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| So...........damn..............BEAUTIFUL! T_T |
| "No matter how much of a genius one is, in front of the Uchiha name, they're just ordinary people." - Sasuke Uchiha |
| That was a better love story than all romance animes out there. I don't want this series to ever end. |
Satouji said: Actually my point was how easily human's thoughts can be manipulated. Have you realised that you're crying for a killer ? Others have responded, but I want to make my own input. I'm not sure about your predispositions on morality, ethics, and justice, but I'm betting you're a strong supporter of retributive justice - that all crimes should be punished accordingly, no matter the circumstances. Barring the restorative vs retributive justice argument from the onset, I would say that for the circumstances regarding Meruem, there needs to be special considerations, as it's very hard to apply human notions of morality to something that lies outside of that boundary. What first must be considered is that he's essentially an infant - he, along with most other chimera ants, have inherited human intellect and the ability to communicate as such from the moment of birth from residual memory. Not all ants, however, have memories of prior lives, and such "blank slates" are born with the ant instinct overpowering any notions of human society or values - it seemed especially strong in Meruem when he was born, because as all ants value most, his strength was the greatest, which meant however he imposed himself on the world was the only justice to chimera ants. Try to put yourself in Meruem's perspective at the onset - you've just recently emerged from the womb, and everything defers to you. You're all-powerful, and you know it. You know nothing of individualistic society and values, and you have no reason to care; you're an ant, and you must pave way in the world for your race. What Meruem lacked from the onset was perspective - he knew nothing of humanity, their values, or their worth; all he recognized was strength. One month later, enter Komugi. We all know how their relationship pans out, and how Meruem comes to see the worth in humans. The point is, it took the miracle of prolonged human interaction and intimacy, something that directly contradicts the simple yet powerful drive of ants, to give him a growth in perspective; that his human intelligence and latent desire to sate his emotional and philosophical hunger could only be realized by interacting with another individual - someone that doesn't immediately deign to his every command. The point is, in the beginning, he was only following his nature - you can't tell me that the Meruem we saw at the end was the same monster driven by the desire to rule over all - he simply wanted to die playing a game with the human he had grown to admire and love, without an ounce of bitterness or malice. If you've ever watched Star Trek:TNG, then you just may have seen the episodes involving the "Crystalline Entity". The Federation has the capability of destroying a being that has devoured the life-force of planets once and for all, but Captain Picard, whom holds the authority, has great reservations about doing so. Picard, quintessential humanist and model starfleet officer, upholds the value of all sentient lifeforms - in order to properly judge something, there must be an understanding between parties of what it is doing wrong. There was strong evidence to suggest that the Entity was sentient, but had no known means of communicating with humanoid lifeforms - how can we label it as evil or unjust when it has no idea that it's committing a crime to begin with? As Picard states, "The sperm whale on Earth devours millions of cuttlefish as it roams the oceans. It is not evil. It is feeding." It lacks the human perspective, and essentially, that's what Meruem lacked before he met Komugi, which is why he's a special consideration regarding his human killings before he intrinsically knew what it meant to be human. Morality, ethics, and justice are all products of society - aspects of social contract - something Meruem was strictly divorced from until he found Komugi. Most forms of media use manipulative means to make us empathize with an antagonist without proper considerations of their development, but Meruem's was about as deliberate and exquisite as you could expect it to get. I love his character, and Togashi ended the arc with the beautiful irony of making us weep for what we were originally expecting to be the ultimate enemy of mankind, when in the end, it ended up representing all that is good about humanity. The tragedy of Meruem and the chimera ants in general is that they are born as living-contradictions - they cannot possibly hope to sate their dual natures in equal measure, so they must end up ultimately choosing that nature for themselves. Meruem made his choice in the end, and it took the very object that would kill him to make him see the desire of living as a human - that only when he lost his memory of Komugi could he truly feel what he had been missing; a feeling of profound emptiness without her. |
