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let's talk about the use of music during the chimera ant arc in madhouse's 2011 adaptation shall we? (a thread)
i'm certain all of us are aware what a beautiful piece of work the hxh soundtrack is. anime, and media in general, oftentimes use music with some kind of intent behind it. they want to add to the atmosphere of the scene, elicit a stronger emotional response from their audience or
want us to draw a connection between the song and the scene occurring in front of us. association is a strong and useful tool in storytelling; we start associating a track with a scene and every time we listen to it afterwards, it transports us back into the emotional and mental
headspace we were in when we first watched/heard it. reusing that same track in a different scene let's us know that maybe the themes of those two scenes overlap or are somehow related; that maybe there's a connection to be drawn here, which is exactly what i want to do now.
one of my favorite tracks in hxh 2011 is "nagareboshi kirari". not only is it a fantastic ending, but the way it is used inside the story is what made me want to start this thread. during the chimera ant arc, we hear the slow/orchestral version of that song 4 different times and
the decision to use that same exact track in those scenes was very deliberate. the first time we hear it being played is in one of the most beloved and important scenes in the story when it comes to killua's character arc and his relationship with gon. the "you are light" scene.
this scene is one of my, and the fandom's, favorite scenes for many reasons. as i just said, it portrays killua's character up til now perfectly. he's prone to overthink his actions, thinking he's made a mistake and was never qualified to be there nor to stay by gon's side.
he does not have enough confidence in himself and in his actions because of his lack of experience and him measuring his abilities by whether or not they were useful to gon and able to help him in any way. he thinks he's made a mistake and is feeling immense guilt over running
away because it's still a habit ingrained inside of him that he can't get rid off, even when it comes to gon. but when gon wakes up, he changes killua's perspective. he gives him hope. and does the complete opposite of what killua expected him to do - he thanks him.
in that moment killua is completely thrown for a loop. he doesn't know if he can stay by gon's side despite gon's words to him, because gon's optimism seems unattainable to someone like him. gon's ability to keep his head high, to believe in himself and in his friends, is not
something killua can yet apply to himself. he sees himself as someone who gives up when it truly matters, which also leads us to the next scene the track is used in. after their promise to get stronger to rescue kite, they face knuckle and shoot which ends in a bitter defeat.
in this scene we pretty much get to see killua answering his own question. after bisky's talking-to, in which she addressed the aforementioned insecurities killua faces, killua set himself a goal: if he can prove to himself and to bisky that his capabilities have changed and
is able to defeat shoot, he gets to stay. if he can't, he must leave gon's side. bisky feared that killua's inability to act selflessly and not selfishly in a fight, might end up harming gon, which is the last thing killua would want. so in order to not let it happen, despite
how much he doesn't want to leave, he decides it'd be for the better. because of how precious gon is to him. he can not trust himself enough not to do it, his family and the needle inside of his head has made sure of that. this is also where the lyrics to the song fit in nicely.
the song can very much be seen from killua's point view with gon being the shooting star. to killua, gon is a brilliant light he wants to follow and not only be more similar but also to remain close to; to change for the better in his own way and for both of their sakes.
since the beginning he's wanted to leave his old way of living behind and lead a more normal life. gon's character has always been a precedent for that. he wants to be able to live a life like gon with gon by his side. along the way, he's become more and more important to him,
resulting in killua's confidence to shed his assassin life style solely relying on whether or not he can be of use to gon. he's never had other friends or other people to take note from, so it makes sense for killua to be attached to this degree and to want gon to believe in him.
because it's then that he can be sure he can believe in himself too. not being able to defeat shoot however proved to him that he in fact was not able to change in a way that would allow him to pursue this desire any further. because of how precious gon is to him, he decides to
leave gon after thirty days, when knuckle's ability disappears. and so, episode 91 is a direct follow up to episode 85. episode 85 had killua doubting himself, ridden with guilt, but gon was able to give him the incentive to not give up on himself. in episode 91 killua's doubts
confirmed and we're left off with the same feeling of frustration and despair that the two of them are facing right now. gon is upset about his own shortcomings and not being able to keep the promise he made to himself and kite; he's not able to help a friend when he needs him
and killua is feeling the same way but in regards to gon instead of kite. he's let gon down by letting himself down.
the next time the track is used is in ep 95 when they go to see kite. this occurs after the events of ep 94, where killua fights rammot and removes the needle; an important moment in his development that affected him significantly, the ways in which are showcased in this scene.
by killua mentioning that he is ready to face the "reality they've created" we get to know that he's not trying to run away any longer, no matter how hopeless the situation seems. his confidence has improved immensely since he's no longer being held back by illumi intruding his
thoughts and influencing his decision making process through the needle. using the same track here draws an instant connection and definitive contrast to the previous scene and killua's previous behavior. he has to be gon's support now because gon is now the one clinging to the
last bit of hope they have left. so far, nagareboshi kirari has been used in scenes that draw a continuous thread of how killua and gon's motivations and characters have subtly changed during the arc. we see killua grow more confident in his thoughts and actions, but still trying
