Episode 63

EPISODE 63

幽助!限界への悲しい試練 (Yuusuke! Genkai he no Kanashii Shiren)

Yusuke! A Trial to the Limits of Sorrow

First Broadcast: January 15, 1994

Equivalent Manga Chapter(s): chapter 107 (WSJ #10, 1993, February 22), chapter 108 (WSJ #11, 1993, March 1)

Summary: Toguro’s 100% power endangers the panicked crowd, who turn on him. Toguro says Yusuke isn’t angry enough, and wonders what it will take to bring out his full strength. Genkai’s spirit possesses Puu, and tells Toguro that if he wants to see Yusuke’s true power, he should kill one of Yusuke’s friends. Toguro wounds Kuwabara, and Yusuke’s power and emotions explode.

Anime/manga differences after the jump.

Differences from the Manga

(What's all this about?  Read here)

• The episode starts with a re-do of last episode’s ending scene, as Toguro’s punch sends Yusuke flying.  Koto narrates these events.  We also see at this point that Keiko is starting to phase out.  This isn’t shown until much later in the manga.

• Toguro explains to Yusuke that Yusuke has an obligation to bring forth all of his power to fight him.  In the manga he then says that he’ll aid Yusuke in drawing out his full power, and wonders what would trigger this: pain, fear of death, anger?  Kuwabara says that Toguro is completely battle-crazy, and lives on nothing but his fighting instincts.  Toguro responds that it’s not instincts, but his will; this is the purpose that he has established for himself (precisely what that purpose is, he doesn’t say).  In the anime after Toguro tells Yusuke about his obligation, at this point he says nothing about helping Yusuke utilize his full power.  Instead it goes straight to Kuwabara, but instead of his manga lines, Kuwabara just says that Toguro thinks he can get away with anything.  It’s then Koenma he says Toguro lives on fighting instincts alone.  Toguro’s response is a little different too.  Rather than saying that this is the purpose he’s established for himself (with what “this” is being unclear), he flat-out says that fighting is his reason for living.

• Continuing the trend, in the manga random (and unseen) crowd members comment on how Toguro is sucking up the bodies of those in the stadium being killed by his sheer power, while in the anime Jin and co. say this.

• As everyone in the stadium struggles with the dangerous energy Toguro emits, we see that Ichigaki’s formally brainwashed fighters are there too.  The older guy (the one with the pony tail who fought with a spirit staff) is struggling, and the other two are worried.  In the manga they call him “Kai”, while in the anime they say “Ryo”.  Back during Round 2 of the tournament, it was established that these three guys are named “Kai”, “Ryo”, and “En”, but it wasn’t clearly established who was who.  So I guess the anime decided back then that Ryo was the one with the staff, and decided to stick with that here in spite of the manga.  For the record, the Spirit World Who’s Who guidebook identifies “Kai” as the one with the staff (in keeping with the manga version), “En” as the kid with the throwing discs, and “Ryo” as the young man with the claw attack.

• In the manga we also see Rinku struggling against Toguro’s energy, much to Chu’s concern.  In the anime we just see Jin block Toguro’s energy waves with a wind shield.

• While Toguro showers Yusuke with blows, Keiko starts to suffer a slight mental breakdown.  It’s at this point that we first see this in the manga, while the anime hinted at it earlier.  The anime pads this out with Keiko remembering her time with Yusuke, and how until recently they had a normal life.  She figures this is all just a dream, and starts to scream.  Keiko’s scream causes Yusuke to likewise remember their past, including scenes from back when they were very small.  This includes a scene where kid Yusuke falls into a river and seems to get a cold, something mentioned in chapter 2 of the manga, but left out of the anime.  The manga shows the aftermath of Yusuke getting a cold after falling into a river (he goes to school while still very sick just so Keiko won’t worry over him), but doesn’t depict the actual fall into the river itself.  Anyway, Yusuke’s flashback to childhood memories is invaded by a vision of Toguro grabbing Keiko.  Toguro says Yusuke can’t go home anymore.

• Koto starts to fall victim to Toguro’s energy, but is determined to continue her ringside commentary until the very end.  In the anime Chu and Rinku show up and create an energy barrier to protect her.

• The manga scene of Keiko snapping ends with Puu talking in Genkai’s voice, which Botan recognizes.  The anime moves this part to after Chu rescues Koto, and expands it a little by having Botan tell Keiko that Yusuke has to win, otherwise he couldn’t face Genkai.  This leads more directly into Genkai starting to speak via Puu.

• As things continue to look hopeless, in the anime Juri protests that she doesn’t want to die in a place like this, and says she should have stayed out in the sticks and made her living growing apples.  I guess this is the closest thing to backstory we have for her.

• Going on with the “we’re all doomed” theme, Shizuru notes that she’s had a short life.  In the manga she says she’s slightly over 18, while in the anime she says she’s slightly over 20.  Perhaps this was done to justify her constant smoking and drinking?

• As Kuwabara heads off to face Toguro and meet his death (or not), in the anime he creates a Spirit Sword and gives a big speech as cherry blossoms fall in the background.

• When Yusuke finally unleashes his true power, in the manga Kurama notes that his ki is different than before.  For some reason this line is given to Toya in the anime, and Kurama instead says that Yusuke’s power is a “chilling wind”.