UPNetwork  

Go Back   UPNetwork > General Forums > Anime

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 04-02-2013, 07:30 PM   #176
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Quote:
Originally Posted by lilbluecorsola View Post
Now you know why...

Spoiler: show
I was chuckling at Dopple when he wanted to pair Gon with Bisque, and not just because of her age. ^^; It was even more hilariously-WTF in the old version since her voice literally changed to a male's. Glad you saw it as a good character development though, I certainly wasn't expecting that kind of reaction. =O (More like "MY EYES! X_X THEY BURN!" *shot*)

Nah, no prob about the Naruto comparison. I actually find it rather amusing/interesting even Bisque has a doppleganger in the Naruverse. XP (Speaking of Dopplegangers... *waits eagerly for his response as well*)


Spoiler: show
I thought of pointing out the Yo-Yos at one time when we were examining the ED, but decided to hold off in case you hadn't noticed and wanted to be surprised. Didn't realize you already knew about them. XP
In response:

Spoiler: show
Killua & the yo-yos: Jump Ultimate Stars Killua sample 1, sample 2. The second sample shows the move I was thinking of; the first shows a move I'd forgotten about that also makes use of the yo-yos. (I never use Killua, so. ^^; My favorite characters to use included Naruto and Kenshin but also Sasuke and Gintoki [Gintama].)

Biscuit Krueger's true form: what can I say? There is just something very, very cute about stuff like this (non-explicit but probably shouldn't view at work or school). (Brief explanation on that picture: the girl had gained back some weight after quitting a dangerous dieting drug that her boyfriend forced her to quit taking. Needless to say, she was distressed by the fact that she'd started to gain back the weight.) It's very endearing to see a girl who wants to be seen as attractive but who has to struggle with things like her weight, cup size, height, etc. Do I like women who look like men (knowing nothing else about them)? Hell no! I mean, just the other day I was making fun of one such woman in the Atsu-hime thread! But give me a reason to care about that woman, given me a reason to like her and to sympathize with her, and it's just "Awwwwwww " City for me. Super-muscular women are definitely a turnoff for me, and I think I'm correct in saying they're a turnoff for over 90% of men, so it's very easy to believe that poor Bisky has developed body image issues over the fact that she looks so ripped. It doesn't help that on top of that she has the jawline and face of a man. Or that she's as tall as a very tall man. But like ... should wanting to be physically fit be held against her? Is it her fault that when you work out you get muscular? Is it her fault that she was born with a mannish face? Is it her fault she grew up to be so tall? Bisky gets a lot of sympathy points and I'm totally cheering for her. Hisoka is pretty fucking nuts-and-evil so I'm still not really rooting for that pairing, but I would like her to find a guy who she likes and who likes her back. And a great catch too. Not some 3rd-rate consolation prize. She deserves, like, a really, really great guy.

I guess this just gets back to my sentiment that FUCK THE FACT THAT WE CAN'T JUST ALL BE SUPER-SMOKING HOT IN ONE ANOTHER'S EYES. Why we gotta perceive perfectly healthy and kind people as being ugly? Why we gotta perceive some unhealthy or nasty people as being beautiful? AND IF WE DO HAVE TO HAVE LOOKS, WHY CAN'T THE OUTSIDE MATCH THE INSIDE? Why aren't people as ugly on the outside as they are on the inside and vice-versa? Why is beauty static? Something you're born with? Argh. It's just not fair. And Bisky's plight represents this. Someone as amazing as her shouldn't have to feel so ashamed of how she looks that she wastes nen (or other energy) on altering her physical appearance just to be accepted by society.

EDIT: Looks like Doppel replied while I took my sweet time on that other reply, whoops. So replying to Doppel now too:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doppleganger View Post
Caught up:

Spoiler: show

I don't really agree with Talon. Genthru was a monster, probably the most brutal and sinister monster we've seen thus far in HxH. Gon should kill him, darn it.

I'm still shipping Biscuit x Gon. I didn't really see that deeply in Talon's analysis of her - it seemed like a sight gag, if anything - but with Talon's character insight the pairing is just that more darling!

I'm still surprised the Greed Island cards were capable of such power, like completely healing any illness. What kind of mad powerful Nen does Gin have?
In response:

Spoiler: show
Genthru: Behaviorally he's been quite the monster (i.e. he's evil), yes, but in terms of performance he is a far, far cry from what we saw out of the Yorknew City arc. In terms of raw combat ability, Uvogin was a far more impressive foe who was 1v1 felled by Kurapica and Chrollo was a far more impressive foe who was stalemated by Killua's father and grandfather. We've definitely downgraded with Genthru, who not only is Gon holding his own against but who I feel would get pulverized by Man-Bisky. In terms of Nen powers, Genthru is a hack: all he has is a gimmicky ability to plant invisible bombs and to detonate them remotely at will. And it's not even entirely at will: he has to issue a detonation code and he has to do it along with his two other buddies. Take them out of the picture and the only thing Genthru's good for are his "baby bombs" (Little Flower) which he uses to detonate people's faces (or other body parts, but he seems to prefer the face) when directly contacted with his hand. That's it. That's fucking it. He can detonate tiny-ass bombs on his own but requiring direct physical contact and he can detonate marginally larger bombs remotely but requiring his pals' cooperation. How is this in any way not like the gimmicky hacks we saw at Heavens Arena? I'd say it's pretty much the same. Goreinu is better than those hacks in terms of 1) raw physical power and 2) nen execution, but his nen power is lame and the heroes (Gon, Killua, and Biscuit Krueger) can all hold their own in a 1v1 against him, even if some of them (like Gon or Killua) are said by Bisky to not be able to beat him outright.

