Episode 16 covers material from chapters 27 and 28 of the manga and corresponds to episode 23 in the 1999 series.
Hisoka has a line change in the first scene in the 1999 series.
Hisoka (Manga/2011 series): Oh, it's those two? Fun. <3
Hisoka (1999): So it's those two? (Hisoka chuckles) It's a pity and waste, but...
The latter implies that he plans on killing Leorio and Kurapika, whereas the former leaves his intentions unknown.
Hisoka runs in a really strange way in the 1999 series--he doesn't in the manga/2011 series. The animation during this scene in the 1999 series is pretty good, which is surprising because the end of the episode doesn't look too special. There's a short segment in which you can see Geretta following Gon. It's easy to miss, but a really great touch.
When choosing to follow Hisoka, Gon in the manga already knows whom Hisoka is targeting. In the 1999 series, he doesn't find out until after Hisoka has already stopped. He never considers whether or not it would be better to steal Hisoka's badge if he attacks Kurapika and Leorio. The difference is in the fact that Gon in both the manga and 2011 series makes a conscious decision at first to stick with his plan, despite knowing what it might mean for Kurapika and Leorio. Gon's dialogue is almost the exact same as it is in the manga in the 2011 series, though there's a short scene added that has Gon spot Leorio and Kurapika from the same rock upon which Hisoka just stood.
Gon (1999): "He's on the move! He must've found his target! This is my chance! Stick to the plan and when Hisoka attacks, go for his badge! That'll be the only chance I'll get to steal it!"
Gon (2011): "Hisoka must have found someone to prey upon...(Gon goes atop the rock Hisoka once stood) Leorio! Kurapika! (Gon starts following after Hisoka) I didn't expect him to go after Leorio and Kurapika! What do I do?! ... Don't stop!! Stick to the plan and when Hisoka attacks, go for his badge! That'll be the only chance I'll get to steal it!"
The 1999 series largely adapts the negotiation between Kurapika and Hisoka as it is in the manga. The 2011 series slightly alters the wording of a few lines and cuts out Hisoka's line: "Too bad. You're not my target." The 1999 series changes Kurapika and Leorio's weapons. Leorio has the Japanese blade that he's been using throughout the 1999 series, and Kurapika's wooden swords are changed into katana blades. I think Leorio looks really cool in this scene in the manga. I like his expression.
I don't think either adaptation gets Hisoka's vogue pose down. Hisoka's eyes glow yellow in the 1999 series during this scene.
Bloodlust.
I think that Madhouse did a great job of making this scene actually sort of creepy. Despite not copying the images exactly, I think the tone was set in the artistry and music. The 1999 series has Hisoka do this strange laugh as he has that menacing air around him. His bloodlust physically affects him much more than it does in the manga, as he claws at his arms and
tries to contain whatever is inside of him. The 1999 series also gives him a
pretty visible erection during this scene.
When Hisoka says "I'm not planning on moving from here for quite a while" to Kurapika and Leorio, he actually
means it in the manga/2011 series.
He stays in the same position until morning. The 1999 series keeps the scene at night in order to set a scarier tone, as well as associates this funky red crescent moon motif with Hisoka. The manga and 2011 series do this. Also, Hisoka has dark rings around his eyes from his sleepless night in the manga/2011 series.
Gon climbs a tree and locates Hisoka's next target: Agon. The 2011 series has a filler scene in which Gon silences his presence again. I found this to be a bit overkill in its direction (it's directed in a way that is definitely intended to appeal to fans of the manga and people who realize what Gon is doing in the scene), but it also kind of works (?) in terms of the story since that was part of Gon's plan to begin with.
Hisoka attacks Agon. The 1999 series reuses the exact same image of Hisoka running 8 times instead of making him move like in the manga.
The 2011 series emphasizes Gon's good eyesight in the same way that the manga does.
When Agon is killed, there's blood in the manga/2011 series. Hisoka's expression in the 2011 series after discovering Gon is more like his expression in the manga--a mix between severe fascination and delight.
Geretta is portrayed as a heartless villain in the 1999 series when taking Gon's badge.
His eyes are drawn to look more fierce and villainous than they are in the manga. The voice actor's intonation makes it sound like Geretta is sneering at Gon when he tells him his faults. In the manga and 2011 series, it is intended as a lesson to the boy.
When Geretta removes the dart on the back of Gon's neck, he puts it into his pocket the 1999 series--implying that he needed it back. But in the 2011 series,
he tosses it! It implies, like in the manga, he removes it out of mercy--he's showing compassion to Gon.
I really like how the 2011 series subtly mimics Gon's helplessness by showing the hemotropic butterfly caught inside of a spider's web.
When Geretta dies in the 1999 series, he's given an extra line. The 1999 series implies that he's someone who doesn't care about personal relationships with others. That, despite saving Gon in the filler, he really doesn't care because it's just not who he is.
