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25 Years Later: "Trauma ✕ Limit ✕ Sweet Trap"

It is often said that 1999 only has four anime original episodes, and even here that is still relatively true- only if you consider adapting manga content for the last three minutes, and in a way that completely changes how you view the characters as ‘faithful adaptation work’.

This episode is relatively noteworthy among 1999’s repertoire, being a very strong episode about the pasts of our characters and being the true introduction to Killua (I can say his name now). It goes so far as to name a character that would never be named in the manga or subsequent anime, that being Leorio’s deceased friend, Pietro. 

Leorio is a significant focus of this episode, carrying on from where the prior one left off. He feels weak, pathetic, like he should give up, like he isn’t cut out for the exam, and where the manga has him spur back into action soon after, 1999 has him genuinely fall behind and he has to find ��relief’- a sweet smelling tree that supposedly replenishes one’s stamina, but in reality forces them to confront things they’d prefer to leave behind.

Leorio’s side of the story is one of isolation and guilt. While Gon and Killua are enshrouded in the darkness of the cave, Leorio bathes in light, the movements of the sun being the only thing changing in his world. No matter what he does, Pietro is dead- he can hear the man speak, follow him as he walks ahead, but the reality always comes back. Pietro died because Leorio couldn’t help him, his corpse was already burned long ago and there’s nothing he can do about it.

It’s a question of why Leorio is even here. Gon seeks someone alive, and Kurapika seeks to avenge those who died, but Leorio is rather mundane in comparison, to a point ill advised to one becoming a hunter. He seeks to become a doctor, but the reason he’d want to be one has moved on, he won’t be able to see Pietro again no matter what he does, and this episode confronts his personal motivations. That he doesn’t want anyone to suffer like Pietro had and be told to die simply because they lack money to continue living. 

Ultimately, Leorio is victorious over the hallucinations designed to get the worst of him. He realizes his goal and the hallucination of Pietro goes from goading him into suicide to wishing him well on his journey, the flames of his funeral turning into the arrival of the friends Leorio has made on his journey. 

But, there is a story adjacent to this, although it’s easy to miss when Leorio’s side takes control- Kurapika is also affected by the illusions. We see glimpses of that spider, his eyes turn red and he becomes unable to speak after mere moments in this trap, switching from a defensive combat stance to an eventual pitiful reaching out for something the viewer is not permitted to see. While Leorio conquers his illusion, Kurapika fails to do the same in a way reminiscent of the minor character Nicholas, who was also present here. Kurapika even has to be saved, knocked back to his senses, and the viewer is given a shot of Kurapika that will come back more and more as the show goes on.

So, if Kurapika and Leorio are suffering, what about our other two protagonists? 

Gon and Killua, despite playing more minor roles here, also receive significant changes. Well, mostly just Killua. Killua’s interest in the hunter exams as a game is explored here, his excuse for coming back being primarily because Gon’s adventure seemed more interesting than the main exam, but his excuse rings less like an excuse and more like his actual reason. His bored disinterest throughout most of his presence here shows a complicated character, one whose complications increase further as the episode concludes and Gon speaks of Ging. 

To contrast with the manga, Gon talking about Ging is more for the audience, a way to catch Killua up to speed with the story, but in the anime the scene is focused on Killua’s reaction, and how significant it is to him that Gon is this focused on his father and his father’s career. It’s something to keep in the back of one’s mind for later.

And of course, this wouldn’t be my Hunter x Hunter blog without making mention of my favourite detail. This episode end with, yes, the infamous animation error of Kurapika with massive breasts. What a fine note to end on, considering this is our second cliffhanger ending in a row!

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25 Years Later:  "Lie ✕ Truth? ✕ Kiriko"

Another relatively faithful episode- trust me, we’ll get to some deep stuff real soon. Two more episodes soon.

Even in saying that, this episode, like the prior few, is remarkably unfaithful despite entirely taking from the manga for its narrative. Much like before, it is expanding one chapter out into its own episodic narrative, and an identifying mark is emerging in the variety of these narratives. To go over where we have been before, the first episode was one of departure, a boy leaving his mother to find his father, a very archetypal narrative, but told through the perspective of that boy’s mother. 

