This episode covers the last 5 pages of chapter 19 through chapter 21 of the manga, and corresponds to episode 17 of the 1999 series.
First things first--Leroute appears.
Convicted of illegal gambling and the trafficking of endangered species, she doesn't exactly look the part of convict (which is why she chooses a gambling match to begin with...). Nippon Animation wanted a battle between two doctors, so Leroute is an "insane psychologist" in the 1999 series, whose pretty face drove men to suicide. While I don't really have a problem with this, I didn't really like the stance the writers took when adapting her in the 1999 series; it's somewhat misogynistic. The 1999 series turns her into a generic heartbreaker and definitely has something against her personality type. Killua and Kurapika, in two instances, call her a "no-good woman" and "a snake of a woman" despite those never being in the manga. I digress.
So Leorio pervs the hell out. Gon doesn't get at first how Kurapika and Killua realize that Leorio is going to bet that Leroute is a man, but Killua tells him in the manga and 2011 series. In the 1999 series, Gon is left as naive as ever. Kurapika explains the situation to Gon and he still doesn't understand why Kurapika and Killua know. Tonpa covers his eyes when Leroute and Leorio "do their thing."
You're so gross, Leorio. I can't believe this version has him keep sniffing his hand after. lol
The series diverge from here. In the 1999 series, Leroute psychologically attacks Leorio. Kurapika calls her an expert at psychological warfare, but I'm not sure that Leroute employs actual psychology in her scene. Leroute calls him "doctor" all of the time--nice touch, especially since she is one in this version.
Leorio falls right into Leroute's trap in the 1999 series. Gon hits him with his fishing rod and Leorio just manages to forget everything attacking his personality that Leroute stated a minute ago. Just in time for rock-paper-scissors.
New series puts more emphasis on the rock-paper-scissors scene by showing Kurapika/Gon/Killua's reactions to it, plus elaborates on the depth in the game. Leroute does it in the manga. I recommend
reading up on it--Togashi uses HxH to introduce a lot of interesting theories and logic games that most manga would sidestep. The 1999 series does this too, only it's less comprehensive. The 1999 series is wrong in saying that people tend to throw scissors first--rookies tend to throw rock first.
Leroute bets all of her time instead of 80 hours in the 1999 series. She lies to Leorio about being able to read minds in a bluff in the 2011 series.
Here's something interesting: Gon directly tells Leorio to throw scissors in both animated versions and not the manga, but the implications are different. Gon in the 1999 series tells Leorio to throw scissors because Leroute says "[she's] going to throw paper next"--it's much more a simplistic deduction, since Gon's rationale is that "Scissors beat paper every time." Gon in the 2011 series tells Leorio to do so because he's gone a step ahead of Leroute and knows she assumes Leorio is going to throw Rock or Paper. Mainly because she's done such a good job of manipulating Leorio's emotions throughout the match. Basically, Gon in the 1999 series is naive while Gon in the 2011 series is observant.
Leorio loses, Leroute wins. Whatta pro. Here's a mistake in the manga: the scoreboard behind Leorio says "10" instead of "100."
The prisoners are in direct contact with Lippo in the manga and 2011 series, whereas they don't really speak with him in the 1999 series. They ask Lippo how much time the protagonists have left on their clock in the manga/2011 series. Gon asks Kurapika in the 1999 series.
Here's what you've been waiting for: Johness. His large, eerie eyes have been fixed in this version.
Lippo is excited to use Johness in the 1999 series, while reluctant in the 2011 series. The manga doesn't show his reaction. Lippo is more of a sadist in the 1999 series, though I feel that might be more in line with what we've seen of his character.
Though this next scene isn't in the manga, I loved it. The buildup to Johness as a scary condender is very well done in the Madhouse series. The trembling piano track, the fact that Johness has been silently sitting crosslegged in the back since the prisoners first appeared (nice touch), the visible fear in all of the inmates' eyes and their stances.
Some say that Majitani going after Johness is out of character, but I think that it kind of works? Majitani isn't a great judge of strength, as proven by his match with Kurapika. He doesn't believe in legends, as evidenced by the amateurish and galling way he attempted to mimic the world's most notorious criminals (the Phantom Troupe).
