YuYu Hakusho Manga: 015 Just One Win!

That's all it takes, often enough. Building confidence and power is quite a bit easier with even a single win, because it feels like you have something on which to base it. The demoralization that comes with failure is partly due to how it kind of convinces you that the universe is sending you a message not to even bother, so it can really be helpful to have what looks like a blessing from it by contrast. To a species that heavily relies on giving symbolic significance to pattern recognition, one win can make or break further efforts for a lot of people.

And then there are some people who have so many resources that winning and losing hardly even registers, because there are simply no consequences for either one. 

It's not hard to see which of these guys above has had more wins.

Yusuke is VERY excited, encouraging the fight and gushing about how he loves a good brawl to get the blood racing, but upon a second look, Yusuke has to admit that this looks more like a beating than a fight. As one of the bullies yells at their victim to get up, Yusuke seems to express some surprise when he gets a decent view of that victim's face. He exclaims that he knows the guy, someone he calls "Matsu the Dud". That already sounds pretty telling. 

Botan asks about his declaration of acquaintance, and Yusuke confirms that they met in grade school, explaining that the guy's name was Suekichi Matsuo, but everyone called him "Matsu the Dud" because he failed at everything. He characterizes the kid as a bully-magnet, and claims that he'd come to Matsuo's rescue a lot. Botan says that was nice of him, but I'm skeptical, given his insincere grin and the image accompanying it where a younger Matsuo has his arms tied to what looks like a push broom across his shoulders so he's forced to hold a T-pose. It looks like he's not wearing pants too, because with closer inspection you can see some *ahem* lumps drawn in the crotch area. A younger Yusuke stands by, smarming about how it doesn't look like Matsuo is having a great time. 

Yusuke reveals in the next panel that these "rescues" he refers to cost Matsuo a good 1000 Yen a pop, which is the real reason he was so happy to lend a hand. Botan cynically thinks that she should have known, and it looks a little like she's spitting a star as she sweatdrops? While Yusuke watches Matsuo get held by two guys and punched by a third, he says that Matsuo had mentioned wanting to get into boxing in junior high, but supposes that by the looks of things he didn't get too far. Matsuo is on the ground and being kicked from three different directions, his tormentors calling him a pansy and demanding he get up again, before Yusuke finally decides that this is just not right. He says it shouldn't take all three of those bullies to knock Matsu the Dud around, and they're just kicking him while he's down. Literally.

Pointing at the commotion, Yusuke tells Botan that he's got to put a stop to this business that has gone way too far. Botan reminds him that he's a ghost and that he can't really do anything unless he's in a body, and this seems to read to him as a suggestion, because he affirms this and starts descending to the ground. Botan angrily commands him not to dare, since he can't just slip into someone's body whenever he wants and that this is NOT how it works. He's not listening, though, already halfway into Matsuo's groaning body. 

Botan is in shock that he seems to have done it despite her insistence that he couldn't, Matsuo's body twitching. It's her explanation that this is because the kid is unconscious, but she's still quite affronted by what she characterizes as akin to a burglary, taking over a body when the soul isn't really there. Except, it SHOULD be there, right? Matsuo's just knocked out? Is it part of the lore that our souls leave our bodies when we're unconscious, because that happens A LOT in this one...

Anyway, the bullies call him a moron who should have just paid up and gotten it over with. 

Get THAT over with, douchebags.

After the brawl, Yusuke holds a handful of coins in Matsuo's palm, and exclaims that these guys just had chump change, and it must have been the reason they decided to mug his host. Yusuke scratches Matsuo's cheek, mumbling that he jumped into his body literally without an exit strategy. He wonders if he'll get ejected after 30 minutes like when he possessed Kuwabara, and seems to take this for granted, walking off to go wait it out at Matsuo's place. 

Botan asserts that waiting it out won't be enough this time, complaining about how Yusuke always leaps without looking. She contemplates reporting the incident to the underworld and have them discipline them, just when Koenma appears behind her in much the same way he did Yusuke in the last chapter. Koenma assures her that this isn't so bad, causing her to straighten up and whirl around in alarm and confusion that he's back again already. He cheerily points out that his appearances have been in two chapters in a row, busting through that fourth wall like the Kool-Aid Man. 

Koenma tells her that they actually had a meeting in the underworld, and that they've made a decision regarding Yusuke.

Awkward that he seems to have found a new one, lol.

After a speechless moment, Botan is in a little disbelief, admitting that she thought Koenma's intervention in the fire set Yusuke back a bit from being reunited with his body. Koenma confirms this, but he says that it brought something else to the fore, a little bad luck bringing some good fortune, so to speak. When Koenma came into direct contact with Yusuke's virtue as he pulled it out of Yusuke's chest, he was able to analyze the boy's soul. That must have been a LIGHTNING fast analysis - mine on these chapters take a few days at least. 

Koenma's main issue is that he couldn't really pin down Yusuke's true nature, with his extreme emotions, exhibition of immorality and decency almost simultaneously, and ALMOST consistent yet haphazard behavior. I don't know, bro, I think you're missing the forest for the trees, here. 

Are... are you sure that's the ONLY conclusion? You sure there buddy?

Oh well, who am I to argue with the toddler prince of the underworld? Koenma says their conclusion was that it's pointless to judge Yusuke's character as a non-corporeal ghost, and that it lacks definition without a body. I feel like that could apply to literally ALL living things, but go off I guess. It was Koenma's intention coming here to inform Yusuke of this, but he has found that Yusuke is already walking off in a body, sneezing, albeit not his own. So, Koenma suggests that this could be enlightening, and that he and Botan can sit back and observe for a while. 

The ultimate test here is supposed to be Yusuke helping the boy he's possessed with his problems or goals in some way, and if he succeeds, Koenma promises to return Yusuke to his own body for good. He admits that it'll break some long-standing rules, but they're pretty flexible when the occasion calls for it. Semantically I believe that would be BENDING the rules, not that it's all that important. Koenma does say that he thinks Yusuke is okay deep down, and asks Botan if she would agree as Yusuke's guide. She pauses a moment, but looks perfectly happy to say that she would indeed say so. 

Cut to a house with a side gate, and someone asking to be excused. A woman in a striped apron, labeled Suekichi's mom, walks out to greet the person who is speaking, finding her son in the entryway of the home claiming to have not seen her in a while and telling her she has a nice place. She snaps at him not to be cute, and asks what happened to his face, suggesting it was another mishap at boxing practice. From inside Matsuo's body, Yusuke is a little cowed, having been reminded that he's in another kid's body. Meanwhile, Suekichi's mom is still snapping at him, revealing that he let him box after he bugged her about wanting it so badly, but she's not putting up with this hobby if he keeps getting hurt every day. She thinks he'll end up too "punchy" to study or prepare for a good high school, which I think might be another way of her saying he'll get some brain damage. 

Yusuke, with Matsuo's mouth, tells her that it's okay, because he got into a fight rather than boxing. Unsurprisingly, this only confuses her at first, and then she yells that this is NOT okay with her. Can't say I blame her much. 

Got the spirit of the chapter down, I see.

Yusuke apparently spent a lot of time with this kid, because he recalled Matsuo going on about his boxing ambitions all the time, telling him that it wasn't about getting back at a bunch of bullies. He admired the pure sport of it, the opponents praying for each other beforehand and praising each other afterwards, the skill and discipline being everything. The younger Matsuo punches out at the air in excitement, expressing his goal of experiencing victory even if it's just once. 

Back in the present, Yusuke continues to observe the simple poster, and after a pause, mumbles that it's so far no good in this case. Suddenly, Matsuo/Yusuke appears mildly confused, humming in puzzlement both aloud and internally. A pulse passes through Matsuo's body, and just like that, he's holding a hand to his bruised cheeks as though he's just feeling it for the first time, whining in pain. He looks around, noting that he's in his room, and asking himself how he GOT there, muttering that he must have wandered back home absently. 

