Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 110 Toons Attack!

I received an email a couple of days ago, informing me that today is a very important day. A very auspicious day, according to a character guide for this manga world. And how lucky am I, to be able to cover a chapter featuring the character that this day celebrates the birth of. I'm talking, of course, about Seto Kaiba's birthday, which I am recognizing with some confusion. I mean, I can understand why KT would come up with this information as part of an authorial process, just to know everything about the character he was creating. But... what use does anyone ELSE have for this information? Why was it published in a book? Why would I ever need to know that Kaiba is just over 6 foot tall, or that he's 150ish pounds (the skinny fucking bastard), or that his blood type is 'A'? It doesn't appear to have any bearing on the story, but, you know... good for him?

So, Mr. Kaiba, with many shrugs, I present to you this birthday gift: a series of Who Framed Roger Rabbit jokes at the expense of your opponent in this duel. I was going to make them anyway, but I may as well relabel them for the occasion. Happy birthday, you magnificent son of a bitch.

GREAT! Can it get rid of that book that's disallowing your attacks? No? Well, fuck you, then.

The audience crowding the banister above are in awe that Kaiba drew another of his Blue Eyes White Dragons so he can have one too. Recapper!Yuugi says that Kaiba realized Pegasus could read his mind and threw away his hand, risking everything on a card he knew nothing about that turned out to be his BEST card. Mai laughs that reading minds is totally fake, and she would know, but Bakura insists that it's true that the American has ESP. Jonouchi is still focused on the match below, saying it's Kaiba's dragon against the American toon dragon.

Why are they focusing so hard on the fact that Pegasus is American? Does this have ANY bearing on ANYTHING?

Yuugi thinks at Kaiba to be careful, because he thinks Toon World is unlike anything he's ever seen. I guess you missed La Jinn's lamp, then. He insists that it has to have more hidden powers. I'm sure he's right about this, at least.

Is it just me, or does the toon Blue Eyes look like I wants to fuck the shit out of the regular one?

Pegasus congratulates Kaiba for his lucky draw, being the lucky boy he is. It is, after all, his birthday. Kaiba isn't in the best mood, though, because he's yelling that he'll never forgive Pegasus for turning his proud dragon into such a joke. Pegasus smirks in response to this as Kaiba takes his turn to attack. The toon dragon isn't taking the Burst Stream Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon is aiming at it, giggling behind a raised claw.

Jonouchi shouts that since their attack points are even, it should mean that both dragons are dead, but Pegasus silently chuckles that they should see the power of his toons. As the Burst Stream comes at the toon dragon, it starts to bend at the middle.

What's the point of the book, then?

Sweat at his temple, Kaiba gapes at how the toon dragon evaded the attack, while Jonouchi unnecessarily reiterates that the opposing monster stretched like a cartoon. WE KNOW, JONOUCHI. Kaiba growls, watching the toon dragon sing a mocking tune while it turns it's tail toward him. It's tip turns into a hand that wags a finger at Kaiba, much like the Dark Magician did in his previous match with Yami. Kaiba just keeps getting sass from these cards.

Pegasus throws out some statistics about how, in 583 episodes, Bulldog Police fired over 26,000 bullets at Funny Bunny and the rabbit was never hit once. He characterizes this as a miracle, but I'm pretty sure that's by design. You don't get 583 episodes if the main character dies from a gunshot wound in the first. Unless, of course, you're doing some avant garde supernatural drama or some shit.

Anyway, Pegasus says that every card he plays on the table will become a perfect toon that can't die as long as he has his Toon World card active.

Too true.

Kaiba is burning and growling with rage while the toon dragon cackles next to its cool book world. Yuugi worries about the toons being invulnerable, and Jonouchi grumbles that Pegasus is a fucking hack game designer because his Toon World card is so overpowered. Jonouchi clearly missed the point of Pegasus using it, which DEPENDS on it being overpowered.

Mai asks Yuugi if he's familiar with toon cards, because she's never heard of them before, and Yuugi admits he's never seen them before. He says this card isn't even available to the wider public, and is a special one made just for Pegasus's use. Jonouchi talks about how rare that card is to be the only one in the world, Anzu talks about what a cheater cheater pumpkin eater Pegasus is, and Keith hangs out off to the side, looking pretty disturbed by what he's seeing and hearing. He mentally curses Pegasus for how nothing will be able to beat Toon World, gritting his teeth.

Pegasus announces it's his turn to a cross-armed frowning Kaiba on the other side of the table, his discarded hand still sitting at his elbow. Pegasus looks at his cards while thinking about Kaiba abandoning his hand in the effort to stop his opponent from knowing what he was going to do, drawing cards spontaneously from his deck, but he's underestimating the Mind Scan and that won't save him. Assembling decks makes players memorize every card, even if only subconsciously, and this lets Pegasus know every card in Kaiba's deck anyway, allowing him to devise strategies against them all no matter which one Kaiba draws. Pegasus is convinced that Kaiba's defeat is written/drawn in Toon World.

So, he lays down another card augmenting that original book card, urging it to tell a new story. The card is Shine Palace, and the book flips open to a pop-up hologram that shows exactly what's on the tin. Kaiba gapes at this brand new page he's seeing, and Pegasus informs him that the world of toons is infinite, the book being a mere gateway to it.

I guess that tunnel Eddie Valient went through was to somewhere else.

However you get into a land of toons, Pegasus is sure to make it work for him and him alone.

Kaiba is not liking this gun-show, it seems. As Toon Burst Stream comes barreling toward his dragon, a sweating growling Kaiba turns over a card he apparently played face down. At some point. Why don't I remember this? It's Negate Attack, which makes the Toon Burst Stream disappear into a weird vortex before it can get to the Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Yuugi is stoked that Kaiba managed to block Pegasus's attack, as the toon dragon gives an over-the-top expression of shock to the other dragon. In the background, Kaiba looks for all the world like he's constipated. A smirking Pegasus thinks he of course knew that Kaiba had that card, but its effect only lasts for one attack, and he won't be able to avoid the toon dragon's attack forever.

Kaiba announces it's his turn again, but sweat is really starting to run down his face now. He knows that if the toon dragon attacks again, it will kill his own dragon, and then it'll all be over. Kaiba draws a card, claiming to stake his and Mokuba's fate on it.

