Forum - View topicThe Mike Toole Show - Night of the Hunter x Hunter
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Whis-pur
Posts: 131 |
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If you're a big HxH fan then I'd say go back to the 1999 version. I started with that years before the remake, and even just thinking about it, or seeing episodes again, I'd say it still holds up. The biggest difference is the filler. Since they started adapting nearly right away the Hunter Exam has some anime only sections added on. But, I'd also say the tone is really different. 1999 has a darker/harder edge to it, and takes itself much more seriously than the fun beginning adventures of the 2011. Also, if you watch the 1999 version you'll find many scenes that almost hint at Leorio/Kurapika, and Gon/Killua pairing. I still think the animators were trying to play with the fanbase. |
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Neko-sensei
Posts: 284 |
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Kurapika: definitely a girl in disguise. Later able to use nen to enhance her camouflage. Obviously her quest to avenge her clan compelled her to adopt a more masculine persona.
No one will ever convince me otherwise. Everyone gets to believe one incredibly stupid "flat-Earth"-type theory, and this is mine. |
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Alexis.Anagram
 Posts: 278 Location: Mishopshno |
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Love this show to death and back again.
I do have to take one issue with the review: the statement that "the only thing missing is romance" just strikes me as disingenuous. Rant contains no real plot spoilers but character development stuff so I'll play it safe. spoiler[Even if you don't subscribe to the notion that Gon and Killua are intended as a couple (and I do), denying Killua's obvious feelings for Gon is, uhh...I don't know how else you could possibly read that relationship. This isn't a Sasuke/Naruto deal where the rivalry is the source of their intrigue and people read into it: Killua flat out states things like Gon is the "most important" person to him and there are several times where he fears losing Gon to someone or something else: it becomes a central issue for his character development immediately prior to, during, and after the Chimera Ant arc-- and their interactions during the final episodes drive it all home. It strikes me as one of those scenarios where, if either one of them were a girl, nobody would be questioning their chemistry: but, hey, it's two boys, no way anime would ever go there right? Oh, wait. Also they're like 15 by the time the show ends, well into whatever "dating age" is, and Gon makes several indications that he's already experienced romantically, much to Killua's consternation. Plus I mean they've fought in wars and almost died and shit why anyone would question their ability to commit romantically is beyond me.] I'd have to say my favorite villain in the series is Ging. I hate him and he's awful. Great qualities for a bad guy to have. My favorite arc is definitely the last one with Alluka, both because it introduces her as a fantastic character who I can't wait to see more of as the manga continues, but also because it builds on Killua's character substantially-- and whenever Killua is the focus, the show hits its peaks, in my opinion. He's a foil for Gon in a way that proves the show's most subtle strengths: whereas Gon spoiler[basically develops into a psychopath with limited ability to see past his own desire to become strong at any cost, and essentially judges others on the merits of their own strength (a real deconstruction of the usual shonen formula where the good guy becoming stronger is the desirable conclusion)], Killua spoiler[becomes increasingly empathetic and self-aware and is able to cast off the brainwashing his family put him through by actually declining to engage in conflict, making symbolic strides towards independence and freedom in the final episodes and even acknowledging the exploitative/abusive elements of his relationship with Gon, leading to the decision to separate from him.] Basically, my feeling is that the show isn't just a Greatest Hits of the best shonen formulas: I'd liken it to Neon Genesis Evangelion's relationship with mecha anime in that it takes those formulas at face value and follows them to their natural conclusions, rather than the ones we've been primed to expect. It starts doing this early on, but I think the reason the Chimera Ant Arc is so popular is because it capitalizes on this structure. Nobody really behaves the way that shonen heroes and villains typically do, and there's an emotional trajectory camouflaged under all of the bravado and posturing which hits you at the last moment. It's good stuff. |
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navycherub
 Posts: 233 |
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My favorite Hunter x Hunter villain is Gyro. Sure he's only gotten development indirectly or through flashbacks, but what we have there is so convincing and powerful, and his very existence drives other great characters like Welfin and Ikalgo. Without ever having heard a single line or even really knowing what he looks like, he is the villain that I go back to every time. I really can't wait to delve into Meteor City more.
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Valhern
 Posts: 916 |
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I've seen enough of this argument to see Ging as some sort of evil mindmaster, but I'll let it pass, some way or another it is sort of a valid interpretation. But...