Yusuke's voice sounds inside his skull, announcing that HE'S the one who brought him here. Matsuo starts to panic, looking around and stuttering the obvious questions of who this is and where they are. Yusuke says he understands that it's been a couple of years, but he hopes that Matsuo hasn't forgotten his ol' pal Urameshi. He adds that he's actually INSIDE Matsuo, and he can't find his way out again. Understandably, Matsuo is pretty upset and alarmed by this; he's put his hands on either side of his head and denies Yusuke's statement at first, but it becomes apparent really fast that there really is a voice coming from INSIDE his skull. He starts supplying a stream of explanations for himself, everything from all the whacks in the head he's been taking, to the stress he's been feeling lately, to fatigue that might just be fixed with a small nap. As if he hasn't literally been unconscious up until recently. The whole time, Yusuke's voice is nagging at him to pay attention to it. 

That looks even MORE painful than I feel it should.

A transition panel shows the upper corner of a school, the morning bell ringing. Matsuo walks along a crowded hallway, acknowledging to Yusuke that he still hears him in his head even after a night's sleep. Hopefully none of those classmates surrounding him hear HIM talking to himself. Yusuke responds that now Matsuo knows he's not a dream, then starts complaining that there aren't many distractions in Matsuo's room. Apparently, Matsuo has a bunch of textbooks and boxing stuff, but not a single girlie mag. It IS possible he's not into girls, Yusuke. 

Matsuo freaks out about Yusuke rummaging around his room with his body while he was supposed to be asleep, punching the back of his head and calling Yusuke as shameless as he's always been, and alarming his fellow students in the process. Yusuke changes the subject to how junior high is almost over, and asking if Matsuo even has a SHOT at a match as Matsuo rubs the back of his own head, wincing. 

Smiling, Matsuo thinks at Yusuke about the city-wide junior high boxing tournament that takes place five days from now, and he's going to be the second-year representative for his school - his last chance at his victory. As Matsuo continues walking them down the corridor, Yusuke suggests that he smoked all the other contenders in his class, but Matsuo admits the truth that there are only two second-year contenders overall. After a small pause, Yusuke asks if he trounced the other guy, hopefully. Matsuo is stumbling over another disappointing explanation when someone else in the hall calls out to him. Someone NOT in his own head.

Looks like you guys have had ENOUGH sparring, frankly.

Matsuo protests that only basic exercises are scheduled today, but the guy with the square haircut grabs him by the collar and tells him to just shut up and come on. Matsuo is following of his own will in the next panel, not being dragged along like I thought, when Yusuke asks Matsuo who this clown is. He calls Square-Haircut Tachikawa, the OTHER second-year that said was representing the school. He's a kid big and tough enough to go up against high schoolers, but he's in trouble a lot and blows off practice, which is the reason Matsuo was the one picked for the match. Yusuke recognizes the guys behind Tachikawa as the ones beating Matsuo up yesterday, so it's obvious to him now that the incident wasn't just a random mugging. Yusuke's beating is why they have all those bandages on, I reckon.

In an out-building labeled for the boxing club, Tachikawa has got Matsuo down on the floor again, kicking him and mockingly asking what's with him. He demands Matsuo get up, repeating what he heard about Matsuo kicking the shit out of his guys with one lucky punch or something the previous day. Yeah, a guy does THAT much damage with one hit, keep telling yourself that. Inside Matsuo's head, Yusuke is urging him to go ahead and whack the dude, because thus far, this hasn't been much of a match. Matsuo staggers to his feet and holds up his gloves, complaining that Tachikawa isn't sticking to the rules - Matsuo wants to box, but his opponent clearly wants to brawl.

There's a few other students who have entered the club building, and are reacting to the sounds of punches and whacks from the ring with mild surprise, at most. The overwhelming attitude is a collective shrug at Matsu the Dud getting beaten up again, with an exasperated comment that the kid should either learn to throw a punch or quit. Tachikawa turns to shout at the first years coming in not to snitch on him to the seniors, then turns back to Matsuo and asks him if he's ready to quit and let HIM represent the class. Ah, that's why he's targeting Matsuo, a sense of misplaced injustice that a powerhouse like him should be passed over by a wimp like Matsuo. 

Matsuo's blood drips in the ring while Tachikawa continues to complain that it shouldn't matter when he misses practice, because he can wipe the floor with Matsuo, so he should be the one going to the tournament. Tachikawa argues that he would save Matsuo some pain if he would just quit already. A little pause later, Matsuo responds with a warbling refusal, but a refusal nonetheless. 

Tachikawa's reply is predictable. He scoffs, shuffles off his own gloves, and pulls back his fist for a bare punch, saying they'll see what he says after this. Matsuo's face is downright SMASHED by the punch, and the junior onlookers wince, muttering about the brutality of it. Tachikawa's group is reveling in the violence, though, laughing that Matsuo is getting his, and that it must really have been a fluke that Matsu the Dud managed to lay them all out yesterday. That would make me even MORE ashamed to getting my ass kicked like that, but hey, whatever helps them sleep at night. 

Matsuo lays on his side in the ring, bloodied and disfigured, Tachikawa looking down on him and chuckling that Matsuo will have plenty to think about when he regains consciousness. He then spits on the poor kid, the saliva landing on his cheek. Leaving the ring, Tachikawa invites his gang to leave with him, but then he hears a voice from behind him tell him to hold it. 

On his feet once more, Matsuo says he's had enough, that this isn't boxing, but street scrapping. Tachikawa says he's a bastard, but Matsuo isn't really talking to him anymore, but seemingly to himself. It's really Yusuke, of course, who has taken control of Matsuo's body once again, and the gloves come off as he suggests they dispense with the sport that Matsuo holds in such high regard and do things HIS way now. Tachikawa has returned to the ring, admitting he doesn't know what Matsuo is mumbling about, but he's happy to give him more pain if that's what he's after.

His teeth are flying and EVERYTHING. Tachikawa gurgles as the punch launches him, the audience of both junior students and his gang looking on in wide-eyed shock that he would not only go down with one hit, but that it came from "Matsu the Dud". Although, they're already correcting themselves in calling Matsuo by his proper name now. Yusuke, through Matsuo, is now stomping on Tachikawa in the ring, asking him if he thinks scum like him can mess around like this and threatening to all-out KILL him. Tachikawa howls like an animal, and the gathered students stand in complete frozen alarm for a minute. 

Hopefully this little incident doesn't lose Matsuo that coveted spot in the tournament...

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It's amusing to me how... unconcerned Yusuke seems to be trapped in someone else's body, especially for a period of time that is way longer than the allotted 30 minutes that was put on his possession of Kuwabara. He doesn't appear to be in communication with Koenma or Botan at this point either, so he has NO idea what is going on. I suppose it isn't entirely unfair for Koenma to characterize him as a wild-card idiot who doesn't put any thought into his actions or the consequences, given how relaxed he's proven to be in this situation. 

Although, as I indicated above, I do think there's a slightly different explanation other than just "moron". Yusuke displayed in the very first chapter a devil-may-care attitude that seemed to stem from a deep-seated belief that he had no future. He saw his life going absolutely nowhere, so he didn't really value it. Any actions that other people considered reckless and alarming came down to an impulse of a split second, because there was only the present, and no real future. This extends all the way back to that first surprising act of self-sacrifice. In my opinion, his current laid-back attitude about being stuck in Matsuo's body and using it to defeat Matsuo's bully is just an extension of this habit of thinking. 

But I also wouldn't be surprised if the framing of this behavior continues to be reinforced as unmitigated stupidity. I've read enough of these comics to expect little else, lol!

