(CR) Hunter X Hunter Anime (2011)

[ars89]

Lol Leorio enjoyed losing that one gamble. He's too easy to read though. Gon's suggestion might have worked though. Oh man Killua was awesome. Loled when he put the heart in the guy's hand afterward.

[FlareKnight]

That was one gamble that Leorio couldn't avoid losing.

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

This. Smiling and "returning" the heart to Johness is way more chilling than simply crushing it.

Yeah don't think that's a bad way to do it either. Kind of gives you a chill just watching him hang onto the thing until the heart stops on its own, then finally returning it like he asked.

[Goty]

Originally Posted by Gooral

These scenes are still rather mild but when chimera ant arc starts non-manga readers won't even know what ants do to humans unless it would be said by a narrator. By trying to please everyone this anime fails IMO. It should either be as faithful to the manga as possible or censored in a way kids could watch it. Now it's too brutal for kids and to ridiculous to adults. If new anime can't even match to old anime than I fail to see the purpose of re-making it.

Pretty much this.
If they can't show even Jonas' backstory properly...future arcs will suffer so much, it's not funny.
Not that the new anime is bad, it's fine if you never read the source or watched the original anime..it's probably appealing to kids, since the ratings are pretty good so far.

[UnknownSoldier]

Has an anime ever been moved to a later time-slot for the sake of showing material?

I mean they can keep this up pretty much all the way to the Chimera Ant arc with ease, but after that I can't imagine them coming up with any form of censorship that would be allowed and yet please the fans of the manga.

[orion]

Originally Posted by Clarste

Personally, I like the new version better. Having it slowly stop beating gives a sense of powerlessness to the scene. And dropping it in his hand afterwards gives a bit more taunting "playing with his prey" feel.

I don't really care whether it was wrapped in cloth or not, it's still obviously a heart.

And since he's suppose to be a professional assassin, running about with blood all over you after a fresh kill is prob not a good thing. This way he was neat and can get away without problems. He did mention that his dad can remove a heart and not leave any blood behind.

When you think about it in this way, 2011 version is more plausible than the "Mortal Kombat" crush the heart ending from 1999.

Originally Posted by UnknownSoldier

Has an anime ever been moved to a later time-slot for the sake of showing material?

I mean they can keep this up pretty much all the way to the Chimera Ant arc with ease, but after that I can't imagine them coming up with any form of censorship that would be allowed and yet please the fans of the manga.

Well, the anime version can be thought of as promo for the manga, models, toys, games etc. Airing at 10:55 AM prob means that they are trying to attract new fans more than pleasing old fans. Moving to a less desireable time zone (late night) is prob not something they're going to do to please old fans who want a less toned down adaptation.

[zeniselv]

we have to accept times had changed, nowadays even in america remakes of cartoons like looney tunes are "toned down of violence" wich in my opinion is just stupid, or a good japanese recent example would be dragon ball kai.

[rinichan]

and i notice this episode they didnt spoil Killua's surname . CR only said he came from an elite family of assasins... I wonder why?

And I just wanna know if they gonna change op and ed after ep 13? becoz its common in other anime, what do you all think?

[Toto y Moi]

I'll post a comparison later tonight, probably. Just chiming in here to say that I think that the new series directed and conveyed the tone of that action far better than the 1999 series. More on my thoughts later.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Kirarakim

Actually I liked the effect of the beating heart suddenly going silent. It was quietly powerful!

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

This. Smiling and "returning" the heart to Johness is way more chilling than simply crushing it.

Originally Posted by Toto y Moi

I'll post a comparison later tonight, probably. Just chiming in here to say that I think that the new series directed and conveyed the tone of that action far better than the 1999 series. More on my thoughts later.

Agreeing with all three here.

This show has been on a role for a while now, and i certainly hope it'll carry on. Just the little change of including a narrator works so damn well. Gives me goosebumps just thinking about seeing the later material animated.

[Guardian Enzo]

For me, the most chilling part of the entire sequence is the very end - when Gon and Killua happily start bantering with each other and then run around the waiting room looking for stuff to play with...

[TheKage]

I'll just chime in and say, I dislike the change because I'm a purist. The small details didn't bother me too much but I always loved that part in the manga. Re-reading that scene makes me feel something that the new version just didn't give me.

