Hunter x Hunter Movie 1: Phantom Rouge

This review will be short and shitty, just like the movie.

Hunter x Hunter: Phantom Rouge is about everything which Hunter x Hunter isn't. The story is about this puppeteer who makes puppets based to real people, copying their appearance. Ironically, our main characters Kurapika, Kil, Gon and Leorio also feel like puppets, empty shells, in this movie. All of their personalities have been changed, and all former character development seen in the anime has been turned back to zero + little extra taken away. Not only are they completely different characters, they have been turned into a bunch of weak idiots as well. I don't ... bother talking nor spoiling anything about the characters since this anime clearly doesn't have any.

The events were most likely written by a 5-year-old retarded frog-squirrel. The writing is utterly based to coincidences. The characters teleport to each others location all the fucking time. Not literally, but the explanation given could be replaced with the following; "How I got here? Oh, I teleported." And the story would still make sense equally much. Bad guys got beaten by the power of friendship. Motherfucker. Or alternatively with the help of teleporting former villains. The fights are ridiculous and completely lacking brains. You could as well replace the attacks with a bitchslap contest and it would make tactically as much sense.

The animation looks ridiculous. The fights are executed with light effects. They also had to use some shitty cgi to make fish fly and look lame. Mostly to look lame. The art is also different, but this isn't HxH anyway, so I don't have to complain. The sounds are made with a no fricking sense whatsoever. There is a scene where Gon and Killua have to sneak so that one character doesn't notice them. And what did the sound director do? Insert footstep-voices so loud that even my neighbor can the hear the bass. I mean, seriously? No, seriously? This isn't even funny.

Well, I did enjoy few things in this. The references around eyes and main villain's sense for family. That's literally the few. The pacing was also neato as these 1.5hours went pretty fast. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who can't bear with out of character behavior, nor anyone else either, unless you die to hear more about Kurapika.

First of all, I am under the assumption that viewers interested to watch this movie have at least a little knowledge or background of the Hunter x Hunter franchise before watching. If not, it might be a little hard to completely get the best experience out of this. But at any rate, enough talk about interest and let's talk about the movie itself. For fans of the ongoing remake series as well as the original Hunter x Hunter, this should be a gift delivered early from Santa.

The movie itself is called Hunter x Hunter: Phantom Rouge. It is a side story rather than ... a prequel/sequel. For those who have seen the original series though (at least up to episode 58), there should be enough interest already because the series deals with what the synopsis mentions – the Phantom Troupe. In particular, a young boy with golden hair and scarlet eyes (Kurapika) plays the role of an avenger. He still holds a blood thirsty vengeance against the spiders. However at the same time, he seeks answers to what's happening in the present. It is also noticeable that the movie takes events after the actual Yorknew Arc from the original/remake series. Therefore, expect some surprises as we see old faces return but also new characters pop up.

As for the movie goes, it offers a good balance of comedy and more of that darkness. In terms of comedy, perhaps the brotherly bond of Gon and Killua are the most noticeable. In fact, it is very clear that they share a strong friendship despite coming from very different backgrounds. Gon was raised from a normal family while the latter comes from a family of elite assassins. On the other hand, we also see a more in-depth past of Kurapika. His brotherly bond with a new character in the series can be mirrored with Gon/Killua. In essence, both of their relationships are tied by trust with great values. Additionally, they are even joined together by a new comrade along the way. It's an adventure tale all over again and one that fans of HxH must see.

The plot itself follows as the premise goes although with certain twists. For instance, we see the Phantom Troupe return but in a different way especially in regards of a particular character. Then, there's also the story involving Kurapika and his old teammate whom he once trusted with his life. There are plenty of foreshadowing going on. In particular, some of the little important scenes are shot with more depth in term of music and artwork. Then, there's some of the intertwined arcs where our main characters gets involved with events related to the spiders. They encounter familiar faces while also facing off against a new threat.

Epic is also misused word. If I would used the word epic, I would describe the majority of the movie as such whether it's from the fights, the dialogues, the comedy/darkness, or just a mere character. However, this movie can be summed up with such a single word at several stances. The action scenes are pretty fluid. Most of the are quick paced that combines both physical and psychological aspects. That's also one of the strong points in Hunter x Hunter. The franchise makes usage of the fights to incorporate it into more of a psychological mind game at many instances. In this movie, these mind games comes to fruition especially into the head of Killua. The concept of vengeance, betrayal, and struggle are packaged together that brings out the entertainment at its finest. Even the Phantom Troupe tastes some of that in particular of a member whom once shared a strong bond with.

Despite of the action scenes being well performed, some of them are a bit too quick paced and old fashioned. It would have been better to see some new techniques from the Phantom Troupe but most of them are still what they are. Perhaps it's because they are in a different form that they lack their true power. But at any rate, it's nice to see some of them back again in action mode.

As for characterization goes, the main characters make their stance and presence well known. Obviously, the main focus of the film focuses on Kurapika but it's also nice to see Killua and his side shine when he faces his struggles. Then of course, Hisoka makes his stances with the way he talks and walks. Furthermore, we even see Leorio playing more of a direct role. Considering his lesser screen time during the Yorknew Arc, it's actually refreshing to see his character shine more so. Indeed, the four main characters functions well as a team and together, they take on any challenge they face together.

Visual wise, the series maintains its composure and balance just as well as the remake of Hunter x Hunter. The beautiful landscapes and cities are designed to give off that adventure like feeling. The Phantom Troupe displays their ferocity with their stances. Then, there's are the comedic and lighter toned artwork during the more humorous scenes. As even more so, a particular character gets dressed different for the first time in a way they feel different. The artwork makes the movie somewhat memorable although nothing spectacular. It doesn't incorporate the usage of CGI so expect fluid scenes but again, nothing considered a masterpiece in the arts department.

As for the soundtrack, Hunter x Hunter have been criticized in the past before for its orchestra. In this movie, it reuses some of the OST from the remake. However, it does fit within the series quite well. The VA who plays their roles in this series also did their job well. In particular, Hisoka and Retz's voice tones should be praised for their performance especially for the latter. Considering Retz's gender, the voice of its character must seem to be ambiguous and Hirano Aya portrayed her part quite well. The overall OST is above average but not earth-shattering by technical standards.

