#and there’s too many chimera ants to include

[ithildinwrites]

anime recommendations

it was really hard to limit myself bc i’d recommend all the stuff i’ve watched but then this thread would be too long so! i’ve linked my anilist below if u want more recs from there bc i record them all :)

JUJUTSU KAISEN

ongoing (manga completed)

47 eps + 1 movie

genres: adventure, dark fantasy, supernatural

notes: jjk is hands down one of my fave animes. it just has so many cool characters and the growth that they go thru is so cool to watch, plus the power system is really cool (albeit a little complicated) and it really keeps you on your toes so i always rec this one

HAIKYU!!

ongoing (manga completed)

90 eps (inc. ova's) + 1 movie

genres: comedy, coming of age, sports

notes: hq is one of those feel good animes. gen always makes me so so happy and it always puts me in a good mood. v minimal sadness and v focussed on the character's growth and their relationships with each other. underlying themes of overcoming stuff and becoming a better version of yourself etc. and it focusses on other teams as well, not just the main team. i love love hq with my whole soul and it'll always be so so special to me, i can't not recommend it like i could talk about it for hours

ATTACK ON TITAN (SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN)

completed

94 eps (inc. ova's)

genres: action, dark fantasy, post apocalyptic

notes: aot has one of the best, if not the best, written stories in media, like not just anime. i think it's the best written thing i've ever seen in my life. some things you don't even notice unless you rewatch and you realise how much of what happens later has been hinted at since the very beginning. it's insane how well written it is. gen such an incredible piece of media and no one who wants to get into anime can not watch it, i think it's a must. it was the first anime i ever watched and it just hooked me straight in.

DEMON SLAYER (KIMETSU NO YAIBA)

ongoing (manga ongoing)

63 eps (if watching mugen train as eps not movie)

genres: adventure, dark fantasy, martial arts

notes: i feel like i don't commonly see demon slayer be recommended to people despite it having such a good story, which is insane to me. a lot of people put emphasis on other shows for being heartbreaking / devastating but no one ever mentions demon slayer and it broke me honestly. it's just so devastating in so many moments but that's what makes it so good! you get to see different perspectives, including some from the demons and it explores people changing their opinions on things and how this organisation works and people's motivations, and ofc follows tanjiro on his journey to save his sister and turn her human again.

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD

completed

64 eps

genres: adventure, dark fantasy, steampunk

notes: oh fmab my beloved! it's focussed on two brothers trying to get their bodies back after they messed the up trying to bring their mother back from the dead (they're alchemists). they're v young and also in the army so it's super interesting seeing the missions they go on and the other people in the army they're close / not close with. the enemies are also v well thought out and idk everything in this show is just done so well which shows why it's so highly rated on imdb and myanimelist. it also has such a good ending which is so rare with shonen like i do think hq and fmab are the exceptions to that lmao

HUNTER X HUNTER

completed (i think?) (manga ongoing)

148 eps + 2 (non canon) movies

genres: adventure, fantasy, martial arts

notes: hxh is so good???? yes, it's kinda long but all the arcs are so different it's worth it. the way u get to see gon and killua grow so much from the beginning and how their friendship evolves and the skills they learn and the people they meet is so cool. the show is pretty lighthearted in the first few arcs but it gets darker the further you progress and it all comes to a head in the chimera ants arc. greed island is my absolute fave arc i just adore it sm u get to see killugon flourish! they have one of the best, if not the best, friendships in anime

BLACK CLOVER

discontinued (i think?) (manga ongoing)

170 eps + 1 (non canon i think) movie

genres: adventure, fantasy

notes: i gen never see anyone rec black clover except one friend who told me it was good and i gave it a shot. when i tell you i was hooked so fast???? yeah it's kind of a typical mc has no powers type plot but the found family is INSANE! the black bulls have such a strong bond and they're all outcasts who found each other after yami recruited them it's so cute. they also all develop and grow into their powers and grow stronger as the series develops and it's so cool seeing all the magic knight squads and the arcs are so good. so many arcs so much cool stuff and it's not even finished yet. the found family got me hooked and now im stuck here forever

FRIEREN: BEYOND JOURNEYS END (SOUSOU NO FRIEREN)

ongoing (manga ongoing)

28 eps

genres: adventure, drama, fantasy

notes: one of the prettiest animes i've seen. the music and vibes really remind me of lord of the rings (one of my alltime fave movies ever). it feels so beautiful and fantasy-esque. also it gets quite sad when u think about it but somehow also maintains this really lighthearted whimsical vibe. it's so cool seeing frieren's journey with fern and stark and at the same time getting flashbacks from her original journey with himmel, heiter and eisen even though it was a long time ago but we still learn more about them. v cosy anime.

BLUE LOCK

ongoing (manga ongoing)

24 eps (not inc. s2 which is currently airing)

genres: sports, thriller

notes: bllk is the anime i've recommended the most to people i think. smthn about the vibe in s1 (s2 wasn't out atp) hooked me and then i went and read the manga and just fell more in love with it. idk maybe it was bc it's so crazy seeing an mc like isagi bc it isn't very common to see someone push for working alone and not in a team. maybe it was the bond and relationship he has with his teammates and friends and rivals but it just got me and i've recommended it to so many people and gotten so many people to watch it lol

FRUITS BASKET

completed

63 eps + 1 movie

genres: romantic comedy, slice of life, supernatural

notes: fruba is prob the only shojo on this list even tho i've watched other shojo's. fruba just hit the hardest. it's got elements of fantasy in it and really goes into exploring the backstories of so many characters, not just the main ones, and you learn about them and why they are the way that they are. it's so cool bc it's a story about not only romance, but healing and saving people and friendship! so much friendship! the mc, tohru, is one of the sweetest girls ever i adore her.

KAIJU NO 8

ongoing (manga ongoing)

12 eps

genres: adventure, sci fi

notes: kaiju no 8 reminds me of attack on titan a lot: the whole becoming a kaiju thing and also wanting to protect the people around him plus building bonds w the people in the defense force with him and being surrounded by strong people. the character designs are also so cool and the kaiju are so interesting. also super refreshing to see an mc in his 30s bc i feel like that's not very common but it's cool bc he's like everyone's dad and OFC FOUND FAMILY yk the drill it's like my fave trope ever you'll see it's a common theme

WINDBREAKER

ongoing (manga ongoing)

13 eps

genres: adventure, martial arts, yanki

notes: i actually have two posts on windbreaker, u can read pt 1 here and pt 2 here! anyways yk the drill: found family. that's out the way now, let's talk about our mc. his name is sakura haruka and he's super strong and ofc he's been thru shit. he doesn't take affection v easily and people being nice to him makes him flustered so he's shy and blushes a lot bc he's not used to it. it's cool seeing people supporting him and his friends being there for each other and how they protect the town and all the enemies or enemies turned friends. it's cool seeing all the kids help each other idk. i've seen it be compared to tokrev a lot but i really don't see the comparison lol

YURI!!! ON ICE

completed

12 eps

genres: sports

notes: you're prob noticing a theme with the sports animes but what can i say, a girl needs a break from the sadness shonen hits u with lol. okay! yoi is so good; first of all animation, it's mappa so ofc it's good come on now, they've done aot (s4 onwards), jjk, csm and hells and bf. this anime got me so interested in figure skating like it's gen so cool seeing all the routines people come up with and how it goes from a mess of a routine at the start of the season to the end! also super inspiring seeing a character like yuuri who struggles with anxiety bc it makes it feel more real to see a fictional character go thru that like yk he still goes out there and skates despite it all idk it's cool

LINK CLICK

ongoing

23 eps

genres: supernatural, drama, fantasy

notes: the best way to describe link click is mindfuck. it's INSANE. so much happens and stuff links back to other things in ways i didn't even think was possible. it's abt these two guys and one of them can go into photographs into the body of the person who took the photo and they use this to solve people's questions and find stuff etc and ofc it evolves into more serious issues but it's just super cool. so well written and incredible animation as well. idk if it classifies as anime bc it's in chinese but i couldn't Not put it here it's just too good

THE ELUSIVE SAMURAI

ongoing (manga ongoing)

12 eps

genres: adventure, comedy, historical fantasy

notes: i finished this kinda recently bc the episodes were just airing but it's so good! the animation is insane and again, found family!!!!! they're just a bunch of kids and the mc is the son of the shogun who is super good at being elusive and running away and the others are his retainers, or his most trusted guards. they're all kids but they're so talented and he's gathering more and more supporters to his cause and it's so cool seeing how they overcome their obstacles like enemies bigger and stronger than them but they still push thru to try and get his kingdom back

VIOLET EVERGARDEN

completed

13 eps + 1 movie (movie sucks ass tho don't watch it)

genres: coming of age, steampunk

notes: so beautifully animated it's insane. every episode is done so wonderfully and it makes me so emotional. i think i cried watching every episode. it's about this young girl named violet and she's been a child soldier for most of her life but then someone close to her dies and tells her "i love you" right before he dies so she goes on a journey to find out out what love is basically and just meets so many people on her journey. it's really sweet.

AKAME GA KILL

completed

24 eps

genres: action, dark fantasy

notes: without saying too much and spoiling it, this is one of the most unexpected animes i've ever seen. there's a group of people who are all v strong and talented and they're classed as criminals. i don't remember everything that happened bc it's been years since i watched it but i remember it being so good and being unable to predict anything that happened bc it all came out of nowhere. all i can say is, don't forget who the series is named after (akame).

HIGH CARD

completed (i think?)

24 eps

genres: action, adventure, fantasy

notes: high card reminds me of kingsman a lot and that's a good thing. it's such a cool concept to give different playing cards different abilities and people who have those cards get those powers. plus the fact that they're an organisation masquerading as a normal business makes it cooler (this plus them dressing all formally is what reminds me of kingsman)

TRIGUN STAMPEDE

ongoing (manga completed)

12 eps

genres: space western

notes: maybe some of the best animation i've seen in a series. vash and nai are so tragic i can't stop thinking about them even after it's been ages since i finished the anime and the other characters are so cool??? i love how vash has a skewed sense of like morality if that makes sense bc he wants to not hurt anyone but that in turn hurts people and it's just cool and nai is also so interesting. i don't want to spoil anything but the designs and everything are so on point AND THE MUSIC IS AMAZING! i haven't even talked about wolfwood but we'll be here all day if i start he's awesome

HELLS PARADISE

ongoing (manga completed)

13 eps

genres: action, dark fantasy, psychological thriller

notes: hells is considered one of the dark trio with chainsaw man and jujutsu kaisen but i don't see as many people talk about it as they do with the other two which is such a shame bc it's so good. there's bits that fuck with you so much like i was convinced i was being gaslit at one point but it's just so good and the worldbuilding and fantasy elements on the island are so insane and well done. the mix of characters is also so cool bc there's so many different ones with different motives and they gotta work together it's just cool

SK8 THE INFINITY

ongoing

12 eps

genres: adventure, sports

notes: sk8 is incredible like idk how in 12 eps they managed to make me like so many characters including all the side ones like cherry, joe and miya but also introduce a villain and a conflict, make a fight and resolve it all and we even get a beach episode! the underlying yaoi makes it even better like that scene with langa and his mother and the "reki my love... for skateboarding" like they knew what they were doing. anyways incredible character building esp on reki's part. i love seeing how down he gets bc he's more relatable that way yk like he's the sunshine character who's outwardly so happy but he gets so self conscious as well idk i see myself in him a lot i love reki

FREE!

completed

41 eps + 3 movies (i think? free is confusing okay)

genres: sports

notes: last sports anime i promise. free is prob the most emotional of all the sports animes i've seen and it's not even that bad. can i entice u with the one bed trope bc they fully did that in the show w 2 of the male characters. anyways it's a swimming anime and the mc is haru who loves the water and he only swims freestyle. he has a group of friends (one of them being his childhood bestie) and it all starts when his old friend comes back from school abroad and he's different. i love free a lot i feel like it's very realistic too

okay we're done, here's my anilist so u can see the other anime's i love bc i promise there's good stuff on there :D

[i-heart-hxh]

I often hear people call Gon selfish, but I highly doubt he is. Personally, I can see this side of him only vaguely, so I have mixed feelings about this.

Do you think that's true? And if so, does he realise it or does he act this way unconsciously?

I do think he is, to a certain degree! But it's also one of the attributes that make him special and unique as a character, and I definitely don't think it makes him a terrible person or anything. It's also situational, as he can also be incredibly kind and helpful as well, even to strangers where he doesn't have much to gain in return from helping them.

Going back to one of the things I bring up frequently, HxH often plays with shounen tropes, and Gon's character is partly a twist on a typical shounen hero, but with some of those typical attributes magnified until they also become flaws. Gon is tremendously single-minded, determined, and stubborn, to the point where at times it becomes self-destructive and/or goes against reason entirely. These attributes go hand-in-hand with his selfishness.

