Hunter X Hunter – 364

The wob web is closing around Prince Woble and his mother, and that seems to be driving Kurapika and Bill to new heights of desperation.

The most interesting thing about this chapter to me was the revelation (it’s going to be extremely embarrassing if we already knew it and I just forgot) that “Emperor Time” has a terrible price – that is to say, Kurapika loses an hour of his life for every second it’s in effect.  Holy crap, that’s crazy.  We’ve never even been given official confirmation of the limitations of Emperor Time as far as a Know, but with a cost like that I think we can assume it’s everything one might have surmised – and while in effect, would seem to make Kurapika the strongest Hunter in existence (of all the one’s we’ve seen, anyway).

Kurapika’s journey really is a sad and bleak one – taken in total, one of the darkest of any character in shounen.  That he would even consider using Emperor Time now shows how bad things have gotten on this mission, but with the bodyguard-assassin Vincent showing up on the 8th Queen’s doorstep with the clear imperative to clear Kurapika and Bill out of the way so she and Woble can be killed, everyone’s backs are against the wall.

Bill remains something of a mystery man here.  We know he’s a Hunter and thus that he can use Nen, but of his actual ability we know almost nothing.  He’s certainly expert in physical combat and we now know that his Ken (presumably) is strong enough to stop bullets – but that’s about it.  We also know that Kurapika seems to trust him, and he’s not a young man from whom trust can be easily earned.

One other note – Hunter X Hunter Vol. 33 easily blew through the 1 million sales mark in its second week of release. The staying power of this series is truly remarkable, considering all the pain that’s come along with it – both for Togashi and his readers.

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmail

9 comments

  1. B

    Thought you might get a kick out of this, especially the Tigers: http://i.imgur.com/vVWwMxf.jpg

  2. Heh. Thanks for that.

  3. a

    I don’t think Togashi had yet thought of his restriction for emperor time when he first wrote it. I guess he kinda didn’t need to, admitting it to Uvo would have served no purpose, and admitting it to anyone else would be prohibitively dangerous. So he left it entirely open, ‘kurapika can just do that’.

    But with the story now focusing on him again, he decided to take a good look at what Kurapika would be willing to give up for power. If that fight with Uvo lasted an hour, that’s half a year of his life gone. Gives new meaning to “you’re wasting my time” at the very least.

  4. B

    At the end of the York New Arc, after his exchange with Pakunoda, Kurapika collapses from exhaustion due to his continual use of his Scarlet Eyes. In chapter 120, (After Chrollo heads to the East, Hisoka disappears, and Pakunoda sacrifices herself to share her knowledge), Kurapika is shown in bed having slept for 24 hours straight and is said to have a fever that hasn’t dissipated in the least. Melody says, “My flute has no effect so… I don’t think it’s an ordinary fever that is due to fatigue or illness.” He sleeps another 12 hours and wakes up momentarily. Then leaves the day after that to search for the eyes. So I believe Togashi telegraphed that there were some serious effects, but he may not have decided on what yet.

  5. O

    I know that this is a Hunter x Hunter post, but being the only shounen MANGA post continuously made on this site I’d figure now would be as good a time as any to ask: What is your opinion on the One Piece Manga?

  6. I have tried to get into OP. I appreciate that it’s unbelievably popular, and historically important. I respect Oda-sensei for his amazing work ethic. But I just can’t make the jump (no pun intended) – I don’t find it interesting.

  7. M

    It’s a steep curve the first one hundred chapters… which I know is ridiculous to ask, but it’s truly an acquired taste like that.
    But once you make the jump, you’re in. You’re not getting out. And it gets pretty damn good. It has its ups and downs, but it’s actually pretty consistent in terms of quality when compared to peers in its magazine. Perhaps except monsters like HxH and HeroAka (albeit it has higher points than the latter because of how much build up it has had at its side).

  8. K

    I really don’t think this makes Kurapika the strongest Hunter. Emperor Time probably would be better had Kurapika not wanted to rush his development, otherwise, it seems, while strong, just compensation for his lack of experience.

  9. I would argue that what it actually reflects more than his lack of experience is his lack of patience.

    My take is that this may make Kurapika the strongest while it’s in effect. I think a good case can be made for that.

Leave a Comment