Let's Discuss Hunter X Hunter!!!!

[Monochrome_Complex]

One of my favorite anime ever! HxH is a fantastic shonen which I find to be, the "smart guy's shonen" in that it relies more on character development, world building, and plot than just power levels and big fancy fights, although it still has some well done action too. The manga while good has some rather shaky art due to various health issues and at times just looks awful, I actually couldn't finish it I definitely think it's a case where the anime adaption surpasses the manga.

However, let's take the time to gush about the amazing OST of both 1999/2011 HxH. I kind of like 1999 more but 2011's OST is no slouch either and sounds great my favorites are Pakunoda's theme, Kurapika's theme, Chrollo's theme, Kinkyu Jintai, Zoldyeck/Chrollo battle, Gekitou,Kanashimi No Fusou, HXH No Tema- Densetsu, Field in Spring, Zoldeyck Theme 2011, Legend of the Martial Artist, Hegemony of the Food Chain although TBH I only really like the guitar part.of that one.

As for favorite arc, definitely York Shin! I love the Phantom Troupe and they're probably my favorite Villain gang in manga period. I think York Shin is the peak of the series, with Greed Island while amazing in concept gets bogged down by Biscuit's training mini arc(ugh I hate Biscuit), has the weakest villain(Bomber isn't bad, he's just fills so lesser compared to Hisoka or Lucifer), some pacing issues,and could've handled characters better. It's also where the manga's art quality went down the tubes.Chimera ant arc...sigh.

Like I really wanted to like it, but it's by FAR the most boring arc much of the time to where I actually haven't finished it. I feel like too many characters get introduced(Palm ugh and Kite's useless friends), the chimera ants have horrible designs and while interestingly written just look too corny(the freakin surfer lion and thong rabbit). Then the molasses in sand pacing which just makes it a slog to go through at times and then massively annoying narrator who just dehypes everything whenever he opens his mouth. The high points are the battles which are the best the show has to offer so far, Netero going all out and proving why he's the boss of the bosses, as well as Killua's development and Meruem who is probably one of my favorite villains in the show. Knuckle was pretty cool too although his partner was pretty lame. Not to mention you get to see the Spiders more which is ALWAYS a good thing, It'slike the best of the show and worst of it all wrapped in one, which i think is partly why it divides so many people. I know one thing, Gon's super form, epic as it's supposed to be just looks incredibly silly to me and kind of ruined what was supposed to be a badass moment. Idk just felt like they jumped the shark with Gon's powers there. Weird how despite being the main character, Gon's powers are kind of boring compared to his allies.I do like his fighting style otherwise though as it's very feral looking. It's an arc that just takes way too long and TBH I think madhouse would've done well in trimming some of its fats because there's a lot to appreciate in it that unfortunately is just bogged down by small issues that add up. I still haven't watched the chairman arc yet.

As for favorite characters, out of the heroes for me it goes Kurapika > Killua > Gon > Leorio. Chain users are just too cool and I like Kurapika's personality a bit more comapred to the others, although Gon's is cool too since he so childishly innocent(although he acts more like a 10 year old initially IMO). For villains Feitan, Pakunoda, Chrollo, Meruem, and Hisoka win it. Netero is really cool as well and has one of the coolest Nen abilities in the show. My other favorite nen abilities would be Killua's chains, Ghostwriter, Knuckle's ability, Pakunoda's memory bullets, shalrak's cell phone, Chrollo's book, and Blinky.

[Meruem]

my favorite arc has to be the chimera ants one. the only problem i had with it was that the action scenes were really slow paced due to the extremely detailed narration. other than that, i loved everything about it, i.e. the villains, how it knew where it wanted to go and how everything turned out. second favorite is the york new city one :].

as for favorite characters, i never thought id ever say this while watching hunter x hunter, but overall: gon > kurapika > neferpitou > killua > meruem. my favorite during the first half of the series had always been kurapika. i love the concept of his nen and as cliche as his backstory seemed, everything turned out so damn well on the york new city arc. up to that point i really didnt like gon much, he just seemed like your average shounen protagonist and nothing more. his development on the chimera ants arc was SO good though, I was so pleasantly surprised at how he turned out as a character. other than those, i also really liked feitan (awesome concept, dat fight scene on the chimera ants arc) and hisoka (do i even need to explain).

anyway, i really hope togashi continues the manga some time soon :[[[. i would love to see some more hunter x hunter animated, but even if it doesnt get adapted, just reading the manga is so satisfying. the new arc seems really interesting too.

