Parallel world Manga Artist-Chapter 201: Opening

In the latter half of the month, the latest issue of Hunter × Hunter was released on schedule.

The long-awaited Chimera Ant Arc, anticipated by countless Hunter fans across Japan, finally began.

Objectively speaking, the Chimera Ant Arc is a classic, but it does come with one well-known issue: its early progression is slow.

From Gon’s reunion with Kite, to the discovery of the mutated Chimera Ant colony, and finally to the escalating confrontations with ants that continuously evolved and learned Nen by devouring Hunters, the original version of this arc spanned well over a hundred Chapters.

Even Rei himself, recalling his previous life, felt that parts of it had been overly redundant. Battles involving minor or unimportant characters often dragged on for several Chapters, slowing the overall rhythm.

Because of this, in this Japanese version of the Chimera Ant Arc, Rei deliberately streamlined the narrative. He focused tightly on the core cast and major conflicts, while glossing over or compressing the roles of less essential supporting characters.

Even so...

When the Chimera Ant Arc officially began serialization, many manga readers were still left confused.

The first Chapter alone introduced a large amount of biological knowledge about ants, followed by an extended conversation between Gon and Kite, and then the foreshadowing of the Chimera Ant Queen’s illegal entry into human territory. Recognizing how important this arc would be, Rei even added ten extra pages to the Chapter to help readers better grasp the setup.

Yet despite that effort, fans who eagerly bought the magazine still found themselves bewildered after finishing the Chapter.

So... the "Ant" in the Chimera Ant Arc didn’t refer to a location.

Nor was it the nickname of a Nen user, like The Bomber.

Instead, Gon was literally going to fight ants?

And not just any ants, but a giant Ant Queen that had smuggled herself into human society and was already on the brink of death?

Even if the creature was massive and vaguely humanoid, Gon had trained for so long, surely he wouldn’t struggle against a single oversized insect, right?

It could only be said that, lacking the cultural context of films like Alien, Japanese manga readers had no frame of reference for the Ant Queen’s true design or threat level.

In truth, even Rei himself, back in his previous life, had underestimated the arc at first. Before the Royal Guard Neferpitou ever appeared, he hadn’t felt the Ant King was particularly terrifying. He had once assumed that Kite, Gon, and Killua together could handle the situation, and that the Ant King’s strength might not even surpass Chrollo’s.

What Japanese readers didn’t yet understand was the overwhelming sense of oppression, the escalating darkness and brutality, and the philosophical depth this arc would bring.

It was no exaggeration to say that without the Chimera Ant Arc, Hunter × Hunter would remain a top-tier manga, but it would never become a masterpiece.

Rei spent the entire day browsing online discussions about the new Chapter.

Overall, enthusiasm was muted.

Most readers weren’t particularly interested in watching the protagonist fight "ugly ants." Many fans were loudly calling for Rei to bring back Chrollo, Hisoka, and Killua’s brother Illumi, to clash with the main cast instead.

Ants simply didn’t feel exciting.

That was the universal impression across the internet after the first Chapter of the Chimera Ant Arc.

Of course, complaints aside, votes and magazine rankings the next day were still overwhelming.

For the current Hunter × Hunter, its number-one position in the magazine was untouchable.

However, in the realm of animation, Hunter × Hunter’s dominance had already been overtaken by Arcane.

And in the days that followed, Episode 7 of Arcane aired.

Following Jinx’s terrorist attack, Piltover suffered devastating losses. In response, Jayce ordered the Enforcers to seal the bridge connecting Zaun and Piltover.

Zaun was a sump, cut off from the surface, and that bridge was its only channel to the outside world. Jayce’s decision immediately ignited widespread resentment among Zaun’s residents.

This action also deepened the rift between Jayce and Viktor.

Viktor hadn’t supported Jayce so he could watch his closest friend suppress the people of his homeland after becoming a councilor.

Meanwhile, with Silco continuing to stoke the flames from the shadows as Zaun’s underground ruler, open war between Zaun and Piltover no longer felt distant. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The episode also expanded significantly on Ekko, Vi and Jinx’s childhood friend. At the same time, the relationship between Vi and Caitlyn developed rapidly, further intensifying the emotional fracture between the sisters.

Jinx’s distrust toward her adoptive father, Silco, also grew sharper.

Yet above all else, two particular scenes in this episode left the deepest impression on Japanese anime audiences.

One of the most striking moments was the confrontation between Jinx and her adoptive father, Silco.

When Jinx demanded to know why he had lied to her, why he told her that Vi was dead, Silco didn’t deny it. Instead, he answered coldly and deliberately:

"Don’t forget who found you and gave you a home. I am your family. Everyone else will abandon us.

I need you. I’ve never needed you like I do now."

The words were possessive, almost desperate, less reassurance than a declaration of control.

The second unforgettable scene was the battle between Ekko and Jinx on the blockaded bridge.

To give Caitlyn and Vi time to escape, Ekko stepped forward alone, confronting Jinx at the edge of madness, torn between her love for her sister and her devotion to the man who had raised her.

What followed was a fight unlike anything the series had shown before.

Slow-motion frames, symbolic visual metaphors, rhythmic cuts synced to the music, the sequence was easily the most intense, emotionally charged, and technically refined battle since Arcane began airing.

Animation, by nature, demands both visual excellence and narrative weight.

By this point, the story had stacked its emotional layers high enough that the clash between Ekko and Jinx carried devastating meaning. Once childhood friends who may have harbored unspoken feelings for each other, they now faced one another as enemies, fully prepared to kill.

Some viewers found the scene exhilarating. Others found it heartbreaking.

Many felt only helplessness.

The forums erupted.

"This episode punched me straight in the chest."

"Teacher Shirogane’s character writing is terrifyingly good. I used to think Jinx was just an ungrateful brat, but if you think about it, Silco really did save her. With Vi taken away and Vander dead, a child alone in Zaun would’ve been finished. Of course she’s torn between her sister and her father."

"Then why not admit that without Silco, Vander wouldn’t have died?"

"But from Silco’s perspective, did he really do anything wrong? He wanted Zaun to break free from Piltover’s oppression and stand as equals. What’s wrong with that?"

"Can immoral means justify a righteous end? Can Zaun rise through conspiracies and violence?"

"And what’s the alternative? Preach ethics to people who can’t even eat? Vander was a good man, but not a good leader."

"Let’s be real. Silco has ideals, sure, but he’s still a villain."

"I never said he was a good person. I said he saved Jinx."

"This episode was painful to watch. Jayce and Viktor turning against each other, breaking away from their mentor... Vi and Jinx’s sisterhood finally snapping... If Ekko hadn’t stepped in, Jinx probably would’ve crossed the line completely. And Vi with Caitlyn, I didn’t expect Shirogane-sensei to write a romance between them. It’s absurd... but I love it."

"Stop arguing about who’s the worst person. The real trash in this story is Jayce. No matter how messed up Silco or Jinx are, they’re still better than him."

"We’re already at episode seven. Only two episodes left this season. So where’s the war? This show’s called Arcane, where are the massive set pieces?"

"Honestly, if an anime can make people argue like this, it’s already a success. Nobody debates morality like this over a generic show."

"The plot itself is simple, oppression and resistance, a story told a thousand times. But the characterization? The foreshadowing? The emotional layering? This is the best anime script I’ve seen in the last ten years."