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thatumbrellaoni · 11 months

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I didn't see this anywhere, so I decided to translate the tarot section of Yu-Gi-Oh! Bunkobon Volume 21, which provides commentary on Bakura Ryou as "The Fool" card. I was very excited to start this due to my longstanding disappointment with Ryou's general absence and lack of role during the Memory World arc, and I was interested in how he related to the tarot he represented.

Well, as I read and kept on reading, it became apparent that this was quite different from what I hoped for. "This isn't the content I was expecting to glean off of it," were my words when I was livetweeting my progress, and I'll elaborate later because this... went... somewhere, I guess?

Some caveats before we start:

This, and all the other tarot write-ups in the other Bunkobons, was not written by Takahashi-sensei but by a person credited as CoZo (see top left corner of the last image below)

Due to the amount of Japanese culture it absolutely immersed me in, I had this peer reviewed by a Japanese native (thank you, ash!) for errors and to make sure the translation was as accurate as possible without much loss to nuances

Related to point two, I also conducted my own research (I dug deep, starting from a JP YGO message board all the way to a 2009 blog post about these same tarot pages by screaming machine gun-san, a prominent YGO doujinshi artist at the time who created the Bakura/Atem books "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN"), and links are available for clarification (mostly Wikipedia for ease of access, click on underlined/clickable words)

CoZo refers to the characters as such: Ryou as "Bakura Ryou" and Yami Bakura as "Dark Bakura"/"Bakura" (which was troubling and what confused me by the end of all this but more on that afterwards)

Quite the long post ahead! Please enjoy and share your thoughts! I'd love to hear them!

Yu-Gi-Oh! Tarot Theater 63 0　◆　The Fool　◆ The Fool's Journey―Joker―

Making an appearance this time is Yugi’s old friend who turned out to be his greatest enemy, Bakura Ryou. Looking back to when he debuted in the fourth paperback volume, his name quickly foreshadowed that he would be the final enemy.

After repeated mistakes, he should have lost face many times over, yet his steps remain light without a shred of worry on his face. So, who exactly is he?

The name "Joker" is a name familiar to all―they pretentiously sat among dignitaries in medieval Europe, greatly raised the gambling nature of card games, were viewed in contempt by the church at the time because of it, but remained the beloved star of the masses in countryside plays. They appear in folklore around the world, sowing discord unprompted and then disappearing once there is nothing else for them to do.

Neither good nor evil. Seemingly dense but actually cunning. Causes great strife yet garners no hate. Catching Shakespeare's eye catapulted them to stardom―the jesters who served King Lear and King Oberon added conflict and vitality to their respective narratives by speaking to their kings in sarcastic tones and intruding in affairs within the royal palace. They even made it to the operas and the big screen, like J. Nicholson in recent years, playing the archnemesis in Batman, and F. Mercury, who also sang and danced…

A truly unparalleled existence in the literary history of mankind.

"You think they're the enemy, but when you look at them, they're among your allies, smiling innocently." Is that not exactly what Bakura Ryou is?

Despite entering the story fairly early, his first appearance in this project was near the end… But that is what the illustration is all about―an irreverent man with all the worldly wisdom of a fool.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Tarot Theater 64 0　◆　The Fool　◆ Moral Neutrality―Tabula Rasa―

The card Dark Bakura and Yugi used in the Ultimate Dark Game… had a blank face. Thinking of a person or an object existing in memory will make them show up on it. But because only those that exist in memory may be imprinted on the card, Yugi cannot make something appear if it does not exist in memory.

Valuing the rules, Yugi is rendered at a loss. But Bakura, who does not care, summons and fuses non-standard monsters, steals Yugi's abilities, and counterattacks… all as he pleases. Bakura's resourcefulness and cunning stand out, and his mastery of mimicry proves itself as well, but this is where his weakness is exposed―even when nothing is off the table, Yugi is a cut above the rest in his ability to create original concepts that follow the rules and negate exploitative measures.

Tabula rasa… A blank slate. Where comic artists gladly bring their work to life. A pristine state where the greatest joy lies.

