Anime Hunter X Hunter New Anime Discussion

[Refraction]

Thank you for the kind--and very eloquent--words, everybody.

Overall, my prevailing sentiment concerning HxH is that we've been blessed with two very stylish adaptations--each of which do some beautiful things in, fantastically, different ways. Whatever your reading of the manga, we're all catered for one in way or another with two beautiful adaptations led by some mighty and accomplished forces. There's much to celebrate in the Hunter community, these days, since it feels more alive than ever!

Edit:

But stuff we manga fans
DON'T care for is for instance having Hisoka vs Gon NOT be the final fight as it is in the manga. We also don't care for Kite's postponement in the 2011 series. But I think that subject has been dealt with before. We simply just have to wait and see what Madhouse does.

I know it can't be so for everyone, but as a manga fan--I had read around 9 volumes of Viz's translation before really looking at the anime--I do think it's possible to appreciate the ordering in most versions. Although Togashi has ordered his manga himself, I don't believe that any of us truly know for certain why he does what he does--though convincing arguments can be made. If Koujina, Furuhashi, Saga or the other fellows make changes, I want to try to appreciate what they've done for their medium or the story itself based upon what they can do on TV. I suppose I'm an anomaly, but I'm open to the anime doing something potentially better than the manga--though mileage will certainly vary here. My own view is that an optimal anime episode should be more cohesive than a manga chapter, and it should be more self-contained; it should kind of start with an idea and the end should reverberate the theme of the beginning. Togashi himself doesn't need to do that because he's got plenty of constraints, but a TV show's command of time can enable this effect. The 1999 writer's rearrangement of the battle with Hisoka did something for the resonance of that final episode; I like the final fight with Hisoka in the manga, definitely, but I can appreciate the 1999 series did something swell, too, by ruling a line under the Heaven's Arena for Gon and Killua both, and it makes the departure scene that much more satisfying for me because both kids demonstrate the lengths they've travelled in one episode. What the studio did was smart, for me, and if the 1999 or 2011 series makes a change to suit the animated medium in an intelligent way--intelligence underpins the telling of the manga, for me--then I feel I can commend the manoeuvre. I thought the way that the 2011 series executed the heart removal scene was ingenious; by hiding the heart, I feel they were able to actually keep the thing on screen for longer and prolong the shock of the action--it used a change to produce an amplified effect. It won't be true for everybody, but I thought it was clever.

It is undoubtedly true that many things in both series don't emulate the manga closely in ordering and what not, but if Togashi might be getting at something in the manga form--a moral, or whatever--I entrust it to the animation studio, director and writers to read into what he's doing and to amend their medium to evoke--to their own strengths--what they believe is Togashi's message, if they do it stylishly or with the smarts that Togashi enjoys. I think that rearrangements and such are a part of this, even though it might run contrary to what we believe is intended based on what we see in the manga.

 

[Netero]

I'm loving the character designs. Worm, and Leech are creeping me the ****! out.... but that's a good thing

 

[mrsticky005]

Thank you for the kind--and very eloquent--words, everybody.

Overall, my prevailing sentiment concerning HxH is that we've been blessed with two very stylish adaptations--each of which do some beautiful things in, fantastically, different ways. Whatever your reading of the manga, we're all catered for one in way or another with two beautiful adaptations led by some mighty and accomplished forces. There's much to celebrate in the Hunter community, these days, since it feels more alive than ever!

Edit:

