Thoughts&Observations | Mangá Vol.27-31 Part 5 ( Yami Marik VS Jounouchi )

So we have reached Yami Marik VS Jounouchi, volume duelist 21 (in Japanese print is volume 28), wow...Memory World doesn't look so far off now.

The post itself will be long due to the importance of this duel, sorry for taking this long, lots of relatives coming and go simultaneously...


Plot Summary:

After they reached the top of the Duel Tower, the match between Yami Marik and Jounouchi will start shortly, there is some talk between Kaiba, Dark Yugi and Jounouchi about the following match...

The duel starts with Jounouchi first, when comes Yami Marik's turn, the shadow game will begin, there are some discussion and responses to this, right off the bat, Jounouchi starts to experience the same kind of torture in the ears Mai got it through, feeling more motivated to defeat Yami Marik.
Jounouchi gets to fight back against Yami Marik moves and the shadow game, so there is plenty back and forth with some Jounouchi comical flavour.
For two times Jounouchi was very close to winning against Yami Marik, mostly because he underestimated Jounouchi, the first time after with Jinzo turn on the tables on Jounouchi's favour and lastly because of the attack from Ra god card in phoenix mode to destroy all the monsters in the field and the shadow game, takes it's toll on Jounouchi's mental resistance, somehow Jounouchi can stand up slightly and has vision of the finals if he could stand up to the end of the duel, Jounouchi summons subconsciously "Gearfried the Iron Knight", when he almost sent his monster to attack directly Yami Marik, Jounouchi loses consciousness.


Key Points:

 

According to Yu-Gi-Oh! lore, normal people can't truly control a god card much less the Ra god card unless those who were chosen by the millenium items and tomb guardians, Divine attributes cards in this lore are special kinds of cards who chose their wielders ( reminder: the Nordic Gods in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, in its lore they're Divine attributes cards while outside of anime, in other words, OCG, they have different attributes being Dark, Light and Earth), I do disagree with the way Kaiba is phrasing of Jounouchi not being worth to touch a god card, I don't think these kinds of cards doesn't pick their wielders by their worth exactly, but more by connection and resonance, besides Jounouchi has a different kind of value, who doesn't need to be treated like a special snowflake like the gods cards are and do...

I think Kaiba can be a little hyperbolic when comes to games (or most of the time, xD), Ra god card special effects surpasses mortal thought...so over the top, but I do agree is overpowered.


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Now this is when Kaiba is not speaking with hyperbole, he is actually stating the truth, the mention of Kaiba "Marik's Ra deck" is a statement of an immortality theme deck in order to summon Ra many times in Yami Marik's deck, Kaiba after studying the card must have researched thoroughly cards that could help activate the most powerful abilities of Ra and gives a clue it isn't impossible to defeat it, he wanted the match between Jounouchi and Yami Marik to happen not to just he could have two god cards before fighting Yami Marik, but also to watch him one more time to duel to confirm if his strategy would work...but there is one more reason...

 

On the subject of strategic perspective, Kaiba is quite on point but in exception that in order to prepare for the most powerful god card, he will be facing the most skilled contestant first who happens to also have a god card on the same level as Kaiba's god card, it's funny that Dark Yugi insinuates to Kaiba that himself is the most skilled and maybe more than Kaiba, such big ego this one has -.-", it's amusing Kaiba's response to such display of huge ego, he is chuckling, it must be because Kaiba himself is aware that both of them have big egos and might be one of the reasons of why Kaiba has such obsessive rivalry with Dark Yugi...

That's cute, Jounouchi, I do find his perception of the level of the competition of the eliminatory and semi-finals pretty naive, don't compare them to Mai. Ishizu, Dark Yugi, Yami Bakura, Rishid, Yami Marik/Marik and Kaiba, they are players in very advanced levels, you could even say elite, who are rich in skill and experience, the one who comes closest to them is Ryota and members of the Ghouls and Jounouchi slowly catching up to the elite.

I really like this scene, is the way how Jounouchi informs Yami Marik that he has seen shadow games and challenges him while still determined to defeat him, he did experience two shadow games (Monster World shadow game and from Shadi when trying to run away from the professor controlled by a millenium Ankh) and being brainwashed by a millenium item, he already have some experience with shadow games in first hand and seen a few more.

I think Yami Marik amused reaction to Jounouchi reveals to have some experience with Shadow games and challenge him to give his worst, it's pretty cool.

 

These two packs of panels happen between the pack of panels in the key point above this ones, one is when Anzu informs Dark Yugi why he has chosen to fight Yami Marik first and the last pack is Dark Yugi's thoughts about the Anzu's revelation regarding Jounouchi's decision.

I do think Anzu did the right thing telling Dark Yugi and not so sure at this time probably to respect Jounouchi's choice,  Dark Yugi reaction to it is shock mixed with his suspicions confirmed, if was shock of surprise fully it would be like this "!?", since it was this "!!", it's more of a confirmation, this shocked expression with his confirmed suspicions relates to his concern about Jounouchi and playing a dangerous and risky shadow game, so in the last panel he wishes strongly for Jounouchi to win for his friend's own mental safety (since a shadow game drains and risks damaging you a lot mentally)  and to save Mai, since there is a small chance for him to win and save Mai.

 

 Seeing Jounouchi facing the Shadow Game greatly disturbs his friends and his little sister, but from Jounouchi's perspective...feeling the same pain Mai went through, he understands better what Mai's pain from the shadow game in her fight against Yami Marik and feeling more admiration and respect for Mai, making him more motivated to fight back and stand up for her...which is a great character development, we're seeing Jounouchi emotionally maturing and his mental strength just keeps growing...