Just a few examples of him being selfish include:

His fight against Hanzo and how he insisted on getting his way no matter what, even when what he wanted was unreasonable

Deviating from the plan when fighting Genthru when it wasn't necessary (and could have screwed up everything potentially), but he did this just for his own pride and satisfaction in the fight, and got his hand blown off in the process

What he said about knowing he can get his way with Killua if he doesn't give in

I feel like the selfishness partly comes from his personality, and it partly comes from his age and maturity level as well. He's right at an age where it makes sense for him to mostly focus on himself and his own desires, and not always be able to consider and incorporate the feelings of others as easily as someone who is more mature. He has a certain naiveté to him that is charming, but his views of the world can be overly simplified and strongly conform to his own priorities, which is partly why he struggles badly when confronted with the complex reality in the situation with Pitou healing Komugi. I personally think he'll mature out of some of the selfish tendencies he has due to immaturity, but a lesser degree of it will probably continue to be an aspect of his personality, because it's part of what makes him who he is.

I think him being somewhat selfish makes sense with his background, too--he was barely around any other children through his childhood, and he spent a lot of time in nature/around animals instead, so his socialization wasn't exactly normal in that regard. He likely didn't have to share and compromise nearly as much as children raised around many of their peers. He was around adults of various sorts as they came and went from Whale Island (hence why he does have good social skills in the first place), but that's different than sustained friendship with and exposure to peers. He also does have Ging's genes, haha--while obviously Gon isn't exactly the same as Ging in multiple ways, think of the kind of life Ging leads.

I think his selfishness is mostly harmless and just a character quirk...under "normal" conditions. The problem is that as the series goes on, he ends up in progressively more and more abnormal situations (i.e. Chimera Ant Arc) that he's not emotionally prepared for or equipped to handle as a young teenager, so he deals with them how he deals with everything--by viewing the world through his own personal, self-centered lens (not meant as a judgment), and prioritizing his own goals and interests even if it means disregarding those around him. And in a morally complex, painful, terrible situation like that, that kind of outlook leads to tragic outcomes.

I think he has some awareness of it, after all it's something Killua and others in his life comment on at times. That said, because it comes from a combination of his personality and maturity level, it's not always under his conscious control. It's just part of his default state of existence.

So, yes, I do think he has aspects of selfishness to his personality, but he can often be a kind/helpful/considerate and even at times selfless boy as well (in too many ways to easily list), and I do think he'll grow out of some of the selfishness at least--but keep just enough for it to still be an aspect of his personality to a certain degree. I think what happened in Chimera Ant Arc is something he's going to learn from deeply, and his selfishness was a part of what stoked that whole situation, though there were certainly plenty of other factors involved so it's not fair to simplify it down to only that.

[ultraericthered]

Anime Update V3 19

From Me To You - Most of the episode was just kind of routine as the story was building. Sawako continues to be great, Ryu continues to be great, Kurumi continues to be great, Yano and Yoshida continue to be great, Pin continues to be great....surprisingly nothing much for Kazehaya this episode aside from a baseball win, but that's going to change real soon due to the exasperating misunderstanding the episode ended on. Yeah, you suck, Kurumi. Your plans are shit!

Hunter x Hunter - So if the amount of recent Meruem and Komugi based reblogs didn't clue you in, I just went ahead and binged most of the remaining Chimera Ant arc, stopping at the very penultimate episode where Meruem and Komugi die together from the radiation poisoning of Netero's suicide bomb attack on Meruem. Don't even have too many words to spare, it was just nigh perfectly executed. I'm a little more torn on how the culmination of Gon's arc was executed. I definitely get what Togashi was going for, and using the big Super Saiyan style transformation power up to signify something negative and seal the protagonist's undoing rather than their triumph was a stroke of genius on his part...but I howled when I saw how that transformation looked, it was just too silly. It called to mind "Titan Tails" from the Sonic the Hedgehog Archie Comics series. If this was what his entire character was building up to, it's a bit of a raw deal.

SHUFFLE! - The lighthearted title card and eyecatch bumpers are back, Rin has packed up all his things and found a cheap apartment to move into, his friends come over and help him out, and he and Asa are officially a coupe, though Asa is now raising some red flags with very clingy, possessive and polyphobic behavior about her and Rin, and we even get a nice dinner get-together at the old place...and as this is the third-to-last episode, so I knw some shit had to go down. But damn, what went down was a disappointment. Asa collapses and falls ill AGAIN? Why couldn't we gotten to this point the last time?

KonoSuba - The Axis Cult town plot wrapped up in the Season 2 finale and it was more epic and intense than I was prepared for given the nature of this plot and this show. Hans was the most formiddable villain faced so far, and it was a comically cruel twist of fate that the objective that the Devil King had wanted him to meet ended up getting met due to what Aqua and the other "heroes" did to defeat him, even if he got sacrificed for it. Now no one's going to see Aqua as the actual goddess she is, though she seems much better off with Kazuma's party anyway. And yay for more Megumin and Yunyun!

K-On! - Christmas spent at Yui's house and New Years at the local shrine at the very end. All with the silliness and cuteness you expect!

Eureka Seven - It's the beginning of the end. Dominic faced some trauma at Warsaw when he went to recruit a replacement pilot for Anemone only to learn how Dewey has had fatal experiments with Coralian blood being performed on sickly young girls and that's how Anemone became what she is now, so his conscience makes him and Captain Juergens defect from Dewey's militia in order to go meet with and help Gekkostate. Back on Earth, Eureka's body undergoes a painful transformation and Maurice goes bonkers, pointing a gun at Renton and Eureka as he lets out his resentment and frustrations with the both of them, including Eureka for having killed the kids' actual mother in the first place. But he's just sort of talked out of it by Eureka before Renton falls ill with a fever, Eureka is experiencing more transformative episodes, and Dewey has at last discovered the location of the Scub Coral's Central Cluster, poising to strike at it!

Air - Oh my God....HE TURNED INTO A BIRB! Six whole episodes spent with Yukito as seemingly the protagonist of this story, and then at the halfway mark of this anime he just surrenders his physical existence and becomes a crow who's going to watch over Misuzu. Is this why Vic Mignogna was the initially cast VA for Qrow in RWBY?

AND

The Apothecary Diaries - So this is basically now a mystery solving show where poison or substances and herbal mixtures are involved all the time? If such things are really common occurances in this messed up orient, that'd be why you need someone like Maomao around, and she really does seem to thrive when working these scenarios out and especially when being let near poison, which she just goes nuts over in a weird and adorable way. Her dynamic with Jinshi also continues to amuse. Jinshi seems to have zero romantic interest in Maomao, but he's so used to all the ladies having romantic interest in him that it seriously confounds him to see Mamao be not only Not That Into Him, but actively repulsed by his charms, so he's now always looking for ways to get her to warm up to him.

[arrozconramen]

Rambling about Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2

I like some of the fights, characters, and overall aesthetic, but it feels weird to go on Anime Twitter and Anime Youtube and see little to no complaints about this show. Alas, here are my two major issues:

1. Bad comedy

Part of this is a personal problem because comedy is subjective, but aside from not finding them funny, the jokes are poorly implemented. Tsukumo, the blonde sorceress, arrives near the end to help Yuji but not before asking him what kind of woman he likes. It is supposed to be wacky and is emphasized by her chibi distorted face, but aside from not landing, the joke ruins the tone. The Shibuya Incident Arc is an intense story with significant civilian and main character deaths and this exchange between Tsukumo and Yuji happens right before the climactic fight. Mappa’s attempt at humor ruins the hype for the fight 🙁. There is a reason why Hunter x Hunter does not include much humor in the Chimera Ant Arc compared to other arcs.

2. It is confusing

Kenjaku has a speech at the end where he explains his motivations, but he is obtuse and makes no sense! Did anyone understand what he was yapping about? 

Regarding the powers, they are also overly complicated and poorly explained. In Hunter X Hunter, once you get through their ten paragraph explanation of nen, it makes sense. In JJK, there are too many elements to their powers to keep track of and their ten paragraph explanations do not help much. The only thing I remember from Gojo’s explanation of his powers is that blue and red make purple… and that’s it. What exactly red and blue are, I couldn’t tell ya. Fights become less interesting due to this lack of understanding. After Mahito did something new with his powers for the tenth time, I wanted to fast forward the scene. Some people still find enjoyment from these WWE style fights and I don’t want to invalidate them, but I believe the fights can be a lot better with a stronger foundation for the powers. 

[telehxhtrash]

A masterpost on Togashi’s gay subtext and why it’s intentional.

Hi ! After seeing so many posts about Togashi dropping subtext about Killua's possible romantic feelings for Gon, I thought it'd be a good idea to make a sort of "masterpost" with all the subtext that Togashi has included into his work.

I usually see a lot of people trying to say that HxH isn't about romance and that Togashi isn't interested in writing romance into the manga, but when you analyze all the subtext that's been going on the further Gon and Killua's relationship progresses, I think it's incorrect to say that Togashi has never hinted at the possibility of romance in HxH.

This is going to be a long post, enjoy your read!

Also, please note that I will only base this analysis on the manga, so there can be no mistake that "maybe this is just something the anime made gayer" : i want to prove that the subtext is 100% intentional on Togashi's part.

I'd also like to mention, although I will analyze it further after listing the subtext, that Togashi is a VERY smart man. There are always little details in the story and/or foreshadowing that are easily missed at first but when you notice them, it truly makes you understand how much attention and care Togashi puts into his work. There are countless details and symbolism that are analyzed daily through wonderful meta posts, from the main 4′s birthdays and their link to their character or the religious symbolism in Kurapika’s story arc.... Togashi loves to foreshadow and plant little details into his work, so when Togashi plants subtext, I'm sure he 100% knows that he's writing it, and it can't be seen as unintentional.

I'll also link all my references for this post at the end of it, so feel free to read all the additional textposts and content if you want to know more.

Well, let's get into it!

EDIT : i can’t believe this post is still being used as a reference it makes me so happy... thank you so much !!! i edited this to tweak it a bit because i wrote this a while ago and the phrasing seemed off to me, so if you’re reading or re-reading this post, hi, welcome to masterpost on gay subtext 2.0 !

GREED ISLAND ARC

Greed Island is to me the arc that lays down the nature of Killua and Gon's relationship. It's during this arc that we get to see a bit more of what Killua thinks, how he's lucky to have met Gon and that he feels really grateful. Gon’s behavior in this arc is also very affectionate, with him always reassuring Killua about his place next to him. While the scene where Killua thinks "You've got it backwards, Gon, I'm the one that's glad I met you." can't be considered as subtext, I think it's something that lets the reader know a bit more about how Killua feels towards Gon. 

But other than this scene, which can clearly be dismissed as platonic, there are 2 more moments in the Greed Island arc that are layered in subtext.

• The Rainbow Diamond (chapter 151)

During their time in Dorias, Killua uses Risky Dice to gain cards from the slot machines. The first card that Killua gains is called "Rainbow Diamond", the description of the card being "A diamond that shines in a rainbow of colors. Propose with this diamond and she is guaranteed to say "yes"". 

There are 3 different things we can take from this panel. First, the card is a marriage proposal card, so it's obviously romantic in nature. Second, the object is a RAINBOW diamond. And third, Killua, wanting to keep the card safe, gifts it to Gon.

In short, Togashi sat down at his desk, decided to draw Killua winning a MARRIAGE PROPOSAL CARD (it could've been any card, but Togashi CHOSE to make Killua win a marriage proposal card) that has a RAINBOW diamond on it and made Killua gift it to Gon. 

While I personally don't think that subtext can be used to 100% ascert that Killua has romantic feelings for Gon, I think it's a funny little touch from Togashi, and I'm even gonna say a sort of hint towards how Killua's feelings for Gon are going to evolve in this arc and the next.

• “It has to be Killua” (chapter 166)

Now this is a scene that I've never seen anyone talk about, at least on Tumblr, but when I read a bit of analysis on it I was 100% convinced this was intentional subtext. I'm basically quoting here what this article explains, so if you want more detail, I recommend reading it.

As you probably recall, during their deadly dodgeball game against Razor, Killua decides to sacrifice his hands to ensure that Gon could use all his strength. When confronted about it, Killua insists that it's nothing, and Gon shocks him by saying that he knew all along that he was hurting himself for his sake. 

Gon then says that it can only be Killua holding the ball, and that it has to be Killua, resulting in Killua being absolutely awestruck and embarassed. I'm also going to talk about the anime adaptation for this one, because it's perfectly executed and translates extremely well the nuance that the second sentence bears. If you want to rewatch it, this scene happens in episode 70. It's worth noting that in the anime, we see Killua not reacting to Gon's first sentence, but losing his composure entirely when Gon says the second sentence. But why ?

The reason was lost in translation. His exact words are "Booru wa Killua ga motte-kurenai to. Killua ja nakya dame nan da.". Both sentences basically say the same thing : It has to be Killua holding the ball. That second sentence can be translated literally as "If it's not Killua, that won't do." However, the second sentence, in a different context, can also be used to say a totally different thing. 

