#late-night Togashiposting

[basedkikuenjoyer]

HxH 401: Moonlight Rendezvous

Oh we're so back! I love when he does the gun thing! And promptly gets called out for something I've always wondered. Yeah...not gonna work. Unless the gun is intended more as a red herring. You know, Nen user focuses on blocking that and Pika can smack em with the chain.

We stay focused on this one thread for the chapter. Kurapika/Bill continue the Nen lessons and we see them negotiating with Longhi. This is the Fifth Prince's guard, since it's been a while recall that's Madame SCIENCE! and she wants to work with Kurapika towards a brokered succession. What seems pretty routine though develops into this new batch starting with a lot of intrigue.

Wriiiiting treaties by moonlight! Double dealing by daylight! That thing in her mouth was cree-py! She is the one called Guard Longhi.

Like this chapter that reference has layers. We have the First Prince's man framing this, he always knew Longhi was already a Nen user hiding her skills. Now we see them. Kinda like Genthru or Knuckle has a power she needs to explain. And it's a good one, contracts. This kind of stuff always reminds me of the early Chapter Black antagonists from Yuyu Hakusho. Classic stuff for Kurapika stories. Since they're more intrigue-based key pieces don't need to all be big fighters. Great combo with where we left off and Morena's ability. The whole RPG leveling thing.

Longhi has a big bomb to drop but we'll get to the implications of that in a moment. For now, I like this ripple that she is willing to make a separate deal with Kurapika. And Kurapika is interested in the ability to use this one-shot contract use from her. I also thought it was cool how casual Pika was about them negotiating a treaty as an excuse. Let's get on with the show though.

Longhi isn't just the child of Beyond Netero. She is one of many as the result of a decades-long plan to infiltrate the Kakin military. And we introduce the idea that one of the Princes might be Beyond's as well. The real thing we learn is that Beyond Netero has actually been working this angle with Kakin for a long time. And that is an excellent way for him to finally join the fray.

Love this panel, the other side of this about the kids in these Kakin military families being cursed by Beyond is interesting too. A whole new rail compared to Camilla's. Good call to come back in squarely on Kurapika's story, so ready to see the next phase of this arc. It's like the best parts of Yorknew & the Chairman Election smashed together.

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HxH 404: The True King's Return

There is a guiding thread to this scattered chapter. Everything is moving forward to a big ol kerfuffle tomorrow night. Building off of the recent setup for Kacho/Fugetsu's team and their upcoming assassination attempt. But this time I want to try and cast a wide net instead of focusing on just the part that intrigues me the most.

Starting here. We have a very tense exchange between Kurapika and the Third Prince. A lot of it though is just making characters aware of stuff we already know. Very cool how Pika picks up on the First Prince's guard likely swiping an early coin. But we go over how Zhang Lei's power seems to work, reiterate it'll show its true strength after he wins the war, and reinforce that the mafia games on the lower decks matter here. Especially when Benjamin is looking for a good excuse to declare martial law. I'd also note here the worry that Second Prince Camilla will use the next round of nen lessons to strike at Woble with her curse-carriers. But this man ain't no main character, no that's coming up...

The #1 main man himself, Leorio! I can't believe this is the first time I get to really talk about him being here on the whale ship. And it's very little honestly. Just a reminder he's with Cheadle and part of this mission to finish off his medical training. Truth be told, I feel like he's just biding his time here to have a bigger role in the Dark Continent when we get there. Will Kurapika even continue on? Recall the plan is to dump most of the Kakin people on an island that's uninhabited but still a ways away from the actual DC. Morel will make good on being introduced as a deep sea hunter for the rest of the trip.

Still, this is around something very important. Halkenburg is taking a huge gamble right now. He swapped bodies through his power with one of Benjamin's guards. In true Togashi fashion we get a whole diatribe about how this works. He will have a limited time after his body dies to control the guard's body and from the sound of it thinks he can execute his master stroke in that frame. Looking at the timeframe, it seems to line up fairly well with when Kacho is planning to strike at Seventh Prince Luzurus. That's the running theme here, and something I've figured about the Succession Contest for a while. There'll be one big moment where everything comes to a head and winnows down the number of princes dramatically.

