Hunter x Hunter: Yorknew City - We're Out For Revenge

[@merphynapier42]

I wanted to share something with you guys that I’ve been working on for a long time. I’m leaving it as unlisted so it’s only for those that click this video today kzbin.info/www/bejne/moLaZapvjMyLmbM

[@dadandadandan]

Thank you! It was a life-changing experience. Today is a great day to watch this!

[@tiramisu5912]

Noooo Merphy I trusted in you 😭😭

[@rainbowskin3379]

That's the first time this has happened to me in nearly a decade

[@shika1718]

Nice WIP. Looking forward to the final video when it comes out

[@tanmaykulkarni_]

:)

[@okita1907]

Kurapika was so confident that he would win against Uvogin that the man brought a shovel with him

[@guitarhero640]

my 🐐

[@DL-idk]

@@dadandadandan He'll have to touch a shovel, hug it, lick it and sleep with it for enough amount of time to be able to materialise it

[@ryanwalker7161]

@@dadandadandan if he licks enough shovels

[@leakypeach6250]

@@dadandadandan technically yes, but he was already expended from using his eyes and fighting. I doubt he'd want to expend more energy conjuring a shovel that he's never made before rather than bringing one himself.

[@SamTheGumMan117]

Biggest Flexes in Anime

[@ensifolium]

Gon didn’t care that Killua was an assassin and murdered that guy in the Hunter exam. That was his first moment of being on that fine line

[@michaelmacalpine4095]

We can go even further back, when they had the food challenge and all the combatants where falling over the cliff and dying Gon doesn't even blink. That's weird right? I mean kurapika saw his family killed, killua is an assassin, and leorio is trying to become a doctor so he would have some familiarity with death. But Gon is just a kid from an island.

[@ensifolium]

@@michaelmacalpine4095 Good point!

[@DavidLyles]

Also he used that one guy as bait when Hisoka went on his blood lust rage in the exam. He didn’t think “How can I save this guys life.” He thought “When he attacks him I’ll snag the badge.”

[@tinytorch916]

Gon is a kind and good natured kid. But he's only truly good to his friends and the people he's interested in. If you have no connection to Gon whatsoever, he will show complete apathy even if you die right in front of him.

[@silvergray5981]

The way I see it is: Gon is a really good person, but he's not going to be overly caring. He is not going to stop people from trying their own method to pass a test, especially in a Hunter exam where the people who are taking it know the pass rate is really low and that people die taking the exam. As for the deaths, I always assumed Gon is somewhat familiar with it through the animal friends he made on the island. And with the counterfeiter, Zepile, I just think Togashi just wanted to say Gon is not judgmental.

[@GlennBRust]

Kurapika is my favorite revenge story of all time. I remember my first time going through the Hunter Exam and I kind of rolled my eyes at his story because while I liked him as a character his background seemed very obvious... And then I got to this arc and came to understand how much of that story was going to be turned on its head and examined. His taking a life does not come without consequence both internal and external, and it's fantastic. Also, he brought a shovel.

[@hei7846]

If you love revenge stories watch/read Vinland Saga. It has a rather unique take on revenge

[@blakan1478]

@@hei7846 Vinland saga feels more like a submission story or acceptance of the horrors of war and life seems more like it

[@thomasffrench3639]

I do prefer John Wick, but Yorknew City is definitely one of my favorites.

[@madmoxxi7397]

@@blakan1478 vinland saga is mainly about the nature of mankind yes But between gild and thorfinn it has clear themes in revenge too

[@allensnea9335]

Obviously read "The count of monte Cristo" and watch the anime. Theyre pretty different but both are phenomenal. Also watch Rakugo.

[@edwindavidhernandezgonzale9048]

I've read Hunter x Hunter like 5 times by now... and I've never realized what you just said: "Gon and Kurapika quests are similar, being carried out by a single minded will". That's brilliant!

[@arenkai]

Which explains some things from later arcs... When a single minded will encounters the complexity of the world... Something has to give

[@christopherrivera1673]

@@arenkai why don’t you just spoil the whole story?

[@sifibruh7055]

@@arenkai wow you did not do a great job being cryptic lol

[@Tupadre97]

makes sense given how gons reacts to the ants the same way kurapika does the troupe

[@velvet5749]

@@Tupadre97 why do you spoil hahaha

[@michaelwhite1552]

Once you finish the Yorknew Arc, I would recommend watching Ep. 51 and 52 of the (2011) anime. Those episodes really bring to life some great scenes from the manga -- just all around great orchestration, great animation, etc. The soundtrack in this anime is so artistically done; it can really aggrandize the emotional content or make battles that much more exciting.

[@hobogoat2]

such a peak anime. there are moments in the BIG big upcoming arc where it's just soundtrack and narrator and even just thinking about it gives me chillssss

[@DoggyP00]

While fight scenes are nice, it's the character moments that the anime really elevates far beyond what the manga can provide. 51 and 52 are pretty good for characterizing chrollo and the zoldicks, while 49 and 50 are similarly good for the phantom troupe. Hunter x Hunter's hype moments are so constant in the epic arcs that it's hard to pinpoint one episode to check out, while for something like one piece I can point out one episode in say enies lobby that I'm sure most of us can agree is THE must watch episode. Though there are some episodes I can think of in the summit war arc of hxh that fit that bill much better.

[@lorenlloydpingal3140]

Yes

[@toneloak]

Agreed without the anime she's missing some dimension from this story. Also, this anime had a great dub by Funimation.

[@jmsochannel]

Same with the first movie since it takes place right after yorknew

[@miyamotomusashi805]

Uvogin: "Who are you?" Kurapika: "You slaughtered my entire clan!" Uvogin: "Do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?"