While it's certain that Gon used this sentence in the context of the dodgeball match, the sentence "~ja nakya dame nan da" also serves as a confession of one's feelings in japanese. It's basically the equivalent to "you're the one for me". When you google the sentence, it turns up romantic songs, forum posts asking what it would translate to in English and posts on how to confess to someone. 

The sentence basically drowns in romantic subtext. As mentioned before, Killua has no reaction to the first sentence "Booru wa Killua ga motte-kurenai to.", but loses his composure at the second one, and I think that was a very deliberate thing Togashi wanted to convey : this sentence has an additional layer, and clearly Killua is taking it to heart.

I will come back to this specific subtext in a bit, because we can parallel it with another subtext-y situation, so please keep it in mind for now.

CHIMERA ANT ARC

Now onto the sad gay arc! This arc is so RIDDLED in subtext and parallels that it's making me lose my mind.

• Gon, you are light. (chapter 199)

This scene is just... So romantic in nature. I’m not too objective on this, but I really do believe that this moment is the exact moment Killua fell in love with Gon and started to realize he felt a bit more than friendship towards him. It’s Killua respecting Gon for who he is, realizing that he’s light and he’s always been, he’s the one who saved him and who’s always been so bright and optimistic and always makes the best out of any situation. In this scene, Killua lets himself drown in Gon’s light, allows himself to feel this “wow” moment of pure admiration and love, and it’s absolutely beautiful.

It's extremely important to take the context of this scene into account. What happened is that Killua, who has been struggling mentally for the entire series with the fact that he's always running away, ran away once more, leaving Kite to die with Pitou. This ENTIRE chapter is literally adults absolutely DESTROYING Killua, first Kite's troupe bashing him for leaving Kite behind, and then Netero, Morel and Knov coming in like icing on the cake telling Killua that "After all, he's just a kid", and that he should hurry up to his mommy. 

Killua is beating himself up for running away again, got destroyed by Kite's team and 3 extremely strong pro hunters. His morale is down in the drains right now. He expects Gon to be mad at him for betraying Kite, for running away once again, for leaving Kite to die alone and ripping Gon away from Kite : he expects that he'll lose Gon for his cowardice.

HOWEVER, the first thing that Gon says to Killua after having been passed out for god knows how many hours is "Thank you". 

Gon woke up and instantly eased up all of Killua's fears : he wasn't a loser for running away, and Gon was actually thankful for him. Gon, at this moment, was the only one that showed kindness, understanding and gratefulness towards Killua. Gon even goes so far as saying that he knows that Kite isn't dead, and that they have to help him. At this instant, Gon is truly Killua's saving grace. He's the one that trusts him with his entire heart, and believes in his choices when even he can't believe in himself. Gon is truly Killua's light at this precise moment, because he was the only one who supported him, trusted him and reassured him in this awful situation.

How can someone shine so bright in such a terrible situation ? How can someone be so positive that nothing bad will happen ? 

Gon asserting all of this makes Killua respect him a lot. Keep this word in mind, because it’s going to be important in the next piece of subtext I’m analyzing, because those two scenes canonically follow each other and are basically Togashi highlighting that something special happened when Killua called Gon his light, and that his feelings deepened.

• Introduction to Palm's character (chapter 200)

This piece of subtext is very very easy to miss but it's one of the most important subtext-y scene, because coupled with the “Gon, you are light” scene, it’s very clear that this dialogue is deliberately highlighting Killua’s feelings.

This chapter introduces Palm's character (which, imo, is a character introduced for the sole intent of being a catalyst to Killua's feelings towards Gon, but I'll talk about it in my post talking about the CAA parallels) - edit: i talked about this briefly here.

So, Killua having looked into Gon's eyes for like 10min straight and concluded that Gon was the light of his life a chapter ago, is now chilling with Gon as they meet Palm. 

Palm takes them to a café and STRAIGHT OFF THE BAT harasses them about how much she's in love with Knov. Like when I say harassing, it's literally a whole page of her explaining her feelings towards Knov. 

There are two interesting things that can be drawn from this interaction.

First, it's extremely easy to draw parallels between Palm's situation towards Knov and Killua's situation towards Gon. Palm starts by saying how amazing her master is, that she probably has special feelings for him but the most important thing is to respect the other person. Remember how I talked about how this last scene was Killua having a surge of deep, deep respect for Gon ? Palm makes sure to highlight that special word, that it’s important to respect someone when it comes to love.

She then goes on to say that she hasn't said anything to Knov, and never will. All of this adds nothing to the story, it's empty dialogue, Togashi could've introduced Palm in virtually any other way possible, but he chose to drag her and the gay duo to a café and make her have a monologue about love RIGHT after the extremely emotional panel of Killua declaring that Gon is his light just a chapter ago.

But there's more. Not only does Palm monologue for a while about love, but after finishing her monologue, this happens :

This panel features ONLY Palm and Killua, her looking at him like the psycho she is, and straight up telling him that "love can suddenly spark out of nowhere, don't you think so?". 

What's so interesting about this is the fact that Togashi made the deliberate choice to have Palm say this to Killua and Killua ONLY, which after the gay existential crisis he had last chapter, can very much be applied to his situation. Love DID spark out of nowhere, and Togashi wants you to notice. Togashi could've made Palm say this to herself, with no distinct listener like the last panel, but he made the conscious choice to draw this panel with Palm adressing herself to Killua SPECIFICALLY. 

Those two pieces of subtext, that fit perfectly together, make me believe 100% that Togashi knows what he's doing and he's not unintentionally planting gay subtext in his work. The fact that Togashi sat at his desk, drew Killua calling Gon his light, and then followed this scene with the introduction to a character who picks Killua apart to tell him that "love is something that just happens, don't you think?" is 100% proof that Togashi knows what he's doing.

• Date with Palm (chapters 217 and 218)

I think this situation has many layers, but many people still dismiss it as bro behavior so I'm gonna try my best to counter argue. First of all, and although that's not proof of anything, Killua looks EXTREMELY distressed by the prospect of Gon going on a date with Palm, but that can be counter-argued by saying that Killua is just worried because Palm is completely crazy. 

What I want to talk about is the scene that happens right after, when Gon and Killua go to the gym (because theyre DUDES YEAH WE WORK OUT NO HOMO), and the conversation casually drifts to Killua asking Gon if he's ever been on a date before, valid question considering what just happened previously. There are multiple things here :

1) Killua seems distressed that Gon has been on dates before. While it can be argued that it's a normal reaction because Gon has and he hasn't, I believe that Killua - who is in no way a normal person who would get flustered about "not having been on dates before a certain age" - would not feel uncomfortable that his friend is more experienced than him - especially when literal seconds later, he monologues about how he doesn’t care about dates and just wants to stick with Gon.

2) Gon then proceeds to ask Killua if he's ever been on a date, to which Killua responds :

What I want to highlight is the panel where Killua says "And the truth is, I want to stay by your side... Always...". Basically, what Killua is saying, is that he doesn't care about dates, all he wants to do is be with Gon.

I don't think this can be counter-argued as bro behavior, but with all the subtext I've explained before, this right here is pretty gay. Togashi put this panel deliberately to show that Killua doesn't give a crap about dates when he can stay with Gon, and with the "gon you are light" scene and everything in mind, this is another intentional subtext.

There's also the fact that Killua stalks the date like a jealous girlfriend - but I'm not gonna count that as subtext because it can be argued that he's just worried about Gon because Palm is insane.

• Gon is my best friend ! (chapter 219)

Remember how I told you to keep the "It has to be Killua" subtext in mind because I was gonna come back to it later ? Well.

During Palm's date with Gon, Killua runs into Rammot, who would definitely have ran into Palm and nenless Gon. Killua is forced to confront his worst fear : this is the moment where he knows that if he runs away again, Gon WILL die. Killua is literally overcoming his "programming", the physical representation of years of abuse out of love and care for Gon. He's ripping out the needle from his forehead out of pure, genuine care for Gon, because if he doesn't, then he'll lose him forever. 

Now, what I actually wanna talk about is this panel :

What we see is Killua thinking happy thoughts about all his adventures with Gon because he can't - won't - doesn't want to run away anymore, and all this for his sake. But what I wanna draw attention to is the dodgeball panel that's bigger than all the others, and the only one where you can actually clearly make out what's written : "Killua ja nakya dame nan da". 

Now, isn't that interesting that the panel that takes a bigger place in the whole panel is the one with this particular sentence? Remember what I talked about a bit earlier, about how "~ ja nakya dame nan da" is a sentence with a lot of romantic connotations (would pretty much equal to "you're the one for me" in English). Clearly this particular sentence stuck with Killua. 

I'm not completely objective on this matter since I firmly believe that at this point, Killua has romantic feelings for Gon, but I interpret this as another deliberate thing Togashi did : putting the panel bigger so we can see that it has a particularly significant importance to Killua, and Killua's state of mind right now (not wanting to lose Gon). 

In my opinion, two things happened here: One, Killua remembers this specific interaction because he knows how much Gon trusts him and he doesn't want to betray his trust. But I also firmly believe that Killua remembered this specific interaction because of the romantic connotation the sentence "Killua ja nakya dame nan da" has. Those words clearly shocked him, and I think he remembers them in this life-threatening situation, after the "gon you are light" scene, Palm talking about "love just happens", the "i want to stay with you, always" because he realizes that he wishes Gon would say that sentence in a romantic context, and not in the context of the dodgeball match, thus leading him to surpass himself to prove his love and perhaps live to see the day where Gon could say those words in that romantic context.

Now, of course, all of this is my interpretation, so it's really up to debate, but I really wanna highlight the fact that Togashi deliberately CHOSE to highlight this particular interaction between Gon and Killua, this sentence with romantic subtext, to lead Killua to finally break his chains and be able to be protect Gon fully. It’s also interesting to note that the 2011 anime adaptation also makes it a point to emphasize how deep these words stuck to Killua by making it the last flashback that makes Killua effectively rip out the needle out of his head. 

Also let's quickly mention the irony in the situation here : while Gon is on a romantic date, Killua fights to protect him, overcoming his weakness to prove his love. It’s not Palm who deserves that date, it’s Killua.

• A lovers’ suicide (chapter 286)

Now, onto the most important piece of subtext, that can not be counterargued as platonic in any way, shape or form. During the palace invasion, Killua leaves Gon's side, proceeds to go kick Youpi's butt only to have to fall back because he used up all his electricity nen. When Killua is charging up, he meets with Meleoron, and tells him that once he's done charging, he'll go back to Gon's side. 

They briefly exchange information about the battle, and then Meleoron proceeds to ask Killua what's the plan for him and Gon. That's when Killua explains that "Once Gon is like this, he won't budge an inch. Worst case scenario, it'll be a double suicide.". At worst they both die, cool. They “go down in flames together”. It’s actually much, much more meaningful than that.

The specific word that Killua uses for double suicide is "心中" (shinjuu), which is a heavily romantically connotated word in japanese. Shinjuu, also translated as "lovers’ suicide", is when two people die out of love, by the same method, because there's a belief that this'll allow those two people to spend eternity together. Shinjuu is a major theme of Japanese literature, and it is always used romantically. It's a very uncommon word to use to refer to two people dying together, because of its heavy romantic connotation, and because it always refers to double suicide committed by people bound by love. In literature, it always refers to two lovers, in love. If you want to read more on shinjuu, i suggest this and this, those articles explain its historic roots and the definition, also emphasizing the feeling of "oneness" that characterizes shinjuu. If you’re interested, I also suggest reading the japanese article that defines shinjuu, and hitting the google translate button, it has some pretty interesting sentences like “Shinjuu is traditionally committed by men and women out of mutual love, in the hope that they will be connected in the afterlife because they can't be together in this world.”

So basically, what Killua is saying is that he wants to go back to Gon's side to die with him, committing a "lovers’ suicide" because he doesn't want to leave Gon to die alone, and wants to die with him.

I also want to emphasize how special this word is to Killua, and that he and everyone around him know the special meaning of this word - In chapter 300, Ikalgo literally says "We were... No, KILLUA was ready to commit shinjuu with Gon". Ikalgo is really highlighting the fact that this word holds special meaning, especially to Killua, and that it was HIM who was willing to commit shinjuu by staying with Gon. Ikalgo and company dying with Gon wouldn't be shinjuu, but Killua dying with Gon would be, and Togashi emphasizes this through Ikalgo's thoughts.

This is pretty much the gist of it, but I suggest reading the wonderful post I linked in the references below if you want to know more about this specific subtext.

(edit : i actually wrote a post going a bit more into detail on Killua’s shinjuu wish if you want to read it here ! :3)

• “The one that Gon needs the most is you” (chapter 294)

I will go into this subtext more in details when I write the post about parallels in CAA, but I still want to talk about it briefly here.

Like I said before, to me, Palm was introduced as a catalyst for Killua's feelings towards Gon. Togashi purposefully wrote Palm as having romantic feelings for Gon to foil Killua's feelings for Gon and make him show jealousy towards Palm. 