Matsuo is an interesting contrast to Yusuke. He appears to be entirely rule-oriented, and is upset by the fact that his bullies refuse to actually follow them. If he wasn't physically capable of taking Tachikawa down, Yusuke couldn't have used his body to do it, but the only thing standing in his way turned out to be his sense of honor and sportsmanship. It makes him vulnerable to those who don't value those ideas, and so he ends up getting repeatedly hurt because he refuses to throw those rules of engagement out the window when they aren't an effective strategy for the current fight. I fully expect Matsuo to be a little pissed at Yusuke when he comes back to consciousness, because he ended up being forced to get down in the mud instead of sticking to those high-minded ideals of his.

It's not like I haven't seen THAT happen before.  ;)

Inuyasha Manga: 314 The Curse Loosens

No such luck on my end. The curse I have in mind has just tightened its grip, and it threatens to never let go. This one isn't the result of a single intelligence like Naraku, but a couple of generations of malevolent political intentions. It would almost be more comforting if they were those of demons too, but no, just men, trying to compel poorer men to serve them in perpetual poverty forever more, and compel women to reproduce an impoverished workforce. 

It's the curse of our moment that we all have to watch the horrible business play out, bit by bit, and fight tooth and nail against these designs where we can.

If only WE had a Tessaiga, lol!

Inuyasha vows to slay her, so her crimes stop right here. Meanwhile Kagome and Miroku observe the vampire creatures drawing tighter together in the sky. Abi scoffs, informing them that this means they've collected all the blood from the castle. She says she would have expected a lot more resistance from a castle associated with Naraku, and draws the conclusion that it was just a regular old castle after all. Or, at the very least, it was something Naraku could afford to lose. 

Kagome is a confused sort of skeptical, thinking on sensing that Shikon shard here and the implication that it was Kohaku, probably on Naraku's orders. But she doesn't challenge this idea out loud, and Abi is already turned away to fly off, announcing she's withdrawing today and that her hanyou foe below gets to live a little longer. How generous. Flabbergasted, Inuyasha haltingly says that she must be joking, but casts one last glower over her shoulder to tell him to shut it, because her one and only priority is delivering the human blood she gathered to her nest. 

Oh come on, man, you knew that wasn't going to work.

Abi recedes into the sky, nothing but a shimmer of bubble and distant shapes flapping through the air, and Inuyasha curses in his perennial irritation. Kagome notices that the Shikon fragment she sensed before has also disappeared, and after a narrow sky transition panel, we cut to Sango brooding over the corpses of the people her brother killed, his name echoing through her head. When the gang runs up to her, calling her name, she gives looks up to give them a pained expression. 

Sango quietly informs them that it was Kohaku's doing. Kagome takes a moment to think on Sango before asking her, hesitantly, if Kohaku has left again, despite the fact that she's already noted that Kohaku's Shikon shard has disappeared from her purview. Sango confirms that he has, but she couldn't follow him, fighting back tears. Miroku says her name, but I don't think there's anything he can say, because she's lost in dwelling on how much blood Kohaku had on him when she saw him with his sickle raised over the lady of the castle. She isn't sure how she would save Kohaku's heart, even if she were able to take him back from Naraku. 

No doubt years of intensive therapy would help a little, but that isn't exactly available in this time and place...

Narrow sky transition panel!

Girl, does he look like he's up for a chat?

Kagura presses in on her specific suspicions, asking if THAT baby was at the castle. She's wondering if Naraku was keeping the infant at a human castle, and moreover, what for. She's sure that the baby is significant for Naraku, the goodness knows she's got plenty of evidence for that in the last incident. She asks Kohaku if he wasn't told anything, like WHAT that infant is. 

After a pause waiting for an answer from a silent Kohaku, Kagura scoffs that he's always so reticent, warning him that if he continues to just follow Naraku's orders obediently, his Shikon fragment will be removed eventually and he'll be killed. Presumably after his usefulness has worn out. At last, Kohaku mumbles that he doesn't care if he dies, causing Kagura a dumbfounded gape. 

It IS enough to drive anyone to nihilism. Once again, he goes over this newly recovered memory of killing his father and comrades with his own hands, and even injured his big sister too. He thinks he should have died on that day, and this isn't just dramatic hyperbole on his part - we're shown again how both he and Sango were laying stacked in a pool of blood, with many weapons sticking out of them at every angle. But, Kohaku remembers that the next time he opened his eyes after that, he saw a looming figure of HIM. 

Awww, look at him offering to ease the pain he himself caused. How GENEROUS. 

Kohaku hunches, gripping his sickle hard as he thinks about that EVERYTHING he remembers, and Naraku himself, and a close up on his determined profile emphasizes that he's committed to having his revenge, even if they kill each other. Oh honey, as much of a badass as you are, I don't think you'll come CLOSE to killing Naraku as he's killing you. Not a chance. 

But whatever makes you feel better.

Yet another narrow sky transition panel later, the Inuyasha crew is all gathered around a despondent Sango while she sits at the roots of a tree, Miroku sitting next to her. He acknowledges that it's probably painful for her, but he asks her to tell them all that she saw, because with the presence of Kohaku, it's looking like the castle had a connection to Naraku after all, despite Princess Abi's inexpert opinion. She tells them of Kohaku holding his sickle up to slay a woman holding a baby when she arrived, and the word "baby" is repeated by Inuyasha in question. Sango's memory of it is somewhat fuzzy, no doubt because she was far more focused on her brother at the time, but she's suddenly surprised when she realizes something about the appearance of the infant that she didn't clock before. 

Shnooky LIIIIIIIIIVES!

Yet another narrow sky transition panel takes us back to that precarious little hut perched on a remote wooded mountainside, where Hakudoushi is lounging in the dark, listening to the buzzing of a single Saimyoushou hovering next to him. He looks over to the window when Kagura and Kohaku are visible on the former's feather outside it, and he looks distinctly displeased. Don't know why - maybe he's just a little peeved to have his solitude interrupted. 

Kohaku spots Hakudoushi too when he stands within in the hut, and his cautious puzzlement catches Kagura's attention, who asks if he doesn't know who that is. Well, you have been the ONLY one to interact with him so far. She tells Kohaku that this is the other half of the baby he was with. For me, this would just bring up MORE questions, but Kohaku is still in moody silence as Kagura seems to have an epiphany. She wonders why it was that the baby was divided in two in the first place, as if she wasn't THERE when it happened. 

But it's dawning on her that the one half was hidden in a human castle. She touches down on the floor of the hut, watching Hakudoushi's hair whip around his face in the force of her wind, and realizes that he doesn't have a heart. Well, we already knew that was true metaphorically, so I suppose she's talking in literal terms now. She concludes that the baby has Hakudoushi's heart, but she immediately amends this assessment to a far more consequential one.

I don't know if this is the greatest working hypothesis. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It appears that Kohaku has gone from being a mindless puppet of Naraku to being a... mindFUL puppet of Naraku. Even when I read this manga for the first time, it was clear to me that he was going to have to commit a whole hell of a lot more atrocities to maintain his cover before he even got SOMEWHAT close to Naraku in order to take a shot, but there's always a trade-off. Remembering what he's already done while under the influence of Naraku and acknowledging that it was with his own hands might actually be an asset to him in his goal, ironically. Taking responsibility for these actions, though they are not at the core something he did consciously, may steel his mind to doing what's necessary in the meantime. And if all the innocents he has to hurt and kill were going to die whether he does it or one of his own cohorts, he may as well be the one to do it. 

It's a pretty shitty position to be in, but he's not screaming in mental anguish anymore, so I guess that's progress. 

