Hunter X Hunter - General Discussion

[Lantern7]

While clearing room on my DVR, I did not realize that I hadn't seen last week's episode. Not a good sign.

I'm good with the Phantom Troupe, especially when the first members we see can pass as "normal." Now . . . Gon and Killua trying to make money? Not as impressed. Ditto with the scheming of the Fat Fuck Brother. And I'm cool with Kurapika's journey, as well as bonding with Melody. "You keep my secret, I'll keep yours. Deal?" "Yes. And when I get my original body back, I'm giving you the first shot." "How did you look back then?" "Meh. Better than a beaver with Danny Devito's hairline, I can tell you that much."

Leorio? Still a dumbass. Hoping he doesn't get killed, but I doubt he'll contribute that much. All I know about him is that he's an aspiring doctor and wields a knife. And he's not on the same level as the other guys.

Sign That I Might Be Too Otaku: I looked at Fortune Teller Girl's phone, and I immediately recognized Yusuke Yurameshi's spirit animal from Yuyu Hakusho. I know, same mangaka. Still sad, right?

ETA: Looked and saw that I said the same damn thing about Leorio in January. Sorry about that.

[Sandman87]

That's ok, it's still true.

[ZoqFotPik]

Catching up from last week. Southernbees? Seriously, have someone else name things for you. While I'm not the biggest fan of his character, I think it's funny that Leorio is apparently such a skilled haggler that he gets applause. Nice back story on Melody.

This week, we see the Phantom Troupe in action. That vacuum cleaner thing was gross. I hope Kurapika meets up with Gonna and company soon.

[Lantern7]

Was kinda watching last night. The girl's vacuum reminded me of Ragnarok, Crona's sword from Soul Eater. I think it's the mouth. Also: damn, new players got taken out fast. And is it possible to snap a neck to a 90-degree angle? Damn.

This world has/had Jesus? That's a bit random.

[Sandman87]

Everyone spent an awful lot of time on their smart phones this episode. Blah blah exposition blah blah. Phantom Troupe leader deduces that the auction people received some sort of tip about their raid, but that it was vague.

The Shadow Beasts are awfully considerate, taking such descriptive animal names. Worm, Leech, Rabid Dog, Porcupine, Owl.

The Gordo Desert? If that's supposed to be partly Spanish, it means the Fat Desert.

46 minutes ago, ZoqFotPik said:

That vacuum cleaner thing was gross.

And thoroughly random. Reminds me of the Stephen King story where a laundry machine becomes possessed.

[Lantern7]

What was the deal about the Phantom Troupe dude with the elongated ears? I don't know what that's about. Reminds me of Eneru/Enel from One Piece.

[Sandman87]

Super strong PT guy takes out all the Shadow Beasts by biting, spitting, punching, and yelling. He also gets an injection of leech eggs that are going to become the world's worst Candiru infestation ever unless he goes on the Homer Simpson diet ASAP. Then Kurapika takes him prisoner, leeches and all, since he's currently paralyzed by Rabid Dog's bite.

[jbrecken]

If Hisoka joined the Phantoms so he could fight their boss, should we expect Kurapika to want to join them so he could fight them all, or maybe only fight the ones that were in the troupe when his people were genocided and replace their numbers with his new friends?

[Lantern7]

Caught last week's episode today. Nice that Kuapika's arc is getting closer to the other guys. Kurapika is set to face Uva . . . Uvo . . . Feral Franky. What? They got the same voice actor.

Anybody else uncomfortable about the lead-in to the arm wrestling tourney? All that was missing was Leorio saying, "You know, I am not these boys' pimp. You get that, right?"

ETA: DAMN. Kurapika must have made a lot of deals with a shitload of shinigami. And he put Feral Franky into the ground.

[Lantern7]

Bumping up. In the Yorknew arc, which characters are you drawn towards? Any of the Phantom Troupe? Kurapika's new friends? Or maybe there were folks you  dug in Heaven's Arena.

After tonight's episode, I'm thinking that I'll get a sketch of Kurapika down the line. Definitely with red eyes.