To Killua, Palm is someone who stole Gon from him, he sees her as a threat because maybe she'll make Gon happier than he does ? (ofc we all know thats not true but Killua is baby) - Basically, Killua thinks Palm might be more important to Gon than Killua is, because he believes they are romantically involved. That's why when he sees her again later on, after Gon rejected his help, leaving Killua helpess as to how to save his dear friend, Killua sees Palm as a saving grace. 

He knows that if Gon sees Palm as a chimera ant, he will spiral down even more, so he tries to reason with her to get her to be gentle to Gon, because if not her, then who could? Palm would clearly be able to comfort Gon, with whom Killua believes is romantically involved with, better than him, right ? If Gon rejected Killua, then clearly Palm could help, since she seems closer to Gon (BECAUSE HE BELIEVES THEYRE DATING), right? 

This confrontation between Palm and Killua closely ressembles a situation like an ex confronting a new girlfriend - and I think this is exactly why Togashi wrote Palm this way. He wanted Killua to confront who he thought was a threat to their relationship, making him believe that this person who's """"dating"""” Gon is more important to him than himself, only to have her openly admit that she means nothing to Gon. The only one Gon needs is Killua.

And that, my friends, coming from someone you believe is romantically involved with your best friend (who you probably have a crush on), someone you're jealous of, the one you thought was the person most important to him, that's a pretty meaningful statement. 

Basically, what's happening, is that Palm reaffirms that Gon holds Killua closer than a potential romantic partner. And that's why Killua is so, so happy to hear that. He was questioning his entire relationship, questioning if Gon even cared about him, because he rejected him a few minutes before, but then his "rival" comes in and reaffirms that even she knows that no one comes close to Killua to Gon.

I also want to mention that this act of pure love (Killua only thinking of saving Gon when in a life threatening situation) is what made Palm come back to her human senses. d'awwwwww

• Illumi and Hisoka’s parallel on lovers who die of Alluka’s requests. (chapter 323)

Now onto the final significant subtext - while I don't particularly think of it as subtext-y, I know a lot of people have so I still want to include it here.

When Illumi explains Alluka's powers to Hisoka, he explains that there are two different types of linked deaths when a request is failed : 1) the person who failed + the person they love the most 2) the person who failed + the people they spent most of their time with. 

When applied to Killua, Hisoka naturally comes to the conclusion that no matter the outcome, Gon would always be the one dying with Killua, because he's spent so much time with him, and because he's the one that Killua loves the most. In the panel where Illumi explains this, we see a romantic, heterosexual couple  demonstrating the effects of not completing one of Alluka's requests, and thus the "most important person dying". 

While not making any true parallels, the fact that Hisoka, and the readers, are drawn to compare a heterosexual, romantic pairing to Killua dying with Gon because he's his "most important person" is an interesting piece of subtext.

_______

I want to finish by talking about Killua's birthday and how significant it is in my opinion. All the main 4 characters have birthdays that fall on specific dates, related to Japanese tradition, and often with events that can be associated to their character. Gon's is 5/5, which is Children's Day. Kurapika's is 4/4, the number 4 being considered an unlucky number, and this being an unlucky day to have a child. Leorio's is 3/3, Hinamatsuri (not really any main parallels here but still). But Killua's birthday is 7/7, and is the Japanese day to celebrate Tanabata. 

If you are not familiar with Tanabata, the story is as follows : Orihime is a princess who works for her father, working hard and well, but she laments the fact that because of her hard work she can't meet someone and fall in love. Her father arranges for her to meet Hikoboshi, allowing Orihime to leave because he expects her to come back to work for him, but the two immediately fall in love and get married, and she never returns. I won't get into the rest of the story as it's this part that interests me the most, but if you want to read more about Killua and Tanabata I suggest reading the post I referenced below.

Does the story of Orihime remind you of anyone ? Killua also works for his father, but laments the fact that he can't go outside and meet someone. His father then lets him go, saying, and i quote: "he will come back, because he's my son". Doesn't this remind you of the tale of Tanabata ? Killua's story references the tale of Orihime perfectly, and I believe this is intentional : Killua's birthday isn't of any importance to the plot, so why make it Tanabata, a day that celebrates a love story that closely ressembles Killua's story ? The answer is simple : subtext.

With all this in mind, I think it's pretty clear that Togashi is writing intentional subtext to hint at Killua's feelings being romantic in nature. Togashi is a master writer, he has years of experience, and I strongly believe he knows what he's doing and not planting unintentional subtext. He's a very smart man, and knows how all of this can be interpreted.

I will finish by saying that Togashi is NOT an author that would deliberately queerbait his readers. So many people dismiss the possibility of having gay subtext leading onto an actual canon gay relationship because "it's not like the author would ever have gay main characters". While this holds true for a lot of manga authors, especially shonen manga authors, it does NOT apply to Togashi. 

Togashi has always displayed interest in queer subjects and queer representation, putting trans characters in all of his major works (Miyuki in YYH, Mikihisa in Level E and Alluka in HxH). There were also canonically gay characters in his previous works : Itsuki in YYH, and a character named Kuramoto in Level E. 

Togashi also always had interest in mangas having BL elements, citing Maya Mineo's "Patalliro!" as a manga he was attracted to during High School. If you're unfamiliar with Patalliro, the story focuses on the main character's love life as a gay man.  He also admitted to basing Hiei's (YYH) design off a character from that manga. 

Last but not least, Togashi mentioned in a note included in volume 1 of YYH that he wanted to write a sports manga, called The Trouble Quartet, where basically all the characters are gay. Togashi said he based it off his own interests as a writer, and that while it was refused by Shonen Jump, he got deeply attached to the project and that he would love to explore this project in a different shape once he made a name for himself. I suggest reading this post because the parallels between The Trouble Quartet and HxH are HILARIOUSLY accurate.

In short, Togashi has always had interest in queer matters, and was always interested in putting queer representation in his work. After YYH, which was a terrible experience for Togashi as a writer, he managed to snatch a contract that basically allows him to do whatever he wants with HxH. Having always held dear BL matters but never being able to explore it to his full intent, I believe Togashi is exploring queer identity further with HxH, because Shonen Jump basically lets him do anything.

To conclude, with Togashi's past experience and skill, his interest in queer representation, and the amount of subtext surrounding Killua, I honestly believe that Togashi is trying to explore further queer representation, and I wouldn't be surprised if HxH ends with Gon and Killua becoming a canon pairing, whether it be delivered in an ambiguous manner or not. 

Edit : I actually wrote a post on why I believe it won’t be ambiguous, and that it’s truly never been ambiguous, just developing : here.

I hope you enjoyed the read, thank you for reading all of this, and feel free to show this to anyone who denies subtext in HxH !

REFERENCES

- "It has to be Killua" - Medium article, "Impossibilities in Translating Queerness : The Dodgeball Dilemma" 

- Palm's Date Scene - Reddit post, "Togashi's love of Ambiguity: Chapters 217 and 218" 

-A thematic analysis of Palm’s character : ”The Issue With Palm”

- Shinjuu - Tumblr post by hunterxhell, "A lovers' suicide, I guess." :  + the post that mentions Ikalgo talking about shinjuu 

- An analysis on different subtext-y situations

- Illumi and Hisoka’s parallel : here and here 

- Killua’s birthday : "Killua, July 7th, and the significance of his birthdate”

- Togashi's interview mentioning Mineo's Patalliro 

[hunklet]

other hxh thoughts include

h*soka will be killed by the 4th prince as a display of power denying any of the phantom troupe the right to kill him and we'll see him squashed pathetically (wishful thinking maybe but i really think this will happen)

kurta clan/kurapikas relatives alive on the dark continent

gon doesn't get nen back but DOES get a nen beast

i don't think pariston knows kite's alive and a chimera ant king and working with ging and i think when pariston goes to use those 5,000 soldiers that he will be foiled by Bug Kingdom Mind Control

too many princes will survive the black whale trip

[bellarosethefangirl]

Congrats on 200 followers!!

Can I get a matchup for hunter x hunter? I use they/them pronouns, I'm 18, my zodiac sign is Aquarius, and I'm 4'9 ft. I have shoulder length straight black hair, brown eyes, slightly tanned skin, and I wear glasses.

I would like to be matched with an anime-only character and don't mind a villain match. I don't want to be matched with Gon, Killua, or any Chimera ant.

I'm quite guarded and a wallflower when in new situations. I like to observe my surroundings and people around me. When I become more comfortable my hyper personality shines through. I'm very loud when relaxed and love talking about anything. I'm intelligent and like learning from others. I have a headstrong part of myself that will make me fiercely stand up for myself and others. Overall I'm a sarcastic yet caring individual who values the select people I let in my life. My interest and hobbies are true crime, animating/drawing, watching anime, cooking/baking, and reading/writing.

I'm not experienced when it comes to dates but I wouldn't mind stay at home dates, picnic dates, stargazing dates, etc. I think it would depend on my mood and if I want to be adventurous or not. I'm pretty affectionate but choose to show it in subtle and intimate ways instead of grand gestures.

In a partner I would like just the bare minimum lol. Someone who listens to me and cares about what I can say, isn't a stick in the mud, can have conversation with me (meaningful or not), and doesn't judge me for how I express myself.

It doesn't matter the gender I'm paired with and I'm fine with NSFW content. Thank you so much! <3

Anime Matchups 💘

Hunter x Hunter

Hi thanks very much! I also appreciate the follow. I’m sorry this took me a while to get to. I appreciate the patience and your very welcome.

Shalnark

You’re a good match for Shalnark! He’s in his early to mid 20s and fits many of the qualities and interests you’d like for a partner.

He respects your pronouns and kills anyone that doesn’t

He isn’t one that cares about looks but he will randomly compliment you out of nowhere. I also imagine he’d compliment your glasses especially if you wear the ones he gifts you. He’ll probably snatch some frames he thought would suit you. However his gifts for you are most likely stolen. He’ll also secretly think your dark hair brings out your eyes.

He’d randomly pet your head seeing as he’s much taller than you. If you make a comment about it he’d be surprised but try buttering you up.

He’d like that you’re a wallflower and have an observant side. He’d easily notice both traits about you. Your observant side would be helpful to him when he asks your thoughts on certain tasks he must do. Your wallflower side is such a contrast to him it intrigues him.

Your hyper personality will be loved by him. It will remind him of Uvogin. He’d enjoy your loudness and talkativeness. He’ll give you all his thoughts with a pleasant smile.

Your intelligence is also an admirable trait to him. He’s also knowledgeable so you two will have plenty of intellectual conversations.

You may be headstrong but it won’t bother him. When you defend others he’ll be there at your side. He’ll be happy when you defend him as only his closest friends have ever defended him.

He also enjoys true crime and often read books about them. You two share the same interest in true crime and reading. He’d recommend books and would enjoy reading with you. Library dates will be a must.

He’ll think your cooking, drawing, writing, anime watching, and animating is a ton of interesting hobbies. He’d love to know more about the ones he doesn’t know too much about. He’ll watch you do your hobbies in delight and even help out in anyway he can. Buying you supplies, giving ideas, buying you books or helping you get access to more anime by hacking peoples crunchyroll accounts.

Shalnark most likely isn’t experienced either but he does have his caring side for those he reserves it for including his significant other. I think he’d prefer stay at home dates and stargazing at first since you’re both enjoying each other. He’ll think picnics are cute and will happily bring food from the market. As a hunter all the dates would interest him and when you’re feeling adventurous he’ll have some places in mind to take you to.

His forms of affection are displays of love like gift giving or acts of service. He’ll like that you do it subtly since he’s observant enough to reciprocate it.

As for what you’d like in a partner I think Shalnark checks everything on the list! He’s a good conversationalist, he definitely isn’t judgemental (look where he’s from), he’ll happily listen to all your problems and he’ll try to help in anyway he can. He isn’t a stick in the mud he’ll like a joke, teasing, a good prank, or some fun.

NSFW Content 🔞

He’s into roleplay the list goes as follows

Teacher/Student, Thief/Royalty, Bandit/Genie, Scientist/Lab Assistant, Boss/Employee and any you’d be interested in

He likes to be rough and tends to get lost in the moment so be prepared. Sometimes he forgets about his strength

Surprisingly he has experience. Maybe not in relationships but he’s had his fair share of flings. He will definitely tease you if you’re bashful in the bedroom. If you’re confident he’s all for it and a bit impressed.

He’s definitely a moaner and a switch. He gets whiny if you top him. He likes being denied and having to beg. Orgasm denial is a big turn on.

He likes incorporating nen in the bedroom too and if you can handle it then he’s incredibly turned on. If you can only handle so much he understands and gives you breaks but he won’t stop pounding into you

He likes torture (receiving) but isn’t opposed to doing the same to his partner. He prefers if his partner is the one to inflict the pain. He’ll be begging for more when this happens.

He also likes getting choked by his partner. Something about getting manhandled turns him on.

He’s a Cancer and you’re an Aquarius. The match looks to be not the best but when the couple can make it work out it will be a nice match.

You and Shalnark vibe well together. You two indulge in a lot of hobbies together and go exploring here and there whenever you’re in the mood to. Interests in books and true crime is how you both became more acquainted. The more you two spend time together the closer you become. It grows into an inseparable bond and you two couldn’t be more happier. I’d say this matchup has a ton of potential.

