(CR) Hunter X Hunter Anime (2011)

[wisteria233]

Just saw the first episode, and so far my impression of the remake is just 'meh...

Granted the Nippon animation adaptation is a hard act to follow as even 10 years later it still holds up.

I guess the problem I have is that they streamlined everything and in doing so got rid of a lot of the emotional scenes between the characters, they didn't even show Kaito which can be a problem if they go into the Chimera arc, and I also have a problem with them revealing one of Kurapica's secrets so soon.

Also is this season aimed at a younger audience?

Originally Posted by Toto y Moi

A lot of what this series is doing is retconning the creative liberties taken with the original series. The original, while great, created some problems due to the direction. The very first episode changed Mito's profession and her relationship to Ging (making Mito her mother's sister instead of Ging's cousin; problematic to future episodes).

Don't you mean the remake?

In the original adaptation Mito owned a bar, and I'm pretty sure she owned one in the manga as well, and she was Gin's cousin in the original adaptation as well, that much was stated in the episodes before York Shin city.

[Anh_Minh]

I'd like to remind everyone that what you call "originally three episodes" is actually "originally two manga chapters". Much of those three eps were actually what would today be the oft decried "filler".

They only skipped three elements of background, from the first chapter:

Spoiler for manga:

- the fact that Mito tried to hide everything about Ging from Gon
- Gon's encounter with Kaito
- that Gon is friends with some kind of bear-like creature.

[Toto y Moi]

Originally Posted by wisteria233

Just saw the first episode, and so far my impression of the remake is just 'meh...

Granted the Nippon animation adaptation is a hard act to follow as even 10 years later it still holds up.

I guess the problem I have is that they streamlined everything and in doing so got rid of a lot of the emotional scenes between the characters, they didn't even show Kaito which can be a problem if they go into the Chimera arc, and I also have a problem with them revealing one of Kurapica's secrets so soon.

In the Chimera Ant arc, Gon explains to Killua about Kite--I think that's where they'll probably end up moving the scene. As far as Kurapika's secret, though, it was revealed even earlier in the first anime series (in a filler scene).

Originally Posted by wisteria233

Also is this season aimed at a younger audience?

I think that's probably the reasoning behind creating a new adaptation. Hunter x Hunter started in 1998--over a decade ago. The first anime started only a year after the manga's serialization. With its rapid pace, it caught up to the SJ serialization in slightly over one more year. It's been 7 years since the last OVA came out; most of HxH's audience has grown up. But despite all of this, Hunter x Hunter is still one of the best selling manga series in Shonen Jump. It even outsells Bleach! So in order to find a new audience, it makes sense to start a new series. It would be a waste not to do it. If kids like it, sales are going to surge.

Originally Posted by wisteria233

Don't you mean the remake?

In the original adaptation Mito owned a bar, and I'm pretty sure she owned one in the manga as well, and she was Gin's cousin in the original adaptation as well, that much was stated in the episodes before York Shin city.

Yeah, my bad. Just edited the post to clarify what I meant.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Endless Twilight

People really should watch the original anime first. It was a fantastic adaptation, whose filler wasn't even possible to identify as filler because it tied in so well with everything else. It had great voices, animation, music, etc. I really don't have nearly as much faith in this remake, especially after all the toned down violence reports we've gotten.

I've only seen the first 6 or so episodes, though i have heard nothing but great things about it. I do plan to finish the original series, though for now i'll just stay with the 2011 adaptation for now. Maybe even start reading the manga, just so i can do a little bit of comparing.

[yourfriendrick]

Originally Posted by Toto y Moi

I think that the choice to give Kurapika a feminine voice was in order to do another one of these retcons. Togashi has never fully revealed whether or not Kurapika is male or female. In all of Togashi's series, at least one character does something atypical with gender (and gender roles as a consequence). Hunter x Hunter is a prime example of this. Many characters who look like women are actually men, and vice-versa. Often times, he doesn't ever give a clear answer (i.e. in the case of Neferpitou).

Kurapika's gender is intentionally ambiguous, and this episode only added to the question of whether or not he's hiding that. The scene where Kurapika refuses to tell his reasons for trying to become a Hunter was adapted quite differently than the original series. Quote:

"That said, if I were to tell you the truth, I would be exposing my deepest secrets."