I'm liking how it's definitely getting the ratings. I'm just... a little sad and disappointed by the changes. It's always weird and a little annoying when you want to discuss a series with someone only to know they've only read or watched x/y/z version so that differences in the manga or anime become glaringly obvious.

[Archon_Wing]

Omg that laugh; it's Satoko!

And Killua owned it up quick and fast, just like how it should be.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

Omg that laugh; it's Satoko!

And Killua owned it up quick and fast, just like how it should be.

You mean Tiffa Adill right?

[ookamigirl]

Leorio is a total perv ^^"
That girl sure was playing him.
Killua sure got a pretty dangerous opponent, but this is were we actually got to see how dangerous Killua really is.
I'm glad they finally moved on..

[Toto y Moi]

Sorry that this is late--finals season. Anyways, here's the comparison. Get ready for a long one, despite the episodes being so similar to each other.

Spoiler for Hunter x Hunter Episode 11 Comparison:

This episode covers the last 5 pages of chapter 19 through chapter 21 of the manga, and corresponds to episode 17 of the 1999 series.

First things first--Leroute appears.

Convicted of illegal gambling and the trafficking of endangered species, she doesn't exactly look the part of convict (which is why she chooses a gambling match to begin with...). Nippon Animation wanted a battle between two doctors, so Leroute is an "insane psychologist" in the 1999 series, whose pretty face drove men to suicide. While I don't really have a problem with this, I didn't really like the stance the writers took when adapting her in the 1999 series; it's somewhat misogynistic. The 1999 series turns her into a generic heartbreaker and definitely has something against her personality type. Killua and Kurapika, in two instances, call her a "no-good woman" and "a snake of a woman" despite those never being in the manga. I digress.

So Leorio pervs the hell out. Gon doesn't get at first how Kurapika and Killua realize that Leorio is going to bet that Leroute is a man, but Killua tells him in the manga and 2011 series. In the 1999 series, Gon is left as naive as ever. Kurapika explains the situation to Gon and he still doesn't understand why Kurapika and Killua know. Tonpa covers his eyes when Leroute and Leorio "do their thing."

You're so gross, Leorio. I can't believe this version has him keep sniffing his hand after.


The series diverge from here. In the 1999 series, Leroute psychologically attacks Leorio. Kurapika calls her an expert at psychological warfare, but I'm not sure that Leroute employs actual psychology in her scene. Leroute calls him "doctor" all of the time--nice touch, especially since she is one in this version.

Leorio falls right into Leroute's trap in the 1999 series. Gon hits him with his fishing rod and Leorio just manages to forget everything attacking his personality that Leroute stated a minute ago. Just in time for rock-paper-scissors.


New series puts more emphasis on the rock-paper-scissors scene by showing Kurapika/Gon/Killua's reactions to it, plus elaborates on the depth in the game. Leroute does it in the manga. I recommend reading up on it--Togashi uses HxH to introduce a lot of interesting theories and logic games that most manga would sidestep. The 1999 series does this too, only it's less comprehensive. The 1999 series is wrong in saying that people tend to throw scissors first--rookies tend to throw rock first.

Leroute bets all of her time instead of 80 hours in the 1999 series. She lies to Leorio about being able to read minds in a bluff in the 2011 series.


Here's something interesting: Gon directly tells Leorio to throw scissors in both animated versions and not the manga, but the implications are different. Gon in the 1999 series tells Leorio to throw scissors because Leroute says "[she's] going to throw paper next"--it's much more a simplistic deduction, since Gon's rationale is that "Scissors beat paper every time." Gon in the 2011 series tells Leorio to do so because he's gone a step ahead of Leroute and knows she assumes Leorio is going to throw Rock or Paper. Mainly because she's done such a good job of manipulating Leorio's emotions throughout the match. Basically, Gon in the 1999 series is naive while Gon in the 2011 series is observant.


Leorio loses, Leroute wins. Whatta pro. Here's a mistake in the manga: the scoreboard behind Leorio says "10" instead of "100."


The prisoners are in direct contact with Lippo in the manga and 2011 series, whereas they don't really speak with him in the 1999 series. They ask Lippo how much time the protagonists have left on their clock in the manga/2011 series. Gon asks Kurapika in the 1999 series.


