nenya85:This must have been so cathartic for both Kaiba brothers. Even though they’re not actually
nenya85:This must have been so cathartic for both Kaiba brothers. Even though they’re not actually facing Pegasus, the brothers don’t know that. They believe that they’re confronting the person who separated them, who hurt them both, and who struck at the heart of both brothers’ deepest fear: that there would come a day when Seto couldn’t protect Mokuba. Even if, like me, you mix the manga and the anime in your head, Duelists’ Kingdom was terrifying in a different way than Death-T. At Death-T, Kaiba had become so lost that he was a danger to the brother he had sworn to protect. At Duelists’ Kingdom, Kaiba is helpless to prevent anything that happens. It had to have been a scary reminder of all the times they were truly powerless, shaped by the events of their lives rather than being the ones doing the shaping. Of course when they arrive, Kaiba has his usual stoic face on. But there are deep smudges under his eyes and you have to wonder how long it’s been since he’s had a good night’s sleep. You can see from his thoughts and his reactions to Pegasus, when Mokuba can’t see his face, how deeply Duelists’ Kingdom still haunts him. The only thing more powerful than his memories is his determination to be strong for Mokuba. Everything that happens from their arrival at Duelists’ Kingdom to the moment when he destroys toon world is about Kaiba proving to both himself and Mokuba that things have changed… that they have changed and can, once again, rise above circumstances that almost crushed them in the past.And Mokuba matches his Nisama perfectly. As afraid as Mokuba is – and at points he’s practically cringing behind his brother – he’s going to stay and cheer Kaiba on because supporting his brother and proving to Kaiba that he not only trusts him, but that Kaiba is worthy of that trust is more important to Mokuba that his fear.I couldn’t screen capture it well enough but when Mokuba yells to Kaiba that he’s amazing in the last frames, you can literally see Kaiba straighten up and stand even taller. Even though it turns out that they were facing Amelda instead of Pegasus, I’m glad they got to share this moment. -- source link