YuYu Hakusho Manga: 004 The Old Dog and the Boy

This one written by Hemingway or something? I'm reminded of all those classics still sitting on my nightstand waiting for me to pick them up and read them, along with the new novels that are scattered in stacks between. It's been slow going working my way down the list, but at least I've managed to schedule in some daily reading time recently. The biggest challenge was finding the time in between all the stuff I have to do for the stuff I WANT to do, of which sitting to read quietly is one tiny piece. 

Is it just me, or does adulthood get more hectic the older you get?

But I guess I don't have much to complain about compared to this whippersnapper without a body or anything to do but contemplate the suffering of other children in the world below. Sounds miserable, honestly. 

Yusuke is pondering the wails to "Jiro" on the ground, pleading for him not to die and leave the weeper all alone. It's a child who has flung himself dramatically over a dog lying just outside a doghouse, a woman hovering over them both with her arms crossed. The child is wearing a cardigan, glasses, and a simply AWFUL haircut, and is blubbering that if the dog dies, he'll die too. The dog, of course, simply looks a bit tired and run-down. 

The woman all of a sudden starts yelling at the kid, claiming to know he's upset, but telling him he can't just sit sobbing here all day long. She snaps that the dog isn't feeling well, he's old, that's just how it goes. I'm sorry, is your son's grief an inconvenience to you, lady? Clearly it is, because after he recoils from her completely over-the-top irritation with him, she ushers him out of the gate surrounding the house and demands he get to school, promising to call to explain why he's late. He runs off, sniffling and blubbering the whole way. 

Botan expresses sympathy for the poor boy whose beloved dog is dying and there's nothing that can be done, while Yusuke cynically comments on how broken up the kid is about the whole thing already, and wondering how bad his grief is going to be when the inevitable actually comes to pass. 

At the school, the kid is confronted by a couple of classmates, the bigger of them shoving him and asking what the deal is with him being so late. The other is dressed in a preppy shorts-and-blazer sort of outfit and demands who this kiddo thinks he is anyway. Are these brats seriously bullying a boy for COMING TO SCHOOL LATE? Well, I'll give them points for uniquely combining two normally opposing roles in these kinds of stories. The little preppy brat smarms about how he heard the kid's dog is about to croak, and with a smirk, the square-jawed brat sarcastically says this is sooooo sad. He then says it figures the kid would cry about a stupid dog, betting on said dog kicking the bucket as they speak. The preppy brat mockingly yells the word "die" a couple of times, laughing, and our original kid hiccups, threatening to burst into tears again. 

Yusuke's up outside and up a ways, but he hovers there in absolute fury because he can hear the taunting chants of "crybaby" and the wails of the kid with the sick dog. Botan placidly says that the sensitive ones like the kid below do seem to get picked on a lot, and that his dog is one of the few comforts he has in his life. With a mom and classmates like THAT, I'm certainly not surprised! Fuming, Yusuke growls in frustration and snaps that he's never seen something so pathetic in all his existence, having to walk back the word "life" for its inaccuracy at this point. He turns to Botan, asking why the kid doesn't just punch his bullies' lights out, and Botan replies simply that what works for him doesn't work for everybody. It ain't a one-size-fits-all kinda deal, this whole life thing. Yusuke scoffs and sticks his incorporeal nose in the air, saying the kid is better off dead, and Botan scribbles furiously in her gradebook to record that thoroughly unempathetic comment, sardonically calling it compassion. 

In an attempt to reiterate his position as a realistic one rather than overtly cruel, Yusuke argues that the dog's a goner, and there's no getting around it, he's old, it's his time to go. After a pause, Botan says that the dog is truthfully just on borrowed time as it is, his attachment to this world really the only thing keeping him here. 

Ah, the sorrows of our furry friends. 

Over an image of the kid running back home in a hurry, Botan says that by the time he gets there, Jiro will be gone. Indeed, the kid looks on in anguish at his mother standing over Jiro's body lying on its side. He calls the dog's name in question, and then returns to fresh terrible sobs. A bright ball streaks across the next panel. 

Don Bluth eat your heart out.

*Trigger warning for suicide discussion ahead* Yusuke asks about the kid, and if he would REALLY kill himself, and Botan answers that people usually take the path of least resistance out of all the many that exist. Then she jokes that there are also guys like himself that take no discernible path whatsoever, which kind of screws things up, and through a grimace Yusuke tells her not to remind him. Botan returns to a serious note when she looks back down at the house below and begins to speak on the path that seems the easiest for this particular boy, one that in all actuality is hard and terrible. 

He's sniffling and moaning as he's huddled under a blanket in utter misery as Botan and Yusuke hover over his house in silence a moment. The silence is broken by Yusuke, who suggests that they knock him down another path instead, or kick him down it, if they have to. Botan makes a confused noise, so Yusuke whispers his plan in her ear, as though there's anyone around to hear them. 

In the house, a door opens with a creak and the kid's mom looks through the crack into the dark room beyond. She turns to the father (I'm guessing), who asks how the boy is doing, and she answers that their son cried himself to sleep and it's best to leave him be. Certainly better than screaming at him for having inconvenient emotions, I should think. 

The boy lays in bed conked from emotional exhaustion, and hears barks in his dream. He's certain it's Jiro's barking, and wanders a wasteland full of stacks of stones calling out for his dog. The kid stops when he sees in the distance two figures, one humanoid and the other unmistakably canine. Shouting Jiro's name, the boy runs toward the figures with a fresh sob and the happy exclamation that his beloved dog is here. As he throws his arms around Jiro's neck and resumes his hiccups, the human beside them tells the brat to back off because he's in a hurry. 

It's Yusuke dressed in a cape and classic villain mustache, and it's absolutely hilarious. At least, from an audience standpoint. The kid is taking this very seriously, and jumps up, demanding to know who this stranger is and where he's taking Jiro, ultimately insisting that his dog be given back. Yusuke shoves him away with a command to shut up, and the kid flails backward. 

That mustache is TOO much, dude. And so is the sneer he wears in the next panel when he explains to the kid that what doesn't go up must go down, and he, the Lord of the Damned, is seeing to it personally. The kid looks horrified, repeating Yusuke's assertion that it was because of him in disbelief. Again, Yusuke's gleeful expression is quite hammed up when he says the boy catches on very quickly, and confirms it's indeed because of him. Grinning, he assures the kid that this dog will suffer eternally in Hell, his evil smile accompanied by an image of ogres milling around a big cauldron of human soup, judging by the arm sticking out of it. 

The boy is back on his feet, tugging on Yusuke's cape, begging him not to do that, because it's not fair and not Jiro's fault. He insists that he'll be strong and won't cry anymore from now on, but Yusuke just scoffs, pushing him over again and expressing skepticism. Yusuke says it's far too late, and empty promises don't cancel one-way tickets to Hell. Tears emerging again, the kid starts to protest, getting up to plead for another chance. Yusuke yells that the kid is wasting his time, and yanks on the leash to drag the mutt along with a shout to come along. Jiro whines pitifully, resisting, so Yusuke complains that he's had enough trouble from the dog too, and KICKS the poor thing. Yikes, even in a dream scenario that's not a great look. Jiro yelps, and the boy yells at Yusuke, grabbing hold of the cape yet again to insist he can't treat Jiro that way. After a small questioning noise, Yusuke shoves the kid over once more, telling him to get his hands off the cape. 

While the kid cowers on the ground, Yusuke turns up the drama some more and shouts that the dog is his now, and whether he kicks of eats the creature is his own business. To punctuate his point, Yusuke lays a few more kicks on Jiro, the boy watching in breathless horror. At first, he can only softly stutter for Yusuke to stop, and then...

Yeah, Yusuke, knock that shit off. 

The kid dashes forward and starts punching Yusuke in his fury, tearfully shouting that Jiro is a good dog who always made him feel better when he was sad, asking why he has to go to Hell, then asserting that Yusuke can't take him, offering to take Jiro's place if Yusuke has to take anyone. He doesn't really wait for an answer, though, and continues to land his little fists on Yusuke, who doesn't seem to react. He calls Yusuke a bastard and says he hates him, multiple times. Finally, the placid Yusuke smiles. 

