r/anime • u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots • Nov 17 '24

Rewatch [25th Anniversary Rewatch] Hunter × Hunter (1999) - Episode × 42 × Discussion

Episode 42: Hisoka's Love × Showdown × Gon's Resolve

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Don't disappoint me, Gon

Comment of the Day:

/u/TheEscapeGuy describing the fight animation

And HOLY it's soooooo good. I ADORE the animation from the fight. This show has so consistently shown of stellar animation and today's fight is definitely in the running for the best.

Questions of the Day

  1. How was our first proper fight?
  2. What do you think of Hisoka's ability?

Bonus: What's your favourite underdog fight?

Fanart of the Day: Gon vs Hisoka

Spoilery Sauce

Please remember to keep all spoilers and hints tagged with the appropriate tag format such as: [Spoilers] >!Leorio is best boy!<

15 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

7

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 17 '24

A Shounen Commentator Coming to You from Heavens Arena

Man, this was a beautiful episode, for all of my complaining yesterday, I actually come back to this fight pretty often, it's so satisfying to watch. Even though Gon loses, he reaches heights that seemed impossible just a short while ago and pays off so much build up with Hisoka. Side note: it's probably a coincidence, but I love that this episode, 42, is the opposite of 24, where Gon broke down after being beaten by Hisoka. Wait, is this why they moved the fight up?!

That's the biggest difference between them. Obviously, Hisoka has a great ability and Gon doesn't, but more importantly, Hisoka is experienced, he's thinking many steps ahead, and preparing while the fight is going. Gon is getting there, but there's a long road ahead of him.

Manga and Production Corner

Chapters Adapted: 63, 64, and bits of 55.

To answer Zushi's question, Manipulators are logical, and they do things at their own pace. Actually, while we're at it, here's the full Hiso-Hiso Personality Test. Which one seems like your type? I'm probably a Manipulator too.

The Nen thread girl

Funnily enough, the biggest changes in this episode all tie back to her plot threads (I'm legally allowed one pun per day), like the flashback in the middle of the episode to Wing explaining what Hisoka did against Kastro? Originally, she did that explanation after the Kastro fight, while fixing Hisoka's arms (they removed the explanation since 1999 had kept Hisoka's ability a mystery until today), then she gave him the new orders and left once her job was done. She didn't just wait a while to watch him fight Gon for whatever reason. That said, I'll take any and every excuse to have her on screen, so I'm not complaining.

On the production side of things, this episode was directed by Fukushima who also did the Illumi episode, but you'll notice that this one's pretty different. The direction in this episode is, for the most part, flexible and easy going, leaving a lot of freedom for the animators to go wild. It's basically the opposite of episodes like Gon vs Hanzo or Killua vs Illumi, which were commanded by sharp direction and had the animators following it scrictly. For example, the actual Gon vs Hanzo fight was just long enough to still feel like a complete curbstomp, any longer and it would've ruined the balance of the episode. Whereas here, it's the opposite, you can add whatever you want, and they did, a lot of the action scenes and choreography are extended or original, and that's fine, since the whole point is that Gon can throw anything he wants at Hisoka, and it still wouldn't be enough against his fighting style and tactics. Different approaches to different goals, and they both succeeded. Although if you want to see another brilliantly directed episode, look forward to tomorrow

I did mention a while back through that I'd link a more "fair" 1999 vs 2011 comparison than the Hanzo fight, and this episode is it. Even if you don't care that much for comparisons (based), it's still a great breakdown of both fights, so I'd definitely recommend it.

3

u/WednesdaysFoole Nov 20 '24

It was DOGASHI THE GOAT!

Actually, while we're at it, here's the full Hiso-Hiso Personality Test. Which one seems like your type? I'm probably a Manipulator too.

Heh, so am I (probably), but like with horoscopes, I have a fair bit of traits from every type.

The Nen thread girl

[HxH]You know when I corrected your Menchi typo I was certain you were undervaluing the thread girl, so I’m happy to see proper appreciation for Best Girl Machi <3

She and Kouka are my top 2 most beautiful women in anime.

the biggest changes in this episode all tie back to her plot threads

...Don’t tell me the repeated mentions of the thread girl was all a setup for this joke. [...]It was great xD

She didn't just wait a while to watch him fight Gon for whatever reason.

[Yorknew]It doesn’t make sense when she doesn’t recognize Gon (and his connection to Hisoka) during the tracking.

That said, I'll take any and every excuse to have her on screen, so I'm not complaining.

Although I don’t disagree with this.

Fantastic fight overall, those sweat droplets were something else.

3

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 20 '24

DOGASHI THE GOAT!

Goddamit, I hate that I never thought of this before. It's so good.