I'm not sure if I see the logic with Kagura's conclusion that the infant is actually Naraku's heart. She just jumps from assuming Naraku had PLANNED the split in the baby before, to the fact that Hakudoushi was the half that didn't contain the baby's heart, to the shaky declaration that this is really Naraku's heart. It's an extremely dubious line of thought. Sure, Naraku seems to be making an effort to conceal the little thing, but he could be doing that for any number of reasons. For instance, Hakudoushi seems to be Naraku's main pair of jackboots on the ground, and it would ensure that Hakudoushi can't get mortally injured in the field if they keep his heart out of direct harm's way. I feel like, if the heart was actually NARAKU'S, he wouldn't have put it in Kagura's hands to begin with straight out of Mt. Hakurei, he wouldn't have given it any task that might even remotely lead to it getting split in half like it was, and he wouldn't have put it in the hands of random human nobles. He's not really exhibiting the level of caution that I would associate with a guy protecting his very life.

But this assumption that the infant is Naraku's heart is going to become pretty much unanimous before long. I'm sure it'll definitely prove to be accurate. /s

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 014 Into the Inferno...!!

You know, I made fun of Yu-Gi-Oh for its somewhat dramatic use of punctuation in its titles, but I take that back right now. An ellipse followed immediately by two exclamation points in a title is bordering on unhinged. YT is a man on the edge, it is clear. The CUTTING EDGE of dramatic title punctuation. I can't even say that this is unwarranted - Yusuke's unconscious body is currently stuck in a burning building and Keiko has doused herself in water to dive in there to his aid. This is about as dramatic as it gets.

Double tragedy or double heroism can only result. The stakes are HIGH.

She shields her face with an arm against the heat with a raised arm, yelling Yusuke's name as though he'll... respond. Flames at her heels, hair singing despite the water she poured over her head a few seconds ago, she runs farther into the house. Yusuke, in spirit form, flies after her, calling her an idiot that will succumb to the smoke, and yelling ineffectually at her to forget about his body and get the hell out of there. 

Sayaka points out in alarm that he won't be able to return to life if his body is gone, but he snaps that there's no point in coming back to life if Keiko is dead. As he continues to try to get Keiko to listen to his commands for her to scram, Sayaka flushes up and gapes, taken aback by Yusuke's admission that his life and happiness is tied intrinsically to Keiko's. 

Yusuke is frustrated by how the fire has already filled the doorway, the people outside screaming about how the girl won't be able to get out, declaring her dead on the spot. Botan circles over the flaming house on her oar, in despair over how fast the fire is spreading. When she gets inside to where Yusuke and Sayaka are, she reports that she reached Kuwabara, and her hopeless comment is finished by Yusuke barking that it's too little, too late. 

Unaware of ALL this, Keiko yells Yusuke's name again, and is alarmed when she reaches the doorway where his futon is rolled out.

She flings the burning blanket off of Yusuke's body and helps him to sit up by confirming with relief that he's still breathing. She drags him up by his arm around her shoulder and grunts that they have to get out of there, but she soon discovers what Yusuke in spirit form already has - her escape is blocked by a wall of fire. They're surrounded by roaring flames, trapped, as she puts it, the smoke and heat consuming the house at a rapid pace. 

Yusuke asks in desperation if there isn't ANYTHING they can do, but Botan hesitantly says that she doesn't know if she has that kind of power. At this moment, a pair of stubby little legs appear hovering just above and behind them, and they twist around in shock when their owner tells them never to fear. It's toddler prince Koenma, announcing in perfect calm that he knows what can save them. Yusuke and Botan address him in their respective rude familiarity and reverence, as Koenma offers to lend a helping hand if they'd like. Observing Keiko bowing under his dead weight in the flesh, Yusuke urges Koenma to go ahead and LEND his hand. Koenma tries to warn him of something he should know, but Yusuke accepts that there are conditions, as there always are, but he appears not to give a shit what they are at the moment, yelling at Koenma get off his butt and save Keiko and leave the payment for later. 

Koenma gives a bit of a verbal shrug and says that the blunt rudeness is a bit refreshing actually. He's lifted a hand and held it near Yusuke's chest, appearing to draw a ball of light out of it, much to all of the observers' shock. 

Looks super fancy.

Wow, form AND function. You don't get that too often these days. 

The people gathered outside the house are shocked and amazed as Keiko emerges from the doorway that was previously consumed by fire, dragging Yusuke's unconscious body with her. They are universally ecstatic that she made it, calling it a miracle. Y'all have NO idea. 

At the back of the crowd, Kuwabara has arrived, seemingly alarmed that whatever vision or premonition Botan gave him was all for real. He had thought the weird voice in his head telling him Yusuke was in danger was just his imagination. Suddenly Kuwabara sees something that makes him shout in further surprise, and push his way through the crowd ahead of him until he sees Keiko and greets her with concern. She calls back to him, and confirms that she pulled Yusuke from the fire without so many words when he recognizes the Urameshi's limp form hanging off her shoulder, without so many words. 

Someone next to her announces that the fire truck has FINALLY arrived. Kuwabara suggests, in the cacophony of the fire siren, that they had better get out of there before people start getting curious and look too close. In a daze, Keiko agrees, and wonders how she's going to explain all this to her family in despair as Kuwabara points out that she's looking a real mess, the panel showing the hem of her singed skirt and shoes. Kuwabara offers to take her and Yusuke to his own house, where his sister has some clothes she can borrow. Keiko stutters her thanks while Yusuke and Koenma look down on the scene. Yusuke slumps and expresses his relief that Keiko is safe. 

Felicia, we can't keep saying goodbye like this!

Yusuke gives the spot where Koenma disappeared a critical look, then turns to Botan to ask her to lay on him what exactly it was he agreed to. Botan is hesitant to begin speaking, saying that Koenma's intervention doesn't come cheap, and it cost Yusuke his "virtue". This, of course, just prompts a repeat of the word as a question, because aside from a dictionary definition, there's no way of knowing quite what that means. 

Botan explains that it's what he accrued through his good thoughts and deeds as he was striving to return to life, but this is still rather abstract, and Yusuke has to encourage her to go on. She further pontificates on how virtue is behind many miracles and coincidences in the turning of fate in the living world - when people say that the good things that happen are in return for the good the person receiving it has done, that's virtue, and Koenma had to tap into that in order to act just now. 

And we all know that good things only happen to good people in the world, right? RIGHT???

Anyway, Yusuke still doesn't fucking get it, trying to get her to use plainer language, flowers sprouting out of his ears and a tiny smoking volcano/Japanese flag on top of his head. I'm guessing this is some sort of deprecating joke for the Japanese, but I'm scratching my head at it. Botan at last puts this into the most direct way relating to HIM specifically; that saving Keiko required all the virtue he's been saving up for his resurrection, so he's back to square one. 

He LAUGHS at this, asking if that's really all, because he thought this was SERIOUS. He asserts that he would give his virtue for Keiko any day, and he doesn't think it's a big deal that his own life is on hold for a while longer. Botan smiles at him, and little Sayaka looks contemplative. Yusuke admits his one frustration was with his ghost body, for the first time. He broods about how he'll be a wreck if he has to keep watching her just charge into danger like that, mumbling it would have been better if he had leaped into the fire himself. With a little chuckle, Botan thinks this is typical of him - she's starting to recognize what he's really about outside of her little pamphlet on his life, I guess. 

Oh my dear sweet baby child... no one cares. XD

Yusuke hums in question, and Sayaka says that she was all set to judge his relationship with Keiko, but is bored with how perfect they are for each other. What a little weirdo, lol. She further states that they were so desperate to save one another that there was no possible way she could have butt into that. With an uncomfortable expression, Yusuke scratches his cheek and admits to having forgotten all about that nonsense. 

