Typenights

New Prince of Tennis – 05

2012-02-02T05:53:29Z

By no surprise to anyone, the big boys have been toying around with Echizen and Kintaro who are sweating a river trying to score a couple of points. Either Echizen was holding back new techniques or has learned absolutely nothing while in America. Let’s just hope he has a couple of tricks up his sleeves after this loss. By episode’s end it looked like he and Kintaro are going to get some special training, admittedly the preview has them doing the same thing as the rest of the group, so not so special after all.

As for their unstoppable opponents, didn’t notice anything too quirky. Okay a ball that glows the colors of the rainbow is kind of odd, but seems to be a means of saying “hey this ball is fast” in its own special way.

As for other players, more weaklings were eliminated and petty melodrama happened no one cares about. Not much of a loss as there are plenty of interesting players left anyway.

Rating: (3.5/5)

New Prince of Tennis – 05 is a blog post from Typenights.

Hunter X Hunter – 17

2012-01-31T18:29:27Z

Toning it down from the absolute rush that was the previous episode, things settle as the reunited team sans Killua searches off to get Leorio’s target Ponzu before time ends. Killua is just too cool for school and gets his plate easily compared to the others. The whole switch-a-roo bit involving the name plates was hilarious. Good to see the show can pull off something as funny as that still.

As for the rest of the episode it’s just lots of exploration scenery here and there, a setup for the next episode as our heroes are now trapped inside a killer snake cave with an ailing Leorio. Damn it Leorio stop screwing things up all the time!

We are finally coming up to the end of these tests and moving on to bigger and better things, the last test honestly simple but I hope as exciting as I had remembered it. That and it’s a tad later until I actually started to consider Hunter X Hunter as one of my top 10 anime, as so far the overarching story has been stale and frankly neglected as no one can proceed and start the real Hunter X Hunter plot lines without their Hunter licenses. Good things are coming up and I can’t wait to see if there are any major differences that will catch me by surprise.

Hunter X Hunter – 17 is a blog post from Typenights.

Hunter X Hunter – 16

2012-01-31T03:38:29Z

I have no idea why this episode took place during the day as the original’s night setting was far better in establishing the mood required for Hisoka’s blood lust. That and crazy Hisoka looks far more menacing under the moonlight. Regardless of the shoddy change in scenery and overabundance of flat and treeless terrain during a man hunt for whatever reason, this was always a painful episode to watch.

Watching our little hero progressing so much in such little time and actually succeeding to steal Hisoka’s plate was definitely a rush. The timing and pressure were intense and to only have that success robbed from him within a couple of minutes was infuriating. This episode was such an emotional drain.

Luckily or not so lucky as evident by Gon’s unthankful attitude, Hisoka was the classier of the two and gave Gon his number plate in the end anyway … and a punch to the face for being so ungrateful. What a nice guy! To think he just killed two men just moments ago and now he’s letting this young lad live in prospect he’ll grow stronger in the future to give him an entertaining fight. He’s not so crazy after all.

Hunter X Hunter – 16 is a blog post from Typenights.

Hunter X Hunter – 15

2012-01-31T04:12:01Z

With a solid strategy and tactic in hand, it’s time for Gon to go on the offensive and hunt down the baddest mofo on the island. That and sit in the bushes for a stupid amount of time until the right moment presents itself for Gon to strike. As for the rest of the crew, Leorio showcases his overall uselessness when it comes to being outwitted by the ever annoying Tonpa. I rag on Leorio a lot for being inadequate in the fighting department, but I really do like his character and how he melds with the rest of the group.

Good thing Kurapika was watching over him out of sight all this time as Leorio would have failed the test then and there when he lost his number plate. Kurapika’s kick to Tonpa’s fat face was oh so satisfying. To think this is the end of Tonpa brings tears to the eyes! Time to celebrate!

Back to Gon, it really did get tense when Hisoka was headed toward his direction, thinking he finally had been caught hiding in the bushes. Mr. Spear guy coming out of the bushes right beside Gon was an unexpected turn of events. What a lucky break for our first time hunter. Now only if he had put up a better fight before getting killed by Hisoka’s secret friend. Oh well, at least there was some action.

Hunter X Hunter – 15 is a blog post from Typenights.

Hunter X Hunter – 14

2012-01-31T04:10:50Z

Straight out of the gate this episode was fast. This entire bit took at least three episodes to complete in the original. That’s not even mentioning the fact the treasure hunting segment of the original was filler apparently, so that was completely scrapped also. So we practically breezed through five episodes already. What an improvement from the previous episode’s snail’s pace huh. Anyway, Gon did not have Lady Luck on his side when it came to picking out Hisoka’s number. Alas, it’s what makes for entertaining plot lines.

With that the training begins, but I was already expecting it would take an entire episode for Gon to formulate his strategy, but he’s already done by episode’s end. Gon sure as hell did not waste any time figuring out how in the world he’s going to snatch that placard from Hisoka.