All in all, Hunter x Hunter Phantom Rouge is a gift for the fans. Obviously, this gift can be opened and enjoyed by different standards. For me though, I was quite satisfied with the results. If you're a fan of the Yorknew Arc, this is definitely something to keep an eye on. The way it incorporates the usage of its characters again show that the A-class band of thieves is still around. At the time of this movie was being aired, the Yorknew Arc was just reaching its conclusion but we still can't forget about the spiders, can we?

This movie made me excited the first time I've heard of it. I expected too much especially I faithfully followed Hunter X Hunter 2011. I kind of got disappointed because I gained ONLY 2 THINGS out of watching this. I decided to score it 7.

NOTES:
1. Even though the movie is out of the scrapped chapter made by the mangaka Togashi, the movie has successfully made it seem connected to the show.
2. The setting and plot starts after Yorkshin Arc but before Greed Island Arc.
3. IF YOU JUST WANT TO WATCH IT TO KNOW ABOUT THE BENEFITS I WILL MENTION LATER, you better just read ... the manga's special chapter for Kurapika, it's more complete. Just research about Phantom Troupe #4 Omokage if you're interested. And just continue watching the series.

STORY: It's somehow acceptable but lacks excitement and very little to expect.
ART: Same as usual. Some skills like Chrollo's Indoor Fish used higher quality graphics but it feels like the one in the TV series is better.
SOUND: They use the same as what they use in TV series.
CHARACTER: Their personality is being exaggerated or less firm than in the TV series.
ENJOYMENT: I leave the decision to you after you read everything I think here.

BENEFITS:
1. The movie features the past of Kurapika. But I could say only 99%.
2. The movie features the Phantom Troupe member #4, the one replaced by Hisoka.

FLAWS:
1. The rest of the plot seems to be dry.
2. Killua's personality sufferings is there but it seems to be not the Killua you know. I think you better watch Chimera Ant Arc of Hunter X Hunter 2011 if you wanna see the real Killua.
3. Gon in the entire anime and manga series is shown as someone who gets fired up especially when he has a hard time fighting but in the movie, you can barely see this fire.
4. You don't have something to expect about the other Phantom Troupe.

This might not have passed the standards of fans out there including myself, but I'll still look forward for the 2nd movie "Hunter X Hunter: The Last Mission". Hunter X Hunter 2011 series still continues to give us the thrill and the art of fighting with strategies and also the emotional meaning of life. So let's still continue supporting Hunter X Hunter 2011.

Hunter X Hunter is a series known to many people especially to shonen fans. It's one of those shonen anime that proved that the mainstream shonen genre can also be intelligent yet exciting. Hunter X Hunter has been serialized for a decade now and spawned two anime adaptations, one being a remake. As the popularity of the series rises again because of the remake, the series finally now have a film that many hunter x hunter fans would be excited about. Is this movie worth the hype for us fans? Let's check it out.

Hunter X Hunter phantom rouge is about Kurapika one of the main ... characters of the series who wants to take vengeance against The Phantom troupe. A notorious group of criminals whom have massacred kurapika's entire clan, the Kurta clan. Although in search for the troupe and for the eyes of his comrades which is said to be stolen by the the troupe, Kurapika's eyes has been stolen by a another surviving member of the Kurta clan. The whole film's story revolved for kurapika regaining his eyes so to speak. Many of the fans would expect that Kurapika would have the spotlight in this film although the film mostly revolved to both Gon and Killua. Killua probably had the most characterization in this film as he can't still forget his dark past as an assassin and his brother Illumi's word that in the end he would kill his own friend. As weird as it is, this have become one of the most focusing theme in the whole film. Gon is still the typical naive but lovable kid we mostly get to see in the TV series and so he didn't get any development in this film at all. Kurapika is still the same as ever and we did get some background during his childhood along with his blind friend pairo who would only serve as a plot device in this film. Leorio, probably the most forgettable protagonist out of the four, is still forgettable in this movie as usual. He is just there to help his friends and nothing else. Barely any development and didn't even get any spotlight in the fights in the movie. We are introduced to two new characters in this film. Of course, that would be the former number four of the troupe, Omokage who is known as the master puppet god and Rentz, a beautiful girl who is pretends to be a boy. I have to say that i was pretty disappointed at Omokage. Most of Yoshihiro Togashi's villains are all top notch in characterization but here, Omokage comes up to me as only a one-dimensional villain. I also feel that his presence as a villain is unintimidating and underwhelming. Rentz on the other hand interests me and finally a girl who is the same as Gon and Killua's age who is beautiful. She had the potential to be a great character although i feel that her potential has been wasted due to poor execution. Hisoka and some of the notable members of the phantom troupe are here such as Machi and Nobunaga and are badass as usual but had barely any screen time at all which probably also one of my main gripes in this film. So if you're expecting a good phantom troupe awesomeness, i am sorry but you will be disappointed. If this film have only focus more on Kurapika and his relationship with the Kurta clan then i think this movie would have been better. They could also make Leorio to have some spotlight in this film. We always get to see Gon and Killua in the TV series so honestly why focus on them especially Killua? It really felt out of place to be honest.

Hunter X Hunter is also known for having smart and analytical fights. The fights in this movie are mediocre compared to the TV series itself. The fights may entertain a bunch of people but to me i find it boring compared to the TV series. The animation and visual is still the same as the TV series only much smoother in some cases. Nothing spectacular about to be honest and i think it could have been way better considering this is Madhouse. This nothing like the original Fullmetal alchemist where the already good visuals was upgraded higher in it's movie Conqueror's of shamballa. One of my main gripes in the Remake is the soundtrack. It pales in comparison when it comes to the 1999 TV series. Not saying that the soundtrack is that bad, but mediocre when it comes to it's another anime adaptation. Why am i talking about the TV series soundtracks? Because most of the soundtracks in the TV series are also in the film with some new ones with guitar metal madhouse style OST.

In the end Hunter X Hunter: Phantom rouge is a pretty okay film but it's definitely underwhelming. Out of Naruto: Road to Ninja, One Piece Film Z and this, i feel this is the weakest. Most people would probably be disappointed in this film but then again die-hard Hunter X Hunter fans will probably also gonna enjoy this film. I also did enjoyed this film but not that really much that i sometimes wants to sleep into most of the fight scenes. The pacing are fine and i didn't noticed much problem with it. But still, if you are a fan of the TV series and really like it, i'd say go and still give this movie a try and decide for yourself.

