Episode 20 of Madhouse's adaptation covers chapters 35 and 36 in the manga, as well as corresponds to episodes 29 and (most of) 30 in Nippon Animation's adaptation. It first aired on February 19, 2012. For the sake of context, episode 30 of the Nippon Animation series first aired on June 3, 2000.
Chapter 35 opens with Gon waking up following the end of his match. He is accompanied by Satotz, who debriefs him about the results of the rest of the matches. The 1999 series changes the type of bandage on his forehead. The rooms all look a bit different. Also, Satotz might be in a rolling chair in the manga.
Episode 29 of the 1999 series, however, is another story. It begins with the conclusion of the match between Gon and Hanzo and proceeds into the beginning of
Hisoka vs. Bodoro. I'll explain more in a bit.
Anyways, Satotz tries to congratulate Gon. He holds out his hand to shake the boy's hand, but Gon refuses to initially take it. The dynamic stays this way in the 1999 series throughout their conversation, but Satotz in the manga and 2011 series grabs Gon by the hand and makes him shake his own.
Satotz' speech is very different in Nippon Animation's version. In it, he chastises Gon for his reckless behavior and sort of teaches him a lesson. This might be a major issue in Gon's characterization in that version. I don't like the dynamic because Satotz is acting as if he's Gon's parent and the boy takes those words to heart in the 1999 series. Because this never happens in the manga, Gon doesn't actually learn
anything from his match with Hanzo.
This is important. Below are the two versions of Satotz' speech--one from the manga/2011 series and the other from the 1999 series:
Manga/Madhouse Version (2011):
(Satotz extends his hand to Gon in a gesture.)
Gon: "Mr. Satotz... I"
Satotz: "You can't."
(Satotz grabs Gon's hand and forces it to shake his own.)
Satotz: "Just as someone who has failed the exam can no longer pass, someone who has passed the exam can no longer fail. The rest is up to you."
"If you feel you are unqualified to be a pro, you are free to destroy or put away your license. You can even sell it, since no one else will be able to use it. Even so, there are plenty of people willing to pay a fortune to get their hands on a card like that [this line is missing from the 2011 series]. However, a person who has passed the exam will not be allowed to take it again. Thanks to our predecessors' efforts, Professional Hunters are treated well. Hence, there are many applicants who harbor ill intentions. If it weren't for them, we would accept every person who applied. Most professional Hunters this card more valuable than their own lives, yet no more than a worthless scrap of paper at the same time. And the most important thing is what you accomplish...once you become a Hunter, that is."
Gon (2011): "What I accomplish..."
Satotz (2011): "Gon, you can decide for yourself when you're ready to use this card. I have faith in your judgment."
Gon: "Okay. A lot of people helped me reached this point. I'll use this once I've returned the favor!"
Satotz: "So then, once again I'd like to congratulate you on becoming a Hunter."
Gon: "Thank you. Mr. Satotz!"
Nippon Animation Version (1999):
Satotz (1999): "Let me give you a piece of advice: It's okay to push your way through sometimes, but there's a right time, a place, and a situation for everything. You could end up with irreversible consequences if you fail to grasp that. You only have one life, after all."
Gon (1999): *solemnly said* "Yeah..."
(Satotz extends his hand to Gon in a gesture.)
Gon (1999): "Mr. Satotz... I"
Satotz (1999): "No you can't!"
"Just as someone who has failed the exam can no longer pass, someone who has passed the Exam can no longer fail. The same goes for you. The rest is up to you."
"You have what it takes to become a Hunter. This has been proven during the course of the Exam."
Gon (1999): "But I lost to Hisoka...and I couldn't beat Hanzo either." (apparently it's common knowledge that Gon took Hisoka's badge in the 1999 series)
"I don't deserve it. I only passed the Exam because they all felt sorry for me."
Satotz (1999): "And is that really so terrible?"
*Commercial Break*
Satotz (1999): "(Satotz says this in a strict, chastizing manner) Let me be completely honest with you, Gon. Miss Menchi and Buhara didn't see anything exceptional in your performance at the end of the Second Phase."
"The fact that you're only twelve years old is remarkable. However, all applicants are considered equal in the Hunter Exam. I believe no one, including myself, ever expected you to get this far."
