Hunters are a special breed, dedicated to tracking down treasures, magical beasts, and even other men. But such pursuits require a license, and less than one in a hundred thousand can pass the grueling qualification exam. Those who do pass gain access to restricted areas, amazing stores of information, and the right to call themselves Hunters.
WE MEET AGAIN Killua's uneasiness about the Ants wasn't so far-fetched after all! When unforeseen incidents set the Hunters back in their showdown with the King and his Royal Guards, everyone has to scramble to get back on track! Can the Hunters regain their advantage against an enemy that's way more than they bargained for...?!
Yoshihiro Togashi (冨樫義博) is a manga artist. Credited in Chinese translations as Fu Jian Yi Bo.
He began drawing manga at an early age; while he attended college, the publisher Shueisha recognized his talent. Togashi has authored numerous manga series in different genres during the past three decades. He is perhaps best known for writing and illustrating the YuYu Hakusho and Hunter × Hunter series, both of which have been published in the popular Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. Togashi is married to Naoko Takeuchi, the author of Sailor Moon.
This is the part where Gon and Killua's conversation in Yorkshin City sprung up in my head again, the scene when they escaped after being captured by the Phantom Troupe. About Gon being the reckless one and Killua should always be the calm one and stop his friend. At this part, Killua just did what he had to do, staying reasonable and compose even when he was worried about Gon's state. But because his mind was clouded with hatred towards Pitou, Gon really did said something without thinking. His words hurt and Killua absolutely felt that. It was not as if Killua didn't care about Kite at all. It was all he can do to be the pillar of Gon's bursting emotions, but then Gon said those words. That scene when it was focus on the door behind Gon and Killua's gone, it was heart-breaking.
Morel, Knuckle, Shoot, Meleoron and Ikalgo also have their own battles to fight and they all struggle. They're all in a pinch.
Killua, after being slapped with words by his friend and eventually let him do his own battle, met up with Meleoron. It was a good thing though at the moment because he was in time to save Knuckle. His Thunderbolt ability was activated and Killua's entrance was sooo cool! I don't think he would have faced Yupi head on if for instance he hadn't removed the needle Illumi placed in his head. That's why I so loved confident Killua.
His first words in the next volume about taking off some steam was so accurate to the way he was feeling after he left Gon.
At this point I think it's safe to say that the ants are basically human at this point. Yeah, a lot of them are selfish assholes, but that seems to have more to do with their upbringing. At the same time, Gon was about to the the exact same thing he's mad at Pitou for. Killing a complete stranger to satisfy his own selfish desires.
Through his adventures, Gon has been able to fit most of his enemies into a box of pure evil. Genthru and Hisoka fit that label in his eyes. The spiders weren't really his enemy so much as they were just a threat to Kurapika. All the ants he'd met so far fit this label. And up until now, he thought Pitou was the same. But when he stows up after all the training and hardship and trauma he went through to get his revenge on Pitou, he is stunned to see him act so selflessly. In Gon's mind, this was an evil force of nature. But now he suddenly has to take in all this new information. The king had someone he cared about, that innocent person was hurt in the crossfire, Pitou wants to take care of this person, Pitou is willing to die for that purpose, Gon can't have his revenge right now unless he is willing to essentially kill an innocent child. All of these revelations, dropped on him at once, have to be filtered through the lens of his young mind while under the stress of limited time and the potential for death at any moment.
And the kid just snaps. He almost goes through with killing Pitou and dooming Komugi. Killua stops him, but Gon snaps at his best friend. Killua's fear of Gon's unflinching optimism betraying them has come to pass. Gon wasn't realistic about Kite's fate, Killua didn't try to change his mind, and now Gon is inches away from doing something horrible.
Throughout, the story is conveyed with the best art I've seen from Togashi. Gon's breakdown expertly capitalizes on the flexibility of Togashi's style, allowing him to really contort Gon's expressions and employ multiple art styles fluidly. It could be in my head, but I swear we're also seeing more full page or nearly full page panels, not to mention the double page spreads. The fact that these haven't been as common to this point really makes what is happening feel more grand and consequential than any previous point in the story.
And I want to give another shoutout to Knuckle, who feels like Kuwabara's ultimate form. He's become one of my favorite characters (and honestly more of a protagonist than Gon at this point).
Also another shoutout to how well explained each character's thought process is. Because we see them weigh several options at every juncture, their decisions feel believable and weighty. It really feels like things could go drastically differently because each option has been carefully considered. It also gives more of a feeling that things are playing out before our eyes because each character feels like a person trying to pick the best answer, rather than an actor in a narrative following their predetermined path.
