00:00:00 ⟾ Format - Yorknew Part 2 00:00:18 ⟾ Overall - Depth: characters, plot, world, power system 00:01:06 ⟾ Characters - Silva and Zeno: humour, power, humanity, devotion 00:01:47 ⟾ Togashi’s Character Work 00:02:13 ⟾ Characters - Kurapika: revenge, obsession, hatred, means, arc, power 00:03:46 ⟾ Characters - Kurapika: Pakunoda/Chrollo/Gon/Killua trade scene 00:04:56 ⟾ Characters - Kurapika: friends, explaining abilities scene, Melody 00:06:14 ⟾ Characters - Melody: powers, personality 00:06:28 ⟾ Characters - Kurapika: friends vs. revenge 00:06:55 ⟾ Characters - Killua: friends vs. killing 00:07:20 ⟾ Characters - Gon: morality, attachment 00:07:58 ⟾ Characters - Leorio 00:08:12 ⟾ Phantom Troupe - abilities, loyalty, humanity 00:09:27 ⟾ Phantom Troupe - Uvogin* {not Uzo} and Nobunaga 00:09:40 ⟾ Phantom Troupe - Post-Uvogin Turmoil: anger, revenge 00:10:11 ⟾ Phantom Troupe - Post-Chrollo Turmoil: ranks, order, desperation, care, Meteor City 00:10:58 ⟾ Phantom Troupe - Pakunoda: Chrollo deal, sacrifice, loyalty 00:11:35 ⟾ Togashi Storytelling - balancing protagonists and antagonists 00:12:57 ⟾ Characters - Hisoka: fake deaths scene, abilities 00:13:47 ⟾ Power System - complex, possibilities, layers, unpredictability 00:14:48 ⟾ Characters - Hisoka: bloodlust (Gon and Chrollo), non-fight vs. Chrollo 00:16:04 ⟾ Characters - Hisoka: place in family, motivation, patience 00:17:39 ⟾ Characters - Chrollo: abilities, charisma, stealth, cunning, value for strength and life, philosophy 00:20:29 ⟾ Phantom Troupe - effect of Uvogin capture/death 00:20:52 ⟾ Phantom Troupe - future possibilities 00:21:10 ⟾ Togashi Character Work - time, care, nuance 00:21:24 ⟾ Overall - Tonal shift, turns 00:22:06 ⟾ [Promo] Vlog Channel, Patreon, Discord 00:22:33 ⟾ Overall - stakes, characters, organic storytelling 00:23:17 ⟾ Upcoming - Greed Island, Format 00:23:46 ⟾ [Promo] [Credits] Schedule

Wow she’s undulating with enjoyment of this arc!

Hunter X Hunter's Yorknew Arc is like One Piece's Water 7 Arc. It expands the world greatly and introduces a ton of opposing factions. Both made me want to read the rest of the story.

Chrollo is a very fascinating character. Very hard for the audience to understand him since even he says he doesn’t understand himself. His ability is very revealing, he steals and takes other people’s abilities like he changes his masks because he doesn’t know what his true self is.

Something I love about this arc is that the climax essentially came down to both sides choosing to avoid mutually assured destruction. When Chrollo received his fortune it seemed to say that the Phantom Troupe would be cut in half, but Kurapika would also die. I desperately wanted Kurapika to forestall his revenge, because I knew that if he didn't, he would die. Gon and Killua would also be caught in the crossfire and would die in the process. The Phantom Troupe on their end knew that fighting Kurapika would lead to the death of five more members, and thus some of their members were also trying to avoid conflict. It was satisfying to see a ceasefire to such a spiralling situation.

Merphy: decides it's best to avoid splitting up the arcs even if they're long Me: looks ahead to the Chimera Ant Arc...

I recommend watching the "Requiem" scene from the anime. The music with Chrollo reading out the prophecy about the spiders is so good. One of my favourite scenes from the show.

Chrollo is awesome, I love how he mourns the loss of Uvo just as much as the other spiders but doesn’t express it and remains strong in front of the troupe. Only letting himself feel and mourn while in the presence of a stranger. He is the strength that is needed to keep the troupe together.

Pakunoda’s death scene was executed extremely well in my opinion. That moment solidified my love for the Hunter x Hunter series. And the moment that happens later before Greed Island with Gon, Killua, Feitan, and Phinks was the cherry on top.

