Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 203 First Round Opponents!!

Hope everyone's ready to compete, because I sure as hell am NOT. I started showing a cold yesterday, and today I am utterly miserable, with a dwindling box of tissues and a glass of orange juice or mug of hot tea at my side at all times. I'm envious of these characters for their ability to face fierce competition under normal circumstances, but in being completely housebound and having a streaming nose, I'm not just green from illness. Damn cartoons and their inability to get sick. Why do I have to suffer a three-week East Coast US cold when these little bastards get to just play cards all the time?

And they get to fly in blimps to boot. What a bunch of bull...

As the blimp drifts away from the stadium across the city, the passengers are all fired up about it, gushing about how amazing this is and how they're really flying in the sky. Have none of them ever been in an airplane before? I know for a fact that a good number of them have been in a HELICOPTER, at least, even if it has been a crowded one on occasion. As they stand at the windows, Jonouchi enthuses for the whole night-view of Domino he's seeing. I guess that makes all the difference. Shizuka says that she can see her house, even while Jonouchi is asking her if she can see the streetlights, to which she responds with an affirmative. I think their excitement is making them talk right past each other.

Jonouchi is momentarily humbled by the fact that this is the first time he's seen such a beautiful view. I say "momentarily" because he shortly starts laughing, hands on hips, announcing that only the really strong duelists can fly in the sky. So much for humility. Of course, Kaiba has to knock him down from his high, mocking his happiness and calling him ignorant while walking past. Jonouchi grinds his teeth at Kaiba, stuttering back the insult indignantly. Kaiba smirks at him, predicting that Jonouchi will be frozen with fear the moment he faces a real battle, but invites him to enjoy the beautiful aura of the view below. You're so generous, Kaiba. Jonouchi keeps grinding his teeth and expresses the deep NEED to defeat Kaiba in the finals.

Or, you know, you could just punch him when this whole business is over. I would.

As Kaiba passes Yuugi, his expression turns serious and he wants to offer some advice. Yuugi gives Kaiba a somewhat meek look, but Yami's specter appears behind him, glaring intently at Kaiba from the corner of his eye. Kaiba starts with what he has observed in the preliminaries of Battle City; Yami/Yuugi never once put his god card in his deck, something Kaiba had the opportunity to see from their double duel to this moment. Yami keeps a steady glare on Kaiba as Kaiba shouts at he and Yuugi that THEIR battle can't end this way. He insists that Yuugi/Yami has to understand they've already entered some sort of "god zone" in the finals, and the three god cards will choose the real strongest duelist among them. He declares the beginning of the "battle legend" right now, while Yami remains stoic in his listening, though he has turned his spectral form to face Kaiba full on instead of from the side. Kaiba promises to defeat him and Marik, earning the "King of Duelists" title for sure.

Did anyone actually read any ADVICE in there? I suppose you could say it was implied that Kaiba was trying to encourage Yami to put Slipher in his deck, but it still seems like a rather opaque statement...

There goes Felicia again.

And just when Moar Cards Guy announces that eight individual rooms in the blimp have been prepared for each duelist, and they can access them with the permit card he gave them on the ground. Well SOMEONE didn't need instructions. Makes me think that Kaiba isn't as in the dark about these finals as he's led everyone to believe. At least not regarding the layout of the blimp and where he can get to the best room anyway.

Moar Cards Guy tells them them that the finals will begin in an hour's time, at which point the opponent pairing will be determined. So, Jonouchi is shown in the next panel inserting his permit card into a reader on a room door, listening to it beep and unlock. Before he gets much of a chance to explore, his room is flooded with his friends expressing amazement at how nice the room is. Jonouchi demands to know why they're all THERE, answered with a "Duh, they didn't prepare rooms for non-dueling cheerleaders, bro". Jonouchi attempts to order them all out, except Shizuka. While Anzu stretches out on the couch, enthusing about room service, Honda kneels beside a mini fridge which he says is full of food and drink, and Ryuji responds to this with a complaint that he's hungry, Shizuka pleads with her brother to let them stay, all of this being so much happier with everyone together.

Jonouchi attempts to explain to Shizuka, with a harried expression, how a duelist needs that "excited feeling" before a battle, but she doesn't seem to understand too well. I'm not sure I do, either, because "excited" doesn't seem to exclude a small party with friends in my mind, but maybe Jonouchi is just not articulating this well. A couple of minutes later, Shizuka is laughing with someone else a ways away, while Jonouchi sits irritated in an armchair with a drink. Honda leans on the fridge nearby, telling him not to mind it all. After all, there's not much time for ANY of them to be alone with Shizuka.

At first, Jonouchi is rightly ruffled about the implication about Honda wanting to have some time with Shizuka by himself, but he lets it go fairly quickly. He asks why, if Honda isn't going to get to do that, he's not going to someone else's room. Yuugi's for example. Honda calls him an idiot for forgetting that Yuugi is busy preparing for his upcoming duel, and insisting that none of them can disturb him. As he's taking a haughty drink of his soda, Jonouchi snaps that HE'S supposed to be preparing too, but Honda reprimands him. Honda adopts a serious expression when he says that this is VERY important to Yuugi, and at first, Jonouchi appears to grudgingly agree with his arms crossed. He launches himself onto Honda's neck, growling that this is important to HIM also. After he's released Honda and resettled into his seat, he scoffs, but gives Honda belated thanks for bringing Shizuka along. Honda calls him an idiot once more, but says he's welcome as he takes another drink. Then he tells Jonouchi he has to win. Jonouchi smiles and nods.

I guess Yuugi drew the same conclusions I did earlier, that Kaiba had meant to advise him to put Slifer in his deck. Also, it's probably just a good idea on an basic level. He's got a leg up on all but two of his opponents with it, so...

Yuugi addresses Yami, repeating what everyone else has been saying for the past couple of chapters: this is a fated battle, and it's about to begin. I would think out of all people, Yami would not need to be reminded of this. Regardless, Yami agrees mildly, his worries lying with whether or not he can really regain his memories if he wins this fight. Yuugi is convinced there biggest issue is the one who controls the god card Ra, as well as a Millennium item, Marik. Both he and Yami picture Rishid, unknowingly.

Then, Yuugi lists Kaiba as their next obstacle, with Obelisk. It's THIS god card that Yami pictures in opposition to his Slifer, Ra kind of hanging in the shadows behind the two of them, when he imagines the three gods facing off against each other. He knows he has to be the victorious one. Yet Yuugi has one more deep worry beyond the obvious holders of god cards; the eighth duelist. No one has seen this person before, so Yuugi doesn't know what to expect. Yami also wonders who it actually is.

Your mom. No, seriously, wouldn't that be a fucking trip? Eighth duelist turns out to be Yuugi's mom? I would lose it. Too bad it was painfully obvious who it actually is from the last chapter's final page. She's not quite so unexpected.

As the blimp floats along its merry way above the Domino city lights, we switch to Marik casting a glare out his bedroom window. as he reclines on his bed.

I've heard that our best qualities are on our backs, but those qualities showing up on the backs of others? Yami never does ANYTHING in the normal way, does he?

Marik is determined to bury Yami in the eternal darkness with shadow games before he EVER gets a hold of these memories, though. This may be the only time when "over my dead body" is a LITERAL requirement.

A couple of panels show Kaiba sitting in an arm chair in his own room, in a rare moment of semi-relaxation. He's removed his giant starched coat, anyway, and is rearranging his cards, mentally giggling. Weirdo. The next two panels show Mai drinking a glass of wine in her room, gazing out the window and wondering where this blimp is heading anyway. Where no one can hear you scream? I don't know. Bakura spends two panels cutting into a steak and nomming it, juices dribbling down his chin while his expression is vacantly pleasant with a slight touch of creep. Rishid is sitting in the dark on a floor, eyes closed. He appears to be meditating?

Moar Cards Guy has appeared on a television screen in Jonouchi's room, and presumably everyone else's too, to instruct every duelist participating in the finals to gather in the central area. Jonouchi proudly displays his Duel Disk as he says it's finally starting, prompting everyone else partying in his room to come with him out the door. He has to pause on his way out when he sees Kaiba walking past, back in jacket and eyes focused forward. Jonouchi mumbles with irritation that he HAS to beat Kaiba, with Marik giving him a look as he follows Kaiba's path.

