Episode 41

EPISODE 41

霊光弾！意外な決着?!  (Reikou-Dan! Igai-na Ketchaku?!)

Reiko-Dan! An Unexpected Conclusion?!

First Broadcast: July 31, 1993

Equivalent Manga Chapter(s): second half of chapter 72 (WSJ #24, 1992, June 1), chapter 73 (WSJ #25, 1992, June 8)

Summary: Yusuke blocks Jin’s double Senpu-ken and fires his new(ish) technique, the Reiko-Dan. Jin faints, but the corrupt tournament officials declare the match a draw. The worn-out Kuwabara must fight the enemy team leader, Risho. Outside, Yukina arrives at the stadium and meets Shizuru and co.

Anime/manga differences after the jump.

Differences from the Manga

(What's all this about?  Read here)

• The episode starts with a retread of episode 40’s last scene.  This time around, Mask’s explanation of the Reiko-Dan is said aloud to Hiei, rather than just being her internal thoughts like last episode and in the manga.

• In the manga Yusuke blocks both of Jin’s punches with his left hand, then hits him with his right.  In the anime he blocks one punch with his left hand, then the other with his foot.

• In the manga Mask says that the Reiko-Dan is the same attack she used back on the ship they came to the tournament on.  She also notes that the strong form of the attack (when you hit the opponent directly with it, rather than from a distance) is the most destructive of all Yusuke’s current techniques.  Both these bits get left out of her explanation of the Reiko-Dan in the anime.

• Favorite peanut gallery filler: after Yusuke sends Jin flying, Shizuru has a premonition that he’ll be falling down right where she and Keiko are sitting, so the two move away.

• In the manga the scene where Yukina is shown outside the arena comes in the middle of Koto counting to 10 to confirm Jin’s defeat (her entrance is how chapter 72 ends, with 73 beginning with Jin falling over and Koto reaching 10).  In the anime the countdown is all one scene, and Yukina’s entrance is moved to after the 10 count.  She’s also shown talking to some demons to learn you need a ticket to get in, and inadvertently giving them a cold in the process.

• After the 10 count, in the anime Shizuru goes off into the stadium interior, telling Keiko she needs to use the bathroom.  This becomes important later.

• Risho looks slightly different in the anime: his hair’s bigger, the rings under his eyes are much less pronounced, and he’s not as scrawny.  Most notably, in the manga he has a very distinctive nose: it comes to a perfectly flat point, like somehow had cut the tip off.

• In the anime Risho actually hits Toya with his dirt-armored fist when Toya complains about his sneaky way of winning.  This is also the first we see of Risho’s dirt powers in the anime.

• As Hiei puts forth lots of power to try and bust out of Ruka’s barrier, Ruka complains to the tournament head honchos that she can’t contain Hiei anymore.  In the anime the cords on Ruka’s body start snapping, and she also complains that she’ll soon be naked at this rate.  Some random crowd demons say they’re cheering for Hiei this time.

• So I’ve said there’s a lot of filler with Shizuru and Keiko reacting to things, and Botan with Kuwabara at ringside.  In fact, in the manga Shizuru, Keiko, Botan, and Atsuko all only arrive at the stadium at this point (they drank too much and overslept).  They meet Yukina outside, and help her get in.  The anime cuts out the whole “they were hung-over and overslept” part, and had the three girls inside the stadium from the beginning of Round 2 (Atsuko is of course absent entirely), so that’s why they inserted the scene earlier of Shizuru heading to the bathroom.  Turns out there aren’t any toilets inside the stadium, so she has to go in some bushes outside.  Keiko apparently decided to come too, and when they head back Shizuru tells Keiko to go get Botan.  Shizuru then approaches Yukina and introduces herself as Kazuma’s sister.  This whole anime-only scene comes between the announcement that Yusuke and Jin’s fight has been declared a draw, and Kuwabara stepping in to fight.

• In the manga Kuwabara interrupts Koto’s speech slightly before she finishes announcing that the Masho-Tsukai Team has won, while in the anime he only butts in immediately afterward.

• After Kuwabara steps up to fight, in the manga we get the scene where Shizuru et al meet Yukina outside the ring, as mentioned above.  After talking a bit, they see on the big TV screen outside that Kuwabara’s fighting.  Concerned, Shizuru tries asking some demons what’s going on, and beats them up when they blow her off.  Then the scene goes back to the ring, and chapter 73 ends as Kuwabara and Risho’s match begins.  In chapter 74 when we check back on the girls again (after Kuwabara and Risho fight a bit), they beat up the stadium security guard guy and go inside, where Yukina explains that she’s learned she has a brother and has coming looking for him.  In the anime though Shizuru already met Yukina in the previous scene.  Keiko comes back with Botan, and at this point Yukina explains about how she’s looking for her brother, outside the stadium rather than inside.  Once that’s finished, they see Kuwabara fighting and Botan explains what’s happening.  Shizuru beats the crowd of demons out of the way so they can see the TV better.  

•  It’s ultimately not clear why Shizuru had Keiko get Botan.  Apparently it was just so that the scene with Yukina could play out closer to the anime.  Also, in the anime Botan’s been at ringside and can explain what’s going on to the group, whereas in the manga none of the girls know and Shizuru has to force some demon to tell them what was up.