Lol for an arc that features Kurapika so heavily, you really couldn't stop bringing up Killua ;^)

Yorknew is my favorite arc in HxH. We get introduced to so many cool characters, and the story wasn't solely focused on Gon and Killua, but we also got to see more from Kurapika. The Phantom Troupe is 🔥

I feel like Merph should give up on the "feelgood, lighthearted fun time" Manga series until we actively give her one to read.

Your analysis of Gon's morality being dependent on his attachment to a person is spot on! This is going to become quite relevant in a later arc, so keep it in mind. Anyway, good review!

merphy is getting real close to ''THAT'' arc, and i can't wait, these videos just make me even more gitty for when she reaches it ahah.

What I love about this arc is that it shows you that not every character has to fight, some of them have supportive abilities, like Melody, and they are extremely important in a strategic sense. Like, one of the coolest things in this arc is when Kurapika tells the Phantom Troupe that he has a friend who can hear their heartbeats and tell him if they're lying to him or not. Like, "don't even try to bullshit me". It's so cool 🤣

Yorknew is not an arc that I really appreciated when I was watching the original 1999 anime as a kid. Rewatching the 2011 anime as a teen also didnt make me appreciate it as well since I had already formed my opinions on it as a kid. Now as an adult rewatching the 2011 anime made me appreciate it more. My favorite scenes from this whole arc is definitely Paku’s sacrifice and Uvo’s requiem.

I picked up HxH as a reprieve to One Piece intensity recently but my goodness this series is bit of a monster in its own right. No reprieve gotten but another thing I can’t get enough of.

The thing I love about this arc and Togashi is that the climax isn't some big battle and the falling action is done really well, Togashi just doesn't leave everything out there, he ties all the loose ends and gives us very emotional moments after the climax. The climax isn't a big battle it's a negotiation, which is really different from many shonen that use fighting as the climax of everything. I really love the phantom troupe.

Chrollo's requiem playing is so beautiful especially in the manga mourning for Uvogin while the other members destroy the city lul plus his showdown with the Zoldycks is awesome but most of all poor Hisoka lost his chance to fight Chrollo at full power

Is it weird that i like watching your reviews, even for series i never read ? 🙃 I guess i just appreciate hearing people present a thoughtful discussion of something they enjoy, even if i don't have any idea what they're talking about.

wowww! i loved how you figured out togashi writing style in 23.11 there is a interview with togashi and sui ishida (author of tokyo ghoul) which might interst you... Ishida: Hisoka is a really mysterious character, so drawing him is really difficult. I was looking for hints in places like that. Togashi: How much you can bring out his whimsy is very important. When I want him to do something the most is when he is least likely to move for me. It’s easier to just step back and not think about anything - then he will move on his own. It’s the same way right now in the main story - I just create the surroundings, environment, battle set-ups, and leave Hisoka’s movements up to Hisoka. Then his character will burst out for me. (just like you pridicted merphy) Ishida: You’re right, I can see him bursting out just with my imagination (laugh). Togashi: But I kind of put on the brakes. Ishida: Oh, you did? Togashi: Hisoka wanted to do more, but there were some places where I put on the brakes inside myself. I regret that a little bit

Finally! my fav arc an my fav character Chrollo. Manga is always good Merphy, and I am really enjoying that you are immersing yourself in this storytelling medium as well.

There's nothing quite like reading HxH for the first time.

22:43 YES, you articulated this so well, it's the main reason hunter x hunter is one of my favorites. I just personally value that specific style of writing so much in anything I consume. Glad you're enjoying the series, can't wait to see your reactions for the next arcs, great video as usual.

What I like about HxH. There a lot counter a counter of counter. For example, when corolo back to hideout. The spider tell that there are 2 kid who run away and know their hideout. We know that spider are strong, yet the leader ask kortopi to make many duplicate buildings, and when somebody enter the fake building they will know it. In other side when kilua back to keep watching the spider hideout, he surprised that now there are lot building than before. With careful he tell kurapika about it. Kurapika then ask melody to join kilua since melody skill is useful to check which one that fake building in case there are trap in fake building. Those interaction. Are enjoyable event though not much impact in story but it make the world hxh seem alive, and interesting

I was literally counting the days for this video. Kinda embarassing BUT ITS HERE! Also Uzo is definately my favorite Phantom Troup drink from Greece :^)

I love this arc for its themes, twists and the villains.