Okay, that's genuinely adorable. 

Yusuke gets back to his feet and points at the kid, telling him that the next time he whines and breaks Jiro's focus on Heaven, he'll be back to drag Jiro to Hell again. Wait, are we not trying to make the kid feel a sense of agency by rescuing his dog? Are we trying instead to get him to push down his feelings and not express them anymore for fear that his friend will be tortured forever??

Considerably LESS cute, I gotta say.

The kid delivers a flying kick to Yusuke's chest, which seems to actually send him backward, while swearing not to whine anymore ever. He unleashes a fresh volley of punches on Yusuke, further asserting that he won't cry even when they pick on him, and that this villain will never ever get Jiro. Yusuke has to admit himself that this kid's hits are really starting to hurt. Who's whining now, jerk? 

The boy only stops and turns when a light shines from above him and a voice says that this is just what its owner was waiting for. He has to shield his eyes from the bright light, uttering a noise of awe as Yusuke sits behind him, squashed with lumps on his lumps. Another human figure next to the figure of Jiro assures little Shota that he's going to be fine. FINALLY! I was beginning to think this kid didn't have a name at all. 

It's Botan, of course. She says Jiro agrees, translating his canine thoughts into a message that he's content and can find peace in Heaven. Jiro's tongue lolls, his doggy grin looking absolutely sincere. Shota stares at him with a tear in his eye. 

At the very least, you know you're capable of defending yourself now, what with beating the shit out of the Lord of Darkness and everything.

The next thing the kid knows, he's standing up in the middle of his bed, tears still in his eyes, and making his dream promise in the waking world too. He looks out the window opposite him and thinks on his precious Jiro, who he imagines among the stars out there. Shota promises that though he'll miss Jiro, he'll do his best, so he asks the old dog not to worry and just keep watch over him from Heaven. 

Here I go again. 

Day has broken when Shota is asked if he's SURE about this, his dad and mom standing outside their home's gate as he's walking away, the latter telling him that he can stay home from school today. Oh, I'm glad she grew a bit of empathy over night and realized that her son probably needs a little room to mourn. But little Shota assures her that he'll be fine, and hesitantly tells her that he made a promise. His mom responds with puzzlement, so Shota explains that the promise was to Jiro, and that his bravely venturing to school today was equally for both their sakes. Mom sighs an "oh my", and lets him trot off determined to school.

He's still on his way when his name is called, and he turns to see his bullies from the day before grinning maliciously at him, chuckling and asking sarcastically how his old dog is doing. The little one says they have a great plan for when he dies, and the husky one says the plan is to chop Jiro up and put him in a dog stew. What's with everyone joking about eating this dog?? 

Shota is ignoring them, so the husky one reaches up to ruffle his victim's terrible hair, and Shota smacks the bully's hand away, much to said bully's shock. In the same motion, Shota grabs a fistful of the husky one's sweater and gets right up in his face, daring him to say that to him again, just one more time. All the dazed brat can do is make confused noises. 

That's right! Exchange tears for violence! That's healthy right?

The husky one just continues to gape and fails to form a response, but his friend shouts that they get it, a bit quicker on the uptake. A moment later, Shota is marching off once more, leaving his little bully to ask what just happened, and the husky one to wonder aloud why HE'S being asked. I'll tell you what happened, you pushed your victim a little too far this time, that's what happened. But they're kids and lack the breadth of experience to quite understand that yet. 

Yusuke and Botan hover overhead nearby, the latter looking at the other with pleasant surprise, expressing amazement at what just transpired. Yusuke says that the old shock treatment works every time, explaining that when you get thrown in the deep and it's sink or swim, you swim, stroking his chin in an exaggerated caricature of intellectualism. Botan sweatdrops, asking how that's the same thing, but immediately tells him to never mind, complimenting him instead on playing the villain to perfection. Yusuke puts on a weird kitty-face, saying he's been told that he's not all that likeable to begin with. Botan says that he's not THAT bad, but he laughs that flattery will get her nowhere. I suppose it won't since SHE'S not the one taking the life-saving test, and therefore has nothing to gain by buttering you up.

On the way to becoming as emotionally constipated as Yusuke, maybe.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Well, as you probably picked up from above, I'm not STOKED about the lesson they taught little Shota. I think it was a fine line to walk, and they crossed into less-than-ideal territory a couple of times. Showing the kid that he's actually strong enough to defend himself without Jiro around is good, showing him that defending Jiro and the other things that he loves is a necessary and important part of his life is better, but linking these things to refusing to cry? It's not awesome. There have been entire generations of men who have grown up believing that crying makes them weak and therefore consciously restrict their range of emotional expression to great detriment, both personally and in the societal sense. Shota should be able to shed tears AND be strong enough to stand up for the things he cares about in life, these are not mutually exclusive things.

On the other hand, I can see how Yusuke, as a character, would be sure to impart these values onto Shota, seeing as how he's the embodiment of them. He's got a "toughen up, don't show weakness" kind of attitude, specifically because of YEARS of having to win fights with gangs of hooligans, on his own a lot of the time, since his only friend and ally seems to be Keiko (so far). His statement about sinking or swimming seems like a hint to his own need to rise to the challenge that bullies were forcing on him or crumple under their abuse. And, as stated above, since whole generations of men have grown up seeing crying as a sign of weakness, even if you don't personally believe that, any enemies you have may use it as an excuse to lay even more blows on you if you are unwise enough to cry in front of them. It's a catch-22. 

And regardless, it does seem that all Shota needed to do was put his foot down in order to get his bullies to lay off. In fact, they appear to be trying to catch up with him in that last panel, probably even to hang with him. My hope is that Shota doesn't have to actually start hitting people to get his point across, and may even have made a couple of new friends as a result of just taking a stand. That would certainly be a nice epilogue. 

Random holiday posting: Happy St. Patrick's Day to those who celebrate!

Inuyasha Manga: 303 The Three-Pronged Halberd

I associate that kind of weapon with Neptune or sea gods of some sort, so this is just making me want to read about THEM instead. Or maybe watch The Little Mermaid. Engage with anything that isn't going to frustrate me about how the tool is being carried around or used at the behest of someone who so obviously SHOULD NOT BE TRUSTED. I mean, Abi really must be living on a completely different planet mentally in order to not have a single concern about what letting a stranger who has vague unstated interests in her business might be capable of in the future. There's overconfidence in one's ability to just murder anyone who double-crosses you, there's arrogance, and then there's THIS.

I swear, RT must have gotten some kind of reprimand or letter warning her not to get too gorey with defeating the female villains right before the Shichinin-tai arc or something.

Abi looks pretty amused by the suggestion that he's going to rip her apart, "reluctant" as the threat might be, and tells him not to make her laugh through a big fanged grin. She yells that Inuyasha is the same as Naraku - a hanyou - looking significantly less tickled by this thing Naraku and Inuyasha have in common. She swipes her bird talons in a great arc across her chest, which seems to direct a deluge of flames at the group below, and has decided to now express peak annoyance that she, the great Abi-hime, has been dragged into a little spat between lowly hanyou. 

Well, at least she can say she's hotter than anyone else here. 

A smattering of village men nearby gape at the flames engulfing their houses and the ground, stuttering that they're going to die in a defeatist way. Inuyasha calls to his friends to make sure the villagers are evacuated from the area, but Abi turns to order her lizard-birds not to let even ONE of them escape, and to suck up ALL that nutritious blood. The flock flaps to act on their instructions, and Inuyasha directs a Kaze no Kizu at them, wiping a good section of them out with a single blast. 

In the residual wind of the attack, Abi is alarmed, wondering who this hanyou is whose power she has underestimated a bit. Meanwhile, that one bird that was holding the spear Naraku gave Abi in the last chapter flies awkwardly over, some kind of light and swirling energy emitting from it. 

That's it. I've had it with these mother fucking barriers in this mother fucking comic!

