Thoughts&Observations | Mangá Vol.20-26 Part 17 (The Tragedy of the Family Ishtar)

This is the epilogue of the semifinals, since is mostly about the family Ishtar's backstory from Ishizu perspective, I thought the title I given above would be more fitting for this post in particular.
I'm still covering volume duelist 19 (26 in japanese print), but will be the last post about these 7 volumes I have been covering, after this post I will be covering the last 5 volumes duelist and is  primarily about the finals of Battle City (then after will be the very tough and exciting for me to write about, Millenium World/Memory World Story Arc).
I find quite surprising how much I had to write about this one volume, but volume duelist 20 will be similar with 3 posts to cover, then at the end of volume duelist 20 will have a duel transition between 2 volumes again and the following volumes until volume duelist 24 (volume 31 in japanese print).


Plot Summary:

The previous post ended with Kaiba's victory and Ishizu learning from her defeat, since the last duel of the semi-finals is over, they will have a break and to sleep, while the Battle Ship taking them to their next destination, the gang decides to check up on Mai, when they reach the entrance of Mai's room, Ishizu appears to them asking if she could join them since Yami Marik left her in critical condition, there is discussion about the events in the semi-finals, driving Ishizu to tell the tragic story of her family from her perspective...

It begins with Ishizu explaining some of the traditions of the heir of the main family of the tomb guardians in protecting the location of pharaoh's memories and the millenium items, one of them being the heir can't go to the outside world, forced to live underneath until is presented to the pharaoh about the location on his back...
One year after the rite of the tomb guardians, the 11 year old Marik begs Ishizu authorisation to accompany him to the outside world for a small amount of time behind their father's back, Rishid support Marik in effort to convince her that he will look out for in preventing their father to discover their walk in the town close by...they finally persuade her.
The plan in the beginning seems to be working, Marik and Ishizu are walking around town, Ishizu is still concerned that their father might discover and feels is time for them to go and they meet a mysterious man whose name they don't know with Ankh necklace and wearing a turban (Shadi), he speaks to them like a prophet about the fate of the tomb guardians...Ishizu recognising this man has a millenium item and knows about the tomb guardians, Marik being still a child is curious and sharp about the man, she starts worrying in panic, she tries hurry them up to go home...
When they arrive at home, Ishizu finds in the entrance there was trap planted to let their father know if they disobeyed them...Ishizu grows more worried and scared and finds Rishid has been taken with Marik's room in a mess, they find their father harshly and physically torture Rishid in attempt to the death as punishment and tells his children they will be punished after he is done with Rishid...
When their father thinks he has killed Rishid (when he lost consciousness), Yami Marik comes out and says thanks for getting rid of Rishid, picks up the millenium Rod, refusing to obey his father, uses the Rod power to imobilize his father and then his sister Ishizu and Yami Marik kills their father, when he puts their father's skin back (where it has also the same scars as Marik has on his back) over Rishid's back, Rishid starts to wake up, Yami Marik retreats back to Marik, Marik not conscious of his split personality doesn't know what happened and he is shocked seeing his father dead and the mysterious man (Shadi) appears again and claiming that it was the soul of the pharaoh who drove to his death...



Key Points:

Ishizu is picturing who is the most likely to save her brother, if you look at the panel at how she is displaying a image of who she thinks can save her brother, from small to bigger chances, she thinks Dark Yugi is the most likely to save him, I find interesting that she emphasises Jounouchi a little more than Kaiba, probably due to them being more good-natured than Kaiba, she can only pray and put faith in them.

 

Kaiba may act reserved, he is reserved in some aspects but he is very expressive of his ideals and his competitive trait, Dark Yugi on the other hand, he is very reserved, rarely takes initiative unless necessary or deeply wishes for something (when is touched on his sense of justice, protective nature or wishes to duel against someone very much such as Kaiba, Jounouchi and Mai - remember he wished her best to win to her before her match, it's extremely rare for him to go to the person and say this), this scene may look like they're fated rivals, Kaiba is the one who sees this way more strongly and single-mindedly, he wants to fight Dark Yugi only, while Dark Yugi is more evolved in this part, he sees Jounouchi and Mai as rivals, friendly rivals, he hopes for Kaiba to be the same way, bit by bit he is seeing Yugi as rival too, similar way he has with Kaiba.