Pakunoda: why didn't you two runaway. gon and Killua: we'll do the exchange, we don't want our friend to become a murderer.. Kurapica sweating intensifies!!😅😅

York New is my favorite arc in the series. It's just so good!

One of my favorite scenes is when Gon asks Chrollo why does he kill people who have nothing to do with him. Such an amazing scene, we get a glimpse of what Chrollo’s true character is.

As far as I'm caught up with the story, this arc is still holding its place as my favourite one of HxH! Even tho the majority of the fanbase is more inclined towards the next big arc... But what I really drew me in into this one is that it was so condensed with heavy action, dark themes, it also focused on some great characters that were just introduced, and overall a most enjoyable experience!

I love that we're already questioning Gon's morality lol I also love the fact that kurapika prioritized his friends over revenge it shows how mature and wise he is , he's more than a revenge character kurapika is so self aware and introspective , he knows what he's doing isn't the best course of action and he knows that he should just let it go and be with his friends but at this point revenge is his addiction and he can't stop , i love how when he thinks the troupe members are dead he first feels hollow and empty but then goes to his friends and is happy again , we usually see this at the end of a revenge plot how the character feels empty and all that but here togashi gave us the "what if" early and showed us that kurapika isn't a one note characterand that he has more than revenge , what's really sad about kurapika is watching this pure idealistic kind person throw his humanity for revenge while being fully aware of the consequences and the pointlessness of his goal

I think that a really interesting point is the family motif through the series, from gon's family, to killua's family, to kurapika's clan, to the mafia families, to the phantom troupe etc. Like no matter what the series decides to jump to, there's this constant idea of family or rather the concepts associated to it that keep taking the spotlight. I feel like there's a constant need to find and value connections and find a place to belong to.

The fact that ability of chrollo translate his complete personally explode my mind really hard. He sees people as tool for him, so he uses their ability as tool too. Just brilliant.

A KZfaqr called Aleczandxr has an amazing character breakdown of Chrollo that I think you should definitely check out. If I’m not mistaken there aren’t any spoilers beyond Yorknew.

York new is my favorite arc of hxh, everything after it doesnt even come close for me

I’m glad your reading the HXH manga because it’s simply the best way to experience the story, however once your caught up on the series, I’d really recommend watching the 2011 anime, just because it’s absolutely phenominal and improves the story in some regards.

How you described the freeness of HxH's world at the end of this review makes me so so happy! I feel like a lot of people don't pick up on or appreciate that aspect, while it's one of the main reasons I love it so much. It really feels like Togashi straight up manifested a world into existence and then just let it play out as it would naturally. I feel like any character could be our protagonist, we just so happen to be following Gon and his friends. The later arcs only compound this as well, I hope you will continue to enjoy this open world story like I have.

The way you described hxh at aroun 23:15 is EXACTLY how I've viewed the series and why I love it so much. It really feels like you are just a camera following a set of people through an already existing world and I freaking love it.

This arc is amazing. I'm gonna point out little panels that you didn't directly mention that I love and think are very important: 1) Zepairu's analysis about Gon's morality 2) The short and confusing monologue of Chrollo when Gon asks him "why he kills people" 3) The encounter of Gon/Killua & Feitan/Phinks (Phinks explains two important things; Nen post-mortem and Nen exorcists) also it makes love more the Phantom Troupe when Phinks says "Paku wanted to thank you" 4) Melody talking about Killua's estinto walk (That he doesnt make noise when he moves) 5) The subtle foreshadowing of Killua's issue with fighting stronger opponents and how he is inspired by "protecting Gon" 6) They way Gon thinks of Kurapika's chains as a tool to avoid mercilless killing, trying to think of Kurapika as someone that could forgive or something like that. But Killua explains that the Chains are way to specific for vengeance and the only reason they are built that way is because Kurapika has to interrogate various enemies. That's all I can remember right now

It's so odd to read the Phantom Troupe talking about their leader being kidnaped and thinking "Damn, I wish my coworkers could be this thoughtful and considerate when we make decisions" The way they calmly all lay out their emotions and parse their feelings along side the facts and what they should do makes you understand why they all have become a family and work so well together.