[@hoid5295]

I laughed at this. Damn it HAHA

[@ishanpgupte]

@@hoid5295 i watch that clip way too many times rofl. batman beyond is absolutely goated.

[@royalfun1031]

@@ishanpgupte What movie

[@jalapenoofjustice4682]

I think to an extent Gon's morality is an extreme of the idea that morality depends on the person i.e. it's morally wrong for a vegeterian to eat meat because they broke a moral rule they set. he has his own moral code, but he doesn't expect others to share his morality as long as they're consistent.

[@royalfun1031]

If everyone is consistent what's the point

[@25redshark]

The Nen system is my favorite power system in pretty much any series I've read. It allows for huge variety in what can be done. It has concise rules which make it so that no one character can become dominant in every category, the strongest enhancer is still weak to whats opposite it on the chart (and there's actually a chart!) Simulatenously, a jack of all trades Nen user will be weak to someone proficient in a category. And no one can gain power in this system without risk, its brilliant. Fights between Nen users end up resembling more of a chess match than a slugfest.

[@thabokgwele5268]

There's actually a lot to know about Nen, but yeah I agree with everything else. Definitely my favourite power system in anime.

[@notrixamoris3318]

Nen is the most explained and the most complex in all of the aura base techniques in literature...

[@jalapenoofjustice4682]

my favorite part of it is that the limitations add interesting wrinkles to confrontations, and because people choose them for themselves it doubles as characterization

[@shyguypro9876]

Kurapika’s use of Nen so perfectly encapsulates why it’s such a great power system. He specifically structures his power around his goal. His power his such that in a 1 v 1 fight it’s essentially impossible for any member of the Troupe to beat him. But he can only use his true power against the Troupe.

[@SuperGoodbadguy]

True, the only other power system that is comparable for me is the stand system of Jojos bizzare adventures. Also, merphy should read JJBA, just picture this "Jojo pose fridays" where merphy does a jojo pose per review,,

[@JohnPaul-su8qn]

5:10 A perfect pronunciation . Also this is among the best arc of the series

[@madmoxxi7397]

Commenting to get this to the top

[@justsomebody-1665]

correct

[@DXDragon38]

That's a very interesting take on Gon's morality Merphy. I'm more of the opinion he's only "morally good to those in his friend group". Looking forward to your next manga review!

[@SmiIePIease]

Yeah, a point to prove that would be how he punched through Gido's prosthetic topspin leg and breaks Riehlvelt's arms relatively carelessly. Sure, they deserved it, it was in a fight which could go to the death but it was still surprising to see Gon do that especially since those two had already lost the fight at those points. I'm not judging Gon for this I just think it shows us that he isn't above getting his hands "dirty", so to speak. The biggest hint towards this is obviously still Gon's nonchalant indifference towards the death of all the other Hunter applicants around him in the Hunter Exam (while normal people like Leorio get shocked by stuff like that) as well as Gon just not being scared/angry etc. at Killua for his assassin stuff in the Hunter Exam arc and just being curious about it as well.

[@giornogiostar3214]

I've always been against this thought, I think a more accurate answer is that Gon up until this arc has an extremely Black and white spectrum of morality, I mean, he's a child, and proof of this is how he got mad when Nobunaga started crying for Uvo, and Gon said: "Why are you not using those same tears for all the people you've killed!"

[@jackroberts2704]

True, but I don't think Gon's as dark as people think he is. You have to remember he's only 12-13 years old so his morality isn't completely developed.

[@alwaysapirateroninace443]

Being good or kind towards your friends / people you like is nothing unique. And yes, God is still learning, still a kid. Those who deviate from this, good or bad, (for example, loving your enemies, or betraying friends) is more interesting.

[@royalfun1031]

@@jackroberts2704 Yet in other aspects they are better than adults

[@oscarsantos4813]

I have never thought about it, however, I have seen "Magic system" and "Power system" been uae interchangeably and the main reason why I think we call it "Power system" is because abilities in manga are usually unique to each individual and thus they feel more like individual power that share the same source(Fairy tail, Hxh, Naruto, Black Clover, OP, etc). There are some Mangas that use a universal set of rules for everyone(Bleach, Demon Slayer, Dragon Ball, etc) however those Magas are usually based on phisical strength so the word "Power" fits. If I were you I would not think too hard about it, I usually use "Magic system" and people understand it perfectly.

[@muchoyurdem5260]

Yeah i agree. But I still call it powersystem because there are also many manga with systems that doesn't have anything to do with magic or can't be compared to it, there are also shows/mangas with 2 powerystems for example One Punch man or Black Clover

[@hei7846]

Fairy Tail's power system is the power of friendship lmao

[@suf1an658]

Even though I agree generally, it's difficult for me to call Nen a magic system because it's so rigid with so many rules it loses that feeling of "magic". Magic is meant to give you a feeling like wonder or sometimes terror but Hunterxhunter and other shounen manga it's merely a tool and a means to an end.

[@royalfun1031]

@@muchoyurdem5260 OPM has Ps?

[@royalfun1031]

@@suf1an658 Yeah

[@judeconnor-macintyre9874]

Phantom Troupe to Gon and Killua: Yeah, we kill people, does that piss you off? Phantom Troupe after Uvogin's Death: Oh, my God, who would do this? This is so fucked up.

[@Green-FUKUFUKUFUKUFUKUFUKU]

Gon to the Phantom Troupe: WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS? THIS IS SO FUCKED UP. Gon after Pakunoda's death: oh ):

[@alexmachin8993]

Most revenge arcs have the character unwillingly lose themselves in pursuit of revenge. What sets Kurapika apart is that he sees that he is losing himself and he willingly goes down this path despite the fact that it is so against his true self. Also pay attention Chrollos character is very subtle but you can see some real interesting parallels between him and kurapika. And so Glad you’re reading my favorite series!

