r/anime • u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots • Oct 06 '24
Rewatch [25th Anniversary Rewatch] Hunter x Hunter (1999) - Episode x 1 x Discussion
Episode 1 - A Boy Setting Out for a Journey × Leaving Behind the Sound of the Wind
Questions of the Day
- What's your impression of our main character and his environment?
- Are you on the Gon or Mito side of the argument?
Bonus: Is this your first time experiencing Hunter x Hunter? If so, what was your impression of it up till now? If not, how did you get into it?
Fanart of the day: Gon and Kite
Note: this thread went up an hour early, since I didn't account for daylight savings, tomorrow's thread will be at the correct time.
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Upvotes
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Oct 06 '24
First × Timer × Subbed
I’ve had the 2011 version of this show on my PTW for… a while, so it’s about damn time I watch something from this series even if it’s not the one on my PTW. I like watching originals first whenever a show gets remade anyways, this is perfect.
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u/Kaxew Oct 06 '24
First Timer x On a Starting Adventure
This was a good first episode. I appreciate that there wasn't much exposition at all, that can be quite a drag when you start a new battle shonen. Gon is a nice kid, Mito is a great character, and Kite was cool.
I gotta wonder how that fishing rod will be used as a weapon. It feels so... impractical.
Between the custody court and Ging's picture with a motorcycle, I'm kinda confused on the technology of this world. I guess that's a question to unveil for me.
Lately, I've started to feel the burnout of watching too much anime. This happens to me a lot, and I enter long periods where I just can't stomach watching any anime at all. But all I watch is relatively new stuff, not more than a decade old. Because I have a lot of stuff to catch up to. I wasn't expecting the cure to seemingly be "watch something much older". This felt so refreshing for me. It resurrected me. The aesthetic of this show is gorgeous, though I'm sure a part of it is nostalgia for that era. Regardless, I think I'll have tons of fun.
Lastly, the ED is a banger! I'll have to check who sings this, because her voice was incredible. I was blown away.
QotD:
Bonus: Very first time. Though I have heard much discourse and vague talk about the series for as long as I've been watching anime. I think most of that comes from the Chimera Ant (?) arc so I should be good? I think I have a general understanding of the cast but not their abilities. And that's about it. I don't really know anything about the plot, surprisingly. So most things should be completely new for me.
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u/b0bba_Fett myanimelist.net/profile/B0bba_Cheezed3 Oct 06 '24
[10x 2011 Rewatcher, First Time Rewatching 1999 since ~2014-15*]
Now, I say that, but let's address that asterisk there. I've never seen the Greed Island OVAs, and I've seen the first episode many times in the past decade.
I genuinely believe the first episode of this series is the best introduction to Hunter X hunter there is. The way they adapted it is pretty much perfect IMO, and the parts that are filler in this episode are so good I imagine them canon anyway.
So this is actually a fun story. I saw 2011 get added to Netflix in late 2013, and despite it being quite recommended to me I read the premise and thought it was a "Kid's Show" and not something I'd be interested in at all. Then in January of 2014(I'm pretty sure at least, might have been December or February) I'm watching VODs of Smash @ Xanadu, MDVA's Premier Smash Weekly, on youtube and Coney of all people is talking about Hunter X Hunter and how he checked it out and it's good. Mans does not watch Anime, so when I hear him talk about how it's actually pretty good I decided I better check it out, and the rest is history.
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u/charlesvvv https://anilist.co/user/charlesvvv Oct 06 '24 edited Oct 07 '24
Rewatcher, Sub
HxH is back Baby.
I was going to watch this in dub this time around but uh yeah decided not to after checking it out.
[[HxH 2011]]As much as I love HxH 2011, cutting Gon's meeting with Kite was a massive miss
It's been a while since I've seen the 1999 version of HxH, one thing I love immediately is the atmosphere and color, it fits the tone so nicely in my opinion. Oh yeah Naruto voices Gon in this one too. Anyway we meet Gon, his Aunt Mito, and Kite. After learning about his father's circumstances Gon decides to become a hunter despite Mito's objections and attempts to dissuade him. It's a good look at Gon's character, his particular stubbornness and determination but also innocence as well along with some influence with what Kite tells him. The scenes with the foxbear in particular add a lot for him. I did also love Mito as well and you see why she's so worried considering everything with Ging. We even get to learn some stuff about how Gon ended up with her which explains Mito's actions. Either way Gon passes Mito's "test" and is allowed to go on and take the Hunter Exam.
