Hunter X Hunter Episode 123
What They Say:
Gon, a young boy who lives on Whale Island, dreams of becoming a Hunter like his father, who left when Gon was still young.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Hunter x Hunter was fairly restrained in the previous episode as it brought us back to Netero and the King as they faced off, mostly because it was a situation where the King simply wants to sit and talk since he believes he’s operating from a position of power with all of this. That has Netero striking at him to make him aware that he’s not, but it actually ends up reinforcing the King’s power level here since he defused it and then simply sat down while waiting to talk. But Netero’s interest is in getting the King worked up and emotional, which he tries to do by talking about the King’s mother and what they learned as she died while surrounded by subordinates. It’s an interesting tactic since Netero reinforces it by challenging the King to take Netero down without killing him, which is when he’ll actually talk with him. Not one to back down, the King takes the bait as he views it as a way to put Netero in checkmate.
While this does set the stage well, you know the show wants to dabble elsewhere as these two powerhouses gear up. While it could be frustrating, it is fun to see events with Ikalgo again as this character continues to surprise me since he switched sides and began working with the group. He’s still not able to do what he needs to in a way since he can’t kill, and that leaves him in a difficult place in general while facing off with opponents that clearly have no issue killing him. With it focused on Welfin and Ikalgo, it’s not exactly comical – only a touch because of their designs – but rather it focuses on the struggle between the two since they’re kind of odd characters in general in a very difficult situation. Made worse by Ikalgo getting stuck with some sort of series of centipedes in his head which just makes him look even more comical.
With just a bit of action, a lot of this is all about mindset, what’s going through their heads and just the tension of the moment as they face off. It’s pretty fun in its own way, especially if you’re a fan of Ikalgo like I am, but we also get some decent back story on Welfin as well as we find out what his human life was like before he was fed to the Chimera Ant queen and how he ended up like he is, desperately trying to forget his past, which is pretty intense when you get down to it. It’s a bit more than you’d expect for a character like Welfin, but it really makes him accessible in a surprising way and even warms Ikalgo’s heart a bit, which is a great bonding moment between the two as they talk things out. Digging into Welfin like this really helps to expand how some of those that were taken and reborn by the Chimera Ant queen have handled their lives since and what they went through.
In Summary:
An episode focused on Ikalgo and Welfin that’s all about the drama and emotion? Color us surprised that not only that it happened but that it was as enjoyable as it proved to be. Ikalgo’s been an interesting character since his introduction for a number of reasons and seeing him struggle with his place in the grand scheme of this fight has definitely worked well. Pitting him against Welfin makes for a challenge for both of them and while you could expect some sort of sort of pointless episode, it actually worked to expand on some of what the Chimera Ants have done and made Welfin a far more compelling character than one could have imagined. Of course, it also gave us a truly chilling final moment for the next episode as we get a look at Palm, which will make fans quite nervous.
Grade: B
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.