Wow, this boy isn't doing half bad, is he? Kaiba declares that even Pegasus's stupid rubbery dragon can't get out of those chains, and proceeds to command his REAL Blue Eyes White Dragon to Burst Stream the shit out of that imposter across the way. The Blue Eyes Toon Dragon explodes, and Pegasus's points drop to 1200. So CLOSE to evening that score.

Kaiba mentally claims to have put his dragon out of its misery because he can't allow it to exist as a pathetic toon. In that case, KT, I guess that explains why you didn't put Kaiba's pathetic toon life to an end in the last duel, huh? I'm sure that's DIFFERENT though.

Yuugi cheers about Kaiba defeating Pegasus's toon dragon, and even Pegasus praises Kaiba on his good mind. He tells Kaiba that he felt the love for the Blue Eyes White Dragon the boy has, and takes it as the greatest compliment to his the cards and game he's created. Should Kaiba take it as a compliment that you're rummaging around in his brain and groping at his heart some more? Again, I guess that's DIFFERENT.

Pegasus says it's his turn, drawing a card. Pegasus smiles and thinks Kaiba's love of the Blue Eyes White Dragon will lead to his defeat, because his next card is the Dragon Capture Jar that Yuugi warned about at the beginning of the duel.

Who else saw that coming?

Pegasus informs Kaiba that his jar gains the defense points of the dragon locked inside it amidst growling from Kaiba, who wonders if Pegasus is going to use his dragon as a pawn yet again. Drawing a new card with the declaration that it's his turn again, Kaiba knows he has to destroy the jar before that happens. He's not even CONSIDERING the possibility that Pegasus is trying to make him focus on keeping the Blue Eyes White Dragon out of his opponent's hands and let the rest of the match fall by the wayside, is he? This kid needs some perspective.

Kaiba doesn't like his draw, but has to do something with it anyway, considering he's only relying on one card at a time rather than a whole hand. He sets down Sword Stalker in defense. It's Pegasus's turn again, and once he draws his card, and places it in his hand, he plays one card face down and another monster called Dragon Piper in defense. This is the "Jar Genie" that Yuugi is familiar with from his and Pegasus's last match, shocked to see it again. A panel on both of them shows their low attack points and high defenses.

Pondering the jar and the piper, Kaiba wonders if Pegasus plans to draw the Blue Eyes White Dragon from the jar and turn it to team Pegasus. How would he know what that card does? I thought Pegasus told Yuugi/Yami that it was brand new last time it was used? Pegasus confirms Kaiba's suspicions nonetheless, telling him that the Blue Eyes White Dragon will become his own monster and therefore a pathetic toon, as Kaiba put it before. Kaiba vows never to let that happen through clenched teeth, promising to crush the dragon piper first.

I thought the Sword Stalker was in defense? Did he switch it into attack without anyone noticing? Is he allowed to attack JUST after switching the monster to attack? These aren't facetious questions, I'm seriously confused.

Pegasus whips out the spell card Doppelganger, otherwise known as Copy Cat, which Kaiba notes with shock. Since it can mimic into any card Kaiba's has played in the game so far, Pegasus chooses the virus card and attaches it to the Dragon Piper. Kaiba's confoundment only amplifies at this, alarmed that he can't stop Sword Stalker mid swing. It completes its hit, and Pegasus smirks at how the destruction of Kaiba's whole deck is beginning. He tells Kaiba to prepare to die by his own card, but Kaiba is hardly listening, dumbfounded by the fact that all his cards with 1500 or more attack points are unusable.

Since Kaiba's deck is almost made up entirely of high-level monsters, Pegasus figures Kaiba has lost all his fighting power with that one trap. Yuugi freaks out, because even if he's still got life points, Kaiba doesn't stand a chance without his monsters, and has therefore lost. Kaiba himself sits in stunned silence, watching the wisps of virtual smoke rising from his decimated deck. He draws a card, which he thinks is the only one he has left. With Monster Reborn, he haltingly brings back his Saggi the Clown card, hanging his head. Boy doesn't even have the gumption to threaten suicide this time around, although that's probably because he knows PEGASUS wouldn't give a shit if he went through with it.

Pegasus compliments Kaiba on his courage to play the duel out to its bitter conclusion, which Pegasus is planning to bring about during his next attack by taking out Saggi.

I just... I don't... these reprehensible fuckers are so good at making me feel bad for them! DAMMIT!

Looks like I'm not the only one, either. Although, it must be rough for him too, to be saying goodbye to the only person who has ever even TRIED to consider him a friend.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I have to admit, KT has pulled a really awesome trick here with Kaiba. He must have had to delve REALLY deep into Kaiba's character in order to find something sympathetic about him just to be able to continue writing him in a somewhat positive light, and it has me swinging back and forth like a fucking PENDULUM between hate and a desire to give him a big hug. He managed to balance out Kaiba's asshole traits with some discernible likeability because of his love for and desire to help his brother, and it's got me all kind of twisted up inside. He's still the rudest, most dickish piece of shit in this comic, but his personality doesn't cancel out the weight of his situation. It's a rock and a hard place that a snide attitude and emotional manipulation won't get him out of.

And you'll note that he dropped both of these very quickly while dueling with Pegasus. I was only half-kidding when I said he wasn't threatening suicide because he knew it wouldn't give him an edge over Pegasus. In fact, it would only sweeten Pegasus's pot, because Kaiba's death would only make it easier to take over the company. He knew he was up against someone much more powerful than him, and he axed the directly insulting part of his dialogue accordingly, only acting outraged on behalf of his dragon as the closest he would ever get to treating Pegasus with similar irreverence that he would use against Yuugi and company. Hell, THAT particular irreverence bit the dust too, because Kaiba's goodbye to Yuugi seemed like a genuine farewell that really spoke to the fact that, though he doesn't consider them friends, Yuugi is the closest thing to one he has right now, surrounded so entirely by enemies. It's a humanizing line that sticks a fork in Kaiba's transformation as a character.

I'm guessing the authorial process details above helped out with that quite a bit. Maybe if I look super close at Kaiba's favorite food (beef fillet, apparently), it'll give me just as much insight into how he can make me want to strangle him and hug him intermittently.

Nah, that's stupid.

Inuyasha Manga: 051 The Delinquent Priest

At least it's not a demon priest, like that web!monk, because that HAS to be as bad as it gets. After him, we should be able to handle just about any kind of clergyman. Of course, it might depend on what is meant in this instance by "delinquency". I mean, are we talking about some Breakfast Club edgelord who got thrown in priest-detention for drawing a knife on some other priest? Or are we not even in the John Hughes ballpark?

