Board 8 > seabassdebeste watches hunter x hunter 2011 (spoilers)

(+) Yeah! (+)

dis my favorite shit
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Bump
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RIP king meruem

disappointed that all it took was a nuke though. they always ruled out modern weaponry first in DBZ. oh well.
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Really? I thought that part was executed extremely well. Something not being like DBZ is also an odd point to criticize...
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Yeah I really like the idea that its human technology that can trump all superpowers. The ants never stood a chance to begin with.

Very war of the worlds, though I guess that wasn't really humans doing. But kinda!
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except in all other instances human technology sucks against nen. regular people are but mere ants to nen users. so something shows up that the nen users can't beat... and human technology is king?

i thought it was a copout here
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You realize nukes are magnitudes more powerful than like the next closest thing right.
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And I'm not trying to be glib!

Normal technology < nen humans < meruem < Nukes should not be hard to swallow. No one in the hxh world is anywhere near dbz levels of tankiness or power.

As far as a copout, that's fair. The author continually likes to use bait and switch techniques to create anti-climaxes of sorts. That's not everyone's thing. I mean copout implies it wasn't intentional or thought out, which I disagree with, but it could have been foreshadowed more perhaps.
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Discussion kills discussion
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Episodes 121-133

Recap: Chairman Netero goads the King into fighting him by promising to tell him his name. When he's unable to kill the King, he detonates a pocket nuke and tells the name, Meruem. Youpi masters his transformation, overcomes Morel, and leverages Knuckle into removing APR. He and Pouf find Meruem's charred body, which is somehow still breathing, and restore him to health by feeding Meruem the majority of their own bodies.

Upon realizing that Meruem (as he now prefers to be called) has lost his memory, Pouf becomes hell-bent on killing Komugi. His clones do everything in their power to prevent Meruem from rediscovering his memory of her, but he's unable to kill her using only clones. He tries to forestall Meruem from using his uber-en to find Palm and Komugi (after already capturing Knuckle and Melereon), but when he realizes Pitou is in trouble and that Youpi has been killed, there's no longer enough time, and he is forced to confess the truth.

Palm is reborn as a Chimera Ant, but the transformation does not take, and Killua breaks through to her. Ikalgo defeats Welfrim in a very strange single combat and learns that he and Welfrim were friends as humans under NGL's King Gyro. Welfrim appears to be the one to kill Youpi when his loyalties are finally pushed there. Palm intones that the King does not have long to live. Indeed, all of Meruem, Youpi, and Pouf have been bleeding, almost certainly as a result of radiation poisoning.

Gon goes with Pitou to Peijing, where Kite is. But unsurprisingly, Kite is already dead and unable to be healed. Pitou heals herself and attempts to kill Gon, but Gon's psychological breakdown results in a SSJ3-esque transformation that enables him to kill Pitou. Pitou's Nen-corpse manages to take Gon's arm, and the sprinting Killua carries Gon off afterward.

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I think I should address the nuke thing first. Palm's latest comments say that humans are far worse than Chimera Ants, and the Chairman's dying comments are never to underestimate humans - with blackening eyes. The image of the nuclear devastation is superimposed over the Palm's death forecast. We're supposed to despise humanity for this.

That's not really the story that I expected here, but any story that shows the depths of human morality - apparently nuclear holocausts have been very common in HxH's universe - is always pretty interesting. "We're even worse than they are" is a cool message.

To me, the problem is in realizing that humankind was never really in danger. They faced a nasty infestation, but not one that a military assault couldn't have fixed. Meruem has already proven that as a political/ideological enemy, he has, uh, not a lot to offer. Realizing that in fact all that was really going on was trying to shift the blame to the Hunter Association, as opposed to a genuine threat to humankind... doesn't really serve the story well, to me. It's obvious here that taking the nuclear option is meant to show humanity's depravity, but it also lessens the intimidation factor of Meruem, and that was one of the major things he had going for him (prior to his character development).