Meanwhile, #4 still seems to be engrossed with his nen training. Which is something I keep thinking about him. I get a lot of Meruem vibes out of Tserri the more we see of him. He's so powerful, so detached that the revelation of nen has finally given him something to capture his attention. Like Meruem when he finally met his match in Komugi. There was someone out there who could compete with him in some way, that knowledge consumed him.

We've had aspects of this series that hint that nen changes a person. Tserri is a very bored person when we meet him. Consistently this training with nen has solved that. I don't think he'll become a good guy through this, just that he may become a bit of an ascetic like Netero. Isaac, not Beyond. Though he may differ on the challenge of the Dark Continent. Honestly...that's kinda what I see out of him. He'll ultimately be willing to forsake the contest over the chance to explore the real mystery.

And to bring it all home, we have the announcement of Halkenburg's death and impending funeral procession. Which leads to a little update on the Troupe. Not much to say there, Feitan's pretty funny, but of course they're here and involved and could throw a huge wrench in the main plans if Kurapika goes a little nutty learning that.

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HxH 410: Borrowed Time

Glad to see we aren't quite done with BorkRena sexual tension. So it turns out Borksen did not quite make her choice...yet. We get a nice little final flourish to this tense card game built around the idea she tried to cheat. And cheating during a Nen ability-based game isn't smart. But I guess Borksen wouldn't know that yet.

And with a great final flourish, we remember sweet cutie Morena is just a front for one truly scary bitch. I absolutely love this panel. The deliberate downgrade in art quality. Reminds me of one of my favorite TTRPG sourcebooks, a third-party one called Veins of the Earth that uses this style to great effect depicting underground and often unfathomable horrors. But not to distract, Morena is very clear that nothing about Borksen coming on board stops them from disposing of her if she proves to be unuseful.

Moving on, we see the impact of the martial law declaration with a big twist. Benjamin is infected! Seems to me like Halkenburg pulled off his plan. And this makes things interesting. Benny Boi is trying to end the Succession War before he dies, because if he can win then his one son would become the next heir without the need for another war. All checks out except for one snag...

Our main man Kaiser! The setup here is pretty straightforward as we close out this chunk. Speaking off, does look like we'll go on hiatus but I have a feeling this one won't take quite as long since I believe we've seen some updates from Togashi throughout that show him pretty close to finishing up through 420. Blaze it. Kaiser and the two Zodiacs pick up on Benjamin's illness pretty quickly and realize they can likely wait him out.

One thing I'd note is who Kaiser seems to favor. Benjamin seems like he's locking down all the other princes then I guess using the bio-weapon as an excuse to execute? He shows frustration at a couple who escaped. Notably ones with mafia ties. But you know who could really throw a wrench in this by escaping? Hiding out for a paltry day?

Fugetsu. This is a great opportunity for her ability. My bet's still on team twinsies.

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Fun bit of trivia. That climber on Trick Tower in the 99 anime? That's actually Yoshihiro Togashi providing the voice for him. What a weird, random character to have him in for. Especially since this version does use his author doodle dogman as a gag character in Heaven's Arena.

I like it, he coulda done well as a VA.

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HxH 405: Black Whale Holdem

Sorry, I got behind on these. I wish I could say the election took a lot out of me without people taking it the wrong way. But it did because I got back into managing local races which we won so yay. Hunter x Hunter was a bright spot during the OP break and these two are great together. Starting with the casino complete with bunny girls because Togashi loves Dragon Quest like I do.

This is instantly my favorite Hisoka moment. The peek behind the mask here in the casino. "I don't want bestiality (hunting monsters) or an orgy (war). I'm just a guy who wants a one-on-one so we can love each other to death." That's Hisoka. It's the most hardcore form of asexuality. Love is a battle to the death. We've known this about him forever but it's nice to hear there's nothing deeper. This man is amazing and so uniquely Hunter x Hunter, one of the few consistent threads from the start. So to see him really blow me away just setting the scene? Good shit.

Then we follow with a little Bonolenov love. Which is pretty dope. Didn't know he could do this kind of transformation but it makes sense. Likewise with him being really wary of Hisoka. He is useless against Bungee Gun.

Loved the ruminations about Chrollo given we follow up next chapter. Was the little scene of him a flashback? Hinting his basic plan for Meteor City paid off and they found the guy who murdered Sarasa? I liked the idea, make it a hub for dark web servers and you'll find the snuff film eventually. Grim, but realistic. Gross but of course he was publicly some great philanthropist.