Some daimyou is talking to one of his subjects about how good the priest that has appeared is, actually. This subject bows in front of the lord and says the priest himself insists he is good, but said subject doesn't sound too sure. The lord of the castle is willing to give the priest a shot, and kick him out on his ass if he fails like all the others.

Looks like some punk kid to me, but that's probably using the most convenient definitions, isn't it?

The houshi is briefed on the situation: the castle's princess collapsed three months before and they've had no luck using any medicine so far, so they opted for turning to the Buddha instead. The houshi doesn't appear to be interested in this story, looking around and commenting instead on the opulence in which the lord lives, and how the local fiefdom must really hate him. The lord tells him to shut his peasant mouth.

The lord leads the houshi into a chamber where a young woman is laying out in front of a Buddhist statue, telling her that the priest has arrived. Kneeling next to the girl, the houshi continues to make unflattering observations, saying that the princess's plump face is "swollen". The lord barks that this is actually her natural face.

Really? The girl has been collapsed and sick for THREE MONTHS and she hasn't lost some of that fat? I call hijinks.

The houshi looks up and stands to get a closer look at the Amida Buddha statue that the princess is laying in front of, as he's told by the lord that he got the statue from a nobleman under him who'd gone broke.

Ew, it's sweating.

The houshi narrows his eyes at the lord and tells him that he mustn't look inside no matter what he hears. Though the houshi didn't threaten to turn him into a pillar of salt or something if he looks, the lord stutters out an affirmative. After the lord is gone, the houshi points his staff at the statue and offers mercy if whatever's in there would come out peacefully. Judging by the fangs and look of malice the statue grows, I'm guessing a peaceful emergence isn't on the menu.

Look at this badass - cool as a cucumber when facing a giant weasel thing! I would have been more like this:

As the weasel is descending on him, the houshi notices that there's a small light shining from its forehead. He identifies it as a fragment of the Shikon no Tama with some alarm before he BASHES it over the head violently with his staff.

Outside the castle, apparently the lord and some of his servants are gathered, and they apparently hear the squeals of the weasel thing as it's being beaten. The lord wonders what the hell is going on in there, and one of the servants asks if they shouldn't look inside. The lord haltingly tells him to wait, because he remembers the houshi's explicit instructions not to interfere with the exorcism by looking inside. Some thumps and clatters around the castle makes the servant think that there's more going on in there than just an exorcism, but the lord tells him to just hold his horses.

After some time, the lord finally thinks it's safe to go inside and find out what happened, and asks the princess if the dead weasel on the floor is REALLY what caused all the trouble. He also asks where the houshi is, and the princess gets all kind of bashful in describing how he didn't give his name, but left in a "stylish" manner, whatever that means. A servant bursts into the room, calling for the lord in urgency.

Looks like the servant wasn't actually the one who should have been holding his horses, huh? HUH?

Elsewhere, Kagome is riding along on her bike and Inuyasha is lagging behind her and Shippou's ride, gazing up at the sky. Shippou asks Kagome if she doesn't think Inuyasha's been acting a tad strange lately, and Kagome agrees with Shippou's assessment. Apparently, this gives Shippou the gumption to jump at Inuyasha and bop him on the crown of his head, calling him shit-for-brains. Inuyasha grabs Shippou by the tail and dangles him in front of his face with a menacing look, telling him to shut up because he's thinking about stuff. Shippou says THAT'S what's so weird, and he questions if Mr. Head-In-The-Clouds wants to keep searching for Shikon shards together with him and Kagome.

I don't know if that's really what you should be taking from the knowledge that someone duped you and Kikyou into hating one another, Inuyasha.

When night falls, we're back with the houshi, who's hanging in a hot spring wearing nothing but the glove he keeps on his right forearm. He's muttering about the shit-heads at the tool shop who paid him in peanuts for all the stolen stuff he brought them, which was a real pain to move too. My heart just BLEEDS for you and your struggle, you thieving jerkwad. He holds up the Shikon fragment against the dark night sky, all that's left of his bounty from the day. He mutters about how hard these shards are to collect.

Somewhere out of sight, someone is giddy about the presence of the hot spring, causing the houshi to look around in curiosity. He peeks around the large rock he was leaning against, surprised there's someone else on the mountain with him.

The houshi stares at the girl who's stumbled into the same hot spring as him, because he notices that huge Shikon fragment around her neck. He sinks out of sight when Kagome shouts at Inuyasha not to peek at her.

Inuyasha sits with his arms crossed on the other side of a tree, telling her not to worry because he's not interested in looking. Kagome looks ruffled and thinks he's such a rude guy, which seems like what she would call him for peeking at her anyway, so he's damned either way. She mentally whines about how Inuyasha seems to be saying that she's not as good looking as Kikyou, though she's not sure how Kikyou looks naked. Probably just like you. I would tell her not to worry about it, but honestly, part of being a girl is having to deal with the implied rejection of every little sign of disinterest members of the opposite sex feel for you, so I actually can sympathize.

On the other side of the tree, Inuyasha asks Shippou what he's stripping for as the little guy throws all his clothes off. He says he's going into the spring too, but Inuyasha pulls back on Shippou's tail, telling him to wait. Shippou happily tells him he should hop into the bath too, making Inuyasha sweat quite a bit. Clueless to Inuyasha's clear discomfort, Shippou says he always thought it was rather strange that Inuyasha refuses to bathe with Kagome, because he assumes it would be much more fun with everyone.

Inuyasha hangs his head in embarrassment, keeping his fist firmly around Shippou's tail and muttering that Shippou should listen to him. Shippou tells Inuyasha that when his mother and father were alive, they always used to go in the bath together, prompting Inuyasha to lean in and insist that Shippou wouldn't understand because he's only a child. Shippou counters with a question about how far Inuyasha has gotten with Kagome.

The cheeky little... Inuyasha is speechless for a couple of panels, looking down at Shippou with a mixture of alarm and mortification, until he wraps his fingers around Shippou's skinny neck and refuses to confess something like that to him.

Kagome apparently hears none of this, mumbling about how peaceful it is on her side of the tree.

She screams, prompting Inuyasha to jump up and run to her aid, asking what's going on.

Is hitting Inuyasha over the head with rocks just Kagome's go-to defense when he's seen her naked, or what?