One of my favorite examples is watching Youpi (the typical enemy dumb meathead) actively grow, learning self control in order to better serve his King. He goes from flailing wildly to playing mindgames by leaving intentional openings in his attacks. All because he realized that his previous methods prevented him from best doing what matters most to him. Knuckle does some growing too. And because we get such a window into each characters' thoughts, providing dramatic irony for both sides, it leaves you on the edge of your seat.
This one was so epic. Man, Gon was ready to lose it. His anger was so strong I almost thought he was going to attack Pitou. Also, that arm sacrifice from Pitou- I almost cried for him...
I don't know what Killua's family has in store for him, but they're testing him for some reason. They think he'll return to assassinating or something?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Okay, so despite thinking that this was going to be the volume where all the fights really started... it was not 8'D I mean, Meruem, Netero and Zeno were hardly in this one at all! And while the battle with Youpi seems to be going strong... we don't really have any decisive moves made so far in that one... and nothing has happened with Pitou yet... and there's basically just a bunch of misdirection going on as far as the battle with Pouf is concerned...
Honestly, even though I enjoyed this volume, there's kinda just a whole lot of nothing happening in it 8'D
Some cool moments absolutely smothered by a lot of overbearing narration, fights going on way too long with too little novelty to show for it. The parts I care about are few and far between and since so much of this has become a slog of a battle there's nothing intellectually stimulating to keep me interested.
Chimera Ant arc VIII 3.5⭐ This is taking soooooo long ! Multiple volumes for one battle. A typical, traditional shonen. At least the art did not disappoint this time.
this is so good… Also the pacing in the anime did get messed up!! I think it’s better in the manga or at least time is portrayed much better. It’s crazy how much can happen in 5 minutes 0-0 5 stars!!
BOSS BATTLE(s). One of the great volumes of HxH. In such a dense volume, I'll highlight just a couple points:
- Ever since Kite died, Gon has been relegated to stewing in his plot to enact revenge upon Pitou. This is perhaps the longest the series has gone without giving the story's main protagonist any true significance. The kettle is whistling.
The buildup leads to Gon encountering Pitou with a twist: she is busy healing Komugi, who was inadvertently wounded from Zeno's attack. Despite his usual kindness and mercy, Gon is having none of this. In response to his threats, Pitou begs to have the time to save the girl (as were the king's orders) and even mutilates herself to whatever degree Gon will accept as sufficient collateral.
This exchange is truly captivating. It flips the entirety of this arc on its head and tests Gon in a way Hisoka never could. The ruthless ant who decapitated Kite and turned him into a death puppet was pleading to perform a heroic act at the chagrin of Gon, the most kindhearted character in this entire manga. Pitou and the Royal Guards don't care about anything other than protecting the king. But while my of the ant's heartless ways have been deplorable, the guards' dedication and passion to the king is actually admirable and, at times, beautiful. Gon's reconciliation with this leaves him in a state of immeasurable rage.
He gives Pitou one hour to stabilize Komugi. Then it's game time.
- Knuckle and Shoot's fight with Youpi is much cooler than it had any right to be. It established Knuckle's impenetrable resolve while showing Youpi as a more formidable brute than he appears. His internal dialogue after going full rage monster is quite compelling for a mini boss, coupled with his focus on protecting the throne room vs. fighting for the sake of fighting. Out of all the BOSS BATTLEs going on right now, this one seems the most lopsided (in favor of Youpi).
Gon finally encounters Neferpitou. He is not happy about it.
****
EDIT (07/27/2024): Most fights here are continuations of the last volume.
