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It's frustrating isn't? When I watched it I was literally cursing inwardly every time the episode most of its time on him instead of getting to the big fights.

That said, I like to think of the Ikalgo plot as (like most of the Chimera Ant arc) as another deconstruction of Shonen tropes, essentially taking the ultimate cannon fodder/weak as hell 'enemy' goon that would have been killed off in seconds in other series, and transforming him into this core character with multiple episodes dedicated to him and his battle between cowardice and heroism.
 
YuruYuri Season 2, Episodes 4-12.

Thankfully, it mostly continues along the lines of the first three episodes rather than reverting to Season 1's style. I wouldn't say they're hugely different as such (though there are a few significant differences), it seems that Season 2 is simply better at balancing different elements. While the first Season pretty much went all out on the comedy, Season 2 manages to have more emotional moments and character development while still getting the comedy in as well.

In general, Season 2 tends to spend more time with the first years. That does, unfortunately, mean less time with Ayano and Chitose but the extra time with Sakurako and Himawari more than makes up for it. Even if you weren't keen on Sakurako and Himawari in Season 1, they're handled much better in Season 2 with less emphasis on the "gimmicks" and more time spent developing the characters. There's even a surprisingly enjoyable episode centred on Chinatsu, which manages to have some genuine feeling and still also manages to be funny.

On the downside, if you're a fan of the yuri fanservice type stuff the first season did (and I'd have to admit, I had no complaints about it) there's very little in the second season. On the other hand, there's a bit more time spent on more thoughtful yuri relationship development (and relationship development in general) so while I did enjoy the fanservice in the first season I didn't miss it's absence in the second.

Although the second season does some things differently, it's still recognisably the same show. The content can vary a fair bit, sometimes you'll just get basic comedy while other times you might get a more elaborate and thoughtful story. That's not really a problem as such but at times I did feel that the show could have probably been doing more with the material (or spending more time on the more interesting material) if it really wanted to. Seeing what it can achieve at it's best does sometimes make me wonder why they spend time on things that seem beneath the potential of the show. I expect a lot of that is down to personal taste and preference though.

Overall, I found Season 2 much more enjoyable than Season 1. I'd still say it has some way to go if it wanted to compete with the best shows of a similar type but it did make some significant improvements. It'll be interesting to see if the third season manages to be even stronger or if it'll be taking steps back.

Buzz201 said:
Hunter x Hunter - Episode 27
This show is supposedly different from other shonen shows, half a year in and it's showing no signs of budging from the tropes of the genre. I have been really enjoying it though
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I haven't watched the show yet so maybe I shouldn't really be commenting but I was under the impression that Hunter X Hunter is popular less because it's something different to the standard Shonen Action series and more because it's a particularly well executed and relatively filler free example of a Shonen Action series.
 
What makes Hunter x Hunter different from your standard Shounen is it was a larger focus on character and story than action as opposed to something like Dragonball (It's the only long running shounen I've seen, I have no idea if the other big ones are like this or not) where it's just new bad guy shows up, MC gets new form/powers up and beats him, rinse and repeat. Hunter x Hunter doesn't actually have fights that often and when they do, it's more akin to something like JoJo, where the battles rely more on tactics and strategy than pure strength. The characters do power up, but so do the antagonists, so raw power is never the key to winning. The show also varies a ton in tone and content with each arc feeling very unique. It is also filler free due to the fact the Manga it's adapting is like 15 years old so it has plenty of material already.
 
Gatchaman crowds Insight ep 11
They really nailed it with the soundtrack this week very effective.Ive really enjoyed this season more than thought I would.
 
IncendiaryLemon said:
What makes Hunter x Hunter different from your standard Shounen is it was a larger focus on character and story than action as opposed to something like Dragonball (It's the only long running shounen I've seen, I have no idea if the other big ones are like this or not) where it's just new bad guy shows up, MC gets new form/powers up and beats him, rinse and repeat. Hunter x Hunter doesn't actually have fights that often and when they do, it's more akin to something like JoJo, where the battles rely more on tactics and strategy than pure strength. The characters do power up, but so do the antagonists, so raw power is never the key to winning. The show also varies a ton in tone and content with each arc feeling very unique. It is also filler free due to the fact the Manga it's adapting is like 15 years old so it has plenty of material already.
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And that is basically the problem I have with all long-running shonen series, even Hunter x Hunter, after about 12 episode I feel I've got a good idea of the series and what it has to offer. I don't give a **** what happened to the father (and that's near invariably the actual plotline) or about any of the bad guys, so really there's just no point in continuing. I don't really want to watch 100+ episodes of the same thing ad nauseam, no matter how well executed it is.

Although I'll probably finish JoJos and HxH at some point.
 
Not until you get to the York New arc you don't. It starts at episode 37 and is, for me, tied for best arc along with the Chimera Ant arc. So far anyway, I still have one to go after Chimera Ant.
 
IncendiaryLemon said:
Not until you get to the York New arc you don't. It starts at episode 37 and is, for me, tied for best arc along with the Chimera Ant arc. So far anyway, I still have one to go after Chimera Ant.
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'm sure you're absolutely right. I just can't be arsed to watch 37 episodes, when most of them will be the same thing I've already seen but in a tower and with a stupid magical zen power...
 
Not sure I get where you're coming from. I don't get how you think all the episodes are the same thing. The first arc is quite varied with what's in it. It isn't just constant fights of powering up or whatever.
 
