Life update (skip if uninterested)
Well, I definitely took a much longer break than I expected to. It's been nearly half a year, kinda crazy how time flies. Short version of it all is that I got busy with real life and then lockdown happened in Sydney (still going on) and I honestly just didn't have the motivation to do this. It's pretty crazy because I'm usually a home person, but even I'm mentally exhausted lol. Anyway, I finally decided to continue my HxH rewatch, and lol, I was so close to finishing this post but it took me so long. Apologies if anyone was actually curious about my opinion lol. Anyway, on to the post!
GREED ISLAND ARC PART 1 - HEADING TO MASADORA
Sometimes I wonder if I should call it the 2003 anime now since we're dealing with the Greed Island OVAs lol, but I guess for consistency, we'll just leave it as it is with it being the 1999 anime since it is basically a continuation of it.
1999 anime Greed Island OVA (2003) episodes 1-8 (i.e. ep 71-78)
2011 anime episodes 59-63
Manga chapters 120-139
Auction for Greed Island
As usual, the 2011 anime skips out minor background details that can be kinda important such as Gon and Killua commenting on being glad they wore suits to the auction, knowing that there is only one Greed Island game for sale the first day, explanation on how to bid, but most importantly, also a bit more of an explanation of what Nen erasers are, and that they are rare, and having the skill to erase a dead person's nen would be even fewer and could be counted on one finger, and that's why killing Kurapika (for the Spiders) would not be a good idea. The manga also clearly shows Phinks' thoughts that they know Chrollo is looking for a nen eraser, and I think the 1999 anime does this in an interesting way by having the Spiders kinda explain and talk about it so we know their next course of action and I liked that. I also really liked how the 1999 anime followed the manga on how Gon and Killua took care to go to the auction by taxi to avoid the Spiders etc but still bumped into them lmao, but anyway it just flowed much better seeing them enter the auction, pay money etc. On the other hand, I do feel like the 1999 anime exaggerates Kurapika's fever, since in the manga, it was bad but wasn't something so dragged out and mind breaking I guess, it's honestly pretty unnecessary and kindaa weird lol. I really liked how the 1999 anime kept with the manga that there was a bit more of a panic when Gon doubled the bid, since the auctioneer did have to ask if anyone was going to bid further before Battera increased it loll, and it was funny how Killua admitted that he was going to try it too if Gon didn't do it lmao, which I definitely feel sorry for Zepile because they had no money and might have gone to jail for it hahaha.
Screening for Greed Island
I also much more appreciate the manga and 1999 anime showing that Battera is especially strict on picking people to enter the game because he currently owns 32 copies of the game and has sent 100 people in, but more than half refuse to come out now, and that some have literally stayed for years. They kinda explained this in the 2011 anime but not to the extent that it makes you think yeah it's understandable since really, Battera is a billionaire anyway lol. Also, in the 2011 anime Tsezguerra sounds like he only went into Greed Island once and came back out, but in the manga and 1999 anime, he tells Gon and Killua that he is qualified to screen them because just in these past 6 months, he's already gone in and out 5 times so he's much more capable rather than "lucky" or something. Also, the 2011 anime is much more clunky when it comes to the flow because in the manga and 1999 anime, Battera clearly tells Gon and Killua that he will be buying all the copies of Greed Island that will be for sale at the auction, and that if they want to play Greed Island, they should come to the screening that they're holding on September 10th. Battera is much more friendly and acknowledges them in the manga. But I'm sad that the 1999 anime cut out the part where steam comes out from Gon's ears every time Killua tries to help Gon think of an "ultimate technique" lol, that part is so cutee! In fact, Killua barely helps him think and just kinda pushes him to do it himself so that's kinda sad lol. I'm also disappointed that they skipped the part showing chibi Kurapikas licking and playing with chains lmao. Anyway, I feel like the 1999 anime also made Gon a bit more childish with his tantrums here and I have to admit, that was kinda annoying LOL, especially when Gon asked Kurapika to stay to teach him, but it doesn't mention like it does in the manga and 2011 anime that he didn't say that for himself, but because he wanted Kurapika to stay and focus on them rather than going to the auction and see the Spiders. I'm also sad that the 1999 anime doesn't really show or say much about Squala's death and how Eliza's inconsolable grief pushed their boss into returning home rather than staying for the auction.
I think it would have been nice for context to see Leorio reading the newspaper wondering why Battera is so curious and insistent on finishing the Greed Island game (this is omitted in the 1999 anime and shown later in the 2011 anime through the TV instead). I also think it was kinda sad that in the 1999 anime Gon knew Kurapika was leaving but didn't send him off since I feel like he would no matter what, so yeah it would have been better if they just followed the manga and 2011 anime where Kurapika leaves without telling Gon or Killua so they can focus on passing the exam. Anyway, the things Zepile said in the 1999 anime were rather cryptic so it's kinda crappy that they cut out the part in the manga where Zepile laments for being a show-off saying he could earn that much in money ~4 days but instead he ended up having to borrow some money from an underground bank, and it's then after some contemplation that he realises how convenient and useful a hunter licence is, and decides to learn more about it and possibly become a Hunter lol. The 2011 anime kinda shows it, but both anime kinda cut most of it so it just feels kinda random lol. I think it would have also been nice if the 1999 anime mentioned that Battera spent half of his fortune on the Greed Island games this time around.
