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Tying this back to Gon's morality - he seems to have no objection against killing the King using a sneak-attack (unlikely the bizarre insistence in Greed Island on fighting the Bomber one-on-one). And you can tell that the author hasn't given up on Gon being feral - because in response to Gon's telling him that he's the most human of the chimerants, Melereon responds that he picked Gon because Gon is the most animalistic of the humans.

These episodes also give us some more context on the setting, thanks mostly to one of the show's less awfully executed info-dumps by Killua. (It still goes on long, which the show is aware of, as Gon's ears eventually begin to steam up.)

What we learn about East Gorteau is essentially that it, like NGL, is a corrupt, dictator-ruled state where cell phone use is banned in the general populace. It's a clear North Korea stand-in, complete with Kim Jong Il as the now-deceased leader. The lack of transparency and easy communication, of course, makes it a perfect place for the King to stage his first takeover - when Killua's disruptions are noticed, martial law is swiftly enacted and the propaganda machine is unleashed. Killua's vigilante forays are great to watch - a benevolent side of the assassin, carried out independently - but his Paul Revere THE CHIMERA ANTS ARE COMING line falters once the broadcast is made.

Flutter is an incredibly frustrating opponent. As Gon found, it's really fucking hard to fight a flying enemy, even a weaker one, and this one has no intent on engaging at all, but rather sends hordes minions to do the dirty work.

Now I don't want to take away from the Nen darts game - a really bizarre but visually exciting concept - but watching Killua repeatedly suffer death from a thousand cuts isn't that fun. What is amazing: Ikalgo, the self-loathing octopus. He's drawn with extremely bold lines, making him more cartoon-y than the rest of the characters in the anime. Without a vessel from which to snipe, he's fairly helpless - unable even to survive underwater, because his own people will tear him apart. He's loyal enough that he won't sell out his people, whom he doesn't even particularly like, and his only regret is to be reborn a squid so he won't have to be so self-loathing. So it's perfect when Ikalgo turns face with literal tears in his eyes at being accepted as an octopus.

I'm just really amazed by how well this show has fleshed out its minor characters this arc. From Colt, to Knuckle, to Melereon, to Ikalgo, I'm enjoying the less climactic parts of the journey a ton. Ikalgo's faceturn isn't exactly leaving me teary-eyed like Colt discovering the baby, but it's hilarious and feel-good-y and I'm fascinated to see what happens next.

Knov and Morel don't play ginormous roles here, but Morel's mental domination of Cheetu is spectacular. I love how quickly he identifies Cheetu's weakness - his impatience - and exploits it ruthlessly. Cheetu's impetuousness is a fun watch - his enthusiastic leg-kicking while reading manga is delightfully stupid in a battle whose stakes he chose. Also, the Nen smoke forms are an awesome special ability.

I love sports and gaming anime due to how overdramatic they can become for relatively tame events. Whether it's Hikaru no Go or Kuroko no Basket or Yu-Gi-Oh!, you can count on the mundane becoming massive. I can't help the feeling of hype and dread that creeps in when the King prepares his assault on the Girl (whose snot bothers the fuck out of me). The rising anticipation as he lays out his plan, the cogs turning as the plan seems to fall into place, the climactic moment when he lays what he believes to be his decisive piece... followed by hesitation... and his plan being crushed.
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yet all sailors of all sorts are more or less capricious and unreliable - they live in the varying outer weather, and they inhale its fickleness