Bisky x Gon: lol what!? How can you still be shipping that when:
  1. there has been ZERO evidence in support of it from either party!?
  2. there's a 30-year age difference in there!
  3. they already have an established relationship of teacher and pupil! (I don't personally care about this one, but aren't you the one always harping on how you don't believe in osananajimi romances because "once a friend, forever a friend" and how you don't believe in anime-depicted incestuous romances because "once a brother/sister, always a brother/sister"? )
But hey, I'm glad that even if we disagree about it, I was able to enrich your appreciation of your ship.

Greed Island's cards & implications for Ging's power level: I suspect that the girl(s) who you see when you enter and exit Greed Island are human servers and that they pulled a Kurapica: they made a nen contract which basically amounted to "We sell you our lives and operate as human servers; in exchange, you grant us the ability to do [stuff]." Still though. That's some mighty big "[stuff]" they're pulling off for the simple exchange of two halves of a human life. ^^;

Last edited by Talon87; 04-02-2013 at 08:04 PM.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2013, 09:18 PM   #177
lilboocorsola
Dragon's Tears
 
lilboocorsola's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Searching for light
Posts: 6,453
Lil' Bluey

Quote:
Originally Posted by Doppleganger View Post
Caught up:

Spoiler: show

I don't really agree with Talon. Genthru was a monster, probably the most brutal and sinister monster we've seen thus far in HxH. Gon should kill him, darn it.

I'm still surprised the Greed Island cards were capable of such power, like completely healing any illness. What kind of mad powerful Nen does Gin have?
...

Heh.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post
In response:

Spoiler: show
Biscuit Krueger's true form: what can I say? There is just something very, very cute about stuff like this (non-explicit but probably shouldn't view at work or school). (Brief explanation on that picture: the girl had gained back some weight after quitting a dangerous dieting drug that her boyfriend forced her to quit taking. Needless to say, she was distressed by the fact that she'd started to gain back the weight.) It's very endearing to see a girl who wants to be seen as attractive but who has to struggle with things like her weight, cup size, height, etc. Do I like women who look like men (knowing nothing else about them)? Hell no! I mean, just the other day I was making fun of one such woman in the Atsu-hime thread! But give me a reason to care about that woman, given me a reason to like her and to sympathize with her, and it's just "Awwwwwww " City for me. Super-muscular women are definitely a turnoff for me, and I think I'm correct in saying they're a turnoff for over 90% of men, so it's very easy to believe that poor Bisky has developed body image issues over the fact that she looks so ripped. It doesn't help that on top of that she has the jawline and face of a man. Or that she's as tall as a very tall man. But like ... should wanting to be physically fit be held against her? Is it her fault that when you work out you get muscular? Is it her fault that she was born with a mannish face? Is it her fault she grew up to be so tall? Bisky gets a lot of sympathy points and I'm totally cheering for her. Hisoka is pretty fucking nuts-and-evil so I'm still not really rooting for that pairing, but I would like her to find a guy who she likes and who likes her back. And a great catch too. Not some 3rd-rate consolation prize. She deserves, like, a really, really great guy.

I guess this just gets back to my sentiment that FUCK THE FACT THAT WE CAN'T JUST ALL BE SUPER-SMOKING HOT IN ONE ANOTHER'S EYES. Why we gotta perceive perfectly healthy and kind people as being ugly? Why we gotta perceive some unhealthy or nasty people as being beautiful? AND IF WE DO HAVE TO HAVE LOOKS, WHY CAN'T THE OUTSIDE MATCH THE INSIDE? Why aren't people as ugly on the outside as they are on the inside and vice-versa? Why is beauty static? Something you're born with? Argh. It's just not fair. And Bisky's plight represents this. Someone as amazing as her shouldn't have to feel so ashamed of how she looks that she wastes nen (or other energy) on altering her physical appearance just to be accepted by society.
I actually kinda agree with Dopple that it felt like more of a sight gag.

Spoiler: show
The part at the end where she lifted the dude and asked, "Don't you agree? ...Welp, guess he's not listening," suggested to me she wasn't all too sincere about those sentiments either. *shrug* Perhaps a part of her really just wanted to hide it to troll others. I think she may be doing something similar in regards to Pink Hair-Chan, who could have a secret combat ability Bisque's not revealing yet even to Killua. The fact that she's proven she could probably easily take Genthru on yet is allowing Gon to face him feels pretty troll-ish on her part as well.


I am surprised at how strongly you guys seem to want to ship characters in this series. ^^; I dunno, for me HxH is refreshing since there are so few females to muck up the story with serious romance. Kurapica doesn't count damnit. Thus far we've seen barely any hints at attraction between people that aren't canon pairings. The most we've gotten is...

Spoiler: show
Hisoka x Machi and Hisoka x Bisque, and both of those are played more for laughs. Well, the former might be possible, but... Yikes.

There was also Chrollo x Pakunoda, but that one's pretty much canon if you care to interpret it that way.


