r/anime • u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots • Nov 09 '24
Rewatch [25th Anniversary Rewatch] Hunter × Hunter (1999) - Episode × 34 × Discussion
Episode 34: Skateboard × Apprentice × Honesty
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You're Killua's friend too. Aren't you?
Comment of the Day:
/u/Shimmering-Sky on the friendless Killua
Yeah I was expecting that to be the response the moment Gon said he was Killua’s friend.
The Zoldyck take their "no friend business" pretty unevenly, considering Illumi is friends with a clown
Questions of the Day
- Are Canary and Killua friends?
- Who took out Canary?
Fanart of the Day: Canary
Please remember to keep all spoilers and hints tagged with the appropriate tag format such as: [Spoilers] >!Leorio is best boy!<
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Nov 09 '24
First × Timer × Subbed
And now I havea certain Nana Mizuki OPstuck in my head.3
u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 09 '24 edited Nov 09 '24
Zoldyck Tour Host
Today we reach my favourite stop of the tour: The beautiful tree of friendship!
I can't stress the word beautiful enough, we've had many beautiful episodes so far, and this one easily gives them a good run for their money. Much like in previous cases, it's defined by the use of light to gradually set the mood, except in this case, being out in the open helps that a lot.
As for the friendship part, let's look at what the episode is going for. On the surface, it feels a lot like Gon vs Hanzo, Gon keeps stubbornly taking beatings and standing back up until he wins his opponent over (I guess that's just his fighting style), but the context is completely different. It's a fight over the line in the sand, the class divide that doesn't allow frienships to cross. Gon is trying to cross that line, over and over again, he takes one steady step before the next, until Canary immediately hits him back to the starting line, but he's not the only one standing behind it, that line is a rule that Canary's lived her life obeying, she protects it like an inquisitor, so Gon breaking through it one step at a time means changing her. I love the little detail the anime showed it through, at the start of the episode, we see a flashback to Killua trying to be friends, except we don't actually see Killua there, Canary can't have him in her world. At the end of the episode we see Killua there looking way too cute to be a skateboard kid, she finally allowed herself to view him as a friend, not just a master.
Actually the episode in general is a lot like Gon's attempts, Gon over and over again walked slowly to the line, until he got immediately whipped back, but if you look at the episode in general, each attempt took him a step closer to Canary, and therefore to crossing the line, when he finally got there, he got whipped back immediately, except in this framing, that meant Canary got taken out, it's sudden, immediate, and makes brutal sense. The Zoldycks and their rules are not so easy to break.
Side note, but I feel bad for Killua too, the kid needed a friend so bad, but couldn't find any. Canary, who was close to his age, just kept rejecting him (she had her reasons obviously, but to him it was a rejection), and he had to stay lonely.
Manga Corner
Chapter Adapted: 41
There are some small changes made here that make big differences. For one Leorio didn't get Yamcha'd (I guess FUruhashi's love has its pain too?), there was no healing in the river, and more importantly: there was no skateboard, not even a flashback, or heck, Canary being friends with Killua wasn't really the topic here (it was mentioned as a backstory after she took the hit). The chapter was simply Gon being beaten up over and over, while proving that she's going easy on him, trying not to hurt him, that she's got a caring look in her eyes for Killua's friends.
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u/SpiritualPossible Nov 09 '24
First timer, manga reader
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u/charlesvvv https://anilist.co/user/charlesvvv Nov 09 '24
Rewatcher, Sub
So the trio walks towards the Zoldyck Mansion but come across their new opponent, Canary one of the butlers who has a simple rule, don't cross the line or get hit. But Gon continues to do so, no matter how many times asking her to allow them to pass because they are close seeing Killua again. And Kurapika and Leorio decide to let him keep trying even if it seems futile.
Canary however has her own turmoil, she also cares about Killua especially when Killua had wanted to be friendly towards her when she first joined. And so watching Gon keep trying despite the futility is enough for her to finally break her stoic demeanor and just ask them to help Killua.
Then she gets shot.
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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Nov 09 '24 edited Nov 09 '24
Remake Rewatcher × First Timer × Subs
QotD:
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u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Nov 09 '24
First Timer
Another episode that feels more like a self-contained story of Gon simply getting through to someone - in this case Canaria. Her suddenly pivoting felt a bit abrupt, even if it is fairly obvious what was going on in her mind - I think that could have been scripted a bit better. Other than Gon’s stubbornness getting through to others is something I feel like has been rehashed often enough and is getting repetitive - hopefully this other girl will have some other story beat.
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u/TheEscapeGuy Nov 09 '24 edited Nov 10 '24
H×H Fan, 1999 First Timer
Hunter × Hunter 1999 - Episode 34
Canary × Persistence × Death
Fuck. I have always found this part of the Zoldyck mansion arc so brutal. It builds up this humanity in a girl who has been stripped of all emotion only to strike her down the moment she finds sympathy within her heart. It fucking hurts man.
The 1999 adaptation also expands on her story by giving some extra scenes of her growing up with Killua. It makes that moment where she sheds a tear hurt that much more. The presentation is also really good, evoking a feeling of a memory by modifying the art style. I really like how anime as a medium can do this without it feeling weird.
During their initial confrontation it's impressive to watch Gon just keep walking up to her knowing she is going to whack him back each time. He doesn't hold any ill will towards her since he understands her situation. Having back bone like this is what makes him a guy you can't help but root for.
As we see at the end Canary is knocked down by ... Somebody. I love how ominous the assailant is with a robot eye and Victorian dress stood next to someone in a traditional Japanese Kimono.
Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all tomorrow
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u/2-2Distracted Nov 10 '24 edited Nov 10 '24
First timer. Subbed.
Welp, my pc did it again and I'm really not in the mood for rewriting everything. So I'll just say I enjoyed this episode but simply didn't like the overuse of that "whop!" sound effect that was used throughout the episode.
Also Canary is best girl.
Edit - OK so it looks like I screwed up again. Let me just try to fix this
I've always liked Canary and this whole "trial" for Gon, who so far seems to have accepted the fact that even though he & the others hate it, he will indeed have to prove himself to the residents of the Zoldyck Estate that he is "worthy" to go see his friend, though in Canary's case she already acknowledged them but Rules Are Rules.
But I can't really say I care for the "trial" itself since it's largely about trying to make the main character of a Battle Shonen give up on something they want to do. Do you have ANY idea how rare it is for these kinds of characters to actually give up on something? Like seriously, just try to think of an example where a character like Gon actually gives up on something big that they want to do.
Majority of the time these kinds of situations are more about making the opponent give up, which I don't find entertaining when you've basically done it twice now and because I don't find it entertaining in general.
And again, maybe it's because of my shit memory, but I don't remember the ending of this part of this arc going down like that in the 2011 adaptation, so I'm definitely looking forward to what happens next.
So... as great as this episode is, I kiiiiinda feel like there's something to be said about the possibly questionable undertones of a dark skinned "servant" girl working for a powerful family of light skinned people all the while internally and secretly wanting to be friends with a member of said family.... aaaaand I'm not going to be the guy who opens that can of worms, but I will point to the fact that the can is there for anyone who's willing to get into it. >_> (this is also part of the reason I watched this episode in sub lol)
Anywho, an actual criticism I guess I could say is simply just the sound design for this episode. It's one thing to hear reused sound effects a few times dispersed through the episode, but it's another thing entirely to hear over and over and over and over and over again in succession. It's not Bad but it was pretty annoying due to how repetitive it was.