Hunter X Hunter (Original + Remake)

[LumRanmaYasha]

The last episode was really well done. Like the corresponding chapters it adapted from the manga, it really felt like a perfect capper to the series proper. I particularly loved the montage at the beginning, where Gon is reflecting on his adventures and everyone who affected him during his journey, and then the ending, which shows off all the major protagonists of the series and where they are now, with the chaos of the Chimera Ant crises behind them and new adventures on the horizon. Of course, we know that there's still more to come down the pipe sometime in the indeterminate future, but I honestly think this works as a definitive and satisfying conclusion should another anime never be made. The 2011 anime might have had it's missteps, but it was still by far the best shonen anime, particularly the best long-running shonen anime, for the past few years, and I'll certainly miss watching it every week.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, even though it's not truly the end, I will miss watching this anime every week. The montage really did a great job of showcasing just how many unforgettable adventures these characters have been on, and it was really nice to see all of our favorite characters from this anime one final time as the full version of Departure played over a montage that required absolutely no dialogue.

I'll be honest and say that I don't quite agree with the people who say this is better than the 1999 version, at least not up until after the YNC arc, primarily because I actually admire the direction of that series and how it actually made some notable differences from the manga which I personally felt helped flesh out the characters and certain scenes some more. Much like the YYH anime, I found the filler to be more thoughtful and enhance the main story rather than detract from it, but it's a shame that nobody else really sees it that way. While I liked 2011 just fine, this one was considerably more safe and a carbon copy of the manga, which left absolutely no surprises or treats for me since I already knew everything that would happen. That, and I already explained how I felt that the second half of the Chimera Ant arc didn't translate well into the anime medium, primarily because extensive narration works far better in reading form than in motion form where you would expect more of a "show, don't tell" approach.

Putting my gripes aside, though, I still really enjoyed this anime, and overall I don't think there's any version of HXH that I consider to be bad or even close to it. I love the first anime, this reboot, and the original manga. It's just a shame that the manga is on hiatus AGAIN! We probably won't get a new anime for another 10 years, at this rate. However, like I said previously, the end of the CE arc was a really good ending spot to leave off on. We get a definitive wrap-up to the events of the CA arc, and Gon finally meets his father. I really enjoyed the scene where they conversed and Gon was telling Ging about all of his adventures. Overall, the anime ended on a really high note, IMO.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I almost forgot, but there is still that second movie that I need to watch. I doubt that it'll be good, as I didn't really care for the first movie, but it's still HXH, so I'll probably still eventually check it out.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I've heard the second movie is pretty awful, myself, so be warned.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Yeah, I'm not expecting anything good, but I still feel compelled to watch it just for the sake of being able to say that I've seen everything HXH-related.

Anyways, now that the anime is done, I'm really hoping that someone picks up the NA distribution license, most preferably FUNimation. Granted that, Viz may also be a candidate to pick it up, but I'm still thinking that they may cautiously pass on it since the 1999 anime sold so poorly for them (even though that was largely their own fault thanks to virtually no marketing and a godawful English dub).

You have to admit that this would be a perfect Toonami anime, and it IS definitely popular enough among Western anime fans this time around thanks to the streaming on CR and Netflix, so I don't see any excuse as to why it shouldn't be a strong candidate for licensure.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

[Spark Of Spirit]

 

Shame that it has to be such a scummy character based on Yusuke, though. 

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

To be fair, you could call it an homage to Yusuke in the beginning of YYH, where he may have been the punk with a heart of gold, but he was still mostly a punk when it didn't come to saving a little kid's life.

[gunswordfist]

I watched episode 146 yesterday on a flat screen tv. I was surprised that Gon apologized for what happened to Kite..instead of hitting Ging. That seems to be the usual reaction to meeting a deadbeat dad but that shows how Gon is different from others.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I watched episode 146 yesterday on a flat screen tv. I was surprised that Gon apologized for what happened to Kite..instead of hitting Ging. That seems to be the usual reaction to meeting a deadbeat dad but that shows how Gon is different from others.

I got over Gon not hitting Ging, since someone else hit him instead.

And it was an awesome moment.

[gunswordfist]

Just finished 147. So that's Killua send off, huh? That wasn't so bad. I loved the credits. And I'm guessing the last episode is where Gon hears about Don Freecs.

[gunswordfist]

is phantom rouge good?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

No. Both movies suck, IMO. Most movies based off of long-running shonen series tend to just feel like over-sized fillerepisodes. The animation is kind of nice, but that's about it. Overall, they just aren't worth your time.

[gunswordfist]

i suspected as much. i only asked about rouge because you said it was based on an early draft or something of hxh.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Supposedly it's based on an early manuscript that Togashi had originally submitted for the York New City arc, which he ended up scrapping in favor of the arc that we got. Based on the actual movie....I think I can see why he scrapped it (though, in actuality, much of the content was probably re-worked for the film by other writers).