DangerrJun 24, 2014 6:00 PM
| Wow. ^ I couldn't have said it better myself. Just to back up one of your points, meruem didn't want to kill anyone after gaining his understanding of humanity for example, he didn't kill welfin nor even threaten palm but instead was willing to bow down and beg her. |
| the lack of fanfare regarding Pouf's death (and the lack of reactions) is kind of ironic considering how flamboyantly he lived |
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 Most loyal subordinates I've ever seen. |
gedata said: Spit water everywhere, that made my day. Although when I think about how utterly defeated he was last episode, I can't help but feel for him.the lack of fanfare regarding Pouf's death (and the lack of reactions) is kind of ironic considering how flamboyantly he lived @ Episode - I can't believe how sudden it felt to watch it all come to a close. HxH once again proving that I can't expect Gon to beat up the big bad boss and end the arc with a nakama power up. Meruem has to be one of the most brilliantly woven antagonists I've seen in a battle shounen. To think that this series could take a character who murdered and fed on children and transform my feelings of disgust towards him into a feeling of defeat when he accepted his final moments. Though I have to say that it's refreshing to see HxH is finally moving towards its next stage. I'm crossing my fingers and begging to see Hisoka make a return to the screen. |
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| This episode was so emotional..really deep. Great Job MADHOUSE |
Dangerr said: I'm betting you're a strong supporter of retributive justice -. Yup thats it.. Thanks for your time to reply i liked that whale example. I just put myself into someone who live in that village and his parents eaten by Meruem. Fact is he killed those. Even if he is not aware that is a crime.. They're dead... and that makes him killer in my opinion. Try to look in my perspective. Would you forgive him ? Or you still say he is an animal he can eat my parents its ok. |
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| No words are needed, only tears now Q_Q Good Job MADHOUSE |
| I didn't like how Madhouse handled this episode. The dubbind in the last scenes was horrible. That weren't voices of dying people. Togashi made it very clear that Meruem and Komugi were weak with difficulty to finish the phrases. That bubbles were bad placed. It would be better if it was after they die. And the scenes with the fireflies of nen were horrible. In the manga, everything was pure dark because Meruem was also blind and we could have their perspectives |
Satouji said: He is indeed a killer, and nothing will change that. You must consider, however, his moral growth. I personally believe that forgiveness is one of humanity's few true virtues, and if the wrongdoer is appropriately penitent, then yeah, I believe they can be forgiven, though not always without some form of complimentary punishment. More substantially, I think Meruem's unique circumstances bring him beyond normal considerations of human justice, as I've said. But yes, he is a killer, and one I ultimately can forgive and feel sympathy, if not compassion, for. I'm certain that Killua, Netero, and probably even Ging have killed far more individuals than Meruem; and there's every reason to consider that not all of those killings have been moral and/or just.Dangerr said: I'm betting you're a strong supporter of retributive justice -. Yup thats it.. Thanks for your time to reply i liked that whale example. I just put myself into someone who live in that village and his parents eaten by Meruem. Fact is he killed those. Even if he is not aware that is a crime.. They're dead... and that makes him killer in my opinion. Try to look in my perspective. Would you forgive him ? Or you still say he is an animal he can eat my parents its ok. |
| you know they should like really keep his body and make more super chimera... |
Forever_A said: was pretty darn close to tear watching this but if they had shown them both getting weaker and weaker like you said i doubt i could of handled it ;_;I didn't like how Madhouse handled this episode. The dubbind in the last scenes was horrible. That weren't voices of dying people. Togashi made it very clear that Meruem and Komugi were weak with difficulty to finish the phrases. That bubbles were bad placed. It would be better if it was after they die. And the scenes with the fireflies of nen were horrible. In the manga, everything was pure dark because Meruem was also blind and we could have their perspectives I think most of this was handled very well till the end |
 |