[Dana]

anyway, i really hope togashi continues the manga some time soon :[[[. i would love to see some more hunter x hunter animated, but even if it doesnt get adapted, just reading the manga is so satisfying. the new arc seems really interesting too.

I'm afraid that given his health issues that he'll die before he finishes the manga :c

Which upsets me since it's my favorite shonen manga.

[Wes]

I absolutely adore HxH. The music is phenomenal, the characters are all well diverse, especially for a long running shonen series, the artstyle has such a happy-yet-can-be-series atmosphere to it, and I also have attachments to it for personal reasons with an old friend who was not able to see the ending of the 2011 anime.

Favorite character would probably be either Hisoka or Killua for no other reasons than they appealed to me slightly more than the other characters.

[Deleted User]

I've heard good things about this series, but admittedly I've been a bit prejudice based on the pictures of it I've seen. Sell me on it.

[Meruem]

It's a shounen that starts off really slow but is extremely consistent. All it takes to like this is get used to the pacing, as everything else is extremely well written. The action scenes are done masterfully for the most part and the characters all have some type of goal, so you'll likely be rooting for most of them, even some villains. The story arcs always know where they want to go, which is one of the best things about this anime. It's also produced by madhouse, which if you didn't know, is an amazing studio. The animation is great and the soundtrack is just epic.

When I was first going to start hxh 2011, all I was thinking was "ughhh 148 episodes that's just so much", but when I was at episode 35 or so, I couldn't even stop watching it anymore. You'll get that feeling of wanting to find out what happens on the next episode, and then on the next one and so on.

Finally, don't expect the show to be as amazing as I'm making it out to be on the beginning, because not even I was that amused. Like, it's still okay early on, but that's nowhere close to how great it gets later on. Other than that, I have nothing else to say, as I'd rather not spoil you on the best things about it. Just go watch it whenever you can.

[Monochrome_Complex]

Honestly once the hunter exam starts proper I think it starts getting good. In fact I actually consider HE arc one of the better ones and it has some real creativity to it. It's more like Dragonball in the start having a more adventure feel rather than the heavy emphasis on spectacular battles, although there's no shortage of those either.

Madhouse admittedly kind of nerfed that arc somewhat and the 99 version while slower to start first few episodes does a better job with it overall. Jump to Madhouse HxH once it's finished though. Or if the 99's animation is too dated for you just do Madhouse's from the get go which does kind of get you to the better parts of the show more quickly anyway.

It's not like most shonen where it's all POWAH LEVELS POWAH LEVELS up until later which is another reason I kind of like the hunter exam arc a lot as a lot of it felt like it it emphasized the actual hunter aspect of the show rather than the Nen aspect which dominates it later on for better and worse. That said the nen system is well thought out and interesting regardless and really fleshes out the world well. I'd say to watch the show until the end of the Hunter exam and then decide whether or not you want to go from there. This is another reason I kind of prefer 99 for the Hunter exam arc because it's not as rushed and gets you to know the characters better.

I know Gon looks kind of dorky with his green short shorts(and admittedly the show does have a few homoerotic undertones lol) but the main cast are pretty well written and designed even if Gon himself gets shafted on his powers. Such is the fate of enhancers, unfortunately.

Oh, also, do you know Yu yu Hakusho? The guy who wrote HxH also wrote that show, which is a fantastic shonen as well. If you like YYH(which you better ) then HxH at the very least will keep you entertained. .

Here's a short vid from an early fight on in the 99 version, not a whole lot of spoilers(unless you watch the 2nd part of the fight afterwards on another vid) but it showcases some impressive animation and gives tiny glimpse of the show. You can notice the variety of character designs in the audience, the scale of the fights(no DBZ-tier stuff until way late in the series) but still quite dynamic, a slight feel of Gon's combat style and how the hero won't get wins very easily and usually ends up in a tense struggle somewhere along the fight. Again a very small glimpse but seeing this clip kind of got me into the show since it seemed a lot more intense looking than I thought. The 2011 version has even more consistent animation since it's modern day, although that 99 sequence stands out in particular for it's fluid direction.

Edited September 13, 2015 by Monochrome_Complex

[Meruem]

https://twitter.com/VIZMedia/status/652531677072359425

DUB YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[Felicity]

just finished the first season of HxH

Is gud

[NickCrash]

Did somebody say HUNTER X HUNTER ???

I am not saying I am a huge fan of the show but I may or may not have already designed ~40 Nen abilities complete with description, regulations, covenants/vows and ways of using them inside and outside of battle. That said, those who watch it, we should make a seprate thread in which we present those ideas. I'll wait till there are enough people into this.