Anime movies can usually never hold a candle to their series counterpart. Phantom Rouge, the first movie of the Hunter x Hunter franchise, is no exception. Chronologically, this film takes place immediately after the Yorknew/Phantom Troupe Arc. So before watching this film, be sure to have finished the Yorknew/Phantom Troupe Arc of Hunter x Hunter as this movie pulls from the fact that the viewer has an idea of the characters in that arc and the events that had happened.

With Phantom Rouge's premise of Kurapika's eyes being "stolen" and the involvement of the Phantom Troupe, Phantom Rouge had a lot of potential to create ... a very interesting and unique spin-off of the popular Yorknew/Phantom Troupe Arc. However, it follows a simple and predictable formula that relies mostly on action sequences. Although action is not a bad thing by itself, action sequences in movies usually come with deus ex machina that stunt the storytelling. The potential mystery and thrill that the movie sets up also disappear because of conveniently placed plot devices or in other words, the anime original characters.

While the mains are all fine, as Killua gets quite a bit of development, Kurapika gets some backstory, and Gon and Leorio's personalities and behaviors are consistent with the main series, the two new characters introduced, Retz and Omokage, are underdeveloped and underwhelming. In the movie’s 1 hour and 37 minutes, only around 45 minutes were dedicated to Retz or Omokage total. Considering that Omokage is a previous member of the Phantom Troupe, he is expected to be intimidating like the rest of the Spiders but he feels like a stock villain that lacks all the development that the rest of the Phantom Troupe members have. Retz too, could have been an interesting character with very intriguing interactions with Gon and Killua if she was given the time and chance to develop, but as it is, she is just a device to help move the plot forward.

Several inconsistencies also pull the movie back. For instance, characters triumph in battles they would never win in the main series because of their lack of experience/Nen knowledge/power. Hunter x Hunter is known to be a smart battle shounen, but the movie throws away the logic and strategies that are used in the series for more mainstream fights. It isn't horrid by any means as the animation is very fluid and well choreographed but the movie loses some of the Hunter x Hunter magic. The motivational speeches throughout the movie are also elements that would never be included in the main series, which makes some of the interactions between characters seem quite forced and unnatural.

Despite the movie's undoings, the superb sound helps the stunted plot and along with the smooth animation, brings the story and characters to life. Some soundtracks like The Red-Eyed Monster and Way to the Town are variations of OSTs that were used before but they are given a kind of flare that makes them sound novel and fresh. Meanwhile, many of the soundtracks such as The Emperor's Time, To Give a Marionette Life, and most notably, Reason (instrumental and original) are used again in the main series without ever tiring.

Considering where the Hunter x Hunter series is now, this movie was a refreshing watch because Kurapika and Leorio haven’t really appeared since the Yorknew Arc and won’t for a long time. Unfortunately, the two of them are put in the backseat as most of the movie is focused on Gon and Killua and their friendship. Nonetheless, it’s good to see Kurapika and Leorio again, and even Hisoka and the Phantom Troupe. Gon and Killua’s interactions with each other are still very nice to watch too, albeit somewhat redundant.

Overall, more Hunter x Hunter is always welcome since it’s a franchise that deserves it; however, when the producers continue to make Hunter x Hunter movies (which a second movie has already been announced), they would need to do better to keep the quality of their movies consistent with the series. To conclude, Phantom Rouge is an okay watch, it's nothing spectacular but it's still probably worth your time if you like Hunter x Hunter.

I hope my first review helped, if not, please tell me why. Thanks for reading.

I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone who has seen HxH. I guess it eventually becomes funny how dumb it becomes, so if you have friends who like HxH maybe you can laugh at it.

No character behaves like they would, even when faced with situations that happened in the series; nen is used as generic ki; and the movie touches themes fully treated in the series in the most generic shonen way. Most of it could had been a Saint Seiya movie, just to keep the femme boy with chains. Most of it is plain nonsense.
-The Spider appears to deal with Spider copies at two ... points, they could had been new enemies defeated by the cast and nothing at all would change.
-Kilua full on leaves Gon to die. Gon was trapped by a nail in his coat, he struggles until tearing his coat instead of taking it off or taking the nail off. The coat is fine in the next camera angle.
-The biggest strategy they try is having Gon and Killua rush the villain while blocking, Leorio doing the same without blocking and Kurapika jumping over them to use chain jail.
-The bad guy uses nen while in chain jail
-Chain jail disappears between camera angles so the Spider does their second cameo
-The Spider kills visual representations of their powers.
-Chrollo's clone uses one power from his book, the wacky fish from york shin, they go away when they stop looking at them. After that he only tries to stab. Poorly.


A horrible take on everything HxH had to offer, sure, but I think it goes beyond that. The movie is just lain bad.

**Very minor spoilers ahead**

Let's get something straight right off the bat: this is not Hunter x Hunter. It may look like Hunter x Hunter, it may share the same soundtrack, it may have your old favorite characters, but if you are expecting the same masterful writing and style of the anime, you will be sorely disappointed.

The movie takes place directly following the Yorknew City Arc, and I would only recommend this anime to those who have at least seen Hunter x Hunter up to that point (in order to have a more full understanding of the charecter and story). Though, maybe those who haven't ... seen the anime will enjoy this movie even more. Not knowing the heights and brilliant characterization of the anime, you may be adequately satisfied with the way the characters are presented in this movie. Don't be fooled though, nowhere in the anime will you find a charecter as one dimensional and boring (honestly) as the main villain in this movie. Hunter x Hunter has always thrived on its ability to create diverse and truly intriguing characters. In the anime, you will find a broad cast of characters, but will struggle to find one alike another. In this movie, however, the main villain (a former member of the Phantom Troupe named Omokage - the one who Hisoka replaced as #4 in the Troupe), has a very interesting ability but a very tired and trope-y persona. He's not "evil", he's just "misguided" - you've seen this one before.

Of course, seeing the member Hisoka replaced is a welcome and interesting backstory, if only it had been done properly. We see the return of the rest of the Phantom Troupe as well. Suffice to say (without spoiling the movie), they are only used as it is convenient to resolve the plot. The same goes for Hisoka (one of the most brilliant and intriguing characters in the anime) as he is only used to swoop in at the last second (out of nowhere, I might add) when things look bleak. I should say, though, that there are at least a few good moments with the Troupe and Hisoka that bring enjoyment.

