This episode covers chapters 13 and 14 in the manga; the material was covered in episodes 11 and 12 of the 1999 series.
The 1999 series' main plot sees a failed applicant from the second phase sneaking onto the airship. Her father was killed by a Zoldyck and she thinks that Killua did it.
I was never a fan of this filler. It's poorly written in a number of parts and really changes Killua from his manga incarnation. Their relationship with her is weird...she's irrational and consistently rude, so why does Gon play for her right to take the Hunter Exam? Gon's last bit of dialogue to her sees him telling her to take the Hunter Exam again next year so she can become a Blacklist Hunter...despite her ultimate goal being to capture and kill Killua. What?
Anita is present in a few frames during episode 10 as a contestant, in which she fails the second phase because she doesn't jump off into the ravine. But then she stows away outside of an airship hundreds of feet in the air? Uh? Anita also somehow manages to knock two professional Hunters unconscious. Even though she failed the exam. Okay then.
Whether or not you prefer the characterization of Killua in the old series vs. the new is completely up to you to decide. They're very different people.
This is where the 1999 series first shows its chops. The first half of both episodes 11 and 12 are fantastically done (the latter halves of each episode are pretty forgettable; perspective mistakes galore in the second half of 11). I recommend it for the animation alone, though the plot is hit or miss.
Tonpa tries to psyche Kurapika and Leorio out, but he actually manages to in the Nippon Animation version. He freaks them out with lies about a hidden test (which turns out to be true in the 1999 series' filler) and then annoys them by snoring. He doesn't succeed in either the manga or Madhouse adaptation. Keep in mind that the main characters still don't know that he's a "rookie crusher."
The proctors' conversation about the Examinees is done better in this episode. If you check last episode, you can actually see Hisoka provoking Menchi. Or at least, getting ready for battle. The problem with this in the 1999 series is that they tried to go the comedic route with Hisoka during Menchi's exam. In it, Hisoka sort of leaves during the Sushi and starts throwing stones in a pond. You literally don't see him again until Netero's airship reaches the Numere Wetlands--where he's still throwing stones in a pond.
Satotz tries to forcefeed the viewer his opinion about Hisoka in the Nippon Animation adaptation with a couple of emphasized lines not in the manga or Madhouse version--he calls Hisoka dangerous and a heretic in it.
Killua's interactions with Gon are very different between versions. The 1999 series gives some well-animated scenes of the duo exploring the rest of the airship. When they're scolded, Gon starts sulking intensely. It's played for laughs, but goes against Gon's character. NBD, considering Gon acts extremely OoC throughout both episodes.
So then Gon asks if Killua has parents. It's an interesting way of prefacing the conversation. Killua says they're assassins and plays it off as a lie, but Gon already realizes that he's telling the truth. In the 1999 series, Killua sort of segues into talking about his family and Gon asks what his parents do. It seems similar, but the nuance is completely different. I like how Madhouse and the manga handle it because it's a question out from nowhere. Gon, who knows nothing about his own birth parents, starts a conversation with Killua asking if his own are still alive.
But a secondary problem lies with the characterization of Killua (in Nippon Animation's version) because of it. Killua mentions that he's charming because people can never tell if he's joking or serious. But in all of the episodes prior to this one, Killua is a deathly serious character. He doesn't really tell jokes. He's more mysterious than anything else. His personality is at odds with the things he says in the old series. Madhouse adapted the scene as it was in the manga.
As far as the conversation goes, the dialogue is slightly censored when Killua talks about what he did to his mom and brother. The 1999 series has Killua simply say he "nearly killed his mother and brother" while the 2011 series and manga get into more graphic detail. The boys both talk about surpassing their dads (something the pair never discusses as a goal in the manga). Director Furuhashi makes a motif of Gon saying "I just know" when it comes to situations surrounding Killua.
Anyways, the shows diverge from here. The 1999 series starts focusing on the Anita storyline. The best scene is Leorio hitting on Anita. Anita comes up to Killua and provokes him, then tries to kill him until Netero intervenes. Then comes the angst. Killua in Nippon Animation's version is
extremely emotionally distressed. Killua thinks that Gon doesn't want to be friends with him because he's an assassin. Gon says that Killua isn't a bad person; the reason Gon thinks so is because he knows Killua didn't kill Anita's father. Killua gets angsty. He tries to attack Gon, who doesn't flinch.