The houshi, meanwhile, is getting himself dressed and out of there, having noted that Kagome is with a man. He sighs, because to him, this means he'll have to do something he hates; get violent. But not with Inuyasha and company, at least not right away. No, he's starting by striking what looks like a giant raccoon wearing clothes across the face, who asks the houshi not to make him do whatever plan he's relaying at the moment. The houshi taps the raccoon on the head with his staff, promising a reward for the work he's commissioning.

The next day, Kagome is pushing along her bike, and asking Inuyasha how long he's going to be mad at her. She tells him to think of it as a favor, because he got to see her naked. Oh yeah, almost drowning because you knocked him unconscious with a rock is TOTALLY balanced out by getting to see you naked, Kagome. Sure. Inuyasha claims he didn't actually see her, so Kagome leans over and asks the idle Shippou in her bike basket if he really did see. Shippou says that he wouldn't know, because he's the only sane person in the party right now.

From on top of a nearby cliff, the houshi and the raccoon peer down at Inuyasha and friends. The raccoon clarifies that he's only supposed to attack Inuyasha, and the houshi confirms this, saying that in the meantime, he'll grab Kagome. The raccoon thinks this is an awfully roundabout way of doing things, considering the man he calls Master Miroku should be able to take them all out with his right hand. Master Miroku calls the raccoon an idiot, saying that he should know THAT'S not an option.

For a guy who hates violence, he sure is grinning over the thought of everyone biting the dust.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Miroku's introduction was another excellent example of showing and not telling how a character functions. We're shown through his actions in the first half of the chapter that while he IS a legitimate priest with the power to exorcise demons, he's also quite the con-artist who is not above stealing all the shit he observed when he first met the lord. He's also not the most delicate of conversationalists, pretty carefree in bringing up how these random things about the place and people he's come to take advantage of, and not apologetic at all in offending them. He strikes me as a kind of Robin Hood character, though much more self-serving in robbing the rich.

I also liked seeing Inuyasha still brooding about their encounter with Kikyou in the previous arc. He's got a lot of new feelings and information to sift through, and it is looking pretty tough for him. I made fun of him above for putting his focus on hardening his heart instead of finding out who and for what purpose someone set he and Kikyou against each other, but in the end, I can't fault him for it. Having all those feelings for Kikyou dredged back up only to lose her a second time (as far as he knows), it's probably hard NOT to focus in on all the heartache he's experiencing and wonder if there's any way to ensure it doesn't happen again. I've been subject to this very train of thought before, and even though I knew pushing people away shouldn't have been a priority for me, I started doing it anyway with the blind belief that if I was alone, no one could hurt me anymore.

So don't fret, Kagome. He's just trying to avoid any future heartbreak with you, and approaching it in the worst possible manner.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 109 The Deadly Duelist King

I was expecting Pegasus to be featured on the title page for this one, considering he has a castle on his Duelist Kingdom island, and it has been indicated with a very out-of-place panel in the last chapter that he even has himself a nice throne... I WASN'T expecting this:

Well, he's a king, for sure, if one can judge by that crown on his head. Doesn't look like a deadly one, though. At all. Looks like a strangely FLAT one, in fact, compared to the characters on either side of him with all their dimension. Congratulations to Tamura indeed; getting his half-assed cameo in this crazy, crazy comic. Mazel tov.

Now we turn to the FICTIONAL people it's clear KT REALLY wants to draw. Pegasus is all kind of stoked, because he holds up the Blue Eyes White Dragon he claims to never have expected to get like a trophy. No one buys that shit for a second, Pegasus. Kaiba thinks that he never thought Pegasus would have a card that could steal the dragon from him. WHY??? Again, you're supposed to be a genius, and you couldn't even fathom that the creator of this game could have had a card or two up his sleeve created specifically to take you down? How does your mind even WORK?

Yuugi needlessly reiterates that Pegasus took Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon, and Jonouchi needlessly comments on how Kaiba will really be in trouble if Pegasus uses it. Your commentary is INVALUABLE, guys. Yuugi wonders if Pegasus read Kaiba's mind, which is actually a fair question, because Kaiba's predictability could also be at work here, so you never know.

From his perch at the banister, Yuugi can clearly see the listless Mokuba flanked by guards and hanging behind Pegasus's seat some ways back. He recaps for the audience members who skipped out on the last chapter how Pegasus stole Mokuba's soul and the only way to get Mokuba back is to beat Pegasus. He wonders if Kaiba CAN, though, as well as if ANYONE can.

Pegasus smugly chuckles while Kaiba grinds his teeth and silently vows to Mokuba that he'll beat Pegasus and get him back. Pegasus draws a card and ends his turn, simple as pie. A sweating Kaiba tells himself to cool it, because if Pegasus does play his dragon, he has a card that can make him regret it. Kaiba quickly ends his turn after only switching his Rude Kaiser to defense. Pegasus jauntily says it's his turn again, while Kaiba wonders if he'll play the Blue Eyes White Dragon during this one.

With a little chuckle, Pegasus thinks about how he knows what Kaiba is thinking and can read his mind. Pegasus's Millennium Eye behind that curtain of hair flashes as he does that little Mind Scan thing that Kaiba inexplicably knew about in his flashback.

Those SFX are making me think that Kaiba's brain sounds like a freight train. It explains a lot.

Pegasus lays out the strategy Kaiba was planning as using Rude Kaiser as a lure to make him play the Blue Eyes White Dragon, then moving to play the Saggi/Crush Card combo to destroy it along with the rest of his deck. He praises Kaiba silently for his shrewd strategy, but is confident it won't work on this opponent. Well duh. Not when you can see every move he's planning, dude.

He places one card face down and plays Dark Rabbit, a character that looks an awful lot like his favorite comic book character with armor, in defense. He's done with his turn, and Kaiba looks confused by how Pegasus didn't play the dragon after all. He recovers pretty fast from this, declaring it's his turn and points with a pair of cards he's about to play. It looks like he shouts his Saggi/Crush Card combo out loud, which seems really stupid to me, until I learn that he can apparently sacrifice Saggi in order to activate the virus automatically to wipe out the opponent's deck. Uhhhh, that seems to eliminate the point of the secrecy behind the combo's use in Kaiba's last match, but... whatever, I guess.

Jonouchi identifies this as the combo that almost took out Yami in the last duel, while Yuugi assumes that Pegasus will go down if this works. Even though it wasn't enough to take out Yami. Yeah. Anyway, Yuugi notices that a smirking Pegasus is totally ready for this combo, because he's turning over his face down card in response to this, earning a dumbfounded look from Kaiba.