Sayaka says it's just as well, because she won't have to worry about Yusuke anymore, because she's decided she's had her fun and she's moving on to Heaven now. She's rendered Yusuke speechless as she crosses her arms and declares that she's got way better things to do than cling to some other girl's guy, and expresses confidence that she'll find someone cool in Heaven. Maybe try going for someone closer to your own age this time, eh? When an irritated Yusuke tells her to go ahead and do that, she expresses an opinion that little Koenma was pretty cute, and she might try asking him out. I'm sharing Yusuke's opinion that she is absolutely out of her MIND. 

Taking a leaf out of RT's book, the comic gives us a narrow sky transition panel that shows us night has fallen. Sayaka sits on Botan's oar behind her, reminding Yusuke that he'll have to answer to her if he makes Keiko cry. Standing on the roof of a building below, he agrees flippantly, fuming mentally. Sayaka tells him there's one more thing, and when he whines a question about what it is she could POSSIBLY want in addition to all she's said, she gives him the ultimatum that he's not to cross over until he and Keiko have two boys and two girls. Fed up, Yusuke yells at her that this is enough and she should get going already. She laughs and waves her goodbyes. 

When she and Botan finally recede into the night, and Yusuke mutters irritably under his breath, his hair is stood on end and he whips around in alarm by Koenma appearing right behind him and giving a short greeting. Koenma immediately dives into business, saying that Botan is a fine guide, but isn't much of a detail person. Yusuke demands to know what Botan missed that Koenma had to pop up behind him like that. With a sinister look in his little narrowed eye, Koenma tells him it's just that Keiko owes him something herself for making him meddle in their world. Yusuke sweatdrops, requesting clarification in his anxiety at first, and then yells at Koenma that he can't he won't allow that. 

Koenma says that he's not asking for anything so ephemeral as virtue or anything like that, but he collecting a valuable BODY PART instead. What the FUCK, dude??? Yusuke flies off, presumably in Keiko's direction, demanding to know why Koenma didn't tell him, and Koenma reminds him of his "leave that crap for later" comment earlier. 

For REAL??? Oh, what an asshole joke, Koenma, you should be ashamed of yourself and your family!!!

Keiko is chatting with Kuwabara, who assures her that Urameshi can stay in his room for a while, because his parents like to keep their noses out of stuff like this. Like WHAT, Kuwabara? You been keeping unconscious dudes in your room in the past? Because you speak like this has happened before... But Keiko doesn't acknowledge this, thanking him simply. 

From Yusuke's perspective above, there's a fair-haired woman down below who asks for confirmation of Keiko's name, and if she would like to stay for a somewhat meager dinner. Keiko declines politely, telling her she has to do the shopping again and then get home. Yusuke fumes as he watches the conversation, but its content isn't his problem. He has realized what Koenma meant when he said he was taking an important part of Keiko's body. Koenma laughs, asking if Yusuke is surprised that it was her hair. 

Yusuke whips around, fists clenched, beginning to expound upon what he OUGHTA do, but Koenma disappears with a cheeky "later". Yusuke yells into the empty night that it's not fair for Koenma to just blip out of there after his little prank, demanding he come back there. Of course, he does no such thing.

The next panel puts us squarely in the next day, when one of Keiko's friends lets out an exclamation about her hair. She sheepishly acknowledges it, merely saying that she kinda HAD to do it, and asking if it looks funny. The two other girls assure her that it doesn't look funny at all, but do question what she meant by the statement that she had to. 

A nearby woman sees Keiko chatting with her friends and calls out to her. The same longer fair hair is framing a fairly standard female manga face, with a cigarette hanging from her lips, despite the label indicating that she is Kuwabara's sister - she doesn't look related to him at all, and a little chibi Keiko in the label appears to agree with this. A biography is included, stating that her name is Shizuru, she's 17 years old, an aspiring beautician, and that she has stronger psychic abilities than her brother. It also lists a couple of ideal men, but I don't give enough of a shit to list them, lol. 

She hums that Keiko's new hairdo looks alright, and Keiko says it's thanks to Shizuru, whose skills are considerable. She also promises to return Shizuru's clothes once she's washed them, but Shizuru suggests Keiko keep the clothes, and comments on how lucky she is that she only lost her hair. Keiko's friends stand by, mumbling about how Keiko has met some... interesting people lately. A little judgmental, aren't we girls?

Keiko and Shizuru are saying goodbye when Shizuru asks her to hang on a moment, and Keiko asks what's up. Shizuru points to where, nearby, she sees there's a ghost hovering, about Keiko's age, watching over her. She says he's a good guy despite his touch act, and asks if this rings a bell for her. After a moment of shock, Keiko smiles.

You could have worse guardian angels, for sure.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The concept of "virtue" as presented here kind of rubs me the wrong way, coming across as a bit victim blaming from a certain point of view. If this stuff of miracles is built up from the good deeds one has done, then that does suggest, in a manner of speaking, that the people who have bad things happen to them sort of deserved it by not having enough "karma" saved up in their bank. Even more directly, suggesting that people who have good things happen to them must have committed acts of virtue to earn the return from the universe is out-and-out ignoring how many terrible people tend to have a lot of great "luck". I put that in quotes, because we know that, statistically, wealth and power have a lot more to do with generating more of that and minimizing bad turns than any other factor. If you have money, you're more likely to be able to afford cutting edge medical care to beat cancer, you're more likely to have good connections and education, which allow you many more opportunities in life, more likely to be able to escape the consequences of anything bad you've done through power plays. "Virtue" rarely, if ever, comes into the equation, and here in reality we've gotten yet more evidence of that in the last few days.

It was a really low blow of Koenma to hint that he's taking something from Keiko and freaking Yusuke out only to reveal that she just had to cut her singed hair, and yet... it does indicate a strange sort of impulse from Koenma. He said he finds Yusuke's blunt rudeness refreshing, and this is probably because he's used to people bowing and scraping and kissing his ass. At first I thought the prank was a little bit of retribution for Yusuke's attitude, but thinking about it, it strikes me more as unpracticed ribbing. Since he isn't used to people treating him in such a casual manner, his attempts to do so in return, with a humorous bent, are a little clumsy. But in meeting Yusuke where he's at, it's still effective.

There is something very satisfying about how Yusuke and Keiko's efforts to save each other were in sync. The mutual sole focus on the other's safety really drives home, as Sayaka said, how perfectly matched they are. Neither one of these kids were content to face a possible future where the other wasn't in it, and fought tooth and nail to ensure the future in which they were both alive and together, even when things looked hopeless. 

And that is an inspiration to me after Tuesday's general election results. May the rest of us be as dedicated to protecting and preserving the lives of others in the coming days. 

To anyone reading this, now or in the future, take care of yourselves. Take care of your loved ones. And fight like HELL for a future in which we can all be together, even though it looks hopeless right now. Just remember: Unless all of us are free, NONE of us are free.

Inuyasha Manga: 313 Sinful Memory

You ever lie awake at night, hours after you were supposed to go to sleep, and dwell obsessively over something stupid, harmful, or even trivial you did in the past? Seems to be a pretty common phenomenon with a lot of people, including myself. And it doesn't even have to be a recent thing - there's things I STILL think about from when I was a kid that it's unlikely anyone else who witnessed it at the time even remembers. Sure, it was embarrassing or otherwise pretty questionable, but I don't see why my brain has clung to it like some life raft of humility, when I could easily use that space for a few more vocabulary words in Spanish. Often, there's just no justification for holding onto the memory of those incidents.

Of course, SOMETIMES a deed is horrible enough that it makes some sense to haunt the person who did it...

If you had "short flashback to tragic inciting incident" on your bingo card, feel free to mark that off now. She remembers the heads flying back when Kohaku fell for Naraku's trap and took out all his exterminator comrades, including their own father. She includes her own injury, Kohaku's sickle in the back, almost like an afterthought. 