Jounouchi during this shadow game, displays so well the strength of his character even Yami Marik is impressed, but he is about to be more impressed and shocked plenty of times from him, while Jounouchi fighting spirit keeps rising and thinking more clearly.

In this duel, Jounouchi actually makes very good moves more often, starting to make advanced level moves, it shows how much better he is becoming, I find adorable is how excited his friends get when seeing him making a thoughtful move, even though Jounouchi is getting more skilled but his comical demeanour still remains by keeping his characterisation intact and evolving at the same time.

 

Most of what Dark Yugi is thinking looking at Jounouchi's improvement in becoming a more skilled player and starting to catch up to the best and experienced players, in Dark Yugi's mind there are three important  characteristics to be a "true duelist", those being strength - he is right on this one for not giving up until the end and keep moving forward even after losing and winning battles, same for spirit by being willing to accept the challenges in front of him and give always his best, now the pride...that's the only part I don't agree but is a common trait in fan and social communities, I prize humility more (because is more down to earth, more level-headed, balanced and neutral).

 

What impresses me in a bad way is how certain conceited characters like Yami Marik and Kaiba treating Jounouchi as if he is a peasant in the dueling community, as if he isn't worth the trouble seeing him as a challenge and going all out and show their best monsters only to players/duelists who they view in high regard in this case for Yami Marik is Ishizu (to the point he thought Kaiba couldn't beat her and only himself), Kaiba and Dark Yugi.

As for Kaiba thinking....

"Not bad for a deadbeat duelist...You have my respect, Jounouchi..."

Promoting him from deadbeat to deadbeat duelist again...make up your mind about those high standards, Kaiba...but the fact is now he refers to him by his surname is sign of his opinion and respect for Jounouchi increasing...

 

Ra god card in this form has a a special effect if met these conditions, it has similar effect as Gilford The Lightning if you sacrifice three monsters, destroying all the monsters in the field, there is a reason why Yami Marik chosen this form of Ra and not the one fused with Ra (if with the right condition is the most powerful attack of Ra god card), the reason is simple, if Yami Marik used the effect to fuse with Ra god card in this turn Ra god card would have 2399 ATK (since his current life points are 2400 LP) while Gilford has 2800 ATK, so Jounouchi would win, Yami Marik is using Phoenix Mode as last resort and only option left but...

 

Technically, even if with the phoenix mode by paying 1000 LP (he stays with 1400 LP) in Yami Marik's turn destroys all the monsters in the field, however next turn, if Jounouchi would draw a monster to summon, Jounouchi would still win, this would happen if this duel wasn't a shadow game, now Yami Marik like Pegasus did with Yugi, using the shadow game to drain his energy and crush the opponent mental resistance with a god card to defeat to defeat Jounouchi instead of basing on the duel itself alone (to me using this kind of shadow games where is draining a person's mental strength (Jounouchi and Mai) or someone's life energy (Yugi against Pegasus - not Dark Yugi) is cheating), because god cards are "special snowflake" monsters cards...the damage to someone's mental strength is huge with or no ATK points in a shadow game, it can possibly put someone in coma.

The other interesting part is when Yami Marik says:

"How fast we forget...This is a Shadow Game!"

It speaks a lot, Jounouchi has been playing so well and handling the shadow game excellently, that was almost forgotten for Jounouchi and some of the spectators too about the shadow game, I would go as far better than Yugi and Mai at this point, there is reasons as to why, Jounouchi doesn't only has great mental resistance like the others but what makes him deal so well is his fighting spirit and having a great physical resistance too, so there is a very small possibility of him to resist to the Phoenix Mode attack...

 

It's a very impressive feat to still slightly stand up after Ra Phoenix Mode in a shadow game, but if you look into his eyes, it's not just his fighting spirit being still lit, Jounouchi in this moment he is neither conscious or unconscious, but somewhere in between, he is subconscious, it's nice to see Yami Marik being deeply shocked...I find rather amusing and pretty cool, the others of course impressed but slightly relieved...but there is more, if this is the subconscious dealt by his fighting spirit plus the remnants of his mental resistance, then where is his conscience to which is linked to this moment?

 

This part for me will be very hard to explain like the one with Dark Yugi and Yugi in their duel against Pegasus, Jounouchi in his conscience is having a vision, in fighting Dark Yugi in the Final Match of Battle City, one would think this is just a normal dream...

 

This is when it gets really curious and at the same time saddening, in the dream panels seems as if is predicting the future, with a very specific mention as important reminder:

"And on your next turn, you summoned Gearfried The Iron Knight and defeated Marik!"

In the last panel above, we see what is going on outside of Jounouchi's mindscape, in the "real world", those mentioned moves still hasn't happened...

 

Everyone were deeply impressed, the most shocked of the bunch is mister-not-easily-impressed Kaiba and Yami Marik, while Jounouchi's friends were very moved, Shizuka and Dark Yugi specially to go even to a point Dark Yugi seeing Jounouchi as hero, Jounouchi does have the traits of a mortal hero from classic stories, greek and roman mythological tales. now the curious and most mysterious part is when it came his turn, he draw Gearfried The Iron Knight, while starting to lose fully his consciousness, he slightly summons the monster card and...

 

Jounouchi's dream vision almost happened for real until the shadow game took it's toll and he lost fully his consciousness, he was so close to win, technically he was about to win the duel, if he had a bit more mental resistance remaining, he would have won, if it wasn't for the shadow game, he would have won, it's sad but also amazing he was this close...the others shocked he has become unconscious.
The most curious part of this duel is Jounouchi's vision, in a sense he predicted the future, a possible future and that mindscape experience, it might show Jounouchi is actually spiritually strong, there is the dream which made him stand up after Ra's lightning in his fight against Rishid and now this...it's very curious.

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