I really did like how Gon eventually came to formulate his plan of attack, stuck out there by himself, learning from his surroundings through the birds, nature, and stuff, all nifty. Just glad it didn’t involve the stereotypical powering sessions of similar shonen shows. Just smarts playing it out, Gon learning as he goes.

Hunter X Hunter – 14 is a blog post from Typenights.

Hunter X Hunter – 12

2012-01-31T04:10:15Z

Guess what’s more boring than watching people actually being bored? Absolutely nothing, way to waste 15 minutes! In their attempt to show you what 50 hours feels like, Hunter X Hunter actually wastes our real life by dedicating a huge part of the episode to showing our gang doing nothing. I get it, it was a means of getting Tonpa to make Leorio feel guilty about losing the 50 hours in the first place. However as a show that paces itself well and cuts out all the fat, it sure is odd they decided to do what they did in this episode. But in the end, getting the hell out of this silly tower is a reward unto itself.

The tension during the last bit was golden, Kurapika freaking the hell out and figuring out what to do if Killua went on a murdering spree at the end there. If only right? Silly Tonpa got out alive too. It’s a miracle he is still able to stand, forget about how they cheesed the last bit of the tower by wall hacking, Tonpa has the favor of the gods with him.

Hunter X Hunter – 12 is a blog post from Typenights.

Hunter X Hunter – 11

2012-01-31T04:09:57Z

Another episode of Hunter X Hunter and another round of mind games! Leorio’s lack of physical prowess is on stage again and how boring it is. I appreciate the effort in keeping the battles varied but rock-paper-scissors can only hold my attention for so long. The crazy amount of second guessing eventually gave way to wanting someone to get beaten into the ground instead. Luckily Killua came through with that request in the nick of time to save the episode from mediocrity.

Killua’s little assassin step into casually removing his opponent’s heart was the turning point in which I realized Hunter X Hunter was a tad darker than its innocent exterior has been showing so far. In the original run Killua didn’t kill on the ship, so this was the first instance of real violence back then.

Killua’s unexpected display was hinted at an awful lot, so not surprising in the end, but still coming out of nowhere really as a viewer. It was satisfying nonetheless after a large period of talking beforehand. I did crack a bit when he gave back the heart so nonchalantly when asked for it.

Hunter X Hunter – 11 is a blog post from Typenights.

Hunter X Hunter – 10

2012-01-31T04:09:35Z

Toning it down from Kurapika’s punch heard around the world, this week’s Hunter X Hunter goes back to the mind games. It wasn’t the most exciting episode; even for first timers it may have been pretty boring. I appreciated the effort in conveying the strong friendship and trust our gang already has now, but overall I wish they hurried it up a tad. It was a smart scenario of mind games between the two parties with Leorio’s medical skill and ballsy theatrics coming into play to win them a victory.

Thank goodness for the break in the middle for Hisoka’s fight with super excited-dagger-throwing guy. The animation was fluid, dynamic, and exciting. Now only if they had prolonged the entire sequence just a bit and shorten the “let’s guess if this guy is dead or not for 20 minutes” part and the episode wouldn’t have been such a snore fest. The off-screen decapitation was pretty snazzy too. Flop goes the head!

Anyway, Hisoka’s body is made out of what again? I don’t care for the regeneration non-sense, but what are those stupid purple tubes strapped around his abdomen. The sad thing is he still looks super anorexic with those things on.

Hunter X Hunter – 10 is a blog post from Typenights.

Hunter X Hunter – 09

2012-01-31T04:09:02Z

Gon’s battle was interesting to say the least. I suppose playing with candles can prove somewhat entertaining. It does mark the moment where Hunter X Hunter hints it’s not all about brute strength battles, as a lot of noggin power comes into play in upcoming fights that help to keep the show fresh. Which is funny because Gon’s decision-making process was as innocent and elementary as you can get when he was deciding which candle to choose. None the less, it was a feel good victory, paving the way to a more serious battle.

Karupika, this guy has some hell-bent revenge just eager to come out and explode. Holy moly did I feel that punch he destroyed his opponent with, the sheer anger behind the blow conveyed well. His calm and cool collective nature throughout his short ordeal made him such an endearing character.

The only real negative I have on Hunter X Hunter so far is sweet mercy is the music forgettable. It’s not having the impact I could have hoped for. Not to say that the original had any better music, but it’s one of the show’s weakest quality at the moment.

Hunter X Hunter – 09 is a blog post from Typenights.

Hunter X Hunter – 08

2012-01-31T04:08:40Z

I was on the same boat with Leorio throughout this episode. Tonpa just does a good job for better or for worse of making himself super easy to hate. Like Leorio I was about to explode at Tonpa’s douchery. The thought of this guy sticking around for a bit longer saddens me very much. To have seen him beaten up during his match would have been glorious. Quick little bugger forfeits too fast.

As for the rest of the episode, there’s not much to talk about with our sneaky little friend taking up all the screen time. The real content is in the upcoming episode as it marks the start of real “fights” for our adventuring gang, something that’s been a long time coming.

Hunter X Hunter – 08 is a blog post from Typenights.