The second was then about the same boy in the ‘real world’- a seedy town where his idealism and hope is in conflict. The third is about stubborn personalities conflicting in a tense situation, and showing the true nature of people beneath petty ideas of respect. The fourth was a literal game, complete with a host, multiple competitors who set up the mystique of the game, as well as an underhanded rival who briefly joins the group.

So the fifth becomes a mystery. It sticks completely to the world of the night, only the moon illuminating the characters, foreshadowing and dire, yet ignored, warnings plague the first half, while the second is about unravelling what this mystery is- as well as discovering there was a mystery in the first place. 

Here the anime continues its ongoing trend to differentiate itself from the manga. If you read this section in the manga, Gon is strictly the protagonist- Kurapika and Leorio are major characters but their perspectives and journeys are secondary at this point. Here though, all three experience this mystery and draw their conclusions as equals, in a way that showcases their aptitude and talents. 

Starting with the most changed character in this narrative, we have Leorio. In the manga, he tends to the husband and is not seen until the very end of the chapter, his skill only being stated in post. Here though, his assistance is shown, and there is even a moment that sets up how Leorio could’ve run into Kurapika in the forest to keep it in line with the manga’s reveal that the Leorio in the woods is an impostor. Leorio even receives his own moment of discovery where he takes down the Kiriko he was treating, in sharp contrast to the manga where he never solved the mystery at hand.

Kurapika and Gon both solved it in the manga, but the difference is in focus. All three characters share the screen almost equally, and it changes how we perceive them. We get more early insight into Leorio, what’s in his suitcase is in fact medical supplies, and the focus on his ability in this field sets up the later reveal for his character. 

Kurapika remains more unchanged, his scenes merely receiving expansion with some setup on him being able to understand the tattoos on the woman he recovers, with the first half having him investigate ruins written in the same script, but Gon has a fairly significant change, and it’s all in one line of dialogue.

In the manga, when Gon confronts the second Kiriko, the Kiriko stops when he asks the monster its name while it attacks. In the anime though, the monster stops specifically because Gon doesn’t react at all to his attack, and Gon instead focuses primarily on how he was fighting a different monster.

It’s a weird change, and one that serves to highlight Gon’s good nature in addition to his ability to be in touch with nature, and I honestly don’t quite get it. Not saying it’s a negative, I only noticed this because I watch the episode and then immediately go through the chapter to note any points of comparison or contrast, but it’s certainly odd.

Overall, this episode is one for the Leorio fans- but it’s also one for fans of every character. The show continues to be all about striking a balance between this main party and keeping their events episodic in nature rather than mirroring the manga’s presentation of Gon as the central pillar that we hyper fixate on. In that, I continue to notice a more subtle change in character presentation- while in the manga Leorio and Kurapika are often kept together and more distant from Gon mentally, the anime has a habit of keeping Gon and Kurapika close and contrasting them more so than Gon and Leorio or Leorio and Kurapika. It’s as if the anime staff already knew the direction the narrative was going- for example, the opening half that is primarily anime original has Gon and Kurapika being portrayed as equals- both row the boat, both examine the ruins, both share in looks of disappointment at Leorio’s complaining, they are both constantly being compared. Again, this will be expanded on as we go, but for now it’s an interesting change.

As a final aside, Hisoka’s theme sees another usage as a motif this episode, and once more it is a theme highlighting deception within the exam- specifically, it is when Kurapika begins to notice the tattoo on the ‘wife’ he saved. More interesting than this established motif is that we haven’t heard Kurapika’s theme since the first episode, and we haven’t heard Leorio’s theme in general. Hisoka though is being used, consistently, as a theme for deception and trickery in these scenes- specifically with a different rendition of his theme (The Force of Sadness) rather than the main rendition labelled as his theme in the soundtrack (Waiting for Light, for Some Reason…). The only time his main theme has been used was with the fake hunter, rather than these real challenges within the hunter exams. 

Something to think about as we’ll be meeting him, Killua, Tonpa, and many others in the next episode, as we finally leave opportunities for episodic adventures behind- or do we? Who knows, really?

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25 Years Later: "Pride ✕ Stormy Water ✕ Duel"

Our arrival at the third member of the main cast also comes in the most faithfully adapted episode thus far. While our first episode took a great number of often overlooked liberties, and our second episode was purely a product of the anime’s staff, with both shedding light on the remixed characterizations at play for this anime, this third episode offers a slightly more faithful rendition of events.

