Thoughts&Observations | Mangá Vol.38 Part 4/4 (The End)

It feels a bit surreal this is the last one about my analysis of the manga series overall, I mean it is about 38 volumes and took me around 5 years and 5 months...

So it feels pretty strange, it's the ending as well, expect long texts in some key points, even though I have reached the ending with this project, but is not completely over, since I have to rearrange the posts where it doesn't have the structure "Plot Summary and Key Points", the early Duelist Volumes and early Volumes and reupload panels that is not from my current image host that I frequently, but the early volumes will get the most changes since the early volumes are mostly episodic arcs, there will be one post and page dedicated to these updates.



Plot Summary:

After Yugi won the duel, he comes to his knees as more tears falls down his face and floor, Atem approaches him while he congratulates him for his victory and they have a very important conversation about how Yugi look up to Atem and what Atem learn from Yugi...
Atem prepares himself to leave to afterlife by saying his name to the door to afterworld, one of them calls to him and the gang (including Yugi) say their goodbye to him, when Atem leaves, in his afterlife, he is greeted by his loved ones from the time he was alive (who have went to afterlife first than him)...
After the door to afterworld closes, the shrine starts to collapse including Millennium Stone Slab and the Millennium Items, after they left the shrine safe and sound, it was starting to sink that Atem now has left the living world and thinking of what they saw before the door had closed and left the shrine, reflecting about the recent events as they look at the desert they were about to leave...



Key Points:

 

I certainly don't censor Yugi for crying and I think is okay (I'll tell the reason why in the next key point), because the thing is, he wasn't really forced to do it, he could have chosen the easier route and selfishness by not accepting the challenge or not going with his duty at all, he could have. Remember when I mentioned before that the right thing to do is usually the hardest to do? This one was particularly very hard, but was the right thing to do by his own volition, it takes a very strong heart to accomplish what he did.

When Atem comes to congratulate him with a very gentle smile, I'm pretty sure Atem already remembers everything from before and after he died before the puzzle was solved, he must have seen Yugi growing up since Yugi was a baby (remember in previous post when he mentioned "you've grown partner!" might be hinted at that as well) and what he says in the the panel of the panels ensemble in the right...

"Stand up...The winner shouldn't be on his knees."

As Yugi tries to wipe his tears, Atem does have a point, I wouldn't say "it shouldn't" per say, he could still cry without being on his knees, a person can "look" or still stay dignified standing up crying, but the intention behind the beautifully drawn of Yugi crying was to potray how extremely hard it was for him, not really the duel but the decision into fulfilling his duty as a vessel of the pharaoh soul, what he had been holding up inside the bottle coming up since the moment he knew he couldn't avoid anymore the fact Atem was a soul of someone who died and had to leave one day...




If you wish to continue reading this post, click "read more" below:

 

This key point will get extremely long (because I have been waiting to write about this scene from the moment I started this project, it had been that long, this very scene was what inspired me to do this project)...

I'll start what Atem says to Yugi first in panels ensemble on the left:

"If I were you...I wouldn't cry!"

Atem wouldn't because we didn't ever seen him cry since he is too prideful to show it, to be honest I don't agree with him, being someone who used to bottle up feelings and emotions inside and every time it blow up at your face, I can say is a terrible idea, I do think is right for Yugi letting all his emotions out and let it flow like water, it helps facing this accomplishment so much better and accepting Atem going to afterlife, it's not something to be ashamed (even though I find uncomfortable to cry in front of others except when watching a movie, tv show, reading a book), he is not judging Yugi for crying because he knows the reasons and mostly moved by it, but expressing his own opinion is that the accomplishment he just made is to be proud of with his head held up high, but no one is the same, each has their own ways of coping hard decisions and learning pace to improve.

It's not just the reasons above that I don't censor Yugi to be crying, imagine if you had a friend who was dead but you were friends with for quite sometime and face the decision and being the only one able to send the friend to afterlife to rest in peace, that's just sad and hard, I would cry like mad, it's like facing a loss of someone who died you were close to, metaphorically speaking.
Yugi agreeing but basing on unwise sources...society (toxic masculinity)...

"I...I'm too weak...You were my hero...my goal...I wanted to be strong...like you...that's all..."