Somehow, our main characters are much more shocked than angry like I am, gaping up at their unharmed enemy in that familiar bubble. Miroku, dumbfounded, is in disbelief that the Kaze no Kizu has been repelled, and he's supposed to be the smart one, I must remind everyone. Abi's hands has returned to a human shape and one of them is held out toward the halberd, her own confusion over the fact that it having erected a barrier apparent. At least SHE hasn't seen this a million times before and has an excuse. She recalls how Naraku told her that the weapon was made from his bones, and guesses that Naraku gave it to her so she'd be able to fight the hanyou below. 

Grabbing the halberd, she fucks off in the opposite direction, completely disregarding collecting the blood she was so LITERALLY on fire to collect just a few moments ago. Inuyasha runs after her, yelling at her to wait up, but she's already disappeared in a flicker of flame in the sky. Miroku, ever the Captain Obvious that he is, observes that she's escaped, Inuyasha swearing in response. Kagome asks for confirmation that "Abi-Hime" was what the bird mistress had called herself, but it doesn't seem to be a particularly important question anyone is really considering.

In the daylight, Inuyasha and company hang out in a small building, though it's doubtful it's anywhere in the village that was burning to cinders the night before. I think they would probably be crowded in with the villagers who rightfully needed it for the precious little shelter they had left if that were the case. Sango is saying that while Abi seems to be connected with Naraku, she also doesn't feel that the bird mistress was an agent of Naraku's, I'm guessing in the sense that she's one of his "incarnations". Miroku is on a roll with his mundane observations today - he says Naraku is probably trying to use this Abi person. Great contribution to the conversation, buddy. But Inuyasha seems to appreciate it, at least, since he adds that it's for some objective. I suppose he's glad not to be the only one being made to look dumb for once. 

Why would she be going out of her way to do a favor specifically for a guy who she thinks is dragging her into the conflict between you two? Come on, be serious. 

Miroku states that Naraku should be trying to get between the border between the worlds in order to get that Shikon shard in there, and Kagome is the one to draw the connection between collecting the human blood and getting to the border, though she seems hesitant about it. Inuyasha wonders if there aren't any other possibilities, and is unsure what kind of path this would be. The literal road to Hell is paved with... human blood?

Narrow sky transition panel! Next to the rustling treetops of a nearby forest, little Rin is squatted in a patch of flowers, chatting at Jaken about how boring it is to be staying put again. Jaken agrees, with a sigh, and just when I think they're commiserating properly, he glares over at her collecting a tiny bouquet and thinks about how he'd be able to go wherever Sesshoumaru was if he didn't have to sit and watch the brat. Somehow, I DOUBT that Sesshoumaru wouldn't have to just go off by himself every once in a while, even if Jaken was his only companion. 

A sudden gust of wind descends on them from above, causing both Jaken and Rin to look up, the former humming in question. The former also tumbles head over heels as the gust grows stronger on its way down, shouting in alarm. Rin covers her face with her arm, hair blown back, eyes squeezed shut.

Kidnapping 2.0?

Reasonably concerned that it might be, Rin scampers on hands and knees behind Jaken, crying out to him in fear. Jaken stutters Kagura's name, not exactly calm about this visit either, but he bravely brandishes the Nintoujou at her anyway, demanding to know if she's here to grab Rin again. Kagura makes a questioning noise, and seems to only remember that she actually did do that at a certain point RIGHT NOW. How bad is this girl's memory? Jaken yells that she's shameless as she looks around and asks if Sesshoumaru isn't there. Jaken calls her a moron and yells at her that if Sesshoumaru HAD been here, her head would already be separated from her neck. Entirely fair. 

After a lengthy pause, Kagura turns around and pulls a feather from her hair, muttering that she supposes that's true. In another moment, she's ascending into the sky, Jaken and Rin looking at her with distrust and SUPREME puzzlement at the same time. Rin gapes, stating the obvious that Kagura is gone, and Jaken wonders aloud what exactly she came there for.

The one other time you've brought a gift didn't go over too well either, if you'll recall. 

Kagura DOES remember that she couldn't kill Hakudoushi with her wind blades, and she's convinced both he AND Naraku are going to have to die in order for her to gain her freedom. Suddenly, something occurs to her and she recalls the time the baby she was carrying around got split in half, and how Kanna had come and collected one of the halves, saying that it might actually have been better for this to happen. Kagura is starting to wonder if Kanna's half of the baby has some role to play for Naraku as well, coming to the conclusion that it must. Surprising that she wouldn't have figured that out before now, but I guess she HAS had a lot to deal with in the meantime. Kagura further reasons that it has to be a role that is WAY more important than Hakudoushi's, because Kanna took it, in whom Naraku has leagues more trust than he has in Kagura. Rightfully, if we're being honest. At last, Kagura is convinced that there is some kind of secret involving that other half of infant, and speculates on if it might be significant enough to wipe out Naraku. 

Ooooh, I wish I could still cross my fingers for her sake.

Narrow night sky transition panel to the roof of what looks like a pretty large house. A group of people, three women and an old man, surround where a woman is laying on a futon, asking what's going on. Everyone remains silent, and looks pretty uneasy. This next part is pretty rough, fair warning.

Understandably, the woman sits up in a panic, and asks if that means her baby is dead, something the old man regrettably has to admit is so, clarifying that the child was dead before he was even born. She lifts her hand to her mouth and her eyes fill with tears as she stutters an ineffectual "no" to this horrible reality. As she lays back down to sob into her pillow, the woman immediately at her side cries along with her, offering her sympathies for this heartrending situation. 

It's already a severely tragic scene, but then the older woman sitting next to the futon suddenly freezes, her expression becoming blank in a second. She and the others sitting around the lady of the house collapse, light vapor rising from their gaping mouths, and the lady is even further alarmed by their incapacitation. She lifts her shoulders to peer through the semi-darkness of the room, too shocked and scared to cry anymore. She sees the pale little form of Kanna holding out her mirror, beyond the pushed-over door, the mirror still sucking up the spirits of the help. 

For real??? The worst day of this woman's life, and Naraku is basically manipulating her into being a wet nurse for his little hellspawn? FUCK THIS GUY. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It appears that the line of logic that the characters are engaging in is more solid - Inuyasha and company know that Naraku's first priority is probably to collect that Shikon shard on the border between this world and the next and therefore tentatively conclude that helping Abi get all this human blood is in service to that goal. Likewise, Kagura knows that Kanna is more in Naraku's good graces than herself, and therefore can surmise that the half of Shnooky her sister collected was a bit more important than Hakudoushi to whatever plans Naraku has going, but is still unsure as to whether this other half of the infant is so crucial as to bring Naraku down. Compared to some of the leaps in logic that the characters made earlier in the series (and RECENTLY too), this is DEFINITELY an improvement, because they are clearly working from information they already have instead of the secret shit they shouldn't. The writing indicates a little bit of uncertainty too, which is appreciated when characters are drawing incomplete conjectures. 

I'm also thankful that the stillborn child was treated with the gravity that the situation deserves and everyone seems to have an appropriate reaction. It does raise several questions for me, though. Did Naraku somehow know the child would be stillborn and chose to install his infant in his place accordingly? Did he CAUSE the stillbirth with miasma or some such thing so he could use this noblewoman as an appropriately posh sheltering figure for his demon spawn? And, most importantly, what is the OBJECT of putting the modified Shnooky in a noble human household? He is, after all, co-opting another youkai's campaign to gather all the human blood in the area. Wouldn't that put Shnooky in some amount of danger? It seems like it at least would create an extra variable with which Naraku can be fucked with, and that appears just a tad counterproductive. 

Not that Naraku hasn't done plenty of counterproductive nonsense before. It really is by the grace of RT's publishers that his stupid ass hasn't been obliterated yet.

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 003 Time for Departure!!

Wait a minute, I thought the goal was to stick around the living world, but we're leaving? Where to??? I hope it's not back to that crowded office full of bustling ogres directed around by a precocious toddler. Whether to hang out or intern, I feel like Yusuke would just be pissed off being cooped up in there, and that CANNOT be good for the vibe feeding his egg. It would be akin to an act of sabotage, because there's no possible way Koenma could not predict the massive attitude Yusuke would cop when forced to hang with him in the spirit realm. 

Yeah, I just hope wherever the destination is, it's somewhere CHILL. 

I mean, I guess he IS sleeping. NOW. 