Plus, the 2011 version places even less emphasis on fanships. The old series added some interaction between Pokkle and Ponzu during the Hunter Exam. It also ramped up the "friendly dynamic" between Kurapica and Leorio by a lot. ...I guess to make up for it Madhouse is pushing Gon x Killua more? *shot*

Last edited by lilboocorsola; 04-02-2013 at 10:02 PM.
lilboocorsola is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2013, 09:24 PM   #178
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
In response to Yuki's final spoiler box in the last post:

Spoiler: show
I never really perceived Chrollo feeling that way about Pakunoda, nor did I perceive Pakunoda's feelings towards Chrollo as being any different from (and thus no more sexual than) any of the others' feelings towards him. I get the feeling that they love him the way Christ's disciples loved Christ. They truly, sincerely, deeply love him ... but not in a sexual or romantic way. It's like he's a man they would gladly go to the very ends of the earth for and lay down their lives for, but not a man they're like "Maaaaan I want to have his children! " about.

As for "it" being a sight gag, *shrug*, I dunno, guess it just really resonated with me a lot more than it did you guys. Maybe that's all the writer or the producers meant it as too: but for me, it was very, very profound. I took a lot away from it. And I think it's worth pointing out that, as they say, "it's the little things [in life] that count." It may have been a 5-second little blurb, and the character may not have even been that emotionally invested in what they were saying at the time, but for me, it opened an entire portal into their very soul.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2013, 09:33 PM   #179
lilboocorsola
Dragon's Tears
 
lilboocorsola's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Searching for light
Posts: 6,453
Lil' Bluey

Quote:
Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post
In response to Yuki's final spoiler box in the last post:

Spoiler: show
I never really perceived Chrollo feeling that way about Pakunoda, nor did I perceive Pakunoda's feelings towards Chrollo as being any different from (and thus no more sexual than) any of the others' feelings towards him. I get the feeling that they love him the way Christ's disciples loved Christ. They truly, sincerely, deeply love him ... but not in a sexual or romantic way. It's like he's a man they would gladly go to the very ends of the earth for and lay down their lives for, but not a man they're like "Maaaaan I want to have his children! " about.
Like I said, "if you care to interpret it that way". I don't think deeply on it (especially since it's over and done with?), but there's evidence to justify either stance.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post
As for "it" being a sight gag, *shrug*, I dunno, guess it just really resonated with me a lot more than it did you guys. Maybe that's all the writer or the producers meant it as too: but for me, it was very, very profound. I took a lot away from it. And I think it's worth pointing out that, as they say, "it's the little things [in life] that count." It may have been a 5-second little blurb, and the character may not have even been that emotionally invested in what they were saying at the time, but for me, it opened an entire portal into their very soul.
Don't get me wrong, I find it great that it inspired such a connection. =) It's always nice when a story resonates on some level, whether intended or not. Trust me, I know a lot about examining something or someone too closely because I care. XP
lilboocorsola is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-07-2013, 12:56 AM   #180
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 74:

Spoiler: show
If they hadn't made such an obvious deal of Breath of Archangel last week, this week's episode would have been INSANEly intense. As it was, though, the episode had to settle for "merely" intense.

Gon is insane ... or so I'd like to say, given what all we saw him say and do; but the fact that he was planning all along to heal via Breath of Archangel made his actions a little less suicidal and a little more understandable. He's still pretty nuts though, even with that knowledge.

WTF, they healed Genthru's party!? What a joke. Sparing their lives was already more than enough: you didn't need to go and heal them, guys!

That was very, very kind of Goreinu to split his 4 billion with Team Gon. He could've easily pulled an Andou but he didn't. Good job.

I'm interested to see what item Bisky plans to take back to the real world. Same with Killua and Gon too, I guess. Will laugh if Killua actually does bring the golden girl.

I'm so confused by the mixed messages Togashi's sent us throughout this arc. We were told back in the beginning that once you log in to Greed Island, you either have to clear the game or else die -- until you do one of those two things, your game will be running and no one else can remove your memory card. Recently though (and Goreinu this week seals the deal) we've had people claiming they could just "quit" Greed Island, presumably by using a Leave card to return to our world ... and then staying put, never returning to Greed Island ever again. But like, even if you use Leave, you're still playing. Your memory card's still going to be unremovable. And the game is still going to have its long-reaching nen tentacles wrapped around your heart. If you were a guy like Goreinu or Tsezugera, wouldn't you rather complete the game than use a Leave card and then stay put?

The animation was great this week. Very nice.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-07-2013, 01:11 AM   #181
Doppleganger
我が名は勇者王!
 
Doppleganger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Emina Isle
Posts: 14,198
Send a message via AIM to Doppleganger
Talon, I don't think it was ever said that people couldn't log out of Greed Island, remember that old man who commissioned everyone expected dudes to check in and out, and IIRC we'd already seen people outside who spent time in Greed Island.

Given Biscuit's attitude thus far, I think she's going to go for money. I dunno about Gon or Killua though.
__________________
あなたの勇気が切り開く未来
ふたりの想いが見つけだす希望
今 信じあえる
あきらめない 心かさね
永遠を抱きしめて
Doppleganger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-07-2013, 01:48 AM   #182
lilboocorsola
Dragon's Tears
 
lilboocorsola's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Searching for light
Posts: 6,453
Lil' Bluey

Quote:
Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post
Episode 74:

Spoiler: show
WTF, they healed Genthru's party!? What a joke. Sparing their lives was already more than enough: you didn't need to go and heal them, guys!
This is why I was snickering at Dopple.

