Hunter x Hunter 2011 – 08 Review
Episode 08 – Solution × Is × Majority Rules?
“Roar!!” says the dinosaur at the start of the introduction.
Sadly, the show has decided to go down the path of dragging fight scenes out, the same way many other Shonen shows do.
Review
I would like to rejoice since this is one of my favorite exams as this exam would be the first time we get to see Killua show his true skills. However, the pacing of the episode fight scenes was terribly slow and naturally, we only managed to cover Tompa’s fight without even getting close to covering Killua’s battle.
The episode covers chapters 15 and 16 of the manga (another 2 chapter story, the series seems to be moving at a steady pace. I wonder how action scenes will turn out if that were the case) and episode 13 of the 1999 series.
I had really hoped that the pacing would be fast, the way the rest of the season has been thus far, but I guess this is not the case. I really worry that if the animators were to stick to the 2 chapter coverage per episode pacing, when we get to the action parts, we would probably end up suffering from boredom.
The Drag
When a series wants to extend the life of the fights, what do we have? We have the usual panning shots and too much dialogue to drag the scenes out longer and to slow the episode down. Naturally, a staring contest would also be thrown into the mix. I honestly do not understand why a show would do that to itself. The whole panning shots really get to me since the action in this episode is not even “exciting” enough to make up for such a boring prelude to the fight.
Then we have the powered up version of Tompa and the Prisoner. What the heck was that about? It did a positive thing in adding to the whole contrast between Tompa giving up and the psyched for battle atmosphere, and that made the joke a tad more funnier. But honestly, I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous and childish that moment was. I was imagining Dragonball Z =_=” I wonder if that part of the scene was meant to be a joke or to be taken seriously.
Then we have the dialogue. Although the dialogue was rather entertaining to listen to, the lack of animation to back up the scenes and make it interesting to watch, had made me want to fast forward the episode. I was really itching to click the forward button and forget about reviewing the episode altogether. If I wanted to listen to a show and not see it, I would have choosen an audio tape. =P I know I am whining, but it was honestly so boring to watch all those panning scenes and generic framing of the scenes, definitely nothing visually enticing there.
The Characters
Side notes:
- Leorio is no longer battered and bruised the way he is meant to be. (Go anime super-power healing! XP)
- The examiner’s hair is pinkish-purple in this series but black in the 99 one. =D
What’s with all the funky colours? The browness of Tompa’s hair reminds me of a bad dye job as well. XD
We are once again shown the lack of care for death in this episode with the characters simply looking at the rock climber getting pecked and eaten alive without bothering to offer any help. To add to that, they dismissed his death with a observational statement about it being too dangerous to head down the walls of the tower.
Geez, talk about teaching your kids the wrong things in life. I can understand how Kurapica and Killua are so sanitised to seeing death and the idea of death, but Gon’s odd attitude really does bug me. I know it is the way he is meant to be, but one can’t simply claim that that is the way things are. There has got to be a reason behind Gon’s lack of care. Was it because he grew up playing in a jungle? I mean, children are not born psychotic, their environment makes them psychotic. (I am not saying Gon is pyschotic, it was just an example) As for Leorio, well, I can understand the tough situation he grew up in, but for a person who wants to be a doctor, he sure as hell isn’t “morally suitable” for such a role. =P
Speaking of Leorio, we get to see his intelligence kick in when he realises that Tompa is there to sabotage newbies. =) Go Leorio for being observant! I wonder what the agenda of the rest of the group was. I am sure Kurapica would have picked up on it, but why wouldn’t he have said something? As for Killua and Gon, well I never expected them to say anything since the both of them have a “heck care” attitude towards things.
I kinda like this stylized look to make the situation more comical.
Overall
The episode was what was pretty true to the manga but I would have rather the pacing to be faster. I hate all those panning scenes and hopefully the next episode would end the tower arc. If that does happen, then the next episode should be a relatively nicely paced episode next week.
Episode Rating: 6.5/10
I do realise that I sound harsh in this review. I don’t think it is a bad episode, merely dry. =/ I still love the HxH series, but I am starting to wonder if it is me being bias. Then again, it could be that I am not in a good mood thus my take on this might be harsher than usual.
-ra in a rush
This is a quick review since I am rushing off for a dinner appointment.