I know it can't be so for everyone, but as a manga fan--I had read around 9 volumes of Viz's translation before really looking at the anime--I do think it's possible to appreciate the ordering in most versions. Although Togashi has ordered his manga himself, I don't believe that any of us truly know for certain why he does what he does--though convincing arguments can be made. If Koujina, Furuhashi, Saga or the other fellows make changes, I want to try to appreciate what they've done for their medium or the story itself based upon what they can do on TV. I suppose I'm an anomaly, but I'm open to the anime doing something potentially better than the manga--though mileage will certainly vary here. My own view is that an optimal anime episode should be more cohesive than a manga chapter, and it should be more self-contained; it should kind of start with an idea and the end should reverberate the theme of the beginning. Togashi himself doesn't need to do that because he's got plenty of constraints, but a TV show's command of time can enable this effect. The 1999 writer's rearrangement of the battle with Hisoka did something for the resonance of that final episode; I like the final fight with Hisoka in the manga, definitely, but I can appreciate the 1999 series did something swell, too, by ruling a line under the Heaven's Arena for Gon and Killua both, and it makes the departure scene that much more satisfying for me because both kids demonstrate the lengths they've travelled in one episode. What the studio did was smart, for me, and if the 1999 or 2011 series makes a change to suit the animated medium in an intelligent way--intelligence underpins the telling of the manga, for me--then I feel I can commend the manoeuvre. I thought the way that the 2011 series executed the heart removal scene was ingenious; by hiding the heart, I feel they were able to actually keep the thing on screen for longer and prolong the shock of the action--it used a change to produce an amplified effect. It won't be true for everybody, but I thought it was clever.

It is undoubtedly true that many things in both series don't emulate the manga closely in ordering and what not, but if Togashi might be getting at something in the manga form--a moral, or whatever--I entrust it to the animation studio, director and writers to read into what he's doing and to amend their medium to evoke--to their own strengths--what they believe is Togashi's message, if they do it stylishly or with the smarts that Togashi enjoys. I think that rearrangements and such are a part of this, even though it might run contrary to what we believe is intended based on what we see in the manga.

It's not I don't appreciate what the directors are trying to do.
It's that I appreciate what Togashi has done MORE. And
what Togashi has done is what I want to see animated.

It's just that simple.

I think a good majority of us are manga fans here.

So a few questions for manga fans:

Weren't you GLAD to finally be able to see the full fight of Hisoka vs Kastro animated?

Didn't you LIKE seeing Gon vs Hisoka be the final fight and be virtually identical to the manga?

Am I the only one who was thrilled to see the Butler actually die this time?

---------- Post added at 02:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:51 PM ----------

I just want to say concerning this dude

Spoiler

If Shadow Beast "Owl" doesn't end up looking something as such
when he takes off his shades

Spoiler

I will be disappointed

 

[Netero]

Weren't you GLAD to finally be able to see the full fight of Hisoka vs Kastro animated?

Yes, it's my 2nd favorite fight

Didn't you LIKE seeing Gon vs Hisoka be the final fight and be virtually identical to the manga?

Oh definitely yes.

Am I the only one who was thrilled to see the Butler actually die this time?

and triple yes

 

[heron bpv]

Weren't you GLAD to finally be able to see the full fight of Hisoka vs Kastro animated?

Didn't you LIKE seeing Gon vs Hisoka be the final fight and be virtually identical to the manga?

Am I the only one who was thrilled to see the Butler actually die this time?

Then again, my thoughts exactly, though I'm not as bloody thirsty as to want to see an old man getting killed just to prove a point... <_<
Kidding, I am >:] (not)

Anyways, I will stick with Refraction on this since I can see a solid neutral argument over the qualities of both versions and be done with it

@EDIT:
Swordsaged by Netero. That's what happens when you go against someone moving at the speed of sound u.ú

 

[mrsticky005]

Then again, my thoughts exactly, though I'm not as bloody thirsty as to want to see an old man getting killed just to prove a point... <_<
Kidding, I am >:] (not)

Anyways, I will stick with Refraction on this since I can see a solid neutral argument over the qualities of both versions and be done with it

Well I AM that bloodthirsty. LOL.

But really I'm not going to pretend like I'm some puritan who doesn't enjoy some fictitious butler getting fictitiously owned.

I won't hesitate to say I LIKE fictional violence. I do have my limits but it has less to do with the amount of blood and more so with "ok now they're just trying too hard." When blood and gore is the only thing a story has got going for it, then I start to get bored. Thankfully even at it's goriest HxH is nothing like that.
Hisoka's gruesome blood bath in Volume 1 and 2 still remains to me as chilling, horrific, bizarre and intense as ever. Neither adaptation comes close imo.