Geretta (1999): "But what an impressive little brat! He lost his first chance by not being able to let go of his friends, but he got over that naive sentiment fast."
Hisoka appears. The tone of this scene is different between versions. It's very macabre in the manga because he enters carrying a severed head. In the 1999 series, he's wearing Geretta's hat--it's intended to be cute. In the 2011 series, he carries the corpse, which has a similar effect to a severed head. Visible death.
Hisoka typically closes his eyes and smiles in a friendly way when speaking with Gon, which contrasts with the fact that there's a severed head/dead body in their midst. That entire scene has an unsettling tone marked with a slight perversion, mostly because of how
nice Hisoka is seemingly being to Gon. The 1999 series hasn't been too good at matching Hisoka's interactions with Gon.
Furuhashi completely misses the point of Gon standing back up to give Hisoka back his badge. Since the 1999 series largely stressed the importance of Gon stealing Hisoka's badge, that's our protagonist's biggest moment in the 1999 series. But in WSJ, that scene occurred at the beginning of the chapter. The really exciting moment comes from Gon's refusal of Hisoka's badges. If you've noticed,
the first time that Gon says a word to Hisoka comes in this episode--when he refuses Hisoka's charity. Prior to this moment, Gon could only drop his jaw in sort of a quiet mix between awe and fear in the manga/2011 series.
But in the 1999 series, Gon directly speaks to Hisoka all the way back into episode 8. It significantly lessens the impact of the first words that Gon says to Hisoka--holding up his badge and refusing it. Moreover, despite it taking ten days for a normal person to recover from Geretta's muscle relaxant, Gon does it in a matter of minutes/hours. The valiance of Gon's actions are deemphasized in order to make Hisoka seem creepier in the 1999 version.
I'm extremely interested in moments in the series in which Togashi has a character say something poignant but doesn't show their expression. These moments are to be emphasized. The 1999 series completely missed the mark on this scene by overtly showing Hisoka's gaze--I don't think the scene in the 1999 series is as terrifying as it is in the manga/2011 series because it's so
direct.
What the 1999 series often lacks in its first few arcs is the subtlety Togashi threw in. Surprisingly enough, this scene is reanimated in episode 41 and redrawn to match Togashi's style more.
Gon and Hisoka's relationship is an extremely messed up situation. Think about the pact that Hisoka makes with Gon.
Hisoka: "Right now, I'm letting you live. And I'll continue to keep you alive...until you've grown enough to become worth killing."
Gon hears that in its entirety. Think about his future interactions with Hisoka--Gon
knows his intentions. The emphasis placed on the line in the 1999 series makes him sound creepy instead of perverse. I like how the 2011 series shows us Gon's reaction to Hisoka's line. The 1999 series has him wearing the same exact expression he did when he first tried to give Hisoka the badge.
Gon is sent flying. This part was reanimated in episode 41 of the 1999 series as well.
And finally, the ending.
Furuhashi's direction in the 1999 series is more about Gon overcoming his fear of Hisoka by stealing his badge. Remember Gon's initial interaction with Hisoka (in the Milsy Wetlands) and how he couldn't decide whether or not he was frightened or excited? In the 1999 series, fear wins out. This isn't the case in the manga.
Look at those eyes.
Furuhashi is more concerned with the ideas about how Gon survived and how this event affected/traumatized him. The entire first half of the next episode is devoted to this, and it's painful. He tries to fill in the blanks that Togashi purposefully leaves open, which I find to be a huge mistake. I'll talk about the filler in a later post, but below are some thoughts I had while watching the episodes.
Some of Gon's biggest moments come very quietly. They're usually subdued or left for the reader to ponder. And because of his introversion--this need for him to always quietly observe to himself instead of expressing it to his friends likely developed from having none as a child. His friends only realize once it becomes egregious or reckless, but his anger is trouble.
The 1999 series' version, though subdued for the genre, was still very
loud. We experience everything that Gon feels--his sorrow, his fatigue, his anguish, and specifically how he feels he failed. This episode is directed very well, but there are a few issues in Gon's characterization (in contrast to the manga, anyways). Gon deals with his emotions silently, which is a fault. Typically, it's only when he's angered (or very moved) when he lets them out.
I started realizing something troubling after watching these few episodes a few times. Gon is a
mary-sue in the 1999 series. He is literally flawless. His only visible flaw (if you can call it that) in the 1999 series is that he's younger than everyone else around him. Any time he does something wrong, it's assuaged by the fact that he's a child. His flaws are overlooked due to his age, which isn't something Togashi wants the viewer to do because the story is a coming-of-age tale. It wipes away his responsibility. And worst of all, he becomes less interesting as a character is a result. I don't think that it's much of a surprise that he doesn't feel like the main character in much of the 1999 series.