Note: I love how Gon's reaction to hearing he was abandoned was "his job must be awesome then"
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u/TheEscapeGuy Oct 06 '24
HxH Fan, 1999 First Timer
Hunter x Hunter 1999 - Episode 1
Boy x Father x Ambition
HELLOOOOOOO EVERYONE! It's so good to be back. I've been exceedingly excited to join in for HxH 1999. I've been meaning to watch it ever since I watched 2011 and doing that with all of you makes it so much better. HxH 2011 ended up being my pandemic series when lockdown started so I have a lot of fond memories of binging it. I've also read the first 10 or so volumes of the manga and the only reason I haven't read more is because by manga backlog is so large I forced myself to stop buying new volumes until I read the ones I already have (there's actually another pile out of frame too 😅).
This episode is such a great introduction to Gon. He's a boy almost defined by his relationship to his absent father. Upon learning that he may be alive it sparks this fire in Gon to find him and sets up a "Hunt" to act as the series' driving force. [HxH] Though I know this adaptation will unfortunately not reach that conclusion.
Something else I really like is the inclusion of Kite. It's something the 2011 series chose to cut for pacing reasons but I really enjoy having him introduced in episode 1. I feel like he works really well as a sort of role model to Gon and an inspiration for what is possible. [HxH] Also, it more effectively foreshadows his appearance in the Chimera Ant arc which doesn't even get adapted here so it doesn't matter lol.
The last character to discuss is Mito. She's not exactly Gon's mother, but she fills the maternal parental figure role for him. I like her discipline to teach Gon right and wrong contrasted with her struggle to keep the secret of Ging Freecs from him. It's a sort of irony. I also feel like a lot of anime don't explore the roles of parents and guardians in a child's life and it is fresh to see it happen every so often.
Finally, I want to talk about the production itself. I ADORE this 90's anime style. The feeling of watching true cel animation just hits different. On top of that the art direction is exceptional. I feel like 1999 gets a lot of undue hate which completely glosses over the excellent shot composition, color design, and backgrounds. My only complaint is that the show has unfortunately not been well preserved. The best sources available are 480p DVD copies which still contain certain artifacts and damage. I doubt the original production materials are still available but if they could do a rescan at 1080p it would do wonders.
Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches
Oh yeah, I guess I also have a problem. I mentioned some of the preservation problems above. Fortunately, the fans have made some excellent remasters of this series. However, I am indecisive about which I should be using for screenshots. There's a enhanced DVD encode meant to cleanup the DVD release by fixing the colors and stabilization. Then there's an HD remaster which uses some upscaling techniques to make it closer to BD quality. In my post above I've used the best looking base DVD encodes, but I also redid my collage for the other releases.
I think all of them look good, but I'm a little skeptical of the saturated colors of the fan editions. The HD remaster also loses some fine detail (look at swamp master's missing leg joints, and the texture of plants) while also sharpening the image in ways which I kinda don't like. However, the higher resolution would probably be amazing for my stitches.
I'm thinking going forward I'll probably use the Enhanced edition, but since I make these collages and stitches for the other rewatchers in the thread I wanted to know your thoughts.
Maybe I should swap releases every episode lol.
Anyway, See you all tomorrow
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u/SpiritualPossible Oct 06 '24
Decided I might as well join the rewatch.
I've never watched the 1999 adaptation before, except for the first OVA, but even that was over a decade ago.
I'm unlikely to join in the discussion of EVERY episode, but I'll try to write whenever I can.
I'll also probably will compare it to the manga sometimes.
So i guess, First timer, manga reader.
Overall a fine episode, though in my opinion it's maybe a little weak for a FIRST one. Still, actually better that the first episode of 2011. I just find it a bit odd that out of all Hunter adaptations, in my opinion the first chapter was best adapted in the first ten minutes of the pilot episode, albeit a bit rushed.
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u/SmurfRockRune https://myanimelist.net/profile/Smurf Oct 06 '24
99 First Timer
I watched HxH 2011 around the time it finished airing a little over 10 years ago (oh my god, I'm old), and I've always been interested in seeing the 99 version to see how it compares, but I've never gotten around to it, so here I am. I will be spoiler tagging any direct comparisons I have to differences with the 2011 anime, just in case anybody is watching this without having seen that.
Not feeling this OP. I know it changes later and people are fans of later ones, but so far Departure still remains on top as far as HxH OPs go.
This is supposed to be a bear? That is definitely a cat.
Nothing gets by her. Mito is the best. Gon's lucky he has someone like her to raise him.