Nothingness… Ruin… A world stolen… I have seen heartrending paintings done by war orphans on the news and at exhibitions. Even the hearts of children suffering the ravages of war can be healed through art. Sadness unable to be put into words can only be expressed in pictures. While trying several strategies, therapists came up with "play therapy". Utilizing toys and games, it has been one of the few methods effective for young children with limited vocabulary and without ways to open their hearts though it has yet to be systemized.

Besides drawing, there are other means like creating miniature gardens, methods that use dolls and clay, and swordplay and playing catch for boys. The recent issue of Clinical Research in Psychology reports Saint Seiya as an example of a story wherein "an abandoned child becomes a hero", which was once represented by Susanoo. Perhaps it is for that reason that the series is popular even in South America. Even in Arab countries devastated by ongoing terorrism, one can see children's eyes light up at Captain Tsubasa.

The use of Yu-Gi-Oh! in psychotherapy is not in any way extraneous. On a cold, windy day a few years ago, over one hundred thousand children holding Yu-Gi-Oh! cards in their hands filled the streets of Makuhari, Chiba―and that sight, that excitement, is unforgettable.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Tarot Theater 65 0　◆　The Fool　◆ An Untainted Soul Adrift―Trickster―

Society has long known the true identity of "The Fool". Passed down through myths and folklore, psychologists called them "Tricksters". Puck, Kokopelli, Goku, Ivan the Fool, Hans… In Japan, Susanoo, Hikoichi, Amanojaku, and so forth would fall under this category. When the Trickster's wicked side surfaces, they are called… Villains. Thieves. Imps. Violators of order… Those hold true for Bakura as well.

Yugi is a boy with numerous "shadows", and Bakura can be considered as one of them. Men with a darkness to them are said to be charming, but I think the charm lies in those who have the capacity to keep that darkness under control and not let it show.

Yes. Yugi had several shadows. An evil existence… which was Marik. A pharaoh, a dark presence sealed within the tomb of memory living in hiding for years. And then Bakura, the childishness Yugi is now breaking away from. Whenever Yugi sees Bakura, immature and unfailingly blithe, it frustrates him because it feels like looking at his old self. Yet despite this bewilderment, he is unable to let Bakura go.

This time, Bakura's juvenile nature brought forth unfathomable terror. The insatiable monstrosity that is boundless, childlike enthusiasm was about to wreak unimaginable destruction upon the world. Bakura's occasional euphoric glee after a rampage is characteristic of how a child expresses gratification. To him, world war and total annihilation could be "playfulness".

Delighting in foul play and mimicry, Bakura does not actually know how to "play". Back then, children had an omiso―they could be a child from out of town, the youngest of the group, the slowest among them, and the like―in their games who was given more lenient and special rules, so they could mingle with the others and all play together properly. When the omiso unexpectedly played more actively, they were then allowed more freedom in games. But children nowadays do not know of the olden days, are less likely to play in groups outside, and only play games with peers that are on the same level as them. For example, even if the wind sprite Matasaburou or a zashiki-warashi spirit came to play, they would not have any way to do so… A wise mother could then only prepare an abundance of snacks and say, "This is for you, spirit. Thank you for playing with us."

In this day and age, we have lost the sense to accept unique individuals like Sendai Shirou, who may be slow-witted but pleasant. Getting along with them hinges on "fun". Can Yugi and his friends play well with Bakura?

Yu-Gi-Oh! Tarot Theater 66 0　◆　The Fool　◆ Bakura Ryou

"The Fool" is wise in the ways of the world and an excellent imitator. Sometimes it is even very powerful. When the great boom of the Middle Ages ended, it was the only one able to slip into playing cards and stay relevant after the tarot was in decline. It can substitute for a missing card in a row in "Sevens", surprise the player with a loss in "Old Maid", and turn the tables at the last second as a wild card in "Poker". It is an outrageous cheat. And quite the pest. But despite all that, it is a reassuring ally when a dealt hand is lacking. After all, it can become any card. Evidently, "The Fool" is ineffective on its own but suddenly becomes extremely powerful when borrowing the strength of others. There are people like that all over the world, so understand their nature and get along with them well. However, it could turn out to be an unfavorable yet inescapable relationship.

