Hunter x Hunter: The Last Mission – Reel Asian 2014

Gon and his friends Killua, Kurapika and Leorio head to Heavens Arena to watch the Battle Olympia, in which their friend Zushi is a participant.  However, a group of hooded figures, known as The Shadows, takes over the building and holds Hunter Association president Isaac Netero hostage.  The Shadows are lead by a man named Jed, who has ties to Netero’s past and has submitted to the power of “On,” which draws from the deepest grudges.  Gon and his friends set out to defeat The Shadows and save Netero before he is executed at dawn. Hunter x Hunter: The Last Mission is the latest entry of a franchise that began with a 1998 manga and continued with multiple anime series’ and films, including this film’s direct predecessor Hunter × Hunter: Phantom Rouge (2013).  Like much serialized anime, Hunter x Hunter: The Last Mission already assumes that you are familiar with the cast of characters and concepts, such as the magical power of “Nen.”  Since this is my first exposure to Hunter x Hunter, I admit that many of these elements went over my head, though I was able to catch up enough to make the film comprehensible for me. The plot of Hunter x Hunter: The Last Mission somewhat proceeds like a videogame, with the characters, primarily Gon and Killua, fighting the various members of The Shadows, before meeting up with the “final boss” of Jed.  I also have to admit that I couldn’t help but think of Dragonball Z while watching Hunter x Hunter: The Last Mission, which shows how narrow my knowledge of fantasy-based anime is. While I probably wouldn’t consider myself part of the hardcore fanbase of films like this, I still thought that Hunter x Hunter: The Last Mission was an OK enough watch.7 | FAIR