What They Say:
No episode information provided.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Though there have been decent moments in this arc overall, this subplot that it’s been on with the volleyball match has certainly been a bit trying at times simply because of its nature. As it’s progressed, we’ve had some interesting moments, but the saving point for it is what spills into this episode where it’s down to our two leads and Hisoka to work together. Bringing the three of them into this configuration has been a lot of fun to watch considering the way their paths have crossed since the original Hunters Exam. Though Hisoka has his own goals, having him work together with them for larger goal at the moment is just grin inducing since you can see him practically salivating over how Gon is ripening for him.
The trio shows off an amusing if effective plan at the start here as they deal with the power of their opponent, though it’s animated with a mix of strongly detailed stills and some comedic approach stills that make you grin even more for the silliness of it all. But the reflection on how they did it, and who the real power behind it all was in addition to the way they worked together is educational to be sure. But when we see that what Gon did before with his attacks wasn’t his full power, we finally do see a little edge of fear in his opponent as he realizes exactly what Ging’s son is going to be like. That part of the match goes very, very big with what Gon does and how it all unfolds, especially since Hisoka tweaks things in a way nobody expects. The first half does a good job of wrapping things up here with some fun quirks and personality bits between the three.
The epilogue aspect to the episode is decent as Razor gets to fill Gon in about his father a bit, though he doesn’t know where he is. Just getting some stories from those who knew him is important to Gon though. But there’s also the Patch of Shore card that they get, and Clone quickly, which helps to prod them along in their overall goal for the arc. But completing this goal just has Bomber ready to work with them to get what he wants, either peacefully or by force, since he’s been watching them all this time. The episode does offer up some decent placement towards what’s to come as those that make it out talk about their plans and how to deal with Bomber and his threats, but it is just that, lots of talk and setup for what’s to come next.
In Summary:
Hunter x Hunter succeeds in making the first half of this episode more exciting than I thought they could after dragging it out a bit overall, especially when you take the other matches into consideration as well between the sides and Razor. There was a good sense of energy and intensity about it, and quality animation and stills, that made it pretty exciting overall. The second half slows things down naturally, but there are good bits to be had in there with what Razor reveals, the camaraderie overall and the general tone of the show as it starts to move forward again after dealing with the challenge of this particular place. It does make clear the challenges that are to come, but that just means more setup time to come before it rolls into those fights hard and settles them. The Greed Island arc has its moments, but it’s also dragging just a bit at this point.
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.
One thing that pleasantly surprised me in this episode was the new background music during the end of the volleyball match; it was a nice break from what I feel is the series weakest point: the repetitive background tunes.
I can only hope this continues to improve as we move towards the ants arc because it has really enhanced the action.