Chrollo is actually my favorite character. One of the strengths of the series is that even the villains tend to have good qualities such as his love for his friends and they become his motivation for the latter half of the arc. He’s just such an interesting guy.

I only watched the 2011 anime and read afterwards the last chapters of the manga before waiting for togashi's return. But the moment that will stick most to me from the Yorknew arc is the first auction killing from the phantom troupe. When that happened in the anime I was like..........what am I watching. It went from 0 to 100 real fast and it got more and more brutal and thrilling and after the requiem slaughter I realized it's gonna be one of my fav things of all time. So excited to see more manga reviews from you!!

"Togashi is not a lazy writer." I find that funny for some reason 🧐🧐

Hunter's Exam will always be my favourite arc tbf but York New is awesome!

Given how fascinated Merphy seems to be with "going inside the video game" maybe we should recommend her some isekai next. Overlord is amazing and she could read the light novels, or maybe more fitting for her specifically would be "Ascendence of a Bookworm".

I love the character details that you pick up on! I can't wait until you see how certain characters get fleshed out in future arcs. :D

I am so happy you are doing this I can't wait till u get to the next arc

And now you know why York New is my and many many others' favourite arc. Yes to everything you you said. I will only add that while Nen IS boundless, it has clear boundaries at the same time!

every member of the spider is important on building the "body" of the spider and the story in terms of characterization making the phantom troupe what it is subconsciously showing the reader the purpose of each character in the plot.. the character that i think whose purpose gets overlooked all the time is Uvo... his morality is simplistic yet deep... he has a mind and body as strong as his will and love for his "family"... kurapika lost his fight with uvo.. uvo won the fight by not giving kurapika what he wanted and in the process losing himself... uvo knew he was dead moments after he realised he couldnt do anything... and selflessly saying kill me... in other words theres absolutely zero chance im giving my family up to you and theres absolutely zero chance youre breaking my will... even in that fight he was the strongest... kurapikas paradox got even deeper when he felt disgust in himself for killing a member of a group he despises but then giving them the ultimate respect by giving him proper burial and in a way him self mourning the death of uvo or the death of himself... him burying uvo represents him burrying himself and basically saying now theres no way back this path i have chosen... when chrollo orders the phantom troupe to "go wild" meaning wreck everything and kill anything... this is an ode to their falling comrade... in a similar sense which a band member would dedicate a guitar solo to their guitar player who has then since passed... "go wild" was uvos philosophy so the best way they could honor the memory of a brother and mourn together would be following his philosophy in his memory.. hense "can you hear us uvo? we dedicate this requiem to you".. both kurapika and the phantom troupe mourned uvo in their respective ways.. both parallels representing the construction and deconstruction of a protagonist and antagonist.. one on the road to loosing them selves and the other on the way to finding himself.. because of the death of uvo

Love seeing people getting into HxH!! I had always heard good things so I eventually watched the anime and then when I learned there was more in the manga I immediately read the manga, it was actually the first manga I ever read and it took some getting used to but I'm so glad I did!! I just finished what is released of Berserk and just don't know what to do with myself at this point. Lol

Yorknew lives rent free in my head when I think of anime and manga. I wish Togashi would come back one day and finish up the series, but he left us on a good note making bangers like this and CA

addictive is a great way to describe HxH, been years and I can't still consuming content about HxH and re-watching the 2011 anime over and over. Re-reading the manga, always finding new little details, I love it.

BEST MANGA REVIEWER EVER PLEASE NEVER STOP UPLOADING MANGA REVIEWS

showing some pages while explaning is really nice

This arc really encapusaltes how well written and focused Togashi makes his characters. The Phantom Troupe is probably one of my favorite antagonist groups in manga JUST because of how well written they are! So glad you liked Yorknew and on to Greed Island!

When merphy was talking about hisoka and how he just wants the perfect opponent, I was just constantly being reminded of another character.

So glad you're enjoying Hunter x Hunter. It truly is a special tale and more is yet to come. I love seeing your reaction as this incredible journey unfolds. The Greed Island Arc will definitely keep Merph enthralled but are any other fans now massively excited that she is now only one arc away from the Chimera Ant Arc? There will be some huge reactions in those videos. Can't wait!

