Nothing spices up a game like Hisoka showing up when you least expect it.
What They Say:
No episode information provided.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Now that Gon, Killua and Bisky have sort of joined up with a number of others in order to try and slow down the key members playing the game from actually finishing it by doing what they’re doing with the final cards, they’re moving to deal with it in a new way. That first encounter has them trying to get to a particular boss but having to face off with some low level punks first. Well, at least compared to the boss as there’s a good circle of fire kind of fight going on that challenges the rest of them, though it’s Killua that just uses some common sense to get through it. If there’s one of the things I love about this series is that while it does set up some rules based fights, it also allows the characters to use basic tricks to get through them quickly in a realistic way.
When the group makes their way to the boss rather quickly, it all turns into a fairly standard style of competition. The boss is pretty accepting of things, saying they’ll leave the island if they lose, but it’ll be a series of sports challenges with different people going up against each other, something that works as a bit of training for his guys is what he figures on. There’s some decent little challenges to be had along the way that are fun to watch, whether it be boxing or soccer, but it follows some of the usual and expected rules of such challenges where there are manipulations going on that some don’t expect, at least within the lower ranks. With the card objective at hand, the core trio have come up with an interesting approach to dealing with the larger problem at hand with how the whole event is set up.
While the show offers up some interesting things going on in the first half, it’s the second half that tweaks things in a really neat way as the core group ends up coming across Hisoka. Hisoka is playing his own game to be sure when it comes to Chrollo and what the guys are capable of being intersted in doing because of him. He’s manipulating the situation in a way that, to him, is just amusing since he brings the knowledge that some of the Spiders are in the game. The back and forth between him and the boys is fun to see since Gon is just so honest and Bisky makes a hysterical bit of involvement for herself as well, but it’s one laced with some subtle bits from her that paints a different picture of what’s going on. There’s a good bit of setup that takes place in this as Hisoka is drawn into the group for a bit, but it’s layered with lies and truth that have to be discerned. Hisoka brings a certain something special to any episode and this one is no exception.
In Summary:
Hunter x Hunter is in a kind of odd place here where there’s the general push towards stopping Bomber from what he’s doing in terms of acquiring cards, but it takes the odd turn when Hisoka shows up. Part of it is just figuring out what he’s really up to, and what the Phantom Troupe may really be up to, and that has some very good stuff to it as Bisky provides a new angle on dealing with him and Killua continually tries to think things through about what the truth may be. Gon’s blunt and honest approach is what charms Hisoka the most and makes for a good balance to everything else. While events may not be entirely clear, and some of what Killua is thinking may not be fully accurate, there’s a lot of interesting potential twists at play here.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