And the magic card is...

Pegasus declares that the virus is dead in the boosted immunity of the clown, and that's not all. Billy Mays, is that you? Pegasus says that since his Dark Rabbit is a dark monster too, its attack doubles to 2200, and he commands the newly beefed-up rabbit to attack Kaiba's Saggi. Kaiba gasps while he loses 1000 life points, and his heart pounds. Looks like Yami's not the only one who can produce that reaction in him.

Pegasus interprets his expression as fearful, but he doesn't think it's enough fear he sees there. He wants to keep fucking with Kaiba a bit more, and produce some true terror in Pegasus's particular world.

Yuugi is convinced this is the power of that Mind Scan they were warned about, and Jonouchi is appalled by the fact that Kaiba won't be able to bluff or anything with Pegasus knowing what he's going to do. Bakura now knows that this is the power of the Millennium Eye. Jonouchi asks Yuugi what one can do to beat the ability, but Yuugi can't think of a single weakness in it. He thinks of Kaiba with a pained face, contrasting the glare Kaiba himself is giving Pegasus right now. He mentally curses Pegasus for seeing through his strategy, and wonders if Pegasus can read his mind even now.

Yeah! Denying reality ALWAYS works!

Kaiba realizes that none of the cards in his hand will beat the Dark Rabbit, so he opts to play another monster in defense and end his turn. Pegasus looks down as he begins his turn, but looks back up when he asks Kaiba if this young man likes cartoons. Kaiba glares on, clearly not appreciating the small-talk that Pegasus is trying to stir up. Pegasus takes Kaiba's silence as a "no" answer, and says that he, in contrast, LOVES cartoons. The characters on Funny Rabbit he watched running around on his television every Saturday morning when he was growing up in the USA were his best friends at one point.

I can just see not-good-at-physical-sports Pegasus getting his ass beat by school jocks at the time. Is it bad of me to LIKE this image?

Anyway, Pegasus apparently cultivates a little garden in his heart for the characters to frolic in to this day, where they never betray him and never die. He wants to creepily invite Kaiba into this world, which I like to think changes Kaiba's garden-variety glare into a "hell no" kind of glare. Pegasus lays down a card with a book on it.

Kaiba is in awe, and not the good kind, as he mentally questions what this Toon World could be. Well, if my experience is any indication, it's a world in which all these kids run around playing card games and occasionally come across magical ancient Egyptian artifacts that screw them and their lives over.

Woah. Toon-ception.

Jonouchi is also asking what that card is, looking for all the world like a child's pop-up book. Yuugi admits he's never seen a card like that before, and is the third to wonder what it is. Kaiba notes that the Dark Rabbit disappeared from the table when the book came out, and asks where it went. Come on, Kaiba, you played a similar card for La Jinn in your last duel. Don't tell me you don't have SOME idea of where that rabbit went.

Pegasus informs Kaiba that all his cards are toon cards that live in his book world, and if Kaiba doesn't see them, they must be hiding.

Pegasus, were you tapping "Shave and a Haircut" on the table?

Headcanon.

The Dark Rabbit waggles its tongue tauntingly at Kaiba before being sucked back into the book, which closes on it. Pegasus describes this creature as SHY when he talks about how it closed itself back in the book and out of harm's way. Kaiba is shocked that he can't attack it now, even though this kind of thing should be well-known to him by this point. Yuugi can't believe that Pegasus did this, and wonders how Kaiba's supposed to fight back now.

Kaiba uses his turn to put a card face down on the table, gritting his teeth some more. Pegasus chuckles that it's his turn again, and he's prepared to show Kaiba something else interesting as he draws a card from his hand. It's the Blue Eyes White Dragon, and Pegasus shows it to him before he plays it.

Kaiba looks absolutely APPALLED by this, while Pegasus explains that even regular monsters are transformed into residents of Toon World. Pegasus asks Kaiba what he thinks, even though it's written all over his face what his thoughts are on this development. Regardless, Pegasus's opinion is that the Blue Eyes White Dragon is more cuddly this way.

Well, I didn't realize it was supposed to be CUDDLY. What's next? Making its WIELDER more cuddly?

Wait, there have already been moments that I've wanted to give Kaiba a supportive hug.... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! It's already begun!

Anyway, at Pegasus's command, the Blue Eyes Toon Dragon shatters the Rude Kaiser. Kaiba growls while his life points continue to show his halved life points. At least he didn't lose any more. Pegasus claims to feel anger in Kaiba's heart, which is kind of a creeptastic statement, like he's groping at Kaiba's chest or something.

Kaiba closes his eyes, as though he's mentally counting to ten, and tells Pegasus that since he seems to know what his hand is, he's going to discard all the cards therein. He slaps the cards on the table, and Pegasus stares in surprise. Kaiba says he plans to draw one card at a time from the top of his deck, so that Pegasus won't know what his cards are any more than he will. He also promises to play in attack mode, but Pegasus doesn't seem at all bothered by this prospect. Kaiba announces he's about to give it a whirl as he draws a new card, thinking he's going to bet everything on it.

He's actually taking a leaf out of Yami's book here! Let's see how it works for him.

Oh SNAP!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Well, it took some pretty dire circumstances, but Kaiba is finally starting to improvise, which hopefully will lead to some of that ingenuity that Yami is known for in his matches. He might actually be starting to understand the way in which Yami can come back around and the role spontaneity plays in that. Taking down some of the structure around which he builds his strategy could give Kaiba a bit more flexibility and maybe help him to see those other avenues for winning. In that respect, I may have judged him as unwilling or unable to learn from his opponent too soon.

And yet, if he learned this from Yami, he did so under the circumstance in which Yami lost, unable to go through with his final attack. Kaiba's duel with Pegasus is clearly mirroring that in the fact that Kaiba was unwilling to keep his resolve on using the Duel Disk when faced with a listless Mokuba using it. Much like Yuugi/Yami in the previous match, he couldn't go through with using his advantage when it could mean people he cares about getting hurt.

So, rather than not learning anything, maybe he picked up TOO MUCH from the last duel, and it might cost him this one too.

Inuyasha Manga: 050 The Torn-Away Soul

Girls, girls, can't we all share? I mean, as Urasue said, that soul is MASSIVE, so Kagome and Kikyou shouldn't have much trouble dividing it up between the two of them, right? Just take those floaty orbs that seem to make it up and divide them into two groups; one for each woman, with an equal number of orbs of equal size.