Atsuko, strangely nose-less, chuckles that the doctor's baffled and says it shouldn't be possible, but here Yusuke is, sure enough. NOT in a hospital. According to Atsuko, for all the doctor could tell, Yusuke IS just sleeping and he could wake up at any time, but apparently it's also possible that Yusuke will just stay like this and not wake up ever again. Yeah, did the doctor happen to also advise you to put Yusuke in a medical facility to make sure he's able to get nutrients and fluids while he's in this Sleeping Beauty phase, so he doesn't STARVE to death in the interim?? No word on that - Atsuko just talks about how she BELIEVES her son will wake up, she KNOWS he will, mentioning that he did after all make the effort to visit Keiko in her dreams while his mom was completely trashed. 

Keiko is silent for a moment, before she starts to express doubt that it was a genuine message from Yusuke, admitting that it COULD have just been a dream. But Atsuko says that it was too much of a coincidence that Keiko was told in her "dream" to look for the evidence that she just happened to stumble upon at the same time. Keiko still looks a little doubtful, but she agrees after a pause. As she leaves the house, Yusuke floats with Botan behind her, a bit miffed. He's annoyed that she's questioning his personal message to her, and says that he might just have to visit her again to make the reality of his presence sink in. 

Botan asks if he'll have his "last words" ready for this communication he's talking about, and he begins to confirm that he'll make a believer of her yet, but as Botan gives him an affirmation and begins scribbling in a notebook, the phrase "last words" finally hits him with full force and he has to ask her to repeat herself. 

The inference of what you actually DID say might be enough to stop a weakly beating heart regardless, Botan.

Yusuke questions this sudden reference to "rules" and Botan confirms in a huff that he's not allowed to continuously communicate with people he's close to while he's taking the test, but this rule isn't effective until tomorrow. Yusuke's attitude is palpable when he suggests to Botan that she bring up these little details SOONER, but she's dismissive. She thinks (with some smugness) that she knows how he works now, and he wouldn't have gotten around to this until the last minute anyway. Suuuuure, I totes believe that this wasn't just a contrived rule made up at the last minute to impose some tension on the plot...

Yusuke asks how he should go about the message this time, asking if he should just wait until Keiko is asleep again. Botan says she doesn't see much sense in it, considering Keiko might just think it was a dream again. She suggests instead that this time around, he BORROW SOMEONE'S BODY to actually talk to her. She even does it with a little grin, as if possession isn't an ethical nightmare for someone in Yusuke's position. Yusuke, of course, doesn't see any red flags with this, even reiterating what Botan is suggesting to show that he follows, and even asks if it could be ANYONE. Botan tells him no, that the rules again dictate some strict perimeters, and asks Yusuke if he knows anyone who has a really strong sixth sense. Yusuke sweatdrops as he considers the question. 

This is a PERFECT reaction picture. I can just see the versatility.

Kuwabara's friends turn to regard him when they notice that he's stopped in his tracks and they're leaving him behind, asking him what's up. He tells them that he feels a chill, to which one of them inquires incredulously if he's caught a cold, but another of his small gang asks if it's THAT again. Quivering and shaking from that chill apparently still passing through him, Kuwabara answers in the affirmative, stating that nothing good ever happens when he feels like this. He lists all the things that he's experienced - will-o'-the-wisps, sleep paralysis, getting chased by ghosts - all of which are recreated in his imagination in... less-than-terrifying detail. The first friend simply says he doesn't get it, but the second whispers to him that Kuwabara has a really intense sixth sense, and receives an exclamation of disbelief in response. 

There's more disbelief from the Yusuke hovering nearby, but it's more the kind of "is this some sort of joke" disbelief. He mutters about how this is really TOO much, and as if in response, Kuwabara proclaims in all seriousness that he feels a ghost behind him right this very moment, which is of course a mildly annoyed Yusuke. When Kuwabara suggests that the ghost he's feeling is probably one of a lower life form like a racoon or monkey, Yusuke lashes out and tries to punch him in the back of the head, which of course doesn't work. 

Yusuke turns to Botan to complain about the prospect of taking over the body of this goon, but Botan tells him that she didn't say he HAD to do it. True, it was just an idea, and one that it seems Yusuke was kind of depending upon. He growls in frustration at Botan, who after a pause asks in a chipper tone if he's gonna go for it. Kuwabara freezes unnaturally, his friends wondering what's going on with him now, but he's completely unresponsive to all of their concerned questions. Botan tells Yusuke that he can go on in now, but he only has about 30 minutes as she holds up three fingers, because it's all Kuwabara's body will be able to take. Yusuke looks over at the sinking sun and estimates he'll have until about sunset then. 

Me when I'm daydreaming but I suddenly hear my name in a Zoom meeting. 

Kuwabara's head turns side to side, where his friends hum in confusion and suppose he's back, they guess. All of a sudden, Kuwabara BOLTS, sprinting off while one of his friends calls out to him in utter confusion, and Yusuke from within thinks that she should be home right about now. No points for guessing who "she" is, of course. 

Cut to where Kuwabara('s body) is running up alongside the fence outside a building with a big placard on the outside written on in kanji, so I'm rather useless in reading it. But, when Kuwabara('s body) bursts in calling for Mr. and Mrs. Yukimura to ask if Keiko is there, a guy in the background almost chokes on the ramen he's slurping from his bowl, so it must be a ramen shop. The Mr. and Mrs. referred to sweatdrop at the unknown young man who has barged in, asking who he is after a moment of bewildered silence. Kuwabara('s mouth) says he's in a hurry, and again expresses his urgent need to know where Keiko is, and her mother hesitantly answers that she's not at home, and is out shopping. Her father asks the unknown boy if he's a friend of Keiko's from school, and Kuwabara('s mouth) replies in a hurry that yes, he's Yusuke Urameshi, and he wants to know what STORE Keiko's at. 

The name he gives at first receives a dumbfounded pause, and after that Keiko's father is up and shaking a whole-ass MEAT CLEAVER in Kuwabara's face, telling the greasy thug to hold it. Before long, Yusuke has Kuwabara high-tailing it out of there as both Keiko's mother and cleaver-wielding father chase him from the shop, yelling about the audacity of trying to pass his ugly self off as Yusuke, the boy who has passed from the world, something they think is an awfully insensitive trick to play. They are throwing knives and china at Kuwabara while Yusuke insists that it's not what it looks like, although he also acknowledges he doesn't have time to explain. 

Shortly, he's back on the street and looking around in desperation, wondering aloud if he's going to have to search every store in exasperation. You really should have thought a moment about what name you were going to use there, bud. A figure shuffles up to him with a sarcastic little surprised remark, and a guy who is very unremarkable looking compared to the strange gang-members hanging out behind him identifies Kuwabara as coming from Sarayashiki High School, and someone who's apparently been raising a lot of hell lately? If by "raising hell" they mean "wailing about the death of a dude he had a very complicated relationship with". 

Kuwabara('s mouth) says that he's NOT Kuwabara right now, and demands that this nameless thug get out of his way. The nameless thug tries to be intimidating by cocking his head in Kuwabara's face and saying he shouldn't be like that, because he might have to get his teeth knocked in. 

And that about does it for him. And two other groups of hooligans apparently - the next panel carries a label of "Three Fights Later", Kuwabara('s body) looking left and right while Yusuke complains about the waste of his time, and how Kuwabara hasn't been particularly choosy about his fights. As if HE'S one to talk. He spots the tall blonde girl and the bespectacled one that hang with Keiko some distance away, laughing together, and is stoked that he's finally found a lead to Keiko's whereabouts. The girls look over curiously when he calls out to them, then scream and run in terror when he comes running at them. He's frustrated once again, demanding that they not run away and asking what's wrong with them, because he hasn't seen the absolute MESS Kuwabara's face has become during the last few scuffles.

Kuwabara('s face) glares after the cloud of dust the girls left behind in their flight, growling. Yusuke notices the sun has sunk about halfway down the horizon, and curses that it's just no use, because even in the even he finds Keiko, there won't be any time to explain, let alone in a convincing way. Just as he gets done internally despairing of finding her, he hears a familiar voice wondering aloud where "they" went in a bewildered way behind him. Kuwabara('s body) turns to see Keiko looking puzzled, and in a TERRIBLE cardigan, no less. 