Alright, so Hisoka and the Phantom Troupe have been reduced to plot devices... and the main villain is uninteresting. But what about the core four? Does the movie at least get that right? Partially. I will start with this, the movie tries *very very* hard to shoehorn Killua's backstory with his brother (Illumi) in, but doesn't really add anything interesting or new to their relationship. It's the usual "don't fight battles you can't win"... "you're born to be a killer"... "you'll only betray and kill your friends" shtick we get in the anime. I'll add, I love the Killua-Illumi dynamic in the anime, and don't mind any of those things I just stated in just stated in the anime, but in the movie it feels very forced. Gon is basically a watered down version of himself, everything he does is relatively consistent with his charecter, but you never see the fire or passion we've come accustomed to with Gon from the anime. Leorio is hardly seen in the movie (he's present, but doesn't get a lot to do). As for Kurapika though...

Kurapika is honestly what saves this movie for me. He's what separates it from being irredeemable to being worth watching (and actually something I would recommend to some people). The movie gets Kurapika right. We get some some really interesting backstory on his life in the Kurta clan. My favorite scene in the entire movie is his flashback sequence as a Kurta. That entire scene felt very much like Hunter x Hunter, and really good Hunter x Hunter at that. His charecter is entirely consistent with the anime, and every scene focusing on Kurapika tends to work better than the others in this movie. His presence saves a predictable, drawn-out story from being completely deficient.

---

The Good:
+Backstory for Kurapika
+Excellent characterization of Kurapika
+Everything Kurapika
+Ending sequence (I got jitters seeing Kite, even if only for a moment)

The Bad:
-Hisoka and the Phantom Troupe reduced to plot devices
-Watered down Gon
-Predictable story
-Slow and drawn out pacing

The Ugly:
--Forced Killua/Illumi subplot
--One dimensional/boring villain

Overall: I recommend this movie to fans of Hunter x Hunter who want to see more from Kurapika, and have 90 minutes to kill. But be aware what you are watching is *not* Hunter x Hunter, it is an imitator with a few redeemable qualities.

If you're not a diehard fan of HxH who simply just can't get enough of it, then don't watch this. It'll probably turn you off from the series entirely. If you /are/ a diehard fan, be cautious. This may look good, but in my opinion, was pretty terrible. To be clear, this movie doesn't follow any manga storyline and just utilizes the vagueness of elements of the canon plot to create this. In my mind, it's not even close to canon. It reads like a mediocre fanfiction, in all honesty.

To begin with, the story is supposed to be sandwiched between the Yorknew and Greed ... Island arcs, even though it might not necessarily make sense. The Yorknew arc ended with Gon and Killua acquiring means to get into Greed Island, after all, so the circumstances for this to happen would not have occurred; at least not while Gon and Killua were still outside of the game. On top of that, there seems to be some inconsistency in the plot elements themselves. From time to time, Gon and Killua both demonstrate abilities that they shouldn't have developed until later in the series, like concentrating nen in different shapes and forms separate from their bodies. The nen of the 'villain' of this movie is rather confusing and explained very poorly, as in some occasions its described as a reanimation or 'zombieish' technique, while in other instances it has something to do with just making an embodiment of a person. While I tried to pay as much attention as possible to understand it, the idea of his nen was totally lost on me.

On top of that, there is some character 'undevelopment', if I can call it that. Killua goes back to his earlier state of believing in Illumi's brainwashing, though in canon he managed to get rid of it around the end of the Exam arc. He just reverts back to it and then, instead of being the calculated person he usually is, gives in to his emotions and does very stupid things that don't even make any sense. I won't discuss events in particular here, but there are just so many inconsistencies in characters and motivations that it made my head hurt.

Adding to that, Kurapika seems like a different person. While it's understandable that he may feel more vulnerable when faced with his past, he acts nothing like himself and further complicates the plot. Hisoka was a disappointment as well, which is saying a lot since he's usually one of my favorites. And I won't even go into the ways that the newer or more 'background' characters were completely OOC and strange, not to mention the 'villain' being way OP and not even having a discernible motive other than just simply being a nutcase.

While this doesn't fit neatly into one of the 'ratable' categories, the dialogue was also very strange at times. There were sudden profound flashbacks that sounded nothing like the characters, complete verbal contradictions that were never called out and unintended, and unecessary things that were said with seemingly no purpose. It felt like the script was written in one go and was never proofread. Overall, the plot, characterization, and interactions were all messes.

I think I've bashed this enough. Now to talk about some good things...

The art was gorgeous. Enough said. Every background, every movement, every character had so much work and time put into it. All of it was very well done and intricate, and even with the shit pile of plot going on, I couldn't look away because it was so beautiful.

In addition, the background music and the 'closing' and such were all very beautiful and fitting, so there are no complaints about that. There were a couple of moments where I found the VAs to be unfitting for the dialogue/character, but I was watching a dub so that's excusable.

While most of the 'characterization' was a miss for me, I did enjoy the flashbacks to Killua and Kurapika's childhoods because we saw different sides of them and what the implications made in canon really were when played out on screen. So yes, there were a few elements of the plot I did appreciate.

All in all, I spent most of the time staring at the screen in disbelief. Am I being harsh? Perhaps. But maybe that's because I expected a lot more, because HxH is such a wonderfully written manga.anime. I've learned not to go in with such high expectations, quite simply put.

I would recommend this if you: are a diehard Kurapika fan/want to learn a little about his past, want to learn a little bit more in detail about Killua's past, just can't get enough of our dear HxH cast and will take pretty much any material you got

I would NOT recommend this if you: don't want to ruin your HxH experience overall, don't tolerate plot holes or bad characterization, hate OP characters, are expecting a point to this whole saga, wanted something surprising or unpredictable, were going for something profound

Have a great day everyone!

This movie makes absolutely no sense.

Firstly, I cannot tell when it happens. It apparently happens after the Phantom Troupe arc, since it references many things that happened during that arc. But the opening sequence on the train makes no sense in the context of the plot of the show. The Greed Island arc takes place immediately after the Yorknew City arc, in the same location. So why would Gon and Kilua be on a train?

Anyways, watching the show is a requirement before watching this movie, otherwise, it won't make any sense. I'm fine with anime movies that do this, but the movie really starts to ... make me mad when it doesn't build off of any of the themes of the main show. It's an insult to so many of the main characters of HxH, and they don't seem to have the same motivations as in the main series.