[@hei7846]

Or take Vinland Saga. It also has quite a unique take on revenge

[@b_delta9725]

what i also like the most is that kurapika knows the troupe may have other intentions, he knows they are philanthropic and that the history of how his family died may be complicated, but he doesn't really care, his whole clan died and he wants their eyes back and the perpetrators dead, it's as simple as that.

[@Zalachai]

Yorknew is my favorite arc. Sure, it doesn't have the combat of future arcs, but I loved the character development in this arc.

[@newdivide9882]

Now that you say it, that’s actually true. Hunter X Hunter is a shounen, but it’ll have you staying for way more than just the fights. Before the Yorknew City arc, I’d never seen a world in any anime I’d watched as alive as HxH’s world. So many characters in so many different places all trying to accomplish their goals, and sometimes clashing with one another as a result… It’s amazing

[@jackroberts2704]

I liked Yorknew but I feel the latter half drags a little. Which is weird because the Chimera Ant arc is way longer but is compelling the whole time.

[@TheMemeXp1]

@@jackroberts2704 to each their own, most people say that CA arc drags on but imo both have their strengths and they are both masterpieces

[@royalfun1031]

@@jackroberts2704 tf

[@royalfun1031]

@@newdivide9882 One Piece club?

[@JB-sc1tg]

Your reaction to the York New arc was similar to mine. I thought this was going to be a happy-go-lucky anime with some slightly dark themes sprinkled throughout. My mouth dropped to the floor when I discovered this arc. It's such a contrast from the previous arcs. I look forward to seeing your reaction to the conclusion of this one.

[@sheepboy2560]

i bet she'll like the girl with the gun character

[@grey3318]

I think a common theme with HxH, especially from this arc onwards, is that "good" and "bad" are subjective to each person in a conflict. It allows for a lot of interesting depth and nuance to the villains and other antagonists to gon and his friends.

[@CurtSP]

Remember, in the Hunter Exam... in the cooking contest where everyone had to jump into a canyon to catch an egg? Gon wasn't fased at all that so many people just died all around him. Also, when he tailed Hisoka in the Forest... Gon was fine to use some random guy as a bite to get Hisokas pin. He didn't give a sh1t about that guy, only when Hisoka was going for his friends he got worried.

[@MasterHigure]

Gon cares about his friends, and he won't hurt anyone unnecessarily, but he doesn't really care about strangers getting hurt at all. His moral compass is intriguing.

[@christopherrivera1673]

Gon just accepts that people are willingly taking risks. If they were victims he would be horrified (see Yunju scene in CA if you don’t understand- also consider the resolution to the Greed Island arc as it recontextualizes Gon’s attitude in the Exam).

[@Michael-vl7ey]

He also didn’t care about Killua being an assassin and stabbing his mom.

[@christopherrivera1673]

@@Michael-vl7ey because Killua did not want to continue being an assassin or killing people and ran away. Gon believes in redemption and in supporting people becoming their best. That’s why he’s bothered by the Spider because he thinks they are throwkng away their potential to be better people despite their capacity to empathize with others. But he’s a boy and doesn’t understand how a place like Meteor City can cause people to close their hearts and dehumanize out-groups (basically showing the difference in values of different backgrounds that Doflamingo from One Piece described in Marineford).

[@royalfun1031]

@@christopherrivera1673 He didn't think that far lmao

[@PhantomGreyfire]

00:00:00 ⟾ Intro - no notes, Format, Schedule 00:00:38 ⟾ Togashi lied, Tonal Shift 00:01:58 ⟾ Pacing, balance of elements 00:02:29 ⟾ Laying seeds, Togashi’s style/hinting 00:03:34 ⟾ Worldbuilding 00:04:01 ⟾ Unique Story Structure - Main Characters 00:04:56 ⟾ Name Pronunciations - Kurapika 00:05:22 ⟾ Format - 2 Parts: 1. Gon/Killua/Leorio 2. Kurapika 00:05:36 ⟾ 1) *Gon/Killua/Leorio* - Gon, Whale Island, Ging Nen box 00:06:54 ⟾ Mysteries - Ging, Gon’s path 00:08:27 ⟾ Gon Motivations - mother, father 00:09:48 ⟾ Plot - Auction, Greed Island, Money, Nen/Gyo, mafia 00:11:11 ⟾ Gon-Killua Dynamic 00:12:37 ⟾ Characters - Gon Morality: Zepile, ‘fine line’, badge, sidestepping difficult situations, future arc? 00:16:26 ⟾ Characters - Gon Morality: Shizuku arm-wrestling, empathy, future arc? 00:17:23 ⟾ Tangible Growth - Gon-Killua vs. Nobunaga, Hunter Exam 00:18:17 ⟾ Speed of Advancement 00:19:01 ⟾ Power Levels, Phantom Troupe 00:19:19 ⟾ Gon-Killua vs. Nobunaga 00:19:41 ⟾ 2) *Kurapika* - New Characters: Nostrade bodyguards, Phantom Troupe, mafia, Neon 00:20:23 ⟾ Revenge Plot direction - dynamic with Baise/Basho/Melody, corruption arc?, Neon, Uvogin, Hisoka 00:25:01 ⟾ Revenge Plot direction - Kurta Clan Phantom Troupe 00:25:58 ⟾ Kurapika: Nen system hacks 00:27:02 ⟾ Phantom Troupe: Shizuku, Nobunaga, Chrollo 00:27:57 ⟾ Kurapika abilities: Power and Drawbacks 00:29:03 ⟾ Nen - system, unique to individual 00:29:46 ⟾ Fights - unique pairings, Kurapika vs. Uvogin: Chains 00:31:20 ⟾ Kurapika quest and direction 00:32:00 ⟾ Phantom Troupe - detached, devotion, complexity 00:33:15 ⟾ Structure, Schedule 00:34:00 ⟾ Overall - worldbuilding, pacing 00:24:27 ⟾ Overall - revenge, Greed Island 00:35:06 ⟾ [Promo] [Credits]

[@jesse8924]

GOAT

[@herpdiederper]

From Morj to Merph what a unit as always!