As Kuwabara sweatdrops, Yusuke is suddenly struck by the fact that he hadn't really thought about HOW he was going to convince Keiko it's him when he looks like someone else. The sun is pretty much set, and Yusuke knows his time is pretty much up, so he desperately tries to think of a way to clue Keiko in fast. 

Coincidentally, behind Kuwabara, a man sneaks up behind a woman he knows and covers her eyes, playfully asking her to guess who he is, and she guesses correctly. It's precisely the idea Yusuke needed, and he directs Kuwabara through the public crowd to position him behind Keiko, thinking it's the only way, that she knows he's the only one who could possibly have the AUDACITY. Oh boy. I think I know where THIS is going, and I'm pretty pissed about it, to be honest.

Indeed, Kuwabara('s voice) calls to Keiko to guess who, and reaches around under her arms to squeeze her breasts. Keiko is ALSO very pissed, growls, and swings around, yelling. 

That's one hell of a reflex you Pavloved her into, Yusuke. 

When the red fades from Keiko's eyes, she is alarmed to find that she has smacked the shit out of someone other than the boy she should be aware is lying in his mother's house in a coma. It's real confusing. She stutters that it wasn't, but from Kuwabara's mouth, Yusuke chuckles dumbly that it is, in fact, him.

REAL CONFUSING.

Keiko is still haltingly asking if it's actually Yusuke in the next panel, so Yusuke points Kuwabara's finger at her and insists that it really is. I'm not sure if the boy he's in is shaking because of his strong emotion or if he's just fighting to stay in there at this point. He tells Keiko all about the kitchen knives he's dodged and all the fights (feuds that belong to another guy entirely) he got into to find her, so the least she could do is believe him. Keiko asks how she COULDN'T believe it's him, given that only HE could dare to be as big of a jerk as he just was. She also silently clocks the way he talks and his gestures to identify him, as Kuwabara('s finger) scratches nervously at his cheek and sweatdrops. Keiko starts to tear up, realizing that all these things point straight to the Yusuke she knows.

Kuwabara('s face) balks, and Yusuke holds up his hands in a gesture of discouragement, telling her to hold the waterworks until after he's gone. Keiko starts to question WHY he's... here, I suppose, and Yusuke hurriedly spits it's all the rules, for all the sense they make, that required him to use this guy's body or nothing else, then he starts panicking all the more at the sun's position being almost fully sunk below the horizon. He curses that he's got no time to explain, so Keiko's next question is if he's going somewhere. 

Yusuke begins by saying that of course he has to leave this body that's not his, to start, and then he's not allowed to talk to anyone he's close to, her and his mother, until he's back in his OWN body. He admits that he's just here now, behind Kuwabara's face, to emphasize what he already told her in her dream.

Keiko lets her tears flow now, agreeing to always wait for him. We get a zoomed-out view of her standing close in front of Kuwabara, indicating what the next panel confirms with Yusuke's spirit sitting in the sky above the scene, looking down at it with a distracted expression. Botan has appeared too, asking if he's all done, and he says he is after a short questioning hum. She says cheerfully that's it, and the rest is up to him now. 

Yusuke firmly responds that the promise he made to Keiko is one he's going to keep. He raises a fist and states that if he can come back to life, he could also start over and swear off all his vices, a resolution that has Botan staring in surprised silence for a moment.

Another link in the chain of confusion has been forged. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? On a level, this little rule that Botan drops on Yusuke makes some sense. When you're taking a test, there are always certain guidelines about what resources you can use while you're taking it. I can easily see how having unlimited contact with your loved-ones might be a little bit of a cheat for Yusuke, if he can so easily seek advice or prioritize focusing on their issues over those of strangers. Besides, spending all his time poking in on Keiko's dreams might be too great a distraction for Yusuke, whose first concern should be putting good vibes into that egg of his. 

But Botan not telling him until the last possible moment, making the excuse that he wouldn't have done anything with the information until then anyway, smacks of the author realizing a bit late that the character's trial needs some restrictions to be interesting and meaningful - specifically restrictions that will keep him from hovering too close to his mom and girlfriend. I don't think the beginning of this chapter was necessarily a terrible place to inform the AUDIENCE, but if it were me, I might have implied that Botan told Yusuke before, but he wasn't really paying attention at the time, so she had to put the fear of God in him by referring to the whole ritual as "final words" this time, so to speak. 

I thought giving Kuwabara some extrasensory perception powers added a little more dimension to him in the interest of contrast. It was clear from how he reacted to Yusuke's death that he was emotionally far more sensitive than you might have expected, but sensitivity to the supernatural/spirit realm helps to define him as more of an ally. After all, Yusuke said in this chapter that he's not able to communicate with Atsuko and Keiko, and there doesn't seem to be much of a reason why he couldn't communicate with the sensitive Kuwabara - they weren't depicted as particularly close before Yusuke's death, and Kuwabara's meltdown at the funeral kind of indicated a one-sided idealization to the rivalry. 

It's very touching the lengths Yusuke went to to ensure that Keiko was reassured that he would be returning, sooner or later. He acted like he was annoyed when she started to express doubt that her dream was a real message from him, but there wasn't nearly that level of irritation when he actually got in front of her. In fact, he expressed much more enjoyment at being able to speak to her directly, and any anxiety he was showing seemed to be more about the time-crunch than anything. Since he doesn't say anything to the effect, and there have been no incidents in that vein, I very much doubt he's particularly worried that she'll become interested in or be approached by another guy. His actions do seem to be driven purely by the fact that he hates seeing her upset and worried, especially over him.

But I suppose it doesn't hurt that she might spurn any outside advances until he gets back now. ;)

Inuyasha Manga: 302 Princess Abi

Royalty is a crappy concept to begin with, but divine right with the added ability to control blood-sucking pterodactyls? That's a true menace. It's bad enough when people with an inflated sense of their own importance are given control of the finances and well-being of entire empires. Those guys ALREADY dole out some serious injustices based mostly on whim. Nobody needs a jerkwad feeding their population to a hungry pets too. 

Come to think of it, that must have happened at least a couple of times in actual human history, which just makes me sad.

I swear, the Inuyasha group comes across a village that has been wiped out in some fucked-up way every other chapter now. This is wildly unsustainable.

As Inuyasha and his friends stare at this scene with varying degrees of alarm and sadness, Inuyasha reiterates that this is not the first time they've seen this, and Kagome gasps that this is cruel. More like exceedingly WEIRD - my first thought upon finding a bunch of people spontaneously mummified despite being fully exposed to normal decomposition conditions doesn't suggest malice so much as a freak localized event. But, then again, I don't live in a world with an abundance of demonic forces. At least, none that manifest in this manner.

Miroku and Sango kneel next to one of the bodies and Miroku confirms it's drained of all blood, just as they all expected. Sango suggests that this is the work of youkai, and Inuyasha agrees, saying that some nasty fucking thing has gone absolutely bonkers while they were dicking around in the fire country. What a shame they missed the new Naraku puppet dancing onto the stage.

Narrow blank transition panel. We cut to that "nasty thing" Inuyasha was referring to: Princess Abi sitting on a small outcrop of rock jutting out from a wider gentle cliff side, right next to a gaping cave. She's addressing Naraku, who hovers out in front of her in his bubble, barely bothering to confirm his name before she asks what's in it for her if she helps him with her particular powers. Naraku in turn asks her what she's using her "birds" to collect massive amounts of human blood for. 

Cue the insensitive "yo mama" jokes. 

Naraku just asserts that this mother of Abi's is dying, but Abi counters with a statement that her mother is NOT dying. She just ate a poisonous youkai and diluting the poison with human blood. Uh, not how that works, but sure. Naraku, in his infinite arrogance, encourages Abi to continue collecting all that human blood so Mommy Dearest can get well soon, and promises to make it possible for her to gather even more blood if she helps him out, making it so no one else can get in the way of this important work. 

As he says so, a branched tendril folds out from his back and he slashes in her direction with it, his expression blank. Abi catches what looks like a long pole as it's about to pass over her head.