He changes that expression really fast when coming up to Jonouchi, though, asking him to go easy if they're facing one another in the first round. Jonouchi makes a confused noise at first, before telling "Namu" that he's not the type to go easy on someone, even if that person is his friend. Instead of dropping a cryptic statement about understanding that first hand already, "Namu" plays the perfect dunce, promising to fight with all he has. Jonouchi happily gives an affirmative, but he's a bit more serious when he thinks that he needs to win no matter who the opponent is, even if it's Yuugi.

At least you guys won't be hooked up to the simplest of death machines this time. Should be easier that way.

Yuugi appears to still be in his room, picking up his deck and putting it in his Duel Disk. His eyes are closed while he listens to Yami's proposition to get this thing started. He agrees.

No trace of a murder grin. I will always miss it.

Moar Cards Guy is standing next to what looks to be a statue of a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon bathed in a spotlight in the middle of the common area once everyone has gathered. He announces that the duel pairs of the first round will be randomly chosen, which Jonouchi seems surprised by. Moar Cards Guy goes on to explain that the winners of each first round game will be randomly paired up again, making it so that no one will know who they face before their duels. Apparently, each duelist has been assigned a number, one to eight, I'm guessing by which order they arrived and got their permit cards, if nothing else. There are balls bouncing around in the dome over the Blue Eyes Ultimate statue also numbered one to eight and it is at this point Moar Cards Guy says this is not a STATUE, but a MACHINE.

A BINGO MACHINE.

I'M DYING.

Jonouchi looks a bit put out and maybe a little ill when he sweatdrops and mumbles about how old-fashioned this system is, which seems to be the LEAST of how ridiculous it comes across. Like, whose idea was this?? Moar Cards Guy is not paying any attention to Jonouchi, demanding the start of the random pick. The balls pop and bounce around, and we see each duelist numbered as I had assumed, by their arrival time, with "Namu" labeled as 1, all the way to our "mystery" eighth duelist at the obvious number.

One ball clatters into the mouth of the center head of the Blue Eyes extending up through the dome, and is spit out into a cup at the open mouth of one of the heads lowered outside of it. It is a 7.

Way to set the tone, there, kiddo.

Jonouchi hunches in the foreground, what little we get to see of his face a bit flushed as he expresses disbelief that Bakura is first up. He wonders who Bakura's opponent will be, and is quick to decide he doesn't want to be the one facing Bakura's mystery strategy deck. Meanwhile, Honda and Anzu are calling for Bakura to do his best, as Bakura himself scratches the back of his head in embarrassment, because being first makes him feel nervous.

Moar Cards Guy is ready to call out Bakura's opponent, once the bingo ball gets belched out of Blue Eyes Ultimate. A guy in a control room viewing footage of what's going on in the common area on a series of screens turns to round goateed man to go check on the eighth duelist, who failed to show up for the random drawing. Goatee agrees, arriving outside the eighth duelist's door in the next panel. He's asked to come in and on the other side of the door he apologizes for the disturbance, but informs the guest that they must head to the common area immediately.

The eighth duelist gives Goatee a glare over the veil covering their nose and mouth, before telling him that the dueling order is already known to them. Goatee expresses confusion, so the eighth duelist says they will be fourth, explaining a fact that they know he probably won't believe, having the ability to see the near future. As expected, Goatee just gives them a confused and weirded-out look. No matter, the eighth duelist isn't paying attention anyway. They contemplate the one with the evil consciousness in the first battle, and something about sudden attacks, though I can't make it out. The grammar isn't really clear here.

Back at the common area, Moar Cards Guy is announcing Bakura's opponent.

Geez Yami, you could put on a LITTLE of a friendlier face for regular Bakura. Even though he is irresponsible. At least he's not the out-and-out asshole.

Kaiba examines Bakura, wondering how powerful he is. Jonouchi's expression is a bit less contemplative, sweatdropping a bit as repeats the duel pair. Honda mumbles out loud what both he and Jonouchi seem to be thinking; it looks like the match may already have been determined. No word from Bakura, whose back is turned, but he is still close enough to hear this, jackasses. Keep your opinions to yourself.

Marik, looking high as a kite, is marveling at how just the first match is going to be a battle between Millennium Items. The eighth duelist makes a vague statement of how this first duel will be the first test for one person, despite the fact that we're all too aware of who that person is. Bakura still has his back turned for Yami to glare at as he hides the giggle in his asshole form.

Not that he's hiding it very well, obviously.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It's no Lord of the Flies or Battle Royale parallel like Duelist Kingdom was, but the beginning of these finals are giving me a similar eerie feeling. Perhaps it's because there's a kid in charge of the whole outfit, all of the adults on board the blimp beholden to him. Perhaps it's because their exit from the society below (and the police force, ineffective as it is) is more blatant this time around. Perhaps it's because there are a lot of warranted questions about WHERE this blimp is headed, with no answer. Regardless of the reason, in the midst of the awestruck mood of a lot of the characters at their elevation above the city, my skin is crawling thinking about what Marik and asshole!Bakura can get up to at this altitude without being held the slightest bit accountable. Things could devolve into madness just as easily as in Duelist Kingdom, and I'm curious to see what KT is going to do with the possibilities.

I hope it's more creative than the damn BINGO MACHINE. I understand Kaiba wasn't in charge of this part of planning his tournament, in the interest of fairness, but I can't imagine his staff couldn't come up with something a bit more high tech. It's not like they're going for aesthetics over tech in this case, either. The machine isn't exactly the prettiest thing in existence. Wouldn't it be a hoot to think of Kaiba having a very firm word with whomever was in charge of the randomization of the duel opponents? Blue-Eyes-shaped or not, it doesn't exactly speak to the capabilities of Kaiba Corp.

Also, I do NOT envy poor Anzu and Shizuka. Sleep will not be easy for them tonight, what with a distinct lack of proper beds and the ability to groom in the morning. At least Anzu's been through this nonsense before, but Shizuka may still find it a little uncomfortable. I'm sure Mai will put them up, though, so that might help.

Inuyasha Manga: 144 Wind User

So, Inuyasha isn't the only one cutting wind all over the place, huh? Suppose I shouldn't be surprised. This party hasn't exactly been a classy affair, not that I really expected one to a begin with. I mean, how classy can a zombie crawl event get, with people all bloodied and grabby on the living? But when the dudebros started beating the shit out of one another, it was only a matter of time before it started to get SMELLY too.

Prepare for more fart jokes ahead. I had to.

Kagura starts out the chapter with a slash downward with her closed fan, and a lone crescent of air hacks through the middle of a dead wolf. Kouga stares in shock.

Yikes, is that the actual color of the page? Not the translator goofing off? Either way, that is a PAINFUL shade of yellow, and it was a bad idea.

The incoming whoosh, of course, is an arrow Kagome fired. It zooms just past Kagura's face, singing her hair on the way. Still standing with her bow raised, stutters at Kagura not to move, promising that the next arrow will hit her through two garishly red-colored speech bubbles. Who keeps making these horrible color decisions??

Kouga haltingly considers Kagome, but Kagura is much more dismissive. She questions if the FIRST arrow wasn't supposed to hit her, with a rather unimpressed glare. Kagome gulps in response. Smiling, Kagura flips open her fan once more and encourages Kagome to shoot again, taking good aim this time. Kouga stammers at her to run, but Kagura is already waving her fan and declaring her "Dance of the Wind Blades" attack in deadpan. The crescent blades approaching Kagome are no less threatening for it, though, and she cringes as they get closer.

Before they reach their destination, they're dispersed with a couple of whacks. Kagura, Kouga and Kagome all look at the source of this dispersal with varying degrees and flavors of surprise. The former of a more unhappy kind, and the latter more relieved. Kouga seems to be somewhere in the middle here.

Well, they are made of WIND.

Kagura talks about Inuyasha being alive like she's just engaging in casual conversation, and turns to "Mister Wolf" Kouga to inform him that he has failed to finish Inuyasha off. Inuyasha scoffs at the notion that he would drop dead from the wimpy Kouga's "tap". Well, you can't really blame them for thinking so, when you were showing serious signs of internal hemorrhaging and fatal injury. Don't be mad, bro.

