, if there is one character in this thing that definitely deserves to be dissolved by Zorc fire spooge, it's Shadi. And he's gone almost as soon as he's revealed, so I don't have to endure his garbage. Little blessings, little blessings.

Anyway, Zorc expresses his surprise to see that MOST of them, save "Hashadi", have survived his... emissions. They're still pretty exhausted and unsteady on their feet, though, groaning and not really having any snappy comebacks anymore. Jonouchi pants, gaze unfocused, but a more energetic Yuugi darts to his side, calling his name in concern. Jonouchi curses, saying that he lost an awful lot of life points when Red Eyes was destroyed. He's got just 1600 life points, but he tries to stand up a little straighter, even if he declares his realization that losing all their points in this world does mean they're done for. He quickly changes the subject to how they're going to beat this Zorc jerk, though. No need to dwell on a VERY probable death. 

Zorc tells these fools that there's NO way to defeat him, and his next attack will kill all of them, which is pretty much what ANYONE would say, bluff or no. Still, Yuugi contemplates the question of how to defeat Zorc anyway, recalling that Hashadi said the power was in Yami's real name. He's just hung up on how they're supposed to transfer such knowledge to Yami. With the ground as unstable as it is, it's not like they can draw what they saw in the tomb on the sand.

As Yami once again looks utterly exhausted and a little hopeless, Anzu once again notices that blank cartouche hanging around Yami's neck, this time having an epiphany about carving the name on it. She calls to everyone to join hands, and think real hard about what those symbols in the name looked like in the tomb. Although the boys respond with confusion at first, they quickly do what she says without question, piling their hands on top of each other directly in front of Yami. Their eyes are closed and they're concentrating HARD on that name.

Well I'll be goddamned and go to hell!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I have a feeling that a couple of you were gleefully awaiting the moment when I discovered that Hasan was Shadi, knowing how much I LOATHE that guy. I hope the meltdown was epic enough for you, lol! I am SO mad about it, because the framing is deliberately trying to turn him into this saintly type of character with his sacrifice. I personally don't care if he sacrifices himself - this doesn't erase all of the complete douchebaggery he performed in the past, dammit! You're not convincing me he's actually good, chapter! It ain't happening!

In fact, I'm finding Shadi more confusing than endearing after this. I got the impression from the chapter where Bobasa transformed into Hasan that it only happened when the Millennium Items were all at home in the tablet. If Hasan was Shadi all along, though, how was Shadi walking around in the beginning of the manga of his own volition, imposing shadow games on poor Yuugi and friends? Are there multiples of HIM like there are multiples of Bakura? Did he use the Millennium Items to split his soul among various hosts as well? If I'm missing a piece or two of this puzzle, please do enlighten me, as I am quite bewildered. 

But the bulk of this chapter was a little heady for the characters I actually like, and I'm a little amazed at seeing a side to them that has been hidden until they are faced with literal death. It's not just Yuugi, though his sudden surge of confidence and righteousness born from his desire to snatch Yami from the brink of oblivion while staring into it himself is particularly visible. Honda's strange request that the rest of his friends not die before him, Jonouchi's sober articulation that he's lost a lot of REAL life energy and will die if hit again. The whole group standing in a huddle and focusing on their last shot at winning this thing, all knowing that if they fail, they will not come out of this alive. All of these are performed with sober dignity, children facing their own mortality without sadness or regret, because they're doing all of this to rescue a loved one, and the world by extension. From just a couple of lines and actions, the situation's weight is so much heavier, the possibility of death so much deeper in the knowledge that our characters fully understand that they are staring into the abyss. And they're doing it with some serious courage. The heroism is palpable. 

And can I just say how satisfying it is to see Anzu's gesture toward the beginning of their adventure pay off tremendously right now? Not only did it turn out to be quite a practical tool to have on hand for fulfilling their quest, but Anzu was also the one who noticed its utility in the end, because she was the one who got it for Yami. She WOULD be the one to remember that it's there and be able to suggest it as the solution to their problem, so it makes total sense to have her be the one to bring everyone together in the end to collectively manifest the name on the cartouche. I'm sure the logic of this in no small part came from their demonstrated ability to recreate Duel Disks out of thin air from memory in this "Memory World" too. It was a clever application of established rules. Anzu is on POINT right now.

This is also HIGHLY reminiscent of the time when she had them all gather their hands to draw their friendship symbol on them back in Death-T. It rhymes beautifully with the previous moment and creates an overall harmony in the story that lends some of its importance back and forth between them both. It's probably one of the most satisfying setups and payoffs that I've seen in a serialized manga like this. 

Also - no one questions Anzu in her call for everyone to get together and think real hard on those symbols. No one wastes time telling her that this is a silly thing to do. As a woman who has always been second-guessed for most suggestions I've ever made throughout my life and just generally taken less seriously, I REALLY appreciate this. Like, REALLY.