[Sandman87]

Kurapika turns out to be boring and overpowered, like Superman, Aizen, and all RPG characters ever created by the munchkins who show up at gaming conventions. "My primary ability is conjuring, but I can actually do everything at ultra-power!"

[Matt K]

Of the new characters, I like Melody and hope she shows up some more.  For Kurapika, it always sounds off to me when he's referred to as male (he, him, etc).  It's actually kind of a shame that he's not female as that would help round out the group (and be one of the few anime that wouldn't be making the female character as fan service).

[Lantern7]

Last Week: Kurapika reveals himself as a Nen God, extracts a tiny bit of vengeance from the hide of Feral Franky.

This Week: Gon and Killua learn about treasure appraisal! Kinda hating the tone whiplash. Nice that the boys made a new friend, but I want to see people get beaten up or worse.

ETA: Oh, and Gon sells his Hunter's License. Great way to make money, but doesn't that negate the premise of the first part of the anime?!?

[Terrafamilia]

He only pawned his license. Presumably, he expected to get it back from hock after they are successful in their many get rich quick schemes.

[Sandman87]

One wonders where he found a pawn shop with that much cash on hand.

[ZoqFotPik]

Since this seems to be a major city and the auction a huge event, it's likely that all the support businesses are prepared with financing around auction time. It's also likely they went to shop that specializes in big ticket items.

I know absolutely nothing about antiques, appraisals, and forgeries, so I'm wondering if any of the conversation about the wood vault was true or if Yoshihiro Togashi was just pulling it out of his ass.

[Lantern7]

Caught last week's episode. Not much action, but the anime does seem to remember that it's not merely supposed to be centered on the intricacies of that world. Gon & Killua try to get the drop on the Phantom Troupe, but the Phantom Troupe gets the drop on them first.

[lathspel]

Gon and Killua came away with a lot of info on the Troupe.   I'm curious if they will find New and Improved Kurapika a little too intense. 

[Sandman87]

Trapped in a tower during the Hunter Exam? No problem. Just bust a hole in the wall.

Trapped in a room with  a Phantom Troupe member guarding the door? No problem. Just bust a hole in the wall.

I detect a pattern here...

[Matt K]

It's nice to see Killua's dad and gramps taking on Chrollo.  As implied in Killua's arc they are quite badass.

[Lantern7]

Which Phantom Troupe member would you rather be: the one that decapitates foes, or the one that just twists heads like a soda cap?

Right now, I'm hoping Kurapika reunites with Gon and Killua in the near future.

[Sandman87]

I'd rather be the one who takes control of other people."Hey you and your big-ass gun, get over there and kill those guys for me. I'll just be behind this tree" Probably not too useful against Nen users who know about it though.

[ZoqFotPik]

I love that Killua "The heart ripper outer" Zoldyck is concerned about the legal drinking age.

[Sandman87]

I bet no one in his family drinks. They strike me as a likely bunch of teetotalers.

One of the Phantom Troupe can duplicate things. That's a damn money tree right there. I wonder what the troupe intends to do with the goodies they're grabbing. Sell them or keep them?

[ZoqFotPik]

You might be right, but Killua seemed more concerned about the legality than any anti alcohol policy his family has.

I'm guessing the clones will disintegrate after a short time.

[ZoqFotPik]

Hundreds if not thousands of people were killed in a massive battle last night, but hey it's a nice day. Let's go to the park and have a picnic! Such a weird world.

Edited June 12, 2017 by ZoqFotPik

[Sandman87]

This week Kakashi...uh, I mean the leader of the Phantom Troupe shows us the latest jutsu...uh, nen ability that he's copied: He can do the fortune-telling poems now. And now the troupe suspects that Hisoka might be a naughty boy. Also, half the troupe will die soon if they don't pay attention to the poems.

[Lantern7]

Interesting episode, though I'm just waiting for the heroes to bust heads . . . as opposed to the Troupe reading prophetic poems and Hisoka being a naughty boy in general.