Uhhh, bro? You still haven't mentioned HOW she's supposed to help you out with her powers?

Nah, he just fucks off, disappearing into the sky with a trail of weird flesh/miasma in his wake. Abi scoffs that he's a fishy guy, staring into the sky after him, when her mother suggests that they can use him. Abi looks over her shoulder at the cave, from which her mother croaks that Naraku has a powerful youki, but he's a hanyou. Ah, the root of like 90% of the mistakes made concerning this guy. Abi says she noticed the hanyou thing, and her mother tells her it's not a problem, since they can just suck him dry if he makes any funny moves. Ew, the innuendo there is giving me the ick. Abi agrees, but she resolves to get all the blood she can first. Yeah, why worry about what this suspicious guy benefits from you taking this precise course of action, especially when he so carefully avoided saying so? 

Cut to a village that is NOT decimated for a change! Hooray! We zero in on a particular house in which people are presumably discussing the nearby villages having been attacked by youkai, and if their village is likely to be next on the list. 

So, Miroku would prefer to just LIE to them about the odds? That's politician shit, dude.

Miroku asks the men they're speaking to not to worry, since THEY'LL slay the youkai, and the men are practically overjoyed with the prospect of these teenage strangers killing the incoming horde for them, but no one criticizes MIROKU for inflating their hope in a situation literally NONE of them have faced before. Thankfully, he's still liable to get a Hiraikotsu to the back of his head when he suggests that the only payment for protecting the village is food, beds, and a couple of pretty girls. Sango gives him a chance to repeat this tasteless request, and he says it was a joke. Kagome flatly says that he doesn't have to say that shit out loud, and the village men finally begin to question if they should leave the safety of their village in the hands of these weirdos. Odd place to draw the line, guys.

Inuyasha's dog ears twitch at a screeching noise outside. He stands and states that they're here, Miroku agreeing, and the village men make nervous noises. Too late to rethink this whole teenage demon-vanquishing team deal.

Why do people keep calling these BIRDS? They look nothing like birds!

Whatever the fuck they are, Inuyasha scoffs that they REEK of human blood, and lets loose an all-time-classic Kaze no Kizu on the flock, tearing at least the first wave of them apart. As the tattered remains of them fall out of the sky, the Inuyasha crew can see a fresh wave on the way down, Kagome announcing the obvious fact that more are coming.

Suddenly, a glow starts to emit from the oncoming flock, and upon closer examination, it's clear that flames are flickering over the skin of the creatures. Shippou stutters that they're burning as they start landing on the VERY FLAMMABLE roofs of the village dwellings.

So much for staying inside and away from these monsters...

A group of non-flaming hot "birds" descend upon an old man and a little boy, the latter of which bawls in terror, before Inuyasha smacks the foremost creature with Tessaiga at the last moment. He comes pretty close to hitting the poor almost-victims as well, honestly. Sango rushes forward with Hiraikotsu raised, shouting that the villagers are being forced from their homes to be attacked, which... more DUH moments, but whatevz. She takes out several "birds" with a sweep of her giant boomerang. Another wave descends, and Miroku complains what a pain all this is as he rips his sealing beads off his right hand and points the Kazaana at the offending flying menace. And they say INUYASHA is unfairly annoyed when he has to help people, lol.

He vacuums up a few of the "birds" when another cloud of entirely different flying menace comes up behind the creatures in their support, but it's one they're all familiar with. Saimyoushou buzz for Miroku, identified in alarm by Kagome as she pauses in drawing her bow, and Shippou hangs off Miroku's shoulder to shrilly warn him that he's got to put his Kazaana away lest he be poisoned. Miroku is already groaning in frustration and wrapping the beads back around his hand. 

Inuyasha gapes up at the sky in shock, faced now with the commander of this composite flying army.

I love that she gave the spear to one of her "birds" and it's awkwardly holding it in its beak like it has no idea what to do with it, lol!

Inuyasha asks who the hell she is like he's a stop-motion Barbie doll fighting over bathroom turf, suggesting that she's an agent of Naraku. I guess Abi tries to play dumb by parroting Naraku's name back at Inuyasha in the form of a question, so Inuyasha adds that the presence of the Saimyoushou are the best proof. Abi says she doesn't care about them, she didn't call them, and admits she has no idea wheat happened between the plucky band of adventurers below and Naraku, but she's a bit cross that they killed her "birds". 

Just a bit cross.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Abi is turning out to be shockingly credulous and incurious. This could be chalked up to worry over her mother and the time-sensitive issue of getting her better making her a bit single-minded, but she seemed plenty relaxed when she was talking to Naraku earlier in the chapter. There's the implication with her multiple ellipses that she wants to remain tight-lipped due to distrust, but she shows Naraku all her cards anyway, corrects him to insist that her mother is getting better, and is a little too receptive to the idea that she can gather a ton more blood with his help. She asks virtually NO QUESTIONS before Naraku leaves her with a new weapon, not even when she comes across people who seem to know and hate Naraku. I would be just a LITTLE curious to know why there's a whole group of the buggers that seem to hate the guy I just teamed up with, but she just shows ZERO interest, even where her own alliances sit. 

It doesn't even read as arrogance as much as just plain stupidity. She's absolutely spoiled for choice and hasn't even been successfully challenged in her efforts to collect blood yet. What POSSIBLE reason could she have for teaming up with Naraku at this point? It doesn't make any sense. At least the villagers were DESPERATE and it was believable that they would rely on a group of barely pubescent little nerds to help them out because they had no other choice. Abi is just going along with Naraku because... the plot demands it, I guess.

I'm pleased with how that strange mottled glove ended up useful at the end of the chapter and turned into talons, because I was quite perplexed by its purpose in her design in the last chapter, but everything else about her is one-dimensional and frustrating in its simplicity. Frankly, it should be HARDER for Naraku to convince potential allies to team up with him at this point; he should be struggling to convince people it's worth it, and it would have spruced up his evil shtick just a tad if his reputation of betrayal and manipulation were starting to catch up with him. One of the frustrations people have with Naraku is that he tends to use the same tricks over and over, and in the course of a 500+ chapter story, that starts to get repetitive, so it would have been somewhat refreshing for him to have to adapt as well.

But the gods forbid we see new challenges arise from Naraku's repeated bad faith. That would make things a little interesting, and we can't have that. No, just stick a cardboard cut-out of a character in there for Naraku to use and throw away like he always does, because RT couldn't be bothered to use her one of her more notable talents and make Abi a believable person. Seriously, was she sick when this arc started, because I can't think how else she would fail to work her characterization magic on a more interesting-looking character. 

Disappointing.

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 002 Test for Resurrection!!

How about that! I would often make fun of the multiple exclamation marks in the Yu-Gi-Oh chapter titles, and I didn't think I would miss them, but this title really hit me with that nostalgia bug for when I was riffing off them. What a strange thing to strike me! But I suppose it's the little things that you end up remembering with the most fondness. Nevertheless, it is rather strange that I should be reminded so strongly of the manga I've only just finished a few months ago by one so VERY different in tone and content. It's a very odd feeling, like it's been forever and a moment ago all at once. How does time work?

Uh-oh, that "however" is looking a little ominous...

In the next panel, Yusuke has one hand in his pocket as though he's trying to act casual while his other hand has gripped the end of Botan's flying oar, dragging him along behind her as she flies off. He asks where they're going now, and she tells him they're going to the Afterlife. I thought they were specifically trying to set up a test so he WOULDN'T go there, but whatevz. Botan tells him they're going to meet the person there who will explain the test to him. Yusuke raises an irritated fist, which I guess he didn't need to use to hang onto Botan's oar in the first place, and argues that if this guy wants to talk to him so badly then he should meet Yusuke where he's at. He asks who this armchair test proctor is anyway, and Botan answers that it's King Enma, the Lord of Hell (TM). Through nervous clenched teeth, Yusuke begins to protest, but Botan has already twisted in her seat to warn Mr. Rude behind her that he'd better be nice, or the king might just forget all about the test and drop him straight into Hell. 