Moving on, and addressing this to Jerry, the story so far is a huge prologue to a main story not yet written, taking place in a world outside ours. However, it is the best prologue you'll ever see with multiple arcs beginning and ending with logic and consistency. The characters are well made and multidimensional, the protagonists have goals and everyone is human, which means they feel fear, agony, pain, remorse, and there are more ethical dillemmas than in your everyday cookie-cutter-shonen anime/manga. In my opinion, the arc to begin now is the most interesting, while omitted from the anime. The villains are... as Charlotte said... just people who are in the other side. They do have their reasons and goals.

More specific stuff. Genthru is not weak. He loses due to overconfidence, a trait common to real life battlers who let their guard down when they seemingly can take their opponent blindfolded, emasculated and with one hand tied in an anchor deep in the Pacific (may be slightly exaggerating). Others are simply badass and/or genius, like Chrollo, Hisoka, Razor, Ging, the Kakin Princes. The list goes on. Even simple characters have depth and most times you'll find yourself sympathizing with those the story presents as criminals, than the ones on the "good side".

More to be said...

[Meruem]

Even simple characters have depth and most times you'll find yourself sympathizing with those the story presents as criminals, than the ones on the "good side".

like the little chimera ant who wouldnt talk and then got back home AND IT WAS REVEALED SHE WAS THE LITTLE GIRL ALL ALONG and i almost cri

[NickCrash]

I know the thread is pretty much dead, but I'd like to know your views on the matter:

And yes, before I say anything, SPOILER ALERT for CHIMERA ANT ENDING

We know that Netero actually lost against Meruem, but ultimately killed him thanks to the poison the bomb had in it.

Meruem being saved was an ass-pull by the story, as he could have died, and let the Royal Guards survive. However, had that not happened, do you think Knuckle and Killua would be able to take down Pouf (leaving Youpi the last Royal guard alive) ??

[Arisato]

Reviving dead thread again oops

I started reading + watching Hunter x Hunter in November of 2013 and was OBSESSED with it up till the beginning of last year (I still like it, but I don't follow events related to it so religiously anymore). It was easily one of the best shounens I've ever watched. Action, lovable side characters, main characters with realistic traits who weren't OMG SO OP from the get-go, little fanservice, strong female characters, etc etc etc. The list is endless. I do agree that the dragging at some points got on my nerves, but only bc I was eager to see certain parts in the manga animated.

Also:

I know the thread is pretty much dead, but I'd like to know your views on the matter:

And yes, before I say anything, SPOILER ALERT for CHIMERA ANT ENDING

We know that Netero actually lost against Meruem, but ultimately killed him thanks to the poison the bomb had in it.

Meruem being saved was an ass-pull by the story, as he could have died, and let the Royal Guards survive. However, had that not happened, do you think Knuckle and Killua would be able to take down Pouf (leaving Youpi the last Royal guard alive) ??

Honestly, given how Killua was kind of dancing on Pouf's ass (while being burdened by Komugi, up to a point) with Kanmuru - even though Kanmuru doesn't last that long and needs to be recharged - I'd like to think so, especially with Knuckle. Knuckle could have put APR on Pouf, so if he did the whole split-up-into-a-bunch-of-shit thing, Killua still would have been able to spot the main one. And since he was faster than Pouf when using Kanmuru, he would nab him easily. Even if he stayed together so he would have his full strength, Knuckle still could have put APR on him and then just laid low (assuming he still had Meleoren with him) while Killua slapped him around a bit until he went bankrupt. I dunno, that's what I think at least.

[Cool Girl]

My favorite arc was the Chimera Ant one (The rest of my opinion might be a spoiler so please view it at your own risk).

In the end, when Gon loses his Nen power, I was really sad. However, i liked the ending where Gon finally finds his father and all the characters part ways. It was a sastifying ending is how I would put it. However, I heard in the manga that there's another arc after Gon finds his father and I'm wondering why they never got to it in the 2011 anime (yes, I'm talking about the 2011 anime) I'm also asking myself some questions: what happened to the spiders and their boss, Chrono? I was pretty sad that the series and would've loved that it kept going. However, I was pretty happy with the series and didn't regret watching it.

[NickCrash]

First I'd like to respond to Arisato. Yes, my thoughts on the matter were similar to yours, but I believe that they had no way of defeating Youpi afterwards. He had just received an awakening of his powers and could either live as a being of enormous strength among humans or become a monster that kills them and have the zodiacs chase after him. Funny note: Youpi was the only Royal Guard who was not made with humans, but with magical beasts, yet he was the only one to display human qualities, ethics and a sense of honour and justice. Pitou had some honesty and then you have Pouf, who was everything bad in this world combined.