IncendiaryLemon said:
Not sure I get where you're coming from. I don't get how you think all the episodes are the same thing. The first arc is quite varied with what's in it. It isn't just constant fights of powering up or whatever.
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4 chamber episodes, 4 episodes with them in the forest trying to take each other's tags, 5 episodes of them in Kilua's back garden. Did we really 2 hours of them in the fricking chamber?

And both of the arcs I've seen completely lacked any tension because the way the show set itself up there was no possible way Gon could fail the Hunter examination. (And that might qualify as spoiler, if the show wasn't actually called "Hunter x Hunter".) And it was obvious that Gon was going to get Killua back, because you don't give your lead a best friend and then abandon them. There's never any real failure in these series and if there is nearly always undone soon after (except maybe World Trigger if you're being generous), so who really cares?

Also, none of these characters are likeable enough, and the one that might be (Leorio) is almost never given anything of any value to do, except screw up.
 
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For me it's the journey that makes the show good, not the destination.. Of course Gon got his Hunter's license but I found that first arc to be one of the best of the whole bunch because a lot of the concepts for the tests are fun. The tag thing went a little long but I felt all the other stuff was justified in their length. Also, the 5 episodes in Killua's back yard is an arc and is by far the weakest because it's short length doesn't give it anything worthwhile to do other than introduce Killua's family who are relevant in later arcs. It could have been shortened a bit and tacked on to the first arc. Also, how can you not find Gon instantly likable? Maybe that's just me. Another thing, just because characters aren't instantly likable doesn't mean they're bad characters or anything. Hisoka is one of the best characters in the entire show and he is far from likable. To address the weakness failure thing, just watch the next arc, Heaven's Arena. To address something in the previous post I missed, if you think Nen is stupid or whatever and think it detracts from the show, you might as well drop it. It's a lynchpin in all the other arcs and only gets more prevalent as the series progresses.
 
I'm probably going to way too much detail, it's just really that they aren't surprising or tense because they all do the same thing plot-wise over and over. The protagonist in this things is basically always the same (World Trigger again being the exception), amazingly talented, somewhat self-assured (perhaps not Gon, but certainly Killua), rarely loses, but has to work hard to defeat the series main evil monster and resolve their daddy issues, so why would you care about stereotypical number 5?

And it's not that I have a problem with Nen specifically, it was just introduced so jarringly, and feels somewhat like an attempt to make the series "more shonen". I want to see something different, not the umpteenth series with a magical power specifically adapted to kill this generic monster.
 
HxH doesn't have evil monsters though. The first 3 arcs don't even really have Villains for the most part. Most of the villains are great characters with shades of grey. That mostly comes into play during the YorkNew Arc and the Chimera Ant arc. The only really 2D generic villain is Genthru from the Greed Island Arc. Also, Gon and Killua do go through significant development throughout the show. It's a long show, so that stuff isn't going to come right away. I don't know, maybe I'm just easy to please, but Hunter x Hunter is one of the most consistently entertaining shows I've seen. It isn't perfect and it does have its downs on the odd occasion but it's way better than your run of the mill shounen show, you just have to let it get there.
 
Don't get me wrong, it's a great show I love it and I will probably finish it eventually. My problems are just with that type of show in general, even the good ones are formulaic and quite repetitive down to a tee.

Back on topic

Charlotte - Episode 12

That love confession scene was absolutely ridiculous, and Jun Maeda should be thoroughly ashamed. But the heck did Singapore do to be branded terrorists?
 
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Hunter x Hunter-Episodes 125-130

Episode 125: Hoorah, getting back to the King and Netero stuff.

Episode 126: Well the fight there certainly didn't disappoint, that was pretty fantastic. However, I don't think for a second that the King is actually dead. If he isn't, then I have no idea how he will die. If Netero, the strongest Nen user, couldn't defeat him, I can't think who could. Another thing to mention is the art towards the end of the episode. It was borderline nightmare fuel.

Episode 127: I never would have thought the bomb would mess up the King that bad. I thought Nen would have been more powerful than an explosion. I guess not.

Episode 128: The King is back as I predicted. Kind of sad to think Netero's sacrifice was almost completely in vain. As a side note, the first half of this episode with Pouf and Youpi overreacting to the King's praises felt pretty out of place and almost wholly unneeded.

Episode 129: Killuachu is still really cool, him pretty much being a human Bug Zapper is very fitting.

Episode 130: Seeing Gon have an internal conflict/mental breakdown was almost Evangelion-esque. Almost.

Just as an aside, I noticed this in the description of Episode 131 (Which I don't think I'll end up watching today)

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I'm just here scratching my head. Also, isn't Pitou female?
 
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Gangsta episodes 9.5-10.
Prison School episodes 10-11.
Food Wars episode 23.

9.5 was a pointless episode. The first 9 minutes was a recap and I have never seen the point in recap episodes. The rest of the episde was character information and profiles. Should have ditched the first 9 minutes and kept the rest for an extra on the Blu-ray and DVD.
 
Apparently Pitou is usually just referred to as 'it' and is actually genderless - although obviously in the anime she's typically depicted as female. In the manga her character design is far more androgynous.

I think the creator of Hunter x Hunter likes to toy with gender quite a bit, if you remember Melody from the Yorknew City arc, and there's also another key character which you'll be introduced to in the final arc of the anime.
 
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