Satouji said: Dangerr said: I'm betting you're a strong supporter of retributive justice -. Yup thats it.. Thanks for your time to reply i liked that whale example. I just put myself into someone who live in that village and his parents eaten by Meruem. Fact is he killed those. Even if he is not aware that is a crime.. They're dead... and that makes him killer in my opinion. Try to look in my perspective. Would you forgive him ? Or you still say he is an animal he can eat my parents its ok. The case is: it's not a crime an animal eating another from other specie. He was danger for anyone and have to be treated as it. To stop him, I approve his stomach be filled with all bombs that humanity can gather. But I still see it solely as fight for survival |
| Didn't like the way it transitioned. Kinda killed the mood for me. Still a great episode :D |
 |
Dangerr said: Satouji said: He is indeed a killer, and nothing will change that. You must consider, however, his moral growth. I personally believe that forgiveness is one of humanity's few true virtues, and if the wrongdoer is appropriately penitent, then yeah, I believe they can be forgiven, though not always without some form of complimentary punishment. More substantially, I think Meruem's unique circumstances bring him beyond normal considerations of human justice, as I've said. But yes, he is a killer, and one I ultimately can forgive and feel sympathy, if not compassion, for. I'm certain that Killua, Netero, and probably even Ging have killed far more individuals than Meruem; and there's every reason to consider that not all of those killings have been moral and/or just.Yup thats it.. Thanks for your time to reply i liked that whale example. I just put myself into someone who live in that village and his parents eaten by Meruem. Fact is he killed those. Even if he is not aware that is a crime.. They're dead... and that makes him killer in my opinion. Try to look in my perspective. Would you forgive him ? Or you still say he is an animal he can eat my parents its ok. I have to agree with what you are saying and that what the king and the chimera ants did was undeniably inhumane and unforgivable, but I think that is also the beauty of what happened in this episode and this entire arc, especially with what Palm was struggling with when she was speaking with Mereum. |
| that was awesome. meruem sama.togashi sama |
| Cty Best mid |
| the feels.. RIP |
| *Too drown in tears to comment* TT_____________TT 1000000000000000000/10 |
diivil said: damn amazing analysis and an yet another amazing ep by madhouse michiru3050 said: , did anybody notice kokoriko(a gungi technique) means King itself? This technique try to win the game by making King piece isolate. But komugi tells him this technique is Shiro(road to death) a while ago ( ep 104). Isolated king must die. But she shows him a new tactics to save king in ep 135. It means "king doesn't have to die". In reality, king didin't be killed by Netero's nuke attack. But king counterattacked her and shows that isolated king must die after all ( by poison). Komugi finds a new counterattack and said "I'll go with you". King is not alone anymore. Meruem tells her he can't win even once(He couldn't beat kokoriko). It means Kokoriko is not shiro anymore. She saved the isolated king. The black screen at the end has a couple meanings The dying king has lost even his sight. His mother named him Meruemu as "Light shining on everything". It's stated that "His en shined into the palace as if it's sunshine" and "He manipulated light particles to search Palm in a house" a while ago. He got a god-like light power at that moment. But black pages suggests that he doesn't have any light now. This is a view that Komugi was seeing from the beginning. She couldn't see any light. To her, he was just Meruem. After all, those pages show us that he lost everything but gained what he trully wanted. He didn't need any soldiers, palaces, countries, power, strength, even his sight(as Komugi). He just wanted to play Gungi with Komugi. This is the same to her too. She had nothing besides Gungi. Nobody loved her and couldn't play Gungi as well as she did. She was lonely Gungi King(Queen?). But she gained Meruem. That's why she cryed when he counterattacked her new kokoriko. She once needed to create and kill tactics on Gungi by herself. But she gained the perfect opponent and can create tactics with him(I guess to create tactics suggests to create a baby as she said kokoriko is her baby.) The one "Light shines on everything" loved (and was loved by) was a blind girl. What a story! They started a new(the last) game in darkness. "1-5-1 king". "9-5-1 king". Then it was stopped. These two king pieces don't go anywhere anymore. Two kings (King of living things and Gungi King) are together forever. very good sir |
| Cty Best mid |
| Great episode, very sad ending and quite a good alternative way for once in a while to end a big enemy main character from the normal big explosive fights |
lprado00Nov 9, 2014 11:20 AM
| I knew how it was going to end a long time ago but still it made me a little sad to watch, Mereum was one of the best thought out antagonists that comes to mind; when the main antagonist dies and it feels like defeat even though he wasn't one of the good guys you know you created one hell of a villain. |
