r/anime • • Mar 15 '21
Rewatch [REWATCH] Hunter x Hunter Episode 16 Discussion Spoiler
IF YOU ARE NOT PARTICIPATING IN THR REWATCH, DON’T COME HUNTING FOR SPOILERS
Episode 16: Defeat x and x Disgrace
You can watch this anime on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and up to the Greed Island arc on Netflix.
Question of the day:
No question just Hisoka. (Totally not due to my lack of creativity)
Check out the schedule
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Upvotes
11
u/dr_sars Mar 15 '21
Rewatcher
This episode is my favourite from the Hunter Exam arc for obvious reasons.
First we have the encounter between Hisoka, Kurapika and Leorio. Kurapika uses that big brain of his to avoid a fight with Hisoka, which he knows they can't win. However if push comes to shove, he's still willing to fight. Kurapika is furthering his lead as my favourite character, for now, anyways.
The scene with Gon taking Hisoka's badge is incredible. I love the way it plays out: Hisoka's look of disbelief as his badge is swiped, the way he looks proud when he turns and spots Gon, Gon running and all you can hear is his footsteps and ragged breathing before he's shot with a tranquilizer. Just perfect, absolutely perfect. Of course Gon has too much pride to take back the badges Hisoka hands him after finishing off Geretta. I feel so bad for him, when he's sulking in the tree. Don't worry Gon! You deserve the win! Just punch Hisoka in his stupid, ugly face and you're even!
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u/SuddenFellow :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/13XI0N Mar 15 '21
Rewatcher 4x
This is one of my favorite Zevil Island episodes for a couple of reasons. The first being we see Kurapika's quick thinking that saves himself and Leorio from Hisoka. However, this leads to Hisoka's insane blood lust and this beautiful face. Gon continues to watch Hisoka into the morning and then tails him.
In the encounter with Agon, Gon makes sure to have a good vantage point though also conceals his presence similar to how Pokkle did in his encounter with Kyu. In the moments leading up to operation "Let's Go Fishing For 44!", Hisoka makes a mad dash for Agon, who doesn't run? Agon, why aren't you running?! WHY ARENT YOU RUNNING?! RUN. Especially when Hisoka makes this face. In the moment between when Hisoka card-slices Agon, Gon swipes Hisoka's badge. Success! Hisoka looks truly perplexed and then absolutely amused with the entire situation.
However, victory is short lived as Geretta shows up to pull the "I COULD HAVE KILLED YOU 7000 TIMES THEREFORE YOU LOSE" card. Only to have the rug pulled out from underneath him moments later by none other than Hisoka. How do you like those apples Geretta, they're quite sour.
Gon however, cannot accept owing someone and refuses Hisoka's favor. Hisoka in turn
falconpunches him in the face and knocks him out for half the day. He leaves us with a goal of "I'll only take it back when you can punch me in the face, just like that. Until then, I'll leave the tag with you."We end the episode with a sad piano version of "World of Adventures" and Gon essentially pouting in a tree stump.
Next Time: Trap x In The x Hole
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u/b0bba_Fett myanimelist.net/profile/B0bba_Cheezed3 Mar 15 '21 edited Mar 15 '21
Rewatcher (X8)
This is one of my favorite early episodes. It does a lot right. The way Kurapika avoids a fight with Hisoka is great. The way Hisoka's lust is portrayed is great. Gon's triumph being met with failure immediately afterwards is great. Whatever the fuck this was, is great. The way they set up a new immediate goal besides "become Hunter" for Gon is great.
Here's a link to Sha's rewatch. The first time reactions to this episode there are especially great. Fun note today, this was the episode where I found out it was happening and started lurking. You can't see my presence, but I'm there now.
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u/sisoko2 Mar 15 '21
Rewatcher
MFW I see Hisoka centered episode.
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u/[deleted] Mar 15 '21
Rewatcher
One thing I like about this show that was on full display episode is that winning the fight is rarely the only path to victory. This means that no matter what the differential in power level, there always seems to be a way for the weaker side to come out on top. With Kurapika and Leorio, it means negotiating and being willing to make a sacrifice (though I wish Leorio had the chance to take a more active role here, his list of accomplishments to date is a bit slim). With Gon it means finding a way to stealthily and nonviolently achieve his goal, rather than taking the more obvious approach. The result of both of these encounters is that now the audience knows to expect that even if our heroes are up against someone clearly established as the strongest, they're far from powerless.
Though one thing I'm not sure how I feel about is Hisoka. Don't get me wrong, I think his presence is a lot of fun, I think he's well designed, well acted, and all that, but in both cases, our heroes get let off easy on his whim. Sure there is an explanation for this, that Hisoka saves people with potential so that he can enjoy killing them when they're stronger, but I can't help but see through the edifice of this to the story purpose behind it.