Gon (1999): "I guess you're right. It must've just been dumb luck, right?"
Satotz (1999): "However, you have proven us all completely wrong. Gon... do you know what the Final Phase is all about?"
Gon (1999): "Huh? Well, that's...um..."
Satotz (1999): "It isn't about winning or losing. It tests something more than that. And you managed to answer correctly to Mr. Chairman's test."
"That's why you passed."
Gon (1999): "Huh? ...I don't get it."
Satotz (1999): "It's okay if you don't understand. Sometimes we don't fully unterstand the Chairman's true intentions. Let me explain to you the details."
"Regardless of how you feel about it, you will be issued a license card."
Gon (1999): "A Hunter...card."
Satotz (1999): "The license card that will be proof of you being a Hunter. And what you do with it is entirely up to you. Needless to say, passing the Exam is not the goal, but just the beginning. If you don't think you're worthy of being a Hunter, you are free to destroy or put away your license. You can even sell it. The most others can do with it is to use it as a display. Even so, there are plenty of people willing to pay a fortune to get their hands on a card like that. You could sell it and spend a lifetime in luxury...or seven lifetimes. However, once you've passed the exam, you can never take it again. Thanks to our predecessors' efforts, Professional Hunters are treated well. Hence, there are many applicants who harbor ill intentions. If it weren't for them, we wouldn't mind passing all applicants...so says the Chairman. Most professional Hunters this card more valuable than their own lives, yet no more than a worthless scrap of paper at the same time. And the most important thing is what you accomplish once you become a Hunter. If you feel like you've taken on debts, it's okay if you take your time to repay them. What's important is what you do in the future from here and what you hope to accomplish."
Gon (1999): "The most important thing is what I do in the future from here... I remember my friends that saying the same thing to me before, but I guess I didn't really know what they meant."
Satotz (1999): "Like I said in the beginning, there's a right time for everything. You may know something, but you won't realize it until the time is right. Or understand it, yes? But it seems as if you've made some good friends, haven't you? I hope you appreciate them because true friends are as hard to come by as having true talents."
Gon (1999): *Smiles* "Of course!"
Satotz (1999): He managed to make such good friends during this grueling Exam. And there's his extraordinary will power...Just what is this kid made of...?
... (skipping ahead)
Satotz (1999): "Well then, Gon. This is your license card."
Gon (1999): "My...card."
Satotz: "Gon, you can decide for yourself when you're ready to use this card. I have faith in your judgment."
Gon (1999): "Yeah. I only got this card because a lot of people have helped me reach this point. And I have so many debts to repay to their hands. And so...I'll start using it after I've returned the favor to everyone!"
Satotz (1999): "Yes. So then, once again I'd like to congratulate you on becoming a Hunter."
Gon (1999): "Thank you."
Interestingly enough, both conversations diverge from the manga in their last few lines by skipping a scene (though the Nippon animation version simply moves those lines slightly later in the conversation). Satotz and Gon talk about something in the manga and 1999 series that hasn't been addressed in the 2011 series yet, but I won't go too far into it because the preview indicates that the end of their talk might occur in the next episode.
Though I believe Satotz's comments about initially underestimating Gon in Nippon Animation's version (as well as his last comments in the above dialogue) only serve to show the director's choice in making him the flawless boy wonder of the story.
This one of the major issues that the 1999 series had in characterizing Gon. They're trying too hard to have every character in the story say how special Gon really is; how talented and mysterious. This gets the studio in a bit of trouble during the Yorknew City arc.
There's also something that's bothersome about another of Satotz' added lines in the Nippon Animation version, but I won't be specific until my next comparison. I'll give you a hint--it has to do with Satotz's line referencing Menchi and Buhara. Figure it out yourselves--you're
Hunters, aren't you?
The Hunter's License looks different between anime series. It's green with a red back in the 1999 series, whereas both sides are blue in the 2011 series. Due to the 2011 series postponing the flashback in the first chapter about Gon's past, this is the first time that viewers see a Hunter's License in the series. This is the first time in which the fixed Hunters Association logo makes an appearance in the 1999 series.
If someone wants to decode the written text on the 2011 series' version of the license so I can translate it, be my guest
Now we get to the meat and potatoes--the rest of the Exam. Who failed and who passed? None of the versions do the subtle reveal of who failed the exam.