However that all said, in REAL LIFE, I would probably throw up and be terrified if anything like that ever happened.
Quite frankly, I hope I never see anything like that in real life. Because in real life, you can't redraw people.

 

[kindredxiuxiu]

I can't really comment on 1999 since I've only seen snippets of it and not in its entirety. I did see about 80% of the OVAs, and I have to question some of the animation qualities there. *hides*

I won't hesitate to say I LIKE fictional violence. I do have my limits but it has less to do with the amount of blood and more so with "ok now they're just trying too hard." When blood and gore is the only thing a story has got going for it, then I start to get bored. Thankfully even at it's goriest HxH is nothing like that.
Hisoka's gruesome blood bath in Volume 1 and 2 still remains to me as chilling, horrific, bizarre and intense as ever. Neither adaptation comes close imo.

I like fictional violence. I'm actually kinda blood thirsty when it comes to that sort of stuff. Of course, there has to be story behind it, but there is this... thrill... I get when I see our characters hack off limbs, crush people to death, and throw razor sharp cards at others. The gore in Hunter adds to the atmosphere more than anything. It's not overwhelming. It's like Goldilocks if anything.

Hisoka's blood bath was gruesome and chilling. But the most intense has to be ant arc for me, as I've mentioned before. Oh, that ant arc.... There are instances where I will go back and reread some parts, and then think to myself "OH GOD, WHY?"

On that note, Madhouse, although censoring some things (pissing people off in the process), as been pretty faithful in their adaptation of some of these scenes. They could've easily altered Kastro vs. Hisoka, but they didn't. Even with its current timeslot, they still showed Hisoka digging into his arm. And the alteration with the Joneses scene wasn't horrible, although I would've preferred Killua crushing the guy's heart. MH was still able to get the point across. Sure, this version isn't going to get animated in the gory goodness that is the manga, but it's not like MH is going to completely cut out gory scenes for the sake of censorship, either.

 

[mrsticky005]

I can't really comment on 1999 since I've only seen snippets of it and not in its entirety. I did see about 80% of the OVAs, and I have to question some of the animation qualities there. *hides*



I like fictional violence. I'm actually kinda blood thirsty when it comes to that sort of stuff. Of course, there has to be story behind it, but there is this... thrill... I get when I see our characters hack off limbs, crush people to death, and throw razor sharp cards at others. The gore in Hunter adds to the atmosphere more than anything. It's not overwhelming. It's like Goldilocks if anything.

Hisoka's blood bath was gruesome and chilling. But the most intense has to be ant arc for me, as I've mentioned before. Oh, that ant arc.... There are instances where I will go back and reread some parts, and then think to myself "OH GOD, WHY?"

On that note, Madhouse, although censoring some things (pissing people off in the process), as been pretty faithful in their adaptation of some of these scenes. They could've easily altered Kastro vs. Hisoka, but they didn't. Even with its current timeslot, they still showed Hisoka digging into his arm. And the alteration with the Joneses scene wasn't horrible, although I would've preferred Killua crushing the guy's heart. MH was still able to get the point across. Sure, this version isn't going to get animated in the gory goodness that is the manga, but it's not like MH is going to completely cut out gory scenes for the sake of censorship, either.

Agreed and if I seem a bit negative it's just cause I'm anxious about the next episode.

It's not so much that I'm gonna drop the series if they don't show a lot of blood and gore.
I know they won't. I know it will be censored but it's a matter of HOW they censor it
that I worry about. Not so much from Madhouse's track record as they actually have done
quite well. But more of just how intense Yorknew gets.

 

[kindredxiuxiu]

I agree. I get worried too, sometimes. I mean, Yorknew gets pretty intense, especially these upcoming episodes. And then we have Greed Island, which also had its intense moments. And then, well, the Ant Arc. I have no idea what Madhouse is going to do about that one.

 

[futurefrog]

Guys, Shadow Beasts are too unhuman. I think we will actually get very minor censorship as they don't look human enough for it to be much of a problem. Same goes for Chimera Ants.