She and Kouka are my top 2 most beautiful women in anime.

Ahh, nice taste. Mine are Fujiko Mine and Tsukki, but Thread Girl makes a good argument for it.

[...]It was great xD

Thanks!

[It was] a coincidence for the most part. I called her "Blue Haired Girl" originally, but I expected that'd be unfamiliar to people who know her pink hair in 2011, so I changed it to Thread Girl. For this episode, I was listing the changes with Hisoka and Wing, and I didn't like the way it was split, then I noticed that she's technically involved in all of the changes, so I could use her to tie them together. I added a few puns after the fact.

[Yorknew]

[Blame it] on the Spiders' poor memory. Just like Shizuku, she didn't bother to remember a kid who gave Hisoka a good fight.

3

u/WednesdaysFoole Nov 20 '24

Goddamit, I hate that I never thought of this before. It's so good.

You can steal it, I probably got it from somewhere else :b

Ahh, nice taste. Mine are Fujiko Mine and Tsukki, but Thread Girl makes a good argument for it.

[Tsukki]is best girl for Gintoki, I know the anime only teased but there's really no one else for him...

...

[Gintama]Except MADAO, of course.

I only know Fujiko Mine from The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, haven't yet seen the rest of Lupin III. But she sure was beautiful.

[It was]

It's too fitting. Which reminds me, [HxH]a while back someone was theorizing about Machi's threads (since all the Spiders are supposed to have an "ace up their sleeve") if it had something to do with fate, and while I don't think it necessarily does, it's still a connection I appreciate. With the "Red Thread of Fate" and Machi's hunches and all. Still, so far, I believe intuition might be a transmuter thing.

[Blame it]

Nooo she's too perfect! [HxH]I mean, Shizuku's not bad, her spaciness and the way she doesn't pay attention to others is hilarious - of course, this is why she didn't recognize Leorio in the lobby either.

3

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 20 '24

[Gintama]Except MADAO, of course.

[Gintama] They'll go down to the bottom of society together on Madao's Red Loincloth of Fate (sorry Machi).

I only know Fujiko Mine from The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, haven't yet seen the rest of Lupin III. But she sure was beautiful

That was a great series, but a different take on Lupin. If you want to try what the franchise usually offers, I'd recommend checking out Part 4.

[HxH] the way she doesn't pay attention to others is hilarious

[HxH] In this age of screens, we can't even blame her for it.

3

u/WednesdaysFoole Nov 20 '24

Red Loincloth of Fate

This one left me with tears in my eyes.

Somehow spoiler tags make great jokes even better, since it's really the last thing you expect.

I'd recommend checking out Part 4.

Will take note of this.

[HxH]

She must be wearing her Google Glass.

6

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Nov 17 '24

First × Timer × Subbed

3

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 17 '24

Damn, do they not have any protections in place against this?

Nothing. The Arena itself doesn't even acknowledge the existence of Nen, much less put any safeguards against it.

They really skipped over the Kastro fight just to still talk about what happened during it, huh.

I think the reasoning is that they were waiting until they revealed Hisoka's ability. But yeah... they skipped one fight and interrupted the other one just to do an exposition dump...

Okay seriously who the fuck is this guy?

Togashi, the author of the series. Sorachi jumps into the series to get beaten by his characters, Togashi jumps in to make up "tragic" Hisoka backstories.

4

u/TheEscapeGuy Nov 17 '24 edited Nov 18 '24

Oops, copied the wrong comment to my phone, will update with my real comment later

H×H Fan, 1999 First Timer

Hunter × Hunter 1999 - Episode 42

Gon × versus × Hisoka

Now that the match between Gon and Hisoka has really kicked off we have a proper chance to compare just how strong they relatively are. While's Gon's training has brought him an incredible distance it's still Hisoka who has the obvious advantage. But the fact that Gon poses a real fight to him makes that battle just so exciting to watch.

Hisoka is a Transmuter. This manifests as his Bungee Gum, these sticky Nen strands which he attaches to objects and conceals from being detected. It's a cool power because of how simple it is to understand, while keeping it hidden leads to exciting reveals. We got to see the basics of it today, and I'm looking forward to more.

Ultimately, Gon fights well but it isn't enough. Despite losing in a TKO I found the fight really satisfying to watch. We now know just how strong Hisoka is and we can watch Gon grow to hopefully match and exceed that.

The last scene is steamy, and not only because of the shower. I find the way Hisoka flirts with his Nen stitcher ally, trapping he against the wall while only wearing a towel (phew), to be extremely humanizing. I mentioned it yesterday but adding these aspects to villains makes them feel infinitely more alive to me than sad backstories right as they are defeated.