| Cell is finally dead. I didn't really like him particularly but he wasn't bad either, he kinda reminds me of Vegeta (bad guys reforming to become a good guy because he got his ass beat by someone else, in Meruem's case it's because of a blind girl lolololo the shame) now can we go back to what was actually interesting in HxH , AKA HISOKA, THE SPIDERS, ETC. |
| I'm sorry I ever even doubted Madhouse. They did an amazing job and actually even made an amazing ending even better. Meruem and Komugi got the send off they truly deserved. This arc got the ending it deserved, as well. Beautiful, just absolutely fucking beautiful. I really liked how they did Meruem's death, btw. In the manga it was just black pages with his and Komugi's words over it, which worked. But, the way the anime did it with the glimpses of Komugi touching him and him clasping on to her hand was amazing. Oh, and I like the lack of an opening and the unique ED. I just love that these two characters I absolutely adore got the respect I felt they deserved. Also, 10/10 arc will without a shadow of a doubt read/watch again. |
| "Yes, I have been deprived of emotion. But not completely. Whoever did it, botched the job." - Geralt of Rivia |
Kurokokoy said: diivil said: damn amazing analysis and an yet another amazing ep by madhouse very good sir WOW damn nice that you noticed and told us , which makes it even better and well thought! |
| Shonen! |
| Loved how this arc ended in the manga & seeing it animated with this episode brought all the feels back. You can't help but feel for Meruem & Komugi in their final moments. Can't really say much more than that. This arc spanned a long time but every episode had it's moments. Looks like they'll be starting the new arc, can't wait to watch. |
| Just wanted to say one thing: TOGASHI, YOU'RE A FUCKIN' GENIUS!!! |
 "Can you feel that hybrid rainbow?" |
| That was really a great ending to arc. It was touching to see their final moments and Komugi's own happiness in relation to the King's. At least now that it's over, it has cemented itself as the second best arc of the series for me. |
| "Let Justice Be Done!" My Theme Fight again, fight again for justice! |
| the feels... |
 |
Valaskjalf said: Cell is finally dead. I didn't really like him particularly but he wasn't bad either, he kinda reminds me of Vegeta (bad guys reforming to become a good guy because he got his ass beat by someone else, in Meruem's case it's because of a blind girl lolololo the shame) now can we go back to what was actually interesting in HxH , AKA HISOKA, THE SPIDERS, ETC. jajaja that was so funny, hater. But Yeah the truth is Dragon Ball was a copy paste of the book Journey to the West. jajajajaja and Meruem was a common villain who was in the dark side but at the end he is a good person and now he is fighting in the good side..... What anime are you seeing? |
| Gintama: "The blade is not to cut down your enemies Nor is it to cut away your own weakness A sword isnt meant to protect your body A sword is meant for protecting your soul" |
| I've come to dislike Palm ant version in the anime, she's so smug and know it all :( <3 Mereum x Komugi <3 |
 |
| Such a powerful episode. Great execution from the way it began, omitting the optimistic-sounding opening sequence, to the ending with Komugi and the king. The way the whole episode played out gave it such a definite tone as if it was all coming to an end, which in a way, I guess it sort of was. In the end just so many feels. |
 |
| Too many feels T_T |
 |
ichii_1 said: I've come to dislike Palm ant version in the anime, she's so smug and know it all :( <3 Mereum x Komugi <3 How was she smug? |
| R.I.P Shaiapouf, you'll always be HxH's best character <3 Still disappointed that the King + 2/3 of the Royal Guards were killed by a poisonous bomb. Not to mention Pitou also got 1-hit killed by Gon. We didn't get to see the true combat capabilities of Pitou, Pouf or the new and improved King. Loved that conversation between Palm and Meruem at the beginning of the episode though, and the ending was nice. |
| I liked how in the end, Netero really did win. Not only did he accomplish his main goal of terminating King, he wiped out most of the Royal Guard in the process, almost single handedly winning the conflict. That's pretty badass right there. |
athrun5 said: When I saw this episode I starting to cry on the inside thinking they were going to end the show based on the fact that they took the OPing and EDing away then I cried tears of joy finding out they weren't going to cut it short..... As for the king ant thing I am glad he is dead and finally he is put in his place. You guys say oh how romantic or how loving or how changed he is. He hasn't changed He murdered people in the past and the only difference now is that he got Hooked on gungi and wanted to play it till he died knowing that the girl would get poisoned and die to. Other words he MURDERED the girl for the sake of his GREED of his enjoyment of gungi. That's not ROMANTIC, that's not LOVING and that's definitly not CHANGED. Hes Dead that's Good, the ant ark is over and I just hope they continue on even though the manga has stopped. Hold on, people have already mentioned that Killua has probably killed way more people. If you think he hasn't changed then you just haven't been watching. And did Komugi beg Meruem to let he go so she could live, no it was here choice because she was happy just being there with him. |