Anybody else disturbed at Neon enjoying her new eyes. If Kurapika smacks her in the face and takes them from her, I wouldn't hate that.

[Sandman87]

Hisoka successfully runs a life-or-death scam on the rest of the Phantom Troupe, getting them to talk themselves into believing that Kurapika used some sort of controlling power on him. Meanwhile, Kurapika gives Gon and Killua the 411 on the powers and limitation of two of his chains.

[Sandman87]

Gon and Killua manage to get themselves captured, again, by the Phantom Troupe, because Kurapika is a dipshit.

[Sandman87]

Karupika kidnaps the PT leader, then passes the Dipshit Ball to the Phantom Troupe, who proceed to ignore basic instructions from their leader for exactly this contingency.

[Lantern7]

Heh . . . the Troupe leader thought Kurapika was a girl because of the wig.

[ZoqFotPik]

I loved Killua and Gon's "Oh shit!" reaction to seeing Phinks and Feitan at the auction, followed by them tearing ass out of there. 

[Sandman87]

Kurapika kills Hisoka's boner by making the PT leader powerless...at least for now. I wonder what Hisoka will do for fun now.

Are we done here? Can we do as Killua suggested and get on with the Greed Island plot now?

[Lantern7]

20 hours ago, Sandman87 said:

Kurapika kills Hisoka's boner by making the PT leader powerless...at least for now. I wonder what Hisoka will do for fun now.

Probably trying to figure out a way to relieve his blue balls. Or maybe they're blue and red. He is a scary clown man, after all. Also, here's a GIF from Toonami if you want to revisit the revelation.

Most of the Troupe is dead now? What happens to their devices? Like the mobile phone that controls people and Ragnarok the Vacuum Cleaner.

[Sandman87]

23 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Probably trying to figure out a way to relieve his blue balls. Or maybe they're blue and red. He is a scary clown man, after all.

As long as I don't have to see him juggling them, so to speak.

 

23 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Most of the Troupe is dead now? What happens to their devices? Like the mobile phone that controls people and Ragnarok the Vacuum Cleaner.

If you mean that getting bit at the end where she shot them, I'm pretty sure she was just feeding them her memories with her magical memory revolver so they'd know what happened to their leader.

Good question about the devices. I imagine they tend to vanish when the user dies.

[ZoqFotPik]

Correct, only Pakunoda died. Phinks and Feitan were among those she shot with her memory bullets and both are clearly still alive at the end of the episode.

Edited July 22, 2017 by ZoqFotPik

[Lantern7]

Poked through the listings. Saw that Saturday night's episode was the first from the fourth season. I wondered if that met new credits. So I saw the first few minutes off the DVR. Here's the full set, which got cut down by Toonami:

Please tell me "Greed Island" is a children's card game. Then I can dub over Hisoka with the voice of Maximilian Pegasus. Also: I'm okay with the song remaining the same. I don't understand Japanese, but it "feels" like the anime itself . . . happy and optimistic, even with the vendettas, rampant killings, and the murder jester.

ETA: Saw the episode. So the psychic girl was more concerned about one of her employees losing her husband over the eyes of the Kurta? That's . . . progress, I guess. Seriously, I kept imagining a scenario whre she find out the ones she bought were fakes, demands Kurapika give her the real deal . . . and then he'd smack her in the face. Anyway . . . Gon and Killua try to get into a game of "Greed Island," and they're forced into trying to up their respective games. For Killua, that means tasing himself and using the charge as a weapon. Meanwhile, the Phantom Troupe swipe a console with the game, and two of them get sucked in. Because good people in this anime cannot have nice things.

[lathspel]

New opening:  so we're going to have a card game too?  This show has everything.

My main question about the PT arc (so far):  why does no one try to walk any faster in the rain?  I know it looks badass, but realistically Pakunoda isn't wearing a lot.

I'm disappointed that the upcoming arc seems like it will also be Leorio-lite.  Since I'm not 12, he's the actual Everyman of the show for me.  

[Lantern7]

Heads up: HxH has been moved back from 1:30 at 1 a.m.

