Hunter X Hunter (Original + Remake)

[Mas]

which I imagine is you're standard fair "safe" shonen movie that doesn't do anything particularly interesting with the characters, and clearly isn't of the same level of quality as the manga or anime that it's based off of.

Yeah, pretty much this. Just like all of those non-canon DBZ movies.
It still had some good parts though, especially Kurapika's story. And Retz wad adorable.

As for the 2011 Hunter x Hunter anime, I'm currently keeping up with it and I like it a lot (I never got far in the manga, so it's all new to me now).
I wasn't happy with the animation in the old Greed Island OVAs, so I'm glad those episodes got reanimated. And I'm glad Biscuit doesn't sound like a man anymore, because that was just silly.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Yeah, I checked out the movie a while back and it's really nothing special. The only really stand-out part of it was Kurapika's back-story, which itself was already based off of the 2 special chapters of the manga that Togashi had written and gotten published in conjunction with the release of this movie to help promote it.

I kind of wish they could use full-length movies of long-running shonen series like this to help expand their worlds and characters and tell stuff outside of the main story-line, but I suppose that wouldn't be as profitable because people wouldn't "get it" in the sense that they just want to see the main characters, even if it's non-canon. I'd prefer a really good spin-off that's canon to the story-line, myself, over a very mediocre to downright bad non-canon snore-fest. You especially can tell that the writers of these movies usually don't get or care about the general theme and style of any of these manga/anime that the movie is based from, because usually the new characters and original plot are just so jarring in how badly they clash with the characters and story-telling style of the series as you know them.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I kind of wish they could use full-length movies of long-running shonen series like this to help expand their worlds and characters and tell stuff outside of the main story-line, but I suppose that wouldn't be as profitable because people wouldn't "get it" in the sense that they just want to see the main characters, even if it's non-canon. I'd prefer a really good spin-off that's canon to the story-line, myself, over a very mediocre to downright bad non-canon snore-fest. You especially can tell that the writers of these movies usually don't get or care about the general theme and style of any of these manga/anime that the movie is based from, because usually the new characters and original plot are just so jarring in how badly they clash with the characters and story-telling style of the series as you know them.

The Urusei Yatsura movies, especially Beautiful Dreamer and Lum the Forever, are the only movies I've seen based off a a long-running shonen manga that are not only good complements to their series, but are bold enough to experiment thematically and visually, stay true to the characters while also examining them to extents the source material only occasionally did (Ataru and Lum in particular), and explored the world of the anime and manga to create engaging plots. If we're talking about movies based on shonen anime in general,  End of Evangelion is the absolute best in my opinion, although whether the movie itself is "shonen" or not is...debatable, I'd guess. End of Evangelion and Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer are my favorite anime films, and are also two of my top ten favorite films of all time, and Urusei Yatsura 4: Lum the Forever and Urusei Yatsura: The Final Chapter are also both in my top thirty favorite films list as well. Of course, those films can only really be enjoyed if you are familiar with and are a fan of their series, so I wouldn't recommend watching them before watching the anime, or in Urusei Yatsura's case reading the manga, if you want to really enjoy them.

I'm disappointed to hear that the Hunter X Hunter movie is just another "eh" manga-based anime movie, but I wasn't expecting that much from a shonen manga-based movie anyway, so I will probably still like it enough when I get around to watching it. But I'll probably put it on low priority until I watch Dragonball Z: Battle of the Gods and the One Piece films Strong World, Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island, and Film Z, since I heard those movies are actually good, but I guess I'll see about that...

[Spark Of Spirit]

I know what Ensatsu-Ken means. I always thought a YYH movie starring Kuwabara and dealing with something in the real world during the Three Kings arc would have been an excellent idea. But it would never could have happened because everybody would be saying "Where's Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama? You can't have YYH without them!" which sort of misses the point of a world-building story that doesn't have all of the characters.

A Trigun movie centering on the space crew before Vash? One about Wolfwood? Or just one on another outlaw with ties to the series somehow?

Things like that not only shake up the formula, but open up the worlds more.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

There's that, OR you could even do movies set after the end of a manga/anime that doesn't already have a definitive ending. That would allow you to have canon material (if it was all approved by the original author/creator), and it could have much more interesting story-telling since anything could happen in them, and because of that there wouldn't be a limit put onto the story-telling like those "safe" anime movies based off of shounen manga have to have. Stuff like Stark Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Serenity prove that you can get genuinely great films set after the end of certain series (especially in Serenity's case, since Firefly never actually got a proper ending, OR even a full first season, for that matter). Sure, those are live-action movies taking place after their respective live-action shows, but the point remains that those types of movies can work, and I don't see why it couldn't work for certain anime as well.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

The Urusei Yatsura movies, especially Beautiful Dreamer and Lum the Forever, are the only movies I've seen based off a a long-running shonen manga that are not only good complements to their series, but are bold enough to experiment thematically and visually, stay true to the characters while also examining them to extents the source material only occasionally did (Ataru and Lum in particular), and explored the world of the anime and manga to create engaging plots. If we're talking about movies based on shonen anime in general,  End of Evangelion is the absolute best in my opinion, although whether the movie itself is "shonen" or not is...debatable, I'd guess. End of Evangelion and Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer are my favorite anime films, and are also two of my top ten favorite films of all time, and Urusei Yatsura 4: Lum the Forever and Urusei Yatsura: The Final Chapter are also both in my top thirty favorite films list as well. Of course, those films can only really be enjoyed if you are familiar with and are a fan of their series, so I wouldn't recommend watching them before watching the anime, or in Urusei Yatsura's case reading the manga, if you want to really enjoy them.

Speaking of good movies based off of good shounen series, while it's not a full-length feature film, I do think that Our War Game was an exceptionally excellent Digimon piece, and easily surpassed anything in Adventure as a series, itself.

