Haruka's Hunter X Hunter Review: Chapter 284
CHAPTER 284: FIFTEEN MINUTES
As much as I wanted to update my Hunter X Hunter Reviews, I didn’t have such opportunity to do so due to my younger siblings’ projects and exams. Being the eldest, of course I had the responsibility to assist them, thus consuming all of my time. But now that they’re on vacation and I have all the time I need, it’s time to go back to my sharings/analysis on the latest chapter.
But before I start my chapter investigations, let me share one of my favorite pages in Chapter 260. This was the time when Gon and the others prepare to charge in the palace. It has been a custom to feature the characters’ inner thoughts or emotional responses before indulging into grand battles. Be it optimistic or degrading, the readers learn their current disposition with their reflections. Such account is displayed into various ways. Some of them just gather around a bonfire and reminisce while some just save their energy and sleep. On the other hand, the heroes of this arc display their reflections in a more conventional way. They just take a moment of silence and think about the situation with their own adaptation of conviction. Some of their thoughts are predictable like Knuckle, being a compassionate man that he is, wishes to have a heart-to-heart talk with Mereum, whereas some appear somewhat surprising like Shoot who seems to be very concerned with the fate of the human race. Another thing that I like about this is the manner in which their reflections are portrayed. The first character makes a short appearance as another character starts to contemplate on things. That adds drama to the scene. I really love that.
Okay. My speculation in regards with this controversial “15 minutes” was wrong. I thought that it would be the duration of the battle between Pufu and Morau. I even took a risk by guessing that there was this enormouuuus time skip that happened and Morau released the Smoke Jail after “15 minutes.” Of course, the latter would not only appear less probable but it would also create a huge inconsistency in Togashi’s part.
This controversial “15 minutes” is in fact, Pufu’s estimated time for Morau’s decision to release the Smoke Jail. While it sounds condescending on Morau’s part, I perceive this prediction differently. He charged in the palace with the plan to only stick with the mission. This way, he would not only gain more chances of winning but also buy time for his friends to separate the other Royal Guards from the king and defeat them. This kind of resolve was strong – but not strong enough. Despite his confidence and strength, Morau has displayed a hint of hesitation, thus creating an opening for Pufu. With his Spiritual Message, he realizes that by transforming himself into a cocoon and sneaking out of the former’s Smoke Jail, this hesitation would eventually turn into confusion. With that, Morau would spend his time deducing his steps that will go according to his mission. In other words, he avoids taking risks due to his conditions. That contemplation could span to “15 minutes,” and that’s where he would only realize that it’s useless to play safe and keep his movements within his smoke barrier. And that “15 minutes” will give Pufu enough time to obliterate his friends and get back to his king.
After showing off his Spiritual Message and displaying hints about his Nen-giving ability, Pufu parades another form of his Nen. He can divide himself into “miniscule parts,” not only separating himself into tinier pieces, but also by showing his “small” or chibi version. However, it doesn’t seem like his chibi version is his weaker version. In fact, he displays his crazier and more unpredictable self, making it harder for Morau to decipher the situation. Since it proves stronger than his Smoke Jail, he then releases his Deep Purple to catch up with the (god knows how many) Chibi Pufus and defeat them. However, it remains invincible since slicing his smaller versions can lead to just dividing him into much tinier parts. This leads me to think that: Pufu can separate himself into many parts and all of these parts are essential to his survival. Unlike Naruto’s Kage Bunshin, if one chibi Pufu is attacked, it doesn’t die or wither, it merely divides himself into more pieces. It remains “alive” because the other chibi Pufus are still….alive. Because Morau’s smoke soldiers attacked only certain number of chibis (for example five of them), his Deep Purple prove to be futile. I guess the key there is to attack all of these chibis at the same time. With that, the chances of actually killing Pufu are much higher.
The “15 minutes” prediction sounds as if Pufu is underestimating Morau, where in reality, he feels as if he has overestimated the latter. Apparently, this is not an overestimation of his Smoke nen. What Pufu actually overestimated is Morau’s personality regarding mission. Being mission-oriented, Morau has shown his unparallel will to achieve his goal with his confidence, strength, and analytical skills. This is similar to a Royal Guard’s characteristics which sets the priority and sticks with it no matter what. Since the three have vowed to protect the king at all cost, they stick around the palace to ensure Mereum’s safety. Even if Killua and the others have intentionally shown their threat against the “sorting process” the three still choose to remain in their position because they think that Mereum is far more important than anything else. Morau has displayed similar characteristics. His conviction to carry out the priority is firm, impressing Pufu to the fullest. However, Morau’s decision to take risks rather than being glued to the mission brings Pufu to disappointment, thinking that he has overestimated the former. In his point of view, Morau’s new formed resolve is similar to that of a Royal Guard abandoning his duty.