It might be a little more difficult to divide Inuyasha up, though. Unless, of course, we're willing to go Kikyou's route and make him a corpse first.

And she's not the only one who appears to still have a piece of autonomy left. Urasue's head giggles and prompts Inuyasha and Kaede to twist around to face it while it tells them that Kikyou's malice is driving her. Though most of the soul appears to have returned to Kagome's body, Urasue says that only the dark feelings Kikyou exudes now are suited for the body she made with her oni-craft. As Urasue begins to dissolve (remember: that's how you know they're REALLY dead), she talks about what a pity it is that a girl who was once such a pure priestess is now a pure creature of malice.

Growling through gritted teeth, Inuyasha leaps off in the direction Kikyou wandered, Kaede calling after him. Kikyou is still running away, intending to get as far from Kagome as possible in order to preserve what's left of the soul she holds, eyes rolling back and huffing as she does so.

Another superb catch by Inuyasha!

Kikyou looks down into the misty ravine she dangles over. Inuyasha grunts at holding onto her, then tells her that she can't go on like this, and she should return to Kagome's body. Kikyou looks back up at him with a mournful face and asks if he's suggesting that her new body just die. Inuyasha's eyes widen, as though he didn't really consider that as what he was saying. Kikyou elaborates that returning to Kagome means that she'll lose herself, and assumes this must be what Inuyasha wants.

Inuyasha is speechless for a moment, and this hesitation in answering causes Kikyou's face to darken as she flatly states that she WON'T give him what he wants.

But, if you fall, won't you die anyway?

Kikyou repeats her promise to only die when Inuyasha dies as she continues to electrocute him with her powers. Inuyasha calls her an idiot while telling her to stop already, but it's too late for that. The outcrop of rock Inuyasha is balanced on cracks and begins to fall, taking Inuyasha with it. His grip on Kikyou is lost, and he grabs onto the cliff-side with his raised arm to stop his fall.

Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.

As Inuyasha climbs back up the cliff and over the edge, he wonders how it all came to this. He's at least astute enough to figure out that fifty years before, some creep disguised themselves as Kikyou and shot arrows at him while possibly the same creep disguised themselves as him and attacked Kikyou. Someone orchestrated the hatred Kikyou and Inuyasha had after that day for each other. Inuyasha makes his slow way back to Kagome and company, clutching his burned arm, wondering who it was, and for what purpose.

Kaede looks up at him as he arrives, and he asks after Kagome. Kaede answers that Kagome is still asleep, and inquires as to what happened to her sister. Inuyasha apologizes for not being able to save her, but doesn't divulge the details of Kikyou falling from the cliff. Kaede doesn't ask for those details, hanging her head in reservation instead. She convinces herself that Kikyou's existence in an imitation body powered by a malicious soul would have sucked, so she tells Inuyasha it's better this way.

Kagome groans in her sleep, and Shippou says her name with concern. She's sweating and twitching, Kaede surmising that she's having quite the nightmare. Shippou worries that maybe Kagome won't be the same when she wakes up, causing Inuyasha some alarm. Kaede seems worried that Kikyou's consciousness might remain as well, even though Kagome's forcefully-taken soul is back in her body.

Inuyasha watches as Kagome's eyes open, looking nervous. She sits up abruptly, sweating and breathing heavily, and alarming everyone around her. Kagome hunches over, shivering as Kaede calls her name. She looks up, breath slowing, and suddenly seems to realize there are others around.

Turns out she was dreaming about a math test that was filled with unanswerable questions. Inuyasha and Kaede stare, speechless. Inuyasha sidles up to Kagome, asking if that was all, and Kagome confesses that there was English after that fiasco. This girl is pure cinnamon roll. Inuyasha breathes a sigh of relief over the fact that this is the same old Kagome.

Kagome suddenly becomes aware of some absences, and asks about where Urasue and Kikyou have gone. After a pregnant pause from Kaede and Inuyasha, Inuyasha soberly tells Kagome that it's all over. In his head, Inuyasha wishes Kikyou a peaceful rest this time.

Within the ravine, and the river in the center, a hand extends from the water and onto a rock on the shore. The owner of that hand pulls herself up and onto the shore, then she stumbles into the adjacent trees, where small animals flee from her erratic movements.

No rest at all just yet, Inuyasha. Man, Urasue's assumption that no one could survive that fall was wrong on 4 out of 4 counts. I don't even believe that fall is deadly to anyone anymore.

Looks like Inuyasha and company are headed home on the next page, with Inuyasha asking Kagome if she really doesn't remember anything. Pushing her bike as she glances in Inuyasha's direction, Kagome slowly apologizes to him for not remembering a thing. Inuyasha tells her she doesn't have to apologize for it, looking away. From the back of Kaede's horse, Shippou observes that Inuyasha doesn't look too happy at the moment, and Kaede replies that she's not surprised by this, suggesting that they leave him alone for now.

Inuyasha continues to look melancholy, and Kagome tries to reassure him that he doesn't have to treat her any differently, given that she's still her, while also looking a tad annoyed with his mood. Inuyasha mentally argues that her soul, on the other hand, also belongs to Kikyou. Out loud, however, he puts on an air of annoyance himself, claiming she doesn't resemble Kikyou at all. Kagome wonders is that's really so, muttering that Inuyasha has looked at her with desire in his eyes despite what he says. Inuyasha turns to her to yell a question about when he's EVER done that. Does the beginning of the arc ring a bell?

Nice job! It's about time you started evening the fluster score, girl! As Inuyasha walks ahead of her to hide his reddened cheeks, Kagome tells him he's much more himself when he's angry. He tells her to shut up, but wonders what it means that he was relieved when he saw Kagome smile.

Behind them, Shippou and Kaede appear a little alarmed that Inuyasha got back to normal so very quickly. Kaede thinks Kagome is a little strange.

Well, I mean, the soul is KAGOME'S too, so shouldn't it be expected for her to have as much control over it?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? There's an awful lot to cover here. First I want to point out the imagery in which Kikyou expresses her happiness at still being alive after her fall. She's stumbling through a barren old battlefield full of skeletons and broken war instruments. It's so remote and forgotten that no one came to bury the dead after it, and the corpses were left to be picked apart and decompose out in the open. This is such a striking image because of how it reflects Kikyou's world now. She's essentially one of these fallen warriors, everything of her former life stripped from her or sitting forgotten as a relic of the past. Even her soul (or most of it) belongs to someone else now, and all she has are her memories of a death and betrayal that was part of a larger scheme she has no vision of just yet.