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Thoughts&Observations | Mangá Vol.20-26 Part 16 (Kaiba VS Ishizu)

This post will be mostly standard size, I am still covering volume duelist 19 (volume 26 in japanese print)
There will be a bit of duel focus, but more towards Ishizu and Kaiba character development plus the plot progressing and a bit of the lore of Yu-Gi-Oh!.


Plot Summary:

The duel looks like is Kaiba in the lead but then in the end due to Ishizu's millenium tauk and special kind of strategy which makes it hard for the player to predict, since isn't visible, Kaiba uses deck destruction combo, however is later revealed being a trap by Ishizu which makes Kaiba's and Ishizu's decks and graveyards switching positions, putting Kaiba be the one in huge trouble almost feeling discouraged but Dark Yugi gives some encouragement and somehow he turn it around by succeeding in summoning Obelisk even though was sneakily encouraged by Ishizu with a trap spelled on Obelisk once it would attack, it would destroy itself together with Kaiba life points, when Kaiba was about to launch an attack while having an sharp intuition something very bad will happen if he attacks with Obelisk...Millenium Rod acted on it's own glowing and gives to the one truly chosen by the Rod, Kaiba, a out of body experience by seeing a memory of the millenium Rod that is connected to Kaiba, he sees a man in egyptian clothes on his knees holding a woman in his arms and feeling strangely sad, as if sensing the defeat that is coming if he attacks with Obelisk, suggesting to summon and attack with Blue Eyes, Kaiba trusts this vision and follows it's suggestion, he summons Blue-Eyes White Dragon, shocking everyone, specially Ishizu since it wasn't in her future vision shown by the millenium Tauk.
Kaiba changed the future by a hair with a little help from the memory of the millenium Rod and won the duel and Ishizu accepting her defeat gracefully and tells Kaiba she learnt something from her defeat and the duel itself.



Key Points:

Anzu knowing how powerful millenium items and real they are due to their experience with them, Jounouchi has the funniest reaction to what Anzu said, it's somewhat relatable, we have moments of this kind of indecisions when comes to plans and investments.

Dark Yugi knows Millenium Tauk is real due to his neew enemy has the last millenium item prediction and is very well aware that Millenium Items are powerful magical artefacts that is best to keep vigilant...
Mokuba's reaction, is a bit curious, due to his experience being in a soul prison from Pegasus's Millenium Eye and the penalty game by Dark Yugi from the millenium puzzle, watched the rest of the duel in person of Yami Marik VS Mai, so we see he is vigilant and conscious Kaiba is fighting someone with a Millenium Item while analysing the Ra Card.

Since Ishizu always wear most of the duel a neutral expression and has a formal, calm and composed posture,  making it hard to guess what is she planning and her dueling style is unusual too, being that at first she really doesn't reveal it right off the bat her style, making it harder to predict and guess, she is a player you have to be careful from the beginning, you see from Kaiba and Dark Yugi reactions that she has the qualities of a player who is hard to decipher.

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My First Impressions of Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Side of Dimesions (SPOILER FREE)

I won't write any details not even what happened in the story, you have the synopsis around the internet, this just what I think about the movie in general and to how much extends to the main story in general of Yu-Gi-Oh!
I watched in japanese with english subtitles, around the internet but I will buy the DVD licensed by Manga UK...
I think the movie was quite amazing but it has it's drawbacks which left me a little disappointed and left a bit more to be desired.
The story was pretty much the best part of the movie, to anyone who have watched the anime japanese version with subtitles will get the gist of the story in general, but the ones who read the manga of the series on the other hand, the experience of the movie will be extended, the movie is definitely is the expansion of the story of the manga as it been advertised, you can really see and feel the vibe that it was Kazuki Takahashi telling the story, it's to be assured is his style as well.

Now the duels, they were great except how they ended...
Character development felt unfinished, specially for Kaiba (his over the top personality is hilarious but his narrow-mindset pisses me off).
The ending was good but...it was what made things feel and left unfinished.

The spoiler version will be in "Thoughts and Observations", since is the expansion of the manga together with the one-shot Transcend Game, It will be then when I go in detail after I'm done with the manga, since I will reference a lot of my posts about the manga in Movie Thoughts and Observations.