[thelovelyghostwriter]

just wanna throw it out there, i don’t know where you watched it, but neferpitou is never referred to as her in the subs that i saw, like not even once that i can think of

Hello. Well, of course, our experiences are different.

My memory is a little hazy, but I first watched it on Kissanime (or is it Gogoanime?) several years ago. The second time watching it was on Singapore Netflix, which only has the Eng/Chinese subtitles and Japanese/Mandarin audio back in 2018/9.

Now, I cannot remember if the Kissanime referred to Pitou as a her, and the site was shut down already, though I do remember the subs referencing Pitou as a mother cat. Back then, I actually thought Pitou was a girl because of the appearance and the mother cat, until sometime a year later, I found out that the manga and anime had discrepancies.

For the Netflix one, I must say, the English subtitles are different and inaccurate (we had the full series really early). I remember rewatching this and I think they referred to Alluka as a "she" throughout, even with characters other than Killua, although they had referred to Alluka as a "brother". I had to explain to my friends because they just assumed Alluka is biologically female. I think they also used "she" for Pitou (again, this is 2 to 3 years ago, my memory is super hazy). I could check again, but currently, I'm too busy to check the episodes.

Maybe I had made a mistake with that phrasing, although I'm not sure what phrase I should use instead as data collection is still ongoing. I need to be careful when editing it, as it might affect the charts. I may have to fix the phrasing, but right now, I’m out of ideas and I’m open to anyone who have suggestions. 

Now that has gotten out of the way, let me share with you my thought processes on Pitou in this survey.

Please note that I am aware that anon just wants to tell me this information, and I am willing to take any questions and clarify anything. I am only taking this opportunity to clear up any potential questions by ensuring that everyone who is interested understands the decision I had made when it comes to Pitou, since the question is in regards to Pitou's gender.

Frankly speaking, it doesn't matter to me if Pitou is a female or male, it's just a fictional character, it's a chimera ant. I like Pitou as a character and the design, and initially, I never bothered to look at Pitou's gender due to mixed opinions about it. While some people refer to Pitou as a boy, there's someone on Reddit recently that is debating that Pitou is a woman and commented why I did not include Pitou in the hxh girls/women under the "favourite hxh girls/women" question. The Redditor also reasoned that the manga part about Pitou referring to themselves as "boku" was a mistranslation. And then there's people who are just saying chimera ants do not have biological sex (but we see the Chimera Ant Queen giving birth so??)

It's honestly extremely confusing to me and that's why I never bothered to look into it. Pitou is just a character that I know and love. And I never cared about whether people prefer addressing Pitou as a girl or boy, or something else.

Until I had to make this survey.

The only reason why I categorised ships into het, BL and Yuri is that there are over 50 pairings on Hunterpedia. For example, if people indicate that they only ship het ships, then all the ships featuring a girl and a boy will be presented in the next question. The BL and Yuri ships won't appear. This is designed so that people do not have to go through the trouble of scrolling through an incredibly long list of ships just to pick their favourites. Again, it's a technical reason.

However, this was a problem for Pitou because well, I didn't actually bother to look up Pitou's gender previously.

At first, I went to look at what people who refer to the manga had to say, and most of them reasoned it's because Pitou used "boku" which was a masculine(?) term. Now, I can't read Japanese but this is what people used for the rationale. It's just that Pitou seemed to have breasts and more feminine in the anime.

So initially, I wanted to list Pitou as a boy in that shipping section.

The only reason why I changed my mind, is because many people had only watched the 2011 anime version for the pre-Dark Continent Exploration arc. Even in my survey, only 168 had read the manga before the Dark Continent Exploration arc, but 403 people had watched the 2011 anime.

And as far as I know, from my observation, most people who had only watched the 2011 anime refer to Pitou as a girl (even if they know how Pitou is presented in the manga). And when they ship Pitou with someone, they usually view Pitou as a catgirl or something. Or at least, in the fanarts I've seen.

I did not want the case where people who ship Pitou with someone has to adjust their "thinking" when choosing the list of ships.

Those were pretty much my thoughts when I decided to list Pitou as a girl in the shipping section. And I'm not sure if that affected my memory when it comes to thinking that the anime referred to Pitou as a she/her.

Pitou is ambiguous but the anime refers to Pitou as a "her" a lot. Therefore, listed as a girl.

This is why I came up with these two sentences. Again, I am not very particular about this detail, but for the sake of technical reasons, I did what I had to do. You also need to understand that for texts in a survey, you have to make them as concise as possible.

Which we move on to the other comment I had about not including Pitou in the list of hxh girls/women. It's tied to my initial decision of listing Pitou as a boy. I made a tough decision to just... not include all Chimera Ants in that section, since they aren't human anyway. The only character that wasn't human that I included in that question is Nanika, but that's because Nanika is tied to Alluka (I listed Alluka as a girl. I know certain people won't agree with me. Killua says Alluka is a girl, and that's that). Besides, there was already a question regarding ranking Chimera Ants. So I think it's fair not to include Chimera Ants, although I do feel really bad because I think there are people who feels that their favourite female hxh character is Pitou. 

Please understand that the decisions to include and what not to include can be difficult, in certain questions or characters when it comes to this. I cannot make everyone satisfied with the survey and I don't intend to make that promise. However, I will try my very best to make it as good as it can be. 

I am going to address this in my report, in regards to Pitou and my decisions when it comes to this character in the survey. I need to look for the manga panel where Pitou uses "boku" so that I can properly explain it in my report.

[reeeyachi]

HIIIII i am popping up in ur askbox because i really really really wanna hear what you wanted to say about knuckle/shoot !! ♥

HELLO OMG thank you for this ask i’ve been meaning to post a separate one but this is BETTER thank you <3

this is just a simple super subjective meta (?) that i thought of while i was reading the manga before and remembered when you mentioned them as catalysts to gon’s feelings in your previous post.

ok knuckle and shoot. it’s amazing how togashi managed to insert meaningful characters in hxh and i think knuckle and shoot are two of the most important ones in chimera ant arc, relative to the characterization of gon and killua, as we can see how they both PARALLEL and CONTRAST each other in a way. i believe togashi deliberately wrote their characters as such because:

he wants to showcase varying types of love; bcos

he wants readers to read through his contexts

at face value, knuckle and shoot are much like gon and killua, right? nen ability aside, it’s too obvious how their personalities kind of match. knuckle is much like gon, whereas shoot is much like killua.

BUT WHAT’S INTERESTING about them is how they CONTRAST gon and killua and how this contrast plays a role in chimera ant arc’s storytelling, and in togashi’s excellent ply in exposing romantic gay undertones throughout the arc. chimera ant arc, after all, is a romance and an epic in itself. togashi had to meticulously throw in characters that would represent something somehow, and not just there because he thought they looked cool.

and knuckle and shoot; well, for me, they represent what dudebros on redditors think of gon and killua and hunter x hunter in general, (i hate to say it but--) NO HOMO.

i think togashi placed their characters, that somehow parallel gon and killua personality-wise, specifically in this arc because he wanted to present a kind of love between two male friends. and by friends, i literally mean just close friends. and that he wanted to show us that this type of love that they have is very much different from the type of love gon/killua (who are also two male friends) has --> which, on the other hand, parallels more, in so many levels, with meruem/komugi’s (romantic love).

i really really hate to admit the “no homo” take but i feel this strongly as intentional for knuckle and shoot. although, of course, we never know they might turn out as lovers in the end. but at that point of the story, they are bros in battle. they are fighting to protect everyone and plan on surviving after that. none of them considered the possibility of leaving everything behind and of dying *ahem-killua-ahem* together because of sheer love for their bro. did they? if so, i don’t remember ever reading it in the manga.

also, aside from the one you initially pointed out, of shoot saying that his job is to act calm and stop knuckle (again, a parallel), i find that specific scenario play interesting because it’s shoot basically breaking down in front of knuckle (knuckle shedding his share of tears) and telling him to go and kick youpi’s ass for him. THIS is a contrast -- because what happened to gon and killua during that war was the complete opposite. and looking back i find that contrast funny because this is basically telling me that this is what would happen if there are no romantic feelings involved between the smol bois. would gon still push killua away? if so, would killua take it personally? if anything, killua might even smack gon in the head to bring him back to his senses and call him an idiot. but nooo, he didn’t because of an internal conflict caused by many things in his heart including his feelings for gon.

for me, while meruem and komugi represent romantic unconditional love, knuckle and shoot represent platonic love in this arc -- and somehow the story suggests that, at their young age and with everything that has happened, gon and killua are swimming in between those at that point.

--

oh welp this became a killugon meta but that’s my take on knuckle and shoot lol this was longer but my internet shut down and deleted everything i typed in earlierkajrdfjkdsfjkdjkdsf ok i hope i made my point. just a little disclaimer that this opinion can change in the future just saying haha

thank you for this ask i enjoy writing my thoughts on hxh and my take on this series’ characters specifically <333333

[annalyticall]

Anime Newbie in her Twenties Ranks her First 10 Anime

With the recommendations of my sister @ging-ler​ and friends, I started watching anime just over a year ago and within that time I’ve watched a total of 10 - some clocking in at almost 200 episodes and some with only 12. I told myself a while ago that once I had finished 10 anime shows I would rank them like some Anime Newbie WatchMojo list, so, here we are. Really this is just an excuse to force more of my unwarranted opinions onto unwilling followers.

I should also preface this by saying I don’t think any of the anime I watched this year was bad, and I enjoyed a lot about every show even if I ranked some low. However, the top three anime on my list are the ones I would recommend to anyone following me even if they don’t watch anime.

10. Death Note

Despite absolutely loathing the “protagonist” since episode one, I really enjoyed the first half of Death Note! The story was intriguing with all of its wild twist and turns and I found myself immediately invested in what was going to happen next. Unfortunately, after the death of who I thought was by far the best character, the show seems to go off the rails as it introduces new characters and contrived plot devices in the second half that were frankly hard for me to care about at that point. The ending was satisfying but I forced myself to sit through a lot of painful meandering to get there.

9. Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop was the first anime I watched as suggested to me by @mcsherrybr​. The smooth and jazzy art, atmosphere, animation, action, and music were all a lot of fun, as were the lovable ragtag group of misfits that made up the main cast. I enjoyed myself a lot while watching this western/sci-fi melding pot of a show, and I only ranked it so low because the last few episodes were a huge disappointment to my found-family-trope-loving heart.

8. Violet Evergarden

Violet Evergarden, following the story of a child soldier learning to love, is absolutely beautiful to look at and listen to. The music in this anime is, for me, THE best music from any show on this list. This is also the only anime that made me sob several times while watching it. The collection of short episodic stories that explore the deep facets of human love and connection are incredibly resonant and will stay with me for a long time. However, the strength of the small story arcs made the rushed overarching war story and finale weaker in comparison. Similarly, the memorable characters introduced in the one-off side plots were more interesting to me than the cast of rather bland reoccurring supporting characters. While I will remember a lot of great individual moments, I can’t seem to remember a single character’s name besides Violet’s, but that might also be due to being one of the shorter entries at only 12 episodes.

7. Hunter x Hunter (2011)

Going from one of the shortest anime on this list to the longest, Hunter x Hunter was an great and engrossing story during the entirety of its 160+ episodes. It’s colorful and playful, but can also be very dark and at times even heart-wrenching. Because it contains so many distinct arcs, there is a wide variety characters and stories to get attached to, and some, like the Chimera Ant Arc, I even cried over. But this also left me with issues regarding the pacing. The show has great action and introspective moments but will often drag with long drawn-out pauses between fights to explain simple concepts (though I understand that’s a common trope in old shonen anime in general). The world-building is rich but also caught me off guard with some strange ideas, and admittedly not all of them I liked. Some eccentric characters and concepts rubbed me the wrong way and ended up hindering my enjoyment of the show. Overall though, it was a lot of fun and I left with a few more endearing favorite characters, like Leorio and Killua.

6. Erased

Also a 12 episode anime, Erased was amazingly impactful for how short it was. Even as I followed the unfolding murder mystery, I was also touched by the meaningful themes and kind-hearted characters I met along the way. The already-strong story is accentuated with great symbolism, art, and music. The only problem I had was with the mystery itself; I was able to tell who the true killer was within the first 4 episodes, which didn’t lend itself well to suspense and I spent the remaining episodes frustrated that the main characters couldn’t see some obvious clues.This is a minor problem, though, since the finale has less to do with mystery and more about the morals and resolution of themes that I felt was satisfying.

5. Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer is gorgeous. The stunning art style, fluid animation, and breath-taking music are all valid reasons to watch it, but the main character Tanjiro and his unwavering devotion to find a cure for his sister-turned-demon Nezuko are the reasons to stay. Tanjiro is unbelievably gentle as he shows even the evil demons he has to slay a hard-fought kindness, and it’s those tender moments between all of the amazing action sequences that really elevate this show for me. The issues I have lie with the rest of the cast. While I love some supporting characters, like the pig-headed Inosuke and the stoic Giyuu, others have very niche personalities that can get annoying if they’re on screen for too long, which they definitely tend to be. Still, the bond between Tanjiro and Nezuko is so strong that it gets me through even those dragging scenes.

