Hunter x Hunter Episode Four

If what I've heard about this show is true, their happy, innocent faces are going to get fucking broken.

Most of today's episode was the Hunter Candidates running through a tunnel, followed by them running up stairs. This sounds like a good time to explore some character motivations! Gon talks about his deadbeat dad deciding to go off and be a Hunter instead of spending time with him. Kurapika talks about how his clan was hunted for their pretty red eyes. And Leorio talks about his friend who died of a curable disease, then reveals that despite looking like he's closer to my age, he's a teenager like the rest of them. Cue deadpan anime reaction shot. After they reach the top of the stairs, the Candidates find out they still have to run through a swamp filled with creatures that will use deception to try to kill and eat them. And if the Candidate is lucky, the creatures will do it in that order.

I enjoyed this episode for being smart about how it used the time in an otherwise slow section to really lay some groundwork for future plot points. Gon and his future best friend Kilua begin to bond as they race through the marathon, while Kurapika and Leorio are quickly having their abrasive and combative banter lower to a simmer as they learn more about each other. Also, the scene where a creature tries to lure a bunch of Candidates away by saying their Examiner is a fake works in two ways. One is to both show the danger of the swamp they're about to enter. The other is to once again show again how dangerous (and creepy) Hisoka is. This show is keeping up a good pace to start, and while I'm happy that is the case, I'm hoping I'll be saying the same in twenty or thirty episodes.