He what?! It's true that Gon is no stranger to hard training, and he does like getting strongerso he can accept dangerous challenges to the point of unhealthiness, but he did not become a psychopath or a strenght freak. spoiler[First of all, a psychopath has tremendous problem in being empathetic with other people, and they tend to treat them like objects for their use, not always willingly, of course, and most of the times they don't consider any guilt in their actions. Gon is not someone incapable of empathy AT ALL, and bringing examples to the table would be just showing the elephant in the room. When we talk about Chimera Ant Gon, we're not talking about the same circunstances as he was in previous arcs. When Kite is transformed into a puppet, Gon becomes prisoner of his own guilt, he transfers all that happened to his own, that's part of his selfish personality. Remember that he figures out that the King hurt himself because he couldn't forgive himself; because the same thing is happening to him. He can't forgive himself for Kite's fate, and he hasn't still hurt himself because he saw hope in getting him back. This is perfectly reflected when he meets Ging, he literally says "I should've died instead of Kite!" He never thinks that Kite is completely dead, he doesn't want to, even though it's obvious for Killua. And when he realizes that this is true, it's when he completely loses himself. Gon-san is not a form born out of asking for strenght, is a form born of a life thrown away, Gon literally kills himself, thinking that this will solve everything, losing sight of everything important (see: Killua and all his friends). It's true that Gon is particularly selfish, much like his father, and has a noticeable moral ambiguity; but he doesn't judge people by strenght (Leorio would be what, a pebble? And Chrollo would be a saint). He judges people by friend, not friend, and unrelated. If we pay attention, Gon's first ever kill is when he squashes out a Chimera Ant, Kite gets cautious about this in a previous episode, wondering if Gon is ready to strip someone away of their life. Evidently, Gon is capable of killing someone he has literally no attachments to, or feels no empathy towards. But there should also be a motive, Gon doesn't care much that Chrollo kills people, he is mad at him because his friend (who also kills people) is in trouble because of him. Maybe they could've been friends, but he messed with friends he made beforehand, so no. This backfires, or eats at him when he faces Pitou, who shows all intention of empathy, which Killua, Zeno and Netero perceived. He can't comprehend a contradiction so big ("You're trying to save what (implying Komugi is a thing)? And what about you did to Kite?"). The motives for what he would kill someone vs why would he spare/befriend someone collide, and that breaks him; by that point, he is willing to accept conditions as long that allows him to fight Pitou. If Pitou told him that there was no saving for Kite, you can be sure that the transformation would've happened earlier, that was the only condition that stopped him, the only way to redeem his guilt, until he couldn't forgive himself.] Rant off.
Not particularly, but I'd recommend watching the first episode, or read the first chapter of the manga, they will give you a key piece for a later arc. Madhouse didn't adapt it since it includes a character they didn't know they'd bring back, meaning, they didn't know if they would adapt the arc they come back, and probably couldn't hire a voice actor and tell him they don't know if they will voice the character. Plus, this was supposed to be a series no longer than 36 episodes, but the popularity kept it going. |
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pikabot
Posts: 168 |
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HxH? Undervalued? I can't think of a single adjective less applicable. No matter where you go online, stepping into any discussion of this thoroughly average series is like peering into a parallel universe where it's god's gift to manga.
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Alexis.Anagram
Posts: 278 Location: Mishopshno |
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Thank you for your thoughts! For the sake of brevity and to stay on point I used the term psychopath, but you made me realize it was bad shorthand for what I meant to convey and also it was really insensitive of me (there are real people who actually do struggle with empathy and it's not my place to demonize that). I'd concede that you probably have a better grasp at what drives Gon; certainly he has complicated sentiments regarding friends, enemies and the application of lethal force, but what I meant to emphasize was my personal interpretation that spoiler[the events of the show warp his moral compass and sense of judgment to where his primary interest in becoming stronger and beating his opponents causes horrible things to happen to characters like Kite and Killua (as in the volleyball match of death and numerous close calls during the Chimera Ant Arc) and he ends up having to pay the price in the long run. Hisoka is specifically interested in Gon because he sees the potential Gon has to become as ruthless and cold as Hisoka himself is, thus making him a worthy future opponent, and I recall a number of moments where other characters were witness to that same potential beneath his outward veneer of childlike charm.] Gon is interesting as a protagonist because he doesn't embody the typical noble qualities which would be expected of a shonen hero; he's not an altogether bad character or even an anti-hero per se, but his intentions and behaviors nevertheless tended to give me pause as the show went on and I feel that was deliberate. He and Killua represent an opposition in themes and the different destinations people arrive at with regards to power. This question is wonderfully explored with Alluka, later, in a way that impacts both Killua and Gon meaningfully. But yes, Gon is more complex than my original statement gave credit for and you were right to call that out. So thanks again. |
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Panoptican
Posts: 160 |
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There's little reason to watch the previous 90s version. The 2011 version adapts everything that version did plus more. The only things you'd get from the old version are some filler and a bit of a different feel since it was adapted by different people. |
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leafy sea dragon
 Posts: 7163 Location: Another Kingdom |
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Oddly, Kite was completely removed from the beginning and won't show up in the 2011 anime until the Chimera Ant story. Personally, that was a mistake because it not only makes Kite seem like a shoehorned in character Gon is suddenly old acquaintances with, but Gon was partially inspired to take the Hunter Exam due to watching Kite in action in his hometown. This, in a way, makes the anime something other than a one-to-one straight adaptation. (It also removes a lot of the gore and dismembered limbs from the manga. Here, for instance, Hisoka turns an examinee's arms into flower petals. In the manga, he just chopped them off.) Some people have mentioned that Kite's removal was a decision from not knowing if the anime would continue, but doesn't the One Piece anime already have people voice characters forlike one episode and then returning years later? Or is it a different case where they don't know if the series will even continue?