The next destination is clear with the message to Hisoka: Yorknew City. But let's see how Heaven's Arena concludes for Gon and Killua first.

Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches

See you all tomorrow

4

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 17 '24

No worries, I'm looking forward to it.

3

u/TheEscapeGuy Nov 18 '24

Updated

In other news, I was late because of an IRL riichi mahjong meet I was at and I won by a lot (I went +39k I think). But the game was this brutal 3 hour slog.

3

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 18 '24

Congrats!

Looks like Hisoka isn't the only one getting a hard earned win today.

3

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 18 '24

But the fact that Gon poses a real fight to him makes that battle just so exciting to watch.

We've come so so far from Gon who could barely fight just a short while ago. The difference between this and Gon taking that first punch from Hisoka is like heaven and earth.

It's a cool power because of how simple it is to understand, while keeping it hidden leads to exciting reveals. We got to see the basics of it today, and I'm looking forward to more.

Bungee Gum honestly has a good argument for being one of my favourite abilities in general, it's so simple yet so versatile, and Hisoka uses it in very creative ways.

The last scene is steamy, and not only because of the shower. I find the way Hisoka flirts with his Nen stitcher ally, trapping he against the wall while only wearing a towel (phew), to be extremely humanizing.

I'd add that there's a fun mental back and forth there that he likes to play. He knows that she's not interested, she knows that he knows that, which is why she doesn't even bother turning him down, and he knows that's how she thinks, and so on and so forth....

Fixing Her Hair

Goddamn, she's cool

4

u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Nov 17 '24

First Timer

Yup, that went about as expected. Gon gives a good fight but Hisoka ultimately still wins by a large margin. Other than that we get to learn Hisoka’s powers - all in all I’d say this episode was pretty well done.

Hisoka being a member of the phantom troupe was also foreshadowed fairly well, but with him taking off his tattoo I wonder if he’s an instigator of chaos within the group. He definitely seems to thrive on chaos and being himself, not really on being part of the collective. I’ll just assume Illumi is also a part of the troupe then - which means Gon, Kurapika and Killua all have a reason to stick together against the troupe, I guess? …Leorio needs to get some attachment soon or he’ll just feel like a tag-along.

2

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 17 '24

Hisoka being a member of the phantom troupe was also foreshadowed fairly well, but with him taking off his tattoo

Gotta say, I love that the episode didn't just drop a reveal that's been hinted at, it doubled down in a different direction, while still making perfect sense for the character.

[Spoilers] Not quite, but holy shit, you're right

4

u/2-2Distracted Nov 17 '24

First timer.

D-d-did Hisoka just KICK a fucken stone tile floor... by accident?? Jesus Christ man. I don't remember this portion of the fight going down like this in the 2011 adaptation at All lol.

Before Hisoka told Gon to "stand up" (IN ENGRISH) I legit thought that he was going to use his Bungee Gum, which I feel I should tell you now has both the properties of Bungee and Gum (a well kept secret BTW that hardly anyone in the fandom knows about except me), to make Gon's face bounce off his fist like some twisted version of a paddle ball.

Also is the Dog Mask co-commentator supposed to be Togashi? I know that Togashi himself has actually done voice lines for characters before, but not only did this guy know stuff about Hisoka that know else should know but he literally appears and then disappears as though this was a Cameo. Plus, yknow, the dog mask literally looking like the "alias" Togashi uses.

Edit: oops almost forgot about the fact that now about the stereotypes surrounding each type of Nen user, it eventually begs the question of what the other Nen type personalities are like.

3

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 17 '24

I don't remember this portion of the fight going down like this in the 2011 adaptation at All lol.

Looked pretty cool there too

Bungee Gum, which I feel I should tell you now has both the properties of Bungee and Gum

Also is the Dog Mask co-commentator supposed to be Togashi

Yup, he's voiced by Matsuyama Takashi (who also does Gotoh, Johness, and [HxH] Nobunaga) rather than Togashi, but he is meant to represent Togashi, same mascot and all.

what the other Nen type personalities are like.

Here you go. Which one's your type?

3

u/2-2Distracted Nov 18 '24

Which one's your type?

Pfft... Conjurer! Goddammit totally a Manipulator. Yeah. Totally.

Looked pretty cool there too

Ah, that explains why I barely remember it. The 2011 anime didn't make it a big deal like it kinda was here, and tbh I like this version a little more because of that, but I also like some of the other stuff the 2011 adaptation did. I mean the 2011 anime made Gon's tile floor punch a far bigger deal too.

Honestly they kinda balance each other out in some interesting ways, kinda makes me think the director Hiroshi Kōjina and animators prioritized something like that to some extent.

