Hunter x Hunter (2011) Episode 130 Discussion

MrAM said:
This was a great episode, as usual, but it had a few minor issues. The padding here was rather noticeable; Madhouse has been doing a good job with the pacing for the CA arc, but this episode in particular felt rather dragged out. I wouldn't be surprised if only one chapter was adapted with this episode. Also, the scenes involving Gon's grief at Kite's death, while well-executed, could have been a little better/stronger. Aside from that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Two things stuck out for me. The first is the little conversation that Killua had with Palm. It was brief and finished almost as quickly as it started, but it served its purpose: Killua has gained yet another friend. It being Palm is especially important because so much ill will existed between them back during the days that they were training with Knuckle. It's heartwarming to see the two of them move past their differences and be true, genuine friends. It also keeps with a theme prominent in this arc: Killua's newfound friendships. First Ikalgo, now Palm. For most of the series Killua's only friend was Gon. Now, finally, Killua has reached the stage where he can make friends easily, even in this sort of situation. It's subtle, but's it's a big deal for Killua, considering his life and background. It also provides a nice contrast with Gon, who contrary to Killua, has been isolating and cutting off himself from close bonds with other people, including his best friend.

Gon's breakdown was great. Madhouse's choice of coloring his memories blue when he was blaming himself and a fiery red when he was blaming Pitou was a wonderful stylistic decision. It also emphasized the duality of his emotions, which is important since the concept of duality has been such a big part of this arc. Here we see Gon struggle with himself, as he comes to terms with emotions and ideas far more complex than what he is accustomed to.

Gon oscillating between full-blown sorrow and blistery rage was reflected earlier, when he first confronts Pitou while she is healing Komugi. It is more pronounced here, as Gon blames both himself and Pitou. The fact that he blamed himself first is significant; it implies that he blames Pitou as a sort of defense mechanism, lashing out to spare himself the immense pain. We've seen him lash out verbally before, like at Killua, for example. But Gon's thoughts here are telling because they suggest that this whole time, Gon has been driven not just by rage at Pitou but by rage at himself. This arc had Gon grappling with feelings that were previously foreign to him, that threatened to shatter his optimistic world outlook. He broke down in tears after realizing how weak he was in ep 91; he despises the feeling. But there's more to it than that- he hates himself for being so weak, so helpless, to the point where he was effectively useless. In his mind, he killed Kite as much as Pitou did. But is he strong enough to face that thought head-on?

Apparently not, since he basically snapped this episode. It startled me just how quickly Gon's tough guy act dropped. His anger had been keeping him going for all this time; now, faced with Kite's actual death, it all collapses, as if it were nothing more than a brave facade. This is all yet another step in Gon's forceful maturity to adulthood, to the reality that optimism, hard work, confidence, and friendship won't always save the day. The CA arc has been unrelentingly brutal and bleak, as it had to be, to appropriately challenge Gon and to reflect his realization that the world isn't a nice place.

It's interesting, then, how fundamentally childish Gon's reaction to Kite's real death actually was. He cries helplessly, he blames himself and then others, and in the end he calls for help, even though it certainly isn't coming. That Gon would ask for help at all, when he has always prided himself on his ability to fend for himself, speaks as to how severe and life-changing this whole experience is for him. His switching back and forth between wallowing in grief and loathing and passionate anger in some ways reflects the King's duality between his Ant and human side. Ultimately, before the Rose, at least, the King chose his human side. Since the King and Gon have been paralleled throughout the arc as opposites, and based on the preview, I think it's clear what path Gon decides to take.