Episode 75

EPISODE 75

シーマン・雨に潜む罠 (Shiiman・Ame ni Hisomu Wana)

Seaman—A Trap Lurking in the Rain

First Broadcast: April 9, 1994

Equivalent Manga Chapter(s): most of chapter 124 (WSJ #28, 1993, June 28), first half of chapter 125 (WSJ #29, 1993, July 5)

Summary: Some time later, Botan catches up with Yusuke and Kuwabara, and gives them a message from Koenma saying that the portal will open over a week sooner than expected.  At this critical time Kuwabara decides to attend a concert, much to Yusuke and Botan’s disgust, but there he is attacked by another of the 7, “Seaman” (Kiyoshi Mitarai).  Seaman can create liquid monsters by mixing his own blood with water.  He has one of these monsters take Kuwabara’s friends hostage, while another attacks Kuwabara, who is helpless since his spiritual powers apparently disappeared after the Dark Tournament.

Anime/manga differences after the jump.

Differences from the Manga

(What's all this about?  Read here)

• Yusuke’s narration from the start of chapter 124 (which was adapted last episode) establishes that 2 days pass between the battle with Doctor and Botan informing Yusuke and Kuwabara that the portal will really be opening in only one week, while the anime leaves this out.  Also, right before Botan shows up with the bad news, in the manga Yusuke notes that they’ve got a little over 2 weeks before the portal opens (out of the 3 weeks they started with), which also points towards how much time has passed since the events of 4-D Mansion.

• Via the mini-TV Botan brought, Koenma tells Yusuke that while the portal will be opening much sooner than expected, they’ve at least figured out that the portal’s center is in Irima Cave.  Yusuke says that now that they know that they can rush right in.  In the anime Koenma is desperately trying to get Yusuke’s attention again, obviously trying to keep him from doing anything rash, but Botan just closes the mini-TV up into its container again.

• After Yusuke and Kuwabara have a fight over Kuwabara insisting on attending the Megallica concert, there’s a filler scene of Sensui and Itsuki in Irima Cave.  Itsuki says that the portal is practically widening on its own now, almost as if it were alive, but they still need to find someone who can cut down the barrier.  Sensui says the group is looking for such a person, and his intuition tells says this person will appear from an unexpected place.

• Next is some manga material where Yusuke gets fed up with everybody wanting to wait things out, so he heads out.  In the manga Atsuko is in this scene, and she asks Yusuke to buy her some cigarettes while he’s out.  In the anime Atsuko is replaced by Keiko (who’s holding Puu).  Keiko wonders whether Yusuke is planning on invading the enemy’s base all on his own, which in the manga Yanagisawa says.  In both versions, Genkai says that if he’s really that stupid then he’s better off dead.  In the manga Yusuke says he’s heading out to play pachinko, while in the anime he says he’s headed for the arcade (possibility a bit of censorship here, as pachinko is often a form of gambling).

• Following that is a scene in the Spirit World depicting Kurama’s meeting with Koenma.  This is actually something later mentioned in the manga, but we only get to see it in the anime.  Kurama has Jorge take him to the Spirit World top secret research room, much against Jorge’s will, since the last time he went in there without permission Koenma spanked him.  Koenma is in there reading, and Kurama asks him whether or not he already knows the identity of the enemy’s ringleader.  Koenma says that’s stupid; if he did, he would have already just ordered them to attack.  But Kurama says that if Koenma knew that the enemy was possibility much stronger than they were he wouldn’t be so careless, and would be conflicted over whether or not to tell them what he knew.  Koenma’s reaction convinces Kurama that his suspicions are correct.

• There’s a bit more manga material as we see the Megallica concert, after which is some filler as Seaman approaches the concert hall.  He draws out a knife and pricks his finger to draw blood (foreshadowing his ability).  It’s raining, and Sensui walks up and gives him his umbrella, then walks off saying he expects good news.  Seaman returns the umbrella, saying that he likes the rain.  Then there’s the mid-episode eye catch, after which we get back to manga material as Kuwabara and his friends leave the concert.

• In the manga Kuwabara thinks to himself that lately it’s been nothing but fighting, so surely there’s nothing wrong with relaxing for just one day.  This helps make his choice to attend the concert while the fate of the world’s on the line seem a little more understandable, but the anime leaves it out.

• As Seaman approaches the group, in the anime the streetlights go out. 

• The big water monster which holds Sawamura hostage has a very penis-like head in the manga, but this is much less pronounced in the anime.

• After Seaman captures Sawamura, in the anime he introduces himself for Kuwabara’s benefit, giving his real name: Kiyoshi Mitarai.  After all, doesn’t Kuwabara want to know the name of the man who’s going to kill him?  Kuwabara talks tough, saying there’s no way he’ll be done in by the likes of this guy, but Seaman thinks he’s all bark and no bite.  Presumably Seaman’s self-introduction is an adaptation of the non-story page from the start of chapter 125, which gives Seaman’s name and explains his powers.  

• Chapter 124 ends with a little panel showing that Yusuke really did go play pachinko.  The anime moves this to after a filler scene that follows Seaman’s self-introduction.  Keiko and co. are still hanging out at Yusuke’s apartment, where Shizuru shows up looking for her brother.  They tell her he went to a concert, and Shizuru curses him for his stupidity (it also seems that she has a bad premonition).  Kaito and Yanagisawa offer to go search the area, but Genkai says they’d be no match if the enemy attacked.  Kuwabara may be vulnerable without his spiritual powers, but Genkai is certain that despite what Yusuke said, he has really gone to look after him.  Yusuke would have to be a complete idiot to have really gone off to play games, Genkai says.  Cue the scene of Yusuke at the arcade, playing games.

• And in the anime, Yusuke is at the arcade playing Game Battler, the same game which later figures heavily in the plot.  We even see the Game Over screen, which becomes quite important.  It’s great foreshadowing, and is probably another reason they anime had Yusuke head to the arcade rather than the pachinko parlor.

• Once we get back to Kuwabara and Seaman, in the anime Seaman asks Kuwabara which of his water monsters he’d prefer getting killed by.  Kuwabara says that Seaman is as twisted as Doctor Kamiya, which Seaman takes offence at.  He says he’s different from Kamiya, and has flashbacks to all the bullying he’s experienced, juxtaposed with Sensui’s speeches on the true nature of humanity.

• The episode ends 9 pages into chapter 125, as Seaman’s water monsters pummel Kuwabara, who wonders what has happened to his spiritual powers.