Shippou hops over to Kagome, who deduces that he was the one who retrieved Tessaiga and got it to Inuyasha. He doesn't need to confirm this outright, choosing instead to inform Kagome of an unfortunate thing he noticed - Kouga broke Inuyasha's right arm. Indeed, Inuyasha's bruised right hand hangs limply by his side, but he's still facing Kagura with Tessaiga's blunt side resting on his left shoulder. Kagura asks him if he REALLY thinks he can fight her properly in that condition. He responds with the one thing he's willing to say for sure; he's not going to show her mercy. He says he doesn't like how he was framed for killing all the youkai wolves and having Kouga set on him as a result. Kouga himself glares over at Inuyasha, still leaning injured on the ground without the ability to stand. HE won't be of any help, it seems.

Most of all, Inuyasha cites the scent coming from her body as a primary part of his grudge. She just smiles at him lazily when he leaps at her, shouting that she smells the same as Naraku, his sword raised above his head. Kagome makes a confused noise, and Kouga tries out the villain's name in his head, pissed but having gained the wisdom to question these things.

Kagura maintains amiability, congratulating Inuyasha for his good nose.

Man... she is so fucking cool. I know I shouldn't admire her, what with her being a bad guy and all, but I kind of want her autograph.

When their matched force pushes them apart, Kagura scoffs at Inuyasha like it was no big thing. Resting Tessaiga on his shoulder again, his assessment of the previous blow isn't favorable. Apparently she can knock back the sword with the slightest of wind pressure. Not surprising, honestly. Women generally have to have a lot more control over their "wind" in polite society and parties such as this. We have to go the "silent but deadly" route.

... What?

Wind resulting from the attack blowing his bangs back, Shippou frets that Inuyasha can't even use HALF his normal strength in his condition. I wonder how he came up with this calculation. Scouter? Kagome adds that this all seems to be going according to Kagura's plan too. But, silently, Kagome can't help but wonder what it means that Kagura has the same smell as Naraku. Well, children's flatulence DOES tend to smell similar to their parents', so you may draw your own conclusions from that.

... What?

Kagura raises her fan above her head, scoffing that she's a wind-user, and that she's in control of all the wind around the castle. She said the title! And just when you thought she couldn't get any smoother. She draws a wide circle in front of her with the half-closed fan, calling the resulting start to a swirling whirlwind "Dance of the Dragon-Snakes". Inuyasha only has a moment to gape in shock.

Kagome runs from the crater she and Shippou had been sheltering themselves in, Shippou shouting her name to call her back. She ignores him, grabbing the half-incapacitated Kouga by the elbow to try and drag him out of the line of battle. Inuyasha casts a sharp look over at her for her actions, clearly perturbed by how worried she seems to be over this guy who was instrumental in his current disadvantage. I see another petty argument ahead...

Kagome doesn't notice, pulling Kouga down the slope back into the crater with her and Shippou. Kouga asks her if she's sure about this. After all, he tried to murder Inuyasha not a few minutes ago. She snaps that he shouldn't take her for a fool, because she knows Inuyasha was aware of Kouga's deceived state at the time, and couldn't fight him seriously because of it. She also asserts that Inuyasha isn't the small-minded type who would get mad at her for saving someone who can't move. At the same time, Inuyasha stands fuming and flushed at the statement. He may not be able to reconcile Kagome's confident assessment of his character with his exact OPPOSITE reaction before. Especially when she responds to Shippou's timid question of whether she really means that with such an emphatic positive.

Kagura attracts his attention once more when she says what a waste of time Kagome's actions are, because she sees him as beyond help now. The fake Shikon fragment is still embedded in his arm, and its poison is being spread through his body from that shining point. Kagura says that when the miasma reaches his heart, it'll be all over. Kouga is already sweating, unfocused gazed set on the arm laid out in front of his grounded chin, which has a dark stain spreading from the scar where he placed the shard.

Kagome settles next to him and bids him to wait just a little longer, promising to pluck it out of his arm right now. When her fingers get too close, though, they burn, and the tips sizzle. She yanks her hand back and cradles it against her chest, thinking that the miasma is too strong and it's no good.

Call me crazy, but I think only ONE of you is having any kind of fun here. Reminds me of the times my cousin would sit on me and fart when we were kids.

That's not just a fart joke, by the way, it genuinely does.

Kagome and Shippou watch Inuyasha dodge and weave in disbelief, Shippou wondering out loud if Inuyasha is EVER going to use the Kaze no Kizu. Inuyasha himself views Kagura through a whirlwind and groans. Where the air normally collides with the youki and creates the "scar" between them, allowing Tessaiga to cut through and deliver its premier attack, isn't showing up here. As he examines Kagura and the area around her, he can't find it at all.

She launches another volley of crescent wind blades at him again, threatening to cut him up, but he keeps avoiding them with another groan. At the same time, he considers her claim that all the wind in the castle is under her control. If that's true, Inuyasha reasons that this means they are all encompassed in Kagura's formation of youki.

Gee, Inuyasha, I know the situation seems hopeless, but do you really want to go the Kevorkian route? I don't know if it's QUITE time to put you out of your misery.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The introduction of Kagura's identical smell to Naraku is a really good way of introducing her origins, though we're not going to be fully aware of them for another few chapters. It's a great way to drop the hint, because it's using Inuyasha's dog-like qualities in a detective-like way. As I said above, children have a similar smell to their biological parents, so it's only a small step from there to conclude what is going on, even if the question of "how" is still a bit on the shady side. I don't think I was alone in realizing at this moment that Naraku had reproduced, but the fact that this still had me scratching my head when I first reading, having even more questions with my conclusions, was something of an ingenious move.

And I am delighted at how Inuyasha's clever side has returned. How battle-savvy he is and cool, analytical, he is in a fight is not only reflective of his lineage (Sesshoumaru being a closer model to how their father operated in this state, though), but also of his personal experience. He would simply be dead by now if he didn't have a good head on his shoulders and a fair amount of cunning at his disposal, given how little he's tolerated by either humans or youkai. His hypothesis here is a reasonable one, and it makes sense with how the wind would ACT as Kagura's youki, not actually being the proper air it would collide with.

However, it still seemed a little too easy for him to reach this explanation on reason alone. Inuyasha is, after all, not so much ABOVE the gritty emotions of fighting as his brother. Inuyasha isn't Sesshoumaru, and this seemed like a more SESSHOUMARU type of deduction. Here's where Kagome's arrow in the beginning of the chapter might have been a good setup; it might have helped Inuyasha to visualize why Kaze no Kizu wasn't materializing after the fact. If he had sensed it before, but then it stubbornly refused to show up later, it might have been a catalyst for the realization that he was INSIDE Kagura's youki the whole time.

But since he was passed out at the time... 

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 202 People in the Arena

What else is an arena for but to hold people? Although, it seems to still be under construction, from the panels showing cranes and other equipment parked at the bare skeleton of some parts. Perhaps these duelists are the first official visitors to the arena. I say "official" because there is no way that thing hasn't seen some of Domino's infamous gangs in the middle of the night, tagging the walls with unrecognizable symbols and drawings of dicks behind the seats.

Hey, Yuugi and his ilk leave their mark in their way, and those less focal leave theirs in others. It's nice to think that the place is one in the same, though. There's something poetic about that image.

While I swoon over the idea of the many methods of gaining notoriety from top to bottom in a stadium, the chapter starts with a recap of how only the duelists who passed the initial stage in Battle City even know this is where the finals take place. Another panel says that right now, eight strong duelists have gathered to fight for the "King of Duelists" title.

Wait. Eight?

Just what I thought - there's only SEVEN so far. That Question Mark Man has yet to appear. Don't you lie to me, chapter.

Four of the SEVEN, Mai, Yuugi (I guess Yami forgot his keys on the inside of Yuugi's head and ran to grab them), Jonouchi, and Kaiba with his back turned to the others because he's too much of a snob to even LOOK at the rest of them, are standing in a semi-circle in the center of the field. A shot of his watch, then the Moar Cards Guy announces that there are only fifteen minutes left until the time-limit. Well, what do you know? Kaiba intended to go away for a half-hour, but only stayed gone for lest than ten minutes. He must have come running when he heard Yuugi had arrived.

Anyway, Moar Cards Guy says that if the final finalist doesn't manage to get here by seven sharp, whoever the hell that is will be disqualified. Mai says that they already know five of them have showed up, and Jonouchi says that actually leaves three that aren't there. So far as you've SEEN, anyway. Yuugi knows that one of those finalists they haven't spotted yet is Marik.

