×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Hunter x Hunter


Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
ptolemy18
Manga Reviewer/Creator/Taster


Joined: 07 May 2005
Posts: 357
Location: San Francisco
PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 11:14 am Reply with quote
Mr. Toto wrote:
This is what I've found after reading the series. The protagonist, Gon, is made entirely amoral as a result of his curiosity always taking precedence over anything else. Togashi does a very good job of distracting his readers from picking up on this through subtle dialogue choices and doesn't explicitly state it until the Yorknew City arc. Gon's drive for power isn't written about in a positive light; his flaws are significant and portrayed as self-destructive as a result of his purity. On the other side of the coin, characters whom are supposed to be "villains" also exhibit traits opposite from what one would expect.


Excellent point. I hadn't thought of it myself, but Togashi is a good enough writer that he could use a subtle theme like this. He definitely loves the amoral and antiheroic protagonists (Killua is the obvious one; Gon's amorality is more arguable), but so do many other manga artists and comic artists, and it's usually just for cool factor ("Oh snap! Did you see what the Punisher did to that guy?" etc.). I guess we'll see where Togashi goes with it and if there's ever a part in the story where Gon has a moment of self-assessment and we really see how he's "grown up."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Zhou-BR



Joined: 28 Feb 2008
Posts: 1419
PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 12:31 pm Reply with quote
Judging by the disparity between HxH's huge sales (each new volume routinely sells over one million) and its very low ranks in Shonen Jump's weekly reader surveys, it seems most of the manga's readership in Japan comprises adults who don't buy Shonen Jump anymore.

That makes me wonder why Togashi never transferred HxH to Ultra Jump or another monthly magazine where he could produce chapters more regularly, instead of taking obscenely long breaks. With the end of the election arc (which some might see as an extension of the Chimera Ants arc), he lost an opportunity to finish the series' weekly run in a strong, satisfying note.

Still, Hunter x Hunter is my favorite shonen manga out there, and as long as Togashi has ideas for new storylines, I'd like him to keep it going. I do agree that he's something of a frustrated game designer, but things like the crazy amount of rules and itens in the Greed Island arc show how much more thought he puts in each arc than the average mangaka,
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Sewingrose



Joined: 11 Jan 2011
Posts: 579
PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 1:17 pm Reply with quote
Huh, never picked up Hunter x Hunter before, I don't know seemed a bit to shonen-formula-by-numbers to me, but the article has me intrigued.

Granted it's probably a bad idea to start another long-running shonen series with no end in sight. But maybe I'll give it a try and see if I like the way it goes. Does it have a "read to this point for it to hit its stride" point, like One Piece with Nami's backstory and the Chuunin exams with Naruto? Then again, I can just wait if to see if the ending is good, or if there's an ending at all. Eh, I'm sure I'll be hearing about it for quite a while, and can be tempted into picking it up later.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Saffire



Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 1255
Location: Iowa, USA
PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 1:38 pm Reply with quote
The initial arc is pretty good, but yeah, I'd say it doesn't really hit its stride until a bit later. The advantage with HxH is that once you're caught up, keeping up is easy because content is so irregular.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Looneygamemaster



Joined: 21 Jan 2012
Posts: 192
PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:09 pm Reply with quote
From a passing interest in Madhouse's new adaptation, Hunter x Hunter has become one of my favorite Shonen titles. All the Shonen I've read try to balance both violent and grim elements, and goofiness and optimism, but from what I've seen, Hunter x Hunter has done it the best. And the way it does it is actually quite simple--it makes its world a nasty, cynical place to live, but it makes its heroes optimistic and good-hearted in the face of all that. To me, that makes the stock cries of "I won't give up" and "You're my friend" mean a little more.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Snomaster1
Subscriber



Joined: 31 Aug 2011
Posts: 2793
PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:23 pm Reply with quote
I'll be honest with everyone. I've never really read "Hunter x Hunter" so I can't comment on it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:24 pm Reply with quote
Snomaster1 wrote:
I'll be honest with everyone. I've never really read "Hunter x Hunter" so I can't comment on it.


Thanks for letting us know! We were all wondering about that.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime
AgitoZ



Joined: 05 Jan 2012
Posts: 51
PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:32 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
It's a limited-edition video game which costs 5.8 billion jenny (the currency, which incidentally sounds a lot like "zeni" in Dragon Ball)

I'm pretty sure the reason they sound similar is because they're both based on the generic fantastical currency of "zeni". It's how we got things like Zenigata Heiji, the policeman who uses coins to catch criminals.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ConanSan



Joined: 13 Jun 2007
Posts: 1818
PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:56 pm Reply with quote
Oh yes, Hunter X Hunter; otherwise known as "How that goit who what did YuYu Hakusho pulled the wool over Shueisha's eyes and they don't care."

Everything was settled when the spoiler[Chimera Ants] arc ended with the verbal evacuation of one's bowels about the Cruelty of Man upon man and oh noes woes humanity! I've seen arcs end badly before (Pain arc, anyone?) but that was just insulting.

More like woes anyone else who tries to run a comic in Jump. You'll get three months and then shoot in the back in favour of more of Togashi's chicken scratchings. That is, when he can be arsed to get the chicken out in the first instance.