[ZoqFotPik]

On 7/27/2017 at 7:56 PM, lathspel said:

I'm disappointed that the upcoming arc seems like it will also be Leorio-lite.  Since I'm not 12, he's the actual Everyman of the show for me.  

Very Small spoilers regard Leorio:

Spoiler

I hate to break it to you, but this was apparently the last time we see Leorio until the Final arc, so over a year and a half from now. 

As for Kurapika:

Spoiler

Save for a few cameos, this was the last time we see him.

Edited July 30, 2017 by ZoqFotPik

[Sandman87]

Gon and Killua do some more training to impress the job screeners for the "Go into the game and win stuff for me" position. Gon enters first, and gets a lecture from a virtual receptionist on the rules of the game: Collect item cards; collect one of each of the required cards to win; you can't kill other players to take their cards; you can use a card to gain the item on it, but then you lose the card and have to collect it again.

[Sandman87]

"A grassy plain stretching as far as the eye can see." Then how come I can see mountains in the distance, huh genius?

Looks like whatshername's gun didn't vanish now that she's dead.

Gon gets pissed off because a group tries to recruit him, but they plan to min-max their way through the game.

[Lantern7]

I was half-watching. "Greed Island" is gonna be a headache for me. I don't "do" card games. The only anime based on that I could grasp was Yu-Gi-Oh! And even then, I preferred the original series. Why the hell did Gon's long-absent father have to be a game freak?

[Lantern7]

I rewatched last week's episode. It's more clear to me when I can pause and read the translations. Basically, Greed Island comes off as a combination of Yu-Gi-Oh! and Sword Art Online. My fear is that the arc will drag on, even with the possible inclusion of the Phantom Troupe . . . though I'm not sure if their copy of the game allows them to enter into the one where the action is happening.

My thought upon seeing this on the Toonami Tumblr: "Man, what do those two have against Slime Princess?!?"

[Terrafamilia]

So Greed Island is a real-world island rather than a virtual island in cyberspace, but it nonetheless hosts a load of computer game effects. My head is hurting.

[Sandman87]

1 hour ago, Terrafamilia said:

So Greed Island is a real-world island rather than a virtual island in cyberspace...

According to what that one PT guy thinks the situation is. So, maybe.

The only thing more boring than playing Magic: The Gathering is watching characters playing it.

[Terrafamilia]

1 minute ago, Sandman87 said:

The only thing more boring than playing Magic: The Gathering is watching characters playing it.

I was taken out of the story by the cards in the show sporting Japanese text rather than the usual HxH script. Yeah, I know it's so the folks at home can follow along but if I can put up with English translations posted on the screen then Japanese audiences should be able to handle the same with Japanese translations.

[ZoqFotPik]

On 8/12/2017 at 7:07 PM, Lantern7 said:

My fear is that the arc will drag on

This arc is only 17 episodes that's shorter than the Exam and Yorknew City arcs. Tomorrow is episode 5, so there probably won't be too much dragging.

[Sandman87]

There are so many possibilities for having fun with the guy who has all the scissors that I don't know quite where to go with it. So many possibilities - Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissorhands, Scissorman from the Clock Tower games, the Andy Partridge song "Scissor Man", or the Primus song, the thumb-removing tailor from Der Struwwelpeter...

Wait, I know. Poetry! Inspired by a Courage the Cowardly Dog episode:
 

Quote

 

Hello, dear viewers, Binolt's my name

Hunting players is my game

I lurked one day, to cut and maim

Which some might think quite...naughty

 

That's when my beady eyes beheld

A girlish girl, like girl she smelled

G-I-R-L is what she spelled

And that's how I spell...naughty

 

There she stood, just standing there

I sliced, then munched upon her hair

And laying all her secrets bare

Discovered she was...HOW OLD!!??

 

Two Hunter boys then caused a shock

Running 'round, and throwing rock

I fought them 'till I could not walk

It's not easy being...naughty

 

Goodbye dear girl, I'll miss your pit

And two boys running wild in it

Who out of me did beat the spit

For being slightly...naughty