As for the actual screening, it's kinda interesting that the 2011 anime doesn't mention anything related to Tsezguerra actually being a Single Star Hunter! Something interesting to note is that Tsezguerra always says "Show me your Ren" so it felt kinda confusing (to me in the 2011 anime) why he always specifically says Ren when he allows Killua to use Hatsu, but anyway in the manga and the 1999 anime, Tsezguerra tells Killua that "show me your Ren" basically in communication with Hunters means that he wants to see the results of their training and not literally specifically Ren. I personally think it's nice to clarify this because it kinda shows that Killua and Gon are not only still new to the nen thing, but in terms of even just the Hunter world, there are still a lot of things for them to understand and learn. Anyway, in terms of understanding that the selection process wasn't going to strictly be something like once they get 32 people, it'll end, the 2011 anime did it better than the 1999 anime since it gave time for Killua to understand for himself that he was thinking too hard rather than just the Puhat guy explaining it to them. It also felt weird to have Killua seem so scarred over the idea of overcoming his dad telling him that he should never show 100% of his power unless he's guaranteed to succeed.
A fascinating thing the 2011 anime does is make it that when Gon enters Greed Island, the "NPC girl" that explains the rules to him is much more "human" in the manga, because the moment he enters, she asks if he is Gon and then relays Ging's message to him. Whereas, in the 2011 anime, they make it that when Gon reaches the stairs, then it kinda activates and makes her recognise that this is Gon and he has a message from Ging. Personally, I think this was a weird change to make, mainly because the 2011 anime makes it seem as if she really is an NPC when she isn't and basically takes away the hint/clue that she probably isn't an NPC. Anyway, minor nitpick but I enjoy how the manga and 1999 anime transition properly from the end of Yorknew to Greed Island with Gon and Killua catching the reserved train to Battera's castle where he has the consoles, since it flows better and really shows that this is the start of a new arc. As usual, the biggest problem with the 2011 anime is that it really doesn't like to spend much time showing the city and surroundings to give you a better grasp and view of the place that they are in. Even when it comes to the introduction of the first city Killua and Gon visit, they barely show the existence of other things you can get as prizes such as finding a lost dog, and instead immediately jumps to the Rock-Scissors-Paper Tournament. It also cut out Killua and Gon asking the shop owner more details about the tournament and how this tournament is special compared to previous ones because everyone has a chance of winning, so there are more people participating this time around. So really, the NPC could answer a few of their questions rather than just saying its' predetermined dialogue. Another important aspect the 2011 anime cuts out is the part when Gon and Killua try to pay for the sodas they drank with real money, only to realise that there is in-game currency that takes up slots in the Binder Book, which imo really helps to develop the world of this game and I think it's pretty crappy to cut it out. Also funny to see the NPC want to call the police on them lmao, and then see them washing dishes and discussing how it would be difficult to store a lot of change (in terms of money) since they are separated into 1000, 5000 etc and it would take up a lot of space in their free slots like that. To be fair, the 1999 anime doesn't show Gon and Killua discussing how this may affect their limited storage of cards, but it does show the game currency and washing dishes part which I think is important for introducing the concepts of Greed Island to them.
Another nitpick! When the first player guy died from an explosion in his abdomen, and the shady guy appears telling Gon and Killua that he was killed by nen and not a spell from the game, the guy properly explains to Gon and Killua the current situation with "player hunting", and how the maximum limit on how many copies of one card can exist is the reason why hunting players has become a thing so that cards previously inaccessible will become accessible once players holding these cards die. This is shown in the manga and 1999 anime, but not the 2011 anime, and I think it was a silly choice of the 2011 anime to omit/delay it with him saying he'll explain this properly to Gon and Killua later, because if he wants them to trust him and follow him, he has to provide information that makes it worthwhile for them to believe his words are true and worth following for more to understand the world better. However, I do think the 1999 anime revealing how the guy was bombed was unnecessary and is like a spoiler loll. I also prefer how in the manga, Killua puts more thought into whether they should follow the guy and takes into account stuff like it's an open area, the guy said he'll explain stuff and he can choose to join or not after that etc instead of just kinda following him in the 2011 anime because he told them where they can get spell cards lolll. One thing that isn't really important but I felt was necessary to have been talked about which wasn't in the 2011 anime was the guy explaining to them that the only way to remove spells cast on you was to leave the game, and for that to happen, you need a certain spell card used with a certain condition, and that these are rare but their group have alot of them. I think just this by itself makes their offer very tempting to the people who ended up joining (which makes it all the more sad later on).