Yusuke is so THRILLED about this prospect that he tries to fly the other way again, suggesting that they just forget the whole thing then and he can just go home. Botan grabs him by his sleeve to restrain him as they enter a growing spiral of clouds, demanding that he stop being an idiot, pointing out the entrance to the afterlife, and telling him to hang on. 

It really does look like it goes from here to eternity. 

They end up on a raised path, sheer on both sides and looking like it's a cliff path with all of the excess carved away underneath, leading in snake-like curves up to a massive outer wall and gate with a pagoda roof topping the central pillar. Yusuke marvels at how big this place appears, Botan calling to whatever guards there may be that it's her and they're coming in. She must have her own key. Meanwhile, Yusuke is considering this King Enma guy (introduced as the dude who judges mortals and sends them to either Heaven or Hell in Japanese mythology), imagining him as a big, bearded, burly man with lower fangs jutting out from his broad jaw, and supposes that he'd be screwed if he tried to fight him. Or, at least, this is his initial thought, until he starts strategizing; he begins to put together a possible plan of landing a quick jab on his mug, then pull a sleeper hold while he's stunned. 

Yes, Yusuke really IS planning to fight GOD right now. He even rounds out his strategy with the idea that he can use his left hand to grab King Enma's TESTICLES to hold him helpless, stroking his chin in malevolent glee. I'm not sure how much of this Botan overhears or understands, but it's enough that her eyes are wide when she turns around and asks him what he's mumbling about behind her. 

When she reaches a door, there's a keypad/call button next to it, and she presses it to announce that she's brought in Yusuke Urameshi, immediately receiving a response to come in. The moment the door cracks open for their entry, there's a cacophony of noise, tapping, stomping, ringing, rumbling, and shouting, which just gets louder when Yusuke and Botan step inside. They have walked straight into what looks like a busy crowd of ogres, horns and teeth and pointed ears galore, scrambling this way and that. They yell at each other about "Gen on block two in critical condition", "he's early??", and giving each other rushed directions. Yusuke asks in alarm if this is some sort of stock exchange, then looks around when someone answers with a suggestion that it's quite a sight. Yusuke is bewildered by what he sees, while Botan snaps to attention and greets His Majesty with deference. 

Talk about defying expectations.

Yusuke has a hearty laugh at the small child who has greeted him, and when Botan asks what he's giggling about, Yusuke points at what he calls a "shrimpboat" to ask if that's really Enma. He says that he was really freaking out about meeting this king of theirs, only to be in disbelief that this is all there is to the guy. With a supremely annoyed expression (sweatdrop and popping vein combined), the small toddler says that he's actually King Enma JR., which should have been obvious by the label on his hat. He informs Yusuke that he's called Koenma by some so-called wits, but he's also 50 times older than the bad-tempered teen, and so warns him not to get too uppity. Immediately, Yusuke smarms that Koenma looks like he's barely out of diapers and earns a smack to the back of the head from Botan for it, but he doesn't seem to react at all. 

Koenma demands to be revered and bowed down to, but an ogre drops stacks of paper on the desk for him to sign, interrupting his attempt at intimidation. He sighs and complains that it never ends, then draws his guests' attention back to the fact that they're busy as HELL down here, heh, so he's going to get to the point. Koenma reaches into a pocket, and pulls something out to show Yusuke and Botan, introducing it as the test Yusuke must face.

But we don't get to see it.

Wow, this comic can stop on a DIME, can't it? Ouch. Whiplash.

Keiko's friends watch her walk away from them in awkward silence, her posture not exactly reflecting cheer. The bespectacled one eventually says that Keiko puts on a good act, and the tall blonde agrees, commenting on how long Keiko and Yusuke had been friends and how suddenly the guy had died. They seem to have had a change of perspective on the two of them since we first saw them in the last chapter. At the very least their opinions seem to have softened on Yusuke.

Meanwhile, Keiko is dwelling HARD on the last thing she said to Yusuke as he teetered away from her after she slapped him: "Just die, why don't you". Yeah, that would stick in my head like glue too. She goes somewhere that she's thanked for stopping by, and she responds with an affirmative and promise that she'll be back tomorrow. Yusuke's mother Atsuko stands outside the door and advises Keiko to stay strong, and observes the girl brightly, TOO brightly, state that she will and wish her good night, only to slouch in her grief again as she's walking away. 

Back inside the house, Atsuko clinks some ice cubes around in her tumbler glass, telling the absent Yusuke that Keiko is really heartbroken. She takes a sip from the glass and jabs a finger at Yusuke's picture, calling him a charmer fondly. I'M NOT CRYING, YOU'RE CRYING. Atsuko tries to recall the last time she saw Keiko like that, and remembers a time some years ago in the dead of winter when Yusuke fell in a river and came down with a fever. 

Flashback to a littler Yusuke bundled under a blanket on a futon with a steaming towel on his head, a bead of snot poking out of his nose and a frustrated, furious expression on his face. He coughs while Atsuko and Keiko sit by his side, the former good-naturedly calling her son an idiot. Keiko sniffs, a tear in her eye, and Atsuko tells her not to worry, advising her to go home before it gets dark. The little girl shakes her head vigorously, intending to stay until Yusuke's fever breaks, because she blames herself for Yusuke falling the the river in the first place. 

So he's always been a little pervert, huh?

Atsuko is seeing mini-Keiko out, assuring her that mini-Yuksuke will be fine by the next day. Keiko doesn't seem super sure, but she's going home as instructed, while Yusuke lays there with his steaming forehead and snotty nostrils, looking absolutely miserable. Indeed, the next day, Atsuko asks Yusuke if he's SURE he wants to go to school, since he's still burning up. She complains that he usually takes ANY excuse to skip school, so it's kind of unusual that he would be so insistent. He's flushed and has ropes of snot hanging from his nose as he tells his mother that if he stays home, Keiko will just stop by like the previous day. Atsuko gives him a bewildered look, and he further explains that he doesn't want to see THAT LOOK on Keiko's face again. 

Keiko meets them at the door while Atsuko continues to give her son a wide-eyed stare and he greets her simply. She seems very happy that he's up and about, asking if he's feeling better, and he lies that he's good as new, snot ropes swinging. Atsuko watches them turn to go, Keiko stating firmly that she won't waste her time worrying anymore and Yusuke muttering that she's asking for him sticking a snotty finger in her hair while her back is turned (his forefinger is poised and ready in one of the snot ropes for the task). His mother chuckles in amusement at how macho he's behaving despite how small he is. Hopefully she's referring to his powering through an illness so as not to worry his little girlfriend and NOT his tendency to exact petty revenge on said girlfriend when she states her intentions to just that end. They might be two sides of the same toxic masculine coin, though. 

In the present day, Atsuko sniffles into her hand, still talking to her dearly departed son; she says Keiko isn't just SAD this time, but DEVASTATED. She's certain that nothing would bring Keiko more joy now than for Yusuke to reappear to pull one of his nasty little pranks on her. Atsuko asks the gone Yusuke how he could DO this to Keiko, then leans on the table in front of her, sobbing. A soft thumping sound comes from inside Yusuke's coffin. 

Meanwhile, back in the afterworld...

Well, probably not going to get an Easter chick from it. 

Koenma says that it's the Spirit World beast egg. He tells Yusuke that he doesn't have to sit on the thing or anything, but he does have to keep it with him at all times. When Yusuke asks how long it takes to hatch, Koenma elicits an outburst of disbelief from Yusuke by casually stating that it USUALLY takes about 120 years. Yeah, that would probably defeat the entire purpose of the thing, for sure. Koenma tells him to relax, that his is a SPECIAL case, so he should have a little patience. Later, as Yusuke and Botan are hanging out in the sky above the mortal world, the former tossing the egg up and down to the latter's silent distress, Koenma's final words that Yusuke's heart has already started beating and it's up to Yusuke how his soul returns to his body hang over them.

Yusuke incredulously repeats the summary of his situation, that he comes back to life when the animal hatches from the egg, then turns to Botan to tell her he doesn't get it, and doesn't see how this is much of a TEST. He asks her if she knows, and she responds a little TOO quickly that she has no idea. 

Oh the dramatic irony. 