[@neochris2]

Thanks

[@MikasaSaidEreh]

"With Hunter x Hunter I feel like we are regularly rushing through things" This is my first time, being fan of this series for over 10 years that I have heard this. It is usually the opposite I heard the most. Glad you are enjoying Yorknew, it is my favorite arc with my favorite characters getting focus.

[@Isaiah_McIntosh]

Big epic fantasy readers experience time differently.

[@blankusername4301]

i think what shes saying is that togashi spends so much time on small random things, that when we get to important stuff, it feels rushed also keep in mind that the last manga she read was one piece lmao

[@NoGreatImport]

HxH is paced more like a novel or seinen series than a shounen series, so shounen readers tend to think it is slow, rather than methodical.

[@hei7846]

@@NoGreatImport I don't see how exactly that applies cause One Piece is a Shounen and has a slow pacing. But that dosent mean it can be considered a Seinen. Shounen and Seinen are just target age that the author aims for. It has nothing to do with the material unless it it too gruesome

[@NoGreatImport]

@@hei7846 the One Piece anime is slow paced (because Toei milks everything), but the manga is considered fast paced.

[@amarigelin5974]

I wasn't sure if you mentioned this when talking about Uvogin, the member Kurapika killed, but he is the strongest physically in the troupe. That isn't necessarily his ranking of overall power. I also wanted to say I've loved watching your videos since I found out about you through the Harry Potter series. It's been great to see you explore the world of manga through One piece, my favorite manga, and Hunter X Hunter. Keep up the great work Merphy

[@jaspertorres6698]

What fascinates me about Gon is that he has overall good holistic values when you look at them superficially but when you examine his action and motivations from the beginning even a little bit there is something somewhat unsettling about how simultaneously ridged he is in sticking to those values while also being flexible in what he deems “morally ok” or conscionable

[@SalahDAd]

In my opinion, what Gon is looking for, which he says -as i believe- rather sincerely, is to know what kind of Hunter his father is, he wants to meet him and talk with him to see what exactly it is that made his father abandon him to be a hunter, he says "being a hunter must be so amazing that he was willing to abandon his own son for it" and as sad as that is, i don't think Gon thinks of it in any negative way.

[@wwe12153]

It makes sense , he lived a happy life and there is no children in the island ,I don’t think that he knows the importance of a father in one’s life

[@Doommaster677]

When Kurapika brought the shovel to the fight against Uvogin (Uvo or the strongest Troupe member) you KNEW it was going to be a brutal match to see

[@anuragarakala1159]

Can't wait for Merphy to read Chimera ant arc. The ending especially is epic!!

[@yuizaift8940]

We don't know if she like the pacing/structure or not (a lot of people complain about this)

[@a.m.s6611]

I'm looking forward to the 13th chairman ark - mainly because I love Killua and Alluka also spoiler Ging getting punched by Leorio

[@ouctai1864]

Tbh, Chimera ant arc is the worst on my list. The pacing and explosion were really sucked. And it focused on characters that I do not really care about.

[@sprim2111]

@@ouctai1864 It's understandable. That arc is really not for everyone's taste. When I first started CA, I've already set my mind for it to be the worst arc in HxH. But I had a different experience when I finished the whole thing. That's when I realized CA was the only arc (in all anime that I've watched so far) that made me feel things so intense that I ended up not caring about the things I disliked about it.

[@ouctai1864]

@@sprim2111 Well, the problem I got with Hunter x Hunter was always the number of words in each panel. Don't get me wrong, I am a book reader, I can read thousands of words each page, but in CA, it got on my nerves. Too many words and the exposition was too heavy, I felt like I was reading a really boring textbook to pass an exam. I cannot really focus on what was going on. I just wanted it to finish quickly so I can get to a new arc. However, it gave me a really bad experience, I needed to give myself a long time to get to read again.

[@Charlie-cb1bt]

When you finish the arc you have to watch episodes 46, 51, and 52 of the anime. They are masterfully done from the music, orchestration, direction, and visuals. It’s truly something you shouldn’t miss out on

[@Ra_views]

I think the 2011 anime gives a lot more of those slow character moments. When reading manga you can sort of set the pace through how fast you read and sit on pages; but with the anime you're sort of locked into a pacing because it's more passive.

[@AnonEcho98]

Ayo, anyone else notice the extra funnies in the CC? Anyway, real interesting takes you've got here... definitely looking forward to seeing the reactions to the future arcs.

[@DigoryJames]

YO whoever did the CC and transcribed her stuttered "we" as "Oui"; Well played, you got a chuckle out of me. 1:17

[@GoDUsopp-gk2fx]

Kurapika is not a master of every type of nen when his eyes turns scarlet, he gets ACCESS to MASTER any type of nen. He has to do training in order to be like that. Which speaks a lot of his character. In six months, five types of nen, at that level? He's not just a prodigy like Gon or Killua, he's a genius.

[@thomasffrench3639]

Then you have Leorio

[@madmoxxi7397]

Nothing suggests that kurapika isn't also a 1 in 10 million though kurapika somewhat cheated to get there so fast

[@TheMemeXp1]

Takes a while to understand his abilities, the more you are familiar with the story and nen the more you get it.