Kilua and Gon bicker throughout the show in displays of childish emotion, and I hated every moment of it. Oh yea, Killua is suicidal now? This isn't mentioned at all in the main series, and it's not even mentioned for a minute before he ATTEMPTS SUICIDE. I cannot think of one good reason for why the writers thought this would be a good addition to the movie.

There are so many plot holes that it seriously gets distracting. Some are tolerable, but the mechanics and rules behind the puppets are so broken. It's established that someone needs to die to be resurrected as a puppet. It's revealed throughout the show that certain members of the Phantom Troupe are puppets. In the final moments of the movie, the rules are completely broken as the Phantom Troupe appears out of nowhere to kill their puppets to save Gon and co. Their motivations for this aren't even explained, and I can't think of any logical explanation for why they aren't dead.

The sound design is kinda bad. At points, lines are faintly spoken through one ear, to convey that they are a certain distance away from the camera. But they really exaggerate the effects of this, so some characters who are barely off-screen are really faint. As someone who is half deaf, there were certain lines that I couldn't even hear. A nitpick, but it was annoying.

The art is marginally better, but the movie is nearly worse in all other regards.

i quit after 10 minutes:
currently re-watching hunterxhunter 2011 and thought it would be good to watch this movie after episode 58. couldn't bear to see characters with those animations. its like i was watching a tv series like breaking bad and one of the episodes actors starts to act at porn star level... actually that would be interesting but this isn't

it was soo horrible if movie turns in to 10/10 masterpiece after ten minutes in, overall would be 4... since i can't bring myself to watch further i give this 4.

responsible peoples should be publicly shamed and turn into hikikomori.

this ten minutes ... made me feel better about madhause being dead

just looked it up and it is not dead, i don't know why i think it was. maybe i've seen this movie few years back and trauma made me delete whole studio from my mind. should've stayed like that

Phantom Rouge is a serviceable action shounen film. Decent, though unremarkable. However, for a film based on series as unique and complex as Hunter × Hunter, that may be the biggest crime of all.

The film is most certainly ambitious, and tries very hard to hit the same notes that have made the series a success. We need a cameo from Hisoka because he's one of the most popular characters, we need some creative and improbable powers, mostly ones we've already seen in the series, we need Kurapika taking revenge on somebody, and we need some drama centering around Killua, because for every tear Killua sheds ... a puppy is saved from being gassed. However, if you can't replicate the story structure and writing that Yoshihito Togashi was able to bring us, then these elements just aren't going to their targets as well.

While the story of Phantom Rouge goes into some potentially interesting places, it fails to be anything special as it ends up following a very standard formula. We get to know what happened to the original 4th member of the Phantom Troupe who Hisoka replaced, and his abilities and philosophy are interesting in how he can bring people back to life, but only as hollow shells of themselves under his control. His obsession with eyes its connection with his past give him a creepy motivation. But after these themes are introduced, the film never explores them in an interesting way. Instead it just goes the way you think it's going to go. We introduce a big bad guy with an evil laugh, there's a damsel in distress who has to be saved, and then we get a big fight scene towards the end. The climax in particular shows how uninspired this film is. One of the most interesting parts of the series is how it often averts your expectation from other shounen series. It often builds up to a big fight, but very rarely is this how the conflict is actually solved. In the film, however, we get that big fight scene. No need to properly discuss the villain's philosophy, because he's so extreme that it's obvious why he's in the wrong. The good guys just come up with reasons for why they are right, and then they fight, so any lesson they learn, becomes very shallow.

Omokage, the main villain, might be the film's biggest failure. With the exception of "Greed Island Bomber" Genthru, (who in all fairness may be even worse since he has more screen time and yet is even less ineteresting,) none of the villains from the series were completely evil, or even 100% in the wrong. Characters like Chrollo and Meruem may appear irredeemable at first, but they are all interesting in how they are developed and in their motivations, despite the fact that they have done terrible things. Omokage is just evil. He truly is irredeemable, the things he has done are beyond terrible, and he is nowhere near justifying any of it. When he is so extreme and so inhuman, there's just not that much for our heroes to think about, because it's so obvious what the right thing to do is. The only thing that causes a legitimate inner conflict for the climax, is the resurrection of Kurapika's old friend, but even then he only needs a few seconds to be convinced of what is right.

The one interesting thing that happens in the story, is that we get to know more about Kurapika's backstory. We get to see his village and a young boy named Pairo who he was good friends with. From what we see here, we get a better perspective of just how the slaughter of the Kurta clan has changed Kurapika as a person and why he's fighting to take revenge. The story in itself isn't that long or complex, but is very nice to see for any fan of the series. This part is based on a manuscript by Yoshihito Togashi that was never actually made part of the manga, and you can tell it's the only part of the film the original creator had a part in creating. It's the one part of the film I would recommend checking out if you're a fan of the series.

Despite the story not holding up, I would be lying if I said there weren't parts of the film I did enjoy. The animation is quite good, even if it lacks a bit in creativity during the fights. The environments look beautiful and some of the movement is very smooth. Even though I miss the clever and complicated ideas of the different nen abilities here, the actual fighting is still animated very well (except for Illumi's spastic kicking, which was just hilarious). There is one big missed opportunity, though. At one point in the film, two puppets have the eyes of two other characters, but they're still drawn as having the eyes of the characters they're modeled after. This is especially bizarre as Omokage comments on the contrast between body and eyes while we are shown no such thing. Considering how big of a theme eyes are in this film, that's a bit of a problem, and wouldn't it have been a fun opportunity to see these characters with other people's eyes considering how distinctive the designs on everyone's eyes are?

The voice actors from the anime return, and they are still doing a fantastic job, even when they have to say dumb things. Mariya Ise is one of my favorite Japanese voice actors, and her nuanced and boyish performance for Killua remains one of the best voice performances I've heard in an anime. Daisuke Namikawa's Hisoka voice is still absolutely delicious and creepy. The new voice actors for the film's original characters are also pretty good, especially Retsu's voice actress, Aya Hirano, the voice of Lucy in Fairy Tail.