That's pretty much how Yugi saw and feels about Atem, what have always been implied that Yugi being an only child and his father being always absent for working overseas, living with his mother and grandfather Sugoroku, he almost didn't had a role model to look up to and relate, society even in Jounouchi at the beginning before they were friends when he picked on him that kindness and who is against violence or fighting is a weakness and accused him he was a wimp even for crying, he must have taken to heart all that toxic perception of strength created by society, Yugi has a tendency to hold feelings and thoughts back a lot due his secretive nature and bad habit of bottling them inside very tightly then explodes like we see above and what he is saying to Atem...

With what I just wrote in mind, it's only natural Yugi would see Atem as a role model and look up to him, almost like a father figure since his father were usually absent working overseas, an older brother or even a sibling he never had, Yugi admired Atem acting on his sense of justice, the way he fought his enemies was through games and he didn't ever really killed someone or put them on a permanent condition (you could count the prisoner, but when we think about it, it was the prisoner himself who went through in wanting to pull the trigger and put himself on fire, he could have admitted defeat and not pull the trigger or doing nothing until the police arrived), since it was through games, which is Yugi's passion, he did relate and also there his confidence and Atem's courage plus his prideful posture.

Even the way he phrases emphasising words like "my hero", "my goal" and "wanted to be strong like you", it's clear he had seen Atem like an older brother, almost a father figure, a role model and someone who become very present in his daily life and struggles and also as a rival. (I'm not over with this yet, it will be followed by next key point)

"You're not weak...You've always had the power that no else could beat...partner...the power of kindness...that's what I learned from you."

This kind of confirms my suspicions that he remembers everything even implied he watched Yugi growing up since he was a baby, the word "always" implies as much, because if we remember when Atem admitted that one day Yugi would surpass him because he did recently learned after the duel of Yugi against B!Jounouchi that kindness was the biggest strength of all and here he says to Yugi that he always had it in him from the beginning and Yugi was always a strong person, the curious part is the learning, he might have learned twice about the kindness being the biggest strength and both were from watching him growing up when he had his memories and when he watched the duel against B!Jounouchi when he didn't had his memories back, it is a great strength if done right, Yugi has it, to me the most powerful is love (of any kind, specially universal love), kindness is connected to it, so it isn't far-fetched, kindness is also a strength to make hard right choices...

It shows humility and growth in Atem saying face to face to Yugi what he learned from him, for someone sometimes too prideful to even admit to the person in question, Atem admitting that Yugi's strength sees as the greatest strength there is and admire Yugi for it, proudly even and humbled for it too, it says a lot about his character development.

 

How I'm going to start this...because is going to get almost as long as the previous one 😓.

It starts with panel ensemble on the left with Atem saying:

"The courage you showed by fighting me...showed me the path I must take..."

Atem's manner of speaking has a very soft regal tone to it like a king/prince as he commends Yugi for his courage to show to that Atem has to go to afterlife, it means that Atem knows the hardest part for Yugi wasn't the duel itself exactly but to the decision and intentions behind it in fighting him, the courage to do the right thing, no matter what, it is also a reference to Yugi's duel against B!Jounouchi, against Pegasus until he collapsed, when he stopped Atem from continuing his attack against Kaiba in Duelist Kingdom, among many others, he also learned a lot from this duel alone (over the course of the duel his confidence becoming more solid instead of too much, self-aware and more humble).

It also confirms Atem was really scared in leaving his friends behind and being separated from them and go to afterlife alone, Yugi's courage and accomplishment inspired him to move forward to afterlife.

Yugi address him again as "other me" and Atem kindly corrects him...

"...No, Yugi... I'm not the «other you» anymore...and you...are no else but you! You are Yugi...the only Yugi Mutou in the world!"

Before Atem addresses him, he ponders a little after Yugi addressing him as "other me", which implies he doesn't like it and would prefer to be called by his name while thinking in how he is going to say without being harsh and gently and also remind Yugi as Yugi that is very important to be self-aware (I think he was too soft on him.What can I say? he is a softie when it comes to his loved ones).