Shoot versus Youpi Knuckle versus Youpi Morel versus Pouf Gon versus Pitou (standoff) (Meleoron versus Welfin)* Knuckle versus Youpi (part II)** (Zeno versus Cheetu)* (Silva versus Cheetu)* (Ikalgo-Flutter versus Bloster)* Killua+Meleoron versus Youpi
*I don't think I've explained this outright in any previous volume, for this or any other manga, but when I include a battle in parentheses I usually mean something like "This isn't a 'real' fight." So, in the above examples, Welfin and Bloster attack our heroes, but don't damage them, and no "official" fight is started. Zeno avoids engaging Cheetu because he can't be bothered. Silva one-shots Cheetu
**With Youpi deciding to stick with guarding the area, the "part I" for Shoot/Knuckle/Meleoron versus Youpi has ended. When I say "part II" here, I mean Knuckle has instigated a fresh battle. Technically, by this logic, I could say the scene when Youpi gains awareness over the advantage of his rage-explosions may count as a "part III," but Knuckle was still locked into the battle itself, so it's not really a "separate" fight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
It's all battles except the big one :) Shoot fought the big demonic one of the guard till he worn out and nearly died Knuckle couldn't stay away and he joined in :) the last two pages of the volume I was ready saying goodbye to Knuckle till Killua came with his Lightning :) AWESOME!!! Killua's Grandpa didn't really joined the battle as I was expected he just did his part with the dragons and then he left :) and we get to see Killua's father in this volume :) :) :) GREAT!!! Morel fight with Pufu but till the end of the volume they were just sitting in there places :/ The king handed the Komugi to Pitou to heal her, he allowed Netero to take the battle someplace else away from civilians :) Gon made a deal with Pitou to let her finish healing the girl in one hour and then she would come with him to save Kite... All that took only 5mins :) :) :)
This was certainly another action-packed volume, and only around 5 minutes have passed in the entirety of it!
Oh, Gon. Consumed with rage to the point it clouded his judgement, he faced Neferpitou only to receive answers he didn't want. Although I didn't feel scared this time around, for I've already witnessed this drastic change from Gon's nature, I did feel worried for him.
I was happy to see Knucle willing to throw everything aside just to retrieve his (and Shoot's) pride. Simultaneously, I was glad Meruem was found just by Komugi's side.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Selama pengerjaan jilid ini, yang saya inget adalah adik cowok saya berkali-kali nanyain "Udah sampai mana Mbak ngerjainnya?" terus mulai ngoceh kalau dia paling demen bagian ngelawan Pitou yang di jilid ini dsb dll dkk panjang lebar banget sampai-sampai saya baru ngeh kalau udah lama gak ngobrol banyak sama dia ahahahaha... Nanka ii kanji kamo~ <3
Ohmygosh, that stuff with Gon and Pitou was the absolute coolest. This arc is an easy 10/10. I'm starting to see why people consider this the gold standard of shonen. Incredible character work, art, and story.
Morel has always been one of my boiz. His design, demeanor and skills are badass. Knuckle loves dogs and I love dogs, so, he is my boi. Shoot is part of the gang and the friend of my friend is my boi. Now what happens in this volume with Knuckle and Shoot makes my respect and inner fire sky rocket for no god damned reason at all to levels beyond. There's so much glory here. It's all pride and macho, just like old school wrestling, and I'm loving it.
Knuckle is just like Kuwabara from Yu Yu Hakusho through and through. His ability "It's time!" "You've accrued interest" is amazing. He's a brawler with such suave style. page 131 - 139 are just the best, haha. "I'm sorry Morel. We're a couple of idiots." Honestly some of you looking at this probably won't feel much towards it, but maybe you will feel the same way I did. It's one of those unforgettable moments in a series and it happened with side characters, I absolutely adore this stuff.
Quick note for myself here. I'm pretty infatuated with Togashi's style. I like his art, I like the equivalent of what would be his literary prose, and overall I think he is telling a good story both visually and in the narrative. I'm finding it way too exhilarating. For this particular volume I'd say the art is losing it's touch a bit now that all the bubbles and text are in bold and the characters are drawn with crazy thick lines every other page for emphasis. It's just like using too many exclamations!
I don't think I am spoiling anything. I'm not mentioning anything about these fights, suffice to say they are heating up. I've honestly forgot about Gon and Killua for the most part. I'm in this for Knuckle, Shoot and Morel now.
Una de las grandes falencias de este arco, en mi opinión, es Knuckle. Aunque entiendo que pueda haber personas que aprecien al personaje, desde mi perspectiva resultó ser un "vende humo". Esto se refleja tanto en el cliffhanger de este volumen, donde se despide como si fuera a morir, como en su habilidad, que supuestamente tenía el propósito de anular el Nen de su oponente. Sin embargo, nada de esto sucede: ni muere, ni su habilidad logra inutilizar el Nen de ningún enemigo. Este recurso termina siendo agotador, ya que constantemente estamos en su mente, intentando el mangaka de convencernos de que será el as bajo la manga, cuando en realidad nunca lo fue ni será.
En contraste, encuentro mucho más sólida y auténtica la decisión de Gon. Su enojo es palpable; no sabe cómo manejar sus emociones y nadie puede detenerlo. La conclusión es simple pero poderosa: se queda sentado, esperando, como un cazador que prepara el terreno para atacar a su presa en el momento exacto. Y lo logra. Gon transforma todo su enfoque en despertar una habilidad que él mismo se impone, con un único objetivo: destruir a Pitou, cueste lo que cueste.