Also got Nobu's group. Great thing for a chapter to have. The game with Morena is intensifying. Thought it was cool how Nobunaga thought of their organization as like the Troupe.

Then of course we chase it with a little of Morena's gang who are always ridiculous. Such a game-within-a-game for the Troupe and these mafiosos but I do like how it's folding into the main plot. Maybe it was good I waited a week to get to this one because it feels like it is laying the groundwork for the next.

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HxH 408: Dear Prudo

Damn it Togashi, you did it again. I knew it was gonna be a banger when we spent a whole chapter setting up the game. But as is often the case with these types of scenes in his work...you know you don't really have to remember all the window dressing if it's too much to keep track of, right? It's all just a vehicle to give us this tense negotiation in a way that feels a little more engaging. Ultimately this is just a chat between Morena and Borksen, really giving us a good look at the character of Morena Prudo.

Which...gets complicated. For reasons I'll get to in a minute. But one thing I have to acknowledge hanging over this whole exchange. Morena is adorable. I know she's psychotic. I know she's probably doing it as a facade. But she's so cute! Like, this whole time. Her expressions, her tone. So affable. And that makes what lurks underneath that even more unsettling.

Okay, so the big reveal here has a lot of dimensions. First being that this is not the actual Morena Prudo. In the sense of being a bastard of the Kakin royal family. It's a lot to take in, but it seems as if this woman managed to awaken her Nen ability in hellish conditions and enacted a slow plan to replace the actual Morena as head of the Heil-Ly.

The circumstances and Borksen's own POV paint a very dark picture of Kakin compared to what we've seen. And it incidentally clarifies a lot. So Morena comes from something not unlike God Valley in One Piece. The royals occasionally descend on a random village and put them through a "Carnival" that's really just abusing the people as much as they want. We also introduce the idea of "Blasphemy" in that anything tampering with heredity and the royal family is forbidden. The key on there is genetic testing. Not only would it allow this Morena to pull off the switch but it'd hide which one of the princes is Beyond's kid.

This whole Carnival thing really makes Kakin look brutally repressive and Borksen follows that up with her own thoughts that paint her in the same light as someone growing up in a brutal regime just trying to find a spot to have a decent life. Shows she could actually get behind dismantling Kakin to a degree. Even with recent democratic reforms these issues persist. I've been comparing Kakin to China this whole time which does have its issues, but this is a much more brutal take that starts to feel a bit more like a much more powerful North Korea. FWIW, given my vies of the Succession Contest this knowledge actually makes me a bit more ready to buy the Justice Bureau guys getting behind someone like Fugetsu and just being good at keeping up a calm facade.

Borksen doesn't seem like she's going to bite though, and we do get a lot about why she was picked. Makes sense, Morena's looking for people with the potential to be Specialists. That makes me more interested in Borksen. Also peep the little blip about Dogman sniffing out a candidate I'm guessing was Chrollo. That team-up could be grisly.

That said...Borksen's trying to delay when members of the Troupe are inbound. Don't forget that. We also see a certain amount of honesty from Morena in this negotiation. Admitting it'll only be temporary given her overall goals but offering to make the effort to spare anyone Borksen wants for as long as she can and all. Either way, this whole exchange gets upended by one big bang to end the chapter:

Benjamin has pulled the trigger. Martial law. Something that's been floating around his story for a long time and something that really kicks everything on the ship into high gear. I'm wondering right now what the causus belli ultimately was and how this will effect ongoing plans for a lot of the princes and it looks like we're ready to get to that next chapter. Looking forward to it.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

HxH 406: Smooth Operator

Heh, this chapter moves on from the Nobunaga group quick but I thought this was cool. So it seems like he makes his swords somehow? But he was only able to make a "makeshift fake." Curious about that. We really don't know what Nobu's abilities actually. We know he's an Enchancer so he doesn't exactly need a crazy hatsu. I'd imagine he's the type to train really fine Nen control to like, use it the same way a swordsman uses Haki in One Piece.

Also thought we had some cool stuff with the big panels of the ship skunkworks. Just looks neat to see the workings of a ship like this.

I'm also skipping the bulk of this stuff about unpacking the two Hisokas. Hinrigh figures it out in the end. Troupe wants to find Hisoka first so they use a fake Hisoka to throw the mafia off the trail. Mafia families are getting dragged into a war over opposite sides of this fault line.