Also, on a side note, this scene also made me think the DVDs might be somewhat decensored. When Majitani is slammed into the wall, his eyes are closed. The next frame, however, has his right eye wide open (in the background) and his body twitching. Look for it, but don't get your hopes up either.
The scene focusing on Johness' arrest is removed in the 2011 series; it's present in the 1999 series. While being arrested, he rips off a portion of the cop's arm who cuffed him. Both versions neglect to mention that he pulled the heart out of a still-living eleven-year-old boy--a shame, since it marks a bit of poetic justice (due to what's about to happen next).
Johness has apparently murdered the captain of the USS Enterprise in the 1999 series.
The 1999 series moves Johness' line "It's been so long since...I've felt the flesh of the world" until after he's already in the ring with Killua. A shame--I thought that this scene was really creepy in the manga. It's in the 2011 series, but I don't like how quickly the line is enunciated.
Now the next scene has been pretty controversial for a number of reasons. I'll try to be as fair as possible when discussing it. While the action was censored, I think it did a fantastic job conveying the tone and spirit of the scene.
Killua plucks Johness' heart out.
The most obvious differences are Johness' heart being wrapped in his shirt cloth and Killua not crushing it in the 2011 series. I feel like the direction of all three versions implies a different tone. So I'll talk about each in detail:
1999 series: Almost exactly like the manga's scene. Shocking and explicit. This version emphasized Killua being a badass. The way he speaks in the 1999 series and the way he's almost always drawn suggest this to begin with--since he never kills anyone in episodes 11/12, he backs it up here. The way the scene is shot (especially the way the music cuts off right as he moves past Johness) assist in this. Though you see Johness' heart in detail, it's entirely bloodless. Even the wound on Johness' shirt is colored in black (and there's no hole either). This is a little problematic, since Killua mentions afterward that his dad could do it without leaving a drop of blood--that's kind of what happened here.
2011 series: Different. Johness' bloody heart is removed, but censored by being torn out alongside some of his shirt. But the horror of what Killua has done is emphasized here. The episode went from jovial and somewhat funny to brutal in that one action. As far as logistics goes (from what I've heard from a couple of others), yes, a heart can be removed from a hole that small. And yes, they do keep beating outside of the body. Johness turns feeble and pathetic. Look at the way he reaches for his own heart and crawls towards it, asking for it back as if that would be his salvation. This is a man set to die. The fact that Killua waits for Johness to die before
actually returning it is even more grim. It's
dark in a way the 1999 series wasn't. The music that plays afterwards sounds like something out of
Shadow Star Narutaru, another series that alternates between cute and horrific (you should probably read the manga of this, if you're interested--
fantastic). I loved this scene so much.
As far as Johness' shirt tearing goes, picture it matted down by blood deep inside of his chest cavity.
Yeah.
Manga: The sequence of events is a bit different in it. You know how the story goes, but we don't see Killua's expression until after Johness asks for his heart back already. I feel like the 1999 series somewhat messed up by not doing this--look at that wicked smile on his face. It turns into Killua's typical smile as soon as he crushes the heart on the next page. He's
playing with a man's life. He cruelly crushes it with a child's grin. Children are capable of doing terrible things, which you'll see throughout the series.
The following scenes in the new series were handled better in my opinion too. Gon's nonchalance is something you should take notice of. He doesn't care that he just saw Killua pull out another man's heart. Gon mentions this so casually it's sort of ridiculous: "Oh yeah, you guys don't know yet. The thing about Killua, he's part of a family of elite assassins." He's twelve. Comes from the middle of nowhere, and he mentions death so casually. Keep this in mind.
The 1999 series has Killua explain his actions while they're still in that arena. The manga and 2011 series have him wait until they reach the break room. Killua's nails retract like a cat's in the manga (as indicated by sfx, anyway) and 2011 series. In the 1999 series, he adjusts his hand in a more muscular manner. Kurapika's wary line about Killua is glossed over in the 1999 series with a smile. It's more emphasized in the 2011 series and manga, as it's at the end of the chapter.
Anyways, that's about it. Phew!
. Seriously people, watch the old show to see how it should be done. The worst thing is, next episode will probably be even more awful :/. This show disappoints me on every possible level.
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