Togashi draws Killua in on the next page but doesn't overtly say he failed (and it's a different image from the bloody one). The 2011 series moves the scene in which mentions Killua's failure right here. The 1999 series doesn't show Killua's bloody hand until the next episode, and even then it's censored by being placed in shadow.
In the 1999 series, Gon's heart starts to ache once he hears that Killua failed. From this point onward, his heart continually races while listening to Satotz' story. Listening to the story is a more emotionally taxing affair on Gon in the 1999 series.
Satotz (1999): "What's wrong?"
Gon (1999): "I'm fine...It's gone now."
Satotz (1999): "It's probably the stress."
Gon (1999): "But above that...!"
Satotz (1999): "I understand. Let me go back a little and start from the beginning of the third round..."
So then Satotz proceeds by talking about what occurred directly after Gon passed out. The order of the matches in the Final Phase are as follows:
Round 1: Gon vs. Hanzo
Round 2: Kurapika vs. Hisoka
Round 3: Hanzo vs. Pokkle
Round 4: Hisoka vs. Bodoro
Round 5: Killua vs. Pokkle
Round 6: Leorio vs. Bodoro
Round 7: Killua vs. Gittarackur
The 1999 series completely changes them. This won't be the first time in which the order of events is altered in Nippon Animation's version.
Round 1: Kurapika vs. Hisoka
Round 2: Gon vs. Hanzo
Round 3: Hisoka vs. Bodoro
Round 4: Hanzo vs. Pokkle
Round 5: Leorio vs. Bodoro
Round 6: Killua vs. Pokkle
Round 7: Killua vs. Gittarackur
Kurapika's fight against Hisoka is animated first in episode 26 of the Nippon Animation version.
The 1999 series removes the cut on Kurapika's cheek and elongates the battle in the manga--despite Togashi only drawing in three panels of non-combative scenes to represent their match. It isn't a very good episode--it's visually unimpressive and the dialogue is terribly generic (and largely consists of rewritten versions of statements made in the past by characters).
Come to think of it, don't you find the Final Phase of the Hunter Exam to be a complete letdown? It was supposed to be this big martial-arts tournament promising some unlikely matchups, but the manga offers
no fighting at all while the 2011 series shortens it to short and still frames. Again,
this disappointment is Togashi's intent. As Gon said, the Final Phase tested one's own
will rather than
physical capability. The most important details readers and viewers are supposed to note from each match are in the
conversations. I'll go into more detail later.
Killua says something to Hanzo that throws off Hisoka, Kurapika, and Leorio. He asks him "Why did you forfeit the match? I'm sure that you know ways to make Gon surrender without killing him." The three characters I mentioned are then shocked that Killua would say something like that--especially since it had been assumed that he and Gon had gotten closest to each other out of everyone in the exam. In the 1999 series, all of the contestants glare at
Hanzo instead. The Nippon Animation version also places this scene immediately after Hanzo knocks Gon unconscious. This is a mistake because this flashback should be emphasized--everything that transpires in Satotz's description of the Final Phase to Gon is
very important.
Hanzo's final line to Killua is changed in the 1999 series:
Hanzo (Manga/2011): "I guess you could say that he won me over. If you need a reason, there you go."
Hanzo (1999): "I guess you could say that he won me over. I couldn't fight him anymore. A good enough reason to lose...It wasn't on purpose."
So in the 1999 series, this scene transitions into the beginning of Hisoka vs Bodoro and then cuts to Gon waking up in bed. More Hisoka vs. Bodoro is placed when Satotz begins telling Gon about the Final Phase in the 1999 series. Menchi gets really mad at anyone with confidence in themselves in the 1999 series; she sees it as cockiness. She HATES Hanzo and dislikes Killua. There are some really generic comments on the sidelines for this match:
Menchi (1999): "For an old guy, he sure has a lot of fight in him!"
Satotz (1999): "It all comes down to having a fighting spirit."
Finally, Killua vs. Gittarackur. He reveals his true identity to be that of Illumi Zoldyck--Killua's older brother.
Episode 29 (1999) ends, Episode 20 (2011) goes to commercial, and that's the end of part 1 of this comparison. Part 2 later.
so right now the anime still stay true to the manga xD