Spoiler: show
Once again, HxH has only "gray and grayer morality". I thought the argument Killua brought up regarding his own shady past was pretty interesting, as well as how Genthru's team at least seemed to show a strong sense of camraderie not unlike the Phantom Troupe.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post
Spoiler: show
I'm interested to see what item Bisky plans to take back to the real world. Same with Killua and Gon too, I guess. Will laugh if Killua actually does bring the golden girl.
I'm also actually very interested to see this, for different reasons.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Talon87 View Post
Spoiler: show
I'm so confused by the mixed messages Togashi's sent us throughout this arc. We were told back in the beginning that once you log in to Greed Island, you either have to clear the game or else die -- until you do one of those two things, your game will be running and no one else can remove your memory card. Recently though (and Goreinu this week seals the deal) we've had people claiming they could just "quit" Greed Island, presumably by using a Leave card to return to our world ... and then staying put, never returning to Greed Island ever again. But like, even if you use Leave, you're still playing. Your memory card's still going to be unremovable. And the game is still going to have its long-reaching nen tentacles wrapped around your heart. If you were a guy like Goreinu or Tsezugera, wouldn't you rather complete the game than use a Leave card and then stay put?
I think the problem is referring to those people who don't have the power/ability to obtain a Leave Card or some other form of passage back to the real world in the first place. Remember when the gang was selling Leave to desperate players who had probably lost hope of returning home? Perhaps the item is easy to come by for high-level Nen-users such as themselves, but for the weaker ones it's in extremely high demand since it's the only ticket out of hell - and can be made permanent if they so choose. If you don't return with the time limit your ring data gets deleted, and that presumably erases your "save file"... Sorta. Maybe not entirely. We'll see.

Last edited by lilboocorsola; 04-07-2013 at 02:06 AM.
lilboocorsola is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2013, 01:32 AM   #183
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 75: I'll offer more in-depth thoughts tomorrow, but for now I'll just say:

Spoiler: show
Liked the clever plot twist regarding what cards Gon chose to take with him into the real world.

Very sad to see Bisky go. Totally, totally, totally wanted her to remain with the team. Losing her makes me more sad than losing Killua, Kurapica, or Leorio. She had better come back. And when she does, she had better not die!

Loved learning that eleven people made Greed Island, not just two or three.

Totally called it with the server twins.

Appreciated closure with the shaman by having him "catch the Bomber".

Curious to see who or what Nigg is. The men in the sneak peek don't appear to be Ging. The dragon, maybe? (Didn't see him in the sneak peek though.)
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2013, 01:38 AM   #184
lilboocorsola
Dragon's Tears
 
lilboocorsola's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Searching for light
Posts: 6,453
Lil' Bluey

All I'll say is that the ending was such a tease, especially for those who saw the first series. (It was to be expected, sure, but even the preview... =3=)
lilboocorsola is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2013, 04:21 PM   #185
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Forgot to post on Episode 76 here. But moving on to 77:

Spoiler: show
GOOD LORD! That was surprisingly Urobuchi Gen-esque for a series as lighthearted as HxH has mostly been up through now! Talk about dark, showing a brother promising but failing to protect his little sister and then the both of them being devoured by a creepy anthropomorphized ant queen! Dayum, Togashi, you dark! ^^;

Too many new characters all at once for me to care about names. Also, they're all portrayed as being sub-Hunter level (even though Kite told Gon and Killua that they were Hunter level? *confused*), seeing as they seemed to really admire Gon and Killua for passing the exam. So yeah, I'm not really interested in a bunch of kids who can't do Nen stuff, let alone Nen stuff on par with our heroes or the Phantom Troupe. Makes me wonder if the brother and sister introduction + death scene was intended as foreshadowing of what's going to happen with Kite's crew of kids.

Phagogenesis seems like something where if it were real then the governments of the world would have ordered Chimera Ants wiped off the face of the planet, not merely quarantined. Seems like something with way too much potential for exponentially spiraling out of control.

The sneak peek for next week contains an interesting little surprise:

Spoiler: show
Pokkle and Ponzu are back. Guess we'll get to see if Pokkle's earned that Hunter's license of his or not. Guess we'll also get to see the happy couple's little romance that Yuki's bemoaned the absence of from the Madhouse adaptation of the Hunter Exam story arc. I'm most interested to see what Ponzu's Nen ability is. Transmutation, perhaps? Full Mushroomhat Alchemist? ^_-
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2013, 06:37 PM   #186
Quicksolver
Pokemon Trainer
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Egypt
Posts: 17
*so tempted to troll everyone with manga spoilers*

Don't worry, I won't. Hi everyone, I'm sure some of you know my from my annoying entrance at a certain livestream, but I hope we can get along. Yoroshiku~

Spoiler: show
The Chimera Ant arc in animated form is still weak, probably because it has never been approached before. This is literally the first time it gets scripted, and it got off on the wrong track because Kite/Kaito was SUPPOSED to have existed in episode 1, but didn't in 2011.