And it’s written by a woman!

4. My Hero Academia

Hey so this might come as a shock for anyone who’s followed me for a while: My Hero Academia is not my favorite anime! I do love it a lot - it’s the only anime on this list that has inspired me to read the manga, write fic, and buy merch. There are so many lovable characters and exciting arcs in this show that there is bound to be something for everyone to enjoy, both inside and outside of canon. It’s a wonderfully paced and animated deconstruction of the superhero genre and besides its deeper themes and commentary, there’s also just a lot of endearing teenage goofin’ to be had, and the show balances the tone of these two almost-equally engaging aspects of the story fairly well.

The downside, for me, is the show’s sexualization of female characters, especially the teenagers. With the likes of pervy fellow classmate Mineta, it’s a flaw that’s hard to avoid and takes up an unfortunate amount of screen time. There are in-universe characters that protest against this behavior, and the female characters are still well-written for the most part, but that doesn’t make up for the canon material including it at all. It’s not a huge part of the show but it’s present enough that it really knocks the ranking down for me.

3. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Out of my top 5, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the only one that is complete. Because of that, I can tentatively say that so far, it is the best completed story on this list. From beginning to end, the pacing was perfect - the action never dragged, the characters were never unnecessary, and the plot twists were never unearned. I found myself more invested than I thought I would ever be for the large cast of characters, and everything, including its ending, was satisfying to watch. The animation is fluid and lent itself well to the most impactful scenes, especially involving the flame alchemist Roy Mustang. It’s also written by a woman! Really, the only nitpicks I have were with tonal problems - serious moments would sometimes be ruined by too much slapstick or visual gags.

As I mentioned before, my Top 3 are shows I would recommend to anyone who’s unfamiliar with anime simply because they’re good solid stories with almost no distracting anime tropes. This is a good place to start.

2. The Promised Neverland

The Promised Neverland is deceiving; on the surface it looks like a sweet show about a bunch of adorable kids playing together in the spacious green backyard of their quaint orphanage. Once you finish the first episode, however, you will quickly discover that there is definitely something more sinister lurking under the surface. This show is an expertly executed dark horror/thriller that always had me on the edge of my seat. The cute aesthetic never distracts from the suspense, in fact, it adds to the discomfort when the horrific visuals and expressions are contrasted against the character designs. I loved all of the characters, including the antagonist, who manages to be just as sympathetic as she is menacing. The sound design and music are also beautiful and adds so much to the rich atmosphere. I am definitely excited to see where this series will go!

1. Mob Psycho 100

ONE, the creator of Mob Psycho 100, said the single word he used for the concept for the series was “kindness”. Kindness shines through so much of this story following the life of Mob, a super-psychic kid that just wants to fit in, and I adore every second of it. While many shonen anime stories force the child protagonist to get stronger, become more powerful, and fight in battles against hostile adults, Mob Psycho 100 says “that’s stupid. Kids shouldn’t have to be traumatized by immature power-hungry adults. The only strength that anyone should pursue is strength of character, motivated by self-love and love for others.” And it says it with the most beautiful animation I have EVER seen in a show. The simplistic character designs mean the animators can have as much creative freedom as they like with expressions and movement, and they absolutely use that freedom. Humor is a large part of this mostly-comedy anime, but it makes the serious and introspective scenes so much more important when they do happen. The shifts between these two tones never feel awkward or imbalanced.

Mob Psycho 100 has inspired me to become more experimental and joy-seeking with my art, as well as just become a better person in my own life, which I can’t say for many other anime or many other pieces of media period. Even though a Season 3 hasn’t been officially announced yet, I can still safely say Mob Psycho 100 will forever hold a special place in my heart.

[bigskydreaming]

Okay, what lightning based creature from folklore and mythology might you interpret Josh being spliced with? Same with Corey, because "chameleon" don't cut it lol

Ugh, so many.

Corey:

My first thought would be any of the practically endless variety of household spirits and fairies attributed with invisibility - most of them usually denoted as being mischief makers, not inherently good or evil but more aligned to like a chaotic-neutral kinda thing than any particular morality.

These include, but are not limited to, various kinds of goblin-esque creatures that aren’t necessarily what one would picture when thinking of goblins in terms of like, Lord of the Rings. But brownies, hobgoblins and trow from various Celtic regions of Europe, or something like the duende from Iberian folklore perhaps, some takes on the domovoi from Russian legends, or maybe French lutins though they’re a bit more malevolent in nature than most of these others....but any of those could easily acount for the invisibility/camouflage Corey’s capable of, and there’s a lot of them that like, being part of Corey’s ‘nature’ could pair well with the fact that he’s small and unobtrusive in appearance, as well as being a shy, insecure kid not above expressing (justified) resentment or letting that dictate his actions or behavior towards people.

A boggart could also be interesting because there are as many takes on the boggart being a physical flesh and blood shapeshifter or fairy as there are it being a kind of spirit, and invisibility is as much a part of its nature as taking on the appearance of something someone fears....and there’s a lot of potential IMO in the almost irony of making Corey of all characters be part ‘boogeyman’ - since the boggart is the basis of boogeyman legends.

A sylph could be interesting, but it would have to be a Teen Wolf take on the actual sylphs of legend, like putting its own spin on it like it does with a lot of the other supernatural creatures that show up. Because as is, a sylph is one of the four elemental types of beings along with salamanders, undines and gnomes, and so its literally just a creature of air - but invisible and spritely, etc. So a Teen Wolf version of a sylph that’s flesh and blood at least some of the time and even CAN be ‘spliced’ into the chimera genome in some way....like, you’d definitely have to tweak your version to make it work, but it could work. And sylph fits a lot about Corey as a character, and it opens up doors for him to have powers beyond just invisibility, such as maybe giving him a kind of telekinesis or even the ability to levitate.

There’s a couple of Finnish beings of legends that could fit the bill, like keiju (kinda a Finnish version of pixies or sprites) or even tonttu, which are like a kind of....proto-Christmas elf, almost? LOL. But again, both are attributed with invisibility and discretion, though the keiju tend to be less concerned with human affairs while the tonttu are normally seen as helpful beings and friendly to humanity.

A bodach could be interesting too, they’re Scottish tricksters, usually more malevolent than neutral but not necessarily. Again, normally invisible, often follow people and frightening them with the sound of footsteps while there’s not even footprints in sight.....BUT the thing that’s interesting about this at least in terms of Teen Wolf, is there are various kinds of bodach like the Bodach Glas, the Dark Grey Man, who are also perceived as death omens. Like they’re normally invisible, and the only time you see one is if you’re going to die, and so given the other death-omen related beings in TW like banshees and hellhounds, Corey actually being part Bodach could have some interesting implications or associations....like, maybe if it turns out that he can turn invisible whenever he wants, but occasionally he realizes someone sees him even when he doesn’t want them to....but when that happens, that’s actually just because or a sign that the person is destined to die soon. Especially given the way Corey was used in 6A during the Wild Hunt storyline, like....you could definitely tie that into things there or go in similar directions with that.

Tbh though, I’m most intrigued I think by the idea of what if Corey was part....leshy, or one of the various analogues to the leshy in different regions like the borovoi in Russia or the Lithuanian mishkinis. But the leshy, and other related beings are like....a nature spirit, albeit a physical being rather than like a true spirit-spirit. But they’re usually nature GUARDIANS, specifically, and most associated with woods and forests. There’s also a fun kind of irony because one of the attributes of the leshy, aside from its invisibility or ability to disguise itself among the trees by blending in with its backgrounds, is like....the leshy is a size changer as well, and typically defaults as an enormous being, as tall as a tree....but who can also shrink to the size of a blade of grass. Given that Corey’s on the small size, this kinda amuses me, but also could make for a fun twist if he eventually realizes his powers don’t let him just turn invisible or fade into the background, but like, he can change his size and height as well. Make him like an Ant-Man kinda character.

But another thing that’s particular interesting about the leshy, and makes me lean towards it, is that the leshy isn’t just a generic forest spirit or guardian, but is associated with hunting in specific. But not in the human kind of way, but the hunters of nature.....as in, the leshy is often surrounded by or depicted as always being in the company of...packs of wolves. Occasionally bears, too, but they’re most associated with wolves. Which makes making Corey part leshy and part of a wolf pack particularly fitting, I think. And also sets up some interesting conflicts with hunters like Argent, even if Corey doesn’t even KNOW why he’s so antagonistic towards them, but like, as part leshy, he would likely be prone to very Not Good vibes about human hunters. Which also creates some interesting implications about the WHY of the Dread Doctors of all beings choosing to make a chimera that was part leshy aka anti-hunter....given that the lead Dread Doctor, Marcel, pretty much did everything he did because he was super obviously in love with Sebastian aka the Beast, the prime target and enemy of hunters everywhere, and the whole reason the Argent dynasty began in the first place.

Josh:

I’d need to give some more thought to him. I have seen people headcanon that Josh was spliced with some kind of raiju, which is a creature from Japanese legends typically associated with various gods of thunder. The raiju is a kind of thunder-beast, and usually takes the form or appearance of a blue-white wolf shaped from lightning, though it can also take other forms like that of a weasel, a badger or even a dragon.

I mean, this one definitely does work, its just I’m kinda like.....eh, just because TW has fucked around with and fucked over Japanese legends enough on the show without putting any real effort into prioritizing or centering them or the characters associated with them....aka all our rants about Kira and the nameless/barely-a-character nogitsune. I suspect my resistance to having Josh be part raiju is less that like, it doesn’t fit or make sense than it is mostly just.....I don’t trust the execution of most of the people I’ve seen do the headcanoning him as such, lol, so I’m knee-jerk inclined to just run the opposite direction with it, lol. Also, along similar lines, just NO times infinity to having him be in any way part thunderbird because Leave Native American legends alone Teen Wolf, You’ve Done Enough.

There are a number of other kinds of lightning birds though, from regions all around the world, like Slavic mythology and folklore has a couple, particularly associated with Perun, there’s a few in South American regions, Zulu folklore has a lightning bird called the impundulu....but even just going back to Eastern Europe with this, in the sense that since so many of the other creatures TW focused on originate there and that’s where the DD are from, its not a stretch to imagine beings or creatures from that region being particularly central to a lot of their experiments....like, for instance in terms of that reasoning, my personal preference would be to go with one of the various takes on the shtriga or strigoi that associate them with lightning (mostly ball lightning) that could work and be something a bit different. 

Because the strigoi are basically the basis for Stoker’s take on vampires in particular, so instead of being specifically derived from some kind of lightning-specific creature or being like the raiju, making Josh part strigoi would mean his electricity powers were really only incidental to his chimera nature rather than the focus of it, and since the Teen Wolf chimeras are all one third human, one third werewolf, and one third something else....Josh being a strigoi chimera would effectively make him TW’s version of a vampire-werewolf hybrid.

(Also, like with the leshy, the strigoi makes a certain kind of sense to be spliced with werewolves or associated with a wolf pack, because the strigoi is pretty much definitively THE version of a vampire that having vampires have strong connections to and imagery associated with wolves, or vampires being able to shapeshift into wolves specifically.....like the strigoi are where those legends and takes in particular all stem from).

And I mean, Josh as part strigoi definitely puts his teeth when he’s in his shifted form in a totally different light, lolol.

[blueeyeswhitegarden]

My Hero Academia, Hunter x Hunter.

My Hero Academia:

haven’t heard of it | absolutely never watching| might watch | currently watching| dropped| hated it | meh| a positive okay| liked it| liked it a lot!| loved it| a favorite

don’t watch period| drop if not interested within 2-3 episodes| give it a go, could be your thing| 5 star recommendation

fav characters: I really like Midoriya. He’s just so likable, endearing and sympathetic. I really like Todoroki’s character development. Iida has had some really cool moments too. Uraraka is just so sweet and upbeat. Eri is a new favorite as well.

least fav characters: It might be a cliche at this point, but that would easily be Mineta. He is indeed the worst and the only good thing about him is that he gets little screentime to do the whole gross pervert gag. I’m not a huge fan of Kaminari either since he tends to hang around Mineta, but at least he can be funny and got a good chance to shine during the Provisional License Exam arc.

fav relationship: I really love Midoriya’s student-mentor relationship with All Might. They truly care about each other and I love seeing All Might basically go from this idealized hero to a friend and father figure for Midoriya. I also like Midoriya’s friendships with Todoroki and Iidya. He was able to help both of them through difficult situations and it was nice to see them become closer with each other over the course of the series. Bakugo and Kirishima’s friendship became much more endearing than I expected as well, especially when I initially thought it was going to be one-sided.

fav moment: There are a lot of great moments, but a new favorite moment for me is Eri choosing to be saved. Honestly, episode seventy-six is easily one of the best episodes of the series to date. The insert song was beautiful, I loved how determined Midoriya was to save Eri and Midoriya vs. Overhaul was terrific. But I started crying the moment Eri broke through Overhaul’s emotional manipulation to grab Togeta’s cape. She is a traumatized child, been treated like a monster her whole life because of her Quirk, has been abused both physically and mentally by Overhaul and thought that the only way to stop people from dying around her was to stay with Overhaul. Seeing Midoriya chase after them and then Togeta’s cape gave her the courage to break through years of trauma enough to realize that she needed to let them save her. It was a beautiful moment that made me instantly love Eri.

