“Devious”
Dark who?
Whatever’s going on with Beyond, Ging, Kurapika and co. is a mystery at the moment, and Togashi-sensei shows no signs of returning to it anytime soon (never mind turning to Gon or Killua). This mini-arc could almost be the basis of a straight-to-OVA mini-series (hey, I can dream) – at the very least, it sure would be a shame to never see what Madhouse could do with it, given the chance.
The folks who paid the big bucks for ringside seats are certainly paying an even bigger price in this fight. The carnage in the club boxes looks pretty severe – but even the folks in the nosebleed seats aren’t exempt from being part of Chrollo’s master strategy. One of the things that makes this such an interesting fight is the contrast in approach between the two combatants – Chrollo is all about planning ahead and scientifically dissecting the problem and his opponent. And as we all know, Hisoka isn’t exactly the same.
By any perceptible measure, Chrollo is winning this fight. Certainly if it were being scored as a match by Heaven’s Arena rules (obviously that ship has long since sailed) he’d be well in front. Through “Gallery Fake” and “Order Stamp” he’s actually got most of the crowd trying to “break Hisoka”. And Chrollo is taking advantage of that to choose his moments and score easy hits on his opponent. He’s clearly been preparing for this fight for a long time, and he’s showing off a range of Nen abilities that rivals anything we’ve seen from a human in Hunter X Hunter. Chrollo is truly showing why the Specialist class is probably the most powerful of all.
But you know, somehow, it still feels to me like Hisoka is the one in control. He’s clearly enjoying himself (way too much), because this is what the gloriously twisted creeper lives for – a chance to show off his true strength without feeling like he’s wasting it on an enemy not worthy of it. In the end I think Hisoka has a gift for inspiration that Chrollo lacks, and I still don’t think we’ve ever seen Hisoka’s full bag of tricks. As far as I’m concerned he’s got this – I don’t know how yet (he does seem to land a blow at the end of the chapter), but I just think Hisoka sees around more corners than Chrollo does. I don’t know how much longer Togashi will choose to spend on this epic battle, or whether he plans to tie it into the Dark Continent storyline in any way. But it certainly makes for a riveting spectacle.
elianthos
May 13, 2016 at 12:25 amWe got a full schwing shine contorsion spasm moment = now things are getting seriously serious ♡☆♠♦
You’re not alone in thinking this arc is very OVA-friendly. It was literally the first thought crossing my mind as I spotted this post thumbnails myself – I might or might not have grinned like Hisocchi [sans glowing crotch, alas ] at the thought as well -.
That said I think Hisoka has more chances to win because is better equipped for the unpredictable – he thrives on it in fact – vs Mr. best laid plans Chrollo.
In any case the thrill is real, art is good, may it stay so for whatever stretch if chapters we end up getting.
Earthling Zing
May 13, 2016 at 3:14 amTogashi most definitely has assistants now, the drawings of Hisoka are usually less detailed than that of the crowd. The art hasn’t been bad since the chimera ant arc probably because of that, which is a nice change from the scribbles we normally get.
Keter
May 13, 2016 at 4:58 amChapter 337 (Election Arc) has a phenomenally bad art and it’s not even fixed in tankoubon.
Earthling Zing
May 13, 2016 at 5:44 amYeah I misremembered the arc with the scribbly koala bear, but that was before the extremely long hiatus anyway, after which he managed to pull off spreads like this: http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire1/e0cd7c2961f22e817b03d1338335bcb31403705446_full.png
which don’t look like his style, maybe even the work of several artists combined.
Guardian Enzo
May 13, 2016 at 7:54 amI swear I can see some Sailor Moon in those character designs now, though that may just be the power of suggestion.
Chrysostomus
May 13, 2016 at 9:08 amHe perfectly uses of all his limbs, including his legs, to attach Bungee Gum on heads while countering puppets with his arms. His use of rubber and gum threads are like webs… quite ironic that the Clown is more spidey than ANY of the so-called Spiders. It’s almost like Chrollo and Hisoka should be swapped.
hgfdsahjkl
May 13, 2016 at 10:35 amwhere is the Hisoka or kuroro poll 😀
Guardian Enzo
May 13, 2016 at 10:52 amThat’s not a bad thought…
hgfdsahjkl
May 13, 2016 at 1:16 pmTogashi might not be the best artist (tho I’m a fan of his art style) but he is the best when it comes to doing motions on papers ,those panels were moving
elianthos
May 14, 2016 at 1:35 amIndeed poll where? 😀
Talking of art similarities suggestion/influences… keep in mind that Togashi and Takeuchi mutual introduction happened thanks to Sailor Uranus’ old series VA and their dating period before marrying was roughly overlapping with the 3rd and 4th Sailor Moon manga arc. Have fun lookng at the villians’ design in those arcs… The 4th arc especially is the Circus Arc and all the baddies could be Hisoka ‘ s relatives (Hawk Eye among all , he’s his lost twin looks-wise XD). Plus Mamoru gets seriously ill to the point of bedridden.
And there’s a throwaway Sailor Moon manga panel ( it was either in s2 or s5) that totally belonged in Level E. I need to dig it up later.
Talking of assistants Takeuchi did help him for a bit some years ago, if I remember correctly she really didn’t feel like working on manga ( anymore) at the time. It was mentiobed in an old Q&A by the couple. But who knows now… she hasn’t slaved on manga in years, their kids are older, hubby can use help, maybe she is aiding him again.