When Inuyasha told her to go back to Kagome, she didn't hear what he was actually telling her to do, which was to let go of her hatred and upset so that she could rest. What she heard was her former lover telling her that he didn't want her around. He wanted her and every trace of her to disappear so that he wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. It sounded to Kikyou much like Inuyasha was telling her to lay down and die so that he could move on with his life free and clear, and she could rot like those forgotten men in the battlefield as a minor casualty of the past.

Needless to say, this probably increased the anger and hurt that Kikyou feels regarding her resurrection.

The chapter also brings up a LOT of questions about the cosmology of this world. Specifically, how souls and reincarnation work, a topic I've wrestled with in the other manga I'm reviewing as well. It's not just the above question about attributing the soul to Kikyou rather than it's current incarnation, but also how we're supposed to understand the differences between Kikyou and Kagome, and how their soul can be split between them.

Because it's very clear that they're different people, probably due to their different lives and the circumstances that shaped them as individuals. But just WHAT is this soul that connects them, then? What does it do? What does it provide each of these characters that is the same, other than an appearance? If they're different people despite having the same soul, what base does that soul provide that bonds them together?

Furthermore, Kagome and Kikyou are now existing at the same time, with a split soul, and don't appear to be affected in any significant, long-term way by this (Kagome can't even TELL that Kikyou is still alive). If Kikyou only contains the hatred she had for Inuyasha at her death, or even her full lifetime's worth of soul, how is Kagome not feeling like she's missing a piece of herself, even in some vague way? Is it just that Kagome had no knowledge of this past life, and therefore had no attachment to the information? If so, why are these experiences stored within the soul anyway, if the individual they're attached to aren't attached to them in some fundamental way?

It was noted that the soul was HUGE, too, so I'm wondering if the sheer size of it is somehow the reason that both girls can function without the whole thing. Does the size mean that Kikyou's part was only one small piece in a long string of reincarnations that built up this large soul, or was it always that big for whatever reason? Is Kikyou's part of the soul so small a part that noticing its absence would be like missing a pebble on a riverbank?

Honestly, it mostly just comes down to the mechanics of what the soul is, how it functions, and what its purpose is for me. I feel like, without this information, I'm kind of lost in trying to figure out how Kagome and Kikyou can coexist like this. It's all very confusing.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 108 The First Stages of Fear

Are those anything like the stages of grief? Emotional states that indicate how a person moves THROUGH fear? Or are we talking about physical indicators of fear, like bugged eyes, constricted pupils, shallow breathing, screaming, that sort of thing? Since it's the season of fear, especially around the subject of death, I'd like to see what these stages are supposed to look like, and if there's a haunted house nearby with a progression meant to stimulate all these different stages. THAT would be pretty cool.

Is Kaiba going to threaten suicide in this one too? Place your bets, folks!

Yuugi ruminates on the fact that Pegasus's Millenium Eye allows him to read opponents' minds as he peers over the banister, and wonders if Kaiba can beat Pegasus's power. Well, that's supposed to be the point of that Duel Disk, right? Evening the playing field a bit?

Jonouchi pisses and moans about how he wants both Kaiba and Pegasus to lose, but since the tournament will be ruined if Pegasus eats it, he wants to see Kaiba lose even more. It probably has something to do with the fact that Kaiba kept calling Jonouchi a loser and a deadbeat, too. Yuugi, on the other hand, doesn't want Kaiba to lose, though he knows he has to beat Pegasus in order to save his grandfather. Looking at Kaiba's serious expression, he just doesn't want Kaiba to lose. Fat chance of getting what you want in THIS match, boy.

Pegasus draws Kaiba's attention to the fact that the finalists for the tournament have arrived to watch their match, and Kaiba looks up to see Yuugi as well.

I don't doubt it. Said you would leave Pegasus's corpse for Yuugi to duel and everything, didn't you?

Pegasus thinks that Kaiba seems destined to fight him in addition to Yuugi. He says this like a man who DIDN'T fuck around with these two kids' lives in order for them to want to kick his ass. Pegasus wants to start their match, but Kaiba demands to know where Mokuba is first. Pegasus declines to answer the question, but assures Kaiba that he'll see his little brother soon enough. Over an inexplicable long panel featuring what looks like a throne, Pegasus proposes they get right to the means of their duel. His feeling is that Kaiba brought a contraption called a Duel Disk with him, which surprises Kaiba, but only mildly.

Kaiba kneels down and snaps open his briefcase, pulling out one of the disks and telling Pegasus that they duel with this, or nothing at all.

That is some awkward sauce right there.

Pegasus puts back on a smirk when he proposes that they can duel with the disks if he's allowed a proxy to wield it for him. This does NOT please Kaiba, but Pegasus assures him that he'll be making all the moves, so he's still the opponent Kaiba wants to face. But Pegasus, you're forgetting he's seen you fight through a "proxy" before, and that didn't turn out too well for Keith, did it? Kaiba INSISTS that Pegasus use the disk himself and face him head on. Pegasus, however, knows basic gaming strategy says you should never fight on your opponents terms, and dueling with the disk wouldn't be in his favor.

He continues to smirk at Kaiba, thinking that his mind games have only just begun.

What the balls???

Kaiba calls out Mokuba's name again, but Mokuba's eyes remain listless and him unresponsive. Yuugi also yells Mokuba's name, while Anzu wonders just what the heck is wrong with him to be so zombie-like. One of the Secret Service Servants stands between Kaiba and Pegasus, presumably in case Kaiba decides to drop the card games and go straight for Pegasus's throat, and Kaiba demands to know what Pegasus did to his brother.

Pegasus holds up a card with Mokuba's picture on it, labeled Soul Prison, Mokuba clinging to bars he's trapped behind and everything. Pegasus claims that the reason Mokuba isn't talking is because his soul is sealed in the card, which has Kaiba's eyes bugging in disbelief. He's probably remembering that traumatic time Yami did something similar to HIM. Pegasus says that Mokuba's body is only a shell right now, with enough volition to obey his warden's commands. He tells Kaiba that he'll free Mokuba from the card if Kaiba can beat him.