As for why I'd want the show to be more Dragon Ball-like - c'mon. Gon transforms like a Super Saiyan, there are magic powers, characters have been shown to shrug off bullets, and the villain literally looks like Perfect Cell and is considered to be a perfect evolutionary organism by its creator. Not comparing the show to DB(Z) would be an insult.
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Meruem unfortunately is separated from Komugi during the entirety of this section, and he's far less interesting without her. In particular, he spews off a bunch of crap about his philosophy on the world, which is quite dull. I more enjoy his interactions with chibi Youpi and Pouf, where he tells them that as long as they do not lie to him, he can forgive their shortcomings. I love the part where he attaches stakes to Pouf's wager to stop him from finding Komugi - he can sense the lying, but feels that for now, their loyalty is more weighty.

The arc begins its turn to anticlimax with Knuckle's giving up APR. After this point, conventional battle obviously becomes useless. We turn again, instead, to the grind of attrition. Youpi's death is insulting - a harmless little sprite done in by a combination of radiation poisoning and a weak-ass soldier ant.

As for Gon's animalism - what can I say, man. This is what we've been waiting for. Until Meruem and Komugi retake the forefront, this is the most gripping part by far. Literally everything about the show up to this point, except for logic, has suggested that Gon will overpower Pitou. Watching it happen is predictably painful (though at least Gon is stated to pay a price, unlike Kurapika tearing apart Uvogin) but also viciously satisfying. The action stays at the palace, but my eyes are on Gon now.

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* The music during Netero's attacks is fucking awesome.

* Gon's new form is confirmation that the author has a fetish for the bared-midriff look on men. Ick.

* Ikalgo's battle against Welfrim is classic HxH - brutal, anticlimactic, and physically gross at many points.

* Killua's rescue of Palm is the best, though. Victory by tears - and a total victory, the rarest of all feel-good moments here.

* Poor Knov literally looks on death's door now. What happened since last time?

* RIP Neferpitou and Menthuthuyoupi. Also second RIP Kite, even though we should have known he wasn't coming back.
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Gon vs Pitou worst part of Chimera Ant Arc imo
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There are some things I want to say, but I gotta wait a few more episodes.
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You think that if I don't have arms, I cannot pray?
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Anyway end of Chimera Ant had lots of good stuff. I very much liked the Netero vs. Meruem fight. All the stuff from Netero's perspective with his past and such was great fun.
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Mac Arrowny posted...

Gon vs Pitou worst part of Chimera Ant Arc imo

Mac Arrowny posted...

All the stuff from Netero's perspective with his past and such was great fun.

disagree wholeheartedly with both of these

in fact reverse the two subjects of these sentences and i probably agree exactly
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I love your write ups, but I can almost never agree with your opinion. Netero and Meruem is my favorite part of the series probably and I felt like Gon's power up was pretty lame.
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SeabassDebeste posted...

Mac Arrowny posted...

Gon vs Pitou worst part of Chimera Ant Arc imo

Mac Arrowny posted...

All the stuff from Netero's perspective with his past and such was great fun.

disagree wholeheartedly with both of these

in fact reverse the two subjects of these sentences and i probably agree exactly

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I said in another topic that hxh is really divisive on what people take to.

Here it is in full glory
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To be clear, I love everything about Gon and Pitou except for how it ends. I dislike tremendous power ups based entirely on emotion without any good explanation.
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I think in this case it doesn't require too much logical explanation and works more as an expectation.

Gon is repeatedly said to be holding some scary potential from veteran hunters, and Pitou even takes him extremely seriously way before she should really have any proof he'd be dangerous. "His fangs may reach the king."

I interpret it as not a power up but more that Gon brought out his full adult potential. And we know that nen allows the user to attain great strength at great cost. Also Gon basically dies for this if not for alluka hax.