I am so happy you felt for the PT. I think that was one of my favorite things for the entire arc. How by the end the PT was the hero’s and the MC’s the villains. I will also say that yes this power/ magic system is top tier because each and every character has their own blend of powers some are similar but the truly awesome and powerful are the ones that are the most unique.

Bro i'm crying i am so happy to see someone new enjoying this series so much. God i miss hxh

The Silva and Zeno vs Chrollo is my favorite part of this arc. The professional nature of this assassin family is so interesting.

Melody is best girl. Love the appreciation of the Zoldycks. You said stuff about Killua that makes me think this arc's epilog is at the very very start of the G.I. volumes. The longest arc can be 2-4 videos or even more. Could be split into setup portion, preparation, fights, and post craziness/wrap up. Would be roughly 33 chapters per vid at 4. Sucks when reviewers binge it and gloss over so much in the review.

When u started to talk and go into more depth with Hisoka and then Chrollo I got goosebumps lmao I’m so glad you enjoyed this arc and those two characters in particular cause those are my favorites along with Killua and Kurapika. Thanks for making me remember why this manga is easily one of my favorites and so close to top 1 for me. What I love most about Yorknew is that we aren’t always with the main characters, we spend so much time with the antagonists as well and let them shine, not many authors do that.

Great review Merphy! You have a pretty good understanding of Chrollo but for a more complete breakthrough of his character, I would suggest watching some analysis videos once you fully catch up. A lot of his character writing is implicit and can go under the radar easily. It is built into the enigmatic nature of his character. As for Leorio, I totally get why you think that way but I feel like he's written to be a normal, caring person who helps to ground the story and the characters. I don't wish to get into spoilers, but I hope you enjoy your time with the rest of the series!

It left you getting what you needed from the characters and alot more to want in the future. Hunter Hunter is a masterpiece of character perspective

You really should watch Uvogin's Requiem in the anime It's such a beautiful scene !

At the end of York New there is a scene that is one of my favorite scenes in all of anime. Gon and Killua are at the auction and find they are seated next to Phinx and Feitan. After 5:40 being chased down they find out that the Phantom Troupe is no longer interested in them. In fact the Troupe has a bit of admiration for them. We find out that Pakinado just wanted to save Chrollo, her friend, from being mirdered, just like Gon wanted to save Kurapika, his friend, from becoming a murderer. This discovery changes the Troupe in such a profound way. They were on the brink of breakup, but became stronger, not only to Pakonado’s sacrifice wasn’t in vein, but also because her care for Chrollo’s life mattered. I just love this. I love that you can see the change in the Troupe in the way it was animated. It shows why the Troupe is so dangerous, because of their care for each other. They are the only group of villains who actually have the power of friendship. It’s so refreshing. And this scene highlights that theme perfectly.

The Yorknew arc is amazing, it expands on so many things that I love about hunter x hunter. Like the types of hunters, especially Melody, who is a music hunter, that in itself is amazing to me; in types of power, because it is affected by the person's personality and experiences, so everyone have a different hability, and this arc shows so many different habilities, so amazing really. Also the world and characters are expanded on so much. Such an amazing arc.

I 100% agree with your take on Pakunoda. She's absolutely integral in getting the feel of the Troupe

“Togashi is not a lazy writer” 😂😂 fully true but funny to think lots of hxh fans would say otherwise because of hiatus

Leorio will have his moment rest assured. Melody puts it best when she says he has the kindest heart she’s heard

22:45 I think you hit the nail on the head here. Togashi's stories have a plot that is dictated by the characters within it, not the situations those characters are put in. And with the depth of the characters, you get unexpected results from the way in which they interact with each other. I'd liken it to a game of pool, where Togashi aims carefully before setting things into motion, seeing the complex ways in which the balls collide and bounce off each other, and utilizing those interactions to get each ball where it needs to go.

Hunter x Hunter is the first anime that made me read the manga… I couldn’t get enough.