Kellhus said: I liked how in the end, Netero really did win. Not only did he accomplish his main goal of terminating King, he wiped out most of the Royal Guard in the process, almost single handedly winning the conflict. That's pretty badass right there. XD I like the way the king died showed that humans are more disgusting and terrifying than the ants |
| Gintama: "The blade is not to cut down your enemies Nor is it to cut away your own weakness A sword isnt meant to protect your body A sword is meant for protecting your soul" |
| On Palm: So many people are focused on Meruem and Komugi that I don't think anyone paid attention Palm's dilemma in this episode. -Palm is frustrated when Meruem doesn't act the way she expects. She expects Meruem to be a cruel individual who abuses human lives... But the fact that Meruem is asking her peacefully and politely to reunite him with Komugi baffles Palm. Palm initially doubts the changes in reality of Meruem's character, trying to convince herself that it's a trick, or that he's lying... but her arguments become moot as she realizes that an individual as powerful as the King doesn't need tricks or lies. He already knows death is approaching, he has nothing to lose, and nothing to hide. -Palm stops Meruem from kneeling. Although Meruem never does it, I think he was going to prostrate himself (in a Japanese kowtow) to ask for Palms help. The fact that Palm stops him suggests that a part of her thinks the King should act like a King. The fact that he would lower himself for Komugi says something about him, and Palm understands. It makes sense that during her "metamorphosis" Pouf and Pitou would pre-program her to be loyal to the King. While most of her loyalty would have died when her emotions returned, some of it may still remain. Ants are still biologically hardwired to be loyal to the King/Queen... even if the human parts dilute it. -Palm is conflicted. The cruel enemy that massacred a nation and took away her humanity is asking to die peacefully beside Komugi. Meruem was not who she expected him to be, and in the end she sympathizes with him. The fact that she got a glimpse at Meruem's last moments makes her quite special,don't you think? On Pouf: TheDodo said: Zer01 said: HAHA, I laughed my ass off when I saw Pouf dead in the ground. He deserved to die alone. Yeah that was priceless. It looks like he died just after The King left him, he's the biggest loser among the K+RGs: - Pitou was fairly happy Gon was focused on her and not the King when she died. - Yupi's death was nice and short. - The King died while playing Gungi with his GF. - Then pouf died just after all his plans were defeated, and it seemed to have been slow considering the blood trail. I think Pouf's death is quite sad because he dies so pathetically. Pouf is clearly the most ambitious of the RG. He was always so ardent about the dangers that Komugi girl would present to the King, and always dreamed of an ideal Ant kingdom. His short life (he was only a few months old, yeesh!) was devoted to serving the King's needs and wants... and in the end, he failed. The King accepted his death with all the grace that Pouf didn't, and then left Pouf to go find Komugi who would make him happy in his final moments. A slow, agonizing death makes it all the more sad. There are times when I really hate the guy, but this was not one of them. I pitied him. Meruem's En: beaniesaige said: I can't even... the feels man, the feels. That was beautifully done. I loved the whole thing they did with I didn't realize at first, but do you know what this means? People have already concluded that Meruem went blind, but the fact that he even needed to use En to locate Komugi suggests that he couldn't feel anything either (or the pain was overloading his senses, and he wasn't aware of anything else). That is why he kept asking if Komugi was there, even though she was right beside... and why he needed En to find her when she was touching him. |
| Well time to add this show to the other 5 anime I have cried for. That makes 6 now. |
| Schools out, No job at moment, STILL hello MAL Eh..I will try to be online |
| Knew they were going to track "Understanding'...Madhouse using cheap tricks ;_; Would've definitely hit me harder if I hadn't read the manga, great ending still. Mixed feelings about this arc and the adaptation though. Keen on the next arc |
FaZe_FlumeJun 24, 2014 8:59 PM
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