Hunter x Hunter 2011 Question of the Week
After 8 episodes in, if you had to recommend a version of Hunter x Hunter to your friend to watch, which would it be? The ’99 or 2011?
I know that they are both very different and the ’99 is slower. But, if you were to simply ignore the fact that you were to watch it weekly since your friend would watch all the episodes in one shot. Which would you recommend?
Personally, I am still edging towards the ’99 version due to it’s darker tones, but the 2011 series has warmed up to me and I quite like the lack of many of the extra scenes. But for now, I will say ’99 series.
Are you still having a hard time warming up to the 2011 series or loving it now after having seen more?
Posted on November 20, 2011, in Anime, Hunter x Hunter 2011, Reviews and tagged anime review, hunter x hunter 2011. Bookmark the permalink. 22 Comments.
kelfio
M0rg0th
Saranaufogus
tsubaki.seishuu
Otakuness Anime Reviews 
Where are the squid girl and bakuman reviews?? Can you provide a link please?
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he/she has a point i wanted to read those because they are the ones I most looked forward to but it appears they aren’t reviewing them 😥
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I agree! They seem to have not wanted to review one of the two greatest anime shows this season
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Hi guys,
We would love to review every anime but sadly time is not infinite. =P
Hopefully when I get the time I would be able to post some short things about the two series. =)
Meanwhile, I hope you guys still continue to read the rest of the series that we blog. Perhaps next season we might do a poll to see what shows you would like to see us blog… perhaps. 😉
Hope to hear more from you guys.
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Ugh, I agree with disliking draggy fight scenes, who doesn’t? Especially so since its weekly…
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“Ugh, I agree with disliking draggy fight scenes, who doesn’t? Especially so since its weekly…”
Glad to know I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. =P
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I think this series grew on me, the nonchalant deaths against the overly vivid backdrop is sending an interesting message, but I think it works now that the pace in terms of messed up violence has picked up. From the screenshots you put up, it looks like the muted colors of the ’99 matched the tone, where the 2011 brightness sends mixed signals.
I agree, the powerup scene was awkward even if it was just for comic effect, and I found myself wanting to see the next fight when the ending music came on. Up until that point I didn’t find to pacing to be too horrendous but now that you mentioned it there were a lot of wide pans that took up time.
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“but I think it works now that the pace in terms of messed up violence has picked up”
Lol, messed up violence.
“From the screenshots you put up, it looks like the muted colors of the ’99 matched the tone, where the 2011 brightness sends mixed signals. ”
That is definitely the case. That is probably why I think that the ’99 series’ animation was much more suitable. =/
“I agree, the powerup scene was awkward even if it was just for comic effect, and I found myself wanting to see the next fight when the ending music came on. ”
Its good that you would like to see more and it is good that you had found the powerup part to be weird. Out of curiosity… did you laugh at the scene when Tompa had given up? Since you haven’t actually seen the ’99 and didn’t know to expect it, I was wondering if it was funny. =D (You are my test subject)
“Up until that point I didn’t find to pacing to be too horrendous but now that you mentioned it there were a lot of wide pans that took up time.”
Well, I think a big part of why that was so obvious for me was because I knew what I had wanted to see and it took me forever to see it and that made those dragged on panning moments even more painful… =P
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lol, I’m ok with being a guinea pig, I chuckled a bit when Tonpa gave up, but as you pointed out, the art helped with that. As he was powering up I found myself thinking that the series was going to do some kind of double reverse and paint him in a better light as a dependable fighter, and then it just crushed that expectation. As someone new to the series I think I over analyze and try to anticipate the plot twists that each episode has, because there are just so darn many. In that respect I can see how the buildups would make more sense. I think I found myself wanting to see Killua’s fight more than anything, I’m expecting some kind of crazy carnage if he goes all evil assassin mode again.
I’d probably draw a comparison of the ’99 to 2011 series and dbz to dbz kai; having seen the original dbz its actually pretty easy to see where they cut out fillers in Kai, but its not like episodes that are lost, its essentially arcs, the original showed time passing through adventures not related directly to the larger arc, where the new series narrates the fact that time passed and moves on into the next relevant story development. If anyone saw the trip to Namek in the original, it dragged on with less important characters taking the spotlight, in the new one it was all skipped and they were on Namek in the same episode that they left earth. From the reviews it doesn’t sound like the changes HxH are as drastic, but I’m sure people who watched the original will really be able to make a judgement when the fighting starts.