However, I loved seeing the only straight couple in HxH (Ponzu and Pokkle <3) once again, but if you guys haven't read the manga yet, then I'll just leave it at that. ;_;
Quicksolver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2013, 06:41 PM   #187
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
You're not very good at this whole "spoiler" thing, are you? ^^; It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read between your lines that:

Spoiler: show
One, the other, or both of them die. Otherwise you wouldn't have ended that sentence with a ";_;". ^_^; We're not idiot children here. We're pretty intellectual 20- and 30-somethings.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2013, 06:43 PM   #188
Quicksolver
Pokemon Trainer
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Egypt
Posts: 17
Spoiler: show
I said no such thing. *hides*

Actually, what we DO know is that they both go out together next episode to NGL, don't they?
Quicksolver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2013, 07:07 PM   #189
Doppleganger
我が名は勇者王!
 
Doppleganger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Emina Isle
Posts: 14,198
Send a message via AIM to Doppleganger
I'd be pretty horrified if either of those two kicked the bucket, but Togashi is pretty Third Reich-tier efficient at how he executes his characters. Most of his brutality is in efficiency, as opposed to the Urobutcher who aims to terrorize.
__________________
あなたの勇気が切り開く未来
ふたりの想いが見つけだす希望
今 信じあえる
あきらめない 心かさね
永遠を抱きしめて
Doppleganger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2013, 12:19 PM   #190
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
I've really gotta stop discussing HxH with Yuki on Skype. She lured me into it this week ('TWAS A TRAP! [/ackbar]) and now I find myself having to rewrite my thoughts for this week's episode ... never mind last week's. ^^; Well, here we go. Thoughts for 48 will be pretty brief. Thoughts for 49 will be a bit more comprehensive.

Episode 48:
Spoiler: show
The scene that stuck with me the most this episode, and pretty much the only one I remember super clearly right now, was the scene where they showed the mother of the two devoured children. Showing her at the poor makeshift altar she'd prepared in their home and placing a bowl of porridge or soup there was sad enough, but then the camera cuts to the dining table ... and you see that she's placed two similar bowls of soup/porridge there. And the camera just lingers on them while in the background you can see and hear the mother weeping. This almost made me cry, and it was surprisingly dark for a series which has been as lighthearted as Hunter x Hunter has been for the most part.

Episode 49:
Spoiler: show
Ironically, Quicksolver's spoiler about Ponzu and/or Pokkle dying made their escape from death at the end of this episode way more tense than I think it would've been otherwise. Because under normal circumstances, I'd just have assumed that they were going to be fine. Because they're the sort of characters who usually don't die in a series like this. But because I know that one or the other of them is going to die, I was all "Could it be? :o Is this it? Do they really die this soon? :o" the entire time. I kept thinking, "No, no! There's no way they die this soon! " and then "But wait, look! Ponzu looks like she's seriously screwed! Oh no!" or "Oh wow, Pokkle looks like he's sacrificing himself to save the group! Could this be how he goes down?" So ... I find myself in a strange position of not wanting to thank Quicksolver for that spoiler yet at the same time wanting to thank him since, accidentally, it's made the scenes Ponzu and Pokkle show up in way more exciting than I think they would've otherwise been.

I speculated on Skype that the attention given to Kite (strange looks towards him, concerns on his part, etc.) seems to suggest that he might end up being busted for bringing out his Nen gun. After all, guns are forbidden here in the NGL, but Kite's Nen power is a gun. He's going to have to summon it to protect himself or the kids, and if someone spots him using it, I imagine it might create a kerfuffle. We'll see.

Far, far too many characters this story arc for me to learn all their names. @_@ I've got Colt for the bird-boy. I've got Zazan for the scorpion lady. Yunju was, I think?, the centaur with a bloodlust. I just remembered Peggy for the penguin, but I forget the other ants' names. Also, hell if I could tell you anyone's name out of Kite's group except for Kite himself. The kid with the afro is simply Afroboy, and the little Polynesian-looking guy is simply Little Polynesian-Looking Guy until I learn their names, if ever pertinent to do so. ^^; I dunno, they seem like Chimera Ant fodder, especially since:
  1. We know people are going to die this arc, so why not some of Kite's kids?
  2. None of them have passed the Hunter exam, let alone gotten to where Gon and Killua are in their training, so if the ants are to be taken as serious threats to our heroes, then they'd have to be even more serious of threats to these two.
  3. Of all of Kite's kids, Afroboy was easily the least impressive from what we've seen of him so far. He just seems like ... some ... kid. ^^;
But we'll see. Maybe the kids will prove that they deserve to have their names known. But oh man though, we're not even done with names yet. @_@ There's the three generals who have yet to hatch, there's the unborn king, there's all those Hunter-like people we see in the OP credits (like the dude with detached arms and a birdcage), ... yeah, there are a lot of names this story arc. @_@

I jokingly speculated "What if the girl with the bubblegum and the computer know-how is related to Machi? " After all, they have the same hair color, the same eye color, and similar attitudes/demeanors. I don't expect this to be the case, but I'd be amused if it were.

We joked about this possibly being the arc where Leorio will get to play hero. Kind of doubtful though. ^^; He should be studying for his exams, not gallivanting about some Amish island.

Yuki joked about the Chimera Ant Queen possibly eating Chrollo and that explaining why the king looks similar to Chrollo. Again, incredibly doubtful -- and she wasn't saying it seriously either -- but it does invite the question of whether we'll see Hisoka or any of the Phantom Troupe here. Which leads me to ...