[@pleromaprism7581]

He doesn't have mastery, when you have a certain type of nen you have the possibility of being 100% a master of it, but innately you are 100% efficient, you don't have to put in more aura when using that type of nen, emperor time only gives him effectiveness of a emitter so he doesn't waste nen however he only can have 40% mastery if he trains

[@royalfun1031]

Very specific

[@darriusbethea2373]

To quote an KZbinr “ Yorknew was when I realized I loved Hunter Hunter” Hunter Hunter was enjoyable for me before but many fans agree Yorknew is when Hunter Hunter story changes the tone gets so dark, world is bigger, and the story starts incorporating many themes in the story. In the anime Yorknew is done perfectly the animation the music the voice acting. I remember when I first heard the Phantom Troupe OST

[@royalfun1031]

That and CA

[@youknowho4378]

You are going to love so many characters in this manga especially the Antagonists

[@davimag2071]

16:06 It is simply awesome how Merphy could get to preview it

[@marxist-leninist-protagonist]

right!!!! she called it right away

[@Zeverish]

The way Togashi expanded the world is one of the great achievements in HxH. To say the least, it only becomes more true as the series progresses. But the ability to use his characters, the power systems (magical or political), and the settings to explore numerous complex topics but at varying levels of distance.

[@dyacc3631]

I love that you spent time appreciating the foundations Togashi has been carefully placing and using to expand upon. Its a consistent theme throughout the series with every arc the story and world just growing and evolving. With key elements from all the previous arcs always being relevant

[@trullsengar9382]

Oh wow, we're already at Yorknew. I love that you're getting into more manga and HxH is one of my favorites. Especially the Chimera Ant arc is just a masterpiece imo. The anime adaptation of it may actually be even better than the manga. Would you be willing to watch the anime for that part too or certain parts of it? It is so good. The animation, soundtrack and directing is just phenomenal.

[@ruriva4931]

I dropped the anime during the Chimera Ant Arc. I feel like there were over 20 episodes of less than 5 minutes passing and I just couldn’t. The arc was just so long.

[@trullsengar9382]

@@ruriva4931 oh trust me, it's worth it. You get every perspective of every person on the battlefield in that crucial timeframe. Including their thoughts, so that's gonna take a while. You gotta differenciate between the narrated time and the told time.

[@justinv5612]

One thing that I’ve noticed about Gon is that he cares very much for the people he likes and that are nice to him, but he cares very little about himself. He’s very quick to try to sacrifice himself for others and even allow himself to be hurt for the sake of winning, but won’t allow others to do that for him. He also doesn’t seem to care about whether a person is good or not; if someone’s nice to him, he likes them. Doesn’t matter if they’re a murderer or a saint, all he cares about is that they haven’t wronged him or anyone he cares about. There’s examples of all of this just within the Hunter Exam arc.

[@c0deface426]

My theory on why Hunter x Hunter feels so different is that this was actually Togashi’s second long-running manga. I think having written something relatively normal beforehand, Togashi decided to be experimental and almost critiqued the Shonen genre in many ways.

[@mannujc9871]

Talent in HxH is really that much of a booster to characters. Talented people just grow at an exponential rate with Nen; It will addressed later too.

[@madmoxxi7397]

Imagine when she meets tsurreidnich

[@papena-author]

Been loving your Hunter X Hunter videos. This is my favorite anime/manga for so many reasons, and I'm glad to see you're enjoying it as well. One thing I just wanted to mention is that while Gon certainly shows several characteristics that are considered morally just, he is also a very selfish and morally gray character. For example, in the hunter's exam, he stole Ponzu's badge for Leorio while she was unconscious and left her there. While technically he did what he said he would do in getting everyone out of the cave safely while they were asleep, I'd argue that stealing her badge while she was sleeping on Leorio's behalf was A. dishonorable and B. undercut Leorio and his desire to do the task on his own. There are other more notable examples, but you haven't gotten to them yet and I certainly don't want to spoil it for you. Gon is a highly determined person who has a laser focus on his goals and what he wants to point where it can be a detriment to himself and the people around him. If he takes a liking to a person, thing, or whatever, it doesn't matter if it's good or bad. What matters to Gon is whether or not something interests him or aligns with his goals or desires or thought process, which can lead to some dark things. This is what Zepile was hinting at in his observation of Gon and is a nice little seed planted by Togashi.

[@Neofilmcritic]

Oh man I thought we had another week before we got this review. THIS IS SUCH A SURPRISE!!!!!! I LOOOOOOVE this arc, truly makes Kurapika one of the GOATs

[@Amin-ig6nc]

I know she is going through the manga but man i hope she watches some of the anime as well, particularly episodes 116 126 131 and 135 cause they outright elevate the source material in every way imo. and the japanese voice acting in these is just absolutely top of the line. also man waiting 2 weeks is gonna be rough lol.

[@darkmurphyy]

I have to agree Madhouse really made an excelent job!

[@BamadeusTTV]

I loved the YorkNew arc so much! It truly was the peak of the series to me.

[@ThiVasss]

I really hope you ll continue beyond the animes final arc, because the dark continent arc, while unfinished, is incredible as well.

[@dadandadandan]

She certainly will read it to the end.

[@notrixamoris3318]

I am sure she will go there but its kinda cruel to leave her hanging...

[@muchoyurdem5260]

I mean she is reading the manga why would she stop when the anime ended? There is no info in the manga which time the anime stopped airing

[@ThiVasss]

@@muchoyurdem5260 There was one more youtuber who reviewed HxH in the same style, reading and reviewing the manga instead of reacting. He really did enjoy it but he stopped on the election arc.

[@muchoyurdem5260]

@@ThiVasssI really don't understand why they would do that other than the community telling them to stop there just because the anime didn't continue at that point. But makes no sense for me because like i said they reacting to the manga so just continue to the last chapter otherwise why even reviewing to mangas that aren't completed? They could just review to finished ones

[@light9205]

Yorknew is my second favorite arc of the entire series it's also one of the most loved arcs by the entire fandom because it's what hooked them to the series

[@azh698]

Never mind the fact that it was expertly included in both anime series.