Jonouchi casts a wary look over at Barkura, who stands with his head inclined, watched by a bemused Anzu as well. She and the rest of his friends group at his back. She asks urgently if his wound is alright, Honda stares with aggressive suspicion, Jonouchi exclaims that they were surprised to hear Bakura had fled the hospital, and Yuugi chastises him for his recklessness in attending a tournament in his unhealthy state.

The ol' switcheroo, huh? You win this round, Asshole.

Jonouchi leans in, though he looks a bit unsettled by Bakura's bloody bandage, asking if he's having any problems with it and if it isn't still oozing. Bakura pokes at it and says it's all good, and invites Jonouchi to touch it if he wants. Jonouchi yells at him not to joke around, while Anzu sweatdrops and tries to convince Bakura that it's better for him to go to the hospital, but Bakura isn't hearing it. He leans his elbow in Jonouchi's face and insists there's no problem, demanding he look.

Yuugi keeps his distance from the exchange, looking a little disturbed. He wonders if it's just him or if it really does seem like Bakura's being manipulated by the Millennium Ring. Well if the little twerp would just leave the thing at home... Whether it's the Millennium Ring's doing or not, Yuugi thinks Bakura being in the tournament is rather unbelievable.

Anzu and Jonouchi agree, because they're both pretty suspicious when the latter asks when Bakura participated in the first part of Battle City, and adds that he would have to have collected six puzzle cards to know where he was going. Bakura doesn't answer the question, just happily holds up a finals entry card that he already traded his puzzle cards for. Anzu mumbles that he shouldn't even have a Duel Disk, though. Did you forget those guys trying to beat his ass for stealing theirs, Anzu?

Bakura doesn't remind her, not addressing this odd fact either. He just says his secret combo is super powerful, and he wants to join Yuugi and Jonouchi as a duelist to fight together. That wouldn't be weird if it were a goal of yours from the start, but this sudden drive to join your friends is probably what's making them look at you sideways, Bakura. Jonouchi says that even as an established duelist, he had a bit of trouble trying to get the Duel Disk, questioning how Bakura got one again.

Wow, I guess everyone really DID forget those guys who accused Bakura of thievery. A thing Bakura uses to his advantage when he holds up a finger and states that it's a secret. And what does the guy who set up this whole tournament and the restrictions on participating (including having a sufficient dueling record) have to say about this? NOTHING, of course. Kaiba isn't even paying a wit of attention, eyeing one of the entrances to the field from his periphery when he hears footsteps coming from it. Yuugi whirls around at the steps, but Kaiba remains calm as he thinks another contestant has arrived. Indeed, a silhouette is emerging from the mouth of the entrance.

Oh, you remember HIM, but can't remember your actual buddy being attacked by people who say he stole their shit!

He walks up to Anzu and Jonouchi, greeting them with an "it's been a while" bit. As Anzu asks if Namu is competing in the finals too, politely, Yuugi asks Jonouchi if this Namu is known to him. Jonouchi gives a simple nod of his head and affirmative sound, while "Namu" pretends to have only luckily cleared the first part of the tournament, and to be nervous about being surrounded by such strong people. Yuugi and Jonouchi don't say anything, both looking at "Namu" with heavy suspicion. In fact, Jonouchi thinks his mind has been rather cloudy since he met Namu...

Jonouchi leans forward and starts to address Namu without the slightest subtlety, appearing ready to accuse Namu of some pretty ugly things, but he's interrupted by Bakura. He's excited to see the guy who saved him again, and "Namu" plays along, asking if Bakura's wound is alright. Bakura says it's no problem once more, and Anzu takes it upon herself to introduce Namu to a speechless Yuugi. Jonouchi looks vexed when Anzu goes so far as to call Namu their friend and asks him to confirm, sweating and squinty, until he reluctantly agrees. Yuugi is sweatdropping too, raising an eyebrow and placing a forefinger on his cheek, supposing that if Anzu says it, it must be true. Jonouchi tells himself he thinks too much, remembering how Namu was beaten up in order to protect Bakura from those other guys. Great, the one time Jonouchi does just UNDER enough thinking, he thinks he's doing too much. I suppose that's what they call irony.

Meanwhile, Namu identifies Yuugi, who is still awfully wary and quiet.

Finally, Yuugi gives him a delayed hello, taking his hand and examining him critically. In the next panel, "Namu" is looking quite a bit more sinister than he's letting on. His thought that he's really pleased to be friends with Yuugi and Co is DEFINITELY more menacing. He identifies Anzu as his prepared assistant for just the purpose of appearing friendly, being able to direct her actions whenever he wants. As for Bakura, Marik is convinced he's been completely consumed by the evil ego of the Millennium Ring. He's responsible for Bakura's lack of pain for his injury, though. I'm guessing asshole!Bakura couldn't be bothered letting regular Bakura feel okay about the whole thing.

Not sure which is more evil, when I put it like that.

In any case, Marik counts himself and asshole!Bakura as the two consciousnesses that inhabit Bakura's body with the blank expression. He really thinks that regular Bakura is no longer in the picture here, I guess. Marik, still clasping hands with Yuugi, reflects on how he had to make deals just to get at Yuugi's Millennium Puzzle. I can't tell if he's resentful of this though, because in the next panel, he's internally giggling, ready to start this thing.

Suddenly, Bakura lurches forward and tells Yuugi to look at the Millennium Ring that he refuses to leave THE FUCK AT HOME, as he holds it out. One of the needles along the outside is pointing off to the left, responding to something out of sight, as Bakura suggests urgently. Yuugi seems shocked that the Millennium Ring is here at all, and I'm surprised he's not suggesting they all go on a quest to take that sucker to Mordor by now. I would have.

Regardless, Bakura announces that SOMETHING will be here soon. What, do you ask?

Guy makes a more impressive entrance than the real one.

Kaiba glares at him, asking a silent question about whether this is the guy who has the Ra god card. Meanwhile, Yuugi watches "Marik" walk up to him and cast a menacing look down at him as he passes nervously. Kaiba brings his question of if this is Marik out in the open, addressing the tattooed man directly. The response isn't direct - he says instead that no matter what, he has to defeat Kaiba and Yuugi (Obelisk and Slipher respectively) in order to take back the god cards. Well if that isn't a deflection, I don't know what is.

Yuugi, "Namu", and Kaiba all stand without comment. Yuugi thinks he feels a "horrible fighting aura", which can't POSSIBLY have anything to do with prejudice. No sir, those tattoos and the dark skin don't have a THING to do with Yuugi's assessment. The real Marik lets out a satisfied scoff.

The Moar Cards guy has an announcement to make now that seven out of eight finalists have gathered in the stadium. Though the everyone who wins the preliminaries in Battle City are led to Domino Stadium, it isn't actually where the finals take place. Yuugi makes a confused noise while Moar Cards guy says the real stage will soon be appearing before them, looking up into the sky. Yuugi and Jonouchi also roll their eyes up in astonishment at the news, still questioning what this all means.

The sound effects should have given them an idea.

Jonouchi's mouth is wide in amazement at the blimp, and Yuugi is still in disbelief that THIS is where they'll be dueling in the finals. Moar Cards guy confirms this, introducing the blimp as "Battle Ship".

How inspired a name. Did you come up with that, or was it Kaiba?

Jonouchi ponders this name, beginning to ask if there should be any deeper meaning read into it, but is interrupted by Moar Cards guy, who declares that the first round of the finals, what some might call the semi-finals, will take place at 1,000 meters in the air. And yet the news drops like a drama bomb. He encourages everyone to go aboard, because everything starts at exactly seven o'clock. You mean it's not seven yet? Damn, this is the longest fifteen minutes ever.

While ascending the stairs extending from the ground to the underside door into the blimp, Mai smiles at the concept of a battle in the sky. She says it must be really happy, and whether she means the battle or the blimp, I'm not certain. Jonouchi also seems excited, agreeing and putting in his own incomprehensible comment about how "it's burning already". I don't know, guys. Yuugi wonders where the blimp is going to fly, though, which is a fair question. Where is this shadowy corporation taking them anyway...?

As all the hangers-on begin to climb the stairs as well, Moar Cards guy waves his arms in protest, stating that anyone without a pass card into the tournament can't ride on the ship. Anzu starts complaining, claiming this is nonsense and there should be no problem letting them ride the blimp. Wow, someone has gotten a little entitled. Is that her or Marik talking? Yuugi twists around to cast a questioning glance on the scene on the stairs below.