It seems like Morua’s current position hasn’t changed – in psychological state, that is. While he showcases a very impressive analysis on the opponent, he still has hesitations in his mind. This has been triggered with Yupi’s appearance outside his Smoke Jail and Pufu’s supposed metamorphosis. Any slight changes in the situation automatically urge him to deduce the next, best moves and other possible scenarios. What makes this worse is that the Royal Guard he’s facing against is a very unpredictable one. He continuously analyzes Pufu’s intentions and moves and has shown no errors in his analysis so far. However, as he continues to calculate, the pressure that he feels becomes stronger – making his hesitations bigger. I guess this is the reason why he isn’t able to comprehend his encounter with chibi Pufu immediately.
Pufu’s Spiritual Message continues to become more useful as he has taken the most important ingredient in Morau’s success: his gigantic pipe. Despite being guarded by his Deep Purple, Pufu manages to sneak behind him and steal his weapon. With the aura surrounding the latter, this creates a stronger support with my speculation regarding Pufu’s “chibi versions being all essential parts to his survival.” He goes back to his original form with this Nen surrounding him, without any chibi Pufu on the scene. Aside from his Spiritual Message (which might have help him to decipher Morau’s thinking), he uses the “miniscule parts” of his chibi ability to successfully sneak behind Morau and steal his pipe. Adding insult to the injury (and to my surprise), Yupi makes a shocking appearance behind Morau. This puts Morau into tighter pinch: (1) he is not in his best condition; (2) his pipe is taken away; (3) another fight is about to begin – and it’s a fight against the most brute one. Now the question lies as to how Morau will use his Deep Purple in order to survive and win.
It seems that Yupi is not the only one who makes a surprising appearance. After asking if Morau is the “esper” Knuckle shows up, enraged. Shoot is still nowhere in sight and Knuckle has set his suspicious eyes on Yupi. With this surprising scenario, the battlefield shifts into another turn, erasing all the intended moves and the initial plan. As Knuckle saves his master from completely losing the upper hand in the nick of time, the fight is now focused on Morau and Knuckle vs. Yupi. It seems that ideas and speculations regarding Pufu and Morau’s fight should be saved for a moment (who knows, they might end up battling again) and focus on this current scene.
A little information regarding “esper.” This word, in fact refers to a person with the ability of telepathy, or those who can communicate in mind. The character of an esper has been used widely in sci-fi masterpieces, games, and even in anime/manga. If an esper is not telephatic, he/she has the ability to wield other magical powers. And if I’m going to connect this short explanation to Yupi’s question, I cannot see any sign of Morau being an esper. Unless Yupi sees the Deep Purple as some sort of magical manifestation, then the esper here is actually referred to Pufu. His mental communication must be another variation of his Spiritual Message. I don’t know why Yupi refers this to Morau. It’s either he sees Deep Purple as magic or he must have mistaken Pufu’s mental message for being Morau’s “telepathic abilities” especially that Yupi seems to be an idiot.
After adapting to the changes in their plans and realizing that Shoot is missing, Morau immediately adjusts to the situation and vows to help his student. By manipulating the appearance of his Deep Purple, all of his 89 dolls turn into Knuckle’s form. This Nen version of Kage Bunshin no Jutsu will give the real Knuckle a good opportunity to find an opening to attack Yupi while hiding behind his Nen look-alike. Morau’s immediate plan has its own “pro-con” sides. The advantage it offers is that it can deceive Yupi very well. Since all of these Nen soldiers carry his order and that he knows his student’s personality and ability, he can ask his Deep Purple soldiers to act like Knuckle with such effectiveness. The real Knuckle can also attack him as many times as he wants by utilizing the usage of Deep Purple to the fullest. However, its “con” side offers more risks. Even if the smoke soldiers can copy his movements, it’s easy to predict that these “copies” are merely buying some time so the real Knuckle can do his attack. If Yupi manages to grow more eyes on his body , even transcend his mental ability and decipher the trick behind Nen bodies, then he will be able to find the real one. With that, he could do the same tactic he did back at Chapter 280 (he almost killed Knuckle by pretending that he’s still on a rampage). He can pretend that he is confused with numerous Knuckles surrounding him and wait for the real one to approach him. After that, he can carry out his real intention to finish the real Knuckle off. It seems that Yupi is thinking such an idea, which explains his confidence in this chapter.