I'm disappointed to hear that the Hunter X Hunter movie is just another "eh" manga-based anime movie, but I wasn't expecting that much from a shonen manga-based movie anyway, so I will probably still like it enough when I get around to watching it. But I'll probably put it on low priority until I watch Dragonball Z: Battle of the Gods and the One Piece films Strong World, Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island, and Film Z, since I heard those movies are actually good, but I guess I'll see about that...

I haven't seen One Piece Film Z, so I don't have an opinion on that one. As for Strong World, that was actually pretty decent. I wouldn't call it great, but it was surprisingly fun (most likely due to Oda's involvement in helping to write the screenplay for it), and came pretty close to being great at times, but as it is I think it was a good movie that stands out among the mostly boring films based off of shonen manga. I remember I made a post once about Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island, and you commented saying that all One Piece films were forgettable and mediocre, making me assume that you had already seen that movie as well (it's the 6th One Piece movie, in case you're wondering). If you haven't seen it, though, then you should know that it was directed by Mamoru Hosoda (same guy who directed Our War Game, The Girl Who Leaped Through Time, and Summer Wars), so it's definitely a very unique entry in the One Piece movie line. It's very....strange, but for me it was strange in a good way. The thing about it is that it's surprisingly dark for a One Piece film, and while the tone doesn't feel like One Piece, it's still one of those movies that I found hard to stop watching because of the intriguing background plot which was honestly incredibly creepy and messed up for a kids film. I'd recommend giving the movie a look just on its bizarre weirdness-factor, alone.

As for Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, I haven't seen it yet, myself (obviously), but I've heard pretty mixed opinions about it. I think it's safe to say that the general consensus on it is that it's certainly not bad, but it's also not what anyone was really expecting, for better or worse (depending on who you ask).

[LumRanmaYasha]

I remember I made a post once about Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island, and you commented saying that all One Piece films were forgettable and mediocre, making me assume that you had already seen that movie as well (it's the 6th One Piece movie, in case you're wondering).

I don't remember this, and I don't think I could've said this since the only One Piece film I've seen is Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta. Maybe I was talking about the Dragonball Z movies, since I have seen all of those (Battle of the Gods aside) and don't care too much for them.  Good to know that Baron Omatsuri is worth seeing, though.

I'll check out Our War Game sometime as well if it's really that good. 

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Just don't confuse it with Digimon: The Movie, which is the English dub movie that splices 3 separate Digimon features into one (and quite horribly so, at that), including Our War Game. Just watch the Japanese version, which is only about 40-50 minutes long (hence why it is only a feature and not a full-length movie), but most Digimon fans seem to agree that it is one of the best things to come out of the entire series. Just treat it like a really long episode that takes place in-between Digimon Adventure season 1 and 02, and you'll really be able to enjoy it for what it is. It's basically the original Summer Wars (which is also by the same director).

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Alright, we're finally getting to the bread and butter of the Chimera Ant arc in the anime. I mean the really, really fucking good stuff. I mean the stuff that's actually praiseworthy, and proves that despite his faults earlier on, Togashi can still produce kick-ass material and excellent writing when he's on his A game. I mean the stuff that even Desensitized said was great (and I know he has a strong disposition towards Togashi and this series ). What's the only problem? I'm the only freaking person on this board watching this anime to even appreciate that stuff in the first place. Well, maybe GSF is watching it as well, if he's caught up with the show by now.

[talonmalon333]

Which HxH anime is better?

[Spark Of Spirit]

Probably the newer one simply for adapting the later stuff.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, in my "personal" opinion, the 1999 TV anime and the first OVA are better in the material that they adapt. The 2011 version is a straight-up copy/paste style adaptation, and as one reviewer said, that means that it carries both the same strengths and weaknesses as the original manga. The 1999 version makes slight alterations here and there, and while hardcore fans seem to hate it for that, I personally find those changes to be more appealing to me. The characters come off a bit more likable to me, and I also appreciate the art-style of the original anime, along with the fluidity of the animation. The music in the 1999 version is also MUCH better than the 2011 anime, IMO. The 2011 anime is a bit faster in it's pacing, but I never minded the pacing of the 1999 version of the show to begin with.

That said, the 2011 anime has the obvious advantage of being able to adapt the Chimera Ant arc, which hadn't even started yet in the manga by the end of the first TV series, so there is of course that advantage to it. But, on the whole, I felt that the 1999 version was the more consistent package in terms of quality, if you compare it directly to the 2011 anime up to the end of the York New City arc, so that's my personal favorite version. Keep in mind, though, that I'm in the minority on that opinion. A lot of HXH fans prefer the new anime for the very reason that it plays it safe and just copies and pastes the manga's story without adding anything intuitive of its own to the experience, which is fine by them because apparently they consider the original manga to be absolutely flawless. I should also mention that I consider at least 90% of the HXH fanbase to be composed of complete idiots, so I'm not surprised to see that as the general verdict.

Having said that, though, I do still obviously like the current anime enough to be keeping up with it on a regular basis, which is why I'm happy that it has finally gotten around to adapting the best parts of the Chimera Ant arc.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Alright, we're finally getting to the bread and butter of the Chimera Ant arc in the anime. I mean the really, really fucking good stuff. What's the only problem? I'm the only freaking person on this board watching this anime to even appreciate that stuff in the first place.

I know for a fact VlordGTZ's watching it! As for me, I haven't gotten around to watching yet, but....



...I'm going to start catching up, asap. 

[Spark Of Spirit]

Wow, they really did him justice. I didn't think they could do it.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I also love how there isn't an obnoxious use of CG in that clip. Or, if there is, it's integrated into the animation so well that it's barely noticeable.