The fallout is not what one may expected.
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)
Giving us that moment again with Netero’s act that involved his own death and seeing the fallout with how the King was nearly killed by it, it’s a dark and ominous way to start the episode. That piece of the previous episode was one of the biggest moments of the series in general since it actually involved sacrifice and that’s been few and far between in this work. Not that that’s a bad thing as it really hasn’t been necessary and the sacrifices that have been made have typically been more about the games, achievements and other angles that don’t require actual life ending moments. That allowed it to have its cake and eat it too. But here, with Netero’s explosion that is truly significant in scale and appearance, it feels weightier than most anything else we’ve seen in the series without qualification.
For the King, he’s been wounded in a huge way and the reaction of the other Chimera Ants that have been bound to him in a big way are intense. While it’s been easy to view them as just cold hearted killers with a love of violence, they also have an intense love of their King and are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure he survives. For Pouf, he diffuses his own body into the King in order to try and heal him even a little so that he can be taken to Pitou for more healing. And that small moment of revitalization is critical for ensuring that it can happen. For the King, it’s interesting to see how he reacts to this with just a few minor words as he’s experienced something that is impossible to comprehend which is taken a few steps further with the sacrifices that the others around him make in order to feed him and give him the energy he needs to continue to exist. It’s that rare moment where you become invested in the survival of the villain of the show since it’s done so expertly.
With his recovery taking up a good chunk of the episode, it’s interesting to see how it unfolds with both Pouf and Youpi so invested in it as he ends up coming back into his own. With his memory not what it was, likely due to both the reconstruction of cells and the impact of what actually happened with Netero, the others bring him up to speed but there’s this sense of emptiness coming from him as he processes it all, especially compared to the eager way the others talk, particularly Pouf. It has a curious tone to it overall and seeing how both Pouf and Youpi handle it as he evolves and changes is definitely intriguing to watch, particularly the visual with him with wings. With the idea that he could be changing his approach to one that involves him simply giving up in a way, it has an odd flow and feel to it where you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop, especially with the way Pouf is freaking out throughout it.
In Summary:
Hunter x Hunter keeps its focus entirely on the trio of the King, Pouf and Youpi here and it’s definitely interesting to watch as it plays out. With his recovery aided by what both Pouf and Youpi provide to give him sustenance, it’s frightening to see how he’s able to recover so quickly after such a devastating blow by Netero, one that involved the ultimate sacrifice, and then come across as an almost completely different person. There’s a lot to like here where it takes the time to really massage and work the atmosphere and tone of it while also showing to us that this really may be a game changing moment where the King’s story in particular truly pivots.
Grade: A-
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.