Let's get to the real show.

Koino Dial 6700. A borrowed ability in Chrollo's book. Not unlike Lovely Ghostwriter, I'd imagine he seeks out these noncombatant but useful abilities. And this one has some cute references. The name as you've probably heard is a reference to a chintzy 70s song from a bad that really looks like they're trying to mimic the Jackson 5. The buttons also have buttons representing himself and his wife's iconic Sailor Moon. Which is adorable.

Cool ability. You call and the operator tells you where a person you're looking for is. But through this we get a nice reflection of the Hisoka scene last chapter. really establishing Chrollo here.

Clever restriction that helps us understand his motives. Skill Hunter grows as Chrollo claims priceless treasures. Excellent bargain for a bandit. And through this we learn Kakin has three. The Seed Urn, a mummy type thing that governs the contest (potentially what grabbed at and killed Kacho?), and a sword the winner inherits.

Chrollo wants to claim these to upgrade Skill Hunter and deal with Hisoka for good. This is leading both to tier 1 where Kurapika is. All good shit so far and I can't wait to see it come to a head.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

HxH 402: King Shit

Okay...this is literally the densest chapter of HxH to date and that's saying a lot given this manga had a superpower based on compound interest. Which is a bitch to be fair. Tonight thought we have a huge lurch forward in the Succession Contest itself and let's start with the beginning. Which is where we picked up from last week. Kurapika has gotten Woble into a formal truce. King Nasubi has stated "sole survivor" is up to interpretation so it matters we now have an agreement that #3 wins if only #5/#14 are left standing.

Tsubeppa's fine with this because she more than anyone else wants Kurapika close, and I'd imagine is operating under the idea she won't have to worry about #3 making it to the end. The core theme this time is how they're all playing a very unassuming game. And there are a lot of parallels here like the coin beast mentioned above and Basho getting a great little moment later. Zhang Hei is in a weird position, from the looks of it and his own assumption his Nen Beast is weaker here but potentially great after winning. He curried a strong showing in our poll, but now let's move on to someone who only got one vote. Mine.

Kacho? Kacho? What the hell girl. I dig it. Batgirl over here. Y'all, this chapter broke hard in the direction I wanted to see this contest go. Everything. So let's recap. The twins tried to escape with Melody's help. In the process we saw freaky hands go crazy and Kacho died, revealing her Nen Beast in the best moment of the arc so far. Season of Two - First twin out resurrects to aid the other. Fugetsu's ability is a tunnel to anywhere she's been, but it does require Kacho to shut it. They and Melody are under investigation for the escape attempt...but the Justice Bureau officials have seemingly been on their side. That said, FuuFuu has been getting a little crazy.

That's all well and good, but why would I think that can beat things like the freakish Nen savant or the First Prince with the military edge?

This isn't a fistfight. It is a political battle for succession. Fugetsu is the one no one is worried about. The younger ones are unpredictable and their moms are the real threat. None of the others really even know Woble or Maryam. Fuu's in that sweet spot and seems like the type everyone at least kinda likes.

But the biggest thing is that Kakin has a mostly modern government outside of this. It's the bureaucrats, yet again Melody feels she should be suspicious but nothing Kaiser has said really warrants it. This is the choice that makes sense for someone in his position. And all this scene is laying out that basic theory; Fugetsu's power is the type of thing that allows so much leeway to play this game if you have people willing to get dirty for you.

If you mistrust Kaiser, I want you to consider why. Would you say, mistrust Gon deciding he likes Melody and Fugetsu and he'll fight the bad princes for them? Is it because Kaiser's a G-Man? Oh, see that's exactly why I trust him. If you've ever been around high-level bureaucrats you'll probably know what I mean. If they're good enough to rise to that rank they could have been a politician, military officer, something with more glory. He's just the type of guy who wouldn't balk at the Trolley Problem and is used to making real decisions of that magnitude regularly. Melody's music attracted a lot of people, she's a beautiful soul, someone maybe actually doesn't care about how she looks. King Fugetsu is the type who'd just play the nice figurehead and let the advisors run their own lanes.

And he's already paid huge divdends, just like that. Fugetsu easily waltzes right into most of the other Princes' rooms. No one suspects anything, it all seems above board, Kaiser knows exactly what to do.

