Now, this was actually the point in the first TV-Series that I became a fan of this show. The point where Gon realized who he was going to have to hunt just blew me away with the kind of subtlety that I just did not see in any other shounen series. And ever since I have not seen any other shounen show that could equal this.
This episode had the disadvantage again of having the exact same plot, so the surprise was ruined and it didn’t make the impact it did as when I watched it for the first time. But damn it still was really damn good! The creators still nailed Gon as he realized the kind of task he stood before. I loved how they handled the part where he and Killua show each other their numbers. This still stands as one of the highlights so far.
Also, this episode just pretty much nailed the training arc. Screw overly complicated plans: Gon didn’t even spend half an episode preparing for his task, but this practice was essential. This wasn’t about him learning a new technique for the sake of being stronger. He analyzed his opponent and the situation he was in, and came up with a strategy to take him on. This is done in a way that again very few other shounen series have. Without actually dragging on, this episode accomplished a lot here.
One criticism is that female announcer: if you want to break the mood, go for it all the way. Her acting felt really out of place, and missed the anti-climax that she intended to be. I’m also glad that the creators kept the soundtrack to a minimum this episode. The one good track was used well when Gon observed what the other contestant was doing, and the scene on the boat was completely silent. Apart from that though, this show really needs some more tracks that really stand out. Hirano Yoshihisa usually excels at those kinds of tracks, but yet here he for some reason feels too constrained.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
I personally liked the soundtrack. It’s really adventurous and dreamy. Especially the part where Gon observed the bird before finally catching it.
This soundtrack is way better than the old one in my opinion. The older OST gave the series too much of an exotic feel, which isn’t right at all for Hunter x Hunter, as the world of Hunter x Hunter is literally a mirror of our own. This new OST gives the feeling of adventure perfectly. I loved the istrumental version of the OP in the Recap episode.
ALSO PSGELS, unban me from the shoutbox please.
Due to your annoying habit of spamming and trolling, I’m not going to do that for a while. You can still post there, but all those posts will be held up for moderation.
That’s the thing about opinions – everyone has one. To you I was trolling. To me I was provoking discussion. Whatever. I think a banning is more than a little harsh but what can I do, it’s your site.
“provoking” discussion doesn’t sound particularly nice too though, so even your own description isn’t really in your favor 🙂
Also, to not be completely off-topic, it’s not really the mood the music is trying to create that is bad. It’s that the music itself is quite bad and fails at what it’s trying to do. It really sounds generic and boring to me.
Evidently other people like it, so whatever.
They skiped the part where they have to survive the storm.
Yeah cause that was filler.
^But it was the best anime filler.
Nah was lame.
The Added Episodes.
In this case they really made the Story better. I would never have known they were not from the same author without going back to the source material.
So Why do I think they were good?
It was the contrast between teamwork and then having to change the way they saw each other and have to do the opposite. Every man for himself- wow, I thought that was a brilliant way to tell the story. It made the impact of Gon having to hunt Hisoka stand out like a super nova.
The writing for the ‘ship’ episodes was excellent. They kept the characters true and created a very good mystery story line that fit the hunters world. Granted in hindsight you could point out flaws but at the time I watched those episodes in looked very seamless and very well done.
I think that the word fillers really need to be redefined a bit. Those added episodes were not ‘filler’s’ but more like ‘Extensions’. I am using extensions to mean this: the new material fit into the world story line and gave it more depth or other value equal to the original story.
Most of the added episodes that are not original are not well done and do not fit the world very well. So word ‘filler’s’ now means an added story that is not fitting into the original world well and is not enjoyable.or obviously not a part of the original story line.
Extensions do the same function, i.e. they give the studio time they need to allow the author to write more but they are enjoyable and add to the world.
Just my own thoughts about those types of added in episodes which show no signs of ever going away.
Is it better to kept the story as the author wrote it? Of course it is, but these story’s are done in real time. They are being created and animated in a hard real world time frame. So in a way in makes sense that they have to find ways to make the time frame work. Not the best solution but nothing is perfect.
That was a bit longer than intended ……
I completley agree with you. Despite my nagging on how this series needs to be comapred to that. I like the ‘ship’ part from what exactly you had said.
I also agree on the word ‘extension’ than filler. Like Naruto Shippuden who seems do ‘extensions’ rather than fillers (watched 100eps worth).
Yep, this is the difference between HxH, and other Shounen.
But in recent arcs in the manga, it turned to be a power up galore.
But still based on NEN, that tries to make sense. So its good
Hey psgels,I have two questions to ask:
1)Till the episodes you’ve seen so far,which one do you think is better,the new one or the old one?I’ve seen the old one fully but didnt begin with the new one due to earlier criticisms.
2)I have seen that you’ve mentioned the story doesnt seem that exciting since you already know the plot.So why bother seeing the same thing again (and even blogging about it)? I plan to follow this new series only when they are starting to animate the Chimera Ants arc,just wanted to hear your views.
1) At this point, if I had to look at both versions objectively, I’d say the first season is slightly better, but only just. This is because of the things that the fillers added to it, along with better overall voice acting.
2) This is something that I’m still heavily debating myself. The biggest reason is the brotherhood syndrome, plus I do believe that this show will become better than the first season in the training arc after the hunter exam. In terms of story it stands amongst the top of the season, and I’m still debating whether this is enough to make it worth watching, even though I’ve already seen it again.
Good to hear your thoughts on this. I was just asking myself those same questions. “)
I’ll reply too, even though I’m not the mighty psgels 😀
1) I think the second series is superior. The production values are much better, and I think the show in some ways is more violent than the old series. If you happen to have the old show on DVD or on your computer, just try comparing them, and you will see that there’s quite a leap in quality… and not so strange considering that the original hunter x hunter was released in -99
2) I still bother seeing it because I’ve honestly forgot about most of the stuff in the old series. You will remember most of the bigger plot points, but quite a few of the events will be like recalling a fond old memory. It’s also fun to see the old hunter x hunter re-imagined with a shinier presentation.
@aegd
For point 1,I cannot argue since I have not seen the new one
As for point 2,even I am kinda curious to check it out.But after hearing all the earlier criticisms from many blogs,I didnt want to spoil the experience which I had from watching season 1 (I finished it just about 25 days back).After watching HxH,it had become my best favorite Shonen,better than Naruto,Bleach etc. The old anime was awesomely executed and I even like all the soundtracks of it.I agree the animation quality might have improved since we are having better techniques now,still the older one is not so bad.In fact,after seeing psgels’ screenshots,I feel the older versions animated the characters better than the current ones.Comparing Killua for example,the older one had a very sharp feel about him,but the new one doesnt strike that much (I hope you got my point there…it’s kinda hard to explain 🙁 )
even though i watched the first season (and i LOVED it), i still enjoy re-watching it.
1. the characters are all very interesting
2. the story is just that awesome lol
i think this season isn’t as dark and kind of appeals to the younger generation (with the music and all), but it’s just a flashback to the anime i used to watch as a teenager. and i don’t think i can attack with a fishing rod as well as gon does LOL