Thoughts&Observations | Mangá Vol.20-26 Part 15 (Battle Ship Break Part 3)

I will focus on two things in this post, Jounouchi and the reveal of the eighth duelist...
This post will be quite small, even the summary, covering volume Duelist 19 (volume 26 in japanese print) for 3 posts, this one and the next two (Ishizu VS Kaiba and The Tragedy of Family Ishtar), then will go to the finals, we're getting closer to the end of Battle City Arc.

*/: I mean Dark Yugi and Yugi , it takes long and the html goes weird when I do this: "&"

Plot Summary:

While Dark Yugi/Yugi* are unconscious (It's still Yugi's body that was hit), Yami Marik asks the referee to declare him the winner since he won the duel, after is done, Yami Marik goes to Mai, Jounouchi in effort to stop him and can't move by Yami Marik through his millenium rod claiming he will deal with Yugi (in general) when they have their shadow game and continues to move closer to Mai to give her penalty game from the shadow game.
The Penalty Game Yami Marik gives to Mai is inside her mind with Hawai-like place in a beach and Mai's self imprisoned inside a hourglass with a god card blocking something from flowing down, when he removes the card, some weird scorpion shaped creatures with an eye symbol on top starts flowing over Mai, Yami Marik tells her she will have a slow death, in 24 hours she will die...and he leaves.
The moment Yami Marik left Mai's mind, shadow game is lifted, Mai falls, immediately losing consciousness with her eyes open...Jounouchi noticing Yami Marik put Mai under a Penalty Game and asks what he did to her, Yami Marik replies if he himself isn't killed or defeated in 24 hours, Mai will die, Jounouchi feeling angry and claims he will defeat Yami Marik.

Dark Yugi/Yugi  recovers consciousness and asks if Mai is okay, Jounouchi replied Yami Marik put her under a penalty game however didn't say it's details, so Dark Yugi and Yugi doesn't know about the 24 hours time limit to save her...and Mai was sent under medical care.
Kaiba gets himself ready for his duel in the Duel Arena waiting for his opponent in the Semi-Finals...the eighth duelist revealing itself to the other contestants and spectators being... Ishizu Ishtar.



Key Points:

I find this scene kinda funny, you can tell the judge was a bit disturbed by what he just saw, even Yami Marik had to remind him to announce the winner being him.

 

This is the next setup for Jounouchi character development and improvement on his skills and he got for the first time the scent of facing the power of a millenium item individually while in general he experienced for the first time was in group.
As for Dark Yugi unconscious when is Yugi's body...one would think, if Yugi's body hit to a point it would knock someone unconscious, because it was Dark Yugi taking over, it would switch to Yugi, but it didn't, it applies to Yugi as well since it was his body...

What Yami Marik is creating a setup in this story arc, Yami Marik VS Dark Yugi and their duel will be a special kind of shadow game and the last one...Yami Marik states because Jounouchi doesn't wield a millenium item or connected to them, so he doesn't see him as a threat.

Anzu being very conscious and aware that Yami Marik is very dangerous, also having a good intuition can sense he is quite twisted, she is feeling protective and concerned for both Yugi and Dark Yugi, she knows Yugi's tendency to be selfless, someone who is selfless usually gets to be the most hurt, now Dark Yugi is following his example mixing with his protective nature with selflessness, you see she worries a lot when she sees people making selfless actions.

 

There is some interesting details to note just in this panel, Takahashi-sensei puts some interesting attention to detail in a symbolic manner, Yami Marik states this space is inside deep in her mind, it indicates the millenium Rod is similar to the power of millenium Ankh, the differences are the access in different spaces of the individual self, the Rod gives the access to the mind and manipulate it, while the Ankh is access to someone's room soul and manipulate it's room, but the process is what makes it similar.
Mai's mind reflects her lifestyle and the past she left behind, at the top of the hourglass you see Casino references from the time representing her former job as a Casino Dealer and at the bottom you see a tropical beach with a sloop in it's background, mirroring her love to travel and specially to tropical places, with no buildings, she likes calm and relaxing places plus the sea along with a little adventure.


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