Her characterization of Kohaku's lack of memory of the event is a REFUSAL, and perhaps that's partly true, but damn, wouldn't it be nice if I could just REFUSE to remember certain things, lol. Sango acknowledges that while Kohaku has no memory, Naraku is using him, but she also can't deny that Kohaku is the only brother, the only FAMILY, she has. She mentally begs him not to commit any more sins. 

Elsewhere in the castle grounds, "birds" are being shredded midair. The castle guards comment on how the numbers of the vampire creatures have diminished somewhat, and implore their Oku-Gata-sama to endure this just a little longer. One of her female warriors flanking her expresses her relief, and one of the maids asks with hope if this means they're saved. Kohaku stares straight ahead, face shadowed as the lady of the castle tells him that it's ALL thanks to him rescuing them. She marvels about how the child in her arms, still snoozing away in his abnormal way, hasn't been injured in the slightest. The castle guards look around, praising Kohaku for the excellent work he did despite being just a kid, and promising him a reward later. It's just the kind of recognition ANYONE would be proud to get, a dream come true for an orphan kid who just wants a family and a place to belong. 

So you KNOW it just can't last. Cue the panel with the blood spatter across it. 

So much for Sango's hopes that Kohaku doesn't commit any more sins...

Kohaku, stony-faced, catches his sickle again, and the lady of the castle cringes back, stuttering Kohaku's name in disbelief. One of her maids immediately starts ushering her away from the murderous child, while another guard asks Kohaku what he's doing, also stuttering. Kohaku doesn't answer, his head only filled with the command to take the baby and kill all those around him. 

Not that he doesn't question the order. He asks the voice in his head why he has to kill these people. He also doesn't receive an answer, just a more insistent order to kill them anyway. His will overridden, Kohaku slashes at the men in front of him, slicing them cleanly into pieces. The female warriors behind start to spring into action, cursing him and assuming that he's gone nutty in the last few seconds. They also get Kohaku's sickle to the throat before they can even begin to resist. 

But you're still doing it, kiddo.

He continues to swing that sickle around on its chain, head bowed, dispassionate, slicing heads and faces without mercy. It isn't long before there is a crescent of bodies littering the ground behind him as he advances on the dwindling group huddled around the lady of the castle. One of the maids shrieks in terror, but he's still focused within, wondering about the nasty feeling he has right now. Yet again, the order to kill those around him and take the baby echoes in his head.

So, Kohaku proceeds to slice through the one remaining female warrior and the lady's maids. They all collapse dead around the lady of the castle, clinging to the child she THINKS is her son. She asks Kohaku why, stuttering, while he approaches her with the sickle raised over his head, listless and unresponsive. It's only at this point that Sango comes flying onto the scene on Kirara.

So much for those pleas for him not to do anything else vile. 

Kohaku looks over his shoulder at her, and he's got enough awareness to identify Sango as that person that he can't forget. Menawhile, she looks down at the ground and all those corpses he created, balking at the blood covering the ground and his face. All that blood is in fact probably what tips her off to the fact that the "BIRDS" weren't the ones that did it. She's landed and dismounted Kirara, approaching Kohaku in a shocked daze, and he's turned fully to her.

Smart lady. Unfortunately, it doesn't allow her to get completely away from the danger. While Sango and Kohaku stare each other down, emotionally turbulent to complete listlessness, the lady of the castle runs down the stairs out of the castle. At the bottom she meets Kanna for the second time, who wordlessly holds up her mirror and she has just time enough for a horrified expression as her spirit is pulled out of her. 

Kagura flies overhead, arriving a bit late for someone following behind the instigator of this whole incident. She spots Kanna below, standing in front of the collapsed Oku-Gata-sama, surprised to find out that THIS is where she disappeared to, implying they haven't seen each other for a minute. She watches Kanna kneel in front of the empty lady of the castle and take a bundle from her arms, cradling it, Kagura humming in question. It's not long before she can identify the swaddling in Kanna's grasp.

At least this little fucker hasn't opened his mouth to mouth off. Yet.

A few Saimyoushou fly up to Kagura as she's observing the reclamation of the smallest of her siblings, and she translates a few of their buzzes as a command to go pick up Kohaku. Before going anywhere, she turns to look back down at the spot where she saw Kanna, and notes in some bitterness that the darn girl has already disappeared. All that remains is the lady of the castle's body. 

Meanwhile, Sango and Kohaku are still just standing there staring at one another. Sango looks on the verge of tears when she asks a question she already knows the answer to - if Kohaku has done it AGAIN. Kohaku ponders this word in question himself, hesitantly wondering what she means by it. Suddenly, a vision of men in suits much like the one Sango is wearing with their heads and blood flying flashes across his otherwise blank mind. 

Seems like YOU also know the answer to your questions, Kohaku.

In his own memory, he watches as the figure stumbling from his sickle in her back turn and reveal the face of the woman currently in front of him. The current Sango calls his name again in question as he sweats and gapes at her. 

A gust of wind whips up around Sango from below, and after it dies down, she looks up and sees Kagura on her feather, and Kohaku kneeling next to her. She yells his name, and he looks over his shoulder at her, fully aware. He recalls that he killed his father and fellow exterminators with the same hand stained with the blood of the castle's staff now.

He... seems to be handling this well. I think.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? This chapter is always heartbreaking to me. No one in this chapter deserved the horrible shit that happened to them. The castle staff were brave, capable, and just trying to protect each other and the lady of the castle. The lady herself was just a woman who had been tricked into thinking she was the mother of a LITERAL monster and got her soul sucked out of her for it. Sango has just been trying to reclaim Kohaku from Naraku this entire time, and had to be confronted with the realities of what Kohaku being under Naraku's thumb means about the terrible deeds he commits in that position.

And then there's Kohaku. As fucked-up as it is, he probably gets the BEST deal out of this chapter's events, but that doesn't mean it's a GOOD deal. He has to be confronted with the hard fact that Naraku is forcing him to kill perfectly innocent people, and it isn't even the first time this has happened. Who knows if he remembers that time where he killed and booby-trapped an entire village to try and trap Inuyasha and company! But having these two memories active in his head at the same time, understanding that though he was not in control, his own hands performed the motions that killed/hurt so many people he cared about, is undoubtedly an agonizing thing to have to live with. Sure, he didn't have autonomy when he did those things, but how do you parse that in your head? How do you not still blame yourself for not fighting for autonomy HARDER? Especially when he HAS overridden Naraku's will before when it comes to Sango and Kagome? It's just gotta be a living fucking nightmare.

I love how the saimyoushou tell Kagura to go and pick up Kohaku, distracting her from Kanna just long enough so she doesn't know where Kanna got to. Very sneaky way to make sure she STILL can't find that baby. You know that if Kohaku had succeeded in killing the lady of the castle and taking the baby himself, Kagura wouldn't have been the one to pick his ass up. He doesn't want her anywhere NEAR his infant, lol.

The point is, this was psychological torture for damn near all these characters, JUST in time for the end of spooky season. I hope everyone else's Halloween was far less traumatic and they had a little fun if they celebrated! <insert jack o' lantern emoji here>

YuYu Hakusho Manga: 013 Qualifications for a Girlfriend!

Ah, lucky 13 has graced us with an eye-roll worthy title this time. I was hoping for another high-stakes spooky one to reflect the season, but no, we're apparently interviewing potential girlfriends. Do people even APPLY to be a girlfriend? These days, who really knows? From what I hear, the dating scene is getting pretty wild. With dating apps trying to keep their users addicted to their product, young people getting information from older generations that just doesn't apply anymore, and a distinct nostalgia for "traditional" relationship models, there's a lot of confusion out there. Given this is an older manga, no doubt very little of that could apply here, but maybe there's some prototype for the current issues reflected in this one. 

I am. Hopefully she isn't too scarred from that terrifying experience a few chapters back...