I will also give the film credit that Kurapika and Leorio and very well represented here, for as little as we actually see them in the film. Leorio is even allowed to slightly useful for once. Gon and Killua both feel a bit off, however. While their friendship and their childish, friendly bickering is as adorable as ever, on their own, both of them act strangely compared to the series. The difference isn't huge, but it's just big enough to be noticed. Some of their traits are exaggerated in a bit of a strange way, while some moments feel entirely inaccurate, like when Gon figures out a bunch of things offscreen for the convenience of the plot. Since when was logical thinking one of Gon's biggest strengths? Overall, Gon seems to have an unfortunate combination of being bland and being overly perfect, which wasn't quite the case in the manga and anime. Besides that, I know Hisoka had to be in the film because of how popular of a character he is, but is there any reason why he shows during the climax only to help out the heroes? I mean... that's not something he typically does.

But... let's talk about Killua's arc for a bit. He is one of my favorite characters in anything, so I'm obviously going to be a bit picky here, but I still feel like they missed the mark. Essentially, his part of the story is about him overcoming the fears and rules his brother Illumi instilled in him and convince himself he's a good friend for Gon. The problem? This exact arc was already covered in the manga and anime. If we're supposed to believe this takes place after the Phantom Troupe arc, then it's a bit jarring that Killua goes through the same exact later arc in the Chimera Ant arc. And I know I'm saying the obvious here, but it was done better in the manga and anime. There it was properly explored why he was the way he was, and combating his inner cowardice took time and work. In the film, he's not as much fighting it as he is running away screaming until Gon comes to make things better, and then he's suddenly able to beat the crap out of puppet Illumi without much fuss, even though he was too scared to save his best friend ten minutes ago. At some point he even attempts suicide, which comes out of nowhere and feels like it's shoehorned in as a desperate attempt to be dramatic.

If you're not familiar with the series, a lot of this can be ignored, and the film is a perfectly serviceable shounen film with good animation, entertaining characters and a lot of fighting towards the end. But there isn't really much that stands out about it. And let's face, this is made for the fans of the series, as others might be a bit lost when it comes to the context of some things. For some fans, there might be enough cameos and funny moments to make them happy, but the film clearly isn't able to do what the series did. This might not be as big of problem if the film wasn't trying so hard to do just that and justify itself as being part of overall story, so you're left having to decide if is actually successful in that regard, and I just don't think it is.

I never thought Yoshihiro Togashi's wonderful work could be so spoiled in less than two hours. But it was.

"Hunter x Hunter Movie: Phantom Rouge" is the kind of movie I would actually appreciate if I were just looking for something to pass the time. Unfortunately, it is very far from the quality the Hunter x Hunter fans are used to. I had great expectations about this movie and they were all destroyed within minutes. Still, the movie can be a little enjoyable if you forget it should be connected to Hunter x Hunter. Which would be pretty strange, to say the least.

STORY - 2
The story ... is... meh. I couldn't see Togashi's genius in the plot. What disturbed me the most was the way the movie focused much more on Gon and Killua than on Kurapika, who was supposed to be the main character... right? Ok, ok. The movie shows (a bit) of Kurapika’s past. But Sheila (or Shiira) is completely absent! Who is Sheila, you ask. Exactly! She appears in the manga “Kurapika’s Reminiscences”, but was cut from the movie. Because of this exclusion, the scenes about Kurapika’s past aren’t as rich as they could have been. And now, the worst part. SPOILER AHEAD! If you don’t want to read them, jump to “ART”, ok? Gon and Killua fight Uvogin’s phantom doll alone. Let me say it one more time. Gon and Killua fight Uvogin’s phantom doll. Alone. Uvogin. Once known as the strongest member of the Phantom Troupe. Sometimes, protagonism spoils everything in the movie…

ART – 8
I’m ok with the art, except for the unnecessary special effects that made the final battle look kind of boring and the Kuruta’s “cute little white bunny eyes”. When a Kuruta gets angry their eyes become scarlet. That’s what the manga says. In the movie—as well as in the 2011 anime series—when Kurapika gets angry his eyes become pink!

SOUND – 6
The sound was ok. Personally, I prefer the 1999 anime version soundtrack.

CHARACTER – 6
Leorio was amazing in this movie. I love his silly personality. Kurapika was great too. Gon was… just Gon. Killua was kind of… strange. He acts differently in this movie because he is jealous of a little girl who becomes Gon’s new friend. Maybe that could work well in a fanfiction, but not in the canon. Hisoka is Hisoka. Illumi is Illumi. Nothing to complain about them. And the villain is… the villain is… I just can’t believe that guy is a Hunter x Hunter character. Bomber did much better in the Greed Island Arc.

ENJOYMENT – 3
Time to be honest. I love Leorio and Kurapika. So I loved all their scenes. But I didn’t like how the movie always focuses on Gon and Killua. Man, they’ve already received too much attention in the regular show. Their protagonism is ridiculous. SPOILER AHEAD (again): How could they fight Phantom Troupe’s members—ok, ok, they were not the real Phantom Troupe’s members, but come on!—as equals?

OVERALL – 4
As a huge Hunter x Hunter fan I expect no less than great stories and character development from the anime and movies. But “Phantom Rouge” story is poor, the characters created for it are bad and Kurapika receives little attention. I don’t recommend it. Of course, some fans will like the movie very much and I will never blame them for that. “Phantom Rouge” has good moments and, as I have said before, it can be enjoyable if you don’t care about its connection with the manga.

Final words: if you are a huge fan of Hunter x Hunter, watch the movie and make up your mind whether it’s good or not. If you just want to have some fun maybe you can find another—more exciting—movie to watch. If you don’t like Hunter x Hunter that much don’t even waste your time. But I really, really, really recommend the manga “Kurapika’s Reminiscences” because it shows Kurapika’s past in an awesome way and Sheila (or Shiira) appears on it!

I hope this review has helped you.

This was disappointing, even for a movie based on a shounen anime. My expectations were a bit higher than normal, since I thought, "This is HxH, surely the movies are better than your average shounen-based movie!".

Yeah, no.

Seeing as this is a movie and it is based off of a Kurapika side-story, I wish that he got more screen-time. The story itself is pretty mediocre and it features the #4 Phantom Troupe member that Hisoka replaced. The fights were extremely bland, just some people jumping around and punching each other, definitely not like your usual HxH fights.

I thought the plus to having generic fights is that ... at least there would be some great high-speed fight scenes, but no, there was none of that either. I noticed that a lot of the background music were piano/slow versions of the main TV show's opening and endings. I really liked that part, at least.