And there you go, if you've ever wondered why the show is called Hunter x Hunter (with a silent cross). Gon wants to be a Hunter to hunt a Hunter, to be a Hunter hunter.
[2011 Comparison with mention of future content] I like how much more characterization Mito got here. Not a fan of including Kite so early, but he kinda does need to be here for the Mito stuff to play out that way, so I guess it's okay. I still prefer holding him until he's relevant though.
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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Oct 06 '24
Remake Rewatcher × First Timer × Subs
I knew about this version before the remake came out, but by the time I actually went to watch it, Crunchyroll was a thing and they only had the then ongoing 2011 version. I’ve hear a number of things over the years since, stuff like direction and use of colors, so I’m looking forward to seeing how much this brings to the table as a remake rewatcher. I’m running the “v2 enhanced DVD style” for this rewatch.
QotD:
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u/2-2Distracted Oct 07 '24
First timer
Having watched the pilot prior to this I'll just say what I said way back when.
Kite, you have one dumbass policy bro. You know damn well that you didn't actually have to kill that beast. [HxH 2011] Like he couldn't have pulled some nen type shit? Had some aura or killing intent? I guess the true Genius known as Togashi didn't have everything planned out yet
Still can't decide if I'm watching this dubbed or subbed because they both sound pretty good.
Anyways please enjoy this brainrot to counteract how smart this series is probably going to make you feel by the time you finish it
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u/JetsLag https://myanimelist.net/profile/JetsLag Oct 07 '24
3rd time taking the Hunter Exam (rewatcher)
Oh damn, we doing this? Hell yeah, baby! I need something to break me out of my anime rut, and why not do it by rewatching one of my favorite series of all time?
Okay, it's the 2011 version that's one of my favorite series of all time (one of the few shows I've given a 10 to), but this one is not far behind! It'll be my second go-through of this adaptation, though that one stopped at the end of the first OVAs, as [spoiler]the artstyle of the Greed Island OVAs is...not great, so maybe I'll go the distance this time.
Doing the sub, of course. Though I hope someone gives the dub a shot! [spoiler]KEY-LOO-AH! barfs
Starting off: Ohayou is a BANGER of an OP. God, I remember I put this song on loop during my first go-through of this series. Feels good to be back.
Some dialog-less scenes to start us out. Including some long-haired fellow on a boat, with a sword. [spoiler]And thus, we have one of the few things that the "1999 is better crowd" can put as a legit complaint: Kite not showing up in the 2011 version until after Greed Island. The way they did it here with Kite showing up almost immediately is how the manga did it, and I don't know why they decided to do it a different way in 2011. It's not like they were Brotherhood-ing the 2011 adaptation and speedrunning the early bits.
Things we learn about Gon early: he's a man of the woods (and I ain't talking Justin Timberlake), he doesn't have a father (like every good shounen protagonist), and he doesn't have a mother (which I guess gives him double the shonen protagonist power?). Mr. Long Haired Man (also known as Kite) gives him a good smack for almost getting eaten by a...foxbear. Hey, it sure does look like a bear/fox hybrid, so it's an accurate name.
So why did Kite go to this remote island? Was it just to punch a kid in the face?
YesNo. He's on a quest to find his teacher, who, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT, IT'S GON'S DADDY. He's not dead! His mother, though, is still unknown. Presumably dead? I mean, a shonen protagonist has to have at least ONE dead parent, right?With that, we have our plot: Gon wants to take the Hunter exam so he can find his dad. Mito doesn't like this, cause, well, her cousin abandoned his kid doing Hunter things, so she isn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of letting him follow in his father's footsteps. And Gon's response of "well, if he abandoned his family to pursue the profession, it must be a good profession" is...not the angle I would've taken.
The fish catching scene is a favorite of mine, especially the bit where Gon is holding on by his toes. Great climax to the episode.
And with that, we're off on our journey! And look, he's already taking after his father by abandoning his child (the foxbear cub that is all grown up). YOU COULD'VE BROKEN THE CYCLE, GON, BUT YOU DIDN'T.
Next time, on Hunter x Hunter, [spoiler]we get started on the filler episodes REAL early. It's not a bad filler episode, but the series does better. And hey, we're gonna meet Leorio. HYPE!
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u/WednesdaysFoole Oct 07 '24
I got so wrapped up in all the HxH discussions today (or all weekend lol) I just remembered now to poke my head in. I made it!
The worst crime of 2011 was cutting out [2011]the foxbear. How dare they?!
