/lit/ - Literature

Obviously dude sex mangina

Does HxH has any intrinsic literary value?

>>10023788
Not really, but the writing beats other similar manga.

>>10023972
>Touches on Buddhist philosophy
>Touches on Nietzchen philosophy
>Explores in depth what it means to be human and animal while blurring the line on whose who between Humans and the Chimera ants

>No intrinsic literary value

>>10023972
>expecting good writing from manga or anime

Its not an asspull because its always been established nen could do that as far back as Kurapika putting restrictions on his Judgement chain and Phinks and Feitan remarking they can't kill Kurapika because nen can survive after death.

Alluka isn't an asspull either because the Calamities were already hinted at.

>>10023788

Its probably the most philosophical anime, even more so than Evangelion. Especially the Chimera Ant arc. Obviously its not XRA deep, but it is fairly deep.

Hunter x Hunter is an exercise in pederastic sublimation. The author, Togashi, has used the manga as a means with which both to enliven and to purify his basest, most indwelling desires and longings of the heart. Consider the myriad archetypical sexual elements within HxH, and their essentially homosexual - and, under further examination, pederastic - character.

Starting from the broadest parts of the series and working downward: consider the almost total lack of major female characters. There are in fact more cross dressing and androgynous males in important character roles, particularly juvenile males, than there are biological women. And think of the most prominent female character, Bisky - a mature broad-shouldered, extensively muscular woman who disguises her true form under the guise of being a slim, bright-eyed young girl. She is not the only muscular woman with a changing physical form either, Killua's elderly butler caregiver, Tsubone, can literally transform herself into a motorcycle or other sorts of transport vehicles. (And, with the last major female character we turn our attention to, transformation is similarly present, but is also, at least for some time, explicitly mental as well as physical)

But enough about this. Let us now turn our attention to the masculine forms and relations in the series, to more intimately probe the psyche which formed them.
Most obviously, the series most infamously sexually deviant and ostensibly homosexual character is that of Hisoka. Hisoka is one of the strongest forces in the series, narratively and in terms of the genuine power he exerts over others within the show. If Hunter x Hunter is, as I have set out to show, really a subconscious exploration of the pederastic, then Hisoka represents its basest, most predatory, most bloodthirsty urges. Hisoka views other humans primarily as toys, tools with which to sexually excite himself. He has certain fondnesses and respects for some, but ultimately always wishes to "expend" them in the highest sensation of ecstasy through combat as possible. Special attention is paid to age and maturity, as when we first encounter him in his villainous role, he practically drools over our young main character, Gon, as he explains that he will wait patiently for him to "ripen".

The series takes a kind of sinful, voyeuristic pleasure in Hisoka's villainous exploits, who is often a source of humour - though not for playing the fool. Hisoka continually outsmarts and outplays almost all of the characters in the series, which we as the audience take a guilty, vicious delight in. His unashamed sexual deviance is a particular source of laughs, such as his visible erection when explaining to Gon his sexual motivation for his actions, or when, while walking behind Gon and Killua, finds himself staring at their bare legs, supernaturally eye-raping them, a violated Killua then yelling at him to "walk in front!"

>>10025001
Before I begin to examine the series' main duo, Gon and Killua, I will briefly note the character of Ikalgo. Killua faces off against the octopus Chimera ant Ikalgo and, after nearly being killed by him, gains the upper hand, dismembers several of Ikalgo's octopi limbs and almost kills him, but relents, spares and saves his life for having gained his respect by not betraying his comrades, even in the face of death. Ikalgo, never before having experienced genuine friendship, is taken aback, and becomes fiercely protective of and loyal to Killua. After Killua is almost killed by other Chimera ants, Ikalgo drags him to a nearby makeshift surgical ward and watches over him intently. When Killua recovers, he changes clothes in front of Ikalgo, briefly - and perhaps nonchalantly - exposing his impressive bodily form to him. As they leave, Killua says that they have become friends, and offers Ikalgo a place in their team. As Killua walks ahead of him, Ikalgo, now dressed in human clothes, stares dreamily ahead at Killua, unable to believe the good fortune that has come upon him of being able to "enter into this world", which had always hitherto been denied him, and only existed in the realm of his fantasy. Ikalgo's feelings toward Killua border on infatuation, perhaps Platonic.

If I may hazard conjecture? Ikalgo, aged, transformed, having lost innocence, and who yearns in spite of being an ugly octopus to be a "beautiful squid", represents the adult male, unable to reverse his growth and aging, who nevertheless yearns for boyhood. We later see Ikalgo interact and reminisce with his old friends, comrades from his past life, and their attempts to come to terms with their permanent transformation. Perhaps also of symbolic interest is Ikalgo's Nen ability, that of being able to inhabit dead bodies to disguise himself and adopt their abilities. Rather macabre in comparison to his good kindly nature.

>>10025008
The relationship between Gon and Killua is the ideal boy relationship. They are the focal point of the series. Everyone respects and admires their friendship. Bla bla whatever

Finally, the entire series is spurred by Gon, raised by his adoptive aunt and grandmother without any male figures, going on adventure in search of his long lost father - whose accomplishments Gon, lacking any resentment for his abandonment, wishes to honour and emulate. Poignantly, the anime series ends with Gon and his father, Ging, sitting atop the World Tree, finally kindling their father-son relationship. It might be interesting to note that Ging himself, despite his worldly esteem and accomplishments, seems perpetually adolescent with his laid back character and fuzzy facial hair. I'm not trying to pervert the ideal of fatherhood, but contextually, it is an interesting element. The pederast has a homosexual and homosocial attitude to the world, and what he values, the forms of relationships that resonate with him, are subtly related. I am not saying that Togashi's portrayal of Gon and Ging's relation is sexually motivated.

The essence of the historical pederastic relationship is the teacher-student relationship between the elder and the younger male. Teacher-student relationships are especially emphasised in Japanese culture: think of how familiar English speakers are with the word 'sensei'. Pederasty in Japanese tradition is known as Shudo, "The Way of the Young". Hunter x Hunter is all about instruction of younger warriors in martial skill and spirit by experienced masters. Bla bla

Some other short points of interest:
- Togashi plays with age and it's nuances almost as much as gender. Leorio's appearance of being an adult businessman despite being an adolescent is a running source of comedy, and embarrassment for him. One of the most powerful characters in the show, Netero, is apparently several centuries of age, and in a flashback is seen as elderly while he looks over the crib of Zeno Zoldyck, who is, during the timeline of the show, an old man. Gon activates his potential Nen energy to manifest as a supremely muscular adult male, sacrificing his future power and fading away into a permanently crippled, barely-living form.

>>10023626

Cringe

>>10024226
Yeah, that's why I said that it beats other similar manga. Is not the greatest thing but it's fairly smart, and I can't really ask much more from such a barren medium.