Here's what you've been waiting for: Johness. His large, eerie eyes have been fixed in this version.


Lippo is excited to use Johness in the 1999 series, while reluctant in the 2011 series. The manga doesn't show his reaction. Lippo is more of a sadist in the 1999 series, though I feel that might be more in line with what we've seen of his character.

Though this next scene isn't in the manga, I loved it. The buildup to Johness as a scary condender is very well done in the Madhouse series. The trembling piano track, the fact that Johness has been silently sitting crosslegged in the back since the prisoners first appeared (nice touch), the visible fear in all of the inmates' eyes and their stances.

Some say that Majitani going after Johness is out of character, but I think that it kind of works? Majitani isn't a great judge of strength, as proven by his match with Kurapika. He doesn't believe in legends, as evidenced by the amateurish and galling way he attempted to mimic the world's most notorious criminals (the Phantom Troupe).

Also, on a side note, this scene also made me think the DVDs might be somewhat decensored. When Majitani is slammed into the wall, his eyes are closed. The next frame, however, has his right eye wide open (in the background) and his body twitching. Look for it, but don't get your hopes up either.



The scene focusing on Johness' arrest is removed in the 2011 series; it's present in the 1999 series. While being arrested, he rips off a portion of the cop's arm who cuffed him. Both versions neglect to mention that he pulled the heart out of a still-living eleven-year-old boy--a shame, since it marks a bit of poetic justice (due to what's about to happen next).


Johness has apparently murdered the captain of the USS Enterprise in the 1999 series.


The 1999 series moves Johness' line "It's been so long since...I've felt the flesh of the world" until after he's already in the ring with Killua. A shame--I thought that this scene was really creepy in the manga. It's in the 2011 series, but I don't like how quickly the line is enunciated.


Now the next scene has been pretty controversial for a number of reasons. I'll try to be as fair as possible when discussing it. While the action was censored, I think it did a fantastic job conveying the tone and spirit of the scene.

Killua plucks Johness' heart out.







The most obvious differences are Johness' heart being wrapped in his shirt cloth and Killua not crushing it in the 2011 series. I feel like the direction of all three versions implies a different tone. So I'll talk about each in detail:

1999 series: Almost exactly like the manga's scene. Shocking and explicit. This version emphasized Killua being a badass. The way he speaks in the 1999 series and the way he's almost always drawn suggest this to begin with--since he never kills anyone in episodes 11/12, he backs it up here. The way the scene is shot (especially the way the music cuts off right as he moves past Johness) assist in this. Though you see Johness' heart in detail, it's entirely bloodless. Even the wound on Johness' shirt is colored in black (and there's no hole either). This is a little problematic, since Killua mentions afterward that his dad could do it without leaving a drop of blood--that's kind of what happened here.

2011 series: Different. Johness' bloody heart is removed, but censored by being torn out alongside some of his shirt. But the horror of what Killua has done is emphasized here. The episode went from jovial and somewhat funny to brutal in that one action. As far as logistics goes (from what I've heard from a couple of others), yes, a heart can be removed from a hole that small. And yes, they do keep beating outside of the body. Johness turns feeble and pathetic. Look at the way he reaches for his own heart and crawls towards it, asking for it back as if that would be his salvation. This is a man set to die. The fact that Killua waits for Johness to die before actually returning it is even more grim. It's dark in a way the 1999 series wasn't. The music that plays afterwards sounds like something out of Shadow Star Narutaru, another series that alternates between cute and horrific (you should probably read the manga of this, if you're interested--fantastic). I loved this scene so much.

As far as Johness' shirt tearing goes, picture it matted down by blood deep inside of his chest cavity. Yeah.

Manga: The sequence of events is a bit different in it. You know how the story goes, but we don't see Killua's expression until after Johness asks for his heart back already. I feel like the 1999 series somewhat messed up by not doing this--look at that wicked smile on his face. It turns into Killua's typical smile as soon as he crushes the heart on the next page. He's playing with a man's life. He cruelly crushes it with a child's grin. Children are capable of doing terrible things, which you'll see throughout the series.