Obviously it won’t be one hundred percent faithful- it’s adapting one standard length chapter to a full episode, and it frontloads much of its changes. Certain scenarios are removed to ease the viewer into events, such as the storm that opens the chapter in the manga. This is removed in favor of combining both storms for the second half of the episode and instead showcasing some background potential Hunters getting seasick at the start. We’re still firmly in that bed of realism 1999 likes to approach.

While discussing changes from the manga, a point of note is that slightly greater focus is placed on Gon’s journey in a rather innocuous scene. The ship’s captain in all versions of this moment asks about what Gon’s dad does, but 1999 invokes a classic trope of the captain comparing Gon to his father vocally. Gon’s recognition of a coming storm is responded to with “You’re the second person who could do that”.

Now, I’m already fairly rattled by comparing to the manga so much when I didn’t really want to invoke this comparative idea so much, but I have to when the episode is as faithful as it is currently. Another element of note is how this carries on Leorio’s character into the episode as we already got introduced to him in the second episode, and here we see he is less interested in looking out for Gon and more interested in himself, and other changes abound beyond that.

Leorio is now the only character who resists saying his name. Rather than berating Gon for saying why he wants to be a Hunter, he gets frustrated at the invasive question and starts shouting, being more prone to outbursts in the anime. But a significant, character-informing change is that Leorio is the one who initiates hostilities with Kurapika.

In the manga, Kurapika opens by disrespecting Leorio in their very first interaction (ignoring him, not using the polite “-san”, and of course insulting him at the end). Manga Leorio is obnoxious but he never actually does anything to Kurapika before asking why he needs to be a hunter to take revenge. In the anime though, Leorio jabs and snarks at Kurapika before this point, commenting on his book smarts, and of course, already being quick to anger before Kurapika even opens his mouth in the interview scene. 

This is all part of my grand theory that yes, as I’m sure nobody suspected, the 1999 Hunter x Hunter anime was made by Kurapika fans. Kurapika is often framed more as the victim of these exchanges with Leorio’s demand for respect being seen as unreasonable, Leorio wonders about Kurapika’s age, Leorio is just an all around jerk- which is accurate to his introduction last episode. He doesn’t bother with Gon and tries to get away from him constantly, and he has to have his heart of gold dug up throughout the episode. He is now reset because who’s this ship captain? What’s his deal? Why’s this little twink acting so cool and conceited? It’s pissing him off.

The softening of Kurapika is really funny when Leorio finally snaps and says he’ll fight him. In the manga, Kurapika’s expression darkens and he takes serious issue with Leorio’s words, and in the anime he still takes issue, but the framing of it shows Kurapika’s softer side still, while Leorio’s visible annoyance takes up most of the screen. Of course, Kurapika is still all over the idea of fighting him. The battle also actually happens in the anime, unlike the manga, and it shows the classic style of masculine bonding through beating your fellow man up- the two acknowledge each other’s strengths in this.

(forgive the incredibly dark screenshots, we'll take about 1999's video issues another day)

In fact, throughout the episode it is often shown that while Kurapika and Leorio are different in their words, they’re often similar in their actions. They both stray from helping others on the boat and both end up being confrontational to people invading their privacy with the interview questions, which ultimately leads to both rushing to save Gon and Katzo. But yet another change occurs here- Kurapika hesitates in the manga!

Yes, it’s one panel, but Kurapika visibly hesitates while Leorio goes first, and I feel like I am going crazy as I am only now realizing this. In the 1999 anime though, both rush at the same time, and Kurapika actually even follows Gon’s example and leaps off to grab him, whereas in the manga, Leorio and Kurapika both grab one leg.

It’s made clear in this episode that there is an underlying love already blooming for Kurapika. He’s less prone to angry or surprised outbursts (his ones questioning Gon at the end are mostly removed and he doesn’t even shout them), he begins to find common ground with Leorio through battle, and of course, he almost sacrifices himself for Gon but implicitly understands the man behind him, that being Leorio, will save him.

It’s an interesting and remarkably subtle shift in characterization, and while Gon’s shift is incredibly noticeable, Kurapika’s will be slow. Eventually, his character might even become unrecognizable and he may usurp the mantle of main character entirely- for at least a little bit.