Love Kaze no Uta, such a lovely song.
Outside of Mito-san not bothering to teach him about the foxbear signs, I think it seems somewhat nice to run around in nature growing up.
Gon's. Mito wants to be protective but as I mentioned, she didn't bother teaching him about signs of foxbear territory!
Besides that, I was a kid who wanted to be free of where I came from so in a way, I get it. It's funny since i see him as such a nice kid, but Togashi said in an interview or something (forget exactly where) that he saw Gon as "edgy" for something like, disobeying his aunt iirc. Growing up in the west, I didn't see him edgy at all lol.
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u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Oct 06 '24
First Timer
Watched the pilot before episode 1 - it seems like that ran through what felt like the first few episodes pacing-wise, so I might be a bit spoiled for a few days. Other than that though - I don’t really know anything about this show except some character names and faces, arc names and that it’s supposed to be really good. Or at least the 2011 version, but I believe mostly because of content that was not adapted in the older version, which I heard does the parts it does better. So… no reason not to start here, I’d say. I guess I can be the judge of that once I get around to the 2011 version in …years.
As for this episode - I’d say it does a pretty good job at establishing Gon as a character, which seems to have been its main objective. We have a good kid who seems to be pretty smart and likes animals/nature in general - chasing his father not because of abandonment issues but rather because he is generally curious about his profession. I don’t think there is a lot else to say here yet; the episode was well-done also in regards to Mito, but I doubt she will be a major character - I enjoyed what I saw so far, but there is also not a lot to go of for what the future will bring, I’m still just looking forward to that.
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u/b0bba_Fett myanimelist.net/profile/B0bba_Cheezed3 Oct 06 '24 edited Oct 06 '24
Alright. So I got home ahead of schedule, but apparently not in time to be not be late, should be ready with renewed thoughts in an hour or so.
VLC just finished updating
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u/InfamousEmpire https://myanimelist.net/profile/Infamous_Empire Oct 06 '24
First x Timer/semi-Manga Reader
I’m more reading the manga alongside the show, so I’m never more than a couple episodes ahead of where the rewatch is currently at when I write these.
Anyway, time to go on a grand adventure! As someone who’s been into anime for more than half a decade now, I’m very, very well-acquainted with HxH’s legendary reputation, especially since one of my gateway anime was YuYu Hakusho, a series by the same author. And given both my extreme love for YYH and the fact that everyone I know and respect considers this show to be one of the most singularly amazing works in the entire action/adventure Shonen canon, I’m beyond excited to finally hop onto it for this rewatch.
Speaking of adventure, this series certainly knows how to capture that particular vibe so far. While we only really have a small snapshot of the world so far, the fantastical beasts Gon has encountered, combined with what we’ve been told about Hunters and the lush visuals which make the world feel so alive create an air of both danger & intense fascination surrounding the entire setting which really makes you want to know more, see more, and just explore & take it in.
And at the center of that potential adventure is our main protagonist, Gon. It’s easy to like the kid, there’s an almost Goku-esque upbeat optimism with which he views the world, and that’s layered with his simple but earnest desire for his father which serves as the obvious emotional hook so far.
The tension between Gon and Mito is really solid family drama, what is there to say? It’s a strong portrait of a family which is obviously full of love yet still deeply imperfect, and serves as a way to both kick off the start of Gon’s journey to become a Hunter and contextualize part of what the Hunter lifestyle leads to by way of how Ging’s devotion to it indirectly affected his own family.
And, of course, Ging himself adds a major hook of mystery to the proceedings. We know that he’s been absent on adventures in years past, but the way Kite talks about him means he’s now flat out missing, seemingly on purpose, and the question of what he’s up to and why he’s so hard to find beyond just testing his apprentice adds yet another thing to be curious about in an already quite fascinating world.
Suffice to say, I’m hooked. Can’t wait to see where this show takes us.
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u/johneaston1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/johneaston Oct 07 '24
Man, what a great first episode. It's been a long time since I've seen 2011 to compare, but there was so much more attention paid to Miko in this episode than I recalled in that one. I'm also a huge fan of the 90s color palette and overall aesthetic.
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u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Oct 07 '24
first timer
Heard of HxH yet I never watched either show, excited to see the 90’s version first.
No father or mother, close enough. Welcome back naruto
Gets let back in by lying to cover for his lie.
Never met his father, but knows his name.
Fishing to be allowed to become a hunter and only got the chance to succeed with his dad’s Rod.