Although, the characters were the same, there was something off about them. There was a lot of crap about saving your friends and doing stuff for your Nakama, which was not what I'd expected to be what mainly happened in the climax.

Conclusion: This was hard to watch and the ending didn't really feel all that satisfactory either. The villain was extremely meh, so, it felt like the only thing that would've changed if he died was that this movie wouldn't have a cliché battle shounen movie ending. Oh, and Kurapika would lose his eyes. But, as if that would actually happen in a movie.

This will be a short review, since it's all this movie deserves anyways.

When I found out there was a Hunter x Hunter movie, (you see, I only recently started the series) I was overjoyed! However, looking back, I almost regret my feelings of excitement, because this movie was an utter disappointment.

Be warned- I will compare the film to the anime A LOT.

STORY- (7/10)

Apparently this movie was made from a scrapped chapter of Hunter x Hunter, written by Yoshihiro Togashi. Surprisingly enough, it seems to fit well, taking place between the Yorkshin City Arc and the Greed Island Arc. (when in reality, there was no ... gap between the two arcs). As many other people were, I expected this to be a film completely dedicated to Kurapika and his past. Nooo, this is a Gon and Killua film. Haven't we had enough of those two already? Anyways, moving on. The pacing was alright, nothing too fast or too slow. However, the way the story is executed is poor. The events are cheesy and predictable, and overall it lacks the uniqueness of the TV series.

ART- (7/10)

Art and animation is pretty much subpar to the originals. The backgrounds are bland, the characters aren't drawn very well, and at some points the animation is rigid. Somehow, it manages to feel like Hunter x Hunter, if you get what I mean.

SOUND- (8/10)

The soundtracks are taken directly from the anime. Personally, I am a fan of the OSTs in the show, so I am happy with the sound. Likewise, all of the original seiyuu from the anime are kept in their respective roles for this film. Overall, great.

CHARACTERS- (5/10)

It's quite obvious that this is where this film suffers. Are we even watching Gon and Killua, or some other person in their bodies? All the characters are majorly OOC. There is little to no more character development here. I won't go into much detail with them, other than that they aren't really likeable, but I have to mention one of them. Oh yes, I have to mention Killua. This simply is NOT Killua. First, he is an asshole to Retz (another extremely underdeveloped character who has NO significance) because he's jealous, then becomes extremely overprotective of Gon. Finally, he simply abandons Gon to Illumi, because he "doesn't have the right to be his friend." Yeaahhhh. Not one point in this movie did I NOT want to strangle him. Overall, poorly developed and portrayed characters.

ENJOYMENT- (7-10)

Eh, I wouldn't say I liked this movie. Sure, it was entertaining, but it was also a big waste of time. I wouldn't watch this movie again.

OVERALL- (7/10)

Overall, this film lacks the charm of the original, and was a major disappointment to me. It isn't a bad movie, though. If you don't know much about the HxH series as a whole, well, this is a great place to start. However, if you know and love HxH well, and would hate to see your favorite show butchered, just stay away from this movie.

Listen this movie is like kind of trash and I really wish it wasn't.
I'll start with the good things. Getting more or Kurapika's backstory is great, I feel he really got fleshed out more. There's also some fantastic scenes with Leorio that really had me feeling the love they have for each other. Killua and Gon also had a few moments like this as well which was sweet.
But honestly it's not great. It feels so much like they wrote this movie way too fast just to try and make some more money. The only good this movie is for getting to see Kurapika ... after he basically dropped off the Earth in the anime and that's about it.

Minor spoilers below!

After witnessing the spectacular serialization of the 2011 recut of Hunter x Hunter, as much as I loved it, it was only logical to crave for any related content, and the movies were the easiest, fastest and more accessible options left for me to experience before investing on whatever is available from Manga content. Like any great show, even between itself, it tries to up itself for how ridiculously high expectations it sets, and the praise this series gets only re-affirms that. But that is the kind of bittersweet drug that more than often leads to disappointment, but I was too blinded, way ... too excited to dive into something that unfortunately did not live up to my fantasies.

Story (7/10):
It took me a second to realize how rushed and forced the setting of the movie was. Looking at the fast pacing of the parent show, you wouldn't even decide for a suitable moment to base an entire movie story and having it make sense without any skepticism from the viewers, but unfortunately, this movie was anything but that.
The movie suffered from having an overloaded cast of characters, so much so, it didn't manage to properly focus on them all, like you'd have your selling figures, Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika. Aside from Kurapipa being the trigger that started the whole story of the movie, Gon and Killua were the “cameramen” that guided us through this journey, having them butt in the business of a former Phantom Troup member which later has the members of the Spider involved in one way or another.
The story was as simple as having the kids explore the town around, make a friend along the way, struggle against the villain, and then come back with a win on their second confrontation, pretty basic storytelling.

Art (8/10):
Hunter x Hunter's selling point was never in its visual. To say the least, Hunter x Hunter had a very consistent and eye resting animation that never strains the eye. However, for a movie, this wasn't all that captivating, I would argue the parent show looked better some times, I probably can point up to two scenes at most in this movie, where my jaw was leaning to drop in aww. Movies have been stereotyped to feature world-class animations, especially coming from both a big series, and a recognized animation studio, but this was just not it.

Sound (8/10):
Hunter x Hunter will always go down as one of the best vocal auditions I've ever heard in Anime, I love hearing the main characters, Gon and Killua to be exact while arguing all the time, they are just that good, and that's only speaking of the goofs, as when more serious characters partake in a conversation, it's audibly tingling on many neural levels.
I thought the classic OST remixes from the parent shows were a great come back too.

Character (7/10);
Hunter x Hunter for me, in terms of its characters, main or side they were, that's always a guaranteed 10/10. But it would be a bit too biased to stamp the 10/10 mark on this one just because it has the hunter name on it (very hard to not stamp it though), for now, we'll only focus on the movie original characters, specifically, the villain dude, and the friend that Gon and Killua made. And to be frank, I thought the weird hole-filled dude from the phantom troupes had me more interested in him than these two combined. They just didn't feel like characters from the same plane of existence as the rest of the cast.
Poorly written characters that live off a chliché troupe that east from the plate of revenge, that's almost for the sake of just that.
It was nice to see the Phantom Troupes make camera appearances, Hisoka and Chrollo too, glimpses of other characters like Kite and Ging at the end as well.