Fronzel wrote:
Quote:
as for Takeuchi, she works occasionally as his assistant and colorist, arguably a comedown for the creator of Sailor Moon, to become merely the Lynn Varley to his Frank Miller, but they sure make beautiful manga together.

I think she's one of those people who was ruined by success. Sailor Moon blew up her brain.
I think it's more a case of "You lost my transcripts again?! Oh sod this, I've got enough money to do me, peace!"

I get the feeling that any manga she does from now on will be purely for her own edification. We'll see if that's good or bad.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
malvarez1



Joined: 17 Nov 2008
Posts: 1628
PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 4:49 pm Reply with quote
Sewingrose wrote:
Huh, never picked up Hunter x Hunter before, I don't know seemed a bit to shonen-formula-by-numbers to me, but the article has me intrigued.



Then you should read it, since its anything but!

Anyway, I just want to say that I really enjoyed reading this well-written article. Hunter x Hunter is one of my favorites, and proves that a good Shonen Jump manga doesn't need to have endless fight scenes to be very entertaining.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Etrien



Joined: 27 Mar 2009
Posts: 525
Location: Tokyo, Japan
PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:42 pm Reply with quote
AgitoZ wrote:
Quote:
It's a limited-edition video game which costs 5.8 billion jenny (the currency, which incidentally sounds a lot like "zeni" in Dragon Ball)

I'm pretty sure the reason they sound similar is because they're both based on the generic fantastical currency of "zeni". It's how we got things like Zenigata Heiji, the policeman who uses coins to catch criminals.

And I'm pretty sure that all of the above are because "zeni" (銭) is actually a real Japanese word for coin money. Wink
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
dragon695



Joined: 28 Nov 2008
Posts: 1377
Location: Clemson, SC
PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 7:48 pm Reply with quote
The relationship between Gon and Killua is interesting. Definitely feeling some Sailor Moon vibes there.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Magna_Lilly



Joined: 05 Oct 2011
Posts: 79
PostPosted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 9:46 pm Reply with quote
Great article! Very Happy I only discovered Hunter X Hunter less than a year ago (not long before the newest anime actually) but I'm so glad I gave it a shot. There's just something about the way Togashi does it that makes it stick out from other shounen. It starts off pretty much like most shounen - with all the adventure and friendship and whatnot - and it's pretty innocent at the beginning, but the more you read there's all these little things that you start noticing and realizing how mature it is. And it's not really in your face either. I honestly didn't notice Hisoka's... um, "glowing" moments until much later after he was blatantly checking out Gon's ass. And I love how normal it gets too. They have to stop and do things like earning money, and learning how the auctions run, and all those rules, rules, rules you learn. Somehow it makes it so much more enjoyable. Overall I'm just a big fan of Togashi's mangas. After I read his stuff, I don't even want his autograph or anything, I just wish he was an old pal of mine so I could call him up and be like "hey man, that last chapter was awesome, how ya been?" (lol if that makes any sense).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
grooven



Joined: 16 Aug 2006
Posts: 1424
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:57 pm Reply with quote
Awesome article! Great job Smile I liked how you summed up the many points of the series. I watched the show in 2001/02 and would often go back to watching it instead of Naruto lol.

It is a shame that so many people keep freaking out about his breaks and seem to insult him for doing so. I really love this series and can't wait to see where it goes!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
sailornyanko



Joined: 22 Aug 2005
Posts: 134
Location: Mexico City
PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2012 3:30 am Reply with quote
I was fortunate in being able to get hooked in this series in 2005 when they aired it in the now defunct Latin American cable channel Locomotion. The series has a strong following in Latin America and most fans are actually pretty tolerant of the colombian dub.

In the Colombian dub Hisoka for some reason has a french accent and sometimes says phrases in french.

If people are wondering where in the series does anything indicate Gon isn't as goody good shoes at he seems at first, I kind of got strange vibes that he'd be okay that people that weren't directly his friends would be killed for random reasons during the hunter exams, in fact all of his friends seemed kind of meh when strangers would fall from a cliff to their deaths.

I also always found it kind of disturbing that the world of Hunter Hunter allows children as young as 12 years old (as long as a guardian signs a paper giving them permission) to take an exam where they have a highly likely chance of having a horrible death and society seems pretty okay with it. I also sometimes wonder how in the hell did Killua skid through the signed permission part of the exam when his family supposedly didn't even know he even bothered to take the test.

I can't blame people in the series for trying to become Hunters, you can travel to 90% of the countries around the world for free, sell your license and become filthy rich and you get free college tuition even if you never really want to learn Nen or do dangerous pursuits. The series also never mentions if you buy a dead Hunter's license if you could claim it as yours or what applies there...

I wonder if the 2011 series will get a dub in spanish, maybe yes but I doubt it will ever be played in Mexican cable tv which has gotten suckier every year. There's some things in the that that changed for the new series, it's less dark and deperessing and a bit more like One Piece.

My favorite arc so far is the York Shin one, I have never read the manga, hope the Greed Island arc remake will be better made and they fix the blooper in the confusing mix-up of different aura colors depending on what kind of nen you use.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next
Page 2 of 3

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group