Mokuba interjects that he ALSO doesn't have a pass card, and orders that Yuugi's entourage be let onto the blimp. Moar Cards guy starts to protest to HIM now, but Anzu and the rest of the non-finalists are already rushing up the stairs, verbally accepting Mokuba's kindness as well. Moar Cards guy impotently stutters out disconnected words to discourage this, but it's no use. Mokuba is just watching with a blank astonishment.

It's now Kaiba's turn to go up the steps, silently excited that the battle has finally begun. Except it hasn't? Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves here?

Ah, a kaleidoscope of motivation. Except asshole!Bakura anyway. He's just giddy.

Moar Cards guy looks at his watch and determines that the time is almost up, reiterating that the Battle Ship will be leaving at exactly seven o'clock. He assumes that in the end, the eighth duelist isn't going to show up, turning toward the stairs himself. He hears approaching footsteps behind him, though and looks around in surprise. Another lone figure has emerged from the entrance, and this one is a bit curvier than most of the others.

Though he continued to gape at the person walking up to him in her draping dress, he doesn't put up a fight when it comes to doing his job. He confirms her status in the finals through her puzzle cards and exchanges them for a pass card. He says she's able to head onto the blimp now.

Hey, I know you!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The way it establishes not only who the final cast of players is in the finals, but also their feelings toward each other, is particularly inspired this time around. I loved seeing Jonouchi's suspicion for "Namu" when they came face-to-face again, because out of everyone there, he SHOULD have the greatest paranoia. His brain probably feels like a wrung sponge right now, and he's linked it to the guy whose presence he can vaguely link to the beginning of mental cloudiness. It's really interesting that he's the one who has to be the one drawing these connections, since he's usually the dense one in the group, but it makes sense. He's also the one who has completely broken free of Marik's brainwashing. Anzu, unfortunately, still appears to be being used.

It was a pretty clever move that I'm a little impressed with, to be honest. At first I wasn't sure why Marik would bother to keep a link to Anzu, since she featured so little in the ultimate power play he set up earlier, but this was smart. She's not a duelist, so she can't fight directly in the tournament with the others, but she's close enough to Yuugi and the others to vouch for him whenever he wants her to, and take suspicion off him.

Another layer of clever is stacked onto using Rishid as a stand-in for him. Big, threatening guy with tattoos on his face? That is a recipe for INSTANT judgment, and Marik seems to be well aware of that. It's a great strategy to further diffuse attention and just blend in, and it's working so hard on Yuugi up there.

And here I was thinking Marik was a bit of a dunce. Clearly he's not a bad strategist, and by extension, neither is KT. I'd keep my eye on him...

Inuyasha Manga: 143 Kagura

I suppose we're making this official, then. Our hostess is doubtless about to make her grand entrance. Or, hostess in the sense that she's the one who did all the hard labor in preparing this little soiree. We have an invisible host whose busy head birthed the theme, but he'd prefer to stay in the shadows. Otherwise he might end up being a "Mr. Body" type character in a house where everyone is trying to figure our who killed him, where and with what.

Because you KNOW everyone would be claiming credit and we'd all have to figure out who did it just to know whose hand to shake. Bit of a reverse on the normal Clue characters avoiding blame, but I wouldn't hold it against them. Still a fun mystery.

But I guess they all have to agree on WHO to target before my fanfiction-y concept can be viable.

Kouga cracks the knuckles on his right hand, showing off the scar from his and Inuyasha's last encounter, the new "Shikon" shard glowing within it. There's no Gokurakuchou to distract this time. He says it's about time he completes his revenge for all his buddies lying dead across the ground around him. Shippou freaks out about the likelihood of Inuyasha's death while clinging to a speechless Kagome's shoulder. She's leaning forward, eyes locked on Inuyasha's Tessaiga, mind set on returning it to him.

She'd better hurry, because Kouga's powerful fist is flying through the air again as he tells Inuyasha to say his fucking prayers. Inuyasha lunges forward to deliver a blow with his Sankon Tessou, something we haven't seen in quite a while. There might be a reason for that, because this move and Kouga's punch merely glance off one another midair when they meet with a big crack. Kagome gasps at the sight. When both guys skid to a stop past one another, Kouga turns and scoffs, asking if his punch scratched him.

That's the understatement of the century.

Meanwhile, inside the rumbling halls of the spooky castle, Sango and Miroku run up to where they see a silhouette beyond a series of screens dividing a big room. Sango doesn't hesitate and throws her Hiraikotsu to smash through those screens. Hope it wasn't some innocent waif or prisoner stuck in there or anything, girl. Of course it's not, though, because Naraku's baboon-clad form is revealed by this action. As Sango catches her returning boomerang, Miroku shouts Naraku's name in anger.

I question why Naraku uses Sango's name here, but not Miroku's? Is it derogatory to Sango or paying Miroku some respect for a title? Maybe he's being grossly familiar with Sango because of their acquaintance before she realized he was a piece of shit? I don't know.

No one else cares, though, because Miroku has a more pressing question - why did Naraku kill Kouga's wolf-brethren? Naraku chuckles some more, claiming that their greed cost them their lives, one could say. Or, one could say you're deflecting the blame for your murders to the victims OF those murders. Tomato, toMAHto. Naraku says he spread some rumors that the lord of this castle had some Shikon shards collected, and the wolves took the bait. Naraku has been taking a leaf out of Mortdecai's book, I see.

But naturally, it took a bit longer to draw out the LEADER of the pack. And something a bit more substantial than rumors, now, don't forget that!

Miroku works out that Naraku is after Kouga, or more specifically, the Shikon fragments in his legs. Naraku laughs again, this time at how considerate Kouga is for his friends, for a youkai. He suggests that perhaps Kouga will be able to kill his friends' enemy, which he has implied is INUYASHA. Miroku makes a noise of disgust and Sango just looks pissed. Respectively, they spit about how it's always the same bullshit plan of setting people against one another, and how old this song and dance gets.

With another giggle, Naraku's power surges as he's surrounded by his Saimyoushou. He mentions the business in the garden may take a minute to settle, so until then...

Oh great, must be nice to know that all the effort in this fight is going to be wasted right at the beginning like that.

Back outside, Kouga tells Inuyasha that he's not getting away as Inuyasha jumps out of the way of another blow from Kouga's fist. Inuyasha is shielding his injured arm with the rest of his body, turning to keep it out of the way. Kouga kicks Inuyasha in the face again, who goes spiraling off. Kouga runs to catch up, cracking the knuckles on his right hand as he pulls them back in preparation to land another blow.

Kouga jumps up and then shoots down straight on top of Inuyasha, shoving his fist into Inuyasha's gut while shouting that this is the end. As a crater forms beneath them from the aftershock, Inuyasha wears one eye open in stunned shock and the other squeezed shut. Kagome screams his name, and it takes a moment for the dust to clear enough to make out Kouga standing hunched in the center of the crater, his right hand dripping fresh blood. Inuyasha lies beneath him motionless with his torso leaking blood, as well as the corner of his mouth.

Kagome shouts his name again in a panic, running to his side. She sits next to Inuyasha's prone form, assessing the damage closely while Kouga stands in the background. He still looks enraged, though he seems to have concluded that Inuyasha has dropped dead now. A voice from behind him asks if he's cheered up now that he's avenged his friends, prompting both Kouga and Kagome to turn to see who this is.

It's the woman with the fan, walking over to them through the fog and corpses. Her eyes are shut for a moment as she smirks girlishly, and says that surely Mr. Wolf has no regrets over this whole situation. Kagome stares open-mouthed, wary of this new person in their midst. Silence for a moment while everyone stares at one another, before Kouga asks who this bitch is.

Joke's on you, I'm not much of a dancer. Haven't really danced since college. And now that I say that out loud, it seems just a little sad.

Oh look, zombies! Perfect distraction! Kouga's wolf youkai brethren are standing up once more, to his utter shock and horror. As they slowly make their way to their feet, Kagura says that they died in a way much like this. It takes no time for Kouga's teeth to grind at the one actually claiming credit for all the bodies. He lunges forward, promising to waste Kagura, but with a scoff and a wave of her fan, he finds the corpses of the other wolf youkai flying at him.

