Hunter x Hunter Episode Five

"Hi."

Today, it's running, but in a swamp! And instead of withdrawing because of exhaustion like in the tunnel, the Hunter Candidates who withdraw in the swamp do so due to being horribly killed. Either by being impaled on spikes after falling down a pit, getting eaten by some giant animal, or straight up killed by Hisoka. After killing a group of Candidates that were about to attack him, Hisoka sets his sights on Kurapika and Leorio, the latter of which decides it's a good idea to attack him with just a large stick. This leads to Gon's first confrontation with the creepy clown, one that ends with Hisoka's hand around Gon's throat. But, Hisoka is apparently the type that likes to play with his adversaries, so he lets Gon live, telling him to become a Hunter. But, he takes Leorio's unconscious body with him, for reasons I'm not sure we want to know, as he had knocked him unconscious during the fight.

Now, this is what I was waiting for with Hunter x Hunter, shit getting real. I saw people get eaten in a creepy swamp today. I saw the bad guy show that he ain't nothing to fuck with. And I saw Gon's first moment of pure badassery. It's one thing to help your friends when you're just trying to make it to a test site, it's another to go back and help them in a life and death fight. What I found more interesting than his nobility was how Gon talked about the simultaneous feelings of fear and excitement that coursed through him during the fight. It's like this was the first time he had really felt a rush of pure adrenaline in a long time, which was probably the case given the quiet life he has lead up until taking the Hunter Exam. Either way, I think I'm hooked on this show. It was quite tempting to go on to the next episode today, but I'll wait twenty-four hours. Somehow.