He is more or less saying that himself is himself (Atem is Atem) and Yugi is Yugi and almost begging or indirectly asking to call by his real name and emphasising to Yugi there is only one Yugi and the "I'm not the «other you» anymore..." is very obvious he is saying that now himself is going to afterlife, Yugi has no reasons to continue to call him as "other me" (it's glaringly obvious that Atem wants to be called by his real name) and making it clear there is only one Yugi not two, the real and only Yugi and because this "other yugi" is someone else called Atem, yeah, he is almost begging him (and not just him, the gang as well), Yugi's response is "yup!", he understood what he implied very well and knows he is right, but his expression is not exactly happy about it but has to learn it.

What Atem is saying is not just him indirectly asking to be called by his real name, but to remind him that Yugi is not his vessel anymore either, their bond is being "reborn", it's not between host and spirit anymore and from here and out but as who and what they are, Atem as Atem and Yugi as Yugi, despite their unique bond between spirit and host that eventually become more because of the time spent in one body to be more than just spirit and host, as we have seen their journey, their bond is like different kinds of bonds mixed together as closest friends, siblings, roommates and comrades/brothers in arms/bromance (partner), I wouldn't say romantic because is obvious Yugi's romantic feelings is for Anzu, Atem doesn't ever seemed to had a crush on Anzu or anyone (if we look from the "amusement park date" to the battle city "date", it was more or less awkward because for longest time to most people he is mr. socially awkward 😏(even with Ryou Bakura is awkward and he considers him as a friend)), so what best describes in one word for for this bond being the mix of different kinds and one of a kind, it would be platonic.

 

Atem says his name to the door to afterworld, while the door opens, Atem is with a confident expression as he ready himself to leave, so he doesn't feel scared anymore, when he is about to enter the door, the gang (Honda, Jounouchi and Anzu) by instinct call Atem by Yugi (when the "main" Yugi is right with them 😒), Atem is surprised (I think they didn't fully understood what Atem was saying in his final words before preparing himself)...but I want to point out how Atem is amazingly drawn in these panels, there is a certain change of shading style a little (more similar to the style we see the bunkodan manga covers and in the Duel Art, in other words Takahashi-sensei recent polished style).

 

I think Atem felt a little hurt and moved at the same time for calling him because of their emotional attachment to him and slightly hurt for not calling by his real name, as Honda cries and expresses how he feels and very sad and the rest of the main gang (Yugi, Anzu, Jounouchi and Honda) is going through a loss, they can't hold back the tears, because technically is seeing a friend who is going to afterlife, it's seeing someone who died they become attached to leaving them behind, maybe I would feel more emotional if they called him by his real name when they had 1 month to get used to, but I can't, I feel sad and slightly irritated as Ishizu in the panel on the right, Rishid being understanding and paying respects, Marik, well is difficult to make out, but I think he was a little surprised that Atem stopped when they called him "Yugi" and was a bit bothered by it...

Ryou and Ryuji is sad but not as intensively as the main gang, since they don't interact much...

 

When Anzu starts speaking to Atem:

"Other yugi...I mean...Atem..."

I commend Anzu for making effort to call him by his real name, because once called him "other yugi" and then "I mean...Atem...", probably because it didn't feel right calling him as "other yugi" with Yugi by their side saying goodbye with them to Atem, she sees him as Atem and is the name of her first crush, also because it is his right and understood he wishes his friends to call him by his real name...

And she continues:

"You need to go to the other side of that light...I know that...but...once you go through, you can never come back! why? I don't get it! We've been friends for so long, now all of a sudden...you're going to leave?! I just don't get it!"

I actually get a bit moved by what she says, specially the beginning, it's what a grief over a loss of loved ones feels like, to me it's the most painful part, because we can't talk to them ever again or even ask for their advice or what they think of something 😢, but there is some stuff she said that bothered me is how she "doesn't get it", that's mortality for you, when comes her time, it will be the same and it's best for him too because if he stayed with them then he would be the one be left behind and the "suddenly leaving", it's not sudden, she knows it had been hinting at it, she preferred to avoid it.

But she said most of what she feels and what she had been holding back, but she will eventually accept it and quickest too.

Then followed by Jounouchi:

"Anzu! You don't need to get it...You just need to accept it, y'now? And burn these memories into your brain! The time you've spent with him...the feelings...burn it in so you never forget!!"