I speculated that perhaps the shaman we met on Greed Island might be from this island. After all, he seems to be all into Nature and whatnot, so like, maybe he originated from this NGL place that is so bent on trying to be one with Nature. *shrug* Pure speculation, but it's not really something I'd call doubtful either. I could see this happening. Would give Togashi an easy way to write in the Phantom Troupe too if need be.

I thought the koala character was okay. If he weren't such a mean and bloodthirsty killer, I'd probably like him more. I enjoyed his cynical philosophizing. It's also interesting to see an animal display powers which, while not on par with the crazy nen stuff we've seen in previous story arcs, is still right on up there with the talents we saw during the Hunter exam. It obviously suggests that future chimera ants may exhibit powers which rival Gon's and Killua's. (I mean, it'd kind of have to. Otherwise this arc is going to be very boring. ^^; )

Not sure how I feel about Colt's scene with the rabbit chimera and the human child this episode. On the one hand, I think it's sort of cute how Togashi is having Colt clearly exhibit a strong attachment to humans (given how much his own origin is human) and such an especially strong defensive attachment to human female children. On the other hand, I'm not really a big fan of the idea that when the Queen eats somebody, she passes on their personality or memories to the chimera offspring. That just bothers me. ^^; If you eat someone's brain, you don't gain their memories. If you eat someone's heart, you don't gain their beliefs. I'm okay with Togashi's argument that eating someone else's meat can lend you their DNA (well sure, duh, you do ingest it so okay, I can see some organism processing it differently than we do). And I can see Togashi's argument that if nen abilities or other special abilities are inborn, then it makes sense for the chimera offspring to inherit those abilities from any humans consumed by the queen. But the memory thing ... that I just find a bit hard to accept. ^^;

I think that about covers most everything.

Last edited by Talon87; 05-12-2013 at 12:30 PM.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2013, 01:04 AM   #191
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 80 was such an odd mixture of silly and serious, sometimes juxtaposing lighthearted comedy with grim, grisly stuff.

Spoiler: show
Well, at least Quicksolver's spoiler's out of the way now? ^^; Didn't expect it to happen quite this quickly. Also expected both to be consumed by the Queen Chimera Ant: while I was not shocked to see Ponzu killed by a regular Chimera Ant, I was shocked to see her devoured by one. What an ignoble death. Poor Ponzu deserved better than that.

The flashback with Gyro was a bit too long for my tastes, but I get that they included it to give us a reason to accept why the King (who will presumably be at least in part made up by Gyro) might so thoroughly want to wage war against the world. Because he'll have inherited not only Gyro's genes but his memories and beliefs as well.

Speaking of memories, we had the bit with Colt referring to the queen as Reina.

I feel bad that poor Pokkle didn't get his Hunter's license card stolen from him soon after the Hunter exam. At least then he wouldn't have gotten into this mess. At least then he'd probably have still been alive. ^^;

Pokkle's friends got decimated. >_< The white haired guy's decapitation was a terrible way to go, and the black haired guy's wasn't much better.

lol @ the bit with the horse at the end. Like I said, very strange how this episode juxtaposes something as grim as Ponzu's death with something as comical as a horse and its rider face faulting at Kite, Gon, and Killua as the trio dash off at a blistering pace.

Man do I wish that episodes 81 through 100 were already available to watch. Only one episode a week is killing me.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2013, 02:09 AM   #192
Doppleganger
我が名は勇者王!
 
Doppleganger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Emina Isle
Posts: 14,198
Send a message via AIM to Doppleganger
This is getting horrifying.
__________________
あなたの勇気が切り開く未来
ふたりの想いが見つけだす希望
今 信じあえる
あきらめない 心かさね
永遠を抱きしめて
Doppleganger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2013, 05:46 AM   #193
Quicksolver
Pokemon Trainer
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Egypt
Posts: 17
Spoiler: show
FREE HUGS, FREE HUGS FOR EVERYONE.

*SOB*
Quicksolver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2013, 12:45 AM   #194
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 81 ... entertaining insofar as HxH is always entertaining, but I haven't felt an episode to be this much of a staller in months. What is there really to say about it other than:

Spoiler: show
1. Kite & Co. meet their first of these Chimera Ants.

2. The boys fight him. While they do injure him badly, they fail to kill him despite using their ultimates. Wuh oh. He was just some grunt soldier, too.

3. Colt tries to maintain order within the ranks but finds it difficult as ants from all levels of the social hierarchy mutiny decide to do things their way and exhibit little love or respect for the queen and the colony.

4. The Chimera Ants all learn from Zazan about the nougat-filled humans known as Nen practioners.

That's pretty much it. No major plot advancement, no major character development outside of a minor character.

The sneak peek for next week's episode looks promising on at least two fronts:

Spoiler: show
1. New powers out of Killua. (The rubbery arm thing he does.)

