Killua’s past and present are explored before he faces the one thing he’s truly afraid of.
What They Say:
With help from Canary, who is concerned about Killua, Gon and his friends are getting closer to the mansion. However, Kikyo tells them that Killua cannot see them as he is in solitary confinement. Meanwhile, Killua has been summoned by Silva and asked if he wants to see his friend? Killua answers truthfully, and he is allowed to go see his friends…
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With the Kukuroo Mountain arc fully underway, we’ve had a lot of good time with Gon and the gang so far as they’ve made new friends and progress inside the mansion after getting a bit stronger in order to get past the first real barrier. We’ve gotten to see a bit more of the dedication that they have, fueled by Gon, to firming up and expressing the friendship that developed between the four of them over the course of the Exam Phase of the series. And it’s definitely been fun and interesting to watch. What’s been left out though is Killua as he’s been kept hidden inside, chained up, as his family deals with the things that have gotten into his head because of the Exam and said friendships that can hurt his career as a family assassin. So it’s welcome that we get some background material on him here.
The early flashback to his younger days with Canary, the very young looking girl who appeared at the end of the last episode, we see one of those early bonds he had with someone else that was serving as grounds staff for the family. It’s definitely cute how they get along while they’re both being very mature for their age, but it’s the action side that really stands out as we see just how tough she is during one of the times a group of people made it further into the grounds than might be expected. But in all of this we also see the dangers that come from Canary’s being like she is with Killua since the family has very specific ideas about what’s needed to raise the children in order to expand the Zoldyck family business. It’s positively creepy when you get down to it, though just in a Shonen style.
When the episode deals in the present, it has some very keen things going on as it shows the progress Gon and the others are making. Killua’s intensity is off the charts when he finds that they’re there and getting closer while being threatened by his family, something he positively won’t allow, which reinforces the friendship bonds overall. Gon and the others are the weak link here in the episode as they try to understand what’s going on, but it’s not all that bad since it puts them off balance, something that doesn’t happen too often. Watching what’s going on in Killua’s side of the story is far more interesting, especially as his grandfather gets involved in the middle of it all and has his own approach with how to deal with the wayward grandson, as well as putting Killua’s father into the mix. It may be an old school design, but it has a sense of power and confidence about him that definitely is spot on for the character.
In Summary:
Hunter x Hunter has a pretty good episode here as it lets Killua have some time to shine and show off in both the past and present. His relationship with Canary is one of the nicer points to things that helps to show a little bit of his softer side, but one that definitely has a harder edge to it even still. With Gon and the gang getting closer and making inroads of their own, it’s a good, solid, progressive episode that moves things forward. Not as fast as some might hope, but it’s taking its time to humanize Killua in a way that’s truly necessary. And the best part is the fantastic father/son talk that happens in the second half which really is a great piece of drama, as small as it is, because it says so much with so little and makes Killua someone that you can really connect with easily now.
Grade: B+
Readers Rating: [ratings]
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.