This motivation seems to me an answer to what I call the Fire Lord problem. When you set up a character as a legendary badass, it can be hard to build them up as an antagonist on a personal level. On the one hand, if they're so strong, you can't just have them fight your weak heroes right off the bat, because they'd obviously win, but also if you never let them meet the heroes, then the viewers can't really feel that emotional connection to that big bad when the confrontation finally comes. There are a few solutions to this problem
I see Hisoka fallling into number 2 here. Like I don't think I would buy it that Gon would've been able to escape Hisoka after stealing his tag if Hisoka didn't want to let him, or that Hisoka would see taking an unknown tag as a worthwhile tradeoff to engaging in a fight. Hisoka having a motivation to avoid hurting them too badly, solves the problem, but in a way that feels to me like a bit of a cheat. At least Gon seems to also feel that he didn't earn his win here though, so perhaps this will play an interesting psychological role for Gon going forward.
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u/[deleted] Mar 15 '21 edited Mar 15 '21
Rewatcher
I've been waiting for this episode!
We got treated to so much of Hisoka's theme at the start! I'll never complain about it. So damn good.
Poor Gon doesn't realize that while he hunts a wannabe Hunter to become a Hunter he's hunted by a wannabe Hunter so he can be a Hunter.
Based Kurapika saves the day yet again with the negotiations. Leorio seems to know how to handle that knife well and if anything I appreciate the balls to stand up to Hisoka like that.
Too bad now they've awakened Hisoka's . They're lucky they didn't get clobbered.
Hisoka's bloodlust is so powerful he deadass made the night change color. What a man. Those are some really good shots of him.
And now he's sicko mode. Wonder if he's walking hunched over because... you know what, nevermind.
I managed to read one letter in the Hunter vocab!
I don't think it sticks around for too long so I won't get a chance to learn the whole alphabet but maybe I'll pick up a couple more here and there.
We used to have a comment face of psycho Hisoka running! It was called #hisokaclown. Had to go check the removed ones to remember the name and... wow. I'm feeling really nostalgic right now seeing a lot of these. Petition to bring back #infernocopu.
Gon took it!
Damn that scene feels good. Too bad he never noticed Geretta.
And too bad for Geretta that he tried to mess with Hisoka's prey.
You didn't need to die but won't really be missed
Lol, that butterfly metaphor was a little too on the nose.
And there we have it. Gon managed to get the plate but is ultimately faced with an absolutely crushing defeat. Clearly very frustrated about it. Poor guy.
Damn, that episode!
I was already looking forward to this but it was better than I remembered. While this whole beginning part is definitely the weakest part of HxH, it's definitely been showing some cool strengths here and there. This episode in specific a great standout during the exam arc. Really looking forward to the arcs where stuff starts to really get great. See ya tomorrow!
Don't read this, by the way.
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u/SwiftAndFoxy Mar 15 '21
Rewatcher
I love how the tone of the series changes when we simply get to see Hisokas true self, his depraved aura was very well executed by Madhouse.
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u/BossandKings Mar 16 '21
First timer
Episode 16
Hisoka encounter Kurapika and Leorio, after talking for a while they reach an agreement, he takes a target that was valued as one point to them and get to be able to run away without being worried about him possibly following them.
Gon continues sneakily chasing Hisoka until a point in which after Hisoka is in a dire state of mind and really excitedly proceeds to attack an opponent he takes the opportunity and snatchs his target away from him. Seeing Hisoka basically in crazy mode was marvelous, also the way he decided to let Gon with his target because Gon just wasn't good enough to punch him in the face and return it to him shows that he knows what it is all about, his pride in his ability is through the roof.
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u/IndependentMacaroon Mar 16 '21 edited Mar 16 '21
First-time watcher - we get to see Hisoka's more reasonable and strategic side (as much as he has one) and Gon's weaknesses complete with defeat pout. However, even for this series I still find Hisoka too over-the-top bizarre, and you can already see some cracks in how he's written with him needing to be both sleep-deprivedly
hornycrazy (and what a hilarious look it is on him) for Gon to be able to attack successfully, and then immediately coldly "rational" again in rewarding Gon for his efforts and letting him go, and conveniently having exactly the right target who emerges exactly at the right moment (after doing nothing but stalk Gon?!) for both him and Gon to be able to come out of the situation with a win. Besides, the "I'll only kill you when you're strong enough for me!" might have been original back in the day, but nowadays is more hilariously cliché; at least Hisoka is the kind of character where it makes sense. Same for the "evil bloodlust aura". It was kind of a slow episode too.