Koenma further explained that being a ghost, Yusuke is pure human soul, so that's the reason the beast will develop quickly, and it won't be long before the creature emerges to show them precisely where they are. Botan asked if Yusuke won't be let back into his body if the beast comes out a monster, but Koenma said that he'll let Yusuke reclaim his body, so that's what will happen. But Koenma did speculate that both Yusuke and his body would probz be made a quick meal by the monster in that scenario. Devoured by one's own son - like the opposite of Saturn. 

As present Botan thinks nervously that they'll just have to see what happens, Yusuke smacks a fist into his other palm, remembering something pretty important: if nobody knows his heart has started beating again, they'll just go ahead and cremate him the next day. A worthy thing to be anxious about, but he knows so little of the real depth of his problems... Yusuke asks if he can tell someone living about the situation, and Botan tells him it's indeed possible.

Sounds... EASY?

Cut back to Atsuko's place, and a bottle shattering a window. She's sitting there yelling at her deceased son for being an idiot, being such a tough guy and a bad-ass, and then promptly dying in traffic. She calls this a wimp's death and yells that she didn't raise no wimp, all as she's banging yet ANOTHER booze bottle on the little altar like a drumming primate. Hoo, boy, she is just TEARING through those stages of grief. 

While Atsuko mumbles into another glass of alcohol that he's a moron, Yusuke's spirit floats behind her with the flat assessment that it's no good. Botan asks why, because she's pretty sure that in this state, Atsuko will pass out any minute, but Yusuke informs her that his mother once went on like this for three days straight, and he's betting that she's going for a new record at this rate. Sheesh, hate to know what set her on the three-day bender before. Must have been one hell of a breakup. 

Yusuke admits that he doesn't like it, but he's starting to think that Keiko might be his only shot. He zooms on over to her place, which he muses on not having been at in a while, sticking his head in through a large window into a narrow bedroom. Inside are a neatly organized desk, some stuffed animals, and a bed in which Keiko is slumbering. Yusuke is in some awe at how much cutesier her room has gotten since he was last there, even if he considers her to have gone the mean and nasty route, glaring at her sleeping form in the bed. 

Suddenly, in the dim light of her room, he's struck by the sight of a tear rolling down her cheek. Once again, he seems bewildered by the fact that she's CRYING. In the haze of her dreams, she's apologizing to him.

Guilt is a helluva thing, I gotta say.

Keiko is laying there slumbering in despair when a weight compresses her on her bedspread and she hums in discomfort. It's Yusuke's spirit, sitting cross-legged on her abdomen, strangely NOT lighter than air like he has been so far, and glaring down at her with his signature annoyance. Keiko mumbles in her sleep while Yusuke tells her how it is - that she's getting all depressed over nothing, that he's not fragile enough to be killed by words, that his soul has got business in the afterlife but he's coming back after that and if she needs proof of that, she should open his casket and listen to his heart. Keiko murmurs some more, and Yusuke adds that she should tell his boozy mom that he's actually alive. Supposing awkwardly that this is all he wanted to tell her, he reiterates gently that she should get a grip, because it'll all be okay. 

I was wondering why Botan wasn't around, but this explains it. Yusuke would NEVER live this romantic gesture down. 

Keiko sits bolt upright in bed, calling Yusuke's name, and spends a moment in confused silence as she fully regains her lucidity. She lifts a trembling hand to touch her cheek where Yusuke had wiped away her tears in her dream and finds that they've been wiped away for real. Don't know why that couldn't have just been the pillow, but who am I to suggest alternatives to a grieving girl? Keiko decides that it wasn't just a dream, and next we see her, she's run all the way to Atsuko's place in the middle of the night, calling for her to open up. 

When Atsuko has made it to the door, she seems pretty shell-shocked, saying Keiko's name as if she doesn't quite believe it's her. Keiko says Atsuko isn't going to believe this, but tries to get it out anyway that she saw Yusuke, her words all coming out in a jumble. Atsuko hears Yusuke's name in there and points over her own shoulder into the house, maintaining that expression of pure wide-eyed shock. Keiko asks her what's wrong, and Atsuko stutters that she opened her son's casket to bop him on his stupid head one last time, and saw there was color in his face. Keiko gapes in blank awe as Atsuko adds that she heard Yusuke's heart beating. Tearfully, Atsuko declares that Yusuke is alive. 

Hospital? Hospital.

Yusuke looks on the touching scene thoughtfully, expressing some amazement that they're glad he's actually alive. He admits that he can't say when he'll revive entirely yet, almost apologetically. Then, as if out of reflex against the discomfort of seeing his mother and Keiko so vulnerably happy that he's alive, he says it might be funny for him to break the egg on purpose so he fails his test and never returns to life. Botan is less than amused, sarcastically pondering the word "funny" and wondering if he's going to pass this test.

Basically just a clone of Yusuke, then? 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Koenma is a fun character, especially in opposition to Yusuke, who of course CAN'T bring himself to respect let alone revere someone who looks like a literal baby. It immediately brings down Yusuke's guard, makes it hard for him to take this seriously, but also serves the purpose of taking the fight out of him. He was SO READY to actually fight the ruler of the afterlife because that's how he's used to handling conflict with people who are a threat to him - but a toddler isn't a threat. It puts him in a much more relaxed frame of mind when he feels like he's not grappling for dominance over his soul, which will inevitably put him in a more relaxed frame of mind over his test. That could either be a help or a hindrance, depending on how he feels about behaving with something as fragile as an egg in his pocket, so we'll just have to see how this goes. 

The full nature of egg test itself was made known to Yusuke in the anime as far as I remember. I'm not sure exactly which I prefer, because I think both paths of the narrative have a bit of value. If he knows, that adds pressure for him to be on his best behavior, which he can try to improve consciously to have a genuine shot at EARNING his way back to his body, a little like with one of my other favorite shows, "The Good Place" (which I had to start watching again because reacquainting myself with this series put me back in the mood for that one, lol!). But if he DOESN'T know, like with the comic here, Koenma and the egg can get a much more honest picture of how he functions without the motivation to not be a jerk. Since he surprised them all so thoroughly with his sacrificing his life to save a kid in the street, you almost get the impression that Koenma and other powers in the afterlife are trying to determine if Yusuke is just an asshole out of social habit, or if his self-sacrificial behavior was a fluke. Some insecurity with the systemic categorizations of people is implied here, but I'm not sure how much stock to put in it yet. Time will tell.

I was surprised to see that the scene we switched to in the middle of Yusuke receiving his test from Koenma was helpfully illustrative, despite how abrupt it was. We get yet another instance of Keiko feeling guilty over something that happened to Yusuke, and his adverse reaction to the expression of that guilt. The current situation is just a more pronounced version of that, so we get another important layer of motivation for Yusuke's future efforts, which is making sure that Keiko doesn't make that FACE again. He's showing that he's HIGHLY sensitive to Keiko's and his mother's emotions, and it's a source of anxiety to him if he thinks he's made them upset, but in order to deal with that in a way that doesn't make him vulnerable, he'll pull the classic move of dismissing and trivializing the whole situation with jokes and pranks. I appreciate the emotional and behavioral complexity of our protagonist, even if I think the return to the living world and flashback was a bit like slamming on the brakes, narrative-wise.

It was just a tad disappointing that there wasn't much of a struggle to get the dream communication thing to work - Yusuke having trouble picking up how to communicate through dreams would have added a little more urgency to the situation, especially since Atsuko ended up finding out by accident in the end. I recall there being a little more tension in this exercise in the anime, but I don't think Yusuke had much difficulty getting the hang of it there either, and I really believe an added struggle would have been a benefit to the story here. After all, Yusuke has been established as a character that doesn't communicate well in any language but physical violence, so he just doesn't seem like he would get the hang of getting into peoples' dreams well at first.

Also, I was just a TAD disappointed that Botan wasn't hovering over Yusuke while he was trying to connect with Keiko. The cock-block would have been a little funny, and it would probably add to the struggle that was missing altogether here. But that one is a bit less of a gripe, because I have to admit, I just want to see Yusuke squirm some more. What can I say? I love it when the darlings are tortured, as a writing nerd first and foremost. 

I would NEVER pass this test.