But I think it's easy to miss what's important here. Melody and Kurapika both hint the letter truly is a bombshell that'll upend this whole Succession Contest. Once again, of course a bureaucrat of Kaiser's rank just casually has dirt on all of them. You can really see it here with Luzurus but they're all pretty good at playing coy. And Fuu just casually fleeced them all.

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The Succession Contest Poll

Surely this has been done but I think it's a nice bit of fun before we dive back into another leg of HxH. Simple poll, who'd you bet on in the Kakin Succession Contest as of Chapter 400? No easy way out for results, you're betting house money so take a stand:

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HxH 409: Sealed With A Kiss

Hawt. No seriously, we're taking a moment here. Hawt. My new favorite HxH ship. I love Morena Prudo. Especially with:

This is just great. I get the whole idea about it fitting into the whole Nen restriction framework and damn you Togashi for not showing it but the fact this card game came down to these two kissing was amazing. Especially with Morena following it up by knowing it was Borksen's first. Ahhh, young love. Morena is adorable here. We also have a little moment with the martial law declaration and finding out where this hideout is. Remember Borksen delaying is inadvertently helping the Phantom Troupe members headed this way. Sure what prompted the Martial Law declaration will be interesting when we get there. But this time we do wrap up the card game interrogation.

Loved this. Borksen takes advantage of one of the cards to really pepper Morena and figure out some details but I loved how it crescendos to this one. It's almost like there was a bit of desperation as Borksen tried to find some wiggle room to hold onto. Like she wanted an excuse to think Morena might not go as far as she said she will. But she's committed. Behind that sweet face is an unquestionable, omnicidal maniac.

But Borksen made her choice. She's in. Sure the alternative is death and all but she's decided to cast her lot with Morena. Love the shoujo eyes here. Borksen's quite cute as well.

I know this one's pretty light but the chapter is too. The card game is just a device we'll probably never see again but it took up time to use it. I figure we'll move back elsewhere or at least see the Troupe arrive here next time. But hey, at least we got the girlies kissing. And that's neat.

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Yorknew just isn't Yorknew if it isn't in the 1999 anime. Oh yeah, been a while since a Late-Night Togashiposting. Not as tied to one single point but these are always fun and we can have a lot of it talking about one shared theme with our cherished melodramatic samurai. The very anime concept of this Adjacent Ensemble, the Phantom Troupe, and the Akazaya Nine. Really though I was blown away by this moment on my latest rewatch. I've always liked Neon Nostrade a lot, she's my Miss Goldenweek equivalent in HxH in terms of a not-at-all popular side character who's one of my favorites. Lovely Ghostwriter is a Nen power I'd really want. Honestly I was just blown away by the violin version of "Then Sun Shines At Night," the really good theme for this part of the adaptation. Check it out a least if you only know the 2011 anime:

Anyways, cool extra bonus for one of Neon's better scenes. I love this idea her power actually seems to come from a very pure place. And you have that classic type of Togashi connection through some kind of pop culture refernce. Talking about how a famous fortune teller called the Galactic Matron. You know, kinda like meeting someone who randomly said they were inspired by Miss Cleo. Who was an icon let us be clear. More than anything though this was my first watch of Yorknew since we got all the newer background for the Phantom Troupe. Holy crap...this was all there. I builds off what we knew so well. I love how free-flowing but tight Hunter x Hunter ends up being. Greed Island makes more sense as a training module for the Dark Continent, a brief pause in the Chimera Ants to show off Meteor City and some lore from the Chrollo/Hisoka fight building up to that...great.

The current arc is so dense and staggered I forgot creepy Prince Tserri is the benefactor of Morena and the Heil-Ly Family the Phantom Troupe have decided to target. Kurapika is really set up for the ultimate test of who he is. Pitting his quest to reclaim the eyes against his deep yearning for revenge all while the human element of keeping Woble alive complicates things. There's a reason I don't care if this man takes his time. Remember, Kurama's big moment was killing a kid if it meant saving the world.

It's so cool in hindsight though what we have with Neon and this interaction with Chrollo. Like, Neon Nostrade looks a lot different with more of the story. She's a brat because of her environment but there's a strong enough drive behind that belief in the power of fortunes she spontaneously awakened Nen. And lost it because the darkness of the world reached her. Through a former sweetie who decided to be a villain over trauma.