Por último, el momento que más me gustó fue, sin duda, la llegada de Silva, el padre de Killua. Su entrada, aterrizando como un vengador para aplastar a la hormiga quimera que ya tenía a todos exhaustos, fue épica. Zeno también brilla con pequeñas reflexiones que, personalmente, encontré mucho más interesantes que todo lo relacionado con ciertos miembros del equipo de asalto, como Knuckle.
Things are happening at the speed of a bullet train hurtling down a dark tunnel and I don't know what's at the other side of this tunnel.
Gon has become this unrecognizably angry person the moment he came face-to-face with Neferpitou and I understand why. I am broken still by what she did to Kite but right this moment, she's healing Komugi, an innocent and I need Gon to BACK OFF A MINUTE! He's being a little jerk tbh and I don't much care for it. And how dare he treat Killlua, my little love, the way he did?!?!?!?!? agjnxdinismdkps
Killua's dad is here too. Silva and Zeno came if only for a little while and that just takes me back to my original question. Why didn't Netero commission more Hunters to come deal with this Chimera ant problem before it became this huuuuge thing???
Ikalgo's efforts at finding Palm and helping his friend Killua are so endearing. At this point, I think Meleoron and Ikalgo are better friends to Killua than Gon. I don't know why the writer has chosen to lead Gon's character arc down this dark road. I'm not a fan of these new developments.
Here's hoping the next volume shows some good changes.
I wanted to first put 'EXCITED SCREAMING' as my review for this volume. The build up to the current events and everything going on in the arc is exceptional, however there is an unfortunate issue I have with it all. Due to the fact much of this volume takes place within the space of 2 minutes in story time, there are narration boxes used to relay information to the reader. I blazed through them without thinking at first and then realised, most of them aren't necessary! At least half of the information they relay can be inferred, meaning all they do is slow the pacing and give small hurdles to the sprint of this story. It's such a shame as it's so difficult to ignore them now. Still enjoying it but yeah, quite the thorn on the rose.
This book was as good as i expected. They attacked and the team is at a disadvantage. multiple people start loosing and some are getting mentally defeated. This volume really shows what the chimera ants can do and what they are capable of. it displays the characters break and show their inner thoughts and feelings. I really like this one because it is suspenseful and builds up on the question of ¨will the team do it?¨ . There is a good amount of action and still really good character development. I thought this book was even better than the last volume.
I really struggled with this volume - I was having issues following what was going on, which has been a bit of a theme with this arc, I am not following who is where and why and what they are trying to do. I did like the scenes involving or specifically related to the injured game player (cannot recall her name) but there was just too much confusion and chaos outside of those scenes. Some of the fights and conflicts are dragging out for far too long with too much discussion that is often confusing
Too much narration, which is getting annoying to be honest because the story is getting too good.
Gon's character development >>>>
Guy's practically running on adulterated rage. Although, I still believe that we could have spent more time with Kite for it all to feel a bit more organic because, how can you feel that strongly for someone whom you have spent only a day with. Well, not exactly a day but you know what I mean.
I can't help but raise an eyebrow of what happens in this installment. As the pivotal attack continues against the Chimera Ant Headquarters, Gon makes it a point to try and get Pitou to save Kite. They are in the middle of a war zone and Gon is trying to negotiate with an emey. I understand this is his only option for saving Kite but at the same time it feels like capturing Pitou and getting them out of the area to fix Kite later would have been a better idea.
all of these fights are so interesting and seeing who comes in clutch next or whos about to bite it and who runs to where. ITS SO GOOD UGH. SO INTENSE. but man... is it TERRIFYING to see gon act the way he is. i understand it ofc but like... he has no light in those eyes. he has one mission. and man... pitou about to BITE ITTTTTTT (i also love how like 30 seconds have passed LMAO)
Jika Kaito tidak ‘mati’ , apakah Gon bisa mengalahkan Pitou ? Gon bisa mengalahkan Pitou kan karena ingin balas dendam ke Pitou. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Lalu, jika Raja tidak memerintahkan Pitou untuk melindungi Komugi, dapatkah Pitou bertarung tanpa beban ?
As the hunters and their allies scramble to regain their advantage over the chimera ants, Gon and Killua face a difficult situation which challenges their friendship, while Knuckle steps up for his bestie Shoot against a rude royal guard. These battles are getting heated, y'all.