Last week’s episode went way over time so the manga discussion was cut to release separately. We don’t intend to make a habit of this, but for those of you who like to avoid spoilers you can just skip listening to this episode. My cohosts @DonDiego and @bullet_beast join in on the discussion.
Episode 1 of the new anime starts with a bang(?), and the Unofficial Hunter x Hunter Podcast crew is comfortably nestled in our homes to cover it. As usual your hosts are: @DameDrFoxyBrown, @DonDiego & @bullet_beast. We are joined once again by @JT of The Great Shonen Podcast and new guest Zidane.
Download Episode 6
We cover volume 5 of the manga and since we went way over the 3 hour mark in our recording session we’re breaking the episode up into two parts. For those of you who aren’t caught up with the manga, consider yourselves lucky as the discussion of chapter 318 & 319 will be released in a later firmware update.
The Rating for episode 1 of the new Hunter x Hunter series was 4.4 (and no that’s not out of 5 or 10.)
Yes this is everybody's favorite picture of Uncle Hisoka in the Ending, why do you ask?
Opening Song – Ambien-tech
Insert Song – Carry On (TV Size) – OVA Ending
Closing Song – Odaya Kana Jikan no naka de
All songs from the Hunter x Hunter original soundtracks.
This episode is a bit late due to @bullet_beast and I attending Anime Weekend Atlanta. Unfortunately @WillofDiego wasn’t able to edit due to lack of Internet so you don’t get it until now.
Download Episode 5
In This Post is Late News:
Hooray episode 1 of Shin Hunter X Hunter has premiered. This will unlock on the 9th of October for free users.
Episode 5 covers Volume 4 of the manga and chapter 317 as we wrap up our last week before anime recaps begin.
You know what's coming next.
Opening Song – Shikenkan Gokko
Insert Song – Oshiete Ageyou
Ending Song – Go, Pinch!
All Songs from the Hunter X Hunter Soundtracks.
This episode sees us taking on an additional 3rd guest, but dropping a previous one. We’re joined by JT of The Great Shonen Podcast, our friend @trickthetm and our only recurring guest @bullet_beast.
Download Episode 4
Volume 3 covers the end of the third stage of the exam and the beginning of the fourth. Our intrepid heroes journey through the trick tower and then head to Zevil Island to sort out who will make it to the finals.
Killua's murder face. Yeah, it scares me too.
Opening Song: Daidan’en no Tataki
Insert Song: Hunter Shiken Goukaku
Ending Song: Mode A
Our discussion turns this week to volume 2 (Chapters 9-17), which starts as Hisoka is culling the numbers of the Hunter Exam candidates and ends in the midst of the third portion of the Hunter Exam.
Shoryuken!
After the break we move on to discuss Chapter 315. Spoilers, of course if you’re not caught up.
Opening Song:
Otiteyuku
Insert Song:
Nobunaga no Tema
Ending Song:
Konpaku no Elegie: Kurapika no Tema
In case you were wondering about the creepy song I chose and the ending theme, well hearing it randomly on my iPod made me feel a bit weird so I decided I had to share it to see if it was just me. According to my cohost, NOPE. This song is definitely traumatizing. I scoured the Internet and found some translated lyrics along with a performance of it from the musical linked below.
If you’re lazy, here you go.
ookina RINGO no ki no shita de BOKU wa KIMI o mitsuketayo
Under the big apple tree
That’s where I found you
issho ni asonde agetai kedone KIMI wa mada hon chiisana RINGOchan
I’d like us to play together, but
You’re still really a cute little teeny apple
ohisama o abite rippa na RINGO ni narundayo iiKOda iiKOda iiKOdane~ makka ni nattara moide ageru yo chotto mattetene
Bask in the sun
And become a fine apple
Good boy, good boy, you’re a good boy~
Become redder, grow bigger
I’ll wait a little bit
nakayoshi tomodachi dekitakana? kukuku… homete ageyoune
I wonder if we’ll be very, very close friends?
Hehehe… Become someone admirable
donna gohoubi hoshii to iuno? kukuku… TORAMPU asobi wa mada hayai
What kind of reward do you want?
Hehehe… It’s too early to play the trump card
motto yoku kao miseteyo nn~~nante ii kao nano iiKOda iiKOda iiKOdanee~ BOKU no te no naka ni ochiteoide ne zutto matteruyo
Let me see an even better face
Ah~ What a delicious smell
Good boy, good boy, you’re a good boooy~
Come and drop down into my hand
I’ll wait forever
credits to Carla Rukawa and SaturnOolaa for the transliteration and translation respectively, and was originally found on Anime Lyrics dot com
Things like this are why I worry about the new voice cast for the upcoming anime and instantly hate everyone who won’t give the original anime a try.
If there’s one thing that could be said about me, it’s that I can’t help myself. So after adding that Hisoka song as the end song for episode 2 of the podcast, here’s the second musical (2002) with bonus English subs.
And Hisoka fighting Silva and Zeno for some reason, if you’re too lazy to watch the whole show.
For episode 2 we decided to welcome both old and new fans of the series in something of a unique way. For the new fans, we take a trip down memory lane and enjoy with you the first volume of the manga, dissecting it now that we know how a lot of things turn out. For the older fans, we take the spoiler heavy route of discussing the antagonist of the current arc.
Tentative episode count from Nippon Television’s English Programming Licensing Catalog.
The first volume of the manga is chock-full of information that slowly begins to reveal the world of Hunter X Hunter to us, through the eyes of a young boy that is as unaware as we are of the existence of hunters and their important role in keeping the world turning. They search for treasures, discover lost civilizations, breed rare animals and chase after dangerous criminals, among a host of other things. Gon Freecs seeks to become a hunter like his father, whom he has never met, and to do this he has to first past the Hunter exam, a treacherous test that 1 rookie every three years passes.
Volume 1 covers the introduction of all five main characters: Gon, Leorio, Kurapica, Killua and Hisoka, all holding their own secrets.
Hisoka's secret? That's totally magic.
After the break, where we say goodbye to those who don’t want to be spoiled, we tackle the major antagonist in the Chimera Ants arc, their King, Meryem. Depicted as brutal, selfish, and arrogant initially, the change this character undergoes is quite interesting.
Opening Song: Ubogin vs. Kurapica
Insert Song: Scar/Kizu
Ending Song: Okina ringo no Konoshita De (sung by Hisoka)
All songs from the soundtrack of the original Hunter X Hunter series.
Welcome to the great social experiment that will probably go horribly, horribly wrong, but our love for Hunter X Hunter commands that we press on despite that and we’ve united to create a podcast for the under-appreciated manga and anime.
Dropping the X 