Deep Purple has also its own disadvantage. It can carry out orders and appear to be proficient in fighting. However, this usually works on average fighters and those who do not have sufficient amount of aura/skill to combat it. Since Yupi has proven to be a dreaded opponent, the soldiers might not have the upper hand in terms of brute strength alone. If Morau can make up to his Deep Purple’s lack of brute power, then he has to do these three things well: (1) he has to give tighter orders to his smoke soldiers; (2) he should manipulate them calmly and cunningly; (3) he should not let his guard down. The first condition seems to be manageable whereas the second and the third ones can be problematic. The second idea creates a psychological conflict in him because he has shown hints of hesitation/confusion. He has to deduce all the best moves to fight with 100% efficiency. The third condition is even more troublesome because he is unguarded (his Deep Purple is served as Knuckle’s support) and that he doesn’t have his pipe. In case another opponent appears (Werefin for example), Morau has to get some of his smoke soldiers in order to protect him…. And he has to do it while maintaining his support to his student. Yupi on the other hand, seems to be so sure of his next move that he’s willing to give his opponents a free hit because he can ascertain that the exchange will be their lives. Whether my speculation is accurate or Yupi has a different cunning plan on his mind, this “free hit” is very crucial. Knuckle has to choose the best “opening” that the smoke soldiers will provide for him, thus increasing Yupi’s loan and hopefully making him bankrupt.
The Spectacle:
Perhaps the best part of this chapter is the showmanship of Pufu’s ability. Among the three, he’s the one who hasn’t showcased his combat-oriented techniques. His short but sneaky encounter against Morau displays his real threat as an opponent. With the addition of his Spiritual Message, he becomes more invincible. Yupi and Knuckle’s surprise appearance also adds more color to this chapter. Togashi is able to astound his readers by changing the expected battles and turning them into more complex and troublesome ones. As this epic develops, more problems occur, eventually leading to characters’ dilemma. These conflicts are introduced very well, now all that is left is for Togashi to maintain the flow of his unpredictability and creativity. With this, the speculation prowess of the fans can be extended further with countless of possible scenarios pouring down. All the waiting will be worth it.
The Downside:
I still miss the narration and the stopwatch. However, if I am going to write the same stuff as I did back at my Chapter 283 review, then this section will be pointless. But to make this “downside corner” valuable, I will express not the glitches of this chapter, but the conflict that is present here. This way, it will help us understand the current story much better.
Some of the conflicts here have already occurred it the previous chapter. Shoot’s sudden disappearance, Killua’s current disposition, and Morau’s next move. The previous two aren’t answered yet; Morau already shows us his most predictable move, which is wielding his Deep Purple. However, I do believe that the main conflict of this chapter lies in his disposition. Even before they intruded the palace, Morau has already displayed his two predicaments: his lack of strength and Novu’s absence. He’s aware that there are other troubles that might occur in his way…. and these things are emphasized in this chapter. His pipe is stolen, he has to rely on 89 Deep Purple soldiers, Yupi faces him and his student, and he has to support Knuckle while maintaining his composure and safety. If Morau stayed inside the Smoke Jail, then he’d be safer, but that would fail him as a hunter for not being able to complete his mission. Worse, it would cause failure on his responsibility as a master and as a friend because he wasn’t able to protect his friends and students. He surely takes higher risks when he releases his Smoke Jail. Hopefully, we’ll get to see how far his new-found resolve can go in the next chapter.
Final Notes:
Even if my expectation to see a glimpse of the looming and the exciting fight between Mereum and Netero, I am very impressed to spot subtleties in this chapter: Morau’s tight pinches and the rippling effect of his new resolve. It shows more depth to his character and more density to his situation. Togashi also manages to show to his readers that he hasn’t lost his genius by surprising us with Yupi’s and Knuckle’s appearances. I am looking forward to see what turns out on this epic battle.
And I'll keep on writing reviews for Hunter X Hunter and One Piece and do it as best as I can. 