After and initial moment caught off balance, due in no small part to his own revulsion, I'm sure, Kouga calls Kagura a bitch again and pulls back his fist. He's frozen by a stab of pain, though, and collapses to his knees as he loses strength, unable to move. Kagura chuckles much like Naraku as she hides her mouth behind her fan. She says that poisoned fragment he inserted in his arm must be starting to work its magic now. Kagura lifts the fan, claiming it's about time she started, and brings it down in an attack called Fuujin no Mai. A cluster of crescent-shaped slashes issue from her toward Kouga, who cringes away. It doesn't do him much good.

If any at all.

Kagome leans on her hip beside Inuyasha, gripping the cloth at his chest as she watches the new carnage brought on by the new girl. She stutters Inuyasha's name, begging him to get up. His eyes remain closed.

Kagura's attention is still focused on Kouga, bleeding and helpless. She asks for confirmation that he can't move, blaming the Shikon fragment he's using once more. It's fake, of course; a solidification of miasma and poison. A further condensed version of Naraku's particularly noxious farts. And Kouga put it in his arm.

Gross.

Uhhhh... sudden clipped ending aside, what's with the different font and resolution on this page? Was it taken from an entirely different translation, or what?

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? Kouga and Inuyasha's fight was brutal, the end turning scary when Kouga stood silently from his final punch to Inuyasha. It wasn't just Inuyasha's condition, which by itself was a horror. Still, we've seen him recover from some similar conditions before, one of which was inflicted by Sesshoumaru, and the other while he was HUMAN. While it's really awful and I don't doubt Inuyasha is in some serious hurt here, I also don't doubt that he's going to get through this.

No, what really struck me at the end of that battle was Kouga's expression. He didn't look satisfied at all, and was still angry. Either this is a comment on how revenge would never have done him any good anyway, even if it had been on the right villain, OR there's a part of him there that might have thought it was a bit too easy. I'm leaning on the latter, because even though Kouga had a power-amplifier here where his friends did not, there were still too many of them to be taken down by someone who went down so easily himself. There may have been a feeling of something not being at all right with Kouga for that moment between his victory and being told outright that Inuyasha wasn't the one who did this. It makes sense, what with his strong intuition and everything.

And that's not where the skin-crawling ended for me. Seeing Kouga rendered incapacitated by the very enhancement he used against Inuyasha was gruesome. The look on his face not only contained the shock that you might expect, but some genuine fear there too, with the realization that he's not going to be ALLOWED to fight anymore. Wearing the same look when he was sliced up by Kagura's attack had me almost feeling worse for him than for Inuyasha.

It's a shame that Miroku and Sango had to be led off to the side so they can engage in some busy work while the real show is happening outside, but that's just what happens when there are more characters than you know what to do with in a scene. I still prefer this to the standing around gaping at the action bit, though, because not having ANYTHING to do at all bugs me in real life, so in fiction it just sticks in my craw. I know I was expecting this to happen a lot, but knowing its inevitability doesn't make it any easier to swallow. Like death, it's a part of life, but that doesn't mean we have to LIKE it.

And guys, what's with all the "K" names? RT got some sort of thing for them, or what?

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 201 The Final Challengers!!

And just like that, the tension has been diffused, thanks a return to multiple exclamation marks. These little symbols have grown on me in the oddest way, in how they represent a little break in the emotional drama. A little breather wouldn't be unwelcome to our heroes, I'm sure, half of whom could probably use a nap about now. I know I could probably sleep for a few days after an ordeal like this, but I very much doubt they'll get THAT much leeway. Kaiba, after all, will be wanting to jump right into the finals of his tournament.

Somebody should knock Sleeping Beauty back out so everyone else can get some rest.

Oh the boundless energy of youth...

Jonouchi looks down at Shizuka to address her, by his own admission finally having something to say to her. FINALLY something other than a petulant tantrum to push her away in an attempt to "protect" her from bad shit you've done that isn't even your fault? You don't say. Shizuka gives him curious attention so that Jonouchi can state that he's dedicated to using the courage she's given him to earn some glory for her to behold. She seems happy enough by this promise, nodding with a smile, but I'm not sure how I feel about Jonouchi wearing glory for Shizuka just to look at like a trophy. Whatevz.

Mai swans over to warn Shizuka that "heartless situations" may arise, and that she shouldn't pretend to have not seen something unmentioned, even if Mai left the city pretty easily. Now, this is absolute nonsense that I can only parse because of Jonouchi's subsequent protest that he's not going to lose. She's apparently suggesting that if they're matched in the finals, Mai is going to have to beat him, but there's got to be a better way to say that. She's much more cogent when she says to Yuugi that she wants to make this clear; she's a lot stronger than she was before. See, why couldn't you have just said that before?

Rubbing his forefinger under his snotty baby nose, Jonouchi assures Mai that both he and Yuugi were expecting her growth in skill, Yuugi agreeing eagerly behind him. He becomes somewhat more subdued when he says Yuugi's name this time, and renews his promise to straightforwardly and truly duel Yuugi in the tournament, this time with his own duelist status rather than as a proxy. Yuugi and Yami are both smiling, agreeing simultaneously.

Great, now that all this reiteration is taken care of, someone makes the novel suggestion that they all set out for the site for the finals.

This is what happens when you hang out with babies, Mai.

Because Mai is an irresponsible babysitter, she swings out onto a street and cuts someone off who honks at her, but apparently doesn't notice. She asks how many duelists would be in the finals overall, and Yuugi responds that Kaiba said there should be eight participants at the most, talking through Anzu's shoulder jammed against his cheek uncomfortably. Jonouchi makes a serious count of those they know to have made it thus far, himself, Yuugi, Mai and Kaiba. As of yet, they don't know who the other four are going to be, but Yuugi is pretty damn sure one of them will be Marik.

They continue to chat as they speed down the street, asking and answering whether Kaiba intended to start the finals by this time, since the sun has set (yes), and whether it's just the people who won the preliminaries who will know where the finals are located. Mai tersely tells Jonouchi to overlap the six puzzle cards he won on his Duel Disk in order to find out where the finals are, and Jonouchi looks overly excited by the prospect. He kind of lacks the room to do so at this moment, though, and it's a bit late since Mai's already taking him there, but hey, whatever floats his boat.

Yuugi, also lacking the room to do much more than look up, much like the squirming Anzu and Honda next to him, lets out a shocked noise at the sky above. He's spotted Kaiba's helicopter heading in the exact same direction as them and points this out to his friends. From all the way up there, Kaiba has cottoned onto their car being below as well. He smirks, assuming that the bunch of idiots are trying to follow him to the finals, and encouraging that if they're fast enough. He then urges whomever is at the yoke to go full speed ahead and the helicopter.

In the car again, Anzu's phone rings and she answers it on the first. When the person on the other end asks if it's her, she says it is and identifies the caller as Sugoroku. He's beside himself because of the terrible fact that Bakura has disappeared on him. Since the kids are in such close quarters, Yuugi and Jonouchi have no trouble understanding Anzu's panic when she asks about Bakura in a halting manner. Sugoroku is at the hospital, where he took Bakura to treat his injury, but he looked away for one moment and the boy has gone missing. Usually that happens with fucking TODDLERS, but I guess Bakura is just as easily distracted, huh?

Yuugi stares with ultimate poopface at the phone, gaping at the thought of Bakura. The car continues to speed along the road regardless. Look out for wandering white-haired patients on the street, Mai.

This is the place you expect to get murdered, not play a game of cards. And wouldn't you know it, lurking in the unfinished stands, shadowed by the night, is Marik, the wanna-be murderer. He's accompanied by Mr. Rishid, who greeted him with a Duel Disk and a bunch of puzzle cards upon his arrival into Domino. Rishid states that it's about time, and Marik greets him with a question: if he remembers the promise between Marik and his father. Rishid says he remembers, and Marik says this is good, because he plans to pay for an end to the accursed lives his family has endured for 3,000 years with Yuugi's life.

Again, you really shouldn't count on that, considering how ineffectual you've been to this end thus far.

But all Marik wants to talk about is the endless rewordings of his need for revenge, this time to the darkness which took everything from him. Rishid just looks forward silently, and I like to think he's rolling his eyes mentally by now. "Yeah, yeah, we've heard this shit a million times before around the dinner table Marik, get over yourself."