Since Jounouchi is referring him in third person for now, I agree with what he is saying, from the way he said it, it seems he had experienced loss of loved ones before (it might have been one of his relatives)...because death is the end of the course of life, it's part of the nature laws of life and death, death it's something you have to eventually learn to accept it, no matter how much people try to avoid thinking about it (strangely enough, I'm one of those people who thinks death is underrated and unappreciated).

I also want to point out how the order Atem thinks of the names of his friends has changed a little, I think it shows that he was very moved and grateful for Anzu making a real effort in calling him by his name and what she said and Jounouchi's words for understanding, then comes Anzu's thoughts being sure she won't forget him...

 

Followed by the panels ensemble on left to the right, I'm glad that Anzu thinks of Atem as in his real name...as for Jounouchi...

"Yugi!! Even if you're a king, you're still yugi!! Even if a thousand years pass, we'll always be friends!"

💢 It will always tick me off, honestly is not even difficult to spell or pronounce his name, if was on the same level as Atem's father name, I would be more forgiving (his name is difficult for me spell it and is slightly a tongue twister 😐, try saying Akhenamkhanen three times fast 😏), even in japanese pronounciation isn't hard at all, Atemu, 😑.

I do get what Jounouchi is saying, which is independently what his real name and who he is, they will always be friends that was built from the time they spent and called him Yugi (I wish Yugi and Jounouchi stop saying in a way it sounds as if they gonna live forever..., I might be being too picky, he might even meant when they go to afterlife...), even Atem gets it too and responds with a smile but doesn't say anything, in fact he doesn't say anything from the moment they called him...hmmm...

 

I think the reason why Atem was so quiet was because so there wouldn't be any hesitation from him to afterlife, as we know he is a very caring person but even him has a slight problem in being too attached when it comes to loved ones and so his silence is to help him move forward, so is difficult for him too, no just the other party.

We may be seeing the panel on the left of Yugi thinking 

"We'll never forget you..."

You would think that the referring "you" in second person pronoun would mean he would stop referring him as "other me" and start refer him by his real name, hold on to that thought for the time being 😐.

I always find it curious the way he says his final goodbye or farewell with a gesture of thumbs up, I think he is implying that he won't forget them either and about to leave/enter the door to afterworld/afterlife...

 

As he enter the door to afterlife, he is thinking...

"Thank you, my partner...my friends..."

Even in afterlife, Yugi is still his partner when it came to building the deck, the trials in their fight against Pegasus, Yami Marik and Yami Bakura, because their bond was built from the time spent together, of course, his friends, the other reason as is obvious, Atem sets apart Yugi from the gang, since their bond is so unique and one of kind that it stands out to him very strongly, separately from his friends and slightly from himself, as I mentioned before as to what best describes is being a platonic bond, it's a very special kind of bond, that is difficult to describe in one word and platonic love bond is what it does most justice to their bond.

When he comes to the door, he sees his loved ones from the time he was alive, but there is something that bugs me a lot but also curious at the same time, we see all the six priests, his father and vizier Siamun, this time around I blame more the way Takahashi-sensei chosen to portray of who would greet him in afterlife, it's very beautifully drawn but plot and character wise, there is some problems I must address in this scene in particular, for starters there is a character in a interview with author in the Duel Art (I don't have it but I have read the interview) that priest Seto is Kaiba's past life, if he is indeed his past life, what priest Seto doing there greeting Atem in afterlife? it also implied the same between Siamun and Sugoroku? 😕it's pretty confusing, so what I think is possible that maybe priest Seto was provisionally fused soul to Kaiba temporarily until Atem and Kaiba's duel in Battle City or spiritually connected through Blue Eyes White Dragon, but I think it was until that moment because onward, you'll see it might be the case, as for Sugoroku and Siamun, I think they are connected (it's said you have more than one soul mate or twins souls and other crazy theory I have).
The next problem I want to address is what Akhenaden is doing there?...many fans wonder about it because like myself, there isn't any excuse in his actions, he did it of his own free will, he wanted his nephew out of the throne so his son would be king and without considering if his son want it or not while projecting his ambitions on his son...he could have been forgiven, who knows 😒.
Now to the last problem, Mana and Atem's mother isn't there, in the anime, Mana shows up in the anime version but in the manga doesn't, it bugs me because Atem's mother is shown in only one panel, only one panel, you could think because of the space in this panel, but there is ways it could make it work, it's again one of the problems in the entertainment industry when it comes to female characters, nowadays it has improved in some points and others none at all, oh well 😞 (some of the reasons why I go for the "indie" side of it).