In that instance, he clutches his robes over his heart and the camera pans down to his chest. Also, Kurapika and Leorio's tension in this episode could be interpreted as romantic tension. Of course, Togashi doesn't give a shit about traditional gender roles and relationships--anything goes.

That would a fascinating twist. If Kurapica turns out to be a girl, that would lend some possibilities to future character development.

My impression of Leorio in the first series was that he was the weakest of the four main leads. If Kurapica and Leorio have a romance, it would be interesting to see whether Leorio continues to be weak. Because Kurapica is pretty much a combat-monster after he gets some training.

Then again, anime often has combat-capable female leads in romances with wimpier males.

[yourfriendrick]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

They only skipped three elements of background

They showed forest animals frolicking around Gon peacefully, so they made it clear that Gon is a friend to animals. If one of those animals happens to be unusually large, that wouldn't be a huge surprise.

[wisteria233]

Originally Posted by Toto y Moi

In the Chimera Ant arc, Gon explains to Killua about Kite--I think that's where they'll probably end up moving the scene. As far as Kurapika's secret, though, it was revealed even earlier in the first anime series (in a filler scene).

But they revealed two of them in this episode...

One in the opening and another in this first episode. At the original adapation had the information revealed early as well but it wasn't in episode one.

I think that's probably the reasoning behind creating a new adaptation. Hunter x Hunter started in 1998--over a decade ago. The first anime started only a year after the manga's serialization. With its rapid pace, it caught up to the SJ serialization in slightly over one more year. It's been 7 years since the last OVA came out; most of HxH's audience has grown up. But despite all of this, Hunter x Hunter is still one of the best selling manga series in Shonen Jump. It even outsells Bleach! So in order to find a new audience, it makes sense to start a new series. It would be a waste not to do it. If kids like it, sales are going to surge.

But HunterxHunter is very violent and has a lot of questionable content (especially when they get further into the series), so trying to make it appeal to a audience younger than its demographic is stupid, as they'd have to remove content from the manga itself in order to appeal to the younger audience, and then it'd be another Tsubasa Chronicle, which tried to do the same thing and failed, because ultimately the content was too violent for them to adapt.

Generally in Japan manga is more popular than anime and the reason why an anime is made is because the manga was already popular to begin with, and so the anime attracts the readers from the manga its generally not the other way the around like it is in America.

@yourfriendrick
They showed Kurapica shirtless on one of the manga covers he's a dude.

[Kirarakim]

Never saw the original anime but I did read the manga (up to Greed Island) many years back. This episode did seem a little rushed but if it gets us to Killua sooner that's not necessarily a bad thing in my opinion.

As for the voices I like Gon and love Leorio but I am not as sold on Kurapica. I think his voice should sound feminine but not that feminine.

The opening is fun, but the ending song is just awful.

[AvianWing]

Originally Posted by yourfriendrick

I also like the fact that the pace seems faster. I didn't like the slow pace of the original series and OVAs. However, the ending song is perhaps the worst use of autotune I have ever heard.

Kurapica doesn't just sound more feminine, Kurapica sounds like a 30-year-old woman. She sounds like a really *attractive* 30-year-old woman, but she sounds like a mature, adult woman, not like a boy, not like a man.

Then again, considering that Kurapica is a rather grim and serious character, it doesn't really matter what his sex might be, because he's all about the violent revenge.

Edit:
http://myanimelist.net/people/99/Miyuki_Sawashiro

She was born in 1985, and she's got a beautiful voice, but she's got an amazingly feminine voice.

Damn you Rick. Now I am going to imagine Kurapica as a vixen every time he speaks.

[Toto y Moi]

Originally Posted by wisteria233

But they revealed two of them in this episode...

One in the opening and another in this first episode. At the original adapation had the information revealed early as well but it wasn't in episode one.

The Phantom Troupe reveal was in the manga too though. The exact same chapter that Kurapika is introduced (chapter 2), he refers to the Phantom Troupe by name. The conversation he had with the captain follows the original verbatim. The director just decided to hint at his secondary secret, which the first anime series did before this point anyways.

Originally Posted by wisteria233

But HunterxHunter is very violent and has a lot of questionable content (especially when they get further into the series), so trying to make it appeal to a audience younger than its demographic is stupid, as they'd have to remove content from the manga itself in order to appeal to the younger audience, and then it'd be another Tsubasa Chronicle, which tried to do the same thing and failed, because ultimately the content was too violent for them to adapt.

