Thoughts&Observations | Mangá Vol.18-19 Part 3 (Battle City Break)

This is a little break from Battle City being more plot focus, I think the summary will be small, it might mean a small post like the previous one, just a bit smaller....

Plot Summary:

We left Jounouchi leaving from his first duel ending with his victory, as Jounouchi leaves the scene, the background changes and focus on other part of Domino City,  players discussing about the antes, Koji "spider" Nagumo comes back claiming the card of his opponent ante isn't enough compensate for his rare card and force his opponent to pay (it's ridiculous), Mokuba appears as steering committee chairman of the tournament to stop the current disagreement and evaluate the situation if is fair or not, Mokuba informs the ante rare value are the same, Koji seeing not going his way he threatens Mokuba that he makes his own rules, then Seto Kaiba shows up...
Seto Kaiba claims is shocked Koji demands so much from ante, then Kaiba rips Koji's ante card and challenges him to a duel and to compensate for ripping his ante card, gives his card case full of rare cards and even gives him a chance to using them to improve his deck, Koji being too confident (forgetting Kaiba might have even rarer cards in his deck being Kaiba), Kaiba shows off his God card, Obelisk leaving the Koji's previous opponent and Koji very shocked.
The scene transitions again to another with a Rare Hunter informing Marik they detected who currently has the Obelisk God card (being Kaiba), so it's open some discussion and revealing informition (and misinformation), Marik reveals he goes personally to Domino City to get the God card himself and ask them to keep Yugi (Dark Yugi busy) with Pandora.
Once again the scene changes in focusing on Yugi and Dark Yugi searching for rare hunters and they have an interesting conversation and got an idea where one of the rare hunters might be, the card game store, they arrive, the door was opened and so they enter and Dark Yugi next opponent reveal himself to Dark Yugi being Pandora and like Yugi, an owner of a Black Magigian/Dark Magician, they discuss a little and Dark Yugi accepting Pandora's challenge.


Keys Points:

Look who is back? Koji "spider" Nagumo, now for anyone who have read the first 7 volumes would recognize him, I forgot to mention him when I had the chance around volume 6 (I'll add more details about the Monster Fight arc in the proper post after I finish the whole manga analysis), I think he was a bit important to Yugi's development and also presenting Yugi's current flaws he is currently trying to overcome.
Even after his Penalty Game with Dark Yugi, he hasn't change much or picking on weaker ones and proves that most of Dark Yugi Penalty games aren't permanent like the others (with one exception to the prisoner which was death), sadly for him he will mess with the wrong person again...and some stupid players still with this "I'll beat you so bad you'll never duel again" as something cool and respect...when it's actually the other way around, good grief...

 

I think is very interesting, Mokuba playing a role as referee of the tournament and he is doing a pretty good job as a neutral party (so cute too :3), it shows good character development because he isn't as vicious as he was before or "cheating" like he did with the capsule monsters and russian roulette, it shows the events of Duelist Kingdom had big effect on him and Yugi & Co was a huge influence on him.

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It's funny whenever Kaiba is irritated some dark aura appears before him and shows in his eyes, he gets easily irritated and hot-headed and what makes it funnier he does it while looking down on others, but here it makes sense being his little brother and for few times I actually agree with what he is saying in this scene "when you insult my little brother...you insult Kaiba Corporation", this kid swallow a key to protect the documents of ownership of KaibaCorp, so Kaiba is technically correct as well (character development as well not only him as president of Kaiba Corp, Mokuba's big brother and personal growth).

 

Kaiba has 36 of Hyozanryu (Koji's ante) makes one wonder how many does he have besides his case...

Anyway on topic, even though he might not need his opponent ante because he has 36 of the same one, but no need to rip even if guaranteed of him winning duel get his ante card he has no use for, it's still a card his opponent bought it and hard for others to get one (not for Kaiba, it seems), he hasn't changed much on this matter but at least...

 

 

He can be quite generous when wants to but all this because he is confident and sure of his victory (guaranteed one as well, specially being a power deck), he has no problem to show off his god card either, Kaiba sure loves to stand out and go big, how much ego does this guy have...?
As for Kaiba obsession for this card game is always impressive when he can be quite extreme and show off, the god card he holds wouldn't even sell for 50 billion yen (hundreds of billions in dollars or euros), well it is a one a kind card like Pegasus's deck, Kaiba being power-hungry and obsessed with Magic&Wizards...but it makes an extremely valuable card.