[TW: mention of sexual and other abuse ahead] That's just too high of a bar to clear, apparently. Marik scoffs, betting that there's not a single person in this world who has had a dark, terrifying life like his. I don't know Marik, I can think of at least THREE victims of forced detainment in basements with chains and locks, sexually abused for years on end. People who probably also feel horror at falling asleep, just like you, but here you are claiming you're the only one. He recalls being raised in underground darkness, apparently to protect order, and only being able to believe in the bonds of his family. Again, there have been others who have experienced similar situations, Marik.

Rishid doesn't say a fucking WORD, still staring straight into the center of the stadium. Meanwhile, Marik is still chatting away, this time about the pyramids in Egypt that the Pharaohs commissioned. He says their shape isn't simple, but an indication of direction and the sun's path beneath, and the absolute authority of the pharaoh. But what Marik calls "authoritarians" from dark places who worship the darkness came out of the woodwork at a certain point. Magicians eventually created seven tools to seal the darkness, the Millennium Items with the puzzle among them, an upside-down pyramid that is itself a symbol of darkness.

Soooooo, the magicians were against the darkness and the "authoritarians", therefore they were against the pharaoh? Trying to subvert that authority of the symbol of darkness? This whole deal becomes all the murkier when Marik talks about his family sacrificing a lot of things to safeguard the darkness. Are they the authoritarians? I don't know. Marik reveals that his family has a book of prophecies that also records that evil energies as well as the spirit of a boy pharaoh were sealed together in darkness, evil energies that have only recently, after thousands of years, begun to pulsate once more. The pharaoh's soul is meant to reawaken as well, reincarnated to regain his memories, memories that only MARIK has access to at this point.

After his long silence, Rishid asks for confirmation that he'll be playing the role of Marik with all his abilities and obsessive goal of targeting Yuugi. Marik doesn't appear to be paying attention, though, lost in his own insistence that he won't be giving Yuugi those memories. Before that ever happens, Marik plans to bury Yuugi in true darkness with the power of Ra, the Sun God. Well, that seems counter-intuitive. Regardless, he considers this his only path to true freedom.

Down on the field in the center of the stadium, a silhouette of a man is standing straight as a reed. Like one of those little person pieces from the Game of Life. A sure sign that the finals are about to begin. Marik is going to have to wrap this up. He says that the moment the memories are given over to Yuugi, his family are supposed to die in the wake of their finished mission, so their only way of surviving is killing Yuugi and getting a hold of the pharaoh's name. What, it's not part of those all-important memories you have? Of course they're not.

Marik addresses Rishid about the possibility of his failure:

Well, I guess if you're going to die anyway...

Above the man standing on the field below, a helicopter is lowering into the center. Marik smiles about Kaiba's arrival, identifying him as the other one who holds a god card. When the helicopter touches down next to the staunch man on the field, Kaiba steps out and up to him, who is either already holding or has just been given a fan of cards to hold up in front of his chest. He says "they" have been waiting for Kaiba an awfully long time, because it was assumed the boy genius would have found the finals location a lot sooner than this. Kaiba says they took a long, boring detour. His lies amuse the shit out of me because I remember him being quite a bit LESS bored than he's claiming...

Kaiba asks how many contestants have arrived so far, and the man answers two, describing a guy with tattoos on his face and another who actually gave a name: "Namu". Instead of considering the possibility that "Namu" could be the fake-ass name it is, Kaiba is immediately suspicious that the guy with the tattoo on his face is the guy who has the god card Ra, Marik. Because there's no way a guy with a tattoo isn't suspect for something, amrite??

The man hands over one of the cards he's holding, stating that every finalist who arrives must have one for entry, and... apologizes to Kaiba for having to have it? Why would you be guilty for passing out something so innocuous? Does the thing shock its holder every hour or something? Or is this guy just sad that he has to give Kaiba yet ANOTHER card in this tournament with an overabundance of the things?

Who knows? Kaiba takes the card without commentary, a plastic slab with a magnetic strip on it in addition to a Battle City logo. An explanation floats next to the close-up on the card, and I'm not sure who's giving it. Possibly Mokuba, because after a reiteration that every participant will have to have an entry card in order to be taken to the dueling grounds, there being five entry cards left, and the time-limit for arrival being 7 o'clock pm, now about 20 minutes away, Mokuba says that three more contestants are on their way, cross-armed and smug. Kaiba turns and walks away, going to make final adjustments to his deck. He says he'll be back in half an hour.

And with that, we switch our focus to another jerkwad.

Well if it isn't our favorite wandering asshole. And yet ANOTHER throw-away dude from Duelist Kingdom. I'm beginning to think that KT can only bother to come up with new opponents for Yami to face and to hell with everyone else.

Oh well, we came in on the tail-end of Kotsuzuka's re-entry into the series, and he's about to make another hasty exit. After asshole!Bakura calls out some sort of "Spirit Form" attack and some invisible force knocks Kotsuzuka right on his ass, he mumbles that he lost, sweating. Asshole!Bakura points at him and demands a puzzle card from him and also his DEATH. The next panel suggests that maybe asshole!Bakura got exactly what he wanted too, because Kotsuzuka is laying in the foreground, slack-jawed, eyes wide but blank, as Bakura walks off into the background bragging that this card he's just collected can be added to the puzzle cards he got from Kotsuzuka to make a full six.

That seems like a pretty big overreaction.

Asshole!Bakura laughs and licks his lips, anticipating the beginning of what he calls the "Thousand-Year Duel", which ha says will taste like blood. He claims he doesn't want to leave his friends with such an amusing performance, and I'll be damned if I know what the fuck that means. I like amusing performances myself, but maybe he's going for something dull and torturous instead. He WOULD.

Meanwhile, Mai's car speeds up the street and comes upon the entrance to Domino Stadium, the location of the finals for Battle City, according to someone's excited shout. The car skids to a stop within, and one of Mai's boots emerges from behind the door as she steps out.

And then there were six. Bakura makes seven, of course, when he arrives. Will that be all? Somehow I doubt it.

Marik looks absolutely furious with Yuugi's appearance, though his thoughts about this face-off "at last" beginning gives another impression. The whole crowd from the car approaches the man with the MOAR CARDS, all of them implausibly silent. The man welcomes them to the destination of their final duel, and affirms that the qualifications the finals have been verified for Yuugi, Jonouchi and Mai, congratulating the three of them specifically. He offers them each an entry card.

Jonouchi demands to know who the other participants are, but the only response he receives is that whoever they are, they will be gathering with them shortly. A chuckling dumbass behind them states that he's one of them, and it turns out to be BAKURA OH MY GOODNESS!! At least, that's the reaction of Yuugi and Jonouchi. Asshole!Bakura's got himself a bandage wrapped around his injured arm, which appears to still be dribbling blood. He's all on fire to start the damn game already.

Kaiba has returned, apparently, posing with his hand just over the deck in his Duel Disk and looking intense. Awww, has it been 30 minutes already? Mokuba smugly brags that his older brother is the best candidate, and thereby he has to be the winner. Not when there's an electoral college involved, apparently.

And Yami's back in the front. No finals for you, Yuugi!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall. "Reiteration" should have been its name. From Jonouchi's retelling of all those things he already said in one way or another, to Mai instructing Jonouchi on how to figure out the location of the finals, to Marik's broken-record whining about how he has to get his revenge against Yami, to Bakura's meet-up with another person from Duelist Kingdom. This is why the chapter took so long for me to recap, because it's difficult to get through an info-dump on mostly things you already know. Seems a bit redundant.

Though it would be unfair of me not to mention that the chapter was only MOSTLY made up of reiterations. There were a couple of interesting points, one of which being Marik's hints here and there that he's lived a rather unfortunate existence up until recently, and it will all eventually end with death if he ends up doing what he's supposed to like a good boy. If there's no benefit to behaving well, and all the benefit of living if one behaves badly, then what's the point in choosing the former? The way he describes his family's mission is chilling; it brings up images of cults and brainwashed indoctrination. A little ironic, given his own proclivities for brainwashing victims. Or maybe not so much, considering the abused very often become abusers themselves in the long run, in ways very much similar to their own abusers. And there is something to the adage that misery loves company.