2. Kite taking on that lethal centaur.

Here's hoping it advances the plot quite a bit as well.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2013, 09:19 AM   #195
Fallen Icarus
Confident in the present
 
Fallen Icarus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Meung
Posts: 1,116
Send a message via AIM to Fallen Icarus Send a message via Skype™ to Fallen Icarus
How long will the current hiatus go on for? :/
__________________
Fallen Icarus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-02-2013, 12:59 AM   #196
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 82:

Spoiler: show
A good episode that showed off quite a few powers all at once:
  • Killua's rubbery arms (which we saw in the sneak peek) that function like scythes, cutting anything they come into contact with
  • Kite's laser cannon
  • Gon's Scissors of his Paper-Rock-Scissors attack
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little disappointed by what Scissors turned out to be, since for the most part that which can be sliced apart can also be blown to itty bitty bits. Boulders. Dodgeballs. People. I realize that getting hit by a 100-N force that's got a blunt surface is different than getting hit by even a 15-N force that's sharp, but still. Demolition's demolition. But I guess the scissors aren't all bad. After all, as we saw in this very fight, there are times where the method of delivery for the Rock would place you at a disadvantage that the Scissors would not; and so while the Scissors may not have quite as much force behind them, they're still better than nothing and better than stepping right into your enemy's trap. So that's pretty cool, I have to admit.

Man, this episode really showcased how what flies as acceptable for kids in Japan sure as hell isn't the same as what flies as acceptable for kids here in the US. 'Cause holy shit, every last thing with Yunju was just plain "No " for children's television over here. Pokémon it is not! ^^;

Did the female torso'd ant have a retractable stinger-tentacle in her vagina!? 'Cause that's what it looks like at 10m56s!

The ants developing Nen powers, I've expected all along. But I didn't expect anyone beneath the top three generals and the King to. I sure as hell didn't expect Rammot to be the first one! Man, those kids are in big trouble. I wonder whether he'll develop proficiency in the basics of Nen and even maybe get a special power or whether he'll simply be using raw Nen but not really be good at the whole Ten / Hatsu / Ren / etc. thing.

Dear MadHouse,
please release the next ten episodes now.
Thanks,
Talon
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2013, 08:13 AM   #197
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 83:

This episode was pretty good but for one major plot hole convenience:

Spoiler: show
Why the hell didn't the ants mob Kite & Co.? Why did they propose 1-on-1 fights? Why did they honor that even after it became apparent that 1 on 1 wasn't cutting it? Yes, yes, I realize it's supposed to be a reflection of their human nature -- their selfishness and desire for bloodsport -- which is why I'm calling it a plot convenience, not a plot hole. But man if it isn't convenient.

Everything else was good.

Spoiler: show
Netero, long hinted at by the credits, has finally shown up in-episode.

Getting to see the kids fight was fine.

Speaking of kids, we got to see most of Kite's again.

Nice ant colony hierarchy flow chart.

Inching the Rammot + Colt + Nen plot thread forward.

Pokkle lives?

Last edited by Talon87; 06-09-2013 at 08:20 AM.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2013, 09:58 AM   #198
lilboocorsola
Dragon's Tears
 
lilboocorsola's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Searching for light
Posts: 6,453
Lil' Bluey

Episode 83:

Spoiler: show
Looks like those guys we see walking forward in the OP are from the Hunter's Association. Here's hoping they fare better than the "pros" who took on the Phantom Troupe!

I liked the little "rock-paper-scissors" match between the boys to decide who goes first. As well as the throw-back to Razor.

I wonder if Kite just says "bad roll" every time no matter what the number is. XP Cool to see the scythe.

Gon's rather dangerous moral philosophy is outlined pretty clearly in this episode. "If the enemies think of themselves as comrades, then he sympathizes with them." We saw this with Genthru and the Phantom Troupe. His actions toward the grunt also intrigue me knowing a spoiler(?) of what's to come.

Pokkle's alive, huh... Poor guy, if he escapes and finds out Ponzu is dead. =/ I would've expected only him or both to die given the set-up. The image of the Ants forcing him to help fuel their power and lining up to receive attacks saddens yet kinda amuses me? (Not the right word, but...) Perhaps more likely what they'll do is offer him a chance to fight for freedom, and he'll unknowingly participate in their plan.
lilboocorsola is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2013, 11:47 AM   #199
Talon87
時の彼方へ
 
Talon87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
Episode 84:

Yuki, this week's episode was pretty good and offered a generous amount of developments. If you can't see it soon, zero worries. I just figured I'd let you know that an early trip to the library would not be a waste as it might've been had this been stally filler.

Spoiler: show
I liked that we got to see the resolution to Kite & Co. versus Hagya the Lion so quickly. Was worried we were going to be spending the next two solid episodes on fighting his trio. Did not expect to spend less than half of an episode on them. I also like how he chose to retreat rather than suicidally defend the nest -- a good display of human character which would be nicely counterbalanced by Rammot later in the episode. And I like how Kite spared his life for now if only because he wants to use Hagya to quickly locate the nest.

I thought the scene(s) with Pokkle were entertaining (though not the happy kind ^^; ). It just goes to show you what humans are up against here -- that even with an antitoxin he was only just able, barely, to crawl over to a pile of bones undetected. (Kinda wonder how that happened though. No one ever walked by as he did it? ^^; )

One thing about that scene with the pig chef and the pile of skulls that I didn't like was that it doesn't make much sense given the whole phagogenesis deal. We've been told that the consumed sometimes retain memories of their past lives when they're reborn as ants. For that to happen, screams the biologist in me, I at least expect to see that the victims' brains are being devoured. But the fact that there's this huge pile of skulls plus a chef wielding a butcher knife and serving up chunks of meat on platters seems to suggest that the queen is no longer being fed whole humans but rather is being fed diced-up portions of humans that exclude the heads. Contradiction. >_< Not to mention that we've witnessed that the queen devours humans whole, bones and all. So again, a contradiction. There shouldn't be any pile of skulls for these reasons. Oh well.