But the biggest laugh this week goes to Boku wa Tomodachi, the entire cellphone bit had me rolling.
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“lol, I’m ok with being a guinea pig, ”
You just signed your death. XD You have officially become a test subject. I expect to see your POV of the episode each week from now on. (i’m just kidding, although it would be nice if you do give your perspective of the ep each week. always good to see different views ^^)
“I think I found myself wanting to see Killua’s fight more than anything, I’m expecting some kind of crazy carnage if he goes all evil assassin mode again. ”
Well.. you would have to wait and see. =P Hopefully the wait wouldn’t be too long. (Just as long as they stop with those panning scenes. argh)
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Hahaha! I had an opposite impression about this episode, I hated the fact it ended so soon! But if they crammed in more things we wouldn’t get proper build up I guess. Can’t wait to see how they handle the next ‘duels’.
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“Can’t wait to see how they handle the next ‘duels’.”
Same here! I just want Killua’s battle to come soon! XD
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Well the episode was a total opposite of the last ep. The last ep had perfect pacing and all. I agree with you, all those panning didn’t do it for me. Although, i really liked what they did with the Tonpa scene. I think the way you see that scene will be depending on your background about HxH. If you did watched the 99’s series or read the manga, i think that should be taken as a joke, because you already know what to expect which made it funnier. If you don’t have any background on HxH, the viewer will most likely will take that scene seriously and will be funnier for him or her. haha. whatever, i don’t know if i’m making sense. i hope you get the point. haha. That scene was the only scene i liked in the entire episode. @_@
Also, it would also be good if the they gave a glimpse of the examiners perspective while watching the fight, just like what they did in the 99’s series. It was really nice to have an insight on what the examiners think of the examinees response on the examination. Another point was, yes, the characters limited reaction to things happening around them. The character that i find has the most variation in reaction is Leorio or maybe that’s just me.
Also, is it just me or this episode has too much shades of blue and green in it. It’s like the animators doesn’t have any other color palette choice. It’s either that or they really like the colors blue and green because it seems like everything that has its color unknown comes in the shades of blue and green. Even Illumi became some dude dressed in green. @_@ And the creatures that took that rock climber dude, why are they so bright? wah. Too bright.
As for your question, If i were to recommend hunter x hunter, i’ll definitely recommend the 99’s series. Despite, its slow times because of the fillers, its not being very loyal to the manga and how this 2011’s series is going, the 99’s series is better for me. Although, i really like this faster pace of the 2011 series because i watch it weekly but as for the series itself, for me it’s still the 99’s series. Oh and yes, like you the the darker tones the 99’s series has to offer also nails the whole feel of the show. A brighter tone just doesn’t give this mature feel for me. It reminds me that this show is really supposed to be for children, which i think is inappropriate because of the raw material. There are just some points in Hunter x Hunter that is not too child friendly. hahahaha. 😀
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I have no clue how i missed the comment =/ I thought I had replied to it already.
Sorry for the late reply!
“i don’t know if i’m making sense. i hope you get the point. haha. That scene was the only scene i liked in the entire episode. @_@”
Yes, you do make sense ^^
“Also, it would also be good if the they gave a glimpse of the examiners perspective while watching the fight, just like what they did in the 99′s series.”
I agree with you. Introducing the examiner’s perspective would definitely help the character development and provide a different view/insight to these “new” characters. (since this would be the first real battle people would get to see the gang participate in)
“Also, is it just me or this episode has too much shades of blue and green in it. It’s like the animators doesn’t have any other color palette choice. ”
I didn’t notice the blue and green shades but the show does seem to have a odd colour palette that is somewhat desaturated yet certain colours are overly bright. =/
“It reminds me that this show is really supposed to be for children, which i think is inappropriate because of the raw material. ”
“Inappropriate? *shocked* No… You don’t say…” just/kidding
The “aura” the show gives off is definitely misleading at times, especially when you know what is meant to happen.