Sayaka asks who Keiko is, and Botan responds that she's Yusuke's girlfriend, for which statement she gets a bonk on the head from Yusuke's fist. She yells at him that this hurt, demanding to know what's with him, and he insists that Keiko is a FRIEND, advising Botan not to overstate the relationship. As Sayaka looks serious for a moment, then says she wants to see Keiko, and Botan is down. She asks how Yusuke feels about it, and he responds that they can go for it, implying that he's not interested in going himself. They are in each other's faces, furious, Botan asking Yusuke if he's really not coming, and Yusuke answering in the affirmative. It's a very strange exchange, and one that is entirely pointless.

Sayaka watches a laughing Keiko contemplatively from next to Botan, both of them sitting on the oar. Yusuke is floating in a lounging position behind them, having come anyway, big surprise. 

After a moment of silence, Sayaka asks who Botan thinks is prettier, Keiko or her. *SIGH* Here we go, I guess. Botan makes a dumbfounded noise, so Sayaka asks again which of them is prettier. Sweatdropping, Botan waffles about not really having a perspective on these subjective LIVING WORLD matters, recognizing immediately that they have trouble, with Sayaka developing a crush on Yusuke. 

As she glances at him, Sayaka goes to HIM to ask who he thinks is prettier, and after a questioning noise much like the one Botan gave, his answer is QUITE different. Yusuke says that it's no contest - Sayaka is prettier - while an arrow above Yusuke's head assigns him the label of "irresponsible idiot". Sayaka grins, asking for further confirmation, and Yusuke obliges, calling her a bright and shiny spirit while Keiko is just a girl, and there's really no comparison. This shit is already going to Sayaka's head, and in a very underhanded way, she acknowledges that Keiko IS spretty. Not like HER, of course, but in her own, living, better than average way. 

But Yusuke still isn't done pumping up Sayaka's ego at Keiko's expense. He asks if she's kidding, then squishes his face in with a hand on each cheek, calling it Keiko's "lecture face", which is the only one he ever saw. He quotes her bossily demanding he get his butt to school, while Botan shouts at him not to dig himself in TOO DEEP. For real, dude, do you want this kid to eventually move the fuck on to Heaven or WHAT?? How is she going to do that if she's sticking by him like a lovesick puppy?

Botan tries to explain to Sayaka that Yusuke is a boy, and mushy stuff embarrasses him, so he's unwilling to admit it, but he does REALLY like Keiko a lot. Sayaka lets out a disappointed sound. Again, Yusuke and Botan are in each other's faces, the former asking less than politely for the latter to shut her yap, and the latter asking if he's saying she's wrong. Arms crossed, Sayaka has come to the conclusion that she's not getting a straight answer on this. She's resolved to settle the thing herself, put Keiko to the test, and see if she's WORTHY of Yusuke.

*SIGH*

Yusuke asks for clarification on her little declaration, and Sayaka explains that if Keiko is going to be his girlfriend, she has to be someone who she can respect. She flies off, Yusuke asking what she's up to. Botan begins her explanation by telling him that death sure didn't cure him of stupidity. I don't know why anyone would expect death to cure anyone of ANYTHING, but okay. Botan goes on to tell Yusuke that a big brother Sayaka has just discovered - that is to say, HIM - is suddenly in danger of being taken away by a strange girl, and Sayaka naturally wants a say in that. Yusuke questions the use of the word "suddenly" here, so Botan points out that Sayaka doesn't know how long he and Keiko have been friends. Botan laments the fact that Yusuke had to act all goofy and macho instead of just telling Sayaka that he was in love with Keiko. He complains that he would NEVER say that to a kid, or, at least, not when he's sober.

Bro, you'd be drunk in front of a tiny child before admitting that you like Keiko to that same child? The issues are REAL.

Cut to Keiko reading a passage in French aloud from a book in class, and her French teacher singing her praises for it. I'm studying French myself, but I can't read her quote, so she's doing a lot better than me! Then cut to the corridor, where Keiko's friends are asking to see her math homework, and she refuses to show them and let them cheat. Another girl is asking her to show her how to solve another problem, which I'm guessing she's much more happy to do, given that it's actually helping the other student out. Still, we don't see her respond. 

See girls? If you're not all of these things, you don't deserve a boyfriend!

... Why are you crying??

As Botan asks Sayaka what she thinks of this quality girlfriend material that you certainly don't see everyday, Yusuke wonders out loud about how Botan SOUNDS like she's selling fucking real estate. Yup, this isn't exactly the most flattering way to talk about Keiko, by any means. Sayaka seems unconvinced to boot, acknowledging that Keiko is popular all right, but questioning where her heart is. Holding up a finger, Sayaka says that while Yusuke might like Keiko, there's no evidence so far that Keiko gives a fig for HIM. Yusuke is sweating under the strain of the sheer EMBARRASSMENT this conversation is causing him. 

After a shot of a tree outside the school, we cut to inside another corridor, where a tall boy hails Keiko. This is definitely has ALL of their attention, including Yusuke's, who sweatdrops in his anxiety. The boy, a quite handsome fellow, scratches his temple in nervousness. He starts to say he's been "eyeing" Keiko, but then quickly revises his phrasing to say he's been thinking of her since school started. He asks her out, while the three spirits eavesdrop in tension, though Yusuke wears a surly expression like he's trying to hide it. 

The boy promises Keiko a fun time, and after a pause, Keiko says that she's sure that's true, thanks him, but ultimately turns him down. This seems to move Yusuke to astonishment, at the very least. The now flustered boy asks why, and if she means she already has a boyfriend. Once more, she pauses.

I mean, it's suggestive, but I know I'VE claimed to have a boyfriend even when I didn't just to avoid unwanted attentions before...

The once handsome boy has transformed into a flabbergasted caricature, gaping in mortification at Keiko's rejection as she walks away with a hurried apology over her shoulder. Botan is delighted, chirping that young love is grand and calling Yusuke a lucky dog. Sayaka is glaring in consternation, clearly irritated. Yusuke points out that this proves NOTHING, since Keiko didn't say WHO it was she likes, and it could be Kuwabara for all they know. At this, Botan turns weirdly violent and attacks Yusuke, demanding from amid their cartoon fight cloud that the idiot fess up. He whines about how the harpy needs to watch her nails. 

How does a ghost feel nails? Or the grim reaper HAVE nails? This comic confuses me sometimes. 

Arms crossed, a stern Sayaka allows for their ENTERTAINING the idea that Yusuke and Keiko love each other, Yusuke criticizing her for behaving like some sort of referee at no one's prompting. Sayaka ignores him, raising a finger once more, and saying that now the question is the depth of Keiko's love, whether she loves Yusuke a lot or just a little. Yusuke's exclamation suggests that he is not down with the continuation of this weird probing into his love life.

Cut to a note that Atsuko has left Keiko at Yusuke's house, flippantly announcing she's going away for a while and telling Keiko to take care of her slumbering son. Keiko's hand trembles in anger holding the note, and she fumes at Atsuko. Keiko looks to the side, farther into the house, which is covered in piles of garbage and cluttered. She complains about the pigsty this place is, where there's barely room enough to walk, and wonders aloud how Atsuko could have made this much of a mess in just a few days. Sayaka innocently suggests that Yusuke has had bad luck with parents just like her, but he tells her to cram it. 

Forget "felony sloppiness" Keiko, NEGLECT is actually a crime.

Keiko finds a miraculously clean checkered cloth (perhaps it's a handkerchief, but it looks more like terrycloth), and gently wipes away the dust and grime she comments on covering his face. Botan tells Sayaka as they hover near this scene that Keiko has never shied away from the burden of taking care of Yusuke in his coma. I mean, the alternative is letting Atsuko just kind of bury him in garbage.