 

[mrsticky005]

Well concerning the next episode here's what I will be content with censorship wise.
Of course I prefer it not be censored at all. But you know how it goes

Spoiler: how I think the next episode should censor

For this scene:

What I think could be done is the destructive damage of the nen bullets causes explosions
and smoke fills the room quickly obscuring the camera's view. We then see everyone in
shadows and being literally torn apart. The smoke dissapiates and we get a pile of corpses. This happens within seconds.

Keep as is. No need to censor as no blood is shown.

If Zushi can be shown coughing up blood we can have
Shachmono do so too. Of course Zushi didn't cough up
as much blood but I like to see at least some coughing
up blood for a guy who's getting torn apart by nen bullets.
If not then at least some kind of pained expression.

The view here may be far away that Madhouse can get a little graphic.
Think Killua murdering those two guys on the airship type stuff.
The flash of the nen bullets can be used as censoring.

Again smoke and fire effects to create shadows so that we get to see the damage.

Even if there is no blood I want to see Shachmono get ripped to pieces.
And as before the flash of the nen bullets can be used to censor.
Like it could be you see a flash where his arm is and then suddenly
he has no arm. Hell remember this

a more explosive version of that (though not rose petals or whatever) could actually look pretty cool. BTW anyone wonder why Madhouse gave the dude a cape and all?
I suspect there might be some kind of reference that I'm missing?

Back to the censorship...I really hope we get that terrified expression from Shachmono
in his final panel this time. And not his grin and bear it expression as he's like "miss neon's prediction is right on the money" dude. you're getting shot to death. stop being ironic!

From the preview it looks like what will happen here is that we see Ivleknov
have a pained expression and him drop down after getting hit on the head.
I'm not expecting to see his head get squashed like a watermelon but
maybe some squishy noises, a little bit of blood spatter maybe?, for the
overhead view Shizune could be standing closer to block the head but
they could show just enough blood to hint that the scene isn't going to
look pretty.

Not sure what will happen here as we don't actually see Baise get hit.
But I dunno if Madhouse will show just a bunch of blood flying. Maybe?

Also...looking good Baise

As long as they look dead and not just passed out I'm cool.

PLEASE. PLEASE have the missing eye this time and not
the hair bangs of convenience. If Madhouse can show this

then I think they can afford to make him a little bit bloody.
Parents can just tell their children it's raspberry jam.

there's nothing need censoring here however

How much you wanna bet Madhouse is going to use that one
panel of Hisoka as an excuse for Hisoka rape face time?

No need to censor here as no blood is shown. There might be
a tiny bit of blood shown when Uvogin is shot. But we know what happens

THAT happens. Strangely enough, Nippon actually added some blood
to that poor sap's face. Not sure why there would be blood. His neck
got broken but I don't think Uvogin pierced any skin (though he could)
Anywho I just like to see some bobblehead action.

Aw man, even if there's no blood shown I want to see Madhouse
have Uvogin squish that dude's head like a ripe tomato. I mean
that's brutal. They can have Uvogin just palm the whole head
and squish. For added awesomeness the scene transition can
be Uvogin throwing the practically headless dude at the screen.

Again...as long as they look dead.

We can show them coughing up a little bit of blood right?
Also if they can somehow incorporate that pop balloon
effect I will be happy. Maybe have the hat fall off weirdly
or one of the dude's arms flail up and block the view but
still let us know they got owned. I want something more
than just them getting knocked down.

More so than blood I want to see mafia being dismembered.
Have at it, Uvogin!

You know this is going to look sweet. Madhouse knows how to throw a punch.

Even if the bones sticking out aren't shown at least show the fingers broke.

It would be nice to see that eye fly out. Maybe Madhouse can have Uvogin's
hand and arm sorta blocking the view as you see the eye fly out.
Also teeth must be missing! Basically I just want to see Uvogin do some damage
to Worm. 99 version we just get the face punch that blocks out everything.
At least give us some sort of hint this time that Uvogin mashed this dude.

I'm quite sure that is where the episode will end.

I hope you're Frog of the Future.

 

[Noonealive]

^ Nice, Now i really want to see the episode. Fuck.