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If you cant wait well recommend 99 series, but if the person is excited to see this and does’nt want lies and fillers I recommend the 2011 version coz its more truer (to the manga) for me as of now…
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Hi, I’ve read all your H x H remake reviews, and I enjoy them! Though I’m one of those who loves the original anime and manga, but really dislike the remake, so I would definetly recommend the original anime over the remake, for these reasons:
Like discussed before, the music is really bad in the remake, and never really fits. The voiceactors, though they are good in their own ways, are far from as great as the original, imo. Direction wise, the remake is also weak. It’s either to fast paced or to slow paced, and I still can’t get used to it, and because the music is so unfitting, I can’t really feel the atmosphere of the different scenes. Also, many scenes looks to flat, there is rarely good use of angles. Then there is the portrayal of the characters: I know that the Killua in the original anime is a little bit different than the manga (though the difference isn’t that extreme), but I still prefer that depth to his personality…also, the remake made him seem a tad bit TO cheerful. The other characters are portrayed fine so far, however there is one character who I kind stand: Gon. My God, what have they done to him? They turned him into some arrogant, drooling idiot. There are so many scenes and changes in the remake of his personality, it just drives me insane. Last, the animation: sure, the original got obvious flaws, but it also got some fantastic animated scenes, and the colors are easier to look at, imo. So far, the remake is very plain, and it’s just to bright. The original’s color are closer to those of Togashis style.
The original is not perfect, of course not. Some filler scenes and changes may have been unecissary (but there are also some that added so much to the story and gave the characters even more depth than the manga) and the animation and is not top notch, but atleast, it got fantastic sound and equally fantastic directing. It also feel closer to the manga when it comes to the general atmosphere. So it’s the original all the way for me.
Keep up the great work with these reviews! :D.
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Hi!
I am happy to hear that you like the reviews. =)
I have to agree with you on some of the reasons the 2011 suffers from. Although it is true to the manga, it definitely is lacking in the atmosphere (even through character behaviour). Hopefully once we get to the more “morally questionable” parts, we would be able to see a change in the style of the series. =/
Anyway, can’t wait to see how this next episode of HxH will turn out to be like.
(Hope to hear from you in the next review)
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I disagree. I have been following your reviews since episode 1 of HxH. I know what you’re doing. You are trying to downplay the episodes so you get more reactions in your reviews. This is my second and last comment in all 8 episodes. HxH 2011 is by far superior than its predecessor.
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I disagree. I have been following your reviews since episode 1 of HxH. I know what you’re doing. You are trying to downplay the episodes so you get more reactions in your reviews. This is my second and last comment in all 8 episodes. HxH 2011 is by far superior than its predecessor.
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Hi Jaylovette,
Well, I am not trying to downplay the episodes. I am merely stating what I feel about them. I did say that the last episode was better than the 1999 version of it.
But since you have said that you feel that the 2011 is better than the 1999 one, it is always nice to hear another side to things and why you think that the 2011 is better than the 1999 one. (I know it is true to the manga, but that is not an excuse for whether a show is good or bad. After all, the original material may never be 100% perfect all the time. 😉 )
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In my case, I feel a split. Honestly, I was annoyed by some of the additional things they added in 1999 version. I can’t get over Killua and bombs, useless fillers and prolonging drama like spending an entire episode on just Gon being emo…those are some examples of things I don’t like. And of course, the pacing in the beginning most likely gonna make people shy away instead. No really, episode 1 of 1999 is easily the worst episode in the entire anime.
And 2011 version, I still can’t get used to the voices. 1999 was just that much better. Music is also lacking. They cut my favorite sushi exam!!! What were they thinking?
Honestly, I donno which to recommend, as both has pro and con. ~__~ I guess everything will depend on how they do Yorkshin arc. 1999 version was close to perfection.
P.S. Gon is nothing but normal. I think that much is obvious by now… XD
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“They cut my favorite sushi exam!!! What were they thinking?”
I know! That was such a fun episode. =/
“Honestly, I donno which to recommend, as both has pro and con. ~__~ I guess everything will depend on how they do Yorkshin arc. 1999 version was close to perfection.”
Well, if the style of this series keeps up the way it is, it might not be able to win over the darker and more mature tones in the 1999 version of that arc. I think that what this series has going for it is the fact that it is true to the original content and pretty straight to the point.
I guess we shall see how everything turns out. =)
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