The moment fans of the 1999 Nippon Animation version of Hunter x Hunter is finally here! This is the start of the Chimera Ant arc and the answer to one question left in the final moments of the Greed Island FINAL OVA! Who is the man Gon and Killua met after using the Accompany On card?
When I first heard of the news of a new Hunter x Hunter anime 2 years ago, I am one of those fans who said that I will watch the series once it reached the Chimera Ant arc. But as it turns out, I ended up watching the new anime series! Though there are some frustrations along the way, I ended up liking this series more than the 1999 anime series. Which leads us to this, after two years of waiting and 75 episodes worth of episodes to refresh the minds of the older fans and to introduce newer fans to this series, it is time to the start the arc that we all want to see have its anime treatment, the Chimera Ant arc!
To some technicalities first before talking about the episode, I am disappointed that they didn't change the opening theme. I know most long running anime titles has at least one opening theme that you can associate with but at least they have the decency to change the opening theme after a year or two! Look at One Piece for starters, "We Are!" will and will always be the One Piece theme song, but at least they change the theme from time to time, depending on the story arc the anime is current at.
As for the actual episode, it is really good. This episode introduced us to Kite, Ging's student and the guy that saved Gon in the first episode of the Nippon Animation anime of Hunter x Hunter. Unlike in that version, this version of Kite has silver hair and that he is not aware that Gon is Ging's son till he met Ging! To be honest, I haven't read the manga, but based on how I understand it, there are some changes made in either of the two versions but according to most fans, the Madhouse version is more faithful with the source material, then I guess the Nippon Animation version did some changes when they first introduced Kite.
Speaking of Kite, my only memory of him in the original anime is that he is that one-shot character who was later forgotten in the series. This is why his reintroduction in the new anime is quite a surprise for me. Seriously, I didn't expect that his Nen ability has something to do with gambling! What's more, I can't believe that he can be this cold hearted! With that in mind, I like this new Kite a bit more. At least in this version, he is one interesting character to watch out for. Oh, and I can't wait to see more of those crazy slots!
Since part of his introduction is his meeting with Gon, they decided to make it a bit short. We only see how Gon was attacked by the foxbear, how Kite saved him and how Kite disciplined him by punching him, and say some lines before leaving. Aside from that, we also learned how he met Ging and how he ended up becoming a hunter. The scene that featured a younger Kite and his animal friends showed us his life prior meeting Ging and showed us his potential as a hunter. He telling us that Ging is the type of guy who is not into responsibility gave me a better idea about his overall personality.
He is at the very core, a kid who likes adventure, and being a hunter in itself is one big adventure for him. Having some friends join his adventure might give him problems along the way, especially if they are not strong enough. That is why it kinda makes sense that even though Ging has a lot of friends, we barely heard or read stories of him that features his adventures with his friends. We only know that he discovered ruins, he is kind of an idiot, shy when it comes with his son, irresponsible, but most of all, he is over confident that his son is strong enough to face the challenges he created just for him.
Finally, how the heck Gon and Killua ended up meeting Kite instead of Ging. To put it simply, he is just too shy to meet Gon with his friend tagging along, that simple. It makes sense since for 10 years of his son's life, he is not there physically as a parent, but he acts more like a spiritual guide in Gon's adventures. To put it simply, he is a kind of guy who doesn't know what to say to his son and his friend in their first meeting. Oh well, guess this wild goose chase in searching for Ging will continue but for now, let's talk about these Chimera Ants.
The only idea we have about these creatures is that they are carnivorous, and now under quarantine. In a distance, the Chimera Ant Queen is currently recovering because her aim is to give birth to the Chimera Ant King! In general, the idea we have about these creatures is that they are carnivorous, can attack humans from time to time, and that some of them are human sized. This gave me an idea that this story arc of Hunter x Hunter might be the darkest, bloodiest and the most violent one in the series. In short, I can't wait to see what's next in the series!