The Tarot Speaks―――

Upright

- New beginnings

- Blank slate

- Frivolous

- Reckless

- Innocent

- Immature

- Wasteful

- Deciding too early

- A love full of potential

- A love not yet awakened

- Elopement

- Be curious and go out into the world

- Journey

- Studying abroad

- Visionary

- Obsessed with something

- Over-the-top geek

- Job-hopping part-timer

- Careless with their health

Reversed

- Misjudgment caused by information overload

- Keep calm and decide

- Foolish choices

- Not being vague

- Failing because they messed around too much

- Moody

- Futile actions

- Interruption of studies

- Dropout

- Drifter

- Going the wrong way

- Runaway

- Reckless love

- Foolish love

- Show business

- Unemployed

- Head in the clouds

The young man's journey begins on a blank page. The magical items are long gone.

He has no destination in mind either.

Nevertheless, the young man heads for the wilderness alone.

No, he brought only one thing with him.

A writing tool. With it, he draws his own world on the blank page.

What could he be drawing…?

We will have to wait and see.

Works cited:

Clinical Research in Psychology, Volume 14, Issue 3. The Japanese Society for Clinical Psychology, 1996.

Concept by CoZo

END.

This was an accomplishment and a half. But I'm far from feeling accomplished, just frustrated. In the end, barely anything written on there was directly about Ryou because I feel like CoZo lumped Bakura and Ryou together as one, which really bothered me. If it wasn't about Bakura, though, it was about Yugi (or Atem, not sure which one CoZo was referring to at any given time, really, since they were seemingly lumped in as one as well). Even Marik got a mention ("evil", quite the disservice of a mention too)! Nearly lost motivation finishing the translation, to be honest.

Overall, this seemed... off to me, especially the "Tabula Rasa" and "Trickster" pages. I can see where CoZo was coming from? Maybe? "Play therapy" (Ryou's talent for creating figurines/dioramas) for Ryou after experiencing a family tragedy... He's the omiso... His language is through (his love for) games... But I can't see Bakura as simply not knowing how to "play" or that world war and annihilation are mere "playfulness" to him (with the Kul Elna massacre plot point and all that). Yugi sees his old self in Bakura...? You lost me.

I'm not sure who CoZo is. I searched them up, found someone similar in name, but ultimately didn't learn who they were or what their background was or why they were featured in the Bunkobons (and I just didn't care enough). CoZo might be a tarot expert for all we know, but they didn't know much about the actual character they were talking about to effectively relate "The Fool" to them. And it shows! Like I said, they just talked about Bakura like he was Ryou, like they're the same character (which made me think of the DSOD theory that there isn't a "Bakura", just a Ryou corrupted by the Millennium Ring's evil, but that's neither here nor there).

I mentioned that I came across a 2009 blog post by screaming machine gun-san while researching (it was through them that I realized why this write-up was so confusing to me), and they said it best:

"Hey, commentators... Can you please separate Bakura Ryou, Thief King Bakura, and self-proclaimed 'Zorc' Dark Bakura? You can separate your burnables but not this chaos!? No matter how chaotic these three are, this is not chaos!"

Look, I get it. The Bakuras are the most confusing part of YGO. But come on... You confuse the Bakuras, then you end up confusing the hell out of me!

We have three! They're distinct (see alt text lmao)!

Anyway, in closing, I was planning on translating the rest of the tarot pages for each Bunkobon, but if they're all going to be like... uh, this, I'm not enthusiastic about it.

Special thanks to Aariachang24. His translations of "The Magician" (Atem + BM + BMG) and "The High Priestess" (Ishizu) tarot cards inspired me.

#bakura ryou #yami bakura #thief king bakura #ryou bakura #yugioh #ygo #bakura #dark bakura #jp to eng #umbrella #I feel like I wasted my time #there was no ryou after all #back to rereading ygo in jp #hope yall enjoy whatever this turned out to be #I sure as hell dont know if I did or not #Im like 50/50

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