[@nikcantsnipe]

This arc is the one that got me really hooked. The dark transformation of Kurapika and the slow but gradual plunge of Gon into darkness is pretty great. I really love the Phantom Troupe. They're such a great antagonist organization. Easily the second best after a certain organization from an orange ninja series.

[@azh698]

In some ways, I'd say these are even better.

[@t3cchan]

I prefer the sense of brotherhood that the phantom troupe has; they all come from the same place and have had shared struggles growing up.

[@infernodnb420]

ngl I do prefer the spiders over the dawn

[@dwightalexander2648]

idk man, there's something about akatsuki that really felt lackluster compared to the phantom troupe. it's probably bcoz how the akatsuki were poorly written or maybe the phantom troupe are just better explained... overall imo they're both awesome antagonist groups

[@rexbenny1553]

The phantoms have an air of secrecy and brash confidence. They know for a fact that only probably 1 out of a 10,000 people could pose a major threat to them.

[@chuuyaism1653]

This is actually my favourite arc in hxh (chimera ant dethroned it when i first read it but after rereading it's still yorknew lol)(succession war might win though 💀) and it was already something i knew i was going to adore because it's a Kurapika centric arc and Kurapika is one of my favourite characters in anything ever but the Phantom Troupe is also one of my favourite antagonist groups so that helped of course. It is the tonal switch of the series and we get to truly see nen in action and how different nen abilities and types interact with each other and it solidified hxh as one of my favourite stories and nen as one of my favourite power systems. Kurapika's slow descent into darkness as he pursues his revenge on the troupe while we as the readers simultaneously learn more about the troupe as they are humanised with their small interactions within themselves, with others and of course, Paku's death. Kurapika gets his first glimpse at what his path could lead him to and how killing a man for the first time affects him and that's just god i love his nuance and depth and character arc(s, he has multiple mini arcs across the series and even in just yorknew) i love him so so much oh and he brought a shovel to a fight to the death.

[@Pablo360able]

The majority opinion in the fandom (or at least the meme space of it), for some godforsaken reason, is that Kurapika brought a shovel to his fight with Uvogin as a show of arrogance. I’m gald (but not surprised) that you correctly evaluated the burial as a sign of respect - not for Uvogin as a person, but for the value of even the worst monster’s life.

[@Isaiah_McIntosh]

Could be a sign of respect......he still showed up to a battle ready to get on to the next. It's so presumptuous especially since we know how much of a monster uvo was.

[@Pablo360able]

@@Isaiah_McIntosh Bringing a shovel doesn’t mean you know you’re going to win. It’s just that you’re going to need it if you do. Also, though, he knows what his own power is, and what Uvogin’s is. He knows Uvo doesn’t have anything to counter it. That’s why he singled him out (I think this was said explicitly at some point but I can’t remember for sure).

[@Isaiah_McIntosh]

@@Pablo360able I thought he'd picked uvo to test. Uvo is the clear biggest physical threat. So if chain jail works on uvo then he's confident that it will work against the rest of the troupe.

[@ocelatingocelots]

York New City was my absolute favorite arc by far. Kurapika is my favorite character, and the troupe is my favorite set of antagonists -- it was just my perfect storm.

[@thecloudsorcerer6605]

The term "magic system" is perfectly fine. The medium of manga doesn't make the story telling umbrella term "magic system" any less valid. So both are equally correct.

[@onyxcat146]

Yay more Hunter x Hunter! A note yes Karapika does put his life on the line using his chains but his ability to use each nen type at full proficiency actively shortens his lifespan whenever he actives it. Also his nen type shifts to being the specialist type when his eyes are red and his specialist ability is the ability to use each nen type proficiently.

[@MagillanicaLouM]

You mentioned it in your vlog, but I also appreciate the callback made to Leorio being the one of the trio to push the heaviest gates back at Killuas place. Just a cool feat for who seemingly is physically the weakest of the MCs lol. And for Kurapika's chain, iirc the ability that he's limited to only using on the troupe is the heart piercing lie detector chain. All the other things he can still utilize whenever, including the Scarlet eyes boost. But again, may be remembering wrong.

[@shadabkhan-ng5xe]

It just get darker from here on. It is my second most fav arc from HxH. Chimera arc hands down takes the top spot. I can't wait for you to explore that arc.

[@mekinot]

Your analysis of Gon was really good. I can't wait to see what you'll think of future arcs with regards to his development!

[@chidi329]

LOVE your subtitles Merphy lol you add so much to them that make me laugh it’s like having a second Merphy in the video! I loved what you noticed about Gon’s morality and it makes you wonder what kind of life he experienced on his island to still see the world thru curiosity rather than rationality. But it’s also cause of this outlook that he has been able to advance so far in this world! He’s really a complex character more than I ever realized on my first watch through. Great video as always now I got to go and automatically watch the next one :)

[@animagamer2]

I'm so glad you're loving this like I knew you would. And like you said with the pacing! Heaven's arena is when I started to think HxH might be a pretty decent show- I was not sold on it at all at the start and the well-written characters were the only thing keeping me going, but Yorknew city is when I realized it was an amazing show. For me, this is when Togashi really started to take these characters that you already love and started doing amazing things with them. I'd say in most Arc's HxH is weakest at the start, but Yorknew comes out swinging.

[@agenteggboy9526]

The thing with Gon's morality is that he sees the world on a personal, individual level. He doesn't really believe in concepts of "right and wrong" and he isn't particularly altruistic. He pursues goals that are fairly selfish, for example he lies to Ponzu in the hunter exam and takes her badge. Despite this, he will always act in the best interests of the people he loves, and because he is a genuinely good person at heart, he ends up being surrounded by other good people.