Edit: I actually don't know what I mean by that first line.
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I'm more fine with it knowing that Gon never gets his powers back, but I thought he was going to be able to fight just as well later, so it felt like BS at the time.
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There's tons and tons of emotional buildup to what happens with Gon. Not to mention that it continues a great tradition from Dragon Ball, obviously.

I was way more bothered by Kurapika's being able to fight the Phantom Troupe on equal terms. It's already been established that you can have bullshit power levels in specific situations, so this instance had no chance at bothering me.
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Kurapika didn't really bother me because his strength wasn't all ready established. I feel like if gon was able to make that sacrifice for so much strength, other people should be able to as well. There are those out there with far more experience who should be able to make that exchange more efficiently. Even with the repercussions people would do it to influence and change the world with that much strength. I mean... thats why we have suicide terrorists.
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Kurapika had known about Nen for only six months and was terrified of Hisoka in the Hunter Exam arc. He literally has godlike Specialist powers that only work when his eyes are red.

The ability to trade life force for a temporary boost in strength might be something everyone can do, but that not everyone can do as effectively as Gon with his potential.
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Yeah the key thing is Gon's potential.

He's also a kid, the transformation aged him up to some prime age where he had unlocked his full powers. It wasn't a generic exchange for more power that he didn't possess. So I don't think anyone in the world could really do what he did (besides a few exceptions perhaps).
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I think something people don't consider is the meta cost.

Kurapika effectively took himself out of the story with his power up because of it's extremely narrow use against the Phantom Troupe. Sure, it was convenient at the time, but it's basically how Togashi wrote him out. He would just not be nearly as useful in any other situation.

Similarly, Gon, the freaking main character, has barely had any screen time since his own trade for power. Rarely does a story ever create such a cost to power ups like this.
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Eh that's fine and all, but it still feels like a cop out for Gon's victory.
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Episodes 134-136

Recap: Despite Pouf's best efforts, King Meruem remembers Komugi thanks to Welfin. Meruem finds Palm and admits his defeat and kills no one else. He spends his final hours playing Gungi with Komugi, whom he infects, and they die in each other's arms.

In the aftermath, humanity revokes the sovereignity of the NGL (already collapsed) and East Gorteau. Brovada does not remember his past, but he reunites the Chimera Ant version of the little girl (Colt's little sister) with her mother; Welfin heads to Spider territory to seek Gyro; the baby that Colt raises is Reina but Kite; and Killua insists on being the one to heal Gon.

Chairman Netero's will/succession plan is displayed, and it involves assembling the Zodiac Leadership and gaining 95% of the Hunter population's vote. We finally see Ging on screen.

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Episode 134 is brutal. Incredibly long with Welfin preposterously losing his hair and aging a hundred years, and it recaps territory that I thought was already finished with 133. Even so, Meruem's sparing Welfin, Knuckle, and Melereon finally confirms that he has chosen his humanity over his antdom.

Palm's scene with Meruem is brutal. She's confronted with the face of evil, far more powerful than she, making a demand that she's prepared to die to prevent from being fulfilled. Predictably, she's freaked out... but the reason is (as always) perverse. Palm is freaked because her enemy is nothing close to the evil that has been advertised. Instead, he promises non-violence in the face of his mortality; she's the one empowered in the scene. Her loudest shrieking comes when she seems Meruem kneeling before her - She was aware that her side had used the dirtier tactics, but was never prepared to think that they were used against someone who had redeeming factors such as compassion, humility, or forgiveness. Existential moment for her.

And then we're forced to watch Meruem and Komugi actually spend their last minutes together, and my god it's killer. The whole episode screws with format, with no OP and a different ED, and three separate times when you think you've seen the most gutwrenching part, only for each return to be more emotionally crushing than the last - Meruem waking Komugi ("It's time to play," followed by the mid-episode break); the two playing what seems to be a final game and being honest about their fates, followed by the ending credits... and then their disembodied voices coming back for a final three minutes, as Meruem keeps asking if Komugi is there, and whether she'll hold his hand while he takes a quick nap. FUCK. Personal life has been rocky and this really got to me afterward.