Sweating, gritting his teeth, and surrounded with spectral fire, Kaiba curses Pegasus. Yuugi gives us an unneeded recap of Mokuba being trapped by Pegasus's powers from his position at the banister. Thanks a ton, Yuugi. Mokuba is holding the Duel Disk, next we see him, with Pegasus laying a hand on his shoulder and nominating HIM to throw it for his master if Kaiba continues to insist on using it.

Kaiba stares, sweating as he realizes that Pegasus is asking him to fight Mokuba, which is one thing he is NOT willing to do. Why, Kaiba? This is only a card game, and the toy doesn't HURT anyone. Still, Kaiba grinds his teeth and sweats, in a huge dilemma over nothing. Pegasus holds back up that Soul Prison card and offers to duel Kaiba the way he originally intended instead.

That poor stupid bastard.

Pegasus tells Kaiba they'll be using standard rules for the game, asking if he agrees, but getting no answer. Regardless, Pegasus instructs Kaiba to prepare his deck. Yuugi shouts at Kaiba to look out, because Pegasus has a Dragon Capture Jar, which draws Kaiba's alarmed gaze out of the corner of his eye. Yuugi silently bids Kaiba to choose his cards carefully, because even the Blue Eyes White Dragon is powerless against that jar.

Jonouchi asks Yuugi why he's bothering to give Kaiba advice, and Yuugi answers that he has to. Since Kaiba is fighting to get back Mokuba, he can't lose. Jonouchi stares, muttering Yuugi's name again. Meanwhile, Kaiba mentally promises not to forget Yuugi's advice, but he still plans to beat Pegasus with a certain card.

And that's why you're going to lose, you moron.

Kaiba slams his shuffled deck down on the table, surrounded by spectral fire again as he stares across the table at a strangely subdued-looking Pegasus. Yuugi tells him to be careful yet again.

Pegasus and Kaiba begin drawing their hands after a call to begin, Pegasus looking at his cards, but Kaiba glaring at Pegasus. The page gives us a nice panel detailing the rules, I guess just in case someone new pops in to see what this nonsense is all about. Pegasus declares that he'll go first, pauses a moment to choose a card, which is Toon Alligator in defense. While the cartoon appears on the table with its little arms crossed, Pegasus also plays a card face down to end his turn.

Kaiba wonders if Pegasus's low level monster in defense is standing in front of a spell or trap as he calls out that it's his turn now. He already has a Blue Eyes White Dragon and could open the duel with a full-on assault, but he doesn't know if that Dragon Capture Jar is already in Pegasus's hand. Kaiba sees that Pegasus is looking down and to the side, not even meeting his glare. He slides a face down card onto the table as well, and follows up this monster with playing Rude Kaiser in attack, commanding it to attack the alligator.

Pegasus, you are overselling this MAJORLY.

He says his turn is all over. Sweating and keeping his hand at his temple with a hopeless look, he wonders what he's going to do facing a monster with attack stats of 1800. He perks right up when he sees a card that can beat it, a Parrot Dragon that he sets down and tells to do its best. Kaiba tells Pegasus to hold up while he activates his face down spell card, much to Pegasus's over-acted alarm. The card is Mesmeric Control, which reduces the parrot's attack by 800 points and also appears to put its hologram straight to sleep.

At Kaiba's command, the Rude Kaiser punches the shit out of the sleeping parrot and defeats it, reducing Pegasus's life points to 1400 while he moans dramatically. Kaiba glowers, wondering if Pegasus is taking this duel seriously at all. Yuugi knows first hand what Pegasus is doing - pretending to be bad at the game to bring down Kaiba's guard and lay out a trap.

Pegasus himself mentally chuckles as he thinks that his lost 600 points should be enough of a handicap, and looks back up at Kaiba, smirking. He knows all the cards in Kaiba's hand, having read his mind. Kaiba draws a card as he announces that it's his turn, and speculates that perhaps his hunch that Pegasus doesn't have the Dragon Capture Jar is correct. If that's the case, he figures it's safe to play his dragon buddy, which he begins to draw from his hand. Pegasus yells at him to stop.

Kaiba freezes, gritting his teeth as Pegasus tells him not to show the card he's about to play, because it's about to be subject to the face down card Pegasus laid down earlier. Kaiba blanches at the trap, which happens to be the Prophecy card. It allows Pegasus to predict whether the attack points on Kaiba's card are more, less or equal to 2000 points, rewarding him with that card if his prediction happens to be correct. His guess is that the card has MORE that 2000 points, because it's a dragon we all know only too well.

Gaping, Kaiba wonders how he could possibly have known, until he recalls with shock that Pegasus can see through his hand. OR, you're so goddamn predictable in the fact that every strategy you use revolves around the Blue Eyes White Dragon, and it's a safe guess.

That face Kaiba's making? He's afraid his precious dragon is going nearer to Pegasus's mouth than is safe. Seriously, Pegasus, don't chew on the card! Ugh, he'd do it, too.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Jonouchi is supposed to be the character the audience identifies as the stupid one, but I think Kaiba is SO much more dense than him. Seriously, Kaiba is meant to be the boy genius, the one who is inventive enough to come up with a machine that will counteract Pegasus's mind-reading powers, and the one who self-reportedly will do ANYTHING to win and is proud of it.

Yet he's inconsistent with this image. His brother would have been less injured by wielding the Duel Disk than Kaiba's death simulation back in Death-T, but Kaiba REFUSES to go through with his plan of using the contraption. This appears to be both an indication to those watching that Kaiba HAS actually changed quite a bit (in answer to Yuugi's question the previous night about whether Kaiba had changed at all), and a major backpedal in Kaiba's resolve. The thing to remember here is that the last thing Kaiba remembers before his trip to Duelist Kingdom is Death-T. His mistreatment of Mokuba is still fresh in his mind, no doubt, and its root in his effort to push Mokuba away so he could cease to care. Now Kaiba isn't denying he cares anymore, and any antagonism toward Mokuba would probably recall that horribly fresh memory of doing so.

So, he's already dropped the "anything goes" philosophy of winning he lectured Jonouchi about before. And he's also refusing to learn from his last match against Yami, about the adaptation that makes his grand opponent so very successful in his game. He still insists on using that damn Blue Eyes White Dragon in every strategy he dreams up, and won't even consider looking to any other card for a path to victory.

He's become that loser that he was only too happy to tease Jonouchi for being a few chapters ago.