The following scenes in the new series were handled better in my opinion too. Gon's nonchalance is something you should take notice of. He doesn't care that he just saw Killua pull out another man's heart. Gon mentions this so casually it's sort of ridiculous: "Oh yeah, you guys don't know yet. The thing about Killua, he's part of a family of elite assassins." He's twelve. Comes from the middle of nowhere, and he mentions death so casually. Keep this in mind.


The 1999 series has Killua explain his actions while they're still in that arena. The manga and 2011 series have him wait until they reach the break room. Killua's nails retract like a cat's in the manga (as indicated by sfx, anyway) and 2011 series. In the 1999 series, he adjusts his hand in a more muscular manner. Kurapika's wary line about Killua is glossed over in the 1999 series with a smile. It's more emphasized in the 2011 series and manga, as it's at the end of the chapter.



Anyways, that's about it. Phew!

[Megiddo]

How can you call that a smile by Kurapica? That's a look that says "Holy shit, that kid is dangeous". Seriously, look at it. That is no smile.

As far as the 'bag' being the prisoner's shirt, I once again must call bullshit. Clench your fist (or even better, imagine Johness' fist clenched) and try to measure about how much area of cloth would be needed to entirely cover it, with ample room to spare so Killua can just lazily hold it of course. Now go and look at the picture where it shows the hole made by Killua to get the heart. Notice that there is absolutely no indication of a large tear made and that the shirt looks pretty much completely normal other than the hole. It is infathomable to expect someone to believe that the 'bag' used by Killua is in fact Johness' shirt, going by what Madhouse has drawn. If they wanted the audience to think that, then obviously they would have made larger tears in the clothing to show that is what Killua had done.

The '99 version is far superior in my opinion. People talk about how the new version added 'drama' but the scene never needed drama. Assassins don't try to create drama. They kill. They kill as efficiently as possible.

I also don't like how the 2011 version didn't even mention how Johness always dismembers his victims and how they didn't show the scene where he tore off a chunk of the cop's arm.

I personally liked the shadow decapitation that was in the episode prior, but this bag nonsense was stupid and unnecessary.

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by Megiddo

How can you call that a smile by Kurapica? That's a look that says "Holy shit, that kid is dangeous". Seriously, look at it. That is no smile.

As far as the 'bag' being the prisoner's shirt, I once again must call bullshit. Clench your fist (or even better, imagine Johness' fist clenched) and try to measure about how much area of cloth would be needed to entirely cover it, with ample room to spare so Killua can just lazily hold it of course. Now go and look at the picture where it shows the hole made by Killua to get the heart. Notice that there is absolutely no indication of a large tear made and that the shirt looks pretty much completely normal other than the hole. It is infathomable to expect someone to believe that the 'bag' used by Killua is in fact Johness' shirt, going by what Madhouse has drawn. If they wanted the audience to think that, then obviously they would have made larger tears in the clothing to show that is what Killua had done.

The '99 version is far superior in my opinion. People talk about how the new version added 'drama' but the scene never needed drama. Assassins don't try to create drama. They kill. They kill as efficiently as possible.

I also don't like how the 2011 version didn't even mention how Johness always dismembers his victims and how they didn't show the scene where he tore off a chunk of the cop's arm.

I personally liked the shadow decapitation that was in the episode prior, but this bag nonsense was stupid and unnecessary.

The heart is already out of his body. How more efficient can you get? If that's the reason to crush the heart I don't buy it. Is someone immediately going to run past Killua and perform open heart surgery before this guy dies? Plus hardly an intelligent assassination plan to stand there with your hand drenched in blood after you just crushed it. Hardly stealthy to have to then go and use a washroom to clean the hand off. The guy is dead, might as well just make as little mess as you can and leave the heart behind.

Also that does seem to be a nervous smile saying what you meant, but technically it is still a smile. Edge of the mouth is tilted upwards which is a smile . You're certainly right it didn't mean she was happy or positive, but a frown was better.

We're seriously going into the size of the shirt rip? Instead completely choosing to ignore him racing past this guy, ripping a heart out, and pulling his arm in so he can pass on the far side compared to where the heart is.

Certainly it's too bad they cut out what this guy did since it would have made him seem even worse before the 'fight' started. That would have been nice to include. Personally I enjoyed the new version with the heart stopping and then the guy collapsing. Seems more chilling that way.