As for the epilogue - it just makes me happy to see, and it's so damn sweet to see Kite reborn. Not a ton to analyze there. Humanity continues to be both depraved and heartening. I'm excited to see Ging in the next arc.
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home stretch baby
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Meruem + Komugi final scene is amazing
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Mac Arrowny posted...

Meruem + Komugi final scene is amazing

maybe the best single episode of an anime

So fucking powerful. I think there's some fun stuff coming up but there's no doubt it peaked here.
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Episode 135 may be my favorite episode of any anime. Gets me every time.
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"every time"? i don't think i could ever watch it again
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I was being a little facetious there. I've only watched it maybe 3 times? And on rewatches, never the whole thing. I just skip to the good stuff.

On thing I wanted to say a few posts ago but didn't was that as much as I love Meruem, I have to agree with you on his worldview being a bit naive. However, part of that is due to him being, what, 1 month old? I think if he'd been allowed to mature, he could have developed his philosophy into something more grounded in the reality of his world.

Also Komugi was imo the most unexpected best thing to happen. When we first meet snot-girl, we're led to believe that she's going to be ugly and annoying. And yet by the end, it's thanks to her existence that Meruem became the great character that he did. Major props to Togashi for using an ugly, unappealing character in such a fantastic way.
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Episodes 137-138

Recap: The twelve Zodiacs assemble, and the Vice Chairman wants to be named the next Chairman. Ging intervenes and manages to rig a vote so that his rules get chosen. Two bouts of initial voting are cast, but in neither case do they achieve the 95% quorum. Meanwhile, Killua goes home to attempt to enlist the help of his sister - who has some interesting powers involving demands being fulfilled.

These are two fairly pleasant episodes without a ton at stake.

The twelve Zodiacs are horrifically uninspired-looking, with three chicks with their tits flying everywhere, a half dozen incredibly one-note guys (super fat guy! super serious big guy! super fat and idiotic guy!), and Ging. In no way do they have even the attention that the Spiders received. Even Mr. Bean (?!) has a ridiculous look to him. The most distinctive personality so far obviously goes to the politicking Vice Chairman.

Ging hasn't done too much, but it's funny how much of a troll he is. His reason for non-anonymous ballots: it's more fun. Yikes, talk about unethical.

I'm not thrilled to be back in the Zoldyck Mansion, but at least Killua's pops is the best of them. The sister's power is an example of flashbacks not bothering me - it's a subject that's highly relevant and that does not interfere with the action and that adds something concrete to the story. Plus it's fun to watch chibi Killua and the absolutely terrifying "Give me your liver."

Hisoka and Illumi have returned and hopefully will play a notable role here. Hisoka evidently missed all the Chimera Ant news due to hunting Chrollo, which is hilarious. It seems fairly obvious that he and Illumi won't be having their final showdowns with Gon and Killua within the span of this anime, alas.

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* I forgot to note before, but Killua's dad and grandpa confirmed that Illumi literally implanted something in Killua's brain - it's kind of weird that they would know about it, but whatever.
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I love Pariston so much.
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pariston top 3 ez
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i can't figure him out - he is made to be sinister by all the other members, but he honestly seems mostly fair!
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I love to hate not-Paris Hilton
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Upp
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Episodes 139-148

Recap: Killua has the help of butlers as he eludes Illumi and Hisoka, but when he demonstrates his ability to control Alluka/Something's power, Illumi lets him walk free. The healed Gon swings the election for Pariston (over a dark horse Leorio) and finally gets to meet Ging. Killua and Gon finally take a break as Killua tends to his younger sister, and Gon gets to swap some stories with Ging at the top of the World Tree.

Having a weird time trying to do this writeup.