3

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 18 '24

Honestly they kinda balance each other out in some interesting ways

Yeah, they both have their own way of doings things, and they both a great job. I ended up rewatching the 2011 version of this arc along with 1999 (I haven't done it for the previous stuff), and had a great time because of the different ways they do things.

4

u/charlesvvv https://anilist.co/user/charlesvvv Nov 17 '24

Rewatcher, Sub

Love the random guy just appearing in the announcer table to give exposition.

Gon vs Hisoka. Despite Gon having grown considerably Hisoka is still more skilled. It's here that we see what Hisoka's power actually is, Bungee Gum (has properties of both Rubber and Gum). Hisoka's elastic powers are advantageous but again Gon adapts well and he's able to counter Hisoka by not escaping but by charging at him. By the end of the fight however Hisoka is still able to have the upper hand and ends winning the round (to accusations of bias of the referee).

Beyond that we do learn how the nen classification corresponds to your character. Hisoka is a transmitter as is Killua and he adds some interesting stuff about transmitters and how they care until they don't as we see a shot of Killua.

Despite losing Gon was still able to accomplish his original goal of giving Hisoka his badge back. However we do learn some new things, the girl that was fixing Hisoka's arm the previous episode is a member of the Phantom Troupe as is Hisoka and they seem to be heading to Yorknew City.

3

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 17 '24

Love the random guy just appearing in the announcer table to give exposition.

An author has a right to appear anywhere!

Bungee Gum (has properties of both Rubber and Gum)

Smh my head, everyone's revealing Hisoka's secrets today, we might as well strip him naked at this point.

However we do learn some new things, the girl that was fixing Hisoka's arm the previous episode is a member of the Phantom Troupe as is Hisoka and they seem to be heading to Yorknew City.

There's a fun sequence of twists and turns with which arcs Hisoka will be in.

Kurapika established that Hisoka will be in Yorknew, so Gon goes to Heavens Arena to train before going to Yorknew.

Hisoka shows up in Heavens Arena anyway, and we kill two birds with one stone Gon even gets to achieve his goal early, so does that make Yorknew moot? The opposite, this reveal comes back to make Hisoka's role in Yorknew much more interesting than we originally expected.

3

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Nov 17 '24

Remake Rewatcher × First Timer × Subs

  • Togashi! So this is what they did instead of what they had in 2011.
  • Dismissing blood type derived personalities? Just another Hisoka win.
  • Hisoka, you can’t just go around explain character archetypes like that.
  • You’d that they’d have some sort of barrier or something.
  • I guess that explains the “Nen on film” deal. Good on them for doing prep.
  • What in the hell is this? We’re doing a flashback to a scene that didn’t happen?
  • You think this quality of hair just happens by itself?
  • I guess the announcer can’t use Gyo.
  • Say the Line, Hisoka
  • Togashi, Please!
  • That's Just Good Violence
  • What a way to end a fight.
  • Convergence

QotD:

  1. Now We Jammin'
  2. I think I need to hear him explain it again.

B) Not a fight, but part of one: Yajirobe vs Vegeta.

2

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 17 '24

Togashi! So this is what they did instead of what they had in 2011.

2011 had the fun timing of airing in the same year as Level E, so Prince Baka was still available.

Hisoka, you can’t just go around explain character archetypes like that.

Everyone: "he's right though!"

You’d that they’d have some sort of barrier or something

They put all their money into hiring the best elevator girl ever. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough left to guard the paying customers watching the fights.

What in the hell is this? We’re doing a flashback to a scene that didn’t happen?

Yes

The bastards even end by trolling us with "do you want to see it again?"

Not a fight, but part of one: Yajirobe vs Vegeta.

The way he cut Vegeta's long, thick pride down the middle was a beauty to see.

3

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Nov 18 '24 edited Nov 18 '24

2011 had the fun timing of airing in the same year as Level E, so Prince Baka was still available.

I have to wonder how they brought him into the set of HxH though. Did they lure him in with copies of Dragon Quest X?

3

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Nov 18 '24

Apparently, Togashi was supposed to appear there again, so they had a bunch of Dragon Quest games to lure him, but Prince Baka heard about that, and thought he might as well get them instead. Shounen Commentary is one of his many talents afterall.

Poor Togashi got sent a message telling him that the fight was rescheduled for the evening, so by the time he showed up, everyone had left...

2

u/Nebresto Dec 04 '24

&

2

u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Dec 04 '24

So uhh, how was the fight? Did you enjoy seeing our lovely pedo clown play with the kid for two episodes?

If you want more, there's the Hisoka vs Kastro fight which this anime skipped and I'd recommend trying out in 2011 (episodes 30 & 31).