 

[xScar]

You mustn't forget that parts of the manga are censored in the manga too (though silly Manga Editors tried to remove it). Surely Togashi didn't want to censor the scenes, but they are, so are you going to complain when they're censored in 2011? It's straight from the manga, but not what Togashi wanted! Oh, what a dilemma...

Also, the first scene in the series with Hisoka... was not censored in 2011, it just added more. In the manga, the scene is almost censored too. The first panel we see is with the guys arms gone... they're just not there. There's no blood spewing, no blood at all, his arms aren't on the ground -- they "disappeared." There's even scribble-like marks over the nubs, in a censor-like fashion. I don't see how adding how the arms disappeared equals censoring. I keep seeing this example come up and it annoys me every time.

Guys are way too critical. I'm just happy to see the series not slowly rotting away from the public's mind. Having an anime series going definitely should help Togashi keep things going, even if still takes his breaks, at least there's a lesser chance of him just quitting on us from lack of interest.

 

[kindredxiuxiu]

I'm mostly in agreement here with you. I have faith they'll be able to adapt these parts well, even with censorship.

Even with the lesser degree of gore and blood, the concepts are still there, and can be quite disturbing.

 

[Noonealive]

If this show is goona go passed GI the censorship in yorkshin isn't gonna be to bad. I mean it just can't be. I'm hoping MH takes the censoship to it's limits... they just have to!!!.

 

[mrsticky005]

You mustn't forget that parts of the manga are censored in the manga too (though silly Manga Editors tried to remove it). Surely Togashi didn't want to censor the scenes, but they are, so are you going to complain when they're censored in 2011? It's straight from the manga, but not what Togashi wanted! Oh, what a dilemma...

Also, the first scene in the series with Hisoka... was not censored in 2011, it just added more. In the manga, the scene is almost censored too. The first panel we see is with the guys arms gone... they're just not there. There's no blood spewing, no blood at all, his arms aren't on the ground -- they "disappeared." There's even scribble-like marks over the nubs, in a censor-like fashion. I don't see how adding how the arms disappeared equals censoring. I keep seeing this example come up and it annoys me every time.

Guys are way too critical. I'm just happy to see the series not slowly rotting away from the public's mind. Having an anime series going definitely should help Togashi keep things going, even if still takes his breaks, at least there's a lesser chance of him just quitting on us from lack of interest.

You mean Volume 23, right? I can live with that. Actually in a way it makes Killua even more bad ass because it's like the things Killua does to someone is so gruesome it can't be shown. But even WITH the censorship there it's still incredibly easy to tell what's going on.

Look I can live without Mortal Kombat level of violence in the anime.
I'm not expecting a torrential downpour of blood and guts.
But when they go from Hisoka's massacre in volume 2 to this

Well I'm sorry but I'm going to be disappointed. We don't even get Hisoka's maniacal
laughter in that scene. Thankfully we do get in the 1999...but really the animation
in that scene is just terrible and the blue line censoring is lame.

But it's not like I need the scene to be like a Mikami Fire Hose scene
(Ironically enough...that's from Madhouse...and NOT from the original Death Note manga)

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHOx8yDfWQQ[/video]

I would have been happy if they actually animated the scene
from the manga (real animation. Not the still motion panning crap from the 99 version)
took out the blood but kept Hisoka's striking motions and did stuff like the shirts
would get torn or maybe there would be blood but no gushing blood. It's really
more the action than the gore that was missing from the scene and while
there is a bit of a charm in the 2011 version and a bit of cheesy fun in the 99 version
(just because it's lame doesn't mean we can't have fun with it) but it's like "man wouldn't it have been cool if it was actually animated?"

BTW I don't think I ever said rose petal arms dude was censorship.
Believe it or not I actually like how that scene was done.

I also like the sparkly severing of Hisoka's arm. I still would prefer how the manga had it
but I can live with sparkles as the point is still there---Hisoka lost his arm.


and I don't think I'm being too critical. I actually think Madhouse has done quite well.
The Butler DID die and while no blood was shown the scene was still violent while
also cleverly made as darkly humorous. That is censorship I can be content with.