[TheKage]

It is nothing about efficiency of his former professional job in the scene. Killua crushed his heart. For Killua's own reasons. There needs not be any type of efficiency when it's not a job. Why would he care if he needed to be stealthy or not? It's not a job where he had to be.

Whether it is a nervous smile or a smile, I think the smile conveys a little bit of the idea that Kurapika isn't quite sure of his alliance or "friendship" with Killua. Considering at the moment he has to work with Killua, why express any real distaste or displeasure by outright frowning while with the nervous smile it can always be considered a "joke"? It doesn't matter either way, the smile from the 1999 and the stoic expression from the 2011 version and manga just conveyed a different thought process. The stoicism kept his thoughts neutral while the nervous smile was keeping it on "friendly terms". I think it's easier to hate and show their complete and utter displeasure of Tompa than it is with Killua who've they have had better relations with up until this point where some of them truly start to see that Killua is much more dangerous than they thought.

I don't think the scene is bad at conveying this change in how people start to view Killua. I think this is really a case of preference. Opinions on the difference of the impacts may deal with if people prefer subtleties versus bluntness. I prefer the blunt "oh shit" approach of the manga but I know a lot of people like the creepier 2011 version. I find them both equally cruel. I polled a few of my friends who had never heard of HxH before I ever started talking about it and it was 50/50 on which was more unsettling or creepy.

[Toto y Moi]

Originally Posted by Megiddo

How can you call that a smile by Kurapica? That's a look that says "Holy shit, that kid is dangeous". Seriously, look at it. That is no smile.

As far as the 'bag' being the prisoner's shirt, I once again must call bullshit. Clench your fist (or even better, imagine Johness' fist clenched) and try to measure about how much area of cloth would be needed to entirely cover it, with ample room to spare so Killua can just lazily hold it of course. Now go and look at the picture where it shows the hole made by Killua to get the heart. Notice that there is absolutely no indication of a large tear made and that the shirt looks pretty much completely normal other than the hole. It is infathomable to expect someone to believe that the 'bag' used by Killua is in fact Johness' shirt, going by what Madhouse has drawn. If they wanted the audience to think that, then obviously they would have made larger tears in the clothing to show that is what Killua had done.

The '99 version is far superior in my opinion. People talk about how the new version added 'drama' but the scene never needed drama. Assassins don't try to create drama. They kill. They kill as efficiently as possible.

I also don't like how the 2011 version didn't even mention how Johness always dismembers his victims and how they didn't show the scene where he tore off a chunk of the cop's arm.

I personally liked the shadow decapitation that was in the episode prior, but this bag nonsense was stupid and unnecessary.

I think you should watch the scene with Kurapika's smile in motion...It's a nervous smile, but one that indicates trust. The line in the 2011 is the exact opposite--a slight tinge of distrust.

The scene isn't supposed to just convey that Killua is just a badass assassin--this is the first time any of his team has seen him do something remotely violent. Leorio underestimated him especially. And then he proves himself to be more violent than a mass murderer. Both Kurapika and Leorio are cautious of Killua as a result. Maybe the next episode will explore this, as now they all have to spend 50 hours in a room with him.

Also, the cloth is the exact same color as Johness' shirt. It's pretty obvious that's what it is--especially considering the gaping hole into Johness' chest. Anything torn from that shirt is inside of Johness now. And why would Killua have a bag?

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Megiddo

How can you call that a smile by Kurapica? That's a look that says "Holy shit, that kid is dangeous". Seriously, look at it. That is no smile.

As far as the 'bag' being the prisoner's shirt, I once again must call bullshit. Clench your fist (or even better, imagine Johness' fist clenched) and try to measure about how much area of cloth would be needed to entirely cover it, with ample room to spare so Killua can just lazily hold it of course. Now go and look at the picture where it shows the hole made by Killua to get the heart. Notice that there is absolutely no indication of a large tear made and that the shirt looks pretty much completely normal other than the hole. It is infathomable to expect someone to believe that the 'bag' used by Killua is in fact Johness' shirt, going by what Madhouse has drawn. If they wanted the audience to think that, then obviously they would have made larger tears in the clothing to show that is what Killua had done.

The tear is inside the chest. Plenty of room to do that, now.