Neferpitou is interesting but scary. Man is he/she scary. O_o I assume she's female given the voice but you never can tell with bokukkos. Could be a bokukko, could be an actual boku-using boy. Who knows. Anyway, never mind that. ^_^; Stuff to do with Neferpitou ...

One thing I liked with her was how subservient Rammot was towards her. He could tell that he was totally outclassed by her and so he abandoned his seditious thoughts about crowning himself king. But it could have stopped there. What I liked so much about this scene was that it didn't: it went so far as to have Rammot coming to a realization about his true purpose in life. "I'm meant to serve this general! And to support the king who she serves!" That was very ant-like behavior for such a human-minded character as Rammot. (Remember I mentioned Hagya's display of humanity earlier? This is the foil with Rammot I was talking about.) It was surprising but very entertaining to see Rammot become such a happy worker ant once again.

Another thing I liked with Neferpitou, kinda broken though it may be, is just how advanced her abilities were even without any sort of Nen training or combat experience since her rebirth as an ant. It makes you wonder if her human side originates from a Nen user who happened to get pwned by the ants. (Another one of the squadrons that arrived on the island before Kite's team, maybe.) That stated, I do worry about the problem of shounen power creep. 'Cause if Neferpitou is already this strong, that means the king is going to be even stronger and that means that Gon is going to become even stronger still. Kinda worrying. But we'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it.

Neferpitou's brain fuckery on Pokkle was easily the most creepy thing we've seen in this series in weeks, maybe months, and it took the cake for most memorable event in Episode 84 but not in a fun or happy way. ^_^; Oh: and I guess this means that Pokkle's officially dead now? (Though we still haven't actually seen it. But given that she ordered him fed to the queen immediately and given how he was in no state to put up a fight ... )

This episode seems to suggest that Gon's fight against the ants is, in its early stages, going to be all about weaker but more advanced (Gon and Killua) vs. less advanced but stronger (the ants). Sort of a role reversal of Heavens Arena, Yorknew City, and Greed Island where we've consistently seen Gon outclass more advanced Nen practioners through sheer power in his application of the Nen basics. This train of thought would seem to further suggest that Gon's roadblock is going to be when he encounters an ant who is as advanced as him but naturally more powerful. This in turn suggests that Gon will overcome this roadblock by either unlocking more power inside of him, advancing his Nen to the next level of execution, or both. I don't think anyone's much surprised by this. Seems pretty par for the Shounen Jump course; it also has been hinted at by the newest OP since we first saw it. But I'm just raising the point now because the arrival of Neferpitou seems to suggest that Gon's roadblock may not be too far away.

The sneak peek for next week's episode is pretty suspicious. They did nothing but showing us various shots of Kite. Seems like this might be because there's no way of doing a proper sneak peek without spoiling something huge. (And given Kite's heavy prominence in the sneak peek, perhaps it concerns him? ) Alternatively, it could just be a Kite flashback episode which explains everything about Kite's past. We already sort of had one of those though (back when we first met Kite) so here's hoping that that's not it. No stalling please, Togashi! No stalling please, MadHouse! Thanks.
Talon87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-16-2013, 12:39 PM   #200
Doppleganger
我が名は勇者王!
 
Doppleganger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Emina Isle
Posts: 14,198
Send a message via AIM to Doppleganger
Since the cat's out of the bag I can talk to Talon normally now!

Spoiler: show

Quote:
Originally Posted by Talon87
One thing about that scene with the pig chef and the pile of skulls that I didn't like was that it doesn't make much sense given the whole phagogenesis deal. We've been told that the consumed sometimes retain memories of their past lives when they're reborn as ants. For that to happen, screams the biologist in me, I at least expect to see that the victims' brains are being devoured. But the fact that there's this huge pile of skulls plus a chef wielding a butcher knife and serving up chunks of meat on platters seems to suggest that the queen is no longer being fed whole humans but rather is being fed diced-up portions of humans that exclude the heads. Contradiction. >_< Not to mention that we've witnessed that the queen devours humans whole, bones and all. So again, a contradiction. There shouldn't be any pile of skulls for these reasons. Oh well.
Later in the series, it's shown that the ants eat this disgusting "flesh/meatball" made up of ground human bits, which was positively repulsive to me. However, this didn't start happening until ants were around to make the balls, so presumably the Chimera Queen Ant ate the humans whole/in pieces originally. People who die stop turning into Chimera Ants around this time in the story.

Pokkle is dead. That scene was as repulsive in the manga but you actually got to see Neferpitou probing his brain with his eyes rolled up something horrible. He's just turned into meat and doesn't get reborn like any of the other folks. He and Ponzu are just bodies now.

Neferpitou is fearsome. I hate her with a passion, and was likewise terrified of how outrageously powerful she was. Note that in the manga, Neferpitou is male (TOGASHI!!) but for the Madhouse anime they've added more obvious breasts and curves, so she's been converted to full female it seems. Which is good, because practically all of the Chimera Ants are male except for a few throw-away grunts.
__________________
あなたの勇気が切り開く未来
ふたりの想いが見つけだす希望
今 信じあえる
あきらめない 心かさね
永遠を抱きしめて
Doppleganger is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Lower Navigation
Go Back   UPNetwork > General Forums > Anime


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:48 AM.


Design By: Miner Skinz.com
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.