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HxH 407: Game Master's Glow-Up

Oh lord it's one of those types of Togashi chapters again. You know it's leading to a straight banger scene but we have to spend a whole segment setting up Morena's little game. And that's what the whole chapter is about pretty much; during Halkenburg's procession one of the soldiers that grew up with Tserri gets nabbed by Morena's people. So we're seeing what's going on in the Heil-Ly HQ as the Phantom Troupe moves closer and closer to them, all while the Succession Contest proper hinges on some people making big moves over the next day. Got all that? Good.

Because I've been interested in Morena. And the subject of this chapter on top of her group's weird RPG level-up game really cements the character of Morena Prudo. Game Master, and honestly a young Amanuma being disaffected and down enough to go with Sensui's plan would totally make sense if you were trans all along. Glad we're seeing the real you.

I kid, but that really is the basics of this chapter. Morena sets up an interrogation game with Borksen. There's two sets of cards, all kinds of neat rules, you can read that yourself if you need to know all the ins-and-outs. What interested me most was this scene, where Borksen picks up on the simmering rage underneath Morena's placid demeanor. We know this lady is a maniac who wants to burn "this dung heap of a world" to the ground. Which really does start making me think of Shinobu Sensui again.

That motivation plus a hybrid of Game Master and Kaito's taboo word games? Very cool stuff on the horizon. I loved all that in the Chapter Black Saga of YYH. And I do like Morena as an X factor in all this going down on the Black Whale. So it'll be interesting to see how this game unfolds. Good chance to spell out her motivations at least.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

It's late at night and we're a month away from the big return. So excited! Overall I keep my hopes for Hunter x Hunter reasonable. Maybe not this batch but within two from it we can finish the Kakin Succession Arc and by extension Kurapika's story. Then if we can get something on the Dark Continent Leorio's set up to shine, make good on what he started with the Election Arc. An ending is feasible, a good one with everything we need to resolved. It'll take time, but I just usually think about the Succession.

I care about the Dark Continent though. And what sold me was these dudes. Agents in some unspecified multinational travel advisory organization that also has a secretive department pertaining to the true nature of the world. It's cool we're getting to One Piece's equivalent of seeing the true extent of the world's deep secrets, but I don't think Oda can compete with Togashi here. I love these guys because they're so real, and I think in a way where it'll come back around for Leorio. I'm going somewhere with this:

We've seen Gon & Killua's arc play out, but with what we have so far I think I get the point with the other half of our quartet. They sorta changed places from where we established them at the start. I love the 99 dub having a line of them like, answering at the same time a Hunter is the noblest/wealthiest profession around. We've developed this well so far, Kurapika's quest for vengeance has led him into an opulent but sleazy lifestyle around organized crime and organ dealers. Leorio's not really found that material success but his Hunter license ends up being a fast track to public prominence. He has all the skills to be someone like Pariston, and it's very rare to see a guy written to be a benevolent version of that. So what does that have to do with the G-Men?

I love these two having a little mini arc to kick off the arc because they're so...realistic for a modern fantasy world. Does that make sense? Like, I don't get the vibe these two are great Nen fighters. But they're probably familiar with several classified reports on it. Kinda like how East Gorteau had that one Nen user guard. Yes, of course a world with modern governments and world beater threats has a government agency overseeing boring nuts and bolts. And they act just like a present-day NGO too. Their solution with Kakin is kinda slimy but on point for contemporary diplomacy. Find that line that lets everyone get what they want without really rocking the boat.

I love how well it works, how it builds off of Pariston showing this alternate way of fighting for a goal. It's a great transition...but I can't shake the feeling this also casts a long shadow over everything going on with this expedition. The agents seem quite casual about the idea they may need to replace the Hunter Association suggesting they have the capacity to. And I'd agree. All in all, just remember these two when you're getting back up to speed. You can't discount the impact of a multinational agency who's #1 is making sure people don't fuck around with the DC and their MO is to act like they're playing along.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Let's have a fun one. I'm really excited for the next batch of Hunter x Hunter and plan to have a lot of fun here with the new chapters. Probably going to shoot for full reviews like I do One Piece, Jojolands, and Skip & Loafer presently. When you have these big cast shonens, I feel like it really helps to know what kind of fan someone is. Who do they gravitate to? This is the bulk of my top 10, #1 is after the cut but don't think there's a super important order. It was hard to pare it down to 10. The rest of the main quartet, Ging, other Phantom Troupe members like Machi, Shizuku, Kalluto, & Chrollo could have been on here.