I'm not exactly a fan of HOW all of this came out, though. Given Marik is talking to Rishid, and it's already established how he seems to favor the big tattooed guy over the rest of his lackeys, its more than likely that Rishid already knows all this stuff. In a way, this all must be another reiteration for THEM in particular. And all just to get the audience up to speed. It's very clumsy, and throws me right out of the revelation so I can wonder why two people would ever TALK like this when its all been said between them before.

There's also the fact that Bakura ran off so he could get his game on and collect all these puzzle cards. Not sure what his goal is with that. Just to be around for the big event? Seems like he really made a hasty decision cutting himself earlier, then. Couldn't he have just sought out those guys from whom he stole the Duel Disk before and just had a little tussle with them instead, avoiding serious shit and still letting Marik look like the hero anyway?

I'm thinking too hard about this again. Wake me up when we start getting into the new material again.

Inuyasha Manga: 142 The Corpse Dance

Somebody call Oingo Boingo, because it looks like there's a dead man's party up ahead! Despite being living, I'm a big fan of these around this time. The dumb suppers, the gourd carving, and the variety of disguises we wear to fit in with those otherworldly beings that visit the land of the living during the autumn season. Luckily, Inuyasha and Shippou won't need too much of a costume to fit into the celebration, but I wonder what Sango, Miroku and Kagome are going to wear...

Oh, I guess they're just going to show up in their everyday garb. I hope they at least brought something tasty for these party animals to enjoy.

Although, as a shot of a decapitated wolf head shows, the party seems to have been taken right out of these animals. Kagome is shocked at the fact that there are wolves, and a disturbed-looking Sango suggests that this means these guys are with the youkai wolves they were only just dealing with. Or were.

Or... ARE. Their lifeless state seems to be changing before Inuyasha and company's eyes.

They're coming to get you, Barbara...

These are the modern, fast-moving zombies, though. They're quick when they lunge at the newcomers, some missing arms or a half a head. Shippou freaks about how they're seemingly alive despite their appearance before, but Inuyasha corrects him as he rushes to meet the challenge. These guys are corpses. Inuyasha punches one directly in front of him in his mutilated face, sending him flying, but another pops up right next to Kagome and Shippou, both of them screaming in terror.

Inuyasha leaps up and swings Tessaiga over their heads, slicing the assaulter in half. The crowd of zombie wolves that remain standing hiss at him, appearing to continue their push toward him, so Inuyasha realizes with some shock that they're being manipulated by someone.

Heeeeey, I'm beginning to think that this isn't a party after all...

Especially since that fucking wet blanket Naraku has shown up, just behind the woman, calling her Kagura. He tells her to stop her Corpse Dance and leave the rest to Kouga. Kagura begs to be the one to finish them all off, and whines that this is boring when she snaps her fan shut obediently. Out in the courtyard, the zombies lurch to a stop and collapse to the ground, much to Inuyasha's surprise. He was all ready to slice them with Tessaiga and everything.

At just this moment, Kouga leaps into the courtyard to join the chaos, landing just a short distance from Inuyasha standing, bloodied and armed, next to a falling corpse. Eyes wide, Kouga says Inuyasha's name with disbelief, but all Inuyasha can do is stare back at him with a matching look of shock, with a gaping Kagome peeking out from behind him.

Kouga looks down at all the bodies littering the ground and mutters about how cruel this is. Though he expresses doubt that Kouga will believe him, Inuyasha tries to explain that Kouga's friends had already been dead when he arrived. Kouga yells at Inuyasha not to fuck with him, pointing out the blood covering Inuyasha as quite the evidence that he's a lying sack of shit.

Inuyasha lunges toward Kouga with sword raised, apparently seeing no more point in more attempts to reason, and urges Kagome to stay back. Kagome stutters his name in response, but he's caught in his own angry thoughts, cursing the fact that they're obviously being set up by Naraku. As Inuyasha and Kouga close in on each other, Inuyasha deduces that Kouga and his youkai wolf brethren were also lured here.

Meanwhile, Kouga is just blind with rage and throws a surprising punch.

The bystanders stare open-mouthed at what is obviously an INCREASE in power of Kouga's injured arm since his loss of the Shikon shard. That doesn't seem quite right.

Kouga pulls his fist out of the trench he created, scoffing, while Inuyasha's eyes widen in astonishment. It doesn't last long, though, because it's only a moment before he settles back into a glare and accuses Kouga of using another Shikon fragment in its place. Kouga scoffs again, recalling that his previous shard had been stolen by Inuyasha and his lot, but lucky for him the current one seems to work better than the last anyway.

Kagome can see the shimmer of the shard in Kouga's arm as he clenches his fist menacingly, and sees a dark surge of power emanating from it. She says that it's no Shikon fragment, and when Miroku utters a questioning noise next to her, she explains that it gives off a dark, warped light. Of course, the two combatants aren't paying attention, preparing to clash once more.

Inuyasha's sword arm is wracked with pain as Tessaiga flies out of his hand, sticking in the ground behind him and transforming back into a rusted and notched piece of junk. Inuyasha spends a moment too long gaping at the fact that he was disarmed, allowing Kouga to whoosh up beside him and clock him in the face with his super-powered arm. Inuyasha goes skidding into the ground, a giant bruise forming on the whole of his cheek as blood trickles from his mouth, groaning. Sango calls Inuyasha's name, but Miroku remains tensely silent.

Kagome appeals to Kouga instead, shouting at him to hear them out. He pauses in surprise for a moment before telling her not to cover for a guy like Inuyasha, who is currently struggling to sit up. Kagome goes ahead with her explanation, saying that this is a trap set up by the real person who killed Kouga's friends, but Kouga doesn't want to hear it. He barks at her to shut up, because he only believes what he sees with his own eyes. While that seems a reasonable policy to have, maybe he should ask some scientists how well relying exclusively on one's frequently lying senses works in ascertaining the truth for them.

Kagome is told to hush by Inuyasha too, who claims that a simple-minded dude like Kouga isn't likely to understand a complex situation like this one. Oh, I see. A guy makes a couple of elementary deductions at the beginning of a chapter and suddenly he thinks he's a damn genius. Inuyasha insists that for an idiot like this (Kouga, apparently), the only way to quiet him is by force. Projection much, Inuyasha? While Kagome mumbles a shocked disbelief that it's all come to this Shippou agrees with me; Inuyasha isn't exactly one to talk things over either.

I don't know man, you remember how cocky you were the LAST time you faced off against Inuyasha?

Sango turns to Miroku and asks if they should back Inuyasha up, but Miroku says that Inuyasha is still well enough to brawl. Something about his face says otherwise though, as he's still staring intently at said brawl with his mouth hanging open. Regardless, he mentions a presence of evil surrounding the castle before shooting off in that direction, telling a somewhat confused Sango to come along with him. He suspects that whomever was controlling the corpses littering the ground all the way up to the front steps should be inside.

Meanwhile, the brawl continues. Inuyasha leaps back from a powerful punch, then lunges for his sword still stuck in the earth a ways away. Kouga lands a kick to his jaw before he can reach it.

I have SERIOUS doubts Naraku will let you have either of those things, lady.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? AWESOME! This is the kind of stuff I've always loved from Inuyasha, the creepy horror angle. My excitement might be exacerbated, like I said in my cold open, by the fortuitous timing of my reaching this particular arc, but I would have been really excited either way. Not only is there the regular old zombie and setup for a crime, but it's implied that Naraku has been watching Inuyasha and company frequently enough that he knew when Inuyasha and Kouga met and their instant dislike of one another. Now that's stalker shit.

Inuyasha may have delivered a derisive comment about Kouga being unable to understand the complexity of the situation, but he understood from the beginning that Kouga was unlikely to believe that he wasn't the one who killed his fellow wolf youkai. He knows because the trap between himself and Kikyou was so similar in its deception. He spent an awfully long time believing that Kikyou had attacked him fifty years ago out of malice, and it wasn't until he got to speak to the other victim of the plot one-on-one that he started to realize there were inconsistencies between his experience and hers.

The only problem with this one is that Kouga and Inuyasha didn't start out with a positive relationship like Inuyasha and Kikyou; they hated each other at first sight. Kouga is even LESS likely to believe anything Inuyasha says, because he's already predisposed to believe Inuyasha is a scoundrel by default.

Naraku may not have gotten to tear apart a pair of lovers this time, but pitting already bitter enemies against one another may be one of his better ideas in traps such as these. Too bad for him that fools can unravel even the best of plans...