I also really love the lunchroom scene with Midoriya, Iida and Todoroki. It was a short scene, but it really showed off their friendship so well and how they all support each other. I also loved that Iida said the same lines that Midoriya did before they left for their internship. He saw that Midoriya was bottling up his feelings just like he was before and wanted to at least offer some reassurance.

headcanons/theories: I don’t really have any theories or headcanons for this series.

unpopular opinion: I’m still not a huge fan of the Midoriya and Bakugo pairing. Their relationship has improved, but their dynamic for the first couple of seasons bothered me too much. Season one Bakugo reminded me way too much of bullies I had to deal with, so that stung a bit.

how’d you find it: I didn’t watch it until it started airing on Toonami. I watched the first season there, binged watched season two and the bulk of the third season within a week and I’m currently watching season four on Funimation’s website.

random thoughts: My Hero Academia is one of the few shows that lives up to the hype for me. It is a shonen series to its core, but it’s shonen done extremely well in my book and I look forward to pretty much every episode. It’s a solid series that is worth at least checking out.

Hunter x Hunter:

haven’t heard of it | absolutely never watching| might watch | currently watching| dropped| hated it | meh| a positive okay| liked it| liked it a lot!| loved it| a favorite

don’t watch period| drop if not interested within 2-3 episodes| give it a go, could be your thing| 5 star recommendation

fav characters: I really like Gon and Killua. They work so well together, but they’re also really good characters individually. Leorio turned out to be more likable than I thought he would, although I think he needed more screentime. Meruem is easily the most interesting villain in the series. Biscuit is such a fun character and easily the best female character in the cast.

least fav characters: I don’t really like Hisoka. He’s strong and intimidating, but I find him too creepy for my tastes, especially during his fight with Gon in the Heavens Arena arc.

fav relationship: Gon and Killua’s friendship is the heart of the series. It provides so much growth for Killua in particular and I honestly don’t know how the series functions without having the two of them traveling together. Mereum and Komugi’s relationship turned out to be sweeter than I expected. Meruem found a genuine connection with another person, which gave him more humanity than he initially thought he had. It was also strange for me to become a fan of their pairing in the same episode where they both die.

fav moment: I really like Gon’s emotional breakdown over Kite’s death. While the anime not including Kite prior to the Chimera Ant arc weakened the impact to a degree, it still worked because Gon’s main focus throughout the bulk of the arc was to save Kite. He was so sure that Kite was alive and they just needed Pitou to heal him. But then he was hit with the reality that Kite was long dead and it crushed him. The emotions were so raw and intense with Gon going back and forth between anger and sadness. The way he defeated Pitou was so harsh and brutal, but matched with those emotions. It didn’t feel cheap either since Gon nearly died from using that much power and as far as I’m aware, still can’t use Nen in the manga. It was an intense moment that really felt like a natural progression for Gon’s character during the arc.

I also love Leorio punching Ging right in face. Even with knowing that Ging allowed Leorio to do that, it was still immensely satisfying and made up for Leorio’s minimal screentime.

headcanons/theories: I don’t really have too many theories or headcanons for this series either.

unpopular opinion: I still think it was a massive mistake to bring Kite back to life. He still is technically a different person and just has the original Kite’s memories, but it felt like a cop out way for Gon to not really have to deal with Kite’s death. Maybe it will be better depending on whatever role Kite has in later arcs, but I think it would have been better if he hadn’t been reborn as a Chimera Ant. I’m not sure if this is an unpopular opinion, but I have no idea why Colt had so much screentime during the first half of the Chimera Ant arc if he wasn’t going to be involved in the second half. I’m still disappointed that he doesn’t get to be reunited with his sister or his birth mother, so that could have been resolved if the last Chimera Ant was Colt’s human sister reborn like I initially thought it was going to be instead of somehow Kite.

how’d you find it: I watched the dub on Toonami. I could have gone through the series faster with the subs, which might have helped with the pacing a bit, but I like the dub voices, so I was okay with that.

random thoughts: Hunter x Hunter is a really good series. It has really solid battles, the powers are unique and the expansions on Nen feel pretty natural. I also think that it tackles training arcs really well. We get to see enough of Gon and Killua’s progress to where their increased powers feel believable and earned, but they don’t feel like they’re dragging this out either. It might be more intense or violent than people would expect from a shonen series, but it’s worth checking out at least.

Thank you for asking. ^_^

[i-heart-hxh]

Hi! Ok honestly I was going to find a more proper way to phrase this but can we just talk about Nagareboshi Kirari for a minute, and how it is 100% a love song from the perspective of Killua to Gon. I don’t see many people talking about it and it gets glossed over compared to some of the other endings but honestly it’s always been my favourite. The fact that nearly every single line is a direct reference to something Killua has been through with Gon is crazy, and with the “shooting star” references and implications, I don’t think it’s crazy to say that YUZU interpreted the manga the same way most of us shippers do, especially CAA. Idk, maybe I’m just crazy but this is something I’m almost 100% convinced of (like a lot of Killugon stuff in HxH I guess ha ha) but what are your thoughts?

Sorry for taking a bit to reply, I wanted to reply thoughtfully!

I definitely agree with you! I've read before that Yuzu re-read the entire manga before writing the songs they did for HxH, and also that they're big fans of the series to begin with, so I think it's fair to say that they wrote the songs they did with intention. Also, multiple people have pointed out that Nagareboshi Kirari uses wedding bells in it, which I mean, enough said. As big fans of the series, it would make sense that they see the (pretty clear) implications with Killua's feelings and they would include that in a song made for the series.

@hunterxhell also shared another song that Yuzu wrote around the same time period that may have been used for HxH if things had gone differently (I agree with this conclusion, it's too coincidental otherwise with the lyrics), and some other songs that they may have written with HxH in mind.

Honestly, the 2011 production is riddled with staff who have made romantic implications between Gon and Killua--from the director saying they're like a mature married couple, to Mariya Ise saying outright and extremely clearly that she thinks Killua is in love with Gon, Niuya, one of the animators for HxH 2011 would post KilluGon fanart on Twitter while it was airing (and published a doujin with shippy drawings included), and so on. Not to mention things like the Huncyclopedia kiss, ai-ai gasa, the episode previews during Chimera Ant arc, and more. These are all additions that didn't need to happen, they just as easily could have not included them. But they did!

The people who worked on the anime certainly studied the manga carefully--it's simply a big part of the process of adapting a manga to an anime, and especially with how faithful 2011 is to the manga (*overall, with some exceptions :p). I don't think it's a coincidence at all that many people looking at this manga carefully came to this conclusion. It's the same conclusion I've come to as well after years of carefully studying it and reading about Togashi and his inspirations/interviews/etc. The subtext is strong and clear and all over the place once you start looking for it, and a good portion of it isn't even subtext but just...text.

Anyway, I got on a bit of a tangent, but YES, I definitely think it's intentional and I absolutely think Yuzu wrote it with Killua's feelings in mind!

[ultraericthered]

Anime Update V2 61

Vinland Saga S2 - Pretty on the nose for this episode to be titled "We Need A Horse", which is a dilemma that Einar vocalizes early in, but for the most part it's spent on Einar and Thorfinn's developing bond of friendship that gives us some amusing and sweet moments, also introducing us to Sverkel, Ketil's elderly father, who now has an odd relationship with Snake as he frequently crashes at the old man's farmhouse. Snake states that the farm is poorly defended against any enemy that might be more formidable more than local thieves, should any such enemy arise and want to conquer the land. Sounds like foreshadowing for what's going to be going on later...

Hunter x Hunter - Gon and Killua are still training and taking on Knuckles (with Shoot lying in wait but having not done anything yet), Bisky is still around and a delight to have on screen, Netero is trapping and killing many of the Chimera Ant forces, and the third and final of the Royal Guards came out of his cocoon to join the other two, as the Queen giving birth to the King becomes more imminent.

Fruits Basket - Akito being a sympathetic figure who doesn't make me want to retch is such an astonishing thing; was not expecting Saki to easily figure out her gender upon their meeting, or Arisa to hug her, and I was glad to her Arisa admit to herself she'd handled the whole Kureno thing poorly from the offset, being now willing to start over with him as a friend and companion, and I wish it would stick in terms of being definitively platonic. The scene between Yuki and Kyo was so cathartic and so overdue since the very earliest episodes of the show, and just as I'd praised Jerry Jewell's voice acting last time, Eric Vale knocked it out of the park here - why can't he do that sort of voice acting as Trunks these days? Kyo then going to settle his baggage with his hideously spiteful and pathetic biological father was appropriately tense, particularly when intercut at one point with the Sohma Family head maid confessing to Akito how much things have come apart for her and how, at her age, she'll having nothing left once the curse is no more. I sort of wish we could've seen Kyo's father's reaction to Akito telling him that Kyo's not getting locked up for life after all, but part of me would also dread what I'd have to see and hear there given all the shouting he does...

This story goes on into the next episode where Tohru and Kyo mutually consummate their love for each other, Kyo embraces Tohru and does not transform into the cat, prompting him to finally break off his beads and embrace a life of freedom, and we're told via Tohru's narration the real story behind the Zodiac animals and the lonely celestial person they called "God", why the cat (who was present at the banquet with all the rest, not tricked by the rat into missing it) was really shunned, and how "the bonds" based upon the promise between God and his animal friends got carried forward by the spirits who reincarnated repeatedly into what would become the Sohma family, before this eroded into the curse that the cat knew it would inevitably become should it be stuck to into perpetuity. And then, one by one, all of the Zodiac Sohmas curses break, and it's such a beautiful moment of pure catharsis that it sucks you in just enough to forgive how Akito's internal monologue gets a liiiitle over-indulgent and almost too direct (even as enthralled as I was, when she was repeatedly telling me to cry, I couldn't help but find it a little silly.)

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works: Sorry, none this week!

Re:ZERO - W...ha....wha....what do I even say? It was all going in a direction I'd consider natural and expected coming off from last time, but when Garfiel transformed into a ginormous tiger and started slaughtering everyone in his path, including Otto and a bunch of the villagers aiding in Subaru's escape, it started to go off the rails. But I still was not prepared for what I was about to see: Subaru gets thrown into some place covered in snow and gets very painfully torn apart and eaten into by a bunch of killer rabbits with unicorn horns. THE ACTUAL FUCK WAS THAT ABOUT? It was so gruesome and so over-the-top horrifying with the music and visuals and then ended so abruptly as Subaru re-spawned that it crossed the line into being downright hysterical - not since Blood-C have I seen such a bloody rabbit massacre! This moment stands out so much to me that it's amazing that I was still attentive to what followed; Subaru meets with Echidna at her tea party garden and is able to tell her, free of any repercussion to himself, about the Return By Death ability, leading to him breaking down sobbing as Echidna offers him comfort. Awww.

Symphogear AXZ - Forgot to mention the alchemically created big snake creature last time, but it sure is a thing and not a thing you want the enemy summoning when you're facing off against them. Shit also got heavy when in a fight in a village taken hostage by enemy forces, Chris had to shoot the leg off of a boy caught by an AlcaNoise in order to save him from disintegration. To make this worse for poor Chris, the boy's big sister is a woman Chris used to be friendly with prior to her parents death, so now the rift between them have widened. The alchemist servants of the Illuminati seem like interesting adversaries at the very least, Team Dango (Maria, Kirika, and Shirabe) are as badass as ever, and the ending was the most metal thing - Hibiki breaks through the serpent and declares herself to be the truly invincible foe that the baddies ain't ready for.

Eureka Seven - It'd be hard for me to even talk about this one - half of it was an Evengelion-esque mindfuck in some Coralian-made illusionary world Renton, Eureka, and Anemone found themselves in following things going awry in their fight, and the other half was an intense dogfight between Gecko State and the Military forces.

[aspoonofsugar]

Hello! About HxH. Do heavens arena and hunter exam (including Zoldyck family) have their own themes like yorknew, greed island, chimera ants and election? Or do they serve just as a build up? Also, from what I understand ca has most complex themes (in quantity and exploration) but I am not sure. How does it compare to yorknew in that regard? Are themes of greed island complex (in number and exploration) too?

Hello anon!

Sorry, for the late reply.

I would say that the CAA is different from the arcs before in the sense that it is as if it tells its own story and it even has its own protagonist (Meruem). Because of this, it also has its own specific themes which are easy to find. In this, I think it is similar to the current arc and partially to the Election arc.

When it comes to the arcs before, I think they can mostly be considered as a long introduction since the characters and the power system are introduced and explained.