It's a short, complete arc that has some nice moments but overall just feels out of place. We've gotten used to longer arcs with ups and downs, and there are two concurrent, short storylines . The stakes are low and the tone is light, and while I'm okay with that - I liked Greed Island fine - it just feels like a different show without a ton to talk about. Maybe I'm just sad the show is ending on a clearly non-final note.

Leorio returns, and it's weird having him back. He's a near-pure-comic-relief character who seemed destined to become a lot more than that... and then never did. He yells a lot when on screen here, but because he hasn't been a consistent part of the show, it's not as endearing as I'd predicted it would be when he first appeared. In fact, when I think about it, he seems to fill a very similar niche to Knuckle. Punching Ging is hilariously satisfying, but he's otherwise just... there.

I'm not entirely convinced about the world-building of the show. We're told there are 661 Hunters in the world, and the vast majority of them apparently gather all in one place. And based on character design, they're mostly scrubs. Oh, and dozens get wiped out quickly, lowering the population by around 5% during a harmless arc. Relatively few are born each year. It's all very strange-feeling.

Pariston becomes Chairman after a bunch of bluster in which no one claims to want to become Chairman and two characters pick Leorio, who is there purely by accident. After all this sinister posturing, it's revealed that he just felt like trolling, same as Ging. During this time Cheadle briefly becomes a POV character and spends it (what else?) internal-monologuing at great length about the strategy of everything. In the penultimate episode, pink koala Chimerant returns and talks about his life, which is both touching and hilarious at first, and then drags on waaaay too long, as usual.

The show's penchant for monologue is one of the reasons I've done virtually all of my writeups in blocks - very little happens in an episode at times due to how much time is spent with an infodump or a philosophy-dump. The longer one of these goes on, the more likely it is to lose my attention and idea of why it should be important, much less interesting.

Maybe Gon's return feels more triumphant with more fleshing out in the parts of the story I wanted to see. Seeing everyone's reaction to his return would have been better than the random reunion with Leorio at the gathering, which is just awkward (and just as cheesy).

Hisoka is back, and he actually manages to kill a recurring character in a five-minute battle that's one of the greatest pure battles of the show's run. He's still one of the coolest pure fighters in the series, even though his intimidation factor has to be scaled way down after his truly last major role was in the Heaven's Arena arc. I love that his Nen abilities are actually quite limited in scope and scale, but are used in a manner that requires the utmost of creativity, resourcefulness, and adaptability.

Overall, I liked these episodes just fine. I think I just feel empty because they don't feel final or climactic for the end of the series. Hisoka and Illumi wander free with zero character development, Kurapika is still being emo somewhere, and Leorio isn't a doctor yet. There's not even an "open-ended" ending - just an arc temporarily concluded (and Ging found, even though it's massively underplayed). But at least I can be excited for Hunter x Hunter 2023 now, right?
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* The best part about Ging is that everyone hates him for being a shit father.

* Alluka is transgender, right?

* Killua vs Illumi is fun, but in the end Illumi lets him go.
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Alluka is really unclear. One theory is that both personalities have a different gender.
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I thought that at first, but Killua refers to both Alluka and Something as female. Illumi and Killua's fat bro both refer to Alluka as male, pretty much at all times, IIRC. Alluka is wearing boys' clothes when Killua's fat bro sics him/her on someone he didn't like.
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Yeah Killua does always call Alluka his little sister and no one else does.

I like Gon admitting that he never really cared about his father figure to some extent, it was just a goal.
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SeabassDebeste posted...

But at least I can be excited for Hunter x Hunter 2023 now, right?

Maybe by then this next arc will be finished.
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pjbasis posted...

I like Gon admitting that he never really cared about his father figure to some extent, it was just a goal.

I'm with you. It's clear he didn't care about his mom. But with so little emotional stakes, I found myself feeling disengaged in the final episodes, which isn't great.

The manga is that slow, huh.
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It's constantly on hiatus. It's been going at roughly ten chapters a year. The current is shaping up to be the length of the Chimera Ant too
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