Merphy you are my favorite KZfaqr by far 🥺💜🤞🏾😩. Love your enthusiasm

so much happens in this arc. from finding out about the game. to Kurapika's vendetta and Uvo taking on the shadow beast and giving you an idea of the power scale for an advanced nen user outside of the challenge tower. because those were rookie nen users and now you get honed blades sharper than scalpels! to them going around the flea market and learning nen can be put into objects outside of themselves in the way that the message for gon was then to take that a step further with Kurapika's chains!!!! the level of big brain nen logic always astounds me. I wish you could see the parallels from his previous work. as Killua is inspired by Hei, Kurapika is inspired by Kurama, Leorio with Kuwabara. and Gon being inspired by Yusuke. getting to see how much Togashi has grown as a writer is insane but also how far he's gone in terms of foreshadowing. Yorknew was very much a crucible for Kurapika. as he went from someone who had nothing left to lose to finding something he wanted to protect and that being gon and killua just punches me in the heart. and can we all just admit that manga is such an easily consumed bit of media? feeding your eyes and your mind and it's so much more well-paced then western comic books. it's like a series of graphic novels and you just burn through them.

I think (and hope a little bit) that Kurapika having to choose between saving his friends and getting his revenge is the realization of what was set up by Gon during the Hunter Exam arc, when he was pondering what he'd actually do if he was saddled with a choice like that.

The nen power system is so complex and amazing

Hunter x Hunter is one of my favorite series, I'm so happy that you are enjoying it so much!!! :) Your manga reviews in general are literally the highlight of my week.

The best Quote i see in this Arc is " In Meteor city people have bond stronger than blood and same time thinner than water " I saw it in anime

Hunter x Hunter is my favorite series and this arc is my personal favorite. I first encountered it on the TV when I was a kid and you have no idea how my mind was blown, I was so used to the straight-up good guy bad guy dynamics that what they were showing was so out of this world for me. I love the series so much that I don't think I can ever look at it objectively.

This was one of my fav arc. Really enjoy it! Anyway, in some part, you kept miss-named Kurapika with Killua. It's okay, we understand you Merp 😊❤️

Yorknew City is probably my favourite arc. Any arc focused on Killua or Kurapika has so much depth that I can't help falling in love with them.

Sometimes you mixed up the names lol but its understandable because its happen to me when I first watch the anime. Great review btw.

This is the type of content I need since the great hiatus arc is going on for so long

Let's go! York New Part 2!

I hope Murphy see this, Chrollo doesn't wish to die or wish to kill other people. He doesn't know who he is or his purpose in life is. His identity IS phantom troupe. His purpose is what the troupe wants to do.

So glad you enjoyed this arc, really hope you enjoy the rest of this series as well. The best is yet to come!

“Let’s zero in on Hisoka because he is a character that will never stop fascinating me” thank you for codifying how every conversation about this show eventually ends.

For all the reasons you mentioned York New City is easily my favorite Hunter x Hunter arc. It's incredible🔥🔥🔥

Wait a minute, when did your subscriber count boom so much?? I remember seeing you first with the unpopular Harry Potter opinions video and watching you for a long time through your Avatar experience. Congrats on the success!

You might enjoy Vinland saga

I have watched a couple of episodes of this show, and i dont know, even with all the praise it gets, i never felt the need to read the manga/anime. Maybe i will do so now, since Merphy seems to like it that much.

I don't know why but I always get sad during the future reading scene with the Phantom Troupe when some of them can't get their futures read because they don't know their own birthdays.

after chrollo gets his fortune and realise from it that Uvo is dead and sheds a tear, that was *cheff's kiss*

girl i spent a solid 10 minutes trying to figure out when the fuck Killua held Chrollo hostage and then realised you were still saying Killua when referring to Kurapika I'm crying 😭

I'm just surprised on the length of this video. Yorknew City Arc is like 50 odd chapters long and its total review is 50 min long, on the side on my screen I have the recommendation of Sabaody Arc Review by Merphy which is also 50 mins long while the arc was just 24 chapters, half of Yorknew, xD. Well done Merphy, you've learnt to condense your reviews.

Yorknew is my second favorite HxH story arc off all time. You will soon get to my, and a lot of people's, favorite story arc....

Nen is my all time favorite magic system. Like you said, the powers from it seems to have ENDLESS possibilities, but Nen is also such a complex system with very strict rules and restrictions on what you can do and how it works. It shows that having a hard magic system doesn't necessarily lend to a soft magic system, where there's hardly any restrictions and it's basically just "sandbox mode magic".

Probably still my favorite arc

To me, the powers that surprise me every time is from JJBA. It’s not complex like nen but still really fun.