 

Starting from the panels ensemble on the left, we see the millennium items falling, the moment the millennium stone slab starts to break and collapse along with the shrine, Yugi became worried about the millennium items, specially the millennium puzzle and mentally saying farewell to it, it's very understandable because he was around it for 8 years trying to solve it, of course, he became attached to it, I would too if I had spent that much time with a puzzle 😦 (someone who is very attached to her own personal possessions 😗, I can relate to that).

Shadi, Shadi, what a mysterious fella, I wonder what it means, now knowing he is the spirit of the millennium items (basically) or could be said it's spirit guardian waiting for them to leave.

But still doesn't explain how people can see him plus appearing and disappearing as if using teleportation but how? 😕 I'll get to that eventually soon...

My thoughts of him certainly improved compared to when I started first reading the manga, but I still disagree with some of his actions in the beginning as unnecessary when he was first introduced but then he got better.

I want to mention now that the underground shrine completely collapsed, after they left the shrine and looking at the shrine now in ruins, everyone is standing up, except Yugi, being the one on his knees, he was the last one, Sugoroku was with Yugi and Jounouchi and he is standing up, from his age you would think he would be the most tired, but he isn't, so Yugi being the only one on his knees, it must be still sinking in what just happened, to him a lot happened, also he must have been the only person who have seen Shadi when he was about to exit himself, he must be thinking about it too.

I like this scene in how Atem have departed to afterlife is sinking in their minds, accepting and understanding a little better that it really had to happen as Ishizu implies...

"By delivering the pharaoh's soul...the role of the millennium items has ended. The door to the afterlife has closed forever."

She is more or less saying that it was for the best for him and for all of them, what gets me thinking in how she says that the role of the millennium items ended after collapsing, it's implied that they weren't destroyed, I wouldn't say exactly the role of the millennium items, but the millennium stone slab role have ended would be more accurate, if the role of the millennium items ended, they would cease to exist, but it didn't, it's just fallen under all the ruins and rubble of the underground shrine, but is connected to it, so Ishizu isn't completely wrong . she is mostly right, but for not being destroyed or anything but buried in the ruins of the shrine, I can't put my finger on it, that it hasn't completely ended...even after the movie...I will approach as to why when I have the chance...

 

This "narrator" part is Yugi...

"This isn't the story of a great pharaoh. Everyone has a story of their own...and that story ends in light..."

This Yugi's narrator part isn't over since it continues and ends in the next two panels and key point, what Yugi means is as he says is that the characters we have seen have their own story and we know their stories and crossed with each other and what driven in who they become towards their future (we know Seto and Mokuba's story, the Ishtar family story, Anzu's story in becoming a dancer, Jounouchi's relationship with his family and formerly delinquent, Honda with similar background as Jounouchi, Sugoroku as a legendary gamer, Otogi father and son story, etc) and the part each "story ends in light" is related to death, they have seen Atem leaving with light surrounding him greeted by his loved ones from the time he was live waiting for him in afterlife, so he means, in death as "the end of the story" that comes with to afterlife, into the light, which means everyone will reach that point at the end of their own stories...they have learned a valuable lesson about death and afterlife when seeing Atem off to afterlife.

I want to point out something curious, when they leave the village of Kul Elna as it looks here, they see Kaiba Seto and Mokuba waiting for them, did they watched their duel or is it just to make this part pretty and being characters important to the plot? 😕 I think he did but very discreetly that was only shown he might have watched the duel until now...

Continuing Yugi's narrative...

"As for me...My story has just begun!"

Look at his eyes a little closer, it was starting to become the slight different eye shape we see in the movie of Dark Side of Dimensions...I noticed just recently...

On the matter in his "narrative inner monologue", since most of his life was himself growing with games and trying to solve the millennium puzzle then the time spent with his friends and the pharaoh soul, now with his independence conquered, it's time for him to forge his own path towards his dream and future...

The END

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