Among these arcs, I would say YS is kind of an exception since it focuses on a different character (Kurapika is the protagonist of that arc). Because of this, that arc has themes which are linked to Kurapika and different from the ones present in all the other arcs.

I have talked about YS here and here if you are interested.

Kurapika is a character linked to the concepts of grief and vengeance and so the arcs centered around him deal with these ideas. What is more, they also delve in the importance of information and are more intellectual than other arcs. Finally, YS also deals with the concept of destiny thanks to the importance Neon’s power had in that arc.

When it comes to arcs like the Hunter Exam arc, the HA arc and GI (so the arcs where Gon is the protagonist) they are all centered on the idea of growing up because this is what Gon’s character is about. His story is a coming of age one and these arcs seem to deconstruct some aspects of typical coming of ages/shonen stories.

I will try to discuss more of it under the cut, but I would say in advance that this analysis will concentrate on what each one of these arcs specifically offers on the theme of growing up which I think is the theme shared by them all. However, one should not forget that arcs are not the only elements of a story which have themes. Characters have those too and I will not address all of them here.

If you are interested in themes linked to characters other than general themes of the series, I will think this post by @hamliet will be useful. She also offers there an alternative reading of the arcs’ themes.

The hunter exam arc introduces the characters and their objectives. What is interesting is that each character’s objective needs the hunter license in order to be reached. This is interesting because it introduces the idea that the exam is not really an end, but a mean to something. This is also why the exam is not given a clean conclusion:

Gon passes the exam, but he is not satisfied with himself, the same goes for Leorio and what happens between Killua and his brother leaves a bitter aftertaste in all the participants. This is why after the tournament we are shown a discussion among the new hunters where they get on each other’s nerves. It is because, all in all, many of them are not happy despite having officially become hunters. This anticlimatic conclusion is used to convey the fact that passing an exam is not something which can be used as proof of one’s value. Gon passes the exam because Hisoka kills his pursuer and later he is not able to win against Hanzo. Leorio passes thanks to his friends’ help and Pokkle passes out of sheer luck. However, the way they pass is not important. What is important is what they will do with the new chances they are given and with what they have learnt. This is true for Killua as well, even if he did not pass. He is still given permission to travel with his friends because of him taking the hunter exam. What a person learns and what a person gains by an obstacle vary, but what is important is that they can use it to face future challenges. The idea that life and growth are never over is something which lies at the root of the series:

The exam is just the first representation of such an idea.

At the same time, the different trials test different attributes a person must have to become a hunter aka to grow up.

1) The first test is a test of endurance both physical and psychological. Only strong people can become hunters, so this test verifies a person’s strength.

2) The second test is made to verify that the partecipants are both intelligent and curious.

Strength, intelligence, determination and curiousity are 4 attributes which keep coming out again and again throughout the series and they are tested at the very beginning of the exam.

3) The third test had the characters work together. They had to make every choice by voting in what is basically a form of democracy. Thanks to this, the limit of such a process of decision-making is highlighted:

At the same time, it is interesting that in a test which is so focused on the relationships among individuals, the characters are given individual fights where they can shine. In a sense it may be a way of reflecting the contradictions of society where one has to live together with others and to partially conform to what others want, but at the same time they are asked to develop skills for themselves, so that they can shine.

This contradiction is perfectly shown by the last choice the characters are asked to make:

They have been asked to work together, but in the end they are told they have to fight each other to go on. This can very well be seen as a synthesis of how society works. As a matter of fact society exists because of people cooperating, but at the same time people are not equal and are not granted identical chances. However, the answer Gon gives is one which bends the rules and uses a loophole to overcome the obstacle.

4) The fourth test could be partially seen as the opposite of the third one since the characters are asked to work alone in order to catch a target. The nature of the exam makes so that finding allies might be dangerous since one can’t be sure not to be another’s target. What is more, this test is seen by some characters (like Gon for example) as a chance to shine individually and to face a complex problem alone.

However, throughout the test many alliances are born and Gon being too concentrated on his own individual pursue makes him fall into the trap of his hunter.

In short, even in a situation where individuals should test their own abilities others keep being important and entities one can not ignore.

5) Finally, the last test is meant to test one’s character. As Gon’s extreme case shows, who wins in the tournament is not the strongest, but who never gives up. This is also used to underline the key difference between Killua and Gon’s approaches to things which will keep coming back as the story goes on.

I would like to highlight that HA and GI are two similar arcs and deal with becoming individually strong and with working with others (similarly to test 3 and to test 4 in the hunter exam).

Both arcs are basically training arcs which are used to give more details about nen before two complex arcs (YS and CAA) full of characters very expert at using this power.

In both arcs, Killua and Gon want to reach an objective, but are too weak, so they meet a master and start training. The fact that Biscuit used to be Wing’s master is nothing more than a way to show that GI is the continuation of HA since Gon and Killua will develop there their hatsus. There is also the fact that both in HA and in GI a hunter exam is completed. Gon passes his unofficial exam in HA and Killua obtains his license in GI. Basically, with these two arcs both characters can be considered true hunters just in time to take part in their first big operation in the CAA. It is also interesting that Gon and Killua end up in the HA and in GI because of respectively Silva and Ging. Silva is the one who sent Killua there in the past and Ging is the one who prepared GI as an obstacle Gon has to overcome to find him. What is more, Silva tried to hide nen from Killua for unknown reasons, while nen is necessary to enter the game and so Gon has to know nen to become a player.

That said, HA and GI explore slightly different things.

HA gives a lot of importance to individuality:

This is underlined also by the fact that the rules of the arena make so that the fights are between two opponents and not between groups of people.

What is more, the whole arena is nothing more than a metaphor for a person climbing higher and reaching one’s full potential. The arc explores the difficulty of doing so.

Growing up is complicated. One could do like Kastro did and choose to invest their talent and time into something which doesn’t suit them. One can also do like the minor antagonists of this arc did. The three opponents they face are people who reached the 200th before they were ready and as a result they lost a part of their bodies. This resulted in the fact that their nen powers end up becoming something which, instead of enriching them, are mostly there to compensate for what they lost. This is very interesing because nen in the hxh world is often a metaphor of a person’s personality and interiority. In other words, the protagonists developing their powers is symbolic of them developing their interiority and we can easily understand many things of a character by looking at their nen power. Because of this, Sadaso, Gido and Riehlvelt are basically people whose growth has been damaged because of them being in a hurry to reach their objectives. This is shown also by their behaviour. All in all they don’t really care about becoming better anymore and simply wish to be floor masters by targeting people weaker than them even if they don’t know about nen. In this way, they are ready to make others experience what was done to them.

In short, it is like Wing says:

One should not become obsessed with a single objective and not lose sight of the bigger picture. Growing takes time and effort. This is also why Gon and Killua do not choose a hatsu right away, but are given time to think properly about it.

At the same time, the arc also shows Gon and Killua’s opposite behaviours:

Gon wants to grow up too fast, whereas Killua wants to take things slowly.

This difference will come up again. For example, the CAA shows how dangerous it is for Gon to be willing to become an adult before the right time, whereas in the Election arc Killua is basically asked to grow up a little, so that he can care about Alluka.

Finally, this arc also show the different challenges Gon and Killua are faced with. Gon is mostly given focus when it comes to physical fights. He fights more than Killua and in the climax of the arc he faces Hisoka in an epic battle. Killua is given instead only a major fight against Riehlvelt. However, it is not that he is not given focus in the arc, but the chapters centered around him are not ones where he has to fight, but ones where he has to find an equilibrium between behaving as a good boy and not letting others trample over him and his friends. In the beginning, he would like to settle the conflict with the three men in a way which would benefit them and by being overly generous. However, this attempt fails, so he uses a more malicious approach, but still avoids killing them.

GI is a training arc with a more complex and flexible battlefield than the HA. Moreover, it is made in a way that it is more advantagious and even necessary for people to work together.

In short, GI explores the equilibrium one must find between working with others and being independent.

This is shown starting with the preliminary test:

It is explained that one should face this test sticking to one’s own convinctions without worrying about others.

However, once they enter the game, the players realize how difficult it is working alone and that it would make sense for them to join a bigger group in order to succeed. The strategy proposed by Nickes’s group is to basically find strength in numbers. This seems an optimal solution on paper, but it is soon revealed that trying to compensate for one’s absence of strength by simply sticking with others is not enough:

Weak players came together hoping to win against the stong ones, but in the end they were tricked by a stronger opponent and could not do anything against him despite their numerical advantage. This is because, in the end, none of them was self sufficient.

However, even if one is exceptionally strong, they can not succeed in GI if they are alone and the proof is the fact that in order to obtain Plot of Beach there must be 15 people willing to work together. At the same time, Goreinu states this:

As a matter of fact, even if a group of people must work together only a small number of copies can be made of the card wanted. This is similar to what happened in the third test of the Hunter exam when people are asked to unite forces just to fight in the end.

In short, the battle against Razor underlines the nuance of having multiple people working together. The players come together because it is useful and all of them are determined to take care of their own interests. For example, the main trio is quick to discard their first group because made of people too weak to win. However, this doesn’t mean genuine bonds are not born since in the end all the players who took part in the game (with the exception of Hisoka) ended up growing close as a result of their battle.

Razor’s fighting style is interesting too when it comes to this:

He is at the centre of a challenge which requires multiple players, but he himself fights alone. This is also why he loses:

However, he too is there because of another person:

He was able to change his life only because Gin connected with him and did not care about his past as a criminal.

In short, GI is an arc which explores group relationships much more than HA.

This is also shown by Genthru who is both a character able to fight alone and a person who works well wiht his comrades (as a matter of fact they seem to share some powers).

The way Gon fights him is also indicative of how the boy is trying to reconcile a strong wish of individual strength and the necessity to work together:

As a matter of fact Gon has been given by Killua a plan to follow and if he did, he would not have any problems in defeating Genthru. However, Gon is not completely satisfied because he wants to use the battle to test himself. So in the end he chooses to follow the plan only after he managed to injure his opponent on his own.

This solution is a good synthesis of Gon and Killua’s struggle to grow up together, but also in an independent way, so that the can keep being friends, but also become proper individuals. This is something which will be explored also in the CAA with their friendship being partly deconstructed after GI spent much time showing its importance and positive effects.

In short, I would say HA and GI are nothing more than two sides of the same coin and are compementary. They explore what it means to grow up using the structure of a classical training arc to do so. In HA the focus is on individuality.  For example Win helps his mentee to find what they are good in and discourages them from pursuing technique in areas which aren’t theirs. When it comes to GI, the focus is widers since a person to grow has also to interact with others and to learn from them. Because of this there is a focus on teamplay and how to integrate it with personal goals and with the necessity to remain true to one-self. About this, let’s underline that Biscuit makes so that Gon and Killua starts practicing in abilities different from their own, so that they can become more flexible. This is because in order to grow healthily a person must both realize what they are good at and go out from their comfort zone, so that they can improve. In the end it is about finding a happy medium between these two things.

Finally, there are the Zoldyck family arc and the Election arc. These two arcs are centered around Killua and so they have similarities.

As a matter of fact Killus is a character linked to specific themes and these themes are explored in arcs focused on him.

Most of all, it is interesting to show that both the Zoldyck family arc and the election arc are arcs where it seems some major conflict are gonna explode. The Zoldyck family arc is presented as an arc which will culminate in Killua’s friends meeting his family and having to fight or at least to convince them to let Killua free. However, this does not happen and Gon, Kurapika and Leorio do not even see the family house and barely meet some family members. The situation which seemed perfect to explore a major conflict is settled in a pretty common way with simply a father and a son having a chat.

Similarly, the Election arc sets up a potentially dangerous situation with Alluka and her powers only to reveal in the end that if people treat Nanika normally and love her, she uses her powers without making cruel requests.

All in all, the Zoldyck family is used to explore extremely common family dynamics and the fact that they are presented as so over the top makes so that them settling their problems as any normal family could do highlights the importance of communication and connection even more.

The Election arc is also used to convey specific themes about general politics. For example, Leorio and Pariston can be easily seen as two different declinations of what a popolar leader is, whereas the Zodiacs can be see as an elite who has knowledge and abilities, but is unable to connect with the majority of people.

The fact that also this part of the arc ends with an anti-climax is interesting especially because the conclusion of the Election is framed as far more comical than the conclusion of Killua’s conflict with his family.

All in all it is interesting that while the majority of the hunters is concentrated on an election whose results have basically been rigged since the beginning, the true and more serious battle seems to be the one between a boy and his family. Moreover, this personal struggle goes unnoticed by the majority of people who are too concentrated on a large public even and ignores that a small chilod could potentially destroy the world if she is not helped and loved.

This is a very reduced discussion of each arc. Many points are probably unclear or not elaborated enough, but I hope you would still find them interesting enough.

I will also tag this meta where I discussed other general themes of the series.

All in all, I would say YS, CAA, Election arc and the current arc are the richest ones thematically, while the other three are usually used as introduction to something and introduce ideas which are fully explored in other arcs.

Thank you for th ask!