Murmuring about one more spot, Keiko wipes it away, and detects a small sigh escaping Yusuke's lips in his deep slumber. She stares at him, heart beating hard, and the spirit audience stares in turn at her while she blushes and regards Yusuke with a romantic glow.

Hoe don't do it. 

The guy is SCREAMING for this to stop. Sayaka, being a little girl, I get not quite understanding the problems with this, but Botan? Girl, I expected better of you. 

Frankly, I expected better of Keiko, too...

Suddenly an announcement sounds from a double-horned PA speaker, from the Neighborhood Association, which warns of extremely dry conditions leading to high fire danger. Keiko sits bolt upright, vibrating with alarm, and it looks like she hears this crackling, buzzing declaration in her EYEBALLS. The speaker, mounted to a slow-driving truck, continues to belt the notification that there have been arson cases in this area, two suspected incidents in progress on another street, so it implores the residents to be on the alert. 

Yusuke is elated that Keiko's move on his UNCONSCIOUS BODY was stopped in the nick of time, and congratulates the Neighborhood Council on their punctuality. Botan and Sayaka grimace in the background, expressing their apparent disappointment that Yusuke wasn't fondled in his sleep. Why are all my girls disappointing me today? 

Keiko is frozen in the wake of her shattered romantic glow, wondering what she was thinking. Yeah, girl, what WERE you thinking? She trots off, mumbling about having to go run some errands for her mom, and promising that she'll clean up later. 

You should be thanking the Neighborhood Council too, by all accounts. 

Sayaka says that she hates to admit it, but that was a pretty romantic moment. More like a pretty CREEPY moment, lol. Botan characterizes it as sweet as all get-out, poking Yusuke incessantly in the back of the head. I suppose this is just something we're all going to have to disagree on. Botan DOES speak fact when she says it got someone all hot and bothered, while Yusuke growls in irritation at her literal prodding. 

While they're flying around, and it looks like Yusuke has started chasing Botan around with a raised fist, someone takes a furtive step out from an alley. Botan catches the hesitant movement and looks over to where a shaggy head has appeared below. 

Was this guy FOLLOWING the Neighborhood Council truck? What a coincidence otherwise!

A widow rattles as he slides it open, and a view of the room beyond shows piles of scattered trash, so it's clear this is Yusuke's house. The arsonist flings his burning can into the room and the room almost immediately bursts into flame, what with all the shit in there to burn. The guy says "ouch" as he's fleeing into the alley again, although I don't see what he did to hurt himself. Maybe the house went up so fast that he got a back-blast of heat that seared his hand or something, because he's holding his fist behind him at an awkward angle. 

Anyway, Botan and Yusuke are watching this, as well as the smoke pouring out from the house. Sayaka makes a dumbfounded comment, and Botan adds that the place is REALLY burning. Yeah, no shit. It's no surprise that Yusuke is the first to react, screaming about arson and how his mother didn't bother to lock the windows. It's acknowledged with all the garbage in there the house is like a tinderbox before Yusuke is shown hovering over his own body screaming at it to wake up, and that they're about to die. Again. 

He tries to lay down inside his body, muttering that he might be able to get in there long enough to get himself out, but he sits up and down to no effect, yelling that it's no good. Botan reminds him through her own panic that he just accessed his body a few days before, and he won't be able to again for another three weeks. Yusuke says that if they don't do anything, all he'll have to access in a few minutes is a pile of ashes. Botan insists she knows, telling him they need to get some help. 

So Yusuke goes to the neighbor, who earns the nickname "Noodle Face" from the way he's slurping up noodles when Yusuke yells at him to check out the fact that the house across the street is on fire. Another neighbor who is *ahem* preoccupied with an adult manga cannot hear Yusuke's screams of fire either. Yusuke reconvenes with Botan and Sayaka, who are yelling fire themselves in the open air, telling them that no one can hear him. Have they all forgotten about the whole "spirit" condition?

Yusuke half-sarcastically wonders aloud if there are any temple-trained sixth-sense dudes in the neighborhood. Botan snaps that things are NEVER that convenient. Then she recalls Kuwabara, but Yusuke tells her to forget it, because that guy could be anywhere, and even if he was at home, he couldn't get there before it was too late. 

I mean, can no one SMELL it by this point? Most of what's burning in there is trash!

Elsewhere, Keiko pauses at the sound of sirens in the distance, and a bunch of murmurs from the other people in the street. A couple of men start running, one of them shouting to the other that he heard there's another fire on Fourth St. The other agrees, saying that there's speculation it's arson again, and yet another man says there's been so many that the fire department can't get to them all. This arsonist has been BUSY - is he part of some sort of arson sewing circle, or what?

Keiko watches these men jog in the direction of the emergency, and notices that they're heading in the direction of Yusuke's house. She dashes after them, thinking that it CAN'T be, but when she arrives, it turns out it IS. Flames are licking out the windows as the crowd surrounding the house talk about arson some more, and how this is the fifth time today ALONE. Keiko is frozen for a moment, thinking in desperation about how Yusuke told her in her dream that he's going to be back, asking her to wait for her. It's contrasted in terrifying clarity with the flames bursting from every opening to the house. Keiko's only all-consuming thought is Yusuke.

Sayaka points her out, drawing Yusuke's attention to the fact that she's come back, much to Yusuke's disbelief. As his body lies among the approaching flames, Keiko grabs the nearest man to tell him that there's someone inside the house. He and plenty of others hear her, but they try to convince her that whoever is in there is done for, and that the fire is spreading way too fast, discouraging her from going in herself, because she's already pushing through the crowd to run to Yusuke's aid. She yanks herself free of any attempts to hold her away from the burning house, yelling at them to let her go.

Wow, they sure aren't trying very HARD to stop her, are they? 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I gotta admit, I started this chapter thinking this was going to be intensely boring for me, and for a little while, it kind of was. Romantic relationships have always been toward the bottom of the list of subjects I find intriguing about the fiction I consume. Sometimes they rise in the ranks, but that's usually when they are no longer in the stage where they're anticipating/denying the romantic connection and already navigating being an out-and-out couple. There's just not a lot that is NEW you can say about two people falling in love anymore, and what little you CAN say is laden with some very CREEPY implications.

Because Keiko leaning in to make out with her childhood friend in a coma? I don't think there are a lot of people nowadays who wouldn't recognize the problems with that if it were a BOY behaving that way toward an unconscious GIRL. At the very least, her protests wouldn't be dismissed as mere token resistance at what she should be okay with, and she wouldn't be told to shut up by spectators. Or, I HOPE that's not what would happen. As it stands, I don't think there's anything contradictory about Yusuke being in love with Keiko too, but wanting to express some kind of agency in when and how they kiss. That seems entirely normal to me, and that he would be denied something like that for some creepy little joke about his machismo is unfortunate. 

That being said, the context of this chapter DID make for a much more comprehensible backdrop for the second half of the drama than the version of it that was in the anime. Sayaka being a kind of exam proctor character was already strange, with an odd impersonal note as though Yusuke hadn't already been building a relationship with Botan and working with her up until this point. That she would take any interest in the relationship between Yusuke and Keiko under that role was almost baffling. Sure, there is SOME logic in her examining his relationships to get an idea of how much he is loved, but on the whole, it didn't seem as important to the determination as it was made out to be. 

In the manga, her being a child developing a crush on Yusuke and "inspecting" his love interest as a setup to show just how far Keiko and Yusuke's dedication for each other goes is a MUCH better and more organic way of communicating their relationship to the reader. And it deftly avoids the problem I mentioned in my first paragraph of analysis above - I was afraid that this would be JUST be a sappy chapter with a side of girl vs. girl pettiness. I mean, it WAS that, to be sure, but it managed to give that a purpose where too many stories just make it the end in and of itself. 

One thing is certain, the stakes have definitely risen in the last few pages.