Regarding Gon, it appears Nen plays a more important part in human vitality than simply extra energy boost that other shonen have. Gon's covenant forbids him from using Nen and he sacrificed it all to gain immense power on the spot. Yet, he wasn't just powerless, he almost died. Afterwards, when Alluka heals him, he simply turned back to square 1, when he couldn't get Aura out of his body. This will be reversed at some point and Gon will gain back his powers.

Speculation part: when Gon reaches his previous levels, Killua will be a step ahead, having to protect Alluka for a while, until he finds someone to hide her. Then they train, decide to meet Leorio and Kurapika in the Dark Continent, but then many things will have happened.

Hype-wise, I am excited to see the Dark Continent saga, and when the mangaka returns from his everlasting sleep/hiatus, we can see some things about the great clusterfuck that they are preparing us for. Even Leorio gained some awesome powers (as demostrated by Ging). We have yet to see: the Zodiacs, the vigilantes hired by Beyond, the princes of Kakin, Beyond himself, a whole new world of another level of toughness, and Don Freecks the legendary 300yo.

[Shad_]

To start a new discussion, what do you think guys about Meruem?

The supreme Ant King able to take down the most powerful Hunter in the Association, one of the most cruel characters that killed without hesitation men, women and kids to gain more power that in the end shows a "human side" and dies in one of the best scenes in all the Manga/Anime also, my favourite scene so far in Hunter X Hunter. He's actually my favourite character (during his battle with Netero, i really hoped in his victory/survival) and i would have loved to see the story proceed a little bit "different" to keep him alive. Sadly, after all the things that happened in the Arc, it's logical that this was not possible.

I'd like to hear your opinion about the King.

"Komugi, are you still there?"

"Yes, your highness. I won't go anywhere."

[Cool Girl]

@AndSoThereIsSt3ffo I agree with you. I really liked Meruem. That scene where he was with Komugi was one of the most touching scenes I've seen in all of the anime. I thought Meruem was a really good character in the anime! Anyways, that's my opinion! What do you guys think?

[Arisato]

First I'd like to respond to Arisato. Yes, my thoughts on the matter were similar to yours, but I believe that they had no way of defeating Youpi afterwards. He had just received an awakening of his powers and could either live as a being of enormous strength among humans or become a monster that kills them and have the zodiacs chase after him. Funny note: Youpi was the only Royal Guard who was not made with humans, but with magical beasts, yet he was the only one to display human qualities, ethics and a sense of honour and justice. Pitou had some honesty and then you have Pouf, who was everything bad in this world combined.

Oh, they definitely couldn't have beat Youpi. He was just way too strong - they had trouble with him in their individual fights even before his awakening, and I doubt they could do much more together even at full strength. If Kanmuru was a neverending ability, MAYBE they'd have a smaaaaaaaaall chance (using the whole run-around tactic that I mentioned), but otherwise nope. Interesting point at the end. :~)

Anyways...about Meruem. I really loved his character, even when he was portrayed as a savage and merciless King, because that made his characterization and awakening all the more meaningful in my eyes ("As the most powerful being, I want to crush all lesser beings" ---> "As the most powerful being, I want to protect all of the lesser beings and use my power to create a world where we are all equal"). He was one of those characters where, in typical Togashi fashion, he's introduced as a villain, but as the arc goes on and you get more of his thoughts and revelations, it's up to you whether or not to demonize him completely. His battle with Netero was a very powerful scene IMO that violin soundtrack more like end me, and I really liked how it brought up the whole "humans as monsters/monsters can be human" deal.

Don't even get me started on his relationship with Komugi LOL. To put it shortly, I cried. A lot.

[Follow]

I'm just going to drop this here

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-03-14/hunter-x-hunter-manga-to-return-for-1st-time-since-august-2014/.99778

Really good series btw, if you haven't watched/read it yet I highly recommend it

[Odybld]

Can we have 20 chapters this time before it goes to a break again? Is it too difficult, Togashi?

Well, I guess I'll have to reread the 10 previous until Thursday to remember what exactly is going on.

[mwijsman]

I'm calling it now, we will get about 5 new chapters and suddenly "back problems" will strike again.

[NickCrash]

I've written down so many Nen powers and characters that would be on the show (most notably me having ice powers :3 ) that it will be a shame if he just gives us 5 chapters and then goes on a hiatus again. Other artists work much harder and longer, and they find time to make a chapter every now and then.