Taking out Hisoka's massacre altogether...not so much.

I actually expect Madhouse will do quite well
perhaps even better than how the 99 series did.

 

[chei]

I think a good majority of us are manga fans here.

So a few questions for manga fans:

Weren't you GLAD to finally be able to see the full fight of Hisoka vs Kastro animated?

Didn't you LIKE seeing Gon vs Hisoka be the final fight and be virtually identical to the manga?

Am I the only one who was thrilled to see the Butler actually die this time?

YES, YES, and YES!

The 99 series mess up the Heaven's Arena part too much by switching the order and the censorship (cripples turned fake stupid cheaters), to the point that it's basically unwatchable for me. It's not just the common "too much cheap fillers, 1 line dialogue got stretched to 5 lines, slow and dragging pacing" 99 series' problems anymore. The director made a terrible mistake in his storytelling choice there, the story and the characters' didn't even make sense and just totally ruined the whole arc for me.

As a manga fan (I assume most of us here are as this is the Mangahelpers site), I think it's more challenging to adapt someone's vision for a different medium by being faithful.

 

[mrsticky005]

As a manga fan (I assume most of us here are as this is the Mangahelpers site), I think it's more challenging to adapt someone's vision for a different medium by being faithful.

Agree!

I think this idea that "sticking to the manga is the Philistine's adaptation" is silly.
It IS a challenge to bring what's on paper to the silver screen. Most of the time
when changes are made it is not because what the director has in mind is "better"
but more because it is "easier" or rather "cheaper".

 

[Cinnabar]

So a few questions for manga fans:

Oooh, I love questions. Bear in mind that I have only watched sparse episodes of the '99 adaptation, so I only have the manga in mind when I answer. I'll insert a few of my thoughts as I go.

Weren't you GLAD to finally be able to see the full fight of Hisoka vs Kastro animated?

Oh yes. Censored fighting is better than no fighting at all. I will never forget the shiny sparkles as Hisoka's arm gets ripped . Though in all honesty, I don't have problems with the censorship in that fight. Considering the time slot and stuff, I think it's good enough.

I guess I'm not as bloodthirsty as you guys, though I do like me some fictional violence as long as it's tasteful and it evokes a response from me. Meaningless violence is boring. I like fictional violence, not for the violence itself, but for what that violence could bring out: mystery, characterization, thrill, suspense, shock factor, disgust, creepiness, badassery, bravery, complexes, insanity, intensity. You know, all that jazz. The violence has to evoke a response from me aside from "Oh, that's cool." As long as it's tasteful, then I really don't mind it.

Take the change in Killua's heart scene, for example. I like the manga version a lot, but I kinda prefer the way Madhouse did it. With the manga version, all I was thinking was "Woah, there's a kid assassin here. That's cool. He's not afraid to kill anyone. Oh - oh my, did he just crush the guy's heart? This kid is dangerous. Gon should watch out for him. Yay, characterization!"

With Madhouse's version, I was thinking something like, "Hey, why isn't he crushing it? Wait, is that really Jones' heart beating? It's still beating? When is he going to crush it? The silence is suffocating me, the heartbeat is the only thing I can hear - the only focus. Oh, the way Jones looks at his heart is - oh, he died. His heart stopped beating, and he died. Oh god. Hey, Killua's putting the heart back. Cheekily. He's not just an assassin, but a kid assassin who likes playing with other people's hearts. Literally. Yay characterization!"

The manga made me think of the assassin part of 'child assassin' (implies that Killua is dangerous because he won't hesitate to kill anyone), while the anime made me think of the child part of 'child assassin' (which is more disturbing, frankly). Same thing, different focus. I find Madhouse's version much more tasteful, and I'm incorporating that to my head canon even though it wasn't the way the manga did it.

Didn't you LIKE seeing Gon vs Hisoka be the final fight and be virtually identical to the manga?

OH YES. Definitely. One thing I like about animes in general is the animation of action scenes (no duh). Fighting scenes in a manga can be intense, sure. But seeing it animated with all the colors and music (and with such wonderful first five-minute animation there) is a whole 'nother thing.

