Okay, I finally -
finally - got to watch the episode.
And woah. Just woah. This is like the calm before the storm, guys.
Well, everyone pretty much said what I thought about the episode. So something new to add: Troupe members in suits.
Troupe members in effin' suits.
That pretty much made the episode for me.
On a side note, I really like how they portrayed Dalzollene. When alone, we clearly see that he's out of his depth with the whole situation but projects calm as the head bodyguard and as a mafia through and through whenever the rest of Nostrade guards are there with him.
This, pretty much. Maybe it's just me, but I do think he genuinely cares for Neon and her bodyguards. At least he cares enough not to put them in harm's way (hence why he looked after Uvo
alone despite knowing that it was dangerous). I didn't care for him much in the manga, but the anime made me fall in love with him. R.I.P. Dalzollene. You were once a great man.
Compared to the manga the drawing is rather different. In the manga he looks SOULESS. When he's angry his face loses its ordinary proportions but there is no grimace or tightening of the jaw - no outward expression of anger. I find it interesting that both the '99 anime and '11 adaptation appear to have problems adapting Togashi's depiction of the characters. I think a large part of it is because Togashi really, really plays it straight and much of the time his characters exhibit a distinct lack of reaction that runs the risk of confusing the audience.
I kind of agree with this a little. I don't think Kurapika was badly portrayed though. I just think the manga gave a different feel, so to speak. I think we're seeing the same Kurapika, but the manga just makes him seem more composed. One thing to note: do we see Kurapika alone in the manga often during this arc? I'll admit, the arc is a bit fuzzy to me at the moment. But I don't recall seeing as much Kurapika-only scenes in the manga as we do in the anime. So for me, it kinda works that Kurapika is a ticking time bomb when he's alone, but composed when with other people.
I just have no idea why they added it.
Probably padding so that they can time when the episodes end/start. At the same time, it gives the audience a chance to see: 1) that the Troupe is a hell lot more skilled than the mafia's best; and 2) the dynamics between Troupe members.
I think they should be a little more forthcoming only once we get to know them a bit more but that's just my opinion.
Well for me, I thought the manga was a bit late on showing Troupe interactions. But that's just me.
Yorkshin is too legit for TV i guess. =[]
I think this sums up Yorkshin nicely.