I hate to complain but I don't like how the 2011 anime decided to skip over explaining the Magnetic Force cards etc and Gon's "trick" for winning in janken against Killua all the time. I think it really kills some needed characterisation for both Gon and Killua. The 1999 anime skips over the leaving the game part with a card etc too, but at least they kept the janken part. I always really liked that part because I always found it so funny how frustrated Killua was for losing to Gon all the time. It makes it all the more funnier for Killua to win against Gon in the actual tournament by using his left hand hahaha. It's also sad that both anime cut out the discussion between the group (that Gon refused to join) about the internal dissatisfaction between members about the splitting of money with new members etc. As usual, they're not crucial to the story, but it really helps to know the context. One thing the 1999 anime didn't mention that they should have was the "List" card which tells you how many people have a certain card, and that is how people know that no one has one of the SS cards. However, as usual despite the stuff that is omitted, I do think that the 1999 anime attempts to explain more stuff about the cards than the 2011 anime does such as the casting range of short range and long range spells. But yep, if you want to know the cards more in detail, the manga is the best because it actually shows page listings of all 40 of the attack/defence spells, describing their use, range and rank which imo is very interesting, and you can really see how much effort Togashi put into establishing the world of Greed Island. But yeah, I would have liked to see in the anime the guys using the Leave card to demonstrate that there is a card that can make you forcibly leave Greed Island. Just like how I would have liked the 2011 anime to show how cool of a card Accompany is. Also disappointed that the 2011 anime does not show how the group takes caution in revealing their hideout. They only let group members fly to a player and then walk from there rather than revealing the hideout itself. On the other hand, totally unrelated but it would have been so cool to see cards such as Levy(?) being used to steal the cards of players in one's surroundings, it just sounds so fun! Anyway, by showing the explanations of each card, it also lets me know why exactly Prison is the card these guys need a spare of before exchanging their 40 spells for the Angel's Breath, since Prison protects all the designated card slots in your Binder. But at least the 2011 anime explains the importance of Prison, whilst the 1999 anime does not, which follows the manga I guess haha.
Greed Island Tutorial(?)
Honestly, I feel like the 2011 anime just hates explanations of anything in general lol. Anyway, they cut out the back story of the guy who tried to use Thief on Killua after winning the Sword of Truth card from the tournament. Honestly. yeah he's a mob character, but his back story helps to understand the situation in Greed Island. Basically that there are people like him who aim to make a living in the game by selling rare cards and hoping to leave Greed Island after that, rather than having any hope of finishing the game. His thought process also explains that this sword card is actually quite rare since you can only get it once a year, so basically there are only 10 copies. It also showed how getting spell cards in Masadora is basically like buying Pokemon cards where you get it in a pack and it's all random. It also cuts out the part where Killua has thought of an idea on how to protect his cards from random mobs like these. Anyway, the most disappointing part was when the 2011 anime cut out Gon and Killua's strategy in protecting their card by not only having Gon keep the card in his free slots instead of the designated numbered slot, but also putting trash cards like stones in all his free slots, so that unless they try to use the rob card to specifically steal the Sword of Truth, these amateurs wouldn't be able to steal it with cards like Thief which steal random cards in your Binder. It just helps you better frame the idea of spells and cards in this game with a small introduction imo. Kinda like a tutorial! Anyway, also nice to see that the 1999 anime kept to the manga and showed how Gon and Killua have been earning money by selling Gargida cards. Minor nitpick as always lol, but I really appreciated the 1999 anime following the manga with Gon and Killua having to pay 3000 jennies to get info on where Masadora was, since it made it feel much more like a game haha. I also prefer the explanation from Shalnark in the 1999 anime and manga since it delves deeper into his thought process and how he came to the conclusion of Greed Island being a part of the real world, as well as divulging more characteristics of Shizuku's vacuum and Kortopi's copying skill. Btw, personal preference but Biscuit looks better in the 1999 version lol, I hateeee how she looks like a baby in the 2011 anime lol.
Personally, I prefer the 1999 anime when it comes to following the manga for when Biscuit gets pissed off looking at Gon and Killua wasting their potential and not properly using their Nen to figure out the weak points of the monsters they encountered and just running away. Not only does it follow the manga better than the 2011 anime (since it cuts out how Gon and Killua thought the lizard thing was a Rank A monster etc), but by spending time showing it all, you can tell that Greed Island/the monsters was made to train people into properly utilising their Nen and learning how to use it better, which is pretty much exemplified through the weird horse with bubbles. As for the Binolt training, minor differences that aren't really worth mentioning haha, they're all basically the same.
Overall, if I had to pick, I'd say for the first half, I preferred the 2011 anime, because both versions cut out and/or add things and despite those changes, the 2011 anime still showed the important stuff..better I guess lol. However, when it comes to Greed Island itself, I definitely prefer the 1999 anime. I feel like the 1999 anime gives you a better grasp of the world of Greed Island. It definitely made me feel more immersed with the world with stuff like in-game currency, trading Gargida cards, learning how to deal with people trying to steal your cards etc. It just has a better introduction to the game and provides a much better context to the characteristics of the game, the spells, the types of players and how different people use these spells etc. It must have been frustrating for the Greed Island OVA to end here back in the day though lol, they didn't even make it to Masadora yet! Lol.
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