I think it has to do with how Madhouse uses sounds like silence and heartbeat (Killua's heart scene) and that jet-engine-like thing (Gon's fight with Hisoka). Their placement of OST tracks may be a bit questionable sometimes, but their placement of sounds like the ones I just mentioned worked for the scenes they were in. At least for me.

Silence and white noise are powerful when done right. They should be used sparsely for maximum effect.

Am I the only one who was thrilled to see the Butler actually die this time?

No, you're not the only one. I kinda like how the anime turned it a bit more comical by using Baise's Nen.

 

[mrsticky005]

Oooh, I love questions. Bear in mind that I have only watched sparse episodes of the '99 adaptation, so I only have the manga in mind when I answer. I'll insert a few of my thoughts as I go.



Oh yes. Censored fighting is better than no fighting at all. I will never forget the shiny sparkles as Hisoka's arm gets ripped . Though in all honesty, I don't have problems with the censorship in that fight. Considering the time slot and stuff, I think it's good enough.

I guess I'm not as bloodthirsty as you guys, though I do like me some fictional violence as long as it's tasteful and it evokes a response from me. Meaningless violence is boring. I like fictional violence, not for the violence itself, but for what that violence could bring out: mystery, characterization, thrill, suspense, shock factor, disgust, creepiness, badassery, bravery, complexes, insanity, intensity. You know, all that jazz. The violence has to evoke a response from me aside from "Oh, that's cool." As long as it's tasteful, then I really don't mind it.

Take the change in Killua's heart scene, for example. I like the manga version a lot, but I kinda prefer the way Madhouse did it. With the manga version, all I was thinking was "Woah, there's a kid assassin here. That's cool. He's not afraid to kill anyone. Oh - oh my, did he just crush the guy's heart? This kid is dangerous. Gon should watch out for him. Yay, characterization!"

With Madhouse's version, I was thinking something like, "Hey, why isn't he crushing it? Wait, is that really Jones' heart beating? It's still beating? When is he going to crush it? The silence is suffocating me, the heartbeat is the only thing I can hear - the only focus. Oh, the way Jones looks at his heart is - oh, he died. His heart stopped beating, and he died. Oh god. Hey, Killua's putting the heart back. Cheekily. He's not just an assassin, but a kid assassin who likes playing with other people's hearts. Literally. Yay characterization!"

The manga made me think of the assassin part of 'child assassin' (implies that Killua is dangerous because he won't hesitate to kill anyone), while the anime made me think of the child part of 'child assassin' (which is more disturbing, frankly). Same thing, different focus. I find Madhouse's version much more tasteful, and I'm incorporating that to my head canon even though it wasn't the way the manga did it.



OH YES. Definitely. One thing I like about animes in general is the animation of action scenes (no duh). Fighting scenes in a manga can be intense, sure. But seeing it animated with all the colors and music (and with such wonderful first five animations there) is a whole 'nother thing.

I think it has to do with how Madhouse uses sounds like silence and heartbeat (Killua's heart scene) and that jet-engine-like thing (Gon's fight with Hisoka). Their placement of OST tracks may be a bit questionable sometimes, but their placement of sounds like the ones I just mentioned worked for the scenes they were in. At least for me.

Silence and white noise are powerful when done right. They should be used sparsely for maximum effect.



No, you're not the only one. I kinda like how the anime turned it a bit more comical by using Baise's Nen.

I'm far less concerned with Killua not crushing the heart than I am
with Hisoka's lack of a maniacal massacre. Killua vs Jonas I can
get used to. But Hisoka in Episode 5 just disappoints.

Why?

Because to me the manga and anime are saying two different things.

The manga says that Hisoka is dangerously PSYCHOTIC.
This is a man who CAN'T be reasoned with.

The 2011 anime says Hisoka is dangerously SKILLED.

And while the latter is fine...To me with the whole circle effect
it kinda seems more just like an excuse for lazy animation.

At least with Killua vs Jonas they actually made it MORE animated than
the manga would have had it (since Killua practically teleports there)