Now the storylines start converging again, for the most part. Netero shows up out of nowhere. But instead of dashing past the kids at an incredible speed...Netero's sort of just behind them, scratching his ass. Killua's views toward Netero (and his own actions) have completely changed. Killua is initially threatened by Netero's presence in both Madhouse's version and the manga--it's somewhat important to think about the reasons why. Killua is only mad at Netero in the 1999 series because he was already on edge from the whole Anita thing.
Gon for some reason is deeply concerned with Anita's wellbeing, even though she tried to kill his friend like two minutes ago. He questions what's going to happen to her, with Netero responding that she probably will be banned from taking the Hunter Exam. Gon,
deeply concerned, asks if there's anything he can do to prevent that. So they play the game. The main reason why Gon plays against Netero in the 1999 series isn't because of the free license (though I guess it certainly is Killua's motive)--Gon does it because he doesn't want Netero to press charges against Anita. He's such a goody-goody.
So the game starts. If you'll notice, the characters are significantly less fast as they are in the Madhouse version. Killua has the nerve to say "What speed!" regarding Netero's agility near the end of episode 11, despite everything being poorly animated and slow. The game doesn't really pick up until the beginning of episode 12.
Killua then showcases one of his special techniques: "Rhythm Echo." Nippon Animation always had the problem of being unable to accurately mimic the characters' fighting styles. The attack's effects are significantly different in the 1999 series. In the manga and Madhouse version, Killua's cadence somehow allows him to create afterimages. Uh, I don't really understand how it works either. Nippon Animation doesn't give the technique a name--in fact, it's a completely different move. Killua walks similarly, but it makes him disappear into the darkness.
So in the 1999 series, even though Killua disappears into darkness to steal the ball, he decides to scream really loudly when he reveals himself (giving away his location, nullifying his intent in the first place). Ok. Episode 11 is over, and gladly.
Episode 12 starts and the animation is great again.
I was wondering how Madhouse was going to attempt to surpass the animation in the 1999 series. Simple--they
didn't attempt. But Madhouse emphasizes Gon's speed in a way the 1999 adaptation didn't ever do. This series doesn't waste time in making its protagonist look cool.
So the kids try pretty hard, but to no avail. Killua gives up, and we get some more divergence. The difference is in his reaction. Killua in the manga is angered, threatened, and annoyed by Netero. He mentions Netero's handicap to Gon. But in the Nippon Animation version, Killua is terrified of his own capacity. He starts shaking and walks out after only saying "I give up." Anita's the one who has to explain to Gon about Netero's arm and leg.
Aaaand then we get a split personality. Killua is both emotionally and psychologically unstable in the 1999 series. He talks to himself and berates himself for letting his murderous urges take over.
During his conversation with himself, a random applicant decides to stand around and watch Killua and gets annoyed by him talking to himself. So Killua decides to kill him...
...only, not really! No one panic, he's ok folks! In the Nippon Animation version, Killua just manages to hurt the applicant kind of badly (and bloodlessly, I might add). You see him covered in bandages by the end of the episode. Nippon Animation missed covering an extremely important theme in this series.
Hisoka removes a man's arms for having bumped into him. In a direct parallel, Killua
murders two men for having done the same thing. It's supposed to make you question whether or not both Hisoka and Killua are "the bad guys." Killua doesn't kill this dude or Anita in the older anime. But the failed characterization and censorship in the 1999 series are side-effects of Nippon Animation removing moral ambiguity for straightforward "good" vs "bad" in the first arc. It gets better in the second half of the anime, but as of right now it's a real shame.
Oh yeah, and there's this short filler with Leorio and Kurapika coming to Menchi's room in the middle of the night. Neither of them have good reasons, and I can't say it's all that entertaining.
For some reason, Netero and Gon move their game outside in the 1999 version. Nippon Animation fails to include a move that Gon does fairly often over the course of the series--this dash thing that he does. Instead, he pulls out his fishing rod to use as a weapon. I really liked this part in the Madhouse version.
The conclusion to Gon vs Netero is different. Gon tries to headbutt twice in the old version, but falls off the airship (and saves himself using his fishing rod). Gon pulls himself up, kicks Netero in the face, and reaches for the ball. Netero then defies the laws of gravity and gets the ball back using all of his limbs. In the Madhouse version and manga, Gon tries to headbutt twice and Netero dodges using his right arm while carrying the ball with his left.
Episode 12 ends with a really bad conclusion. Like, really bad. The dialogue is terrible. Just watch it and see what you think.