Enjoyment (7.5/10):
Not going to lie, as soon as I noticed myself constantly checking the time towards the end of the movie, I knew it let my hopes down.
It was cool and exciting at the start, but it grew dull nearing the end. Lesson learned for the next and last Hunter x Hunter movie.

Overall (7.5/10):
Welp, at least I learned to tame my expectations, but seriously though. I could have made it just fine without seeing the movie, it didn't add anything new to the Hunter x Hunter experience, it felt like a totally different series, no related vibes whatsoever were felt.

After watching all of Hunter X Hunter 2011, I decided to go back and watch the movies because I miss Kurapika. As much as I appreciate what this movie was trying to do with focusing on Kurapika and his backstory . . . it turned out to be garbage. I payed attention to maybe half of the movie before being so utterly bored and unimpressed that I let it play in the background while I zoned for the second half. As always, I loved Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio’s characters. I hated the introduction of Retz and the new villain. Both were boring and I ... didn’t care. I usually don’t have a problem with animation being somewhat poorly made because I understand the animators probably had little time to work on this, but not only was it so poorly done, it didn’t even look like HxH??? It was slightly off so I felt like I wasn’t even watching HxH anymore. The best parts of the story were parts that already existed in the main storyline so you could feel the contrast between what was added and what previously existed. This movie is hollow. Kurapika deserved better.

Basically, it's 1 hour 30mins of OOC hunter x hunter fanfiction but in a movie for some reason.

As someone who loves hunter x hunter, I was disappointed that the story was so basic. The show's writing is such a good deconstruction of typical shounen that watching this movie that gives in to so many tropes felt extremely jarring.

The movie villain was mediocre at best, his motivations were unclear and poorly built up. Didn't care about him at all, which in turn made me feel like I was missing any major conflict in the story.

Hisoka and the phantom troupe are in this movie for like 5 ... seconds and their presence in it felt more like fanservice than anything else. They really have no reason to even be part of this movie, they don't even DO anything. Their appearance in and of itself was jarring because they come out of nowhere.

Most of the characters were pretty OOC but ESPECIALLY Leorio and Kurapika. Jesus idk who wrote them in this movie but it could not have been Togashi. They felt like strangers to me.

The only entertaining part of this movie was Gon and Killua. Out of all the characters they felt the most in-character. Whenever they're on screen there's at least SOME enjoyable aspect to their interactions. There are only 2 remotely well-written scenes in this movie and you guessed it, they are scenes revolving around Gon and Killua's relationship.

The pacing overall is awful. The movie jumps around between flashbacks trying to quickly set up drama you don't care about, to then rushing through character intros, and then more explaining things to you instead of SHOWING things to you. It's so crazy because every trope the show challenges is used in this movie. It's like a betrayal to Togashi's original vision for this series. RUDE.

If you're a big fan of the series like me, you might wanna give this a watch just to enjoy some of the scenes with Killua and Gon. Other than that, it's honestly a laundry folding movie if anything. Boooo you wh*re.

Watching this made me miss HxH so much. As a HxH fan, I mainly watched this because I miss having HxH content to watch since I finished the manga and anime up to the latest update and realized I haven't been involved in HxH lately so decided to watch the movies. This movie brought back lots of memories of the Yorknew City arc.

Honestly, this show was focused more on Killua than anything so it might disappoint some people in a way because it wasn't focused on Kurapika the way you would think it would be but for me I don't mind since I love Killua. ... Essentially, the story is about how Illumi influences Killua into thinking that having friends only means they will betray you or you will betray them. We are also introduced to a character named "Retz" and we also get some canon Kurapika backstory which is surprising since I thought this movie would be a complete spin-off. So in Kurapika's backstory, we got to see Pairo. The main antagonist for this movie was the 4th member of the Phantom Troupe that Hisoka replaced but for spoilers-sake, I'm not going to disclose his powers or anything.

The thing is, even though the name of the movie is Phantom Rouge, we don't see the Phantom Troupe all that much and we don't see Kurapika as much either apart from his history with Pairo. Basically, if you are expecting a movie about the Phantom Troupe or more performance from Kurapika for his Nen abilities, your expectations won't be met since this is a more "friendship prevails" movie on Killua and Gon's part than anything else.

I don’t know why this movie receives a lot of hate, it’s really good.

I love seeing Killua’s flashback, Killua and Illumi’s dynamic, Kurapika’s relationship with Pairo, Kurapika’s backstory (it’s canon btw) which added weight to his conflict with the Troupe, Hisoka being Hisoka, the inclusion of the troupe and most importantly the main gang back together again!

It was nice to see Killua’s flaws and insecurities being mentioned:
Illumi instilling in Killua that he was a born a killer, that the only time Killua truly feels alive is when he kills, his trust issues e.g. Illumi telling Killua he shouldn’t have friends because he’ll one ... day betray them or vise versa, that he shouldn’t fight an opponent he has no chance of winning against, Killua’s fear of his older brother, his constant fear of one day ending up killing/betraying Gon. The scene when Killua said he hates himself and attempts suicide was powerful!

Killia’s development was done well. He wants to face his fears now and change to derseve a friend like Gon. Ultimately, he doesn’t want to betray Gon

I know I’m focusing a lot on Killua, but that’s because he’s my favourite and he had some of the most screentime in the movie :p

The only problems with this movie is in the last act:

Nen was underused, especially by Gon and Killua, which is inconsistent with the main show.

The friendship nakama oneshot Killua and Gon did against Illumi. Even though Illumi’s a puppet they shouldn’t stand any chance against him. Gon and Killua’s plan of charging in to block the bullets with nen as decoy was far too simple.

Kurapika could have gotten more screentime. It felt his character arc got shafted, but he still had some good development in the end by coming to terms with Pairo’s death and realising he’s still got friends

As much as I love Leorio and his presence in the movie, he was pretty useless...

The phantom troupe could have had more screentime

Omokage was the main villain of the movie. A short summary: he was the 4th spider in the Troupe before Hisoka replaced him.
Omokage’s motivation was wanting to save his sister after her tragic death which he caused by making her into a doll that would be immortal and live forever. For a puppet master, I liked how his twisted desires thematically tied into him being a puppet master. That was good, however he did act like a generic, psychotic evil villain at times with the whole ‘stealing eyes for his puppets’. Retz was a damsel in distress, but she at least had some development in the end because she just wanted to act like a normal girl.

Overall, it’s a 8/10 for me