Reviews & Features Discussion

[Spark Of Spirit]

Issue #9 is out!

I might be getting one more issue out before I will be taking a short break, but for now enjoy the end of an awesome arc!

[LumRanmaYasha]

Nice work on those York New City articles E-K! I never thought of camaraderie as the theme of the arc before (I was thinking more along the lines of trust, responsibility, revenge etc.), but now that I think about it, friendship/teamwork is a theme that really does encompass a lot of the struggles in the arc, especially the examples you mentioned. I can't really think of anything I'd disagree with you or can comment on, partially because the arc isn't that fresh in my mind atm, but also because you really get down the essence of Kurapika's character arc in the story and the tragic aspects of his character as well. I'm interested in seeing what you have to say about the Phantom Troupe. 

I can already guess some of the other story arcs you'll be covering. No doubt your Chapter Black and Dark Tournament pieces will be quite lengthy and detailed. 

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Thanks.

I don't intend to do the long-winded arcs too often. I will do Chapter Black and such later on down the line, but not for quite a while. I'm mostly going to stick to 3 or 4-parters, such as Kang The Conqueror or Starcrossed, which would be much shorter than this feature I'm doing here, and easily contained in a single part.

As for the stuff you mentioned, the theme of "trust" is kind of encompassed in comradery, IMO. Likewise, the theme of "revenge" is encompassed within Kurapika's character arc of "obsession," being that he's obsessed with his past and his revenge ploy. the themes themselves are pretty basic stuff that we've all seen done before, but I believe that this arc does it better than almost any other shounen out there.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Nice job, so far!

I can't wait for the conclusion as this is the best part of HxH by far to me.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Thanks! I'll have part 3 up tomorrow.

I was mostly inspired to do my own series based on reading and enjoying the output from you guys every week.

Oh, also, I hope you don't mind me basically using the name that you jokingly recommended to me (Story Arc Online). I have absolutely zero creativity, so I couldn't come up with anything else.

[Spark Of Spirit]

It fits so I have no complaints.

To be honest, I couldn't think of a "proper" title, anyway.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, for everyone who's still unaware (or just plain doesn't give a shit), I posted up all 3 parts to my first entry for Story Arc Online, a new series of articles which I will infrequently update whenever time (and my own personal interest), permits. My premiere article was for the York New City arc of Hunter X Hunter. Here are all 3 parts:

Part I
Part II
Part III

[Foggle]

I only skimmed your articles because I would like to completely experience this arc for myself when I do get around to it soon(ish), but I will say that it's clear that you put a lot of effort and detail into them just from that. Great work!

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I only skimmed your articles because I would like to completely experience this arc for myself when I do get around to it soon(ish), but I will say that it's clear that you put a lot of effort and detail into them just from that. Great work!

Thanks!

It did take me a long time to write, but it was interesting experiencing the arc again and really trying to interpret what I liked about it so much. And yeah, it's probably best to avoid spoilers and experience the arc for yourself rather than reading my article first. That said, as I mentioned in my article, HXH is the kind of series that gets better on re-watches when you are able to see more layers to the story and characters, but I think a lot of people come out liking the York New City arc quite a bit even on their first viewing of it. And if I had one version to recommend, while all 3 are great (manga, 1999 anime, and 2011 anime), I'd say that the 1999 version just does it the best for me.

Also, I can't wait to read your Madoka Rebellion review after you put it up. But, I won't be reading it today, since I won't have a chance to watch the movie for myself until tomorrow.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Great final article! You did a good job delving into the psychology of Chrollo and Pakunoda, and what made them interesting and unique villains even amongst the rest of the Troupe. I agree that the best elements of this arc are the battle of wits and the fact it's a character-driven conflict for both the protagonists and antagonists. While it's true the theme may not be anything special, Togashi wrote this arc in a pretty fresh, unique way, and it's consistently engaging and, importantly, entertaining.

I look forward to seeing which story arc you tackle next 

[Spark Of Spirit]

I always got that the arc was about revenge as a whole. Every character that wanted to take something from someone else or to repay someone by taking their lives in comeuppance- they ended up dead or close to it. Kurapika learns a harsh lesson after this arc, but at least he... well, Togashi kind of doesn't let us know. Anyway, being about revenge and greed lead to everybody scrambling to get what they wanted, so naturally the only way it could end was for nobody to win. There was nothing to win in the first place. Though I guess Gon and the gang won, since they got their friend back. The lone victory through it all.

Great job! It was a fun read.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

And yeah, aside from Gon and Killua, there were no real winners in this arc. Everyone basically lost. It's the type of cold, harsh lesson that Togashi is good at getting across in his stories.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I think the only ones without purely selfish motives in the arc were Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Melody, and they're the only ones who get any semblance of victory by the end. He does it in typical Togashi fashion, but it's a pretty solid theme throughout. It's definitely the peak of HxH, in my opinion.

I'm actually kind of surprised that Foggle hasn't seen/read it yet.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I read it and liked it. Was impressed with some of what you delve into.

[Foggle]

I am sloooowly working my way through HxH. It takes a lot for me to really get into a TV or comic series these days, unfortunately.