Hunter x Hunter's main demographic is middle-school boys; same as Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Toriko, etc. Even though it may be more violent than the others, violence doesn't mean that the target demographic is different. It runs in a magazine that literally has "adolescent boy" in the title.

Originally Posted by wisteria233

Generally in Japan manga is more popular than anime and the reason why an anime is made is because the manga was already popular to begin with, and so the anime attracts the readers from the manga its generally not the other way the around like it is in America.

I agree with this, but consider that polling data has already shown that HxH's audience is mainly adults now. Even though it sells well, Shonen Jump cares more about its younger readers. Because of Hunter x Hunter's frequent hiatuses and the amount of time it's been in publication, twelve-year-olds today weren't even alive when the manga started. This new series can introduce an entirely new generation to an already insanely popular franchise. Sales could potentially reach record highs.

Originally Posted by wisteria233

@yourfriendrick
They showed Kurapica shirtless on one of the manga covers he's a dude.

Togashi never drew any physical details on his torso; I always interpreted it as an ambiguity. His right arm doesn't even have an inner outline, and look at how his hand is cupped over his chest. It could mean nothing, but who knows? I would again consider Neferpitou, whose figure suggests him to be a female, but most other evidence points towards him being male.

To segue into another topic, my absolute favorite music composer for anime series is working on this one. The new Hunter x Hunter series' music composer is Yoshihisa Hirano. His classical influence is obvious, and I find that his compositions are always quality. If you don't know him, here are a few samples of things he's done before (from great series):

Magic
Domine Kira
Requiem
Lamentum
Sinfonietta C Dur

[wisteria233]

Originally Posted by Toto y Moi

The Phantom Troupe reveal was in the manga too though. The exact same chapter that Kurapika is introduced (chapter 2), he refers to the Phantom Troupe by name. The conversation he had with the captain follows the original verbatim. The director just decided to hint at his secondary secret, which the first anime series did before this point anyways.

My main problem is that this is episode one and its moving a bit too quickly, because it doesn't give us any time to take in the world, before it throws us into the story. As for the other secret look at Kurapica's eyes in the remake's opening.

Hunter x Hunter's main demographic is middle-school boys; same as Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Toriko, etc. Even though it may be more violent than the others, violence doesn't mean that the target demographic is different. It runs in a magazine that literally has "adolescent boy" in the title.

So was Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles and yet its anime was aimed at an even younger audience than that, which caused problems when the series tried to adapt the later material, that is what I'm worried about. Its not the violence I'm worried about.

I agree with this, but consider that polling data has already shown that HxH's audience is mainly adults now. Even though it sells well, Shonen Jump cares more about its younger readers. Because of Hunter x Hunter's frequent hiatuses and the amount of time it's been in publication, twelve-year-olds today weren't even alive when the manga started. This new series can introduce an entirely new generation to an already insanely popular franchise. Sales could potentially reach record highs.

But those poll results are very deceptive as they say the same thing about One Piece and yet we know that's not true. If its selling that much then it means that kids are reading it too.

Togashi never drew any physical details on his torso; I always interpreted it as an ambiguity. His right arm doesn't even have an inner outline, and look at how his hand is cupped over his chest. It could mean nothing, but who knows? I would again consider Neferpitou, whose figure suggests him to be a female, but most other evidence points towards him being male.

Well Kurapica's chest is flat from the sides and are shaped like a males, so I take that to assume that he is a dude (even though the manga lampshades his ambiguity).

To segue into another topic, my absolute favorite music composer for anime series is working on this one. The new Hunter x Hunter series' music composer is Yoshihisa Hirano. His classical influence is obvious, and I find that his compositions are always quality. If you don't know him, here are a few samples of things he's done before (from great series):

Magic
Domine Kira
Requiem
Lamentum
Sinfonietta C Dur

so far I'm loving the background music in the remake, its really fitting. Though the ending theme song doesn't match the series at all, and is only saved by Hisoka's presence. The opening theme song will take some time to get used to.

[kakakka]

I miss the longer interaction between Gon and his aunt(?), and the gritty animation, but this is not a bad start, I think. Head start to Hunter Exam right away.

