When I heard that there would be a remake of the HxH anime - a series I love very much, both manga and anime-wise - I was thinking 'oh? This late? Why? There was nothing wrong with the anime'. That it also coincides with the latest hiatus being lifted rose my suspicions... You see, the biggest problem with HxH has been the repeated hiatuses, and the last one...I don't think I'm exaggerating if it lasted two-three years. Until now, that is. 19 new chapters have been released as I write this, and the new aime.
I wondered why they'd make a remake of the anime, and saw that the official reason was that they wanted it to be closer to the manga. I thought that smelled like a fishy reason given the timing, it sounds more like they want to find a new audience since the old one has been declining due to the hiatus.
So I decided to watch it and see, and the first thing that struck me is that it's very badly drawn compared to the first version, suggesting the budget was smaller. Also, pretty much all the cast have been changed to less known voice actors, which further speaks for a smaller budget. That they would not be able to afford the stars they had in the first anime - like Junko Takeuchi (most famous for voicing Naruto).
That in itself was a put off for me, but I decided to give it a chance. They have tried (except for the first episode) to be faitful to the manga designwise. Most of the time. They did however make two big, BIG mistakes with the anime, that makes in unwatchable for me.
First mistake
They've ruined Killua and Hisoka.
Killua is supposed to be a complicated character with darkness within, who is the brain behind the Gon/Killua team. He's supposed to be Gon't backup, to make difficult choices and protects Gon, while trying to cope with his painful past and dangerous family. They've gone and reduced him to a child, made his appearance more childish and also - which ticks me off more - made him stupid. They have also chosen to try to make Gon appear cooler to appeal to a younger audience so as to make Gon the favourite character right away (apparently Killua was too popular), which I think is a very big mistake since Gon is supposed to start from very little and grow.
Hisoka has been turned into a nice uncle, who only attack when provoced instead of the lunatic pedo-clown he really is. His voice actor also doesn't suit him at all, he sounds way too nice. He also treats Gon like a son, which seems really bizarre if you've read the manga or watched the old anime.
Second mistake
One word: censorship. The entire thing has been heavily censored to make the anime available to a younger audience. All the blood, gore and death that was in the manga has been removed. Even gross scenes such as when Killua pulls out a living heart from a villain's body has been censored to the point that you can't tell what's going on unless you know already. I was getting suspicious from the start, when they'd changed the scene where Hisoka cuts a mans arms off - they changed it into an illusion with flowers, so as to make they audience think the man only thought his arms were gone and that it was a trick. What?
I find it hugely disappointing that they chose to censor away all of this since HxH is a very brutal manga and as such not at all suitable for children. If they're going to keep censoring away all blood, all gore and all deaths then I would hardly call it 'following the manga'.
I believe, that this is nothing but a vain try to collect a younger audience and make money from something that once drew in millions. HxH alone once sold in 55 000 000 copies, but I'm afraid that if they expected a renaissance they will be sorely disappointed. I don't think anyone who loved the old anime or read the manga will ever approve of this butchery, that's why their audience isn't the old readers - but new ones.
That isn't older than ten, and think that Beyblade is the best thing ever.
Rant out. Now for a picture from the original to make you cheer up again. <3 Killua and Gon.
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