Pariston & Pouf are such good antagonists. "I can't wait to see what I do to someone I hate" is a line that goes so hard. Melody on the other hand? She's just so lovely and the whole Sonata of Darkness quest is really cool world building. Alluka is a sweetie and we say trans rights here. Kurapika is a sweetie and we say trans rights here. I kid...but Pika's easily my favorite of the main four. Shocker given how much I loved Kurama in YYH.

Nobunaga's my favorite in the Troupe. I love samurai, even more when their backstory implies he probably went with that aesthetic because of some old samurai movie he found in the Meteor City trash heaps. I want a drag off of Morel's pipe. His ability is so cool. If you've followed my Kakin Succession stuff you probably know I like the twins and yes Katty & FuuFuu can share a slot. They just keep getting better. I love a good brat especially when one like Kacho has a heart of gold underneath. Speaking of brats, my most controversial entry but I love Neon Nostrade. Lovely Ghostwriter is my favorite ability, funny lil brat at first but she develops well. So now for #1...

Oh Biscuit. Bisky. Bisky-chan. Miss Kruger. I have loved this girl since she first showed up. Top-class hunter despite her ability being completely useless for combat. I think that says it all really. She's still that fearsome even if she uses much of her Nen for cosmetic reasons. Buff Biscuit is always a classic gag, especially this new guy on the boat who is absolutely smitten. All wrapped up in a lovely Fujoshi package.

I like that she's a mentor figure, especially the twist of being Wing's master, but how it fits in her own goals. Biscuit is a Gem Hunter, she sees her students as uncut gems. That's something I can really relate to especially as I get older. I love nothing more than working with younger people who want to better themselves. And that's why she's my fav.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

The mood feels right, it's that time without light. Who's up for a lil late-night Togashiposting? Because there's one that has me thinking about a few concepts we've been on about. Which means we get to talk baby's first foxboy blorbo again. This was always one of my better posts that still generates interest today, but for the basic idea we talk a lot about the Akazaya as throwbacks and particularly Okiku's ties to Eiichiro Oda's own history on Rurouni Kenshin. There was another two-faced redhead in popular manga at the time, and we get Oda referencing the iconic clash with Game Master in interviews as a big moment he liked. But also just in One Piece canon it's interesting how Ryokugyu with a similar power intersects with Kiku's tale to bolster the connection. Likewise with the parallel story of the thieving fox spirit and how it intersects with Kiku's past.

For this part of our examination though, we're going to look through the lens of another meta concept we've been on about. Poking at the nature of "filler" and how much strict canon really matters? This is the finale of Kurama's last fight in the anime, something really glossed over in the manga as YuYu Hakusho tragically came to a close in the hurried Three Kings Saga. To me though, the anime at least salvages this arc into a worthy conclusion. I don't actually mind the idea of our quartet squaring off their personal arcs underneath the bigger show of the Makai Tournament. Kurama's fight with Shigure is so well done for that. One thing you have to give me, being filler or noncanonical is not an impediment to being an inspiration or an influence on someone else later.

The whole fight is a great finale for Kurama & his demonic past. We meet him distanced from it, they're reconnected in the Dark Tournament, he embraces it to answer the call in Chapter Black...then here after reconciling it he rejects the old self. Importantly though, he only wins through taking advantage of seeds planted by his old self. I love the final line to Yomi about it "I never leave anything behind." That reconciliation of past and present for a brighter future is where I really see Kiku picking up this torch. Himura Kenshin has a lot of similarities in his arc, but Kurama's with themes of reincarnation and parent/child bonds feel like the ways this gentle redhead seeped in. Of course, Kiku is still her own take on the idea. The trans aspect and cloaking it in a lady caring about her reputation is an excellent evolution.