[@Mrdiehard100]

I don't who does the subtitles on your videos, but they are awesome and hilarious. I just wanna say I appreciate them very much.

[@mikeg3326]

I found your channel because of your one piece reviews and I’m so happy I did. I love listening to your analyses and commentary on series like One Piece, Avatar, and now Hunter x Hunter. Your videos always make my day better and I’m very appreciative of the amount of time and effort you put into each one, thank you merph!

[@therandom58]

I will say in my opinion this far Gon has showed very selective morality as in I’ve only seen him have morality for his friends or ppl he considers his friends

[@Higsby100]

It always seemed to me that the Moral good in Gon was really just Mito, and the longer Gon is away from her the more likely he is to make morally negative decisions

[@digi5711]

Little clarification: kurapika can master all nen types only when he has red eyes because he became a specialist. On the other hand, he put his life on the line only to increase the strenght of his abilities, not to unlock them

[@ShaquanVirse]

I'm loving how you are reading this series and can't wait for certain arcs for you to read

[@NoobPlayMC]

The power system is so brilliant because it counteracts the problem of most power systems that the scaling just gets impossible to keep up with. Most battles can be won by innovating or just having a diffrent type or knowing certain restrictions, you don’t have to fire a meteor out of the sky to become stronger then the next steongest user you just need to be more creative

[@kyleward7417]

Indeed, the perfect example of this is Gon vs Pitou, no BS DBZ transformation to save the day, just pure creativity of the author to brilliantly plan tactical strategies to get MC's out of a rough spot over a clearly more powerful opponent.

[@lohitpeesapati3846]

Merphy is just a side character in this video, the main character is the Narrator in the subs lol

[@DashXero]

What I find interesting about the characters of Hunter x Hunter is that often, it all comes back to the ancient philosophical question of "what is good?" It really digs in and explores that particular theme. The best revenge story I've ever read in manga has to be Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura. I almost hesitate to recommend it because there is one REALLY triggering scene (I couldn't even stand to look at the pages as it was happening), but the characters were so well-developed and interesting that I kept going anyway. The same guy wrote "Ohikkoshi" (a romantic comedy) and "Luncheon of Tears Diary (Vagabond Shojou Mangaka)" (I'm not sure how to categorize this one-shot, but I LOVED IT).

[@AnyMEmdq]

York New is still my favorite in HxH, and what you are saying about Kurapika is a big part is what made me love it. And the Nen conditions also played a big part. Knowing that the more you restrict a determined ability the stronger it becomes opens SO MANY DOORS that I fell in love immediately, with a system I was already super into

[@Appetizer550]

I love listening to your reaction reviews while i work, but the next two arcs are easily my favourites in hunter hunter, and i am incredibly excited to hear your thoughts!

[@JL-ox3gp]

the few arcs after this one are my faves! so excited for you to reach them

[@gastonkostas2520]

Thank you for introducing me to the Gentleman Bastards series, Merohy. I’m having the time of my life. I always love your analysis on HxH and One Piece. I hope you enjoy more mangas out there. The medium has a ton of stories waiting for you to read them after this one ;)

[@stormRed]

This story really doesn't have a single boring character

[@dantecrottogini529]

Going on this journey with Merphy is going to be fun. When she reaches THAT arc...

[@audiebridge3103]

Yeah THAT arc. The election arc.

[@kettlefleet829]

Yes... the Cum dungeon Arc

[@itachiuchiha9621]

I love how your willing to listen about how to say certain names some people can’t take any slight trying to be helpful correction in there eyes 🙏🏾

[@taimoordanish3802]

finally york new arc Yayyy

[@threeismynickname980]

Kuraprika was one of those characters that were kind of annoying the first time around because he was always complaining and monologing about his clan he was a good character though it was just annoying sometimes But when I read the yorknew city arc he became my favorite character by far. In the arc he was a little more smart and calm about things and not to mention the fact that he was insanely powerful he grew as a character so much during that arc And by now Im pretty sure Nen is magic lmao

[@ferzos1]

The phantom troupe is one of the coolest groups of people in manga. My desire to become one of the spiders is off the chart.

[@alexsreels]

hunter x hunter is my favourite manga (along with one piece) and i am so glad that you are enjoying both 💕 yorknew city is my favourite arc. i am excited for you to learn about these characters more and what makes togashi so great. his writing style is unique, distinctive, polished and intentional. i can't find it in any author.

[@lorenatorresloaiza]

Nen is the greatest power system I've ever seen, and I am infinitely hyped for it... But somehow, the best thing about HxH, even above Nen, is its approach to morality. Holy moly macaroni.

[@kyleward7417]

My mentor ded now I'm bad wow so deep

[@napoleon8017]

@@kyleward7417 pov: you're an npc

[@royalfun1031]

@@kyleward7417 Pov:You're a bozo

[@RMDragon3]

It's so interesting seeing your thoughts about where the series is going to go while knowing what happens later on! Also, trying to keep this spoiler-free, but I don't think you will be dissapointed with where Greed Island goes

[@AGxZAM]

Great review Merphy. Can't wait for u to talk about my favorites arcs (CHIMERA ANT arc & THE DARK CONTINENT) yorknew city is great but not the best of this serie .

[@Dwish305]

Love your analysis! Great review as usual

[@DaijDjan]

I really liked Uvogin, especially his line about not needing money. To him, it was pointless since if he wants something, he just takes it anyway..

[@watchinglearner]

Listening to this does remind me of jhst how close to the sun I'm flying here, and that is extremely intimidating, but it does help me to navigate my own work in a more educated, more guided way. I'm really glad you decided to talk about this series, and that I happened to stumble on your takes on Hunter X Hunter. I'm sure I'm very late in saying this, but his name is pronounced KurAAAAAApika.