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They listem to 80s city pop and leorio knows most of the lyrics

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dont have tt so my first time seeing it- SO COOL!!!

my first post yay

this is my most popular tiktok and i love it so much because its leopika

#leopika #leorio #kurapika #hxh #hunterxhunter #fandom

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Def will go under many fixes but here it is. Hello OCTOBER MY SPOOKY SEASON

inspired by my comfort movie- it being kikis delivery service

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LAOIS WOULD

More Marcille with short hair

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marcille would not stand the heat

please support me on ig

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your every piece is even better than the previous one- and this. Wow

Loneliness

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I love this comic sooo much and as soon ive seen this marcille i had to draw her so here is a doodle

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Pearl sketches

In Napoleon inspired outfit cause why not

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Ig this is the time i show the world my oc: Danka is literally everywhere - from my notes to sketchbooks

Danuta appreciaton

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Quick redraw

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angsty leopika

communication is key, they say

I swear school will be the death of me so im sorry if ill post rarely or the pieces wont be as clean

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gosh it's so great I would hang it on my wall

Siblings 🥰🙏

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finally something other than hxh. my friend will make fun of me obsessing over every character with bob haircut- but there she is, our chicken nugget queen falin. I swear she is a having a mild migrane dw.

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great interpretation

Succession war Kurapika

I've completed all the available HXH chapters (400), and there were a few scenes that really stood out to me with Kurapika.

I love and adore him as the main character of this arc, and we've seen his perspective and his downward spiral in yorknew.

Seeing him now, and how far he's strayed definitely makes his POV the most interesting to me.

I wanted to point out/ talk about some of the panels throughout the SW.

This panel especially stood out to me, and it's one of my favorites out of the entire manga. He mentions how every time he got a part of his brethren back- he lost something. While I think it could be a physical presence, I think he's talking about himself here more than anything.

Each time he's threatened, coaxed, paid people off, he's lost a part of himself.

Kurapika strays away from his relationships, while to protect them- and also what I believe is out of guilt (and the other which I'll go over in a moment). I think he knows what he's doing to himself, and I don't think he can handle facing it head on, or risking harming his friends physically or emotionally.

And again, when Kurapika agrees to join the zodiacs.

Straying even from Leorio, it's clear he'd rather face things alone, and without distractions. Which is exactly what they are, distractions.

His quest to collect his family is coming to an end. "Where would I go?" I think he means this in a literal, and metaphorical sense. Where will he end up by the end of this? Which path will he go down? He has no place to call home, and he truly believes he has nothing left, and nobody to welcome him back.

Despite having allies, and who quickly became close friends.

He didn't realize it at the time, but shortly after teaming up with Bill and others- he understood the importance of allies.

"Things didn't proceed so simply", things weren't as simple as gathering pawns, and walking the path of revenge alone.

He formed genuine bonds that mean more to him than simple pawns for his quest. He's now torn between his isolation, and his care for his friends. Despite this, he will continue to punish himself and walk this path alone- it's much harder than he'd originally intended. Pushing his friends away to complete his goal, because it serves as his only purpose in his eyes. Even if he knows it's wrong.

Oito asks if spying on the 4th prince is for his convenience. Kurapika takes a moment, and tells her this is simply a strategic choice. I don't think he's lying, but I do think he wants to protect her, and wobble- while still keeping contact with the Prince.

At the moment, he will prioritize protecting the two of them. I think it happens to align with his goal, but it isn't necessarily for his convenience.

The reason I bring this up is to highlight that despite the fact he wants to push his friends away, and work towards his goal- he won't risk the lives of others.

He says he will repeat it as many times as needed, that they are there to protect her and the prince. To trust him.

He tries to be someone who will risk everything for the sake of recovering the eyes, but deep down he can't. Much like how he cannot truly abandon his friends, only isolate himself.

Kurapika is loyal, and unwilling to sacrifice others for the sake of his goal. He forced a stalemate, and took advantage of his nen knowledge to level out the playing field. A stalemate buys them more time, making it so it won't be as easy for experienced nen users to take advantage of non nen users.

It was a brilliant idea that may be risky, but also offers protection for him, and the queen.

During this conversation with Mizaistom, it's clear that Kurapika has not abandoned all of his morals, he wants to avoid killing the Prince despite having the remaining eyes. He would rather try other methods, and is opposed to killing.

Mizaistom and Kurapikas dynamic is one of my favorites, but that's for another time.

That's all I have to talk about, for now. I wanted to go over my favorite panels, and his relationships in the succession war.