Koji "spider" Nagumo was shocked even his previous opponent was

 to point of ripping his own ante card, Kaiba look at what you've done!

  

 

This panels are the first time they reveal Marik and Ishizu being siblings sharing obviously the same surname of Ishtarl, indicating Marik has deeper motives for wanting the title of king and the god cards, one wonders their relationship the way he mentions as older sister must have been close but why currently enemies?

  

One person would think he is interested in Yugi because is interested in being famous for being a strong player, but the rare hunter wonders why is he interested in Yugi with feeling of hatred when he should be focused in getting Obelisk, also when he says Yugi, one wonder which one is he referring to hold this much spoken hatred and the reasons...

Who is this rare hunter seems to know Marik very well...

 

When Marik says "prepare to make use of them, too", it's obvious what it means, he is ordering the rare hunter to kidnap them and make preparations for the mind control and something else in mind...

 

Here is the reason why he wants to attack him, revenge for his father, killing his father...well we know Ishizu and Marik being siblings and also Ishizu being egyptian and same applies to Marik as well, what he is saying makes no sense, not one bit, the original Yugi for starters wouldn't hurt a fly, Dark Yugi before inhabiting Yugi's body he was in the puzzle still in pieces and always with Yugi, it can't be related to Yugi's grampa or else would have been mentioned, so it must be connected to Dark Yugi and Yugi, now the confusion is they never met before and obviously didn't met Marik's father, indicates it must be some misunderstanding or misinformation or a lie to him but for what reason...but is connected to the millenium items somehow, still mess up.

 

Yugi is worried about Jounouchi might not survive in Battle City but then Dark Yugi explains Jounouchi asked him to hold on to Red-Eyes, Yugi understood straight away it was so Jounouchi would duel Dark Yugi for Red-Eyes, in other words to keep him motivated and Yugi's faith in Jounouchi is restored.
 It's not Yugi that underestimates Jounouchi, it's because he duels him all the time so he knows Jounouchi gaming/dueling problems of tendency to get carried a little and make him lose some focus on the matter at hand but admires his fighting spirit and wild personality.
However I disagree with Dark Yugi about Red-Eyes represent Jounouchi's courage, I'm someone who is pretty sure these kind of things comes from within, even though with Dark Yugi manner of speaking means it will keep him fighting to get his card, I think is not good enough reason to have courage, as for Jounouchi himself is to help him get his own courage, who knows, for all I know, I know courage is something it comes from within and not dwelling on something or someone, maybe it means Jounouchi is not just fighting just for the Red-Eyes and duel with Dark Yugi...

 

Dark Yugi is really hyped up and excited for the duel, expresses it in a bit of theatrical way...(now thinking about it, he does have a dramatic and theatrical way of talking...)

Yugi *ahem*, you can't fool me not with that sharp mind of yours, you are indeed suspicious of what Dark Yugi up to in the tournament and who he is, Dark Yugi has a quiet reaction even though he is looking at Red-Eyes card wondering about something and at the same time what Yugi said, he is waiting for when Yugi is ready to help him, he knows Yugi is a very smart and sharp boy.

 

Once again Yugi's amazing sharpness and quick thinking showing, if you look at the expression Dark Yugi wears when Yugi realizes the place, he is not shocked but mildly surprised and very impressed and at the last panel it was expectation he might not have said it showed his thought about it but his expression says "as expected of my partner", if look into it, the ones most quiet about Yugi sharp mind vocally and in thought are Dark Yugi and Kaiba, they do it subconsciously and consciously.

 

I think this scene is very interesting, specially Dark Yugi beliefs, we know duelists chose the cards they trust to build their decks is very true, now what gets me interested and surprisingly I agree with him "Cards also choose duelists", in YGO! World-Building we know applies a bit differently from real life (with the spirits incarnated in cards in a card game), but in real life some points of it can be applied in real life, there is thousands of different cards for different kinds of players that best responds to the player, for example some cards may not work well for a certain type of player's train of thought but works well for the other and of course how we use them.

See Ya Next Post!