The original manga had some stuff with censor bars too, like when Killua fought the apes in the trees.
The Chimera Ant story was even longer in the manga than the anime in proportion to the other arcs. The Chimera Ant arc began at Chapter 186 and ended at Chapter 318. That's 132 chapters, or about 41.5% of the manga up to that point. I haven't seen the 2011 anime to the end yet, but from people I've asked who told me about what they saw, that following arc is actually the most stretched-out one (which makes sense, considering this was the last arc they could adapt).
That's an interesting interpretation of Ging as a character. Now I wonder: Where would you place Pariston on the continuum of good and evil? |
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ParkerALx
 Posts: 194 |
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What, no mention of the weird
Pierrot Studio Hunter x Hunter anime pilot from 1998? And here I thought you were a master of uncovering obscure anime oddities! In all seriousness, this was a great read, Mike. It warms my heart to hear that your nephew fell in love with such an amazing series. 
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LightYapper
 Posts: 131 Location: Somewhere on Earth |
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Wow, there sure are a lot of praise for HxH in this forum. I stopped watching the 1998 version at episode 10, because these oddities feel simply odd. Guess it's time for me to give this a second chance by watching the 2011 one, because it sounded like the better version of HxH.
Thanks for the article, Mike. You encouraged me to return to HxH again. |
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Megiddo
 Posts: 8360 Location: IL |
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Well, the 1999 adaptation (plus OVAs) had undeniably better OPs, so there's at least that. I mean, there's only so many times I can listen to "Departure! (X version)" before I just want it to go away forever. Unfortunately it looks like most of the '99 OPs have been taken down from Youtube for copyright, but Pray, easily my favorite of the OVA openings, at least still lives. |
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TheJaceX
Posts: 38 |
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So, I just wanna thank you for mentioning Level E. It's my favorite Togashi work (though I haven't seen Hunter 2011 yet). It's sad how almost nobody knows it exists. To the point where "What the hell is Level E is actually a running gag with my friends.
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MaxSouth
Posts: 1363 |
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Among top manga writers, Kishimoto and Togashi are probably by far the smartest. They are comping up with clever, intricate tactical (and strategic) schemes, as well as well-developed pseudoscience behind the magic in their most famous works.
I wish Togashi would be able to draw his manga in normal pace. Because having writer that is so advanced in his craft is very rare. |
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Valhern
Posts: 916 |
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Precisely so. Hunter x Hunter 2011 wasn't supposed to run longer than Gon vs Hisoka in the Heaven's Arena. Notice how the animation is basically consistent but also unrisky until that episode? I've seen that fight giffed to death and with good reason. It was confirmed midway that HxH would include York New and Greed Island, bumping it's quality considerably, music and artist-wise, and I think that Chimera Ant was confirmed around Greed Island. Gon vs Hisoka was a series finale level of fight, with Gon and Killua setting off to Whale Island would be a stepping point to end the series. A mistake of perception by Madhouse in my opinion, since considering HxH constant success it was obvious it would go well, but I don't know all the details. About One Piece, I'm sure that One Piece banked on the huge success of the manga, they knew this was going to be their new DBZ, and it was. I think that if One Piece failed as an anime and cancelled we would be saying nowadays that TOEI was sued by everyone working there, considering they were given a job and got fired mid-term. I suppose Madhouse didn't want to risk that.
And I'm glad you clarified your point. |
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