Can't ignore the antagonist here either, this is why I was thinking this part in particular after all. A surgeon with a samurai vibe, choosing an honorable death after defeat. The way Shigure shaped the tone of this climax for foxboy's saga was giving me some big feelings. I honestly haven't rewatched the Three Kings Arc in years. The montage of core scenes though, showing us how Kurama grew into someone so willing to choose this new life, it had a big one I didn't really think about in this context:

How it all starts between he & Yusuke the MC. The story of the Forlorn Hope. That dub name is way cooler because the Funimation dub of the YuYu anime is a national treasure. But yeah...that's where this entire relationship started. It's an artifact that demands the user's life to grant a wish. An empty, unfulfilled Kurama was so casually willing to throw his life away to return a mother's love...without getting the point. Too busy turning over every possibility he hasn't realized how much he's grown. There's no way his mother would be happy with that trade because she doesn't see some legendary thieving fox demon...and if you told her she'd probably just say that explains a lot.

How does Yusuke solve it? Stepping in and sharing the burden. Very similar tone we'd see later with Usopp and the samurai. Even with the little dash of levity and that fine line between nobility and senseless self-sacrifice. Not to mention the big moment of Kiku's fall being Kin's final push to evolve and strike down Kanjuro. That's not unique to YYH but it's one of the biggest pillars of that series. But Bakura Town ends up being a lot like this in tone. The sumo match. Luffy jumps in because Kiku's putting her body on the line to amp up the crowd's panic. The two working together, Luffy stepping up and playing the hero for a moment, opens a new path. Just like the Forlorn Hope here and it letting them slide for being such good boys.

Then from there Kurama's story arc has the same structure we'll see out of Kiku later and Himura Kenshin around the same time. You've come so far by the time we meet you that we can do an arc about confronting that past. But that story can't end with going back to it, can it? No matter what it may mean, it's still so wild for me to see this connection over time. Kurama really was one of my first major anime characters I could latch onto and I've been a One Piece fan for so long. Just can't believe the cutesy waitress we met early Wano had all this in store.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

"The capacity for evil is but one ingredient in the human soul."

Women are rejoicing in the streets. Authoritarian state media is on high alert. It's the after hours sensation sweeping the nation, Late Night Togashiposting. The 100 sub spectacular edition. This time we're not tangentially tying it to potential references that drifted into One Piece down the line. At least not beyond just talking about Kurama which means illustrating squarely where there is an open final spot on the Straw Hat crew. This time it's more about the Chapter Black. Because the world has been making me think of it.

The actual tape, the MacGuffin of the titular saga. If you're unfamiliar, the villain Sensui manipulated his allied psychics with it. It's a VHS tape, but because YuYu Hakusho was trying to be modern in a way that ended up making it an awesome 90s period piece in hindsight it's a magic Spirit World VHS tape. I swear this man has a fascination with them. Imagine the ultimate snuff film, back in the day this was the equivalent of urban legends about horrific videos online. Chapter Black is a record of the most haness human acts. Make no mistake, Togashi had balls here. We call out shit that is clearly referencing the Holocaust and bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki. In an era where you don't get that on point in mainstream manga.

Believe it or not this is one of the cheerier images. We learn of the tape through a defector, Mitarai or "Seaman." A bullied kid who cracked after seeing Chapter Black. Recall Sensui's whole thing is being a straight-up groomer to some of his followers. His breakdown is some powerful stuff, but I always liked how hero Yusuke was able to shrug it off. Remarking he sees it everyday on the 6 o'clock news but never feels it's a reason to give in. Prompting the Kurama quote from the start here. I always loved the wrinkle of him lowkey being seduced by the appeal of it. The anime having a bigger group for the scene adds so much. Keiko breaking at hearing some of the things, Genkai quietly fuming the entire time...YuYu Hakusho really is an oddball where the manga gave way to a better anime that got so much better dubbed in English that continues to age like the finest wine.

I don't know if any story beat encapsulates this better than the simplicity of the Chapter Black tape. It's become one of the most prescient parts of the series. In a world where you can pick any boogeyman and find a community of people just stewing in hatred towards it, marinating in a steady drip of laser-guided examples one VHS compilation almost sounds quaint.

Where Togashi really shines here though is how it affects people differently. I love how Mitarai is the one trying to justify it by functionally calling Yusuke privileged. While it's true Urameshi didn't grow up in a warzone he was clearly the one of the pair who had a rougher life and also the one who just didn't get how it'd warp someone. Because deep down Seaman wanted revenge, the tape was nurturing something dark that was already there. Villains never want to think of themselves as such. It's so real, so raw. So relevant to today.