[@michaelballack3051]

Yorknew City arc is my favourite of HxH but Chimera Ant arc is brilliant as well

[@Lasagne645]

Something I always liked about this series is that while our characters are by no means normal kids, they’re still kids. Having superhuman ability and incredible talent doesn’t change that. They don’t have a full understanding of themselves or their emotions. Killua is an assassin and has an unusually mature worldview for his age, but still can be playful and stubborn and unsure of himself or his place among other people. Gon is an absolute ray of sunshine with a good heart, but he’s also selfish and will often make his opinions on other people mostly based on wether they’ve been kind to him and his friends. Sometimes, as we see in this auction and when he learns about Killua’s life, he will even disregard actions which would typically be immoral if he personally likes them. Their choices aren’t always the most sensible, they can be hotheaded and immature, and I honestly think it makes them so much more endearing as characters.

[@ceasar_de_wraith2543]

I see Gon a bit different I think his more moral when it comes to the decisions made by him but curious about other people's decisions, he doesn't try to force his way onto others

[@AH-pi2li]

Merphy would love Vinland saga since it’s about a narrow minded revenge driven mc Going through some of the best development EVER

[@duser]

Gon's ethics and morals are strange. All he cares about are how people interact with him. From the Hunters to Killua (kid literally has Kill in his name), Gon interacts well with people that interacted well with him, like a mirror. Usually this leads him to people rough on the outside with good on the inside. Killua being the example. Other times, it leads him to people like Hisoka; a murderous animal that recognized Gon as potential fun prey. Anyone in their right mind would stay as far away from Hisoka as possible. But for some reason, since Hisoka did Gon a favor in the Hunter exams and issued him a challenge, Gon doesn't see him as evil but as a challenge to overcome. Idk why he's like this. He did seem to have been raised in the wild by animals, but even animals will be weary of someone like Hisoka. One thing to note is that we rarely hear his internal monologue inside the manga, just like we never really hear Luff think in One Piece. This kid is all action and his actions speak loud.

[@paulmaloney4387]

My favorite arc in the series. Elevated HxH from a great shonen to a incredibly deep character drama in my eyes

[@harshkarmur328]

I think gon has always been a bit different with morals than what it might seem on the surface as i agree with zepile's deduction and i think he's always been like that, as he was very angry with nobunaga as he killed innocent people and cared about his comrades though i don't see how that is any different from killua who is an assasin who cares about his friends and when gon found out about killua he wasn't angry at killua i think cuz it hadn't affected him or the people he cared about and more importantly he was intrigued or more so in this case friends with him so what i gathered from that is that gon doesn't care about morality when it's about people he cares about and things that he is curious about or is very intrigued in Keep in mind that i am not caught up and have only watched the first few episodes of the arc after york new

[@alexsreels]

Gon, Killua and Kurapica are the 3 main characters that we're following. They have changed a lot since the first arc. you're the first one who pointed out that parallel between Gon and Kurapica. nice catch. I can't wait for you to catch up. There is a lot of underlying themes in this arc that has yet to be explored further because the series is unfinished. But the complex writing is really the major thing that makes me enjoy this arc.

[@JLK89]

A tip with the japanese names: you seem to be wanting to put exclamation on alternating syllables like in English. Japanese doesn't do that. All syllables have equal exclamation. Their language is a set of consonant-vowel pairs, so its never kurA-pikA or kUra-pIka, its always kU-rA-pI-kA.

[@tylercallagher3485]

Also the vowels have a consistent sound so if you learn that then you can always correctly pronoune the names. It's not like english where vowels have a multitude of pronounciations.

[@SneakyTogedemaru]

Oh my GOD! The English subtitles in these videos so good!!! Thanks )

[@byun3256]

I only watched the anime and from it gon's reasoning was Hes looking for his dad because he wondered whats so amazing of becoming a hunter that Gings is prepared to leave him (gon) to become a hunter

[@thelordkk512]

Ging is considered to be one the best father figure in manga... He is a super cool dude

[@hei7846]

He is a deadbeat lol

[@saharhelfi8228]

that's a very interesting idea, that Kurapika might have a corruption arc and i can see that it is a possibility, I'm enjoying this arc SO MUCH, it's my fav so far, and I'm so excited for the rest!

[@deweyhefner3580]

Chrollo Lucilfer is one of best villains in manga. There are parallels between the Phantom Troupe & Jesus with his 12 apostles.

[@notrixamoris3318]

So its chorollo not chororro

[@Isaiah_McIntosh]

Nah chrollo is cool but that's it. He's got nothing on the Griffiths or johans or friend or funny valentine etc of manga

[@deweyhefner3580]

@@notrixamoris3318 what?

[@deweyhefner3580]

@@Isaiah_McIntosh I mean personally I think he is. But those guys are amazing as well.

[@iyampol6955]

This is the arc that raised this series to a whole new level for me. I haven't seen any reactor/reviewer yet who like me was bothered by Gon's choice not to know anything about her biological mother.

[@Rowan_A_Boat]

Well, it's natural to be curious, right? It would be one thing if we knew she was dead, but it feels bad to be teased about how the info exists & then to have it erased without hearing it.

[@NoGreatImport]

I would've put money down that the "Mito is my mom" moment would've been one of the two that would've brought Merphy to tears, being an adoptive parent and all. But nope, explained completely calmly.

[@hobogoat2]

Man I love this series so much, and this is some of the greatest to content to come out of it right here. So glad you're enjoying it Merphy! I hope that continues :D IDK if you're taking recommendations or anything for any future manga reads, but if youre looking for something a bit different from what you've read already, I would HIGHLY recommend Chainsaw Man! It's a dark, gritty, and hilarious coming of age about a teenage boy who makes a contract with a demon!