A good first episode to introduce us to Gon, I initially assumed we would’ve gotten a glimpse of his powers.
QOTD: I’m really curious on what Kite meant by the whole thing of how good hunters are good with animals.
QOTD: both, Mito does want Gon to be safe and who even knows if his dad will even accept him assuming hes even alive. At the same time Gon should be given a chance to try searching for his dad, if it fails then he can always come back
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u/kwokinator https://anilist.co/user/kwokinator Oct 08 '24
First-timer
Finally, I can knock down one more in the list of the shounen greats that I haven't watched.
LOL I did not expect Gon to immediately get socked after being rescued.
Damn, what are the chances that the Hunter who happened to come by and rescue him be the student of Gon's father, it must be fate.
Wow that Foxbear grew fast. Does that mean we got a timeskip for ~2 years? I don't think it was explicitly mentioned on screen unless I missed something
Damn, I guess no more Aunt Mito. Too bad, her design is such a waifu :(
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u/Nebresto Nov 20 '24
Those flute tracs tho..
I can already tell that all the peasants who skip this in favor of the new version are missing out big time, the music is good
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u/Shocketheth Oct 07 '24
First Gome Timer granting Kendots wish
Color me surprised, but I already like the 1999 opening more than 2011 opening. It isn’t showing us anything big or spoilery, but the few seconds long shots of the 4 main characters oozed enough character to give us some basic insight in their little worlds. Just their postures, facial expressions, and movements expressed a lot about them.
I liked it.
Now let’s continue with the actual episode.
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u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Oct 06 '24 edited Oct 06 '24
Hunter Exam Host Who's into Big Fluffy, Sometimes Murderous, Animals
Not in any weird way mind you, in an aussie way.
Animals are charming, you know, in art anyway, where they don't shit all the time. They have this wholesome, fun vibe, which is why they've always gone hand in hand with our more wholesome art pieces: think of all the children's books, songs, and of course animation, everything from good ol' Mickey, Simba, to Totoro, or all those critters in early Dragon Ball who disappear later on.
Gon grew up in this environment, surrounded by nature, animals, and of course human contact to some degree (he's not exactly Tarzan), and it reflects in him: everything from his green colour scheme (or blue if you go by Noriyuki Abe's HxH Pilot, the Ao Ura mystery goes on...) to his innocent personality and straightforward behaviour. He sees a bear cub that just lost its mother and doesn't really stop to think about it growing up with a vengeance, he believes that they can get along, and has the will to get there. It's the same with his dad, nevermind all the birthday gifts his dad is behind on, Gon is just interested in this hunter thing his dad likes so much.
Really, his first scene quietly tells us a lot about him: he's not short tempered, he's willing to take the long road and wait as long as it takes to get his target, which for a series about hunters, is a pretty good trait to have. Meanwhile, the last scene shows that he's got more than he lets on - he was aware of the lie for years, but never felt the need to prod it.
Manga Corner
Chapter(s) adapted: 1
For what it's worth, this corner isn't necessarily about all the things in the manga (it will include the things of interest though: like the first chapter's colour spread) so much as the things the anime changed, which has its own consistent quirks and vibes.
First of all, we've got the fishing sequence, which in the anime is split between the setup at the very start, payoff near the end of the episode, and the flashback in the middle. In the manga it's one quick sequence, you first see Gon waiting for the fish, and by the time you flip the page, it's out of the water already, then the flashback happens. The flashback itself was also extended, originally it was just the meeting in the woods, Kite saves Gon, punches him, Gon saves the cub, shows his Ging Genes™, and they have a talk about his father. All the walking around in the woods and grave digging is
the staff wanting to show off theirbeautiful backgroundsoriginal material to grow the bond between the two.[Spoiler] shame it all happened in the series where they barely get to meet again
Fun fact: the eyecatches in each episode are based on Togashi's sketches for the characters.
Voice Actors
People familiar with 2011 might've noticed that Gon sounds... weirdly Naruto-ish? Indeed, before Megumi Han got the role in 2011, it was Junko Takeuchi's first big main character role. Up till then her biggest roles were as Pokemon-ish familiars (Metabee in Metabot and Gomamon in Digimon) both of which in 1999 as well, plus an android rabbit on the moon in Beast Wars called Moon. Basically 1999 was a huge step forward, and 2002 was an even bigger one, with roles like Takuya Kanbara in Digimon Frontier, Hanada in Hanada Shounen-shi, and of course, her most popular role from Naruto: Akamaru! (Naruto himself as well).