[klare]

this is the so call "FMA treatment"... the initial episodes will be fast, i noticed some things where skipped too

i like the manga, especially the earlier arcs were very well-written but i did not watch the old anime series, so will most likely follow this version

[neshru]

Originally Posted by Toto y Moi

I think that's probably the reasoning behind creating a new adaptation.

That or Madhouse is simply trying to make some money after some of her big budget projects bombed...

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

I guess that is why this newbie got such a highly coveted role as her first role. She did not grow in the ranks through smaller roles leading to larger roles like most seiyuu do. Besides, it looks like I am not the only one that has issues with her acting.... I do recommend that you watch the first 3 episodes of the older series to see the difference why that series was so epic....

Thanks for the suggestion. I discover that Gon was played in that series by Takeuchi Junko, who also plays Naruto. (EDIT: Takeuchi-san is a woman, too.)

As for Han Megumi, I was impressed by her voice from her first words. I'm going on the hypothesis that others either have different taste from me (not unlikely) or are stuck on the undoubtedly excellent previous version. I understand this feeling, since I am horrified by the suggestion I've read that Suzumiya Haruhi continue with someone other than Hirano Aya.

Han Megumi comes to voice acting from TV drama and stage acting. Like Miyazaki, I sometimes prefer actual actors to professional seiyuu. In any case, maybe her mother got this job because of her, rather than the other way around. Or not, lol.

Han Megumi is in the middle of this cast photo:



(l-r) Namikawa Daisuke (Hisoka), Sawashiro Miyuki (Kurapika), Han Megumi, Ise Mariya (Killua), Fujiwara Keiji (Leorio), director Koujina Hiroshi.

In the interview that goes with this pic, Han Megumi apparently broke down in tears when she was asked about the part and said that when she was in elementary school, she had spent her own money on the manga, and felt honored to get the role. Ise Mariya apparently broke down with her. Miyukichi said she would try to act the elder sister and calm things down.

Han Megumi is comparatively new to voice acting, with three roles this year, but she is not that young: 21. She is with the fairly cool little agency, Atomic Monkey, which is most famous for representing Sugita Tomokazu, Seki Tomokazu, and radio/TV host Washizaki Takeshi, but also represents Orikasa Fumiko and Imai Yuka.

[Vicious108]

Originally Posted by klare

this is the so call "FMA treatment"... the initial episodes will be fast, i noticed some things where skipped too

A FMA treatment would make no sense whatsoever though, since the story will always be the same no matter what, so there's no point to rushing it to get anywhere. And if they truly wanted to get never seen before material, they'd have just continued with the previous anime and animated the Chimera Ant arc, instead of starting all over again.

[capped]

I agree that the all the first episode did was a make me want to watch the original over again. There was alot of early character development and subtle storyline structuring that was left out. Like Gon's affinity with animals, his unusual agility and use of the fishing pole, etc. I also disliked some of the VA's. Mito-san sounds way to old, Kurapika doesn't have a hard enough edge, etc. Gon and Leorio both sound ok though.

[ookamigirl]

Gon on his way to become a hunter. Is Mito his mom or what? 'Cause it's weird calling his mom by her name.
Well, that kid sure has some nice skills & he met some friends on the ship.
Kurapika vs Leorio was short but made them friend in the end.
This anime's fun & interesting.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by ookamigirl

Gon on his way to become a hunter. Is Mito his mom or what? 'Cause it's weird calling his mom by her name.

They're related, and she raised him, but she's not his mother.

[Klashikari]

I personally didn't have any problem with the "skip" and quick pace:
Instead of putting things into great lengths regarding Mito, they used a moderately subtle way to show that she is arguably not so keen to let Gon going in such venture.
Furthermore, nothing stop them to introduce more about ging and whatnot.
Actually, thinking back how the first series went, I would definitely think it is tad "too slow"... 2 episodes would have been okay, but 3 was pushing things a little too much.

Setting up the cast and the main objective of the first arc was the best choice available, especially it could actually give people who watched the first adaptation to have another take on the series, a bit how brotherhood was quite quick on the first arcs.

I'm however a bit sceptikal regarding Sawashiro: as